The Swimsuit Episode, Part Two

Yamauchi said mysteriously, "We're also betting on the girls' breast sizes, with odds and everything. Hoshino, want in?"

Hoshino rubbed his brow, looking troubled.

"Let me ask you this first: you understand how serious the consequences would be if the girls found out, right?"

"Um... of course we do."

Yamauchi's answer was anything but confident.

"Best-case scenario, none of the girls will want to talk to you for the next three years."

"Huh? I don't want that! That would be awful! Why is that the best-case scenario?"

"If the girls file a complaint, it could lead to serious consequences like suspension or even expulsion."

"!"

The boys looked visibly shocked. Hey, had none of you thought about this before?

"So you know all that, and you're still going to do it?"

"...Some things just have to be done."

No. Saying it in such a solemn tone didn't change the fact that those were two completely different things.

"I understand." Hoshino sighed. "I won't help you gather information or cover for you, but I won't tell Hirata or anyone else about this either. Is that good enough?"

"Seriously? I thought you were one of us, Hoshino!"

"...Fine. I'll participate a little, just to show my support. That should satisfy you, right?"

Hoshino took the tablet and quickly scanned the list of girls. Hasebe was currently in first place.

Hasebe Haruka sat next to Hoshino, and they knew each other fairly well. Objectively speaking, she wasn't the type to draw attention to herself, but she was undoubtedly one of the most striking girls in Class D, both in looks and figure.

Hoshino's finger lingered over Hasebe's name for a moment, then continued scrolling. Sudo and the others watched anxiously to see whom he would choose.

Hoshino finally selected a girl, then returned the tablet to Sotomura.

"I just transfer the points to Ike, right? I'll bet 3,000 points."

"3,000 points! Hoshino, you're pretty generous!"

"If I bet less, you'd keep nagging me. There."

"You chose... Sakura? Who's that? Does she have a big chest?"

Sudo, who didn't recognize Sakura, asked Ike uncertainly. Ike wasn't sure either.

Compared with Hasebe and the others, Sakura barely stood out in class. She was a plain-looking girl with glasses who slouched a little and always sat quietly at her desk, hardly ever speaking.

"At least her odds are high. I picked her for the points."

With that, Hoshino deliberately put some distance between himself and the others.

Just then, the girls began filing out of the changing rooms. Horikita was at the front. In her school swimsuit, she looked poised and confident, with no trace of bashfulness. A swimsuit was the sort of outfit that could make people's imaginations run wild, yet she wore it with the same air as her uniform. How did she manage that?

Horikita glanced with a frown at the cluster of boys, then walked over to Hoshino.

"The boys seem to be up to something behind everyone's backs."

"Do they? I wouldn't know."

"I just saw you with them."

"But it's also true they didn't trust me enough to tell me everything, so they pushed me out."

Horikita gave an impatient snort. She knew Hoshino wouldn't tell her what was really going on, so she stopped asking.

After Horikita, Kushida entered the pool building and came over to them as well.

In the same school swimsuit, Kushida gave a completely different impression from Horikita.

Kushida was already exceptionally beautiful, and in her swimsuit she was impossible to look away from. Compared to her uniform, the swimsuit showed off her curves even more. Her bust was at least a D cup, far larger than Hoshino had expected. Her waist was very slim too—the classic combination of a slender frame and generous curves—and her thighs and hips had just the right amount of softness.

If he kept staring, things could get awkward in more ways than one. Hoshino quickly looked away.

"What are you and Horikita talking about, Hoshino? Can I join you?"

"It's less a conversation and more me being interrogated."

Horikita immediately shot him a sideways glare, as if to say, "Don't say anything unnecessary."

"I don't really understand, but you two sure seem close."

Kushida spoke with an envious smile. Hoshino had heard her say before that she'd tried to talk to Horikita several times, but Horikita had always been indifferent to her. For someone like Kushida, who wanted to be friends with everyone, that must have been quite a blow.

"Oh, right. Kushida, your swimsuit is really cute."

"Huh? Saying that so suddenly is making me blush, Hoshino."

"If I see something beautiful and don't compliment it, I'd be going against my principles."

"You always say things that are hard to understand, Hoshino."

Kushida tilted her head slightly as she looked at him. As always, she radiated warmth and never said or did anything that might make someone uncomfortable.

Horikita, on the other hand, was completely different. She openly showed her irritation. Without even saying hello, she headed straight for the pool.

"There's no doubt about it. She doesn't like you, Kushida."

"Whaaat? Is that so? What should I do?"

She even played along with the oblivious act when appropriate. Hoshino could see why a girl like Kushida Kikyo was so popular.

Just then, Ike, Yamauchi, and a few others hurried over.

"K-Kushida!"

Perhaps it was because he'd seen her in her swimsuit, but Ike was so flustered he could barely get the words out.

"You all seem pretty worked up."

"Y-yeah. The weather sure is nice today."

That wasn't even a response. Kushida tilted her head in confusion.

Yamauchi pulled Hoshino aside.

"What's going on?"

"This isn't right! None of the girls have come out!"

As soon as Yamauchi said it, Hoshino understood. Fewer than half of the girls who'd changed into their swimsuits had entered the pool building.

"They couldn't still be in the changing rooms, could they?"

There was no way changing could take that long.

That left only one possibility.

"We got a message from the Professor!"

Ike called out softly. Hoshino leaned over to look. It was a message from Sotomura, whose nickname was "Professor."

"The girls are watching from the second floor!" Hoshino followed their gaze upward. Sure enough, he could see several girls, including Hasebe, up there. They hadn't changed.

"The operation... failed..."

Yamauchi let out a low, mournful lament.

No, your operation had been hopeless from the start—in every possible way.

A gloomy mood settled over the group. Hoshino moved away from them in disgust.

"What happened? Ike and the others look devastated."

"Uh, let's just say it's a problem unique to boys."

Hoshino avoided giving Kushida a real answer.

"A bunch of hopeless idiots."

Horikita, who had watched the whole thing from nearby, delivered a cutting remark. She seemed to have figured out exactly what was going on.

I agree. Hoshino thought helplessly.