Excuse

Since then, quite some time had passed, yet Hoshino and Sakura remained in a relationship where they only exchanged greetings if they happened to bump into each other.

Although Hoshino had told her when they parted that she could come to him for help if anything else happened, Sakura had never taken the initiative to reach out.

Could one assume that the person had already given up? Hoshino harbored doubts in his heart.

No, a person like that, who would go to such lengths to infiltrate this isolated school just to achieve his goal, did not strike Hoshino as the type to be deterred by a setback of this magnitude.

He was surely waiting for an opportunity—a chance to get closer to, or perhaps even possess, his "beloved."

His "beloved," Airi Sakura—no, it would be more accurate to call her the idol "Shizuku."

Although Sakura had not said it explicitly, the fragments of information inadvertently revealed during their conversation that day had provided Hoshino with a lead. After returning to the dormitory and searching online, he had quickly found a blog for an idol named "Shizuku."

If one didn't know beforehand, it was unlikely anyone would be able to recognize that Sakura was the idol "Shizuku."

Judging by Shizuku's blog, she was almost the exact opposite of Sakura. In the photos within the album, the young girl was charming and exquisitely made up. Most importantly, Shizuku's expressions—whether dignified or playful—were always confident and vibrant.

It was hard to imagine that one person could present such a stark contrast. It was to the point where being mistaken for twins or having a split personality wouldn't be an exaggeration.

However, Hoshino had confirmed that she was Sakura the moment he saw Shizuku.

The soft sensation he had recorded with his body during their collision, contrasted with Shizuku's highly impactful figure, was enough to draw a conclusion.

"Perhaps, Sakura is actually the best in the class—no, maybe even the best in the entire grade."

Back at the pool. Hoshino wanted to continue discussing the stalker matter with Sakura, but an unexpected person came over to strike up a conversation.

"To think you'd be hiding in such an inconspicuous place; Aki-chin is truly a master at slacking off."

"I'm only observing because I'm not feeling well, and please don't call me Aki-chin."

"Ah, sorry, sorry. Then, is it okay if I call you Kirarin?"

"...Forget it, call me whatever you want."

Hoshino decisively gave up.

The person who arrived was Haruka Hasebe, a classmate who sat to Hoshino's right. She was a beautiful girl with outstanding looks and a figure; she had ranked highly in both the previous "Girls' Swimsuits I Want to See Most" list and the "Girls' Bust Ranking" poll. It was just that her personality was somewhat aloof, giving the impression that she preferred to be alone, and she didn't have many friends in class.

If she could communicate with others normally—it wouldn't even need to be on the level of Kushida—she would be quite popular. Unfortunately, compared to Kushida, Hasebe was closer to the Horikita type.

The subtle difference was that Horikita had no friends due to her cold attitude and lack of communication skills, whereas Hasebe was the type who simply didn't want to close the distance with others.

She was likely the type who would only make one or two intimate best friends.

Because their seats were adjacent, Hoshino could at least manage to talk to Hasebe. She had a habit of giving people nicknames, and most of them were quite bizarre.

"Even though Aki says you're not feeling well, I can't tell at all; that must just be an excuse, right?"

"Perhaps. But there are so many people in class asking to observe, it's impossible that all of them are truly unwell, right? That includes you, Hasebe-san."

"Well, girls have all sorts of circumstances."

Hasebe replied vaguely. She herself was likely one of those who made up an excuse to skip swimming class. If one were to probe the reason, it was probably that she didn't want to be seen in a swimsuit. She seemed to be the type who was quite self-conscious about exposing her body.

Based on Hoshino's deduction, Matsushita's situation was likely similar to Hasebe's, while Sato and Shinohara were probably just keeping their observing friends company. As for Sakura, she could come up with any number of reasons for observing—not wanting to wear a swimsuit, fearing the gaze of boys, not being good at swimming, etc.—or rather, it was impossible to imagine her participating in sports activities at all.

Among the girls observing on the second floor, only one exceeded Hoshino's expectations; he hadn't expected her to choose to observe.

Hoshino cast his gaze toward Karuizawa in the distance without drawing attention. At this moment, she was leaning back in her seat, chatting casually with her friends.

Whether it was because her friends chose to observe and she was accompanying them, or simply because she wasn't feeling well, the probability of these reasons being true was by no means zero.

However, Hoshino still felt a strong sense of incongruity. The true nature of this feeling remained unknown for the time being.

Kei Karuizawa... she also seemed worth observing.

Seeing Hoshino somewhat dazed, Hasebe reached out and waved her hand in front of his eyes.

"Hasebe-san?"

"Aki, what were you and Sakura-san talking about?"

"Ah! That..."

"We were just talking about things related to swimming."

When suddenly asked, Sakura was so flustered she didn't know how to answer, perhaps fearing that Hoshino would reveal the secret she didn't want others to know.

"I was just saying that I'm actually very good at swimming. If it weren't for the fact that I'm not feeling well and had to choose to observe, I think I would definitely be able to beat Sudo in a race and take the first-place prize."

"...Eh?"

"Huh—"

Hearing Hoshino's nonsense, Sakura and Hasebe both let out responses that carried different meanings.

"Aki, are you actually good at swimming?"

"I have a lot of confidence in my swimming."

"But you aren't in the swimming club."

"That's simply because I have no interest in club activities."

"Hmm? But it shouldn't be because you don't like participating in group activities, right? Aki, you're clearly someone who is very used to dealing with people."

"That's just the surface you see. In reality, I am a person who likes peace and quiet; they call me the 'Lonely Handsome Man,' that's me."

"I'm truly impressed by how you can brag about being a 'handsome guy' with such a straight face."

Hasebe, of course, knew that Hoshino was just joking. Both she and Sakura let out soft laughs.

"Wait a second, I clearly remember you saying 'I like reading and I'm not good at sports' during our self-introductions at the start of the term."

"Oh, that was just nonsense. Self-introductions are basically just for making a good impression on others. I thought saying I liked reading would make me seem smart and cultured, but I've realized now that girls actually prefer the athletic, handsome type."

Hasebe stared at Hoshino, completely dumbfounded.

"You say it as if it were actually true."

"If you don't believe me, Hasebe, then—"

Hoshino paused deliberately. Both Hasebe and Sakura looked at him with curiosity.

"Let's go to the swimming pool at the shopping mall this weekend, and I'll show you my true strength then."

"...For a split second, I actually believed you."

Hasebe said, caught between laughter and tears.

"Sakura, you should come along too."

"Eh?"

Sakura let out a startled cry, clearly not having expected Hoshino to invite her as well.

"Ah, it's one thing to ask someone out in such a hopelessly outdated way, but to invite two girls at the same time? You're a real scumbag, Aki."

"Ah, so it wouldn't be a problem if it were just one person? In that case, sorry Sakura, I'll invite you to the pool next weekend instead."

"That's not what I meant at all!"