A Pool Date

The morning light woke Hoshino from his sleep.

He picked up his phone with his right hand and checked the time. It was six thirty in the morning.

Although he'd gone to bed after midnight, the body clock he'd maintained for years woke him right on time, even without an alarm.

He tried to get up, but his left side was pinned down.

Not wanting to wake her, Hoshino tilted his head and admired Arisu's sleeping face. About ten minutes passed before an ill-timed noise rang out: his stomach reminding him that it was time for breakfast.

It wasn't loud, but Arisu, whose head was resting on Hoshino's chest, still woke up.

She opened her bleary eyes and stared at Hoshino's face, so close to hers, for two seconds. She blinked twice, finally taking in the situation.

"Good morning, Arisu."

"Morning... Akira."

Maybe because she wasn't fully awake yet, or for some other reason, Arisu's voice was a little hoarse.

"What time is it?"

"Six thirty. Do you want to get up?"

"No. Thanks to someone, I'm exhausted. I'm going to catch up on some sleep. This will be my first time sleeping in on a Saturday."

"Um, sorry."

"You don't need to apologize, Akira. I overestimated myself and couldn't hold back. Like this, hmm~"

She raised her head a little and puckered her lips. Hoshino understood and leaned down to kiss her.

After they parted, Arisu was still a little breathless. She licked her lips and smiled.

"I've made so much progress. At first, I could barely stand kissing you. But I still want to kiss you now."

Her light purple eyes gazed into Hoshino's.

"I love you, Akira."

"I love you too, Arisu."

"So I'm very happy right now. But—"

Her voice was soft, but she suddenly changed the subject.

"Akira, for now, please keep your affection for me to words. Don't take things any further."

She slapped away the two hands wandering over her, then rolled off Hoshino.

"All right, get up already. There are cookies and cereal in the cupboard—you can have those for breakfast. Eat and leave while I haven't changed my mind yet. After that, I might not be able to support your date today with my whole heart like I am now."

She pushed Hoshino off the bed, then rolled over to the far side and ignored him. It wasn't long before her breathing grew steady and she fell asleep again.

She'd fallen asleep so quickly. She must really have been exhausted.

Hoshino whispered goodbye and left Arisu's dorm without eating anything.

It would be hard to explain, no matter what excuse he came up with, if someone saw him leaving a girl's room first thing in the morning. Fortunately, it was early, and he made it back to his room without running into anyone. What a relief.

Back in his dorm, Hoshino decided to fill his stomach with instant noodles. After finishing his meal, he lay down and let his mind go blank.

At nine forty, Hoshino got up, finished getting ready, grabbed his backpack, and left his room.

His destination was the indoor pool at Keyaki Mall. He arrived at nine fifty.

When he was still some distance from the pool entrance, Hoshino spotted two people waiting there and quickened his pace.

"Good morning."

At the sound of Hoshino's voice, the two girls sitting side by side on a bench, chatting, looked up.

"Good morning, Hoshino..."

"You're late. At the very least, you should arrive before the girls. That's basic manners."

Sakura, sitting on the left, raised a hand and greeted him softly. Hasebe, on the right, complained with an annoyed look.

"Sorry, sorry. But honestly, before I came, I wasn't sure you'd really show up."

Hoshino clasped his hands together and apologized sincerely. Sakura hurriedly waved it off and said it was fine. Hasebe snorted but didn't press the issue.

"After what happened yesterday, everyone in class is on edge. Let's just come here to take our minds off things."

At yesterday's morning meeting, their homeroom teacher, Chabashira, had announced a series of shocking developments. As students in Class D, they'd been hit with the double blow of "losing their point income" and "having no security for the future." It was only natural that they were confused.

The previous afternoon, Hoshino had sent Sakura and Hasebe separate messages on his phone, inviting them to the pool that morning. The idea had come from a bet Hasebe and Hoshino had made during swimming class a few days earlier.

Simply put, Hoshino had claimed he was good at swimming and could easily beat Sudo if he got serious. Hasebe thought he was bluffing, since he'd chosen to sit out swimming class.

"Just to confirm, neither of you brought a swimsuit."

Neither of them had anything in their hands, and neither had a bag for clothes.

"Airi and I aren't planning to swim."

"Whaaat? Why? I didn't hear anything about that!"

For now, Hoshino gave them an exaggerated response.

"We're only here to call Aki's bluff. We're not actually on a date with you, so get that straight!"

"I'm shocked. Devastated..."

Hoshino put on a stunned expression, and even dropped the backpack he was holding.

"What a drama queen!"

Hasebe spat the words at him, then turned and took Sakura's hand.

"Come on, Airi. Let's go. Ignore this guy."

She led Sakura straight into the pool facility. Seeing this, Hoshino hurried after them.

"Oh, well. I won't get to see them in swimsuits, but at least I can enjoy their casual clothes. That's a rare treat too."

Both girls were loners without friends. Hoshino was certain he was the first boy since the start of the school year to see them dressed casually.

Hasebe was dressed quite casually today, in a plain white T-shirt and a light cover-up on top, wide-leg pants, and white sneakers.

She was already one of the most beautiful girls in Class D. Even without a single accessory, she still had an air of elegance.

Sakura wore a light pink dress that fell below her knees. Her style was about the same as usual: an unfashionable hairstyle and plain glasses. With her head down and shoulders hunched as she walked, even her incredible looks and figure were completely hidden. Next to Hasebe, she looked a little like an ugly duckling.

Hoshino knew that the idol Shizuku, hidden inside Sakura, could be just as stunning as anyone else. Even without dressing up, all she had to do was show the confidence and cheerfulness she had as an idol, and she'd be transformed.

Would that day ever come? The day this timid, withdrawn girl became confident and cheerful?

It might be something worth looking forward to. Hoshino didn't mind helping someone grow.

Perhaps because it was still early, the pool wasn't very crowded. One thing worth noting was that most of the people in the water were couples.

"Well, I'm going to change. You two wait here."

With that, Hoshino headed for the changing rooms. Sakura and Hasebe went to the benches in the poolside lounge area.

Just as Hoshino reached to open the changing-room door, it opened from the other side. He met the eyes of a boy coming out.

Kohei Katsuragi of Class 1-A.

His name flashed through Hoshino's mind. They'd never interacted before, but Hoshino recognized him immediately because he had a very distinctive appearance.

Katsuragi was tall and well-built. He was bald due to some kind of illness, which made him stand out. Anyone who'd heard about him would recognize him at a glance.

According to Arisu, Katsuragi was smarter and steadier than his appearance suggested. He was physically strong and academically gifted. His only flaw was that he was overly upright and stiff—a man who was "no fun to bully."

Now that a month had passed since the school year began, Classes B and C had established their leaders early on. Class D was in disarray, though students like Hirata and Kushida could still guide their classmates' opinions. Class A, however, was different from the other classes. It didn't lack a leader; it had two. The students were divided between the Sakayanagi Faction and the Katsuragi Faction, and neither side was willing to yield to the other.

Hoshino stepped aside to clear the doorway. Katsuragi nodded to him and walked past with a steady stride.

"Katsuragi—"

Just then, a boy came jogging out of the changing room, calling Katsuragi's name. But when he spotted Hoshino nearby, something seemed to occur to him.

"Totsuka, don't shout in public places, and don't run. Those are basic manners."

"Sorry, Katsuragi..."

Katsuragi first reprimanded the boy, whose name was Totsuka. Totsuka scratched his head apologetically, then leaned closer to Katsuragi. His voice was low, but Hoshino could still hear him.

"Katsuragi, that boy... he's Akira Hoshino."

"I know."

Katsuragi answered in a low voice without looking at Hoshino.

"But..."

"That's enough, Totsuka. You're bothering someone and lowering your own standing."

"I-I understand..."

"No problem, Katsuragi. I'm childhood friends with Sakayanagi Arisu, the person who's against you, so it's only natural that Totsuka would be wary of me."

Hoshino said with a smile. Katsuragi answered calmly.

"Classmate Sakayanagi and I simply have some differences of opinion. We aren't enemies."

"In that case, could I ask you to look after Arisu? She's a delicate girl, and she has trouble getting around."

"We're classmates. It's only natural that we help each other."

"That's great to hear. Thank you, Katsuragi."

Katsuragi nodded to Hoshino again, then left with Totsuka.

"Boring."

So this was the "man who's no fun to bully."

Hoshino had to agree.

"I never thought two grown men would actually come to the pool together."