Winner

"Yosuke, go!"

"Look at Suzuki! It's only been twenty seconds, right? He's almost at the finish line already! Amazing!"

Unlike the previous group, these five could be called the cream of the freshman class.

Even across the entire grade, few could compare to them.

"22.03! Student, would you like to join the Swimming Club? There are generous point rewards for competing for the school."

The moment Suzuki Tsubame climbed ashore, the teacher grabbed his arm with one hand and held a stopwatch in the other, his expression fervent.

"Uh, I don't have plans for that right now. If I need to, I'll come find you later."

"Th-this... all right. Make sure you come find me!"

The teacher looked regretful, but in his eyes, Class D would face a point crisis next month, so he wasn't in a hurry. He was only worried another teacher might snatch him first.

"Looks like I lost, Suzuki-boy."

Soaking wet, Koenji walked over.

He held his forehead with one hand. There was no trace of disappointment on his face; instead, he looked thoroughly excited.

"Suzuki-boy, if you need anything, come find me. I'll consider it as I see fit."

"I will."

Suzuki Tsubame answered him calmly.

Suzuki Tsubame: 22.03. Koenji Rokusuke: 23.11. Sudo Ken: 24.56. Ayanokoji Kiyotaka: 24.75. Hirata Yosuke: 25.43...

"Yosuke, thanks for the effort..."

Over on the other side, Karuizawa held a school-issued towel and was helping Hirata dry his hair.

"Ahaha... Kei, I can do it myself."

Seeing that she had no opening to help, Wang Meiyu handed her towel to Koenji.

Over by Ayanokoji was the gyaru, Sato. Seriously, how did you two end up together?

Did Sato like airheads? She seemed pretty taken with Ayanokoji's face.

Looking at the gyaru in front of him, Ayanokoji was full of question marks. Didn't Suzuki Tsubame say it was normal for boys to finish under twenty-five seconds?

Then why was this gyaru paying attention to him?

Over by Sudo was Ike. Feeling sorry for Sudo, he tossed him his towel.

Would any man really use another man's towel? Even if it was new?

Well, Sudo actually used it, and he was even over there praising Ike for being loyal...

Looking into the distance, Horikita stood motionless with a towel in hand.

With no other choice, Suzuki Tsubame walked toward her.

"Suzune, if you want to dry me off, just do it."

"You're standing here staring without coming over. What are the others supposed to do?"

With that, Suzuki Tsubame gestured with his chin toward the girls behind her.

Horikita knew there was still a group of girls behind her.

Since the two of them usually spent a lot of time together, and people often saw Horikita bringing him lunch at noon, more or less.

Everyone in class now thought they were a couple, which was why they all stood at a distance, hesitant to approach.

Horikita casually tossed the towel at Suzuki Tsubame. It fluttered through the air and landed squarely over his face.

"If you need someone, I don't mind if you go find them."

Suzuki Tsubame took a deep breath. The towel over his face had no special scent.

If he had to name one, it only smelled faintly of disinfectant.

"That won't be necessary. Suzune alone is enough for me."

That was a lie.

He casually wiped the water off his body.

"Next, please..."

It was the girls' turn. Kushida Kikyo had been much quieter over the past ten days, but she was still quite popular.

"Kikyo! Kikyo!..."

"Go, Little Kikyo!"

Kushida smiled stiffly at them.

If it weren't for those two, she probably would have been much happier.

After the two groups finished their races one after the other, the final result remained unchanged.

First place among the girls was still Onodera Kayano, who had successfully joined the Swimming Club during the first week.

Twenty-six seconds was already quite good for a girl. Horikita Suzune finished in just over twenty-seven seconds, taking second place.

"Not bad, second place among the girls."

Suzuki Tsubame smiled and handed her a towel. Unlike him.

If he didn't hand her one, she would have had to fetch a towel herself while dragging around her soaking-wet body.

"Mm..."

Horikita wasn't too disappointed. Swimming simply wasn't what she was best at.

If it were running or ball sports, she might not have lost.

[Ding! Long-term mission: Solitary Maiden. Completion: 40%. Reward: Photographic Memory. Your eyes are comparable to the Heavenly Eye. Whether it is a book or terrain, as long as you glance at it once, you will never forget it again.]

Awesome! Horikita wasn't nearly as stubborn as she looked. Before the others had even begun, she was already far ahead.

The afternoon swimming class ended just like that. The 5,000 personal points went to Suzuki Tsubame and Onodera Kayano respectively.

Five thousand points worked out to nearly 250 yuan, enough for Horikita to cook for three days.

Birch Shopping Center.

Massage parlor.

There was still plenty of time left in the afternoon.

Swimming worked the muscles throughout the entire body. To prevent muscle damage, proper relaxation was necessary.

"Suzune, how does it feel? Comfortable, right?"

The room was dimly lit, with calming incense burning.

The only thing separating them was a semi-transparent curtain.

Horikita Suzune lay facedown on the massage table, trying her best to suppress the soft gasps escaping because it felt too good.

"...Laziness... only makes people regress."

Suzuki Tsubame couldn't see her, but she was panting like that and still saying such things.

If the female masseuse beside her heard that, she might think her skills had worsened.

Going to the movies or shopping on a date was totally lame! Going straight to a spa let them relax body and mind without falling into that awkward situation of desperately searching for things to say.

"Miss, we're both pretty tough. Could you use a little more force?"

That was the downside of having a stronger body. People with weak hands couldn't massage deeply enough.

While relaxing, Suzuki Tsubame began considering the current situation.

There was no need to mention Ryuen's side. Every move he made was under Suzuki Tsubame's surveillance.

With the evidence he currently possessed, he could get more than a dozen people from Class C expelled in an instant.

Though the school would most likely smooth things over.

Still, getting rid of several key people would be easy.

Class B's Ichinose was immersed in her harem and unable to extricate herself.

Every time he saw her, she was surrounded by a whole group of girls. There was no chance to be alone with her.

Class A's Sakayanagi had completely avoided him after that princess-carry incident. She didn't even come when he invited her to play chess.

His relationship with Horikita, on the other hand, was getting better and better.

There was a faint sense of having found a kindred spirit. She even came when he invited her for a massage.

Though that was after he had wheedled and pestered her for a long time, but the point was, she came, didn't she?

By the time they left the massage parlor, it was already evening.

The two walked side by side down the path back to the Dormitory.

"Suzune, how did that massage feel?"

This was the second time Suzuki Tsubame had asked. He thought Horikita had been too embarrassed to answer earlier because outsiders were present.

"...It... felt pretty good. I'd only gone to hot springs and sweat baths with my mother before. This was my first time getting a massage."

Horikita's face turned slightly red as she remembered the sounds she had made only minutes ago.

That wasn't what you said just now. But Suzuki Tsubame wouldn't say that. He wasn't that much of a mood killer.

"Want to come together again next time?"

Every relationship in the world began with the first invitation.

That was Suzuki Tsubame's definition of relationships. He usually kept his distance from people who gave no response.

"Mm... okay."

Looking at the side of her face, faintly flushed because she had accepted his invitation.

So cute... As if possessed, Suzuki Tsubame reached out and gently took her left hand.

After the girl's brief struggle, they naturally ended up holding hands.

For Horikita, this was a novel experience, a feeling she had never experienced before.

She was nervous, and her heart raced... but the touch coming from her left hand was warm.

Whether this counted as liking him, even she didn't know.

Over these past two weeks, they had attended classes together, eaten meals together, and occasionally thrown little tantrums.

That was why habits were the scariest thing. Before you knew it, you had fallen into the trap.

The same was true for Suzuki Tsubame.

But his affection for Horikita Suzune mostly came from her appearance.

Horikita's hand was completely different from his. Smooth and delicate, soft as boneless flesh.

It was hard to imagine that such a hand could cook food so deliciously.

By the time he walked the girl back to her Dormitory, it was already late at night...