The Winner

"Yosuke, keep it up!"

"Look at Suzuki-kun, that's barely twenty seconds, right? He's almost at the finish, so amazing!"

Unlike the previous group, this group of five was the cream of the crop among the new students.

Even across the entire grade, few could match them.

"22.03! Student, would you like to join the Swimming Club? Competing for the school comes with generous point rewards."

The moment Suzuki Tsubame climbed out of the pool, the teacher held a stopwatch in one hand and steadied him with the other, his expression fervent.

"Uh, I don't have that intention for now. I'll come find you if I need to later."

"Well... alright, but make sure you do come find me!"

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

"Looks like I lost, Suzuki-boy."

Koenji, dripping wet, walked over.

He rested a hand on his forehead, his expression showing no sign of disappointment—instead, it was brimming with excitement.

"Suzuki-boy, if you ever need anything, feel free to come to me. I'll consider it on a case-by-case basis."

"I will."

Suzuki Tsubame replied flatly.

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

"Yosuke, you worked hard..."

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

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

Wang Meiyu, seeing she couldn't get involved, handed her towel to Koenji.

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

Did Sato just like blockheads? It seemed Sato was into Ayanokoji's looks.

Staring at the gyaru in front of him, Ayanokoji had a question mark over his head. Hadn't Suzuki Tsubame said finishing under 25 seconds was normal for guys?

So why was this gyaru paying attention to him?

Over by Sudo, it was Ike. That guy, seeing Sudo pitiful, tossed his own towel to him.

Would any real man use another guy's towel? Even if it was new.

Well, Sudo actually did use it, and he was over there praising Ike for being a good bro...

Looking into the distance, Horikita stood there holding a towel, still unmoving.

With no other choice, Suzuki Tsubame walked over to her.

"Suzune-chan, if you want to help me dry off, just go ahead."

"You're standing there staring without coming over—what are the others supposed to do?"

With that, Suzuki Tsubame jerked his chin toward the area behind her.

Horikita knew there was a group of girls behind her.

Because the two of them were often close, and at lunch, people could more or less see Horikita bringing him food.

Now, everyone in the class thought they were a couple, which was why they all hung back hesitantly.

Horikita casually tossed the towel to Suzuki Tsubame. It flew through the air and landed directly on his face.

"If you need it, go find them—I wouldn't mind."

Suzuki Tsubame took a deep breath. The towel on his face had no special smell.

If anything, it only carried a faint scent of disinfectant.

"That won't be necessary. Having Suzune-chan is enough for me."

That was a lie.

He casually wiped off the water stains on his body.

"Next up, please..."

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

"Kikyo! Kikyo!..."

"Little Kikyo, do your best!"

Kushida gave them a stiff smile.

If it weren't for those two, she would have been a lot happier.

After both groups finished their races, the final result remained unchanged.

The girls' first place was still Onodera Kayano, who had successfully joined the Swimming Club in the first week.

26 seconds is already pretty good for a girl. Horikita Suzune came in second at just over 27 seconds.

"Not bad, second place in the girls' group."

Suzuki Tsubame smiled and handed her a towel. Unlike himself, if he hadn't given her one, she'd have to drag her wet body over to get it herself.

"Mm..."

Horikita wasn't too disappointed. Swimming had never been her strong suit.

If it had been running or a ball sport, she might not have lost.

[Ding! Long-term quest: Solitary Maiden, completion: 40%, reward: Photographic Memory. Your eyes rival the Heavenly Eye—whether books or terrain, once you scan them, you will never forget.]

Nice! Horikita wasn't nearly as stubborn as she looked. While others hadn't even started, she was already leagues ahead.

That afternoon's swimming class ended. The 5,000 personal points were claimed by Suzuki Tsubame and Onodera Kayano.

5,000 points, roughly 250 dollars—enough for Horikita to cook for three days.

Birch Shopping Center.

Massage parlor.

There was still plenty of time in the afternoon.

Swimming worked every muscle in the body. To avoid muscle strain, proper relaxation was necessary.

"Suzune, how does it feel? Good?"

The room was dim, lit with calming incense.

Between them was only a single translucent curtain.

Horikita Suzune lay face-down on the massage table, trying to suppress the soft gasps that came from being too comfortable.

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

Even though Suzuki Tsubame couldn't see her, saying that while panting like that...

The masseuse next to them might think her skills had slipped.

Dates at movie theaters or malls were totally overrated! Coming straight to a spa, relaxing the whole body, and avoiding awkward silences where you scramble for conversation—that was the way to go.

"Sis, we like it firm. Can you press a bit harder?"

The downside of a stronger body was that light-handed people couldn't reach the pressure points.

In his spare time, Suzuki Tsubame started thinking about the current situation.

Ryuen went without saying—every move he made was under Suzuki Tsubame's surveillance.

With the evidence he currently held, he could send over a dozen people from Class C packing in an instant.

Though the school would probably sweep it under the rug.

Still, getting rid of a few key figures would be easy.

Class B's Ichinose was lost in her harem, unable to extricate herself.

Every time he saw her, she was surrounded by a crowd of followers, with no chance for alone time.

Class A's Sakayanagi had been completely avoiding him since the princess-carry incident. She wouldn't even come when invited to play chess.

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

There was a faint sense of kindred spirit, to the point where she'd even come when invited for a massage.

Even if it took some persistent coaxing, she still came, didn't she?

By the time they left the massage parlor, evening had arrived.

The two walked side by side along the path back to the dormitory.

"Suzune, how was the massage this time?"

This was Suzuki Tsubame's second time asking. He thought she'd been too shy to say with an outsider present.

"...It felt... pretty good. I've only ever soaked in hot springs with my mother before, or done saunas. This kind of massage was a first."

Horikita's cheeks flushed slightly as she recalled the sounds of her own breathing from tens of minutes ago.

You didn't say that earlier, but Suzuki Tsubame wouldn't point it out. He wasn't that much of a mood killer.

"Want to come again next time?"

The starting point of every relationship in the world was the first invitation.

That was Suzuki Tsubame's definition of feelings. As for those who never responded, he kept his distance.

"Mm... okay."

Watching her side profile flush faintly at the acceptance of the invitation.

Cute... Suzuki Tsubame, as if possessed, reached out and gently took her left hand.

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

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

Nervous, heart pounding... but the touch from her left hand was so warm.

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

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

That was why habit was the most frightening thing. It always ensnared you without you even noticing.

It was the same for Suzuki Tsubame.

But his fondness for Horikita Suzune actually stemmed more from her appearance.

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

It was hard to imagine that a pair of hands like these could cook meals so delicious.

By the time he walked the girl back to the Dormitory, the hour had already grown late...