A Guy Sneaked into the Girls' Group During Swimming Class

That night.

Three people ended up suffering from insomnia.

Among them, Horikita Suzune, whose routine was usually extremely regular, suffered from insomnia yet again.

Lying in bed somewhat irritably, she thought to herself.

—This was how things were supposed to be.

The old me went to school alone, studied alone, ate alone, and went home alone.

That was my—Horikita Suzune's—life, and it was also my nature.

More importantly, aside from Brother, I was completely incapable of trusting anyone else.

Yet recently, I had unexpectedly come to trust someone who looked unreliable but was surprisingly dependable.

My unchanging pace of life had begun to shift, and the time I spent alone was slowly decreasing.

All because of that person, that person with no self-respect whatsoever.

Those two went shopping together today, didn't they?

It had nothing to do with me.

That was what I thought, yet the moment we met, those words had unconsciously slipped from my mouth.

But after that person shamelessly explained himself, I felt much better.

This feeling probably meant I saw him as a friend, didn't it?

Perhaps this was something indispensable on the road to growing up.

Elsewhere, Ichinose recalled what had happened that day.

I showed someone my weak side again. First, I let everything out properly, then I experienced so many interesting things with Kamigami-kun.

The way he directly tore open my old wounds hurt, but the result was unexpectedly effective. I could even talk about it properly.

He was such a gentle person. He was willing to lower my opinion of him just to help me stop blaming myself.

And Kamigami-kun was humorous and fun. He always made me unable to hold back my laughter.

Still, I cried twice. Both times were so embarrassing. How shameful.

With her ears slightly red, Ichinose rolled around on her bed. After calming down, she gradually drifted off to sleep.

At the same time, a certain white-haired little princess recalled the person in the surveillance footage she had just watched, tightening her grip on the cane by her bedside.

After waiting for so long, he had finally appeared, only for the matter to be brushed aside so casually.

He was merely someone with connections. Unlike you, who only had one chance, I, the one taking the initiative, had countless chances.

You had awakened my competitive spirit.

There really were a lot of interesting people in Class D.

The following morning.

After Kamigami Haruo and Ichinose met in the lobby as planned, they headed to the track together.

As class time drew near, the two returned to the dorms to shower and change. Once they were ready, they ran into Horikita Suzune in the lobby, then went to the school building together before parting ways at the entrance to Class D.

Because of exercising and waiting for people, while Horikita Suzune needed to prepare a large number of boxed lunches, the three of them had been arriving later than usual ever since that day.

As a result, the three reached the classroom later than normal.

Thus, under everyone's astonished gazes, the two entered the classroom together.

Then, beneath the stunned looks of the boys, he blended into The Trio and chatted with them cheerfully.

If there were a ranking of people everyone wanted expelled, Kamigami Haruo would definitely be in first place.

Wednesday.

Swimming class was here~

Kamigami Haruo followed The Trio toward the indoor pool while chatting with them.

Kamigami Haruo felt someone tug at his sleeve, then heard Inogashira Kokoro's reminder.

"Um, Kamigami-kun, you went into the wrong changing room."

"Ah, thanks for the reminder, Kokoro-chan. Look at me, I got so caught up talking with you girls that I unconsciously went the wrong way. See you later."

Kamigami Haruo scratched his head awkwardly and headed toward the boys' changing room.

"It's okay, Haruo-kun. See you later."

After Wang Meiyu said that with a smile, Kushida Kikyo said the same.

"Haruo-kun, make sure you pay attention next time, okay~ See you later."

The instant Kamigami Haruo entered the boys' changing room, he felt several jealous gazes converge on him.

Ike Kanji and Yamauchi Haruki were especially obvious.

Ignoring the looks around him, he walked straight to a locker, took off his clothes and put them inside, leaving only his underwear on before pulling on his swim trunks.

Inferiority complex? It simply did not exist. Whether before or now, this was the pride he had been born with.

After leaving the changing room, he waited outside for The Trio to appear.

Unexpectedly, however, the first person to come out was Horikita Suzune.

Seeing this, Kamigami Haruo eagerly trotted after her and sat beside the pool with her.

"Horikita-san, want to hang out tonight? I've been a little bored lately."

"Unlike you, my time is quite limited. Besides, shouldn't you be looking for them instead?"

The calm Horikita Suzune looked at the still surface of the pool.

"Because I feel comfortable with Horikita-san. I can relax and be myself."

"Is that so?"

Sitting there with her knees hugged to her chest, Horikita Suzune asked in confusion.

"It is, but not right now. I'm heading off first, Horikita-san. Hehe."

Hearing Kamigami Haruo's sinister chuckle, Horikita Suzune turned to look, only to find that he had already vanished. Speechless, she looked toward the figure mingling among the girls in the distance.

"Kikyo, Mei, Kokoro-chan, take this!"

Kamigami Haruo jumped into the pool and splashed water at the three girls.

"Geez~ Haruo-kun, honestly. Take this!"

Kushida Kikyo sat down at the edge of the pool, held onto the side to make sure her feet were on the ground, then scooped up water and splashed it at Kamigami Haruo.

Wang Meiyu and Inogashira Kokoro entered the pool as well, and the four of them began frolicking together.

As Kamigami Haruo splashed water around, he admired the beautiful girls' figures swaying from their vigorous movements while immersing himself in the relaxed, cheerful atmosphere.

This was definitely the happiest day ever.

However, over with the boys.

Nearly every boy glared through gritted teeth at the four people playing around in the distance.

"Damn it, my Kikyo! Why is she playing with that murderer? Kikyo belongs to me! We clearly spent our whole lives together in a dream last night! Damn it!"

As if the world were ending, Ike Kanji shook his head from side to side, looking utterly lifeless.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it! Kikyo and I clearly pledged ourselves to each other beneath the Cherry Blossom Tree! Why? Why?!"

Yamauchi Haruki shook Ayanokōji beside him and demanded an answer.

"No, shouldn't you be asking Kushida about that? Why are you asking me?"

Ayanokōji complained with a speechless expression, then looked in Kamigami Haruo's direction.

Ayanokōji felt that Kamigami Haruo's social skills were exceptionally strong. The reason he usually kept to himself was simply because he could not be bothered.

I'm so jealous. He has that kind of ability.

He did not reflect at all on the fact that he had no intention of proactively making friends and only waited for others to invite him.

Back to Kamigami Haruo.

After fooling around for a while, the three girls leaned against the side of the pool and began chatting, while Kamigami Haruo returned to the once-again solitary Horikita Suzune.

"Horikita-san, aren't you going to practice swimming?"

"There's no need. I've already mastered every swimming technique."

"As expected of my favorite, Horikita-san. You're amazing."

Kamigami Haruo gave her a thumbs-up.