Swimming Lesson

"Sister, please have a drink." Horikita Etsuka twisted the cap off a strawberry-flavored beverage and handed it to Suzune with a look of devotion.

Horikita Suzune took the strawberry drink from Etsuka and took a small, gentle sip.

Horikita Etsuka cleared his throat and began his explanation:

"Sister, this all happened the night before the Sudo incident, so I didn't have time to notify you."

"Oh? So the time was too short to send a text or make a phone call?"

Suzune just looked at Etsuka with an expression that clearly said she didn't believe a word of it.

Horikita Etsuka rubbed his hands together awkwardly:

"Ahem, I was just afraid of disturbing your sleep, that's all."

Suzune didn't get angry after hearing this; as she watched Etsuka continue to explain himself, a hint of relief appeared in her eyes.

In this school, she had no friends and no one she could truly rely on. The only person she could completely trust and depend on was her younger brother, Horikita Etsuka.

"Etsuka," Horikita Suzune said softly.

"Hm? What is it?"

Suzune gently placed her hand on Etsuka's head and lightly ruffled his hair:

"I'll reluctantly forgive you this time, but don't do it again."

Horikita Etsuka was just about to brush her hand away, but he froze the moment he heard her near-gentle tone.

Etsuka looked quietly into Suzune's eyes; he had never seen his older sister wear such an expression before.

However, Etsuka quickly snapped back to reality. He smiled at Suzune and gave a playful salute:

"Understood, Officer Suzune!"

Seeing Etsuka's warm smile, Suzune's cheeks flushed red instantly.

For some reason, the hazy filter in her eyes slowly dissipated, and Etsuka's appearance shifted from the image of a little brat to that of a bright, sunny youth.

Etsuka has... grown up, too.

Suzune's eyes darted away. She immediately pulled her hand back, sat down at her desk with her back to Etsuka, and said in a feigned cold tone:

"As long as you know. Go back to sleep."

"You got it." Etsuka let out a sigh of relief, feeling as if he had just been released from prison.

Having received permission to leave, Etsuka departed.

Horikita Suzune looked at the plastic bag on the bed, where one bottle remained: it was lemon-flavored.

She picked up the lemon drink and examined it with curiosity.

Her taste and Etsuka's had always been different; she preferred sweet drinks, while Etsuka preferred sour ones.

Filled with a sliver of curiosity, Horikita Suzune opened the cap and took a small sip.

A moment later, her brows slowly furrowed.

"Still so sour..."

The next day, Horikita Etsuka and Hamaguchi Tetsuya walked to the classroom together.

As soon as they entered, they saw a small group of boys, led by Nakanishi Jiro, whispering about something.

Horikita Etsuka curiously squeezed his way into the group.

"What are you guys talking about?"

The sudden question made everyone jump in fright.

Only after seeing it was Horikita Etsuka did they calm down.

Nakanishi Jiro patted his chest and said:

"Etsuka, why are you so stealthy?"

Horikita Etsuka grumbled with dissatisfaction: "What kind of talk is that? It's clearly because you guys were too engrossed in your conversation."

However, Etsuka then spread his arms, draped them over the shoulders of Nakanishi Jiro and another boy, and whispered with a smirk:

"But what are you guys plotting? Tell me, tell me."

"Hold on."

Nakanishi Jiro stretched his neck out to look left and right, and upon confirming that no girls were paying attention, he lowered his head to whisper:

"Etsuka, did you know? We have a swimming class this afternoon."

"Swimming class?" Horikita Etsuka's mind raced, and a second later, he wore the knowing expression of a typical teenage boy: "Oh, so that's what you guys are discussing so early in the morning."

"Shh~ Horikita, keep it down!" Moriyama Sei emphasized: "It's perfectly normal for guys to talk about this, alright?"

Moriyama Sei was a friend of Nakanishi Jiro, so Horikita Etsuka was quite familiar with him.

His grades were average, his physical fitness was average, and his build was well-proportioned. His only distinct feature was his hair, which was shaved on the sides and spiked in the middle, giving him a bit of a "tough guy" look, though it was unfortunately undermined by the glasses he wore.

"Hey, don't tell me you guys are discussing the girls you like?" Etsuka asked, eager for gossip.

"Of course, Moriyama was just excitedly discussing the scene of Tsube wearing a swimsuit," Nakanishi Jiro sold out Moriyama Sei without a moment's hesitation.

"Heh, I definitely wouldn't say that you were just discussing Kobashi Yume, Nakanishi!" Moriyama Sei, flustered by the prank, retaliated by exposing him in return.

"Moriyama, you guy, what happened to keeping each other's secrets?" Nakanishi Jiro grabbed the other's shoulders fiercely.

"I don't know who started it first," Moriyama Sei grabbed Nakanishi Jiro's shoulders in return, and they pressed their foreheads together, seemingly locked in a contest of strength.

Horikita Etsuka blinked, watching the two of them bickering like children:

"I thought you guys would be discussing the more popular girls in class, like Ichinose or Kurakara."

Upon hearing this, Moriyama Sei sighed instantly. He let go of Nakanishi Jiro's shoulders and shook his head:

"I feel like a girl like Ichinose is completely out of my reach; it's better to be realistic instead."

Having said that, he pointed at Nakanishi Jiro: "Unlike this guy, who is always dreaming impossible dreams."

"Moriyama, why do you keep pointing at me while you're talking? Do you want to spar with me?" Nakanishi Jiro said, immediately raising his fists into a fighting stance.

Although Hamaguchi Tetsuya was on the periphery, he had heard their conversation. He pushed up his glasses: "Don't you think it's a bit inappropriate to be discussing this so openly?"

"Yo, Hamaguchi, stop pretending to be so serious," Nakanishi Jiro pulled him into the group: "Come on, tell us, which girl do you like?"

"I don't have a girl I like. Given the current situation, shouldn't we be focusing on our studies?" Hamaguchi Tetsuya adjusted his glasses: "If we fail the next exam, we'll be expelled, you know."

"Tch~ if you don't want to say it, then don't. Why bring that up?" Nakanishi Jiro's interest vanished instantly.

"So boring, so boring," Moriyama Sei echoed.

In the end, the group gradually dispersed, but the swimming class had planted seeds of anticipation in most of the boys.

After finally enduring until the afternoon, the long-awaited swimming class had finally arrived.

The boys pushed and shoved their way into the changing room, scrambling to change into their swimsuits, all in a rush to finish first so they could catch a glimpse of the girls.

Horikita Etsuka, however, was different; he walked at the back, looking unhurried. Nakanishi Jiro stopped out of curiosity, and while jogging in place, he asked:

"Etsuka, why are you being so slow?"

"What do you know? This is what they call 'good tofu doesn't fear the cold'."

"Good tofu doesn't fear the cold?" Nakanishi Jiro was confused, but out of trust in Etsuka—or rather, the trust that he wouldn't be at a disadvantage—he stopped as well.

"Etsuka, what exactly do you mean by that?"

"If I change into my swimsuit last, the girls will just be coming out, believe me?"

"That's impossible." Nakanishi Jiro shook his head: "They aren't all changing at the same time, and the changing room couldn't fit that many people anyway."

"Girls usually wait for their friends at the door after changing, and in the end, all the girls come out together."

"Damn, Etsuka, are you that experienced?"

Horikita Etsuka rubbed his nose: "Uh... not really."

"Then how do you know?"

"I read it in a book."

"Wow, then I really need to read more. Truly, there is a house of gold in books."

I can't exactly tell you that my older sister always takes forever to change whenever we go out, can I?

Thinking of this, Etsuka felt a phantom pain in his ears.