Swimming Class

"Here you go, sis. Have a drink." Horikita Etsuka twisted open the cap of a strawberry drink and reverently handed it to Suzune.

Horikita Suzune took the strawberry-flavored drink from Etsuka and took a small sip.

Horikita Etsuka cleared his throat and began to explain.

"This happened the night before the Sudo Incident, so I didn't have time to tell you."

"Oh? Was there so little time that you couldn't explain it in a text or a phone call?"

Suzune only gave Etsuka a look that said, "As if I'd believe that."

Horikita Etsuka awkwardly rubbed his hands together.

"Ahem. I didn't want to disturb your sleep, sis."

Suzune didn't get angry after hearing his explanation. As she watched Etsuka continue to make excuses, a trace of relief appeared in her eyes.

At this school, she didn't have many friends or anyone she could trust. The only person she could completely believe in and rely on was her younger brother, Horikita Etsuka.

"Etsuka," Horikita Suzune said softly.

"Hmm? What is it?"

Suzune gently placed a hand on Etsuka's head and ruffled his hair.

"I'll make an exception and forgive you this time. Don't do it again."

Horikita Etsuka had just started to brush her hand away, but he froze when he heard the unusual gentleness in Suzune's voice.

Etsuka quietly gazed into Suzune's eyes. He had never seen his big sister wear that kind of expression.

But Etsuka quickly came to his senses. He smiled at Suzune and gave her a salute.

"Understood, Commander Suzune!"

Suzune looked at Etsuka's warm smile, and her cheeks flushed.

For some reason, the haze in her eyes slowly cleared, and Etsuka's appearance shifted from that of a little kid to the sunny young man he was now.

Etsuka's grown up, too...

Suzune's eyes darted away. She quickly withdrew her hand, then sat at her desk with her back to Etsuka and spoke in a deliberately cold tone.

"Good. Now go back to bed."

"Sure thing." Etsuka instantly relaxed, as if he'd just been released from prison.

Once he had permission to leave, Etsuka headed out.

Horikita Suzune glanced at the plastic bag on the bed. There was one drink left inside, lemon-flavored.

She picked up the lemon drink and examined it curiously.

She and Etsuka had always had different tastes. She preferred sweet drinks, while Etsuka liked sour ones.

Curious, Horikita Suzune opened the drink and took a small sip.

Her brow slowly furrowed.

"Still so sour..."

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

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

Horikita Etsuka squeezed in, curious.

"What are you guys talking about?"

His sudden question made everyone jump.

They relaxed only after they saw it was Horikita Etsuka.

Nakanishi Jiro patted his chest and said, "Etsuka, why do you always pop up out of nowhere?"

Horikita Etsuka grumbled, "What's that supposed to mean? You guys were just too engrossed in your conversation."

Then Etsuka draped an arm around Nakanishi Jiro and another boy, a hint of a smile on his lips, and whispered, "So what are you discussing? Come on, tell me."

"Hang on."

Nakanishi Jiro craned his neck and looked around. Seeing that none of the girls were paying attention, he lowered his head and whispered, "Etsuka, did you know we have swimming class this afternoon?"

"Swimming class?" Horikita Etsuka's mind raced. A moment later, he wore the kind of knowing expression only boys understood. "Oh, so that's what you guys were discussing first thing in the morning."

"Shh! Horikita, keep your voice down!" Moriyama Sei emphasized. "It's perfectly normal for boys to talk about this stuff, okay?"

Moriyama Sei was friends with Nakanishi Jiro, so Horikita Etsuka knew him fairly well.

His grades were average, and so was his athletic ability. He had a well-proportioned build, and the only distinctive thing about him was his hairstyle: shaved on the sides with a bristly strip down the middle, giving him a rather burly look. Unfortunately, he wore glasses.

"Hey, you guys aren't talking about the girls you like, are you?" Etsuka asked, enjoying the gossip.

"Of course we are. Moriyama was just enthusiastically imagining Tsube in a swimsuit," Nakanishi Jiro said, selling Moriyama Sei out without a second thought.

"Hah! I'm definitely not going to say Nakanishi was just talking about Kobashi Yume!" Moriyama Sei shot back, getting flustered and returning the favor.

"Moriyama, you said we'd keep each other's secrets!" Nakanishi Jiro grabbed him by the shoulder.

"I wonder who started telling secrets first." Moriyama Sei grabbed Nakanishi Jiro by the shoulder too, then pressed their foreheads together as if they were about to wrestle.

Horikita Etsuka blinked as he watched the two of them squabble like children.

"I thought you'd be talking about the more popular girls in class, like Ichinose or Kurakara."

Moriyama Sei sighed at that. He let go of Nakanishi Jiro's shoulder and shook his head.

"I don't think I could ever get close to someone like Ichinose. Better to be realistic."

As he spoke, he pointed at Nakanishi Jiro. "Unlike this guy, who's always dreaming about things that'll never happen."

"Moriyama, why do you keep pointing at me when you say that? You wanna go?" Nakanishi Jiro said, immediately raising his fists into a fighting stance.

Though Hamaguchi Tetsuya was standing off to the side, he had heard their conversation too. He pushed up his glasses. "Don't you think it's kind of inappropriate to talk about this so openly?"

"Come on, Hamaguchi. Don't pretend to be so proper." Nakanishi Jiro pulled him into the group. "Quick, tell us—which girl do you like?"

"I don't like anyone. Shouldn't we be focusing on studying right now?" Hamaguchi Tetsuya pushed up his glasses. "If we fail even one subject on the next exam, we'll be expelled."

"Tch. If you don't want to say, then don't. Why bring that up?" Nakanishi Jiro's enthusiasm vanished.

"Boring, boring," Moriyama Sei chimed in.

Eventually, the group dispersed, but the swimming lesson had planted seeds of anticipation in most of the boys.

After a grueling wait, the much-anticipated swimming class finally arrived that afternoon.

The boys jostled each other into the changing room, rushing to put on their swimsuits so they could finish first and get a good look at the girls.

Horikita Etsuka, however, walked at the back, completely unhurried. Nakanishi Jiro stopped, curious. He asked as he marched in place, "Etsuka, why are you dawdling?"

"What do you know? It's like they say: good tofu doesn't mind getting cold."

"Good tofu doesn't mind getting cold?" Nakanishi Jiro looked confused, but he trusted Etsuka—or, rather, trusted that Etsuka wouldn't let him lose out—so he stopped too.

"What exactly do you mean, Etsuka?"

"If I'm the last one to change, the girls will only come out after I'm done. Believe it or not."

"That's impossible." Nakanishi Jiro shook his head. "They don't all change together, and the changing room couldn't fit that many people anyway."

"Girls usually wait at the entrance for their friends after changing. Then, at the end, they all come out together."

"Damn, Etsuka, you've got a lot of experience with this!"

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

"Then how do you know?"

"I read it in a book."

"Wow, then I'd better start reading. They really do say there's a golden house in books."

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

Thinking about it made Etsuka's ears ache.