Of course, he wasn't going to switch classes himself. He wanted his big sister to switch.
He'd discovered some of the school's rules not long after arriving. Once the teachers had explained Class Points, the ultimate goal had become clear.
It was to advance to Class A!
But his big sister was in Class D. Not only was advancing to Class A incredibly difficult, but the worst part was that he'd have to compete against her!
Even though they bickered and fought from time to time, he and his big sister were very close.
So Etsuka wondered if there was any way to get her to switch classes.
[Even if it were possible, the Class Points it would cost were probably beyond reach. And knowing my sister, if I told her to switch classes, she probably wouldn't agree anyway.]
As her little brother, he knew his sister's personality very well. If he simply said, "Sis, I'll use my points to get you into Class B," she would definitely insist that she could manage on her own.
[Well, looks like I'll have to think about this carefully.]
"Horikita, what are you thinking about?" his deskmate, Himeno Yuki, asked quietly.
"Wow, Himeno, you really want to pry into my private life, don't you?" Etsuka said cheekily. "Every time I zone out, you ask me what I'm thinking about. What, are you that eager to keep tabs on me?"
Himeno turned her head slightly. "No. Forget it if you don't want to tell me."
Looking at Himeno's purple twin tails, Etsuka couldn't explain why he really wanted to grab them.
He sighed. "We've been deskmates for almost a semester now. Isn't it about time we started calling each other by our first names?"
Since Himeno had turned her head away, Etsuka couldn't see her slightly flushed cheeks. She did her best to sound calm. "Whatever you want."
"Okay, Yuki."
Himeno suddenly shuddered, as if she'd received a mild electric shock.
She actually had two names: Yuki was her given name, while Yuki was her nickname. At this school, Etsuka was the first person to call her by her nickname.
When she was little, only the people she was especially close to called her Yuki.
"What's wrong?" Etsuka asked, idly poking Himeno in the side.
Himeno's body gave another little shudder. Pouting, she swatted his hand away.
"That tickles, E-Etsuka."
"That's more like it!" Horikita Etsuka nodded with satisfaction. How could deskmates act like strangers all the time?
To celebrate, Etsuka held out his hand. "Come on, give me a lollipop. Let's celebrate!"
Himeno froze. Her sunny smile and outstretched hand were at odds with each other.
She couldn't understand how anyone could be so shameless. Who asked someone else for a lollipop to celebrate? She really wanted to smack him with a ruler!
"Here!"
Though that was what she was thinking, she still pulled a lollipop out of her desk and placed it firmly in Etsuka's hand.
Etsuka tore open the wrapper and popped it into his mouth, giving her a thumbs-up.
"Thanks, best deskmate!"
"You're welcome." Himeno put on her headphones and returned to her classic novel, showing no interest in talking to Etsuka.
After all, class was over, and it was time for her to lose herself in a book.
Etsuka took the hint and stopped bothering her. He started spacing out, bored, when a pair of long, fair legs came up beside him. Looking down, he saw a pair of short white socks.
"Hm?" Etsuka looked up and saw Amikura Mako. "Oh, Amikura. Did you need something?"
"Um... summer vacation is coming up soon, and I wanted to ask what you're doing over the break, Etsuka."
Himeno, who'd been reading, seemed to hear her. Without drawing attention to it, she shifted the earbud in her other ear slightly, just enough to hear everything.
People were naturally curious, and Himeno was no exception.
"Plans? I don't really have any," Horikita Etsuka answered honestly.
He didn't have any plans for the summer. Usually, he and his big sister went to visit their hometown in the countryside, but this school was fully residential, so even during summer break, they could only hang out on campus.
"Then, would you like to...?" For a moment, Amikura noticed Hamaguchi Tetsuya looking over curiously, so she quickly changed what she was about to say. "Would you like to pick a time to go to the pool with Ichinose and the others?"
"The pool?"
"Yeah. It'll be closing for good before long. Ichinose suggested we take advantage of the pool still being open during summer vacation and go have some fun—play beach volleyball, swim, that sort of thing."
"I see." Horikita Etsuka nodded and made an OK sign. "Don't worry, I'll definitely go. Just let me know when."
He'd get to see all those youthful, beautiful girls in swimsuits again, which was more than he could ask for. And the best part was, the people going weren't all from Class B...
"By the way..." Amikura Mako turned to Himeno Yuki. "Why don't you come too, Himeno?"
"No thanks. I don't like crowded places." Himeno turned a page as she bluntly refused.
"That's okay. It'd be nice to go and get to know each other better." Seeing Himeno respond like that only made Amikura more determined to invite her.
She was worried that if Himeno kept to herself for too long, she'd gradually become isolated.
"Besides, it'll just be me, Etsuka, Ichinose, Kanzaki, Komume, and Chihiro."
With that, Amikura crouched down and rested her little head on the desk. She blinked at Himeno. "Please, please come along too, Himeno!"
Horikita Etsuka chimed in with a smile. "Yeah, it'll be fine if you come with us, right? I'll call you when it's time, Yuki."
[I wonder what Yuki would look like in a swimsuit.]
Etsuka's mind began to conjure up an image of Himeno wearing a swimsuit.
She was a cool girl with a face that kept people at a distance. She'd look amazing in a swimsuit, wouldn't she?
"Yuki?" Amikura asked, sounding curious and a little puzzled. "Is that what you call Himeno?"
Etsuka nodded. "Yeah, it's her nickname."
"Oh? Her nickname?" Amikura looked surprised. "You and Himeno are already that close, Etsuka?"
"What's wrong with that?" Himeno closed her book and took off her headphones. "If we're deskmates and haven't gotten that close, then we must have a terrible relationship, right?"
"Um... you do have a point, Himeno," Amikura said with a helpless smile.
"Then call me when it's time, Etsuka," Himeno said.
"Hm? Yuki, you agreed that easily?"
Horikita Etsuka had expected to have to persuade her for a while. After all, everyone knew how much Himeno liked being alone.
"Yeah. Just call me when it's time."
"Okay."
Watching the two of them chat, Amikura couldn't help feeling a little regretful that she'd brought it up. But hearing that Himeno planned to come along made her a little happy, too.
Amikura lowered her head slightly.
[When did I become like this...? Oh, this is so confusing.]
Before you continue