Swimming Class

"I know you, Sakamoto Junichi from Class A."

Chabashira seized the initiative, her opening words brimming with the authority of a teacher.

"I have no interest in the entanglement between you and Kushida. But since Kushida came to me, I will naturally fulfill my duties as a teacher."

Sakamoto took out the contract,

and tossed it to Chabashira.

After reading it over, Chabashira furrowed her brows. This kind of contract offered Class D almost no benefit, but it was a voluntary matter between students, so there was nothing she could do about it.

The contract was thus finalized under Chabashira's witness.

Kushida also breathed a sigh of relief and excused herself first with a copied version of the contract.

Sakamoto left the office shortly afterward as well.

Only Chabashira remained, her expression grave as she searched through the student files.

She had already come to see Sakamoto Junichi of Class A as a major problem.

If they could not get through the exams, how could the current Class D compete with the other classes, let alone rise to Class A?

It seemed she would need to borrow the strength of certain people.

Chasuke's gaze fell upon another file.

Written in the name field was: Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.

In Class D, Horikita's study group from last time had been an absolute mess. None of the participants had enjoyed themselves.

The library incident had also become known among Class D's students. They already disliked Horikita for being a loner, and now they hated her even more. As for Sudo, one of the people behind the incident, they had reached the point of outright disdain.

The atmosphere in Class D deteriorated at an alarming rate, like desertification spreading on the wind.

Hashimoto, who had been monitoring Horikita, learned of these matters as well. He reported everything to Sakamoto.

"Hashimoto, from now on, you don't need to follow Horikita around all the time."

"So that means I can take a brea—"

"You only need to watch her movements while she's in the school building."

Hashimoto: So as long as you can endure hardship, there will always be endless hardship waiting for you.

Unlike the tense atmosphere in Class D, the boys of Class A were excited about their swimming class that afternoon.

"Good morning, Sakamoto."

"Good morning, Hashimoto."

Though he found it somewhat strange, Sakamoto still returned Hashimoto's greeting out of courtesy.

Hashimoto was unusually enthusiastic that morning. Whenever he saw a familiar classmate, he greeted them.

Sakamoto had only just appeared when he heard Hashimoto's voice.

Sure enough, right after greeting him, Hashimoto eagerly began discussing something with the boys around him.

Here was a small portion of the more normal content.

"So, what do you guys think of Nishikawa?"

"Nishikawa's figure is definitely easy on the eyes."

"Personally, I think Classmate Sakayanagi is better..."

Rinaka Satoshi and Kito Hayato joined the discussion as well, and the atmosphere became lively for a moment. Still, the boys kept their voices low.

When Sakamoto heard that, realization dawned on him. So it was because of swimming class.

But even a burly man with such thick brows liked this sort of thing? Sakamoto glanced at Kito. Usually stern and silent, he showed no discomfort at all while standing among the other boys.

Standing on the outskirts, Rinaka Satoshi heard Hashimoto and turned toward the sound. It was Sakamoto.

Rinaka Satoshi openly patted Sakamoto on the shoulder.

"Sakamoto, make sure you enjoy swimming class today. It's been a while since I last went swimming. I'm really looking forward to it."

There were still upright people around.

"I'm looking forward to it too."

Sakamoto returned his enthusiasm. Compared to Class A, he wanted to observe Class D more.

Of course, it was not because he was even a little curious about Sakura's swimsuit.

Ikusei's swimming classes were mixed. Although the girls in Class A did not match Class D in looks or figures, they were still quite impressive, especially with the sharp-tongued beauty Kamuro Masumi among them.

How could boys at the proper age of sixteen or seventeen not look forward to it? As long as they were not perverts like those Class D idiots who secretly filmed the changing room, a natural appreciation was perfectly normal.

After listening for a while, Sakamoto stopped paying attention to their topic.

Come to think of it, he had nearly finished the books in his hands. It was time to borrow some more from the library.

"Hey, Sakamoto, what kind of girls do you like?"

Hashimoto threw an arm around Sakamoto's shoulder and leaned in to ask.

That movement did not escape Yamamura Miki in the neighboring seat. Though she appeared to be reading, she secretly paid attention to Sakamoto, curious about his answer.

"Come on, tell us. You probably have high standards, right?"

"As for me, I care about what's inside."

Sakamoto replied with a smile.

"Eh, how sly. That answer is way too vague."

Hashimoto protested.

"Ah~ Sakamoto cares more about what's inside. Then would a timid, unconfident girl like me be disliked by Sakamoto?"

Because of one vague answer, Miki anxiously spiraled all by herself.

However, young lady, you were wrong. In a world where looks were justice, as long as you were pretty, people would still like you no matter how many bad things you did.

Fortunately, Miki's worries lasted only a short while before the lunch bell interrupted them.

In the blink of an eye, it was afternoon, and time for swimming class.

The boys, who only needed a pair of swim trunks, changed first and lined up beside the pool, laughing and roughhousing. The most eye-catching person among them was still Katsuragi.

Wearing his swimsuit, Katsuragi sat cross-legged on the ground as he waited for the teacher to arrive. His muscles were fairly well-developed too, and his physical ability was not lacking even within Class A.

The most physically outstanding person in Class A was still the long-haired Kito Hayato, whose ability had reached A-rank. His body clearly showed signs of long-term training, and he had also trained in basketball for a period in the past.

Once he changed into swimwear, his solid physique became immediately apparent.

The boys around him noticed Kito's developed muscles as well. To them, muscularity was proof of strength, so they naturally began praising him.

Sitting cross-legged toward the back, Sakamoto nodded in acknowledgment of Kito's physical ability. To reach that level,

one needed not only years of effort, but more importantly, one could not slack off. Physical capabilities declined rapidly without maintenance. To remain at a high level for a long time, one definitely needed firm willpower.

And advancing any further beyond that would become extremely difficult.

How could ordinary people train like Ayanokoji did through "tea ceremony, calligraphy, and piano" and reach A-rank, or even higher?

Oh, right. That was me. Sorry about that.

Though there were no exact figures, Sakamoto's athletic ability was more than sufficient to be rated A-rank.

His file also listed him as A-rank, though that might have been deliberately understated.

Tap, tap.

After quite a while, the girls emerged from the changing room in twos and threes.

In an instant, every boy in the class had their eyes drawn toward them.

Sixteen or seventeen was the age of growth and development. Some were more mature, while others were more youthful.

Overall, they were still relatively youthful. Most of the girls' figures certainly could not compare with mature women in their twenties or thirties.

But to these young boys, they were already more than attractive enough.

Not a single person looked away when the girls appeared. They continued watching until the girls reached the pool.

Only then did the swimming instructor's voice wake them from their lingering stares.

"Get ready for class. Everyone, pay attention to your formation."