Swimming Class

Although he'd learned all the procedures from Akane Tachibana, there was still one headache: a club needed at least three members, and right now Shinjo couldn't find a suitable ally besides himself.

"Ugh, starting a business really is as hard as ever. Oh well, I'll take it one step at a time."

Shaking the muddle out of his head, Shinjo picked up his backpack and headed toward the school building.

Shinjo always arrived in the classroom ten minutes early, but today he witnessed a scene that left him dumbfounded.

"Morning, Yamauchi!"

"Morning, Ike!"

The Idiot Duo were already in the classroom, beaming as they greeted each other.

They usually considered it a success if they managed not to be late, so Shinjo had no idea what had gotten into them today.

Clearly, though, they were both in a good mood. They even greeted Shinjo as he walked through the classroom door.

"Shinjo, you're a little late."

Perhaps because Shinjo usually got along fairly well with girls, these two had never been especially friendly toward him. Their behavior today was downright bizarre.

"I'm here at my usual time. What about you two? Did something good happen?"

At that, the two exchanged glances, then let out matching, lecherous laughs.

"Heh heh heh. You seriously don't know what day it is?"

"Can't be helped, I guess. Your tastes aren't quite the same as ours, fellow men..."

They were probably talking about how he liked all kinds of sweets, though more than anything, this was just the pair's usual long-standing grudge against Shinjo.

"Uh... heh. I really don't know what day it is."

Shinjo didn't take their teasing to heart. After all, if someone could understand the world of idiots, what difference would there be between him and an idiot?

"Hahaha, you're something else. I'll tell you: today's class is going to be awesome~"

Class?

Shinjo thought it over for a moment, then suddenly understood. No wonder the two of them were so fired up.

Before he could say anything, Yamauchi launched into an excited speech about swimming class.

"I can't believe we have swimming class this early in the year! When you think of swimming class, you think of girls, and when you think of girls, you think of... swimsuits, right?! This school is amazing!"

Swimming class was co-ed, and the girls in Class D were generally very pretty. Plus, there were girls like Kushida with such a stunning figure. It was no wonder those two creeps were so excited.

Katsuya Shinjo chuckled and stopped taking part in their conversation.

A while later, Ayanokoji came into the classroom. Shinjo had no idea when he'd become friends with those two idiots, but at least thanks to him, Ike and Yamauchi stopped pestering Shinjo and pulled Ayanokoji aside to talk instead.

As for what they talked about, it was swimsuits and the like, over and over.

Ayanokoji listened woodenly, nodding every now and then. But from his calm expression and tone of voice, it was hard to tell whether he was interested at all.

Suddenly, Yamauchi spoke in a cautious whisper. Or so he said—he didn't actually lower his voice.

"Hey, Ayanokoji. Guess what? Sakura confessed to me!"

??????

Sakura?

Shinjo remembered her as a girl who sat in the back row, wore glasses, and had her hair in twin ponytails. She was so quiet that she barely made an impression. She didn't seem to have any friends, never spoke in front of everyone, and rarely appeared in anyone's sight outside of class.

A girl like that had confessed to Yamauchi?

What a joke.

Considering how much the guy loved to brag, he'd probably made it up to save face in front of the other guys.

Of course, the worst part was still to come.

"Oh? Well, congratulations."

"Are you kidding? Plain girls like her aren't my type. At the very least, she'd have to be on Kushida or Hasebe's level!"

Fortunately, Sakura wasn't there, so the guy's lewd talk stayed among their little group.

The afternoon came around, and it was time for swimming class.

The boys changed into their swimsuits early and lined up by the pool. Koenji, who fancied himself the main character, didn't even forget to fix his hair.

"Hohahahaha! As expected! My physique is the most perfect! I am the most beautiful person here!"

His personality had earned him plenty of enemies, but nobody could argue with him at a time like this. Koenji's muscles were exceptionally well-developed.

If you had to pick someone to play Tarzan, Koenji would be the perfect choice!

Sudo, a member of the sports club, had a fine set of muscles too, but they were nothing compared to Koenji's.

Of course, none of that was what caught Shinjo's attention. What really drew his gaze was Ayanokoji.

He wasn't particularly muscular, but Shinjo had no doubt about the immense power contained in that body.

Could this guy... be some kind of assassin from a secret organization? With that poker face and a voice as lifeless as a corpse...

But when you stared into the abyss, the abyss stared back at you.

Ayanokoji was sizing up Katsuya Shinjo too.

They seemed to share something in common in that regard. Shinjo wasn't as exaggeratedly built as Koenji, but his small frame contained undeniable strength.

The main difference, though, was the large scar on Shinjo's chest. Others might not have noticed, but Ayanokoji was certain it had been caused by some kind of explosive.

[Katsuya Shinjo...]

The two looked at each other again. But after spending some time together, Shinjo had gradually come to believe Ayanokoji wasn't gay, so he no longer got goosebumps all over.

"What is it, Shinjo?"

"Oh, nothing. I was just wondering if you do some kind of training."

"Um. Tea ceremony, calligraphy, piano."

Tea ceremony, calligraphy, and piano could build muscles like those?! He was taking him for a fool!

"Haha, Ayanokoji, you sure are funny."

Seeing that Shinjo didn't believe him, Ayanokoji tried to change the subject.

"Never mind me. What's that on your..."

Naturally, Ayanokoji had asked what the other boys wanted to know too.

"Well... it's a little embarrassing to talk about. I used to be really fond of tempura, and I even went out of my way to visit the God of Tempura Frying. I got this scar when I mishandled a pot and burned myself on the oil."

Neither of them could manage to tell the truth, so they wisely stopped asking questions.

The girls took their time, emerging from the changing room one by one.

The Idiot Duo, who had been waiting eagerly for this scene... and it wasn't just them. Nearly all the boys' eyes were drawn to the girls, including Shinjo's and Ayanokoji's.

Even though they were wearing school swimsuits, the girls' lovely figures were still plain to see.

Kikyo Kushida even came right up in front of the boys and did a turn, instantly capturing the attention of the Idiot Trio.

Why call them the Idiot Trio? Because another member had joined their group: Sudo, the red-haired, hot-tempered athlete.

"All right! Class is in session. Everyone, line up!"