Pool

As soon as they entered the swimming complex, everyone in Class D was stunned by what they saw.

Hoshino knew the school would have a swimming pool, but he hadn't expected it to be this luxurious!

Though it was part of the gymnasium, the swimming complex had its own spacious area, complete with all the basic facilities, including changing rooms and equipment rooms. It looked like it could easily accommodate three or four classes at once. The school really spared no expense!

It was swimming class, but since it was their first lesson, the teacher simply went over a few precautions and then left them to their own devices to get used to the new facilities.

Hoshino wasn't very familiar with swimming. He lived far from rivers and lakes, and his PE classes hadn't included swimming, so he was a landlubber too.

Most of the students hurried into the changing rooms to get changed. Before long, the pool was packed. The ones who drew the most attention were Kushida and the others. After all, a group of pretty girls splashing around was quite a sight!

Hoshino obediently found a corner and sat down, quietly taking in the lovely view. Suddenly, he felt like not knowing how to swim wasn't so bad after all!

"Hey, Hoshino, why are you sitting here? Aren't you going to join the others?" the expressionless boy asked.

Hoshino suddenly sensed a whole lot of malice and didn't even know how to respond.

"What I'm like... Ayanokoji, you know better than anyone. Who am I supposed to hang out with?" Hoshino looked up at Ayanokoji and fixed him with a stare as he retorted.

"Uh..." After hearing Hoshino's words, Ayanokoji fell silent too. He could only stare back at Hoshino.

After staring at him for a long time, Hoshino realized Ayanokoji wasn't the least bit fazed. He could only admit defeat, look away, and glance around.

"Do you mind if I sit here too? Look, I don't have any other friends either. At least I can talk with you!" Ayanokoji shrugged.

"Um... sure, I don't mind." Hoshino glanced at Ayanokoji, then turned his attention back to the pool.

Ayanokoji sat down near Hoshino. Silence. Awkward silence...

Hoshino couldn't think of anything to talk about either. He didn't really want to discuss the class with Ayanokoji, and it was probably best not to bring up Ayanokoji's deliberate score manipulation.

"Ayanokoji, you're pretty muscular!" Hoshino stared at Ayanokoji's arm. His muscles were firm, the kind you'd expect from someone who worked out regularly. Unlike Hoshino, who exercised casually, Ayanokoji seemed to have trained in a focused, methodical way. His muscles were almost... beautiful!

"No, I haven't really worked out much. And I'm not bragging, but I was in the go-home club in middle school!"

Ayanokoji smoothly picked up the conversation, but Hoshino didn't believe him for a second. There was a clear difference between scientific training and just exercising however you felt like. Though he'd only gone a few times, Hoshino had been to the gym before. Was Ayanokoji really treating everyone like an idiot?

Thinking about Ayanokoji's "clumsy" score manipulation, Hoshino couldn't figure out whether he was trying to hide his abilities or not.

Hoshino didn't say anything more. He moved his gaze away, deep in thought, and the two fell silent again.

Whenever they had free time during a class like this, everyone naturally split into little groups. Some people were left out and sat quietly on the benches beside the pool, without even changing into their swimsuits.

Come to think of it, free time like this was probably the perfect chance for the popular kids to shine. People who weren't good at socializing wouldn't join the others in the pool. At most, they'd chat together by the side.

Just as the two of them sat in silence, a girl came over to talk. She seemed to be the girl who sat next to Ayanokoji, so she was probably here to see him.

"Hey? Why the long face? What are you sitting here thinking about all by yourself?"

If the girl hadn't pointed it out, Hoshino wouldn't have noticed the change in Ayanokoji's expression. It was the first time he'd seen such a noticeable change in Ayanokoji's face!

"Um... nothing. Besides... I'm not alone, okay?" Ayanokoji let the helpless look fade from his face and turned to the girl.

"Huh?" The girl looked surprised as her gaze shifted to Hoshino.

"This is Horikita, and this is..." Seeing her reaction, Ayanokoji began introducing them to each other.

"I'm Hoshino Hoshiya. Just call me Hoshino. Nice to meet you."

Hoshino gave Horikita a quick glance, then looked away. He genuinely didn't know where to look. This school had decent taste, at least?

"Nice to meet you."

Horikita nodded, then sat down beside Ayanokoji.

"Something like that just happened, and these people still have the nerve to enjoy themselves!"

Hoshino turned to look at Horikita in surprise. He couldn't keep up with her train of thought. After considering it for a moment, he realized she was still hung up on the fact that Class D had zero Class Points.

"Maybe they're just trying to forget their troubles?"

Ayanokoji tried to sound casual, but no matter how Hoshino looked at it, they were just having fun.

"Is that really it? They seem to be enjoying themselves." Horikita's expression didn't change, but her tone was full of disdain.

"They're holding a swimming class at a time like this, and most of the lesson is free time. The vast majority of first-year students would have a great time." Ayanokoji seemed to be defending their classmates.

"They're practically elementary schoolers, but I don't think they're the worst... though according to the S system, they are the worst-quality defective products."

Horikita's gaze shifted to Sudo, who was sitting at the other end of the pool. Hoshino and Ayanokoji followed her gaze.

Sudo sat beside the pool, looking thoroughly displeased, his temper simmering. It felt like if anyone tried to talk to him, he'd punch them the next second!

"We can't just wash our hands of them, either. They're part of Class D."

Ayanokoji seemed at a loss when it came to Sudo too, and could only try to persuade Horikita.

"That's true..." Horikita nodded slightly, her gaze turning back to Sudo in the distance.

Ayanokoji fell into thought. After a brief silence, he spoke again. "Based on what we know now, if we want to earn at least some Class Points, the only way is to get everyone to change their attitude toward life and try to score as high as they can on the next midterm exams!"

Huh? What were those two even talking about? They wanted to change other people? Honestly, that was pretty arrogant of them! Hoshino didn't say it aloud and simply listened to them. Sudo was a problem, sure, but he wasn't the most serious one. The class had other, more serious issues.

"After all, they all had sweet dreams when they enrolled. They thought they'd benefit from the school's supposedly top-notch university admission and employment rates. So they can only..." Ayanokoji analyzed in an expressionless tone.

"They can only make it to Class C or above! As long as they're in Class D, their dreams for the future can't come true." There was a strange sadness on Horikita's face.

"Heh..." Hoshino laughed before he could stop himself. They were really having this conversation as if no one else were there! Did they not even consider him a person?

He really didn't know how to respond to Horikita's words. If it was enough to be in Class C or above, why not just admit students who'd make it into those classes? Why bother admitting students to Class D? Were they just recruiting a class of underachievers to trail behind the others?

In the end, there couldn't possibly be enough benefits for everyone. There were at least 120 students in Class C or above in each year. That was already the vast majority of students! There was absolutely no need for any of this! And what did she mean, "As long as they're in Class D, their dreams for the future can't come true"? Was Horikita's dream really just to not be in Class D? Was that all there was to these people?

"What's wrong, Hoshino? You seem to have a problem with what I said." Horikita's gaze sharpened as she glared at him.

Ayanokoji looked at Hoshino with some curiosity too. From their usual conversations, Ayanokoji had thought Hoshino was rather quiet. He rarely showed this kind of aggression.

"No, nothing. I just thought it was a little funny."

"Funny? What do you mean?" Horikita pressed him, her voice full of displeasure.

"...I just thought, so your dream is simply to not be in Class D? How should I put it... that's pretty... modest?" Hoshino couldn't take Horikita's stare any longer and answered vaguely.

"..." Horikita froze at his words, momentarily at a loss for what to say.

"Hoshino, what do you think of our class right now?" Seeing things take a turn for the worse, Ayanokoji hurriedly stepped in to smooth things over.

"What do I think? All I can say is that we've got a long road ahead. The gap in points is huge, after all..." Hoshino didn't answer the question, only briefly mentioning the enormous gap in points.

That was something anyone could see. Hoshino had basically said nothing at all.

"Well, I'll be going..." Hoshino ignored the two beside him, stood up, waved, and headed for the changing room.