The Koenji of Swimming Class

It was another swimming class, but this one seemed a little different.

After several lessons, most of the students had learned how to swim, so the teacher had started to relax his supervision. Most of the class had begun enjoying themselves in the water. The few who still couldn't swim very well, however, were stuck in one corner of the pool, quietly receiving extra lessons from the teacher.

It was worth mentioning that Class D's swimming teacher was a middle-aged man with a powerful build and dark skin. There was little about him that could be called handsome, and his somewhat gorilla-like features made many students a little afraid of him. But after spending some time with him, Hoshino had gradually realized that he really was a gentle person. Then again, no teacher at Advanced Nurturing High School could be a "good-for-nothing," could they?

"Good! Since everyone's basically got the hang of swimming, we've got an event today that I think you'll all be interested in! I doubt any of you would turn down private points, so we're holding a competition. Whoever takes first place will get 5,000 private points. Of course, the boys and girls will compete separately. The last three finishers will have to endure my hellish remedial lessons! You'd better brace yourselves!"

Seeing that the swimming practice was mostly finished, the teacher suddenly perked up, grinning mischievously.

The whole class erupted into excited chatter. The students who were confident in their swimming were raring to go, while those who weren't complained bitterly. Hoshino could only sit quietly in the corner, thinking over what the teacher had said.

Hoshino's swimming skills were average. Though he had taken a few lessons from the teacher, he was still just a beginner, so he didn't think he stood a chance of winning those 5,000 points.

A reward for a class activity? It seemed the teachers had the authority to distribute a certain amount of private points. On the surface, it was meant to motivate the students, but there had to be more to it than that.

So under certain conditions, the teachers could give students points at their own discretion. Of course, they would need the school's approval.

Hoshino's interest was piqued. This meant that even if Class D faced another zero-point crisis next month, they might still receive points. Come to think of it, Chabashira-sensei was pretty stingy, keeping this kind of information to herself.

"Oh? This should be interesting." The blond boy looked intrigued and began warming up, eager to get started.

Oh! It was Koenji!

Not only was his starting pose immaculate, but the muscles on his body were exceptionally well-defined. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he might even be stronger than Sudo!

Honestly, Hoshino rarely saw muscles this exaggerated. It wasn't that they looked ugly; they just seemed incredibly functional! Judging by their physiques alone, Hoshino thought Sudo would have a hard time measuring up to Koenji, never mind anyone else.

What Hoshino found curious was that Koenji was actually interested in participating in an event like this.

It seemed he spent quite a lot of points in his daily life, so why was he suddenly concerned about winning 5,000 private points? Still, Hoshino had to admit that Koenji really did have a shot at earning them.

"Okay, thanks!..." Hirata was popular with many of the girls thanks to his handsome looks and good personality, but that also made some of the boys dislike him. That was only to be expected. He was fairly well-built compared to the average person, but he still couldn't compete with Koenji or Sudo.

"Let's go! I'm taking those 5,000 points!" Sudo said enthusiastically. After all, as far as everyone knew, he was the most athletic student in the class.

As for Ayanokoji, he was still sitting obediently in a corner, expressionless, watching Koenji, Sudo, and the others around the pool.

Hoshino had been following the regular training too, but he was still a beginner, and he wasn't some kind of genius. He could only manage not to drown. Winning first place had nothing to do with him, so he wasn't particularly interested.

Looking over at the girls, Hoshino figured Horikita might win. No, it should be that short-haired girl with the darker complexion! The two strongest female athletes in Class D were probably her and Horikita. The brown-haired girl had really stood out during the previous training sessions. Horikita might not be able to beat her.

"Then let's get started!" Seeing that everyone was ready, the teacher looked excited and began dividing them into groups with a broad smile.

The pool was spacious, but that was only in terms of swimming distance. The number of people who could race at once was quite limited. So both the boys and the girls had to split into two groups, and the final results would be determined by time.

As it happened, the first group of boys consisted almost entirely of students with exceptional athletic ability: Sudo, Koenji, Hirata, Ayanokoji...

Although Ayanokoji was always holding back—no, holding back everything!—he still ranked among the most athletic boys in the class, at least when it came to swimming.

It was bound to be a fierce contest, but Hoshino had already made up his mind about who would win.

Koenji's chances of victory were simply too high! With his expert technique and strong physique, even Sudo would have a hard time gaining an advantage. The only one who might have a chance was Ayanokoji, but he was the sort who habitually played dumb. Hoshino doubted he would go all out.

As for the second group, Hoshino glanced around at the remaining students and felt a little disappointed... There was no need to mention his own swimming; he was still clumsy in the water, so he'd been assigned to the second group. Ike and Yamauchi were there too, and they weren't particularly athletic either. This was clearly the group of also-rans, which was a little depressing.

"Ready, go!"

While Hoshino was distracted, the teacher gave the signal, and the first group plunged into the water. Sure enough, Koenji took the lead with a beautiful stroke. Compared to Sudo, who relied purely on his physical strength, Koenji had an enormous advantage in technique alone. He was incredibly fast, moving like a fish, which seemed completely at odds with his large build.

Sudo chased after Koenji with all his might, but the gap in both stamina and technique was simply too great. Before long, a considerable distance separated them. Ayanokoji was right behind Hirata, who was in third place, putting him in fourth.

In the blink of an eye, Koenji reached the finish line.

23.6 seconds! For a 50-meter freestyle, that was good enough to make him a professional athlete, wasn't it? This guy was ridiculous!

Not just the boys—even the teacher couldn't help exclaiming in amazement.

Hoshino had known Koenji would win, but he hadn't expected him to be this strong! Sudo only reached the finish several seconds later.

When he got serious, the guy really was an ace.

Hoshino wondered whether Koenji had genuinely become interested, or if...

Hoshino had another idea. If they could get an ace like Koenji on their side, he could make an extraordinary difference in certain situations!