"W-why... How could this happen?!"
Ike clutched his head and broke down as if he'd just seen something he couldn't accept.
"I thought I'd get to see huge b—huge b—"
I felt sorry for Ike, but his voice was loud enough for even the girls to hear. Ju Ji still didn't want to get involved. Sure enough, someone nearby had already muttered that Ike was "disgusting."
"What are you all doing? You look like you're having fun."
"K-Kushida?"
Kikyo was wearing a school swimsuit that accentuated her alluring curves.
At that moment, all the boys' eyes must have been drawn to Kikyo's body. Her bust must have been a D or an E cup. It was much larger than I'd imagined. Though we'd been close to each other several times, her tight clothes had kept me from seeing her true figure. The swimsuit's snug fit around her shapely thighs and bottom stood out particularly clearly.
At that moment, Ju Ji remembered last night's soft touch, and his body couldn't help but react.
[This is bad. I never thought Ike's predicament would happen to me. I need to deal with this, fast.]
If I got an erection in front of everyone, my high school career would be over for good. Ju Ji's mind raced, and his thoughts seemed to speed up as he hurriedly searched the System Shop for a skill that could help.
[Found it.]
It was a skill called Absolute Reason. Once activated, it allowed the user to completely control their body, including its physiological responses, while in a state of absolute reason for one minute. The price was one point of Spirit.
Ju Ji had only twelve Spirit points in total. The skill cost 500 Friendship Points, which was cheap, but it couldn't be upgraded.
"Phew, that scared me."
After successfully avoiding public humiliation, Ju Ji breathed a sigh of relief. But he couldn't be blamed; Kikyo looked far too sexy in her swimsuit.
"Ah, Ju Ji, your swimsuit is so cute."
After seeing the Gekota pattern on Ju Ji's swimsuit, Kikyo seemed to lose interest in everyone else and came over to him. Her eyes were filled with a peculiar light.
Then she leaned down and brought her mouth close to his ear, speaking in a voice only the two of them could hear.
"You stood up just now, didn't you?"
It was obvious that Kikyo had been watching Ju Ji's reaction the whole time. It had only lasted for an instant, but she'd still seen it.
"I did not. Anyway, don't get so close. It feels like everyone around us is trying to kill me with their eyes."
"Ah, the pool is so nice. We should just enjoy ourselves."
Kikyo had clearly caught the way Ju Ji's expression stiffened for an instant. Then, as if satisfied, she beamed and ran off with her friends to jump into the pool.
"Could you please stop staring at Kikyo with such a lecherous look?"
"When did you two get so close?"
At some point, Horikita had come up beside him and started talking to him.
Horikita's swimsuit wasn't as stunning as Kikyo's, but it was definitely not bad. Perhaps because of her martial arts training, she didn't have an ounce of excess fat, and her figure was very well-proportioned.
"And don't look at me with that lecherous look, either!"
"What lecherous look? I'm admiring you. I don't stare at girls I'm not interested in. But you do look pretty good in a swimsuit, Horikita."
If Kikyo's swimsuit look was alluring, Horikita's was like a pure lotus flower—something one could admire from afar but wouldn't dare touch. Each had her own charm.
"Shinomiya, do you exercise?"
"I've only practiced Tai Chi for health."
"So it's martial arts. No wonder. But your taste is something else. You like frogs and all."
"What do you know? It's called Gekota. You should apologize to everyone in the world who likes Gekota."
Why did everyone feel the need to comment on Ju Ji's swim trunks? Didn't they know it was impolite to stare at someone's lower half? Though Horikita probably hadn't even realized that.
"All right—everyone, gather around!"
The muscular teacher, who looked like he was carrying the honor of the entire sports world on his shoulders, gathered the class and began the lesson. He certainly looked the part of a PE teacher. But he was so muscular that it was a little off-putting.
"Four people are sitting out? Good. Everyone's being very enthusiastic, huh?"
Fewer people were sitting out than expected. Besides those who were genuinely unwell, there was also Professor, who was trying to get out of class.
"I'll get straight to the point. After we warm up, I want you to swim so I can see how good you are."
"Um, teacher, I'm not very good at swimming."
One boy raised his hand, looking embarrassed. His initiative saved Ju Ji a lot of trouble.
"Since I'm the one teaching you, I'll make sure you learn to swim before summer. You'll definitely need it."
"No..."
The teacher seemed determined to make every student who couldn't swim learn how. Should I call him a responsible teacher, or a difficult one? Either way, he was a little annoying.
The whole class began warming up. The girls really were a sight to behold. Even Ju Ji couldn't help sneaking a few glances, and then Horikita gave him a warning look.
Next, everyone was told to swim about fifty meters. Apparently, it was fine for those who couldn't swim to keep their feet on the bottom.
"Heh heh heh, easy! Did you see my incredible swimming skills?"
Ike swam across quickly, climbed out of the pool, and struck a smug pose, though he'd swum at about the same speed as everyone else.
"Hey, Shinomiya, hurry up and swim. Don't waste everyone's time."
That was right. While everyone else was swimming, Ju Ji had been watching from the poolside. It wasn't that he couldn't swim; he just wasn't very good at it. He'd hoped to get away with sitting it out, but apparently that wasn't going to happen.
Since the teacher had come over to personally urge him on, he might as well swim a little.
"Teacher!!! Someone's drowning!"
"No way—in water that shallow?"
"Quick, go save him!"
That's right. After gliding for less than ten meters, Ju Ji sank without a trace of buoyancy. Water rushed into his nose and mouth, and his consciousness began to blur.
Fortunately, someone noticed what was happening in time and alerted the teacher. But before the teacher could act, Horikita, who had already finished swimming, got there first and pulled Ju Ji up from the bottom of the pool. She carried him to the poolside in a bridal carry.
Ju Ji was clearly unaware of any of this. He'd choked on water and lost consciousness.
"How pitiful. If you can't swim, don't force yourself."
Horikita's expression was unusually complicated as she looked at Ju Ji, who was unconscious. The teacher probably hadn't expected anyone to drown in water shallow enough to stand in, and neither had Ju Ji, who'd passed out. After all, he'd been able to float in his previous life. He hadn't expected that he couldn't even float now...
Before you continue