Somehow, in a way, I'd Become Part of the Class

"Cough, cough... Horikita?"

With a fit of coughing, Ju Ji managed to cough up the fresh water that had gone down his windpipe. His consciousness, which had been hazy, began to clear. For just a moment—only a moment—he thought he saw Horikita's worried, anxious face.

"Was it just my imagination after all?"

Once his mind had fully cleared, Horikita's expression in front of him was as cold as ever.

"Ju Ji, are you all right? You really scared me. Don't push yourself so hard next time."

"Shinomiya, do you want to go to the infirmary?"

"No, I'm fine. I'll be all right after resting for a while. Everyone, go back and continue the lesson."

Although Ju Ji felt he didn't have a very good reputation in class, there were still people who cared about him. Just a few, like Kikyo and Hirata.

"Shinomiya, this won't do. Stay behind for extra lessons later. I'll find a way to teach you how to swim."

The muscular gym teacher smiled as he delivered the death sentence of extra lessons. He was trying so hard to teach him to swim, probably because it would come in handy during the upcoming Special Exam. In a way, it was a sign of responsibility. Ju Ji didn't dislike teachers like him.

"That was awful to watch. If you can't swim, why didn't you just say so? It's nothing to be ashamed of."

"No, I didn't expect myself to be that bad."

"What?"

"No, nothing."

In his previous life, Ju Ji hadn't been a good swimmer, and the only stroke he knew was the backstroke. Put simply, he just floated on the water. But he'd never been this bad—not to the point of drowning in a pool where he could touch the bottom.

Thinking back to what had happened, the moment Ju Ji entered the water, his whole body had felt stiff. He'd been unable to control himself. Something must have happened before he turned twelve, during the years he couldn't remember, leaving a fear imprinted on his body, deep in his DNA. Otherwise, there was no way to explain what had happened.

"Anyway, I'm glad you're all right. Get some rest."

"Horikita, were you worried about me?"

"Don't get the wrong idea. I was only worried about losing someone who could help me get into Class A. I still have to practice swimming, so I'll leave you to it."

After making sure Ju Ji was all right, Horikita went back to her lesson. Maybe it was his imagination, but her face seemed a little red. Was she sick?

Ju Ji was now in the area reserved for the practice group—the second-floor lounge. Sakura, with her pink, ordinary-looking glasses, was there too. The practice group, which had originally consisted of four people, had temporarily grown to five.

"Um... are Shinomiya and Horikita dating?... Sorry, please forgive me if I'm bothering you."

To be honest, he hadn't expected Sakura Airi to strike up a conversation with him. The inconspicuous girl wore glasses and kept her long hair tied back. She never bothered to dress up. Usually, she kept her eyes lowered in silence and hunched over as if curling up in a corner to protect herself. She was afraid to talk to people, especially to meet anyone's eyes while speaking. She hated attracting attention. She didn't usually interact with others, and so she had no friends.

Who would have thought someone like her would take the initiative and talk to him? Even now, she kept avoiding Ju Ji's gaze. She looked so pitiful that it seemed as if Ju Ji were bullying her. If he tried talking to her first, he'd even wonder whether she would respond. He was really bad at dealing with this type of person.

"No, it's not like that. I guess you could say we're friends? Why would you think that?"

Dating Horikita? She was such a beautiful girl that Ju Ji had entertained the idea at first. But it was obviously unrealistic. Even becoming friends was difficult. He was the only one who thought of her as a friend; she clearly hadn't acknowledged their relationship as such. How could he possibly hope to become her boyfriend?

Sakura Airi had clearly gotten the wrong idea. Had curiosity prompted her to come talk to him?

"I've seen you two talking together all the time. You seem really close. And just now... no, it's nothing."

"We just couldn't find anyone else to talk to. You should try talking more with your classmates, Sakura."

As expected, Ju Ji wasn't good at talking to people like her. His last words sank like a stone, without getting so much as a response. She only spoke halfway, and he couldn't tell what she was thinking at all.

I should go back.

The atmosphere on the second floor was too heavy, so Ju Ji decided to return to the first floor and continue the lesson. There wasn't really anything wrong with him. He'd rested for a while, and he'd pretty much recovered completely.

"Shinomiya, have you rested enough? Everyone's having a swimming race now. The loser will stay behind and help you with your lessons. If you're still not feeling well, you should rest a little longer."

When the swimming teacher saw Ju Ji return to class, he came over and asked after him. So there'd be someone keeping him company during extra lessons after all.

It seemed the winner of the race would get five thousand points. That was an incredibly generous prize for a class activity. No wonder everyone was so eager to take part.

There were five people in each group. The student with the fastest time would win. Since there were more boys, the five fastest would compete to determine the winner. The girls' group went first.

The race had just begun, and Ju Ji had to say he'd come back at just the right time. He couldn't participate, but watching the girls swim was a wonderful sight in itself.

Unexpectedly, Kikyo and Horikita had been assigned to the same group. Ju Ji remembered that this hadn't happened in the original story. Had his arrival caused things to change?

Kikyo was in lane three, the undisputed center of attention. Horikita was in lane four.

"Let's do our best, Horikita."

"I won't lose."

They looked at each other, and it seemed as if sparks were flying between them. But that was probably just his imagination.

"Kushida! Go, Kushida... Hah, hah."

Ike had completely fallen under Kikyo's spell. Kikyo was by far the most popular girl among the boys. She had that kind of charm.

"Go, Horikita!"

Of course, there were people cheering Horikita on too, though there weren't many. That was partly because of her aloof attitude, which kept others at arm's length. Just then, Horikita suddenly turned around and glared at Ju Ji.

No, it's not that I'm not cheering for you. Doesn't shouting it feel kind of stupid?... All right.

"Horikita, Kikyo, good luck to you both!"

To avoid being retaliated against by Kikyo tonight, Ju Ji decided to cheer for both of them. But this time, he got disdainful looks from both girls. It made no sense at all.

"Hey, Shinomiya, picking both of them is way too sly."

"No, they both look great in their swimsuits. It's hard to choose. In that case, only children make choices. Adults take them all."

"No, Kushida's the cutest. She's got big breasts, too."

"Ike, you're being creepy. Calm down."

Why did the boys all seem so worked up during this swimming lesson?

"Everyone, burn the exemption into your minds! We've got to secure tonight's side dishes!"

"Yeah!" n

Somehow, the boys seemed to have grown closer in a certain way. Ju Ji didn't really want to join in, but he'd look like he didn't fit in if he didn't. So he shouted along with them. The girls' stares were pretty piercing...