Was that really true?
Soon, the bell rang, and the teacher in charge of the swimming lesson arrived at the pool.
Some students already knew how to swim, so they were free to do as they pleased.
The others couldn't swim, and learned under the teacher's guidance.
Airi Sakura was an average swimmer, but she could still swim.
She entered the pool alone and headed for a corner. Worried that people might notice her, she sank into the water like a submarine.
Airi was still wondering when would be the best time to give him the present.
Whenever she came up for air, Airi popped her head out of the water.
She looked around, trying to see what Keima Katsuragi was doing.
In less than a second, Airi spotted Keima.
That was because Keima stood out more than anyone else in the entire pool.
He floated on his back like a corpse, holding up his handheld console as he played a game. He looked completely out of place among the other students.
The swimming teacher nearby stared at Keima with an utterly baffled expression.
In all his years on the job, he had never seen a student like this.
"Um, you there. Playing games in the pool is... pretty dangerous."
"It's fine. I took precautions."
"What precautions? I don't see you wearing a float ring or anything..."
"I put a waterproof case on my handheld."
"..."
In principle, teachers weren't allowed to interfere too much with their students' behavior.
But...
This was getting hard to watch...
There should be no harm in making a little use of his authority and the rules.
At last, the swimming teacher could take no more and gathered all the students together.
"I'd like to see how good you are, so everyone will take a fifty-meter freestyle test."
The teacher smiled as he spoke.
"Will the test results affect our Class Points?"
Keima, still playing his game, drifted over beside the teacher and asked.
"Only attendance affects Class Points in this lesson, so there's no need to worry. But as your teacher, I do have a responsibility to make sure you can all swim well before summer vacation. That's a firm requirement, so I'll set a time as the benchmark. Anyone who's slower will need extra practice—"
The swimming teacher's gaze fell on Keima.
The boy looked rather thin and probably wasn't the athletic type.
He was sure Keima wouldn't be able to meet the benchmark.
"Next, you'll take the test in pairs."
The students in the class were soon divided into two groups, boys and girls, and paired up to take their times.
Yosuke Hirata, Ken Sudō, and the others had all posted excellent results.
But the most impressive of all was Rokusuke Koenji.
If Keima was the class's most unconventional student, then Koenji was a strong contender for the title as well.
He didn't care at all about what his classmates thought or how they felt—
He didn't even care about Class Points.
Even after Sae Chabashira had revealed the details of the S-System, Koenji remained indifferent. He never paid attention in class, and if a lesson didn't interest him, he'd leave early.
Yosuke had tried to persuade Koenji, but it had made no difference.
"Oh, my perfect body. My abs, back muscles, and psoas muscles are all in their usual fine condition. Wonderful."
Koenji gazed at his body in rapture, talking to himself as the rest of the class did their best to ignore him.
Meanwhile, Suzune had finished her test.
She'd gotten an excellent time, ranking second among the girls so far. She was even faster than many of the boys.
"Is Horikita that good at sports?"
"She's fast..."
"A girl's faster than the boys..."
A few boys couldn't help commenting.
Although Suzune's normally aggressive personality meant she had no friends in class, the others had to admit that she was nearly flawless in both academics and sports.
"Next pair of boys: Keima Katsuragi and Kiyotaka Ayanokoji."
At the teacher's call, Keima and Ayanokoji went to the starting end of the lanes.
"I wonder how good he is at sports."
Curious, Suzune lightly wiped the water from her bangs and watched Keima without blinking.
Keima hadn't done much exercise, so his physical fitness was probably average.
Maybe she'd get to make fun of him afterward.
After all, Keima had mocked her mercilessly the night before.
Although he'd made some fair points, Suzune wasn't about to pass up the chance to get a little payback.
At the thought, the corners of her mouth lifted slightly.
Across from Suzune, Kushida noticed every little movement.
Why is Horikita so interested in Katsuragi?
Kushida was puzzled, but she also noticed that the way the two interacted seemed different from before.
Airi was still standing in the corner, watching Keima from afar. In a voice so quiet that almost no one could hear, she said:
"G-go for it... Katsuragi-kun..."
Keima was still playing his game. Beside him, Ayanokoji watched him from the corner of his eye.
There's no doubt that Katsuragi hasn't done much training.
That means he probably won't be very fast. He might even come in last.
In that case, I'll stay about one body length ahead of him. That way, I won't draw too much attention to myself.
Ayanokoji came to that conclusion.
As a prodigy from the White Room, Ayanokoji was actually in better physical shape than anyone else in the class.
He wanted to avoid drawing attention, but he didn't know what a normal high school boy's time was like, so he'd decided to use Keima as a point of reference.
"Are you two ready?"
The teacher looked at them and asked.
"Yeah."
They answered at almost the same time. The teacher looked at Keima, who was still completely absorbed in his game, as if he hadn't heard a word.
Was this guy really going to play games during a test?!
"Are you sure you're going to keep playing during the test?"
"Am I not allowed to?"
"The school hasn't banned it, but the standard for boys is forty seconds, which is already pretty lenient. If you don't beat the standard, you'll have to do extra practice!"
The teacher answered at once.
Yosuke had finished in just over twenty-six seconds, Ken had taken around twenty-five, and Koenji had even managed under twenty-four.
But they were the exceptions. Plenty of the students who followed had taken over thirty seconds.
"Got it."
Keima replied casually.
The teacher pursed his lips and sighed. It was his first time dealing with a student like Keima, so all he could do was take out his stopwatch.
"Ready, go!"
At the teacher's signal, Keima and Ayanokoji leaped into the water at the same time.
I'll keep pace with him through the first half, then pull ahead in the second.
That was what Ayanokoji thought as he watched Keima's movements from the corner of his eye.
Every student present was instantly drawn to Keima.
Keima was...
Actually playing a game while he swam!
He swam on his stomach, kicking normally in a freestyle stroke, but kept his upper body above the water, holding his game console in both hands!
"What kind of stroke is that?"
"H-he's not using his arms at all...?"
"It looks a little... I don't know how to describe it, but he seems really fast!"
Everyone stared in amazement.
It wasn't just because Keima's movements were bizarre.
More importantly... he was incredibly fast.
It was all thanks to the game in his hands!
Keima focused all his attention on the game and gave himself a mental cue.
The girl in the game was watching him.
At that moment, Keima could push past his physical limits!
That was the power of games!
Katsuragi's faster than I expected.
That was what Ayanokoji thought as he swam in the lane beside Keima.
He'd originally planned to hide his abilities and stay level with Keima for the time being.
But he soon realized that keeping to that pace wasn't enough.
Ayanokoji would have to swim at least seriously to keep up with Keima.
That was impossible.
Keima shouldn't have that kind of physical ability.
Was it an illusion?
Or...
Although Ayanokoji didn't want to draw too much attention, he found himself speeding up beside Keima.
"Oh?"
Koenji, who'd been about to leave, stopped in his tracks. He frowned slightly as he watched Keima in the water.
"I'm the God of Conquests! Watch me overcome the obstacles of reality with ease!"
Keima shouted inwardly.
Before you continue