Swimming Lesson - Part 2

The moment he entered the water, Kitagawa Kai's arm strokes didn't look as explosive and violent as Shibata's, nor did they carry the mechanical precision of Kanzaki's. Instead, they were exceptionally smooth and steady, with an almost leisurely posture, the splashes pressed low and fine.

Shibata and Kanzaki quickly established a lead, the two nearly neck and neck, water bursting fiercely at their sides.

But just a few seconds later, Kitagawa Kai's figure, his speed steadily increasing, quietly caught up from behind, and his approach was so calm it was unsettling.

Ichinose Honami stared fixedly at the third lane, her sapphire blue eyes unblinking.

Touch the wall!

Shibata Sō was the first to slap the pool wall hard, gasping for breath as he looked up, his face flushed with the thrill of victory.

Immediately after, almost simultaneously, Kanzaki Ryūji and Kitagawa Kai's hands also touched the wall.

"Shibata Sō, 25.46 seconds, first!"

"Kitagawa Kai, Kanzaki Ryūji, 25.92 seconds, tied for second!"

The swimming teacher's voice rang out clearly, and a wave of mixed exclamations rose from the poolside.

"Tch!" Shibata Sō wiped his face. Though he'd won, he looked at Kanzaki and Kitagawa, who had arrived almost at the same time. "Not bad, you two. You really chased me down tight."

Kitagawa Kai took off his goggles and raised an eyebrow. "Shibata's definitely fast, but for a guy, being too fast isn't always a good thing."

"Kitagawa-kun, Kanzaki-kun, that was amazing! You were only a little behind Shibata-kun!"

Ichinose Honami's clear voice carried genuine admiration. She had somehow already walked near the poolside, her gaze sweeping over the three of them before finally settling on Kitagawa's still-dripping profile.

Kitagawa looked up, meeting her eyes, and gave a lazy smile.

"Too bad. If I'd beaten him, maybe I could've invited Ichinose for a drink."

Ichinose blinked, then laughed, a smile as dazzling as the shimmering pool water.

"Well, next time you race, I'll cheer extra hard for Kitagawa-kun."

"Hey, if you cheer for Kitagawa any harder, he'll surpass me."

Shibata Sā grinned, cutting in boisterously, his arm casually draping over Kitagawa's still-damp shoulder, looking every bit the buddy. He'd clearly overheard their exchange and now winked mischievously at Ichinose. "Ichinose-san, you can't play favorites. If you're cheering, you've gotta cheer for all of us!"

The blush on Ichinose's face hadn't fully faded, but she couldn't help laughing at that, the earlier shyness dispelled by Shibata's straightforward teasing.

She curved her sapphire eyes. "Shibata-kun's right. I'll cheer for everyone in Class B! Next race, I'm looking forward to great performances from Shibata-kun and Kanzaki-kun too!"

Kanzaki rolled his eyes, but as always, he set up an assist for Kitagawa. "Objectively speaking, Ichinose-san, Kitagawa was only a tiny bit away from first place. With your cheers, he might actually surpass Shibata."

Shibata's arm on Kitagawa's shoulder stiffened. He slowly turned his head, giving Kanzaki a wounded look that screamed, "Are you even my bro?"

Kanzaki, expressionless, pushed up his glasses, completely ignoring the accusation in the other's eyes.

"Ka... Kanzaki-kun..." Ichinose felt the heat that Shibata's teasing had just suppressed threatening to surge back.

"Data supports it." Kanzaki Ryūji nodded, his tone still flat and steady. "Shibata's lead was 0.46 seconds, but Kitagawa's average speed in the final fifteen meters was visually estimated to be higher than Shibata's. If an additional variable exists—for example, positive motivation from a specific individual—considering the measurable impact of psychological factors on athletic performance, surpassing the current result is theoretically possible."

A set of well-reasoned, objective analysis dropped like a bomb, leaving Ichinose's cheeks flushed crimson.

"Al... alright! The girls' group is about to start too. I'll... I'll go get ready!"

"The boys' group performed well! Now, the girls' group, get ready!" Kishida Raishi's gaze swept over the girls' area. "Same rules: 50-meter freestyle, first place in each heat gets 5,000 private points! I hope all the girls will give it their all too!"

With the boys' group setting a high bar and the points as motivation, the atmosphere among the girls noticeably shifted.

As the core of Class B, Ichinose Honami was naturally placed in a stronger heat.

"Take your marks—"

"Ready—"

"Bang!"

The gunshot! Dive in!

The girls' entries were lighter and quicker, the splashes relatively smaller.

Ichinose Honami's swimming technique was excellent; she moved through the water like a free-spirited mermaid. However, due to her striking figure, she only managed a mid-to-upper-tier result.

Ichinose took off her goggles, breathing lightly, water droplets sliding down her flushed cheeks and damp honey-gold hair.

Just then, a light blue towel was handed to her.

Ichinose was slightly startled. She followed the hand holding the towel.

Kitagawa Kai had somehow already waited by the path where she would climb out.

He didn't approach immediately, but when she pushed herself up from the pool edge, he naturally held the towel out within her reach.

"Thanks, Kitagawa-kun." Ichinose took the towel, her voice carrying the slight breathlessness of exertion.

She draped the soft light blue towel over her head, quickly wiping the water from her face and neck, also hiding the blush spreading across her cheeks from the intense exercise and other reasons.

"Ichinose, you swam really well."

"It was okay. I've trained a bit before." Ichinose Honami gently pressed the towel against the tips of her hair to absorb the water.

Kitagawa Kai didn't respond immediately.

He openly stared at Ichinose, his gaze calmly sweeping over her water-soaked pink hair before landing on her cherry-blossom-pink swimsuit.

His eyes were clear and bright, carrying a pure appreciation for something beautiful.

Ichinose felt her cheeks grow hot under his stare. The flush from her earlier exercise didn't fade—instead, it deepened.

"What are you doing, Kitagawa-kun?"

Her voice was lower than usual, tinged with a faint, barely noticeable fluster.

"Ichinose's swimsuit," Kitagawa paused, "really suits you. The color fits you perfectly."

Ichinose felt her ears start to burn.

This guy... honestly.

"R-Really...?" In the end, she only managed to squeeze out a few vague syllables, her gaze drifting to the splashing pool water beside her as her fingers unconsciously twisted the edge of her towel. "It's just a simple design..."

[Ding!]

[Ichinose Honami Affection Level +3. Current Affection Level: 55 (Friend)]

"Let's go, Ichinose," Kitagawa naturally shifted the topic. "Let's go teach the classmates who can't swim yet."

In the shallow end, a few students were still struggling to practice floating and kicking, their movements clumsy but earnest.

"Ah, okay." Ichinose snapped back to reality and casually draped her used towel over herself.

For the rest of the time, Kitagawa didn't tease her. Instead, he calmly waited for the swimming lesson to end.