Swimming Competition

The bell for the last morning class rang, but instead of a rush toward the cafeteria, it brought the first-year Class A students' footsteps to the indoor swimming pool.

The weather in early April still carried a spring chill, requiring jackets outdoors, so scheduling a swimming lesson now did feel a bit out of place.

"A swimming lesson this season... isn't it a bit strange? Don't we usually start in May or June?"

"Maybe it's because we have a heated indoor pool? The water temperature shouldn't be too cold."

"That's true... but mentally, it still feels chilly."

Already changed into swimsuits, the students gathered by the poolside, murmuring in small groups.

Most of the boys wore standard dark swim trunks, while the girls' swimsuits varied in style but all adhered to the school's conservative regulations, mainly one-piece or sporty two-piece designs.

"Alright—don't just stand around chatting! Gather over here—let's start with warm-up exercises! Prevent cramps, okay—"

A tall, athletic female teacher in professional swimwear blew the whistle hanging around her neck, its sound crisp and forceful.

Her skin was a healthy wheat color, her muscle lines smooth and elegant—clearly the result of long-term training.

Most students followed the instruction and began to gather, but over a dozen remained where they were, including Sakayanagi Arisu.

She sat quietly on a rest bench by the pool, a thin blanket over her legs, a cane in her hand.

Given her frail constitution, strenuous activities like swimming were obviously beyond her capacity.

The female teacher's gaze swept over those who stayed, raising an eyebrow. "Sixteen people applying for exemption due to physical discomfort... seems a bit more than usual. Fine, I'll approve it for now."

But she immediately flashed a sly grin, as if to say "don't think you can slack off," and raised her voice.

"However, don't think you can get away with loafing openly! Except for those with hospital certificates or genuine difficulties... I'll find time for a 'surprise attack' and give you all make-up tests individually! So, if you're just a little cold or feeling lazy, now's your chance to join the line!"

Clearly, some students were simply trying to skip the swimming lesson.

The experienced teacher's words shook a few of them.

Sure enough, after a brief hesitation and exchanged glances, six more students reluctantly joined the warm-up group.

In the end, only ten remained in the rest area, including Sakayanagi Arisu, who had a valid reason.

"Great! Then I'll get straight to the point."

The female teacher nodded in satisfaction.

"After the warm-up exercises, I want to gauge your basic swimming ability. Everyone, just swim about fifty meters so I can get a sense of things. Don't worry—if you can't swim or aren't good at it, you're allowed to walk along the pool bottom, but at least try to paddle forward, got it?"

"Um... Teacher, I, I'm not very good at swimming..."

A small, skinny boy raised his hand awkwardly, his face turning bright red.

The teacher walked over, patted his shoulder—hard enough to make him sway—and laughed heartily. "Don't worry! Since I'm teaching, I promise you'll learn to swim before summer comes! That's my duty!"

"I, I don't really need to learn, it's fine... I don't go to the beach much anyway..."

The boy muttered quietly.

"That—won't—do—!"

The teacher dragged out her words, her expression turning serious. "It's okay if you're not good at it now, but we need to overcome it. Learning to swim will definitely come in handy in the future. I guarantee it—ab—so—lute—ly."

Her tone carried a deliberate emphasis, with a certain meaningful certainty.

Mazumi Mami, who was loosening his wrists and ankles in the line, caught that phrase sharply.

"Learning to swim will definitely come in handy in the future?"

His mind stirred.

"That doesn't sound like a typical physical education goal... more like... some kind of advance training for possible future scenarios? Could it be that this school's bizarre 'special exams' include events requiring swimming skills? Like... water competitions? Survival on a deserted island?"

He silently filed away that possibility.

After the warm-up, the students were divided into groups and sent into the water one by one for a simple fifty-meter swim test.

The pool water was indeed kept at a comfortable constant temperature, dispelling the initial chill.

The students who could swim completed the task smoothly with varying styles, while the few "landlubbers" really did as the teacher said, splashing and walking along the bottom in the shallow end to "finish" the distance.

Mazumi Mami also went into the water for a lap, his movements standard and fluid. After proving his basic swimming ability, he quickly got out and dried his hair and body with a towel.

He had chosen the persona of "just recovered from a serious illness," so excessive strenuous activity wasn't advisable—resting by the pool was perfectly reasonable.

Of course, it also gave him an excellent vantage point for observation.

His gaze swept across the pool.

Class A's gender ratio was indeed a bit skewed. Out of forty students in the class, thirty were girls, and only ten were boys.

At the moment, the pool was filled mostly with female figures, their various swimsuits swaying in the clear water, a wave of youthful vitality washing over the scene.

It was certainly pleasing to the eye, but Mazumi Mami's thoughts turned to more practical matters.

"With such an imbalanced gender ratio, if future special exams involve physical confrontations or team sports competitions... Class A would be at a natural disadvantage from the start. I need to think of countermeasures in advance."

His gaze naturally fell on his three maids.

Chisato Nishikigi wore a bright orange two-piece sporty swimsuit, which made her wheat-colored skin look even healthier and more vibrant.

She darted through the water like a nimble dolphin, surfacing now and then with a silvery laugh.

Runa Inoue wore a deep blue one-piece competitive swimsuit—modest in design but form-fitting, accentuating her well-trained, smooth muscle lines.

Her swimming form was standard and efficient, her speed considerable. Walnut had chosen a navy swimsuit with white stripes; she seemed to prefer the leisurely pace of floating and backstroke, wearing goggles and occasionally diving under to observe the pool floor.

Soon enough, Chisato Nishikigi's playful nature surfaced.

She quietly swam over to Runa Inoue, who was diligently practicing her breathing, and suddenly slapped the water with her palm, splashing Runa in the face.

"Pfft—! Chisato!"

Caught off guard, Runa Inoue wiped the water from her face, her violet eyes glaring at Chisato Nishikigi, who was grinning at her successful prank.

"Walnut-chan! Take this!"

Chisato Nishikigi spun around and launched an "attack" on Walnut, who wasn't far away.

"Idiot Chisato!"

Walnut yelped and immediately retaliated.

Soon, the three girls were laughing and splashing in a water fight, droplets flying and laughter ringing out, drawing warm glances from nearby classmates.

A fair number of girls even joined in.

Watching them relax so rarely, their bright smiles fitting their age, Mazumi Mami couldn't help but smile himself.

"Training and missions are already tough enough. At times like this, let them enjoy themselves."

"If even swimsuits had to be wrapped up tight and hidden from sight, that would be too heartless."

He grumbled inwardly.

As long as it wasn't excessive, he was happy to see them savor the lighter side of campus life.

Just as he was drying his hair and pondering the class's male-to-female ratio and potential future water activities, he noticed a figure walking toward him.

It was Katsuragi Kohei.

This tall, composed young man had also gotten out of the water and was drying himself with a towel.

His face bore a thoughtful expression, his gaze fixed on Mazumi Mami—clearly, he had something to say.

And he was already close.

But the female teacher's sharp whistle rang out again across the pool.

"Bwee—! Gather up! Everyone come here!"

Students climbed out of the water or converged at the poolside.

"Looks like everyone's basic water skills are decent—at least no complete 'landlubbers.' That's good!"

The teacher scanned the group, then flashed a grin that said, "Here comes the fun part."

"Alright, warm-up and assessment are done. Next, let's play something interesting—a race! Boys and girls separate, each doing a fifty-meter freestyle competition!"

The teacher announced.

"A, a race? For real?!"

"Huh—?! Why a race all of a sudden? Isn't it enough to just swim..."

"Teacher, give us a break..."

A chorus of groans and complaints rose from the students, especially those unsure of their swimming speed.

"Think of it as fun! And—"

The teacher deliberately dragged out her words, dangling a carrot, "There's a reward! I'll give the first-place winners in the boys' and girls' groups a special prize—five thousand personal points each! How about that? More motivated now? Let's race happily!"

"Five thousand points?!"

"Really, teacher?!"

"I'm in!"

The complaints instantly turned into surprise and fighting spirit.

Having been through Mazumi Mami's "point crisis theory" that morning, Class A students were especially sensitive to the value of points now.

Five thousand points—for freshmen who had just enrolled and hadn't yet realized how hard points were to earn—was a nice little "windfall."

Even the students who had been a bit timid now had a "go for it" fire in their eyes.

"There are more girls, so we'll split into six groups of five. The first-place from each group advances to the next round, then groups of three, and finally the girls' champion. Fewer boys, so two groups of five, with the first-place from each group going to the finals."

The teacher quickly laid out the rules. "Now, in student number order, start grouping and preparing! First group of girls, first group of boys—get on the starting blocks!"

The atmosphere by the pool heated up instantly, with cheers and strategy discussions filling the air.

Mazumi Mami gave Katsuragi Kohei, who had already reached him, a slightly apologetic smile.

"Looks like we'll have to wait a bit. After the race, we can talk?"

Mazumi Mami said.

Katsuragi Kohei glanced at the first group already ready, then back at Mazumi Mami, and nodded calmly.

"Yeah, no problem. The race comes first. Mazumi-kun, do your best too."

His tone was calm, but his gaze carried a clear hint of probing—it was obvious that whatever he wanted to discuss with Mazumi Mami was likely no simple matter.

Mazumi Mami smiled and agreed, then turned his gaze toward the swimming pool lanes about to begin.

The swimming competition wasn't just about the five-thousand-point reward; it might also serve as a window to observe the students' physical stamina, willpower, and competitive mindset.

This seemingly ordinary swimming lesson appeared to be gradually becoming anything but ordinary.