Masquerade of the Guilty

Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School, swimming pool.

"Umi da!!! (It's the sea!!!)"

Morishita Ran, wearing a school swimsuit, spread her limbs toward the pool, embracing the sun.

"What kind of stupid move is that?"

Kamuro Masumi tilted her head, whispering to Amasawa Reigetsu.

"A stupid one."

Amasawa Reigetsu nodded.

"I heard that, you know?! Since you're bullying me like this, I won't pretend anymore. Actually, I am the Lord of Fontaine, the true Hydro Dragon Sovereign—Morishita Ran!"

"Masquerade of the Guilty!!"

Morishita Ran pulled an umbrella out of her swimsuit and charged straight at Amasawa Reigetsu.

Isn't there a bit too much going on here...?

But this was a rite of passage for Class A; this was our Morishita Ran. Do you guys have a Morishita Ran like this?

The students of Class A were used to it, but the teacher, teaching swimming for the first time, was completely stunned, frozen in place as if petrified. The last time he saw someone like this was when he was teaching Class D, where a blonde muscle-head shouted something about how beautiful he was and set a new high school swimming record.

Wait, did you just say petrified?

Morishita Ran: Planet Befall!!

Amasawa Reigetsu dodged Morishita Ran's terrifying Genshin-inspired attack without a scratch, then tried to stuff the umbrella she had pulled from her chest back into its original place.

"Hey, hey, hey!!! We're in a realistic world; you can't do things like that, hooooo~"

Amasawa Reigetsu: What the hell, so it was a magic prop after all.

Sakayanagi Arisu sat in the spectator stands, still in her school uniform, smiling as she watched the group's antics below.

The swimming teacher was completely dumbfounded. Is this really Class A?

Sunlight streamed through the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, casting ripples across the pool. The students of Class A had already changed into their swimsuits and were standing by the poolside, beginning their warm-ups for the first swimming lesson. The air was filled with the faint scent of chlorine and the eager energy of the boys and girls.

The PE teacher finally composed himself, clapped his hands, and signaled for silence.

"Today is our first swimming lesson, so the main goal is to test your water proficiency. The rules are simple: we will hold a 50-meter freestyle race, with one winner each for the boys and the girls."

He paused, throwing out the bait that would ignite the enthusiasm of the entire class.

"The winner will receive 5,000 private points as a reward. Of course, the person who swims the slowest will have to stay after class for extra physical training."

The moment they heard "5,000 points," the previously somewhat lazy group immediately erupted into chaos.

"Ku ku ku... These 5,000 points shall be claimed by me, Morishita Ran, who possesses the bloodline of an Amazonian warrior and the Hydro Dragon Sovereign!"

Before the race began, Morishita Ran stood on the starting block with her hands on her hips, letting out a signature chuunibyou laugh.

Although the students of Class A knew Ran was a weirdo, what if she actually pulled it off this time? What if she was a genius in this race? She was just that kind of interesting woman. So, no one said anything; instead, they were quite looking forward to it.

At the teacher's whistle, Morishita Ran dove into the water with great momentum—

Immediately after, she began to drown.

Ran is down!!!

Just as the surrounding students were still cheering for her and even the teacher hadn't reacted, Amasawa Reigetsu had already dove into the water.

Without using his arms to stroke, relying solely on momentum and the movement of his waist and abdomen, he reached the flailing Morishita Ran in the blink of an eye.

Skillfully avoiding her unconscious scratching, he grabbed her arm and steadily lifted her out of the water, swimming toward the shore.

Dragged onto the deck, Morishita Ran sat slumped on the tiles, coughing violently and spitting out pool water. Her bangs were plastered wetly against her face, looking both pitiful and hilarious.

"That shouldn't be... shouldn't I be able to walk on water?"

Everyone had black lines on their faces. Ran really was down...

Meanwhile, the girls' race also came to an end. The one who took first place was actually Sakayanagi Arisu's... subordinate, Kamuro Masumi.

Amasawa Reigetsu wasn't surprised. After all, they were from Class A; their brains were simple enough, so their limbs couldn't be weak, right? Besides, the errand-running training he gave her was White Room Level 1. If she could persist through that, beating ordinary people was a piece of cake.

With the girls' race over, the boys—Kito Hayato, Hashimoto Masayoshi, Katsuragi Kohei, and others—were all eager to go, but after seeing Amasawa Reigetsu's textbook rescue, they all felt a bit intimidated.

Could there be an even greater expert?

Amasawa Reigetsu waved his hand.

"Sakayanagi and I are going to look after Morishita, so we won't be participating."

No way, no way. Showing off my level in front of everyone for 5,000 points is so annoying.

What, you say saving Morishita Ran was already showing off? That doesn't count; I want a Hydro Vision.

Class A: Is there a deity in our class?

Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School, cafe.

The afternoon sunlight filtered through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the cafe, spilling across the delicate wooden tables.

Kushida Kikyo arrived ten minutes early, specifically choosing a quiet corner by the window. She wore a pale pink knitted cardigan paired with a white pleated skirt, her face adorned with her signature, incredibly approachable sweet smile.

Not long after, Amasawa Reigetsu pushed open the door and entered.

"Reigetsu-kun! Over here, over here!"

Kushida Kikyo stood up immediately and waved enthusiastically.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Kushida-san."

Amasawa Reigetsu took his seat, looking with interest at Kushida Kikyo, who had invited him out to try the cafe's new items, curious about what matter could have made her think of him.

"Kushida-san is so popular, I'm truly honored that you'd specifically invite me. To show my sincerity, it's my treat today. After all, your Class D is currently... a bit tight on points, right?"

"How could I let you do that! That's too embarrassing!"

Kushida Kikyo was ecstatic inside; he was definitely interested in her! Adolescent boys were just so easy to handle. Next, as long as she...

The scene from that day when Amasawa Reigetsu made Horikita Suzune apologize surfaced in Kushida Kikyo's mind once again, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl up by a pixel.

After the two finished ordering, they chatted idly about interesting things happening on campus. Kushida Kikyo would occasionally cover her mouth and giggle, or listen intently, and eventually, she simply sat down next to Amasawa Reigetsu, putting on the appearance of a perfect girlfriend—shy yet bold.

Amasawa Reigetsu went along with Kushida Kikyo's wishes, feigning a blushing, heart-pounding reaction.

An Oscar night?

Seeing that the time was ripe, Kushida Kikyo sighed softly, her tone carrying a hint of perfectly measured distress:

"Come to think of it, the midterm exams are coming up soon. Everyone in Class D has been very anxious lately; after all, if we fail... the consequences are truly terrifying."

Amasawa Reigetsu paused for a moment, then nodded: "Yes, the difficulty of this exam is indeed not low."

So there really are people who might fail!?

"Reigetsu-kun is an honor student from Class A, so you must have many unique study methods, right?"

Kushida Kikyo wrapped both hands around Amasawa's right arm, the softness and fragrance from her chest launching an offensive against him, her eyes filled with admiration and curiosity.

"For example, past exam papers from previous years... could you reveal just a little bit to me? I really, really want to help everyone."