Ripples from Swimming Class

Time passed faster than expected. Before he knew it, more than half a month had gone by since the start of the school year.

The May sunshine had begun to carry the warmth of early summer. The air conditioning in the classroom had been turned down by two degrees, and the roadside trees outside the windows had deepened from tender green to dark green. The students in Class D had fully adjusted to the school's rhythm: lackadaisical in class, having fun to their hearts' content after class. Life with a hundred thousand points a month had led most of them to the illusion that the next three years would pass just as peacefully.

Only a handful knew that this peace hung by a thread.

On Thursday afternoon, the class's sports representative posted a notice on the blackboard: tomorrow afternoon's PE class would be swimming class, the second one of the semester. The boys reacted exactly as they had last time. Sudo was the first to jump up and cheer, with Yoshida joining in beside him. The girls were much calmer than they'd been last month. Maybe it was because they'd already been through it once: they'd bought the swimsuits they needed, and gotten used to the attention.

Kanzaki Toru instinctively looked toward the corner of the front row. Sakura Airi wasn't hunched over this time. She was looking down at her notebook, slowly writing something with her pen. Compared with how she'd reacted when she first saw the swimming-class notice last month, this time she merely paused for a moment before continuing to write.

The progress was plain to see.

The next afternoon, the scene by the pool was much the same as it had been last month. Sudo was the first to jump into the deep end, splashing Yoshida from head to toe at the poolside. The boys horsed around in the water while the girls emerged from the changing rooms in groups of two and three.

Kanzaki Toru leaned against the handrail by the pool, surveying the entire area. Hirata Yosuke was with the boys as usual, occasionally stepping in to calm things down when their water fights got too wild. Everything seemed normal.

Then the girls came out.

Horikita Suzune was at the front, a towel draped over her swimsuit and her black hair tied in a neat ponytail. Just like last month, she went straight to the poolside and began warming up, her movements crisp and decisive. Then several girls came out surrounding a blonde figure—Karuizawa Kei. She was wearing a light blue swimsuit that made her skin look even fairer. Unlike the girls around her, she walked with her back straight and the corners of her mouth slightly raised. It wasn't exactly arrogance; it was closer to a confident air that paid no heed to anyone else.

Several girls stayed by her side, carrying her towel and swim cap.

"Karuizawa, is that a new swimsuit? It's so cute!" one girl said, coming up to her.

"It just arrived at the Shopping Center last week." Karuizawa lightly brushed her fingertips over the ends of her hair, a faintly pleased smile on her lips. "Though the color's a little brighter than I expected."

"It's not too bright at all. It suits you perfectly! Right?"

Karuizawa smiled but didn't answer. Her gaze swept around the poolside before settling in one direction. Kanzaki Toru followed her gaze. She was looking at Horikita Suzune. They stared at each other across half the pool for about a second. Neither of them looked away first. In the end, Karuizawa smiled first. It wasn't the sort of smile one gave a friend; it was more like a tacit understanding between them.

Just then, Kushida Kikyo came out of the changing room. She wore a simple white swimsuit with a clean design and no unnecessary decorations. Her short hair was pinned back behind her ears, revealing the graceful lines of her neck. Her figure was well-proportioned, and she wasn't trying to show off any particular feature. Yet beneath the sunlight, the white swimsuit complemented her delicate skin and gentle smile, drawing more eyes than any bright color could.

A few of the boys clearly took a second look. Kushida didn't seem to notice. Smiling, she waved to a few girls before jogging over to join them. Reflected light from the splashing water scattered tiny sparks across her white swimsuit, giving her a soft, radiant glow.

Kanzaki Toru looked away and turned his attention to Sakura Airi. She was at the very back, but this time she wasn't wrapped tightly in her towel like she had been last month. She merely had it draped over her shoulders. She was wearing the same dark blue swimsuit as before, but she walked differently now. Instead of keeping close to the wall, she made her way normally to the shallow end. Then she did something that made Kanzaki Toru raise his eyebrows slightly.

She got into the water on her own. She didn't wait for Horikita to lead her in, or hesitate at the poolside for several minutes. She simply took a deep breath, then held onto the handrail and walked into the shallow end one step at a time. When the water reached her waist, she paused, then continued until it was up to her chest. She stood there, gently moving her hands through the water and watching the light ripple across its surface.

Kanzaki Toru watched her from a distance. The reward for reaching seventy affection points was enhanced observation. But the courage Sakura Airi was showing now hadn't come from him. She had built it up herself. All he could do was offer her support when she needed it. She was the one who had truly put in the effort.

"Are you watching Sakura?"

Karuizawa Kei had appeared beside him at some point. Her long blonde hair was damp from the humidity, the ends clinging to her collarbone. She followed his gaze toward Sakura in the shallow end. The pleased curve of her lips flattened into a mild, assessing look.

"She got in by herself today. That's a big step."

"Yeah," Kanzaki Toru replied.

Karuizawa suddenly turned to look at him, curiosity in her blue eyes. "I tried what you said last time."

"What did I say?"

"Talk to her privately, say what you want to say, then leave without waiting for her to respond." Karuizawa twirled a lock of hair around her finger, her tone casual, though her gaze remained on Sakura. "The day before yesterday, after school, the classroom was empty, so I told her, 'Your lunch looks really good today.' Then I left. Guess what happened?"

"What did she say?"

"She didn't say anything. But this morning, I found a piece of candy on my desk. No note, no name. But I know she left it there."

There was none of Karuizawa's usual superiority in her voice as she spoke the last sentence. That small gesture had probably meant more to her than she'd expected. For someone used to being surrounded by people eager to please her, a piece of candy with no words or name attached was harder to process than a hundred compliments delivered to her face.

"...It doesn't feel bad," she said, as if summing things up.

Kanzaki Toru nodded but said nothing more.

Just then, a commotion broke out on the other side of the pool. The swimming instructor was organizing an impromptu relay race: four groups of four, with boys and girls mixed together, and anyone could sign up. Sudo rushed to volunteer first, with Yoshida right behind him. While they were confirming the teams, Sudo suddenly turned toward the poolside and shouted, "Hey, Kanzaki! You in? Come on!"

Kanzaki Toru paused. He hadn't planned to take part. But Sudo was so loud that half the pool turned to look at him. Beside him, Karuizawa pressed her lips together, wearing an amused smile.

"You're not going to join? He called you out by name."

"Then I will," he said.

The relay rules were simple: each person swam one lap, and they could use either freestyle or breaststroke. Kanzaki Toru was assigned to Sudo's team. Yoshida and a bespectacled boy who didn't look too happy to be there were on the team as well. His name was Yukimura, he thought. On the opposing team were Hirata Yosuke and three boys he didn't know. Hirata waved at him in greeting.

At the whistle, the first swimmers dove in. Sudo and Hirata were each the second swimmer on their teams. Sudo's strokes were wild and powerful, sending up spray like a speedboat's engine. Hirata's were smooth and steady. He wasn't flashy, but he was just as fast. They touched the wall almost at the same time, and the third swimmers set off together. Yoshida and a short-haired boy on the opposing team were neck and neck, trading the lead as the cheering from the poolside roared.

Kanzaki Toru was the last swimmer. As he stepped onto the starting block, the final swimmer on the opposing team climbed up too—a boy named Yamawaki. He was a big guy who tended to fade into the background in class, but he seemed to be in good shape.

Yoshida touched the wall. Kanzaki Toru leaped into the water.

The water closed around him, cold all at once. He chose freestyle, swimming at a measured pace. It wasn't that he couldn't go faster; there was no need to go all out in a class relay for fun. But Yamawaki was faster than he'd expected. Halfway across, he was already half a body length ahead.

Sudo's shout rang out from the poolside. "Kanzaki! Go! Ten meters to go!"

He sped up—not in a sudden burst, but by steadily increasing his pace. His breathing quickened, and his strokes grew wider. Water rushed past his ears, muffling all the sounds from the poolside. When he touched the wall, he and Yamawaki arrived almost simultaneously. Water sprayed into the air as everyone on the sidelines craned their necks, waiting for the instructor's decision.

"You touched at the same time! It's a tie for first!"

Cheers erupted. Sudo was the first to rush over and slap him on the shoulder, hard enough to push him half an inch underwater. "Not bad! You're quiet most of the time, but you came through when it mattered!"

Yoshida was laughing beside him. For once, he didn't make any snide remarks; he just gave Kanzaki a thumbs-up. Even Yukimura, who had seemed reluctant the whole time, pushed up his glasses and muttered, "Unexpected."

Kanzaki Toru pushed himself up out of the pool, water streaming down his hair. He turned to look at the shallow end. Sakura Airi was still standing there, but now she had a different expression on her face. She was smiling. It was a faint smile, hidden behind her cap and glasses, but she really was smiling.

Kushida Kikyo was sitting at the edge of the pool, gently swinging her feet in the water. Her white swimsuit still looked soft and bright in the sunshine. Her gaze crossed the rippling surface of the pool and settled in this direction. When she saw him surface, the corners of her lips curved as if she were smiling—or perhaps thinking about something.

Karuizawa Kei stood on the poolside with her arms crossed. Her expression was amused, but there was also a hint of reassessment in her eyes.

After swimming class, Kanzaki Toru rinsed the chlorine from his body in the shower room. Hot water poured down over his head as he braced one hand against the wall and closed his eyes, replaying the relay in his mind. He couldn't explain why, but during those last ten seconds of his sprint, he'd forgotten a few things. He hadn't forgotten what he was supposed to do, or that he was trapped in this school. Just for that moment, all he could think about was the finish line.

He hadn't felt that way in a long time.

By the time he changed back into his uniform and left the pool, the sky was nearing dusk. Karuizawa Kei was standing beside the vending machine at the entrance. Her hair was still wet, the golden ends gleaming softly in the setting sun. When she saw him, she took a can of hot cocoa from the machine and shook it at him.

"Catch."

She tossed it to him. He caught it, the can still warm in his hand. She had a can of sweet red bean soup of her own, and after pulling the tab, she took a sip while looking toward the distant sports field. They stood in silence for a while.

"...The relay wasn't bad," she said. Her tone still carried that faint pride, but her approval was genuine.

"Thanks."

"I'll keep trying with Sakura, too. I'll find a way that's different from yours." After saying that, Karuizawa tossed the empty can into the recycling bin and walked away. Her long golden hair lifted in the evening breeze, then disappeared around the corner of the dormitory building.

Kanzaki Toru stayed where he was and opened the hot cocoa. Its sweetness spread across his tongue. Then it occurred to him that this might have been the first time he'd ever accepted a drink from someone else at this school.

After returning to his dorm room, he sat on the edge of his bed for a moment and turned his attention inward. The Illustrated Guide quietly opened to four pages.

Sakura Airi remained steady at 70. A new note had appeared in her status bar: "Voluntarily stepping outside her comfort zone." Karuizawa Kei's page was finally beginning to take shape. A number appeared under affection: 30. The first entry had appeared in her title field, four words: "Proud Giver." Kushida Kikyo's page still bore the note "The boundary between her public and private selves remains unconfirmed," but the strokes of that line kept growing clearer and then fading, as if it were about to take shape, only to be stopped by some force. On Horikita Suzune's page, affection remained at 40, and a new description appeared in her status bar: "A rival she acknowledges."

Kanzaki Toru opened his eyes. It was completely dark outside. He leaned back against the headboard and sorted through everything he'd gained that day. Sakura was making progress, Horikita was watching, Karuizawa was drawing closer, and Kushida was hiding herself more deeply. He still hadn't identified the observer on the rooftop, and tensions between Ishizaki and Sudo were still simmering. The subplots were being laid, and the characters were entering the stage. Everyone was approaching something—or running from something—in their own way.

And he—Kanzaki Toru—was becoming the point where all those subplots converged.

It was a dangerous position. But it was also the most effective one.