The One Who Wouldn't Get in the Water

On the attendance board, three red absence marks now stood in a row beside Hasebe Haruka's name.

Advanced Nurturing High School's rules were lenient. Everyone was free to choose, and no one questioned absent students. But missing swimming class repeatedly was more than simple laziness. Tatsuya Sakuya could see that clearly.

Next week's swimming test offered a reward of ten thousand points. Almost every student was working hard in practice, fighting for those points. Only Hasebe kept her distance from the crowd and stayed out of the rhythm of training.

That night, after the lights went out in Room 217,

his phone screen lit up.

The notification showed a message from Airi Sakura.

Tatsuya picked up his phone. At the top of the chat, "Typing..." appeared, vanished, then appeared again almost a minute later before vanishing once more.

What's Sakura doing? Why does she keep typing?

This happened three or four times before a long message finally appeared:

[Sakuya, sorry to bother you... I'm sorry for messaging you out of the blue. Haruka... says she's going to miss next week's swimming test. I know she isn't really feeling sick. It's because a few boys said some awful things nearby during the last swimming class. I don't know what to do... Could I ask you to help her? If it's too much trouble, that's okay. I...]

The message ended there.

After it came a little note in parentheses: "Sorry, did I say something weird?"

Tatsuya looked at the screen without replying right away, piecing together what had happened.

It had to be idiots like Ike, egging each other on because of the class atmosphere. They'd made comments about a girl's figure, and she'd heard them. Rather than confront them, she'd chosen to hide.

To them, it was idle chatter, forgotten in an instant. To Hasebe, it was something that stayed with her.

Tatsuya understood her predicament. Since enrolling, she had drawn too much attention in every crowd. So many rude remarks had made her acutely sensitive about her figure, and the cruel jokes at the pool had been the final straw.

He didn't hesitate before typing a reply:

[I understand. Leave this to me. I can't promise it'll work, but I'll do everything I can.]

Her reply came almost instantly: a sticker of a cartoon rabbit bowing deeply, followed by a string of "Thank you!!!" Tatsuya could picture how happy Sakura was.

The next day, at exactly five in the afternoon,

a row of benches stood behind the east side of the school building, beneath plane trees. Fallen leaves lay thick across the ground. It was one of the few places at school where someone could sit alone in peace.

Hasebe Haruka sat by herself at the far end of a bench.

Her straight, ice-blue hair reached her shoulders. She had amber eyes and a tiny beauty mark beneath her left eye.

She had developed early, and her full figure gave her a striking silhouette. Her legs, visible below her pleated skirt, were long and shapely. Even loose clothing could not hide her figure.

That was why Hasebe Haruka drew attention wherever she went. She was always wishing she could be a little more ordinary, a little less noticeable.

Rather than benefiting her, her looks and figure had brought her far too much unwanted trouble.

Tatsuya approached quietly.

Hearing his footsteps, Hasebe Haruka looked up. When she saw who it was, a hint of wariness entered her eyes.

"There's no one here. You've got the wrong place."

Her voice was cool, plainly telling him to leave.

"Sakura's worried about you."

Tatsuya stopped well short of her, leaving a comfortable distance between them.

"She asked me to come find you."

"I knew it. She's the only person I told where I'd be."

At the mention of her close friend, most of Hasebe Haruka's wariness faded.

"She worries too much. You're here to tell me not to let it bother me, right? That they were just talking, that they didn't mean anything by it. I've heard it all before. I hate it when people make dirty jokes about my body."

She sounded as though she had rehearsed every answer many times. She hated those jokes—could barely stand them.

Tatsuya didn't rush to respond. He listened until she had finished.

After a moment of silence, he said, "I wasn't going to say any of that."

Hasebe Haruka turned slightly and glanced at him. His unexpected response had left her unsure what to say.

"People like Ike and Yamauchi are nothing but troublemakers. What they did could even count as sexual harassment. If you want to take a firm stand, you can report them to the school."

Tatsuya spoke gently.

"Anyone would feel sick being stared at like that in a swimsuit. You're not making a fuss over nothing. You're not the one in the wrong. They are."

Hasebe Haruka looked at him again but said nothing.

"You can't choose the body you were born with. They're the ones who showed you no respect. That behavior deserves a firm response. If you keep avoiding them, they'll only get worse."

"You think so?" Hasebe Haruka asked.

Seeing that she seemed a little more receptive, Tatsuya pressed on. "Yes. A few brainless idiots shouted things at you, and now you're giving up your right to attend class. No matter how you look at it, you're the one paying for what they did."

It took Hasebe Haruka a long time to voice the helpless fear buried deepest inside her. "...But just standing there makes me feel awful. That feeling... I hate it more than anything."

"I know."

Tatsuya didn't argue or try to reason with her further.

"That's why I'm here to help you find a way."

He brought up the practice and test schedules on his phone and held the screen out to her.

"On the day of the test, change into your swimsuit early, keep your jacket on, and wait at the top of the stands in the preparation area."

"That's as far from the boys' line as you can get. When they call your group, you can go down for the test."

He drew his phone back. "You'd be out in the open for less than two minutes."

"I'll be waiting with the boys on test day, so I won't be able to see everything."

Tatsuya paused.

"But if you go and someone says something to your face, come find me."

"Sakura really hopes you'll take part. Whether you go is up to you. I won't make that choice for you. Acting rashly is still closer to courage than hiding away."

There was no pressure in his voice.

"Just don't let people who have no respect for others take away your freedom to attend class."

Hasebe Haruka was silent for a long time.

For the first time, she realized that avoiding the test was only punishing herself. Giving ground would never earn her respect; it would only let their cruelty grow. Her self-doubt and reluctance slowly eased, replaced by relief and courage.

"...All right. I'll go."

Her voice was quiet but clear.

"You'd better keep your word when the time comes!"

With that, she quickened her pace and walked away over the thick fallen leaves without looking back.

Tatsuya watched until she disappeared from sight.

He took out his phone, opened his chat with Airi Sakura, and typed a brief reply:

[It's settled.]

The author is new to writing and this is their first Classroom of the Elite fanfiction.

If you spot any problems with the story, please point them out. I'll do my best to fix them.

Suggestions are welcome, too.

I'm getting ready to apply for a contract. Thank you for your support.