Swimming class (Part one)

Morning was when college students felt the sleepiest. Whether classes started at eight or ten, they were utterly agonizing.

In the Class 1-D classroom, Ken Kaneki propped his cheek on one hand and gazed out the window in boredom.

Kiyotaka Ayanokoji and Rokusuke Koenji were also idly occupied with their own affairs.

Amid this utterly listless atmosphere, a burst of irrepressibly sleazy laughter suddenly erupted at the back of the classroom.

Ken Kaneki tilted his head slightly and glanced toward the back.

Kanji Ike, Haruki Yamauchi, and several other boys were huddled together, their faces flushed with excitement as they occasionally argued about something.

Hearing words like "size," "predictions," and "hit the jackpot" drifting faintly through the air, Ken Kaneki thought back briefly and, putting that together with their recent class schedule, understood what these boys with their raging adolescent hormones were up to.

Thinking over the dates, they happened to have a coed swimming class today.

For these college students with nowhere to burn off their energy, this was practically a sanctioned fan-service session. Naturally, they had to take the opportunity to stir something up.

"What are they doing?" Ken Kaneki casually asked Ayanokoji beside him.

"It's Sotomura. He used the information he collected to make a ranking of the girls in our class by breast size, and he's using it as the basis for a prediction betting pool among the boys.

"Ike, Yamauchi, and the others have already gathered together, excitedly getting ready to place their bets."

Ayanokoji's eyes suddenly lit up, then quickly went dull again.

To be honest, he actually wanted to join in too, but he had no idea who to bet on, so he had stayed away.

"You certainly know all about it. What's the matter? Want to join in too?" Ken Kaneki teased as he looked at Ayanokoji.

"Not really. I just happened to see it earlier." Feeling a little guilty, Ayanokoji started making excuses.

"Hey, hey, Kaneki, Ayanokoji, and Koenji! Swimming class is coming up, and Sotomura's running an awesome betting pool on the girls' figures. Want to have a go?

"It's guaranteed profit, and you can learn more about the girls in our class too!"

Kanji Ike pitched it hard, as though this were some momentous affair.

Honestly, it was. In their current comfortable surroundings, it was normal for college students to have nothing to do.

As for when they would start reining themselves in, that would probably be after reality had given them a beating.

Faced with this invitation, the self-styled beauty gave a disdainful snort, while Ken Kaneki shook his head as well, refusing to participate.

Seriously, I know the plot. How could I not know where this is going?

Besides, I know perfectly well whose boobs are big, and I'm not short on points. Why offend the girls in our class?

"I'll pass too." Seeing both Ken Kaneki and Koenji turn it down so decisively, Ayanokoji hesitated before refusing as well.

Seeing that none of the three would budge, Kanji Ike could only purse his lips after his wasted effort, mutter, "You guys don't know how to enjoy yourselves," and plunge back into the crowd of boys.

Although Ken Kaneki and the other two had not joined in, the boys in the back row were so excited that their discussion grew louder and louder, and snatches of their conversation still drifted into their ears.

"Listen, based on my visual assessment, Kushida is definitely the reigning champion of Class D!" That was Kanji Ike's voice, brimming with conviction.

"No, no, no, don't forget Sakura Airi. She's always hunched over and wearing those huge glasses, but judging by the folds in her clothes and how tight the fabric is, she's definitely a dark horse!"

Old man Yamauchi rubbed his nose and offered his expert opinion.

At that, Ken Kaneki silently nodded to himself.

He had to admit that although Yamauchi usually looked pretty sleazy, he did have a sharp eye.

Sakura Airi really did keep her figure well hidden. There was absolutely nothing wrong with that assessment.

The boys' words soon reached the girls in the front rows. Faced with such blatant rudeness in broad daylight, the girls looked at the boys with contempt, as though they were looking at garbage.

Seeing the girls' reaction, Ayanokoji silently breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, he had not taken part.

The gears of time soon turned past lunch break.

The boys finally welcomed their long-awaited swimming class and charged toward the changing room like wild dogs let off their leashes.

Inside the changing room, the boys shoved and jostled one another, instantly filling it with noise.

Ken Kaneki, Ayanokoji, and Koenji walked to the lockers in the corner, opened the doors, and began changing.

When Ken Kaneki took off his uniform shirt, the noise around him suddenly died down considerably.

As a top fighting champion in his previous life, his current body had been honed through countless trials, its muscles sleek and packed with explosive power.

His eight-pack abs were sharply defined, as though chiseled from stone, while his broad lats exuded the intimidating presence of a wild beast.

Next, Koenji took off his jacket too.

His powerful muscles, as perfect as an ancient Greek sculpture and brimming with classical beauty, were instantly exposed to the air.

Last came Ayanokoji. Although he usually looked somewhat frail and barely stood out,

once he took off his clothes, the lean, powerful physique forged through countless life-or-death training sessions that pushed him to his limits in the White Room was equally impossible to look away from.

The three had not a trace of excess fat on their bodies, and every muscle held terrifying physical capabilities.

"Ooh-"

A chorus of sharp intakes of breath immediately filled the changing room, contributing to global warming in the world of Classroom of the Elite.

The boys who had been boasting to one another looked at the three physiques, then down at their own scrawny, chicken-like ribs or soft bellies, and instantly sank into deep feelings of inferiority.

"Heh heh. It seems my perfect physique has already robbed you mere mortals of the ability to speak."

Koenji thoroughly enjoyed their gazes. He even took the opportunity to raise both arms and strike several classic bodybuilding poses in response to the attention.

After a brief silence, the changing room instantly erupted.

"Hey, hey, hey, you've got to be kidding! What's with those muscles?!" someone exclaimed, eyes wide.

"How did you guys build those muscles?!" someone asked.

"Do you take some special protein powder or supplements? Teach us!" someone pleaded.

Several boys crowded around them, chattering away, their eyes shining with curiosity and envy.

Faced with classmates who had suddenly turned into curious children, Ken Kaneki merely slipped on his swim trunks, showing no intention of acknowledging them.

Ayanokoji wore his usual poker face as he silently tidied his clothes.

As for Koenji, he was busy admiring his own figure in the reflective surface of his locker, turning a deaf ear to everyone else's questions.

Completely ignoring the surrounding clamor, the three turned in unspoken accord and walked straight out of the changing room toward the sunlit outdoor pool.