Swimming class (II)

The indoor pool had a lofty ceiling, with huge ventilation fans mounted overhead that gave off a low hum from time to time.

The pool water was crystal clear, and the blue tiles gleamed coldly under the lights.

Kanji Ike and Yamauchi Grandpa lay against the edge of the pool, their hands shaped into binoculars and their eyes fixed firmly on the changing room exit.

"Come on out, Hasebe," Ike muttered insistently, pressing his palms together. "She's Class D's hidden treasure. We're definitely in for a feast for the eyes."

"Exactly. I predicted it yesterday: her size is definitely in the top three in our class. You're all losing your points to me today."

Haruki Yamauchi wiped the water off his face as he spoke with a cheeky grin.

No normal person could understand why they had to stay in the pool to ogle girls. Wouldn't standing on the poolside work just fine?

Several boys nearby heard them and immediately gathered around to join the heckling, filling the area with noise once again.

Yet the more people hoped for something, the less likely it was to happen.

Haruka Hasebe, Sakura Airi, and the others who couldn't swim stayed in the self-study area, showing no intention of coming down at all.

"What the hell? Why aren't they coming down to swim? I got my hopes up for nothing."

Ike slapped the water furiously, throwing up a string of splashes as he shook his head and complained loudly.

The girls nearby all shot him looks of contempt.

Kei Karuizawa folded her arms and rolled her eyes, then turned to speak quietly with the girls beside her, her tone full of disdain for the boys.

Even so, the boys' beloved dark angel, Kikyo Kushida, would still live up to their expectations.

The changing room door swung open, and Kikyo Kushida entered the pool area in her school swimsuit.

The blue swimsuit clung to her skin, outlining curves that were intensely alluring to the eye.

As she walked, she adjusted the swim cap on her head, a sweet smile on her face.

They weren't sure whether they were imagining it, but the front of Kikyo Kushida's swimsuit seemed a little tight, as though she were about to burst out of it.

The boys' gazes converged on her at once. Kanji Ike swallowed, his eyes going wide.

Before long, Kanji Ike, Haruki Yamauchi, and the others all hunched over and lowered their heads, some even sinking straight underwater to try to hide their bodies' natural reactions.

Horikita Suzune came out then as well. Ignoring the antics, she headed straight for a corner on the other side of the pool.

Ken Kaneki, Kiyotaka Ayanokoji, and Rokusuke Koenji happened to be standing there.

Horikita Suzune stopped, her gaze settling on Kiyotaka Ayanokoji.

She carefully examined his well-defined torso, which had not a trace of excess fat.

Then she turned to look at Ken Kaneki and Koenji beside him.

All three had physiques far beyond those of ordinary people.

"There really is a reason you three ended up together," Horikita Suzune said coldly, folding her arms.

"Ayanokoji, have you had any professional combat training?" she asked.

"No. Ever since I was little, I've practiced calligraphy while holding a piano. That's how I got this body."

Ayanokoji had learned to joke now, all thanks to Ken Kaneki and Koenji.

Horikita Suzune's expression chilled. She stared into Ayanokoji's eyes, trying to find a crack in his facade.

But she was disappointed. Ayanokoji still wore his deadpan expression and dead-fish eyes, and he even looked a little bored.

Horikita Suzune knew he was lying, but what could she do? She had no evidence, and she wasn't anyone special to him. She couldn't tell Ayanokoji what to do.

She turned away. Out of sight, out of mind. Without another word, she walked back to where the girls were gathering.

A shrill whistle sounded. The PE teacher stood on a starting block and ordered everyone to assemble.

The students quickly formed several orderly lines.

After taking attendance, the teacher held the roster and had the students who couldn't swim at all step out and stand to one side.

"I don't care how you do it, but you must learn to swim this semester." The teacher raised his voice, sweeping his gaze over the class. "It will definitely be very useful in your future Campus Life."

Kiyotaka Ayanokoji's eyes shifted, and he turned to Ken Kaneki.

Ken Kaneki gave a slight nod, then glanced at Beautiful Guy. The three quickly exchanged information.

The school was on the Artificial Island, surrounded by sea.

The teacher's deliberate emphasis on "very useful" meant that some major future assessment would definitely be directly related to water or the ocean.

A deserted-island survival test or an at-sea exam was highly likely.

The teacher continued announcing the rules. "We'll now hold a fifty-meter freestyle test. The winners of the boys' and girls' divisions will each receive five thousand points. Whoever comes last will stay at school over the weekend for remedial lessons."

Excluding the beginners, there were sixteen participants in total, with the girls going first.

In the first heat, Horikita Suzune stepped onto the starting block.

The starting gun fired, and she drove off with her legs, displaying tremendous explosive power.

She led the entire way and touched the wall, taking first in her heat.

In the second heat, Onodera, who had a background in swimming, leaped into the water with precise, swift movements.

When the final results were tallied, Onodera's time was two seconds faster than Horikita Suzune's, earning her first place in the girls' division.

Horikita Suzune stared at the scoreboard, biting her lip hard, her face full of frustration.

Kikyo Kushida placed fourth and was smiling as she exchanged celebratory high fives with the girls around her.

Before the boys' division began, Ken Kaneki stopped Ayanokoji and Koenji.

"Let's stretch our muscles a little." Ken Kaneki rolled his neck, producing a crack. "Let's have a race, the three of us."

"I refuse," Kiyotaka Ayanokoji replied lazily, looking at the water. "I'm planning on getting an average time. Winning points would draw too much attention."

"Don't be like that. Show us what you can do. My beautiful self won't allow you to hide your strength, Ayanokoji boy. Show your true ability." Rokusuke Koenji swept back his wet hair, flicking off a few droplets.

"If you hold back, you'll be the bait in our next plan," Ken Kaneki added in a quiet, ominous tone.

Kiyotaka Ayanokoji sighed and gave in.

The boys were divided into three heats, with Kiyotaka Ayanokoji in the first.

The starting gun fired. He kicked hard off the starting block, his body forming a straight line in midair.

He swam fifteen meters underwater before surfacing. His arms stroked alternately at an unhurried pace, but every push generated tremendous propulsion.

He easily opened up a lead of over ten meters on the others, touching the wall with one hand to stop the clock.

Rokusuke Koenji took his turn in the second heat.

He used a highly spectacular butterfly stroke, his broad back muscles rising and falling above the surface as water splashed everywhere.

Through sheer physical prowess, he crushed Ken Sudō in the same heat and took first.

Ken Sudō chased desperately behind him, giving it everything he had, yet he couldn't even get close enough to catch Koenji's spray.

In the third heat, Ken Kaneki stepped onto the starting block. The instant the gun fired, he plunged into the water.

His freestyle strokes were broad and powerful, every breath precisely timed as water slid along the smooth lines of his muscles.

He completed the fifty meters at an astonishing speed and slapped the pool wall with one hand.

The PE teacher held his stopwatch and stared at the reading, his brow furrowed.

Only after checking it several times did he pick up his megaphone and announce the results.

"Here are the boys' results." The teacher's voice echoed through the pool area. "First place: Kiyotaka Ayanokoji, Rokusuke Koenji, and Ken Kaneki. A three-way tie."

The entire pool area fell deathly silent. Kanji Ike and Haruki Yamauchi gaped, finding it a little hard to believe.

The rest of the class looked as though they had seen a ghost, especially Ken Sudō. He knew how fast Koenji was, but he hadn't expected there to be two more people just as incredible.

"All three got exactly the same time?" Yosuke Hirata stepped forward and looked at the numbers on the scoreboard. "That's an unbelievable coincidence."

Ken Kaneki pushed himself out of the water and sat on the edge of the pool.

Rokusuke Koenji walked over, shaking out his hair, while Kiyotaka Ayanokoji stood in the water and looked up at them.

None of them spoke. They merely exchanged a look in silent understanding.

Measuring speed at the limits of human ability involved a margin of error, yet the three of them, in different heats, facing different opponents, and without even a point of reference, had precisely controlled their speed to produce the exact same figure.

This was no coincidence. It was absolute, one-hundred-percent control over their bodily functions.

One could even say they had deliberately kept their times at that result.