I'm Master's dog, woof, woof, woof

The swimming pool facilities once again showed off the school's immense wealth. As expected of a government-funded school, facilities of this caliber could have been used to run a business.

The boys waited and waited, but the girls still did not come out. Instead, girls in their regular clothes pushed open the door on the second floor and sat on the benches, prompting a chorus of wails from the boys.

Kanji Ike clutched his head with both hands and dropped to his knees on the tiled floor, pounding it wildly with his fists.

"My youth is over! Why?! Why are they sitting out?!"

Haruki Yamauchi beat his chest and stamped his feet too, almost in tears, as though he had lost something precious.

"Damn it! I've waited so long for this class today! My swimsuit beauties! It's all gone down the drain! Give me back my happiness! What's even the point of this class anymore?!"

Kazami rubbed his ears. Their resentment reached the heavens. If it had not been broad daylight, that resentment could have swallowed the swimming pool whole.

Just then, the door on the first floor opened, and Kikyo Kushida walked out.

She wore a pure white two-piece swimsuit. There was not a trace of flab around her waist. The two magnificent curves of her chest swayed slightly with her steps. Large expanses of snowy skin were exposed to the air, dazzling the eyes.

Then came the girls behind her, and the boys instantly fell silent. Immediately afterward came the synchronized sound of swallowing.

Gulp. Gulp. One after another.

"Kushida, you're an angel today too!" Kanji Ike's eyes had already turned into hearts, and he was almost drooling. He clasped both hands before his chest, all but kneeling in gratitude.

"Kushida really is the best!!!" Haruki Yamauchi pressed his palms together as if worshipping some deity, muttering under his breath.

After taking in Kushida's outfit, Kazami searched the crowd for Suzune Horikita. She stood on the other side.

Her classic navy swimsuit clung tightly to her slender figure. The lines of her collarbones were clean and distinct. Her long, straight black hair was pinned up high, exposing her pale nape.

There were no unnecessary adornments, yet she exuded a chilly air that kept strangers at bay.

Kazami Saku walked over to Suzune Horikita and greeted her.

"You look cute."

Suzune Horikita turned around, her piercing gaze landing on Kazami's face.

"Thank you. But please keep your distance."

Kazami raised both hands in surrender, looking utterly helpless.

"Don't treat me like some dangerous person. Look into my eyes. They're brimming with clear, unclouded stupidity. How do I look like a bad guy?"

Suzune Horikita looked Kazami up and down, then nodded solemnly.

"Your stupidity is indeed unclouded, but that doesn't stop you from being a potentially threatening individual."

You've got an answer for everything. Kazami Saku raised a very practical point.

"Could you stop being so hurtful? Besides, I couldn't beat you in an actual fight. That karate rank of yours isn't just for show."

Suzune Horikita nodded, thoroughly agreeing with Kazami Saku's self-awareness. "That's true."

Kazami clutched his chest. "I wish you'd hesitate a little before answering. You could at least pretend to think about it for a second!"

Suzune Horikita turned her face away, unwilling to engage with Kazami Saku. "Facts require no hesitation. Only lies need disguising."

Kazami Saku rolled his eyes. This conversation was going nowhere.

While Kazami Saku and Suzune Horikita were talking, Kikyo Kushida came over with a sweet smile on her face.

"Kazami, Horikita, what are you talking about? You look like you're having fun."

Fun? Not even a little, okay? Nothing but bitter hardship here.

Kazami looked at Kushida and joked, "Oh, we're making a bet."

Kikyo Kushida tilted her head, and a droplet of water fell from her hair onto her collarbone.

"A bet? About what?"

Kazami Saku began spouting nonsense with a completely straight face.

"I bet Horikita that you'd definitely come over while we were talking. The loser has to say something like 'I'm Master's dog, woof, woof, woof' three times. Yep, Horikita lost."

The air suddenly went quiet.

Emotion Points from Kikyo Kushida +10.

Emotion Points from Suzune Horikita +10.

Two notifications popped up in his mind.

Kikyo Kushida's smile froze on her face, but she quickly recovered. She gritted her teeth. "Kazami... you really know how to joke."

But by then, Suzune Horikita's gaze could already kill. If looks could take physical form, Kazami could have reserved his grave right then.

Yep, looks like they're both pretty angry. Kazami decided to leave this trouble spot, or he might end up getting beaten.

"Looks like that joke wasn't funny. My stomach suddenly really hurts, so I'll be going!"

With that, Kazami ran toward the second-floor stands without looking back.

Terrifying. If those two teamed up, this day next year would be my death anniversary.

There were quite a few people in the second-floor stands, though Kazami Saku barely knew most of them. He had, however, spoken to Sakura Airi a few times.

Kazami walked over and waved to the girl in greeting.

"Good afternoon, Sakura."

Sakura Airi startled, her shoulders jerking inward as a flicker of panic passed behind her thick glasses. Only after raising her head and seeing who it was did she stammer out a reply.

"G-good afternoon... Kazami."

Still so easily embarrassed. Kazami Saku's gaze drifted downward uncontrollably. They were simply too big.

Her uniform jacket was stretched into an exaggerated curve, as though it might burst open at any moment and cause a leak of mass destruction.

Talking to her face-to-face, it was simply impossible not to look.

"Hello, is this the security center?" a female voice suddenly spoke behind him.

Kazami turned around. The long, blue-haired Haruka Hasebe held a phone to her ear, her eyes wary.

"Yes, I'm on the second floor of the swimming pool. Someone said to young, adorable me, 'Hehehe, what kind of panties are you wearing?' Please send someone to arrest him right away. Preferably with handcuffs and a stun gun."

Haruka Hasebe stared straight at Kazami.

She isn't talking about me, is she? Kazami's scalp prickled.

"No, I didn't! When did I ever ask anything like that?! I'm an upstanding young man of the modern age, a paragon of morality!"

Haruka Hasebe turned her wrist and showed Kazami her phone screen.

The screen was black. She had not dialed at all. She had not even unlocked it.

"Just messing with you."

Kazami patted his chest and let out a long breath. She had scared him to death. He already felt a little guilty; she should not do this to him.

"Could you not scare me like that? I have a weak heart. If you really brought security here, it'd be hard to deal with."

Haruka Hasebe slipped her phone into her pocket and folded her arms.

"That's what you get for staring at Sakura there without moving. Your eyes were practically falling out. You looked just like a pervert."

Sakura Airi's face instantly flushed bright red. Her head nearly sank into her chest, and she curled in on herself.

Kazami Saku hurriedly explained, "Uh... well, I was admiring the tailoring of Sakura's uniform. Look at the stitching, the fabric, the cut. How... uh, how well it fits! This is definitely the work of a master!"