A Normal Life?

The School of Your Dreams - Part 4

"Are you so desperate to talk to someone that you walked over to me? How pathetic."

"Come on, there's no need to be so hostile. Do you really hate social interactions that much?"

"That's none of your business. Enough about me. Do you think you can win?" she asked.

"Who knows? I'm certain I won't get last though."

"Do you exercise?" she asked. She was checking me out again.

"No, not really. I'm not particularly proud of this, but in middle school I was the kid who never had any after-school plans."

"Well, you say that, but...judging from the development of your forearms and your back muscles, you seem above average."

"I guess my parents blessed me with good genes?"

"I don't think that's the only reason."

"Jeez, what's with you? Do you have a muscle fetish or something? Is that it?"

"I suppose if you deny it that much, I have to believe you..."

She appeared somewhat dissatisfied. I guessed that Horikita had a rather discerning eye and enjoyed using it.

● ● ● ●

I was assigned my spot and placed in the second lane. Since I was aiming for first place, I'd need to expend some effort here. Sudou was in the first lane, right next to me. This would be hard. I might actually lose to Sudou if I don't go all out.

With that in mind, the race started, and we dove in. Sudou finished the fifty-meter race with incredible speed. The boys and girls cheered in admiration.

"Wow, you're amazing, Sudou. You finished the race in twenty-eight seconds!" they cried. I, on the other hand, finished in twenty-five seconds. Looks like I won.

"No way,"

"Are you kidding me?"

"Seriously? That guy?"

They finally noticed, huh? Well, I did say I was confident in my physical skills, but I guess nobody bothered to remember that.

"Ayanokouji, won't you consider joining the swim team? If you practice, you could probably win at competitions!"

"Huh? Oh, well, I just got lucky I guess. Sudou probably wasn't even serious when he swam."

"Yeah. Swimming's just for fun." Sudou, who hadn't even broken a sweat, calmly got out of the pool.

A girl let out a joyful scream as Hirata took his starting position. His body attracted the girls. He was slender, but also well built. You could say he was a macho pretty boy.

After hearing the girls' delighted squeals for Hirata, Ike spat in response. Sudou didn't seem very amused either, and shot Hirata a glare.

"You better beat him, Ayanokouji," he growled.

E-eh... why me?

After the teacher blew the whistle, Hirata dove into the pool with beautiful form. Every time Hirata's arms cut through the water, the girls cheered by the side of the pool.

His form was effortlessly cool.

"He's surprisingly fast," Sudou commented.

It was certainly true that Hirata swam fast. There was no doubt that he'd shot ahead of the four other boys who were competing with him.

This, of course, prompted more shrieks from the girls. Hirata didn't fail to live up to our expectations: He came in first place. Deafening cheers  reverberated throughout the room.