"Good morning, Yamauchi!"
"Good morning, Ike!"
Arriving to class, Ike wore a broad grin as he called out to Yamauchi. It was rather unusual for them to get here so early. It'd been one week since the entrance ceremony, and Ike and Yamauchi would always make it to class right before the bell rang.
"Whew, man! I was looking forward to today so much that I barely slept last night!"
"Ah ha ha! This school is just the best! I can't believe that it's almost time for swimming! And when I say swimming, I mean girls. And when I say girls, I mean girls in school swimsuits!"
It was true that the swimming classes were co-ed. In other words, that meant that Horikita, Kushida, and all of the other girls would be... showing off a lot of skin. The girls backed away from Ike and Yamauchi's rabid excitement.
Apparently, they were betting on the girls' chest sizes. This is hard. Joining their group would definitely mean the end of my high-school life. I guess I'll have to stand being lonely just a bit longer. I prioritized my peaceful life more.
Of course, there were many other things I could have done to make friends. But those methods would be too troublesome. I would have to slowly establish myself at the top of the social hierarchy without attracting too much attention. It would definitely be difficult to pull off, but it isn't entirely impossible.
Besides, it would be more convenient for me in the future.
● ● ● ●
"All right! The pool!"
After lunch had ended, it was finally time for swim class. The moment Ike and the others had so desperately been waiting for had come. Without even trying to hide his excitement, Ike leapt up and headed with the others towards the indoor pool.
I followed the boys into the locker room. When I started changing I noticed a couple of shocked faces. While I could more or less understand why they were surprised, it still hurt a little. Well, now's not really the time to be depressed. I quickly finished changing and went ahead.
Upon seeing the fifty-meter pool, Ike cried out, "Whoa, this school is something else! It's even better than the city pool, don't you think?"
The water was clean and beautiful, and because it was indoors, we didn't have to worry about the weather. The perfect environment.
"What about the girls? Aren't they here yet?"
Ike looked around, sniffing the air like a dog.
"Hey, I wonder would what happen if I just suddenly jumped into the girls' locker room?" Ike said.
They'd gang up on you, beat the crap out of you, and then file charges, probably. If the girls sense you staring at them in their swimsuits, they'll probably hate you.
"Wow! It's so spacious! It's so much bigger than the pool at my junior high school."
A few minutes after the boys had arrived, a girl's voice could be heard.
"A-are they here?!"
Ike looked ready to strike. If you were that obvious about it, the girls were bound to hate you. Even so, I was a bit curious, too. I mostly wondered about Hasebe and Kushida, but a little about Horikita as well. What can I say? I'm still a healthy teenager.
"Hasebe isn't here! Wh-what's going on, Professor?!" Ike cried.
The Professor, who had been watching the class, was now in a panic.
Standing on the second-floor observation deck, he scanned the room. Ike and the others also looked around. At this height, the Professor's beady, bespectacled eyes should have spotted his prey instantly.
However...
He couldn't find the girls anywhere. He looked to his right and left, as if in disbelief. Could they still be changing? Or maybe...
"B-behind you, Professor!"
"What?!"
Ike pointed and shouted. The situation had become clear. Hasebe stood behind the Professor on the observation deck. One by one, the rest of the girls appeared, until they'd all emerged onto the second floor. Sakura was among them.
"Wh-what's going on? How did this happen?"
Ike slumped to the ground and buried his face in his hands, shaken by this unbelievable turn of events.
"Aw, but I thought I'd get to see big tits! Big tits! I thought this was my chance!"
Ike appeared to be contemplating suicide. His wails of agony reached Hasebe.
"Gross," the girls muttered among themselves. Ike was being far too obvious, so it wasn't surprising that the girls hated him...
"Ike, don't be sad! Come on, there are still tons of girls out there for us!" Yamauchi said.
"Y-yeah, that's right. You got a point. I can't get down in the dumps now!" Ike cried.
"Bro!" Yamauchi and Ike reaffirmed their manly bond of friendship, clasping their hands together.
"What are you two doing? That looks like fun."
"K-K-Kushida-chan?!"
Kushida showed up between the two of them. She was clad in her school-issued swimwear, which nicely showed off her voluptuous figure. In an instant, nearly all of the boys' eyes were glued to Kushida's body.
She must have been a D or E cup. I didn't know for sure, but I estimated. She was a lot bigger than I'd thought. Her butt and thighs were also more voluptuous than I had pictured, which was strangely captivating.
However, all of us boys quickly averted our gaze.
Ah, the weather was so nice today... World peace truly was wonderful.
Once the inevitable physiological reaction kicked in, it was quite a terrible shock.
Alright, I really need to stop right now.
Deep breaths. In. Out. Phew! I think I've calmed down now.
Crisis averted. I scanned the pool area to see where people were. Hmm? Why are some girls looking at me? I've been branded as a pervert now, haven't I? Not good. I guess I'll see you in the afterlife now.
For some reason, Horikita was checking me out. Well, this isn't really fair now is it?
I let out another heavy sigh. As I was contemplating my life decisions, A macho-looking middle-aged man, the kind of guy who apparently devoted himself to sports, gathered everyone together and started the class. He looked like a PE teacher, but also seemed like the kind of guy who was attractive to men and women alike.
"There are sixteen of you, huh? I thought there would've been more, but this is all right."
"After you warm up, I want to see what you can really do. Swim for me," the coach said.
"Excuse me, sir. I can't really swim, though..." A lone boy sheepishly raised his hand and spoke up.
"Since you have me as your teacher, you'll be swimming by summertime. Don't worry about a thing."
"Well, we don't really need to force ourselves to swim, do we? It's not like we're going to the beach or anything."
"No way. I don't mind at all if you're bad at swimming now, but I'll make sure you guys are winners in the end. Besides, being able to swim will definitely come in handy later in life. Definitely."
Swimming would definitely come in handy? Well, I suppose knowing how to swim would be convenient. However, hearing a teacher say something like that made me feel uncomfortable.
Though, he probably just wanted to keep the students from sinking like rocks.
Everyone started their warm-up exercises. Ike kept peeking at the girls. The teacher asked us to swim for about fifty meters. Students who could not swim were allowed to touch the bottom of the pool with their feet.
I hadn't been in a pool since last summer. The water must have been temperature-controlled, because I didn't feel chilled when I entered and adjusted right away.
After getting in, I started to swim lightly.
After fifty meters, I waited for everyone else to finish.
"He he he, that was an easy win for me. Did you all see my super swimming skills?" Ike crowed.
He'd swum expertly, and now got out of the pool with a smug, self-satisfied grin. No, Ike, your performance wasn't really that different from anyone else's.
"Well, it looks like everyone can swim, for the most part."
"Of course, sir. Back in junior high, people called me 'the flying fish,' you know."
"I see. In that case, I'll have you start competing against each other. We'll separate groups by gender. Fifty-meter freestyle."
"C-compete?! Are you serious?" Ike cried.
"I'll give out a special bonus to the first-place winner: 5000 points. The student who comes in last place, however, will have to take supplementary lessons. Get ready."
Oh my, how convenient.
The skilled swimmers cheered with joy, while the less confident students groaned.