"Good morning, Yamauchi!" Ike greeted enthusiastically.
"Good morning, Ike!" Yamauchi responds with the same amount of energy.
While these two always arrive on time, it was definitely strange for them to arrive this early. With huge grins on their faces, Ike and Yamauchi called out to each other as soon as both of them got to the classroom.
"Whew, man! I was looking forward to today so much that I barely slept last night!" said Ike.
"This school is just the best, isn't it?! Well, the class points and the S-System aside, isn't it awesome that we get to have swimming classes with girls?!"
They were right. Even for the standards of a regular high school, this event was rare. Horikita, Kushida, and every other girl in our class will be showing off a lot of skin. It only makes sense that the boys were excited.
Well, Ike and Yamauchi were probably too excited. The girls slowly backed away from them as if trying to not catch a transmissible disease.
"Professor, will the plan be in motion?" Ike asked Sotomura, who was initially fiddling with his laptop.
"Professor", huh? Considering his expertise in things like technology, I guess it was an appropriate nickname. With his chubby build, he'll probably look like a young professor if he wore a coat.
"Why, of course, Ike-dono. I believe everything will go smoothly. We'll get our hands on those records," answered Sotomura.
"Perfect! Oh man, I can't wait!" Yamauchi celebrated.
"Hey, what did you guys mean by record?" I asked softly while approaching them.
"Huh, Ayanokouji? Hmm? Why should we tell you? You might just snitch on us." Ike asked with the expression of a veteran skeptic.
"Yeah! You're close with girls, right?" Yamauchi added.
"Do I look like someone who's close to girls? Those were all because of Kushida and Hirata's social powers. I wouldn't hold a candle to you guys if it's with talking to people-- let alone girls..." I replied.
Ike scooted over and scanned me with his eyes.
"Well, that might indeed be true. You seem like the type of person who'll stay quiet in a social gathering," mused Ike.
I probably will.
"Now, now. It wouldn't hurt to add the class's genius into our plan, right? I believe that with Ayanokouji-dono's intellect, he might even find improvements to our plan!" Sotomura excitedly cut in.
"What are you guys planning anyway?" I asked.
"Professor will pretend to be sick. That way, he can observe the girls' boobs from the side and record their sizes." Yamauchi whispered with a ragged voice.
"He might even get pictures if we're lucky," Ike added, with a creepy grin on his face.
"Alright, count me out. I don't wanna be hated by my peers just yet," I replied, putting my arms up in the air.
"C'mon, dude! This might be your only chance to get some juicy information on the girls!" Yamauchi implored.
It seems like Hondou, Miyamoto, Makida and some other guys are also in on it, albeit not as involved as these two.
"While I won't join you guys on this noble quest, it's not like I'll get in the way. Just be careful about being accused of sexual harassment," I said. "Especially you two, Ike and Yamauchi. You guys are already branded as perverts by the girls, you know?"
"W-Wait! Are we really?!" Yamauchi asked with a panicked face.
"Shit!" Ike agonized before asking. "Wait, how'd you even know that?"
"Insider information," I replied, pointing a finger to my head. "I might not be close with the girls, but I still hear a bunch of stuff when I hang out with them."
Ike and Yamauchi gulped in awe and amazement.
"We'll squeeze more of that information outta you someday, Ayanokouji!" Ike protested.
"Sure," I replied, not even looking at them. "Professor, I need your help on something."
In the end, I decided to use his nickname, much like Ike and the other guys.
"Oh? I wonder what the one and only Ayanokouji of Class D needs help with?" he asked.
"Well..." I told him the information I needed. Fortunately, it was easy to make him believe a fabricated excuse when he asked for my reason.
"Thanks, I'll follow your advice to save up a bunch of points," I said.
"I don't know why you think it's worth it just to keep those boys in check, but who am I to judge the great mind of the class genius?" Professor shrugged his shoulders.
I'd appreciate it if he stops calling me the class genius or whatever, though.
After Sudou arrived, Ike and Yamauchi egged the two of us to join them again. Apparently, they were doing bets on the girls' breast sizes... I'd be lying if I say I wasn't interested, but Sudou and I knew the risks of getting involved. In the end, we chose to do nothing but listen.
Sakura and Hasebe were among the top bets. I wonder how they'd react should they find out about this...
The morning classes finished and lunchtime came. Sudou and I ate with Kushida and her friends like it was perfectly natural. Of course, it was finally time for our swimming class when the afternoon bell rang.
"Alright! The pool!" The boys changed considerably fast. When we reached the 50-meter pool, all of us were in awe of how clean and clear the water was.
"Aren't the girls taking too long?" Ike looked around impatiently.
It took about four minutes before the girls finally arrived.
"They're here! Let's g-- Huh?! What the?!" Ike put on an expression of extreme confusion.
As it turns out, only ten girls decided to participate in the swimming class.
"Where are they?! Where are the tits?!" Ike wailed in frustration.
"If you're looking for our other classmates, they're over there." I pointed at the observation deck.
Hasebe and Sakura can be both seen sitting there. Well, there goes their dreams of ogling the biggest breasts in class.
"Ah, this is bullshit!" cried Ike.
"I-It's fine, Ike! We'll make do with whoever's present!" Yamauchi consoled him with the same defeated expression.
At this point, I don't even want to be part of their conversation. Sudou and I can clearly see the revulsion in the girls' eyes.
"Ayanokouji-kun! Sudou-kun! You're already here! What are you guys doing there?" Kushida called out to us.
Along with Horikita, she and the other girls were all clad in school swimsuits. Kushida became the center of attention with her voluptuous figure. The sad expressions that Ike and Yamauchi wore instantly vanished.
"Kushida-chan!" Ike and Yamauchi yelled.
While the two of them fawned over Kushida, Horikita came over and talked to me. I couldn't help but look at her as well. Horikita's figure was absolutely pristine. She was definitely blessed with top-tier genes. I chose to stay silent because I might accidentally lose my life if I voice out my opinions on her current appearance.
I can sense that Karuizawa was currently looking at me. Perfect timing-- because I actually needed her to do something for me. While Sudou's attention was on Ike and Yamauchi's shenanigans, I looked back at Karuizawa, which made her flinch. I gave her a meaningful look using subtle head movements. Thankfully, she got what I was trying to say.
"Sudou-kun! Woah, look at that build! Is it alright if you come here for a sec?" Karuizawa yelled.
"Huh? You called me?" Sudou was surprised that Karuizawa suddenly called out to him.
During that time, I approached Horikita and walked away with her. Seeing that, Sudou felt that it was fine to leave me alone. Now, most of the girls were talking to Hirata and Sudou.
"Sudou-kun, that's some crazy amount of muscle!" Maezono followed Karuizawa's lead.
Ike, Yamauchi, and other guys were clearly envious of the attention that Sudou was getting, but it's not like they could do anything.
"Do you workout, Ayanokouji-kun?" Horikita asked.
That was an expected question, seeing how she was carefully observing my body for a while now. Meanwhile, I would be branded as a pervert if I did the same. Society really is cruel, huh?
"Not really... At least in recent times, I'm not," I replied.
"It's not noticeable when you're wearing clothes, but your muscles are really toned..." Horikita said, looking at my torso and arm muscles.
I don't really know what to say at that point. Fortunately, our teacher, Higashiyama-sensei, finally arrived. He was a macho-looking middle-aged man; the kind of guy who devoted himself to sports. He gathered everyone who was participating and grouped us up.
"Alright, although some opted to only watch along the sidelines, there's still quite a lot of you. I'll let you all do some warm-ups and practice-swimming. After that, you'll compete with each other. Is that cool?" His huge smile didn't really put us at ease, but at least he wasn't here to go spartan on us.
No one ditched the swimming class. On the observation deck were four guys and ten girls. Participation was optional as long as we were present, so hopefully, we won't lose class points because of this.
I didn't really want to go all out, but I'll at least try to swim fast enough to get first or second place. My body's not in optimal condition anyway.