' ': Writing
' ': Sign language
"Good morning, Yamauchi!"
"Good morning Ike!"
It wasn't a good sign seeing the bright smiles on their faces. Neither of them ever paid attention in class, and they always showed up at the last minute.
"Wow~ the lesson is so fun that I can't sleep~."
"Yup, this school's the best-swimming will start soon! I say swimming, but girls are the important part! And by girls, I mean their swimsuits!"
Now, I know why I had a bad feeling. I pray for the girls' safety.
"Doctor. Come over here."
"Fufu, did you call him?"
A chubby boy, who has the nickname 'Doctor,' walked towards the ones that called him. I think his name was Sotomura.
"Doctor, can you record the girls wearing swimsuits?"
"Leave it to me. I'll pretend to be sick and skip class to observe them."
You're asking to get your ass kicked and get called a pervert and creep.
"Record? What are you planning to do?"
"Doctor's going to rank the sizes of the girl's boobs. He'll try to take a picture if there's a chance."
"Oi, oi," Sudou seemed to take a step back from Ike's plan, and I don't blame him for it.
"Sad."
Oh, right... I was over by Ayanokouji, and it looks like Horikita is here.
"When did you get here, Horikita?" Ayanokouji asked.
"A few minutes ago. I walked in while you two looked at those boys. You wouldn't be thinking of trying to befriend them, would you?"
I shook my head.
Ayanokouji, on the other hand, had a different response, "Shut up. It's difficult for me to make friends anyway."
"At least one of you has common sense... The way I see it, you don't seem to have a communication disorder."
"I have a lot of circumstances," Ayanokouji sighed, "Even now, I can only hold a conversation with you."
Holding a conversation must be difficult for others.
"Hey... I told you not to include me in your friends' list, right?"
Horikita looked at Ayanokouji with disgust, taking a few steps back.
"It's okay. No matter how low I go, I'd never befriend you."
"I see. I feel relieved."
I wonder why she hates having friends.
"Oi, Ayanokouji," Ike called out to us.
Ayanokouji walked over to him.
I don't know if I should be glad or disappointed that I wasn't invited to join the conversation.
"I know what you're thinking," she said.
I pulled out my notepad, 'Do you?'
"You were thinking about joining their conversation," Horikita said.
A thought came to mind: ' Were you worried about me being labeled a pervert?'
She didn't say anything, but her glare hardened.
Pool Area
"Wow, it's the pool!"
After lunch, the long-awaited swimming class Ike and the others were waiting for came. Without trying to hide his lust, Ike stood up in excitement. The group faced the indoor swimming pool. I also followed stealthily from the back with Ayanokouji.
"Let's go together, Ayanokouji," Ike said.
"Eh? Uh, s-sure," He seemed hesitant to accept Ike's invitation, but he quickly followed them to the locker rooms.
I was left alone as I looked around the area. I guess I will wait out here by myself. I wasn't feeling like swimming.
I glance over at the observation deck to Hasabe sitting by herself. It didn't long before more girls decided to sit out. Sakura was also up there.
Hasabe and Sakura must be self-conscious girls. Furthermore, they must be sensitive to the curiosity of the boys. Hasabe didn't seem amused, while Sakura looked nervous.
"Where are the girls? Are they not here yet?"
It looked like the guys came out and were finished changing.
Ike looked for the girls, sniffing the air like a dog.
"They take a while to change, after all," Ayanokouji answered.
"Hey, what would happen if I suddenly entered the girl's locker room?" Ike asked.
"They'd beat you up and file charges against you," Ayanokouji answered.
I would record the beating.
"Don't ruin my fantasies with such a real answer," Ike shivered.
Please continue ruining his fantasies.
"If you stare at the girl's swimsuits too much, they'll probably hate you," Ayanokouji claimed.
"Are there any boys that wouldn't stare!? What will I do if I get a boner..."
It looked like Ayanokouji became a natural at talking to Ike and his group. It hurt a little that I wasn't invited, but I was glad I wasn't pulled into the group.
"Wow... This pool doesn't even compare to my middle school one~," a girl's voice could be heard.
"Did they come?!"
I watched as most of the guy's expectations were betrayed by an unexpected turn of events, "Hasabe's not here! What is this?! Doctor?!"
The flustered Doctor looked all around from the observation deck on the second floor. Ike and co. also looked around, expecting the girls to come out anytime.
If you look carefully at the observation deck, the girls are glaring at you.
"Doctor, b-behind you!" Ike pointed his finger with a shout, clearly noticing who was in the observation deck.
Ike buried his face in his hands and collapsed from the unbelievable turn of events, "I thought I would get to see big breasts~!"
I think that's the least of your worries.
Contemplating suicide, Ike shouted in agony in earshot of Hasebe. Murmurs spread among the girls. It looks like the girls hate you.
"Ike, this isn't a time to be sad. There are a lot of other girls!"
"Y-yeah. Anyone's fine. This isn't a time to feel down!"
"Yeah!"
It seemed Ayanokouji managed to escape them and was standing right beside me.
"You two, what are you doing? Looks fun."
"Kushida-chan?!" Kushida interrupted the two boys.
Wearing the school swimsuit, Kushida's curvy body line was on display.
In less than a second, all the boys stared at Kushida. Her breasts are about D or E cup. The size doesn't mean much to me. Her butt was also much more significant than expected. However, I immediately averted my eyes.
"Why do you both have a weird expression?" Horikita looked at us, feeling suspicious.
"I'm having an internal battle," Ayanokouji answered.
I was silently inspecting Horikita's looks in the school swimsuit. She noticed and glared at me, "What are you looking at?" She snapped.
I point at her.
"Aren't you inspecting me a bit too much?" She fumed.
'Sorry, I wasn't expecting the swimsuit to look good on you.'
Her glare intensified, "Pervert."
Note to self... Don't compliment Horikita.
"Why are you wearing your school uniform still?" She asked, changing the topic, but the glare never left.
'I don't feel like swimming.'
"Ayanokouji-kun, do you exercise?" Horikita asked.
"Eh? No, not particularly. I'm not proud of it, but I was part of the go-home club," Ayanokouji answered.
"You say that, but... you look like you exercise from the muscles in your arm and back," Horikita said.
Now, who's the pervert? You're checking out Ayankouji.
"Maybe I inherited good genes?"
"I don't think that's the case."
Does she have a muscle fetish?
"What, do you have a muscle fetish? Is that true? Can you bet your life on that?"
I'm slightly surprised that we were thinking the same thing.
"If you go that far to deny it, I'll believe you..."
"Horikita-san, are you good at swimming?"
Horikita quietly responded to Kushida despite having a peculiar expression on her face, "I'm not particularly good or bad."
"In middle school, I was terrible at swimming. I practiced hard, and now I'm a lot better!"
"I see," Horikita responded with disinterest and distanced herself from Kushida, effectively ending the conversation.
"Alright, everyone... Gather around..." This is where I take my leave.
~Timeskip~
Next day
After school, as I was preparing to leave, Ayanokouji called me, "Kagurazaka, are you free right now?"
I nodded.
"Okay, I'm going to invite Horikita," he said.
Is that a good idea, though?
"Hey, Horikita, are you free right now?"
"I don't have any time to spare. I have to go back to the dorms and prepare for tomorrow," she responded.
"I want you to go somewhere with me and Kagurazaka," Ayanokouji told her.
"You don't need me to come along," she retorted.
"Do you think I'm inviting you with a particular goal?"
"If you invite out of the blue, it's natural that I would doubt you," she said.
She does have a point.
But when it comes to her... I don't understand her.
"However, if there's something concrete you need to talk about, I wouldn't mind listening," she said.
"You know how there's a cafe on campus? There are too many girls, so we don't dare to go in by ourselves. It feels like boys are being excluded," Ayanokouji said.
But I have already been there by myself...
"Certainly, the proportion of girls is high, but can't boys go in too?"
"Yeah, but no boy goes in alone. They always go in with other girls. Only those kinds of boys go to the cafe."
But I went in alone, though!
"That does sound correct. It's unusual for Ayanokouji-kun to have a reasonable opinion," she insulted him.
"But I'm still interested in the place. So I thought I would invite you to come with me," Ayanokouji ignored the insult.
"What if I refused?" She asked.
"Then that's that. I have no choice but to give up. After all, I can't force you to give up your private time," Ayanokouji answered.
"Understood. What you said seems to be true. I can't spend too much time, though. Is that fine?"
"Yeah, I won't be there long."
Keyaki Mall
We arrived at the café, which was as crowded as the first time I came here.
"It looks very crowded," Ayanokouji commented.
"Is this your first time here after school too? Oh, right. You're always alone," She verbally insulted him.
'I went here by myself,' I showed my notebook.
Horikita gave me a strange look while Ayanokouji stared at me.
I wasn't getting their response, causing me to sigh.
'Never mind, let's head inside.'
After ordering, we got our drinks while Ayanokouji ordered pancakes.
"Do you like sweet foods?" Horikita asked.
"I just wanted to eat pancakes."
"There aren't any seats..."
"I guess we'll have to wait a bit. Oh, never mind, there are seats over there."
Two girls got up from their seats as Ayanokouji quickly secured the table. Horikira sat down on the far side while I took my seat.
I noticed Ayanokouji looking around as if he were looking around for something.
"Ah, Horikita-san. Kagurazaka-kun. What a coincidence! Ayanokouji-kun, too!" Kushida appeared out of nowhere.
"Did Ayanokouji-kun, Kagurazaka-kun, and Horikita-san come together?" Kushida asked.
I was getting a bad feeling for some reason.
"By chance, yeah. Did you come alone?" Ayanokouji asked
"Yeah, today I..."
Horikita didn't let her continue, "We are leaving."
We?
"O-oi, we just got here," Ayanokouji tried to reason with her.
"You don't need us because Kushida-san's here, right?"
Why am I getting included in this?
"No, you're not a problem. Kushida and I are only..."
Horikita didn't let him continue either, "I don't want to hear it."
She sent Kushida a cold glare, "You arranged this, didn't you?"
"Please be my friend, Horikita-san," Kushida pleaded.
Why was she desperate to become friends with Horikita?
"No," Horikita flat-out denied her.
Horikita grabbed her latte, pulled me up from my seat, and pulled me away. I managed to hold my drink, though.
We left Kushida and Ayanokouji behind.
"Kagurazaka-kun..." I heard Horikita say, "I wouldn't trust Kushida-san."
I stopped in my tracks, causing Horikita to halt, also.
"What?"
'I'm not going to question why you don't want to be friends with Kushida, but why are you pulling me along?'
It's been bothering me ever since our talk this morning.
She let go of my wrist, "Because I can tolerate you," she stated.
'Doesn't that mean you consider me a friend and care about me?'
She gave me a cold look, "Do you want to get stabbed by me with a compass?"
What a specific item to use as a weapon...
I shook my head.
Horikita's calm expression returned, "Good... Don't consider me as a friend..."
I'm used to the silence, but it felt tense this time. I needed to say something to her.
'Are you okay with being lonely?'
"I'm fine because it'll be my 9th year in a row. Ah, if you include kindergarten, it's even longer," she dropped something quite heavy without hesitation.
It made me wonder if she was all alone all this time.
What if she wasn't alone? What caused her to change?
'Didn't you say you have no time to spare earlier?' I changed the topics.
"Yes, thanks for reminding me," Horikita said, turning around, "See you tomorrow."
She walked away, leaving me by myself.
Yup, I still don't understand her...
"Hi, Kagurazaka-kun!"
I turned around to the person calling out to me. It was a girl with strawberry-blonde hair and a smile on her face.
I waved at Ichinose.
"I see you went to Pallet," she said.
Ah, I forgot that I had my drink with me. I was too occupied with everything that happened.
"So, what are you doing right now?" She asked.
'Heading back to my dorm.'
"If so, then how about I join you?" She suggested.
I cut our conversation short on the first day and haven't texted her.
I nodded.
"Thank you for letting me accompany you!" She seemed excited.
I walked alongside Ichinose, leaving Keyaki Mall. She was humming to herself while I stayed silent.
"Have you been making friends, Kagurazaka-kun?" She stopped humming and asked.
Horikita denied me from becoming my friend; I don't know if Ayanokouji considered me a friend.
I shook my head, and Ichinose's slightly worried expression appeared, "Kagurazaka-kun, are you struggling to make friends?"
I shook my head, 'I'm not good at socializing.'
"Hmm, is that why he didn't text me?" I heard her mutter, causing me to look at her.
A faint blush appeared on her face, "Ah, it's nothing important. I'm just talking to myself."
I did hear you, though.
She smiled brightly, "Don't worry; you'll get better at having conversations."
I looked at Ichinose, and a thought appeared. She seemed like someone who would be popular.
'Are you popular?'
Ichinose scratched her cheek, "Ehehe, you could say I am."
'It makes sense because you're beautiful with a positive attitude and personality.'
A blush appeared on her face, "You don't need to say that..."
'But it's true.'
Her cheeks got redder, "If you say so..."
She was silent the rest of the way to the dorms, but the blush remained.
Next day
The morning went by pretty fast, and it was already lunchtime. I was starving and couldn't wait to eat.
"Silent-kun, let's eat lunch together," I only know one person to call me that.
Koenji had a confident smile on his face.
It caught our classmates' attention. I could feel their stares, but I chose to ignore them.
Back to Koenji asking me to eat lunch with him... No, it was more like he was stating I had lunch with him without any room for argument.
I accepted my fate and nodded.
Koenji and I left the classroom while our classmates were gossiping about us.
Cafeteria
I shouldn't be surprised by Koenji's popularity with the second and third-year girls, but it still surprised me.
He denied them while keeping his confident smile.
We both sat down at a table and started eating our lunch. It didn't take long for Koenji to spark a conversation, "Tell me, Silent-kun, do you find anything strange about this school?"
Strange?
Thinking about it, it's almost been two weeks, and I noticed some things.
'The teachers don't reprimand the disruptive students.'
"Yes, it rather gets loud, but it allows this perfect being to relax," he said confidently.
He knows something, and he's testing me...
I need to get some reaction to see what he's hiding.
I looked around the cafeteria and noticed a few second and third-year students eating the vegetable set.
It was free...
In the convenience store, there's a bin that allows you to take three items per month.
'It involves our points.'
Koenji seemed amused, "It does."
He didn't deny it.
There has to be more to it.
I remembered Chabashira-sensei's speech...
'There's a possibility we won't get 100k points.'
Koenji laughed, "It looks like you figured it out."
I couldn't believe him just with his words, but he seemed confident. I need to ask Chabashira-sensei.
I excused myself from the table, "Leaving so early... No matter, I'll be spending time with my admirers."
Koenji got up and walked over to a table of third-year girls.
Chabashira's office
It felt tense in her office as Chabashira-sensei stared at me with a severe expression, crossing her arms underneath her chest.
"What do you need, Kagurazaka? It seemed pretty serious if you had to interrupt my lunch."
Ah, she's mad at me for that...
I pull out my notebook, 'ASL or JSL?'
"JSL," she answered.
'Is there a reason the teachers don't reprimand the troublesome students? Is it ignorance, or is it by choice?' I sign.
Amusement flashed in her eyes, but she kept her seriousness.
"Maybe it's ignorance, by choice, or both," she gave me a vague answer.
If it were ignorance, then I wouldn't ask my next question.
'You're choosing not to reprimand them...'
It feels like a stretch, but it could be the answer.
'You're evaluating us.'
I saw a slight smirk on her face for the first time, "Alright, let's say that's the answer... Why would we do this?"
'Our worth and if we deserve the points.'
A chuckle escaped her lips, "I can't tell you anything.'
Why am I not surprised?
"But I can tell you this... Don't dismiss your answer," she got up from her seat.
"This was an amusing conversation. It was almost worth skipping my lunch," she said.
I don't think she likes students...
But I did learn that Chabashira-sensei can make a different facial expression.
~Timeskip~
It was the weekend, and it was early in the morning. I was taking a walk around the campus by myself. I didn't have anything to do.
I decided to take a swim at the school's pool.
I changed my course and started going to the school's pool.
Heading inside, I heard splashing. Was someone already here? I was curious about who would be here early.
I checked out to see who was swimming and found a tan girl. She was moving at impressive speeds.
"Oh! Ah... Umm... Kagurazaka-kun?"
This better not turn into a misunderstanding that I'm some creep.
Wait, she's someone from class. I think her name is Onodera Kayano.
I nodded.
"What brings you here?" She asked while getting out of the pool.
It gave me a chance to look at her toned body... Alright, that's enough.
'I wanted to take a swim.'
She seemed surprised, with her eyes focused on my notebook, "Wow... No wonder Koenji-kun gave you that nickname."
'Please don't mention that... I don't want to be preferred as Silent-kun for my entire high school life...'
Onodera chuckled, patting my shoulder, "He isn't wrong, though."
That doesn't make me feel any better.
Onodera removed her hand, "You're here to swim, huh? Are you perhaps here to join the swimming club?"
I shook my head.
"Bummer..."
"Oh, it looks like the others are here," I glanced in my peripheral vision, and a bunch of girls came to the pool.
'Are they all part of the swimming club?'
"Some of them are part of the swimming club. The rest is part of the volleyball club. Occasionally, they come here to play water volleyball with us. Guess it's your lucky day, huh?" She lightly elbowed me.
I don't feel lucky.
I don't want to be labeled as a creep like Ike and Yamauchi.
The two clubs are staring at me. I should make my escape before it's too late.
Before I even got a chance to leave, Onodera jumped on my back.
"Oh, come on. You don't seem like a guy that ogles at other girls' bodies."
Is she blind or something? There's no way she didn't catch me checking her out.
Besides, she was making this more difficult.
"Woah! Your abs are super hard, and you feel muscular!" I was being molested.
If a guy were to do this, then it would be a different story.
"Now, I must convince you to join the swimming club!" She announced.
Please don't.
She got off me, "Ah, I need to grab the volleyball net. Care to give me a hand?" She asked.
I shrugged.
"That's a good enough answer for me," Onodere said, grabbing my wrist.
She pulled me over to the shed and showed me inside, letting go of my wrist, "The net is on the top shelf."
I walked over and stretched my arms, grabbing the net. I turned around, walked over to her, and passed her the net.
"Thanks!"
We both walked out of the shed together. We only took a couple of steps until...
"Watch out!"
Onodera's POV
Even though Kagurazaka was quiet, he seemed like a nice guy.
"Watch out!"
A scream broke me out of my thoughts as a volleyball was hurling toward me.
I had no time to move when an arm shot out before me. The volleyball made contact and flew into the air.
It stayed in the air for a few seconds before returning and landing in Kagurazaka's hands.
Wow... what a save...
Kagurazaka's POV
Well, that hurt a little bit. Luckily, I saved Onodera's face from becoming a pancake.
It was silent all of a sudden. Looking around; everyone was looking at me. I was feeling uncomfortable.
"Amazing!" Someone shouted.
"Thanks..." Onodera said, "I'm going to help them set up the net."
She rushed away quickly.
"That was a nice save," I heard a feminine voice say.
A girl with considerable assets and short hair walked over to me.
I stared at her and handed the volleyball to her.
"Thanks, I'm Andou Say from Class 1-B," she introduced herself.
'Kagurazaka Norogumi from Class 1-D.'
Her eyes widened, "You're the guy that Ichinose mentioned!"
Ichinose talks about me?
She looked me up and down, "Besides looking like you got out of bed and messy hair. You seem like a guy that can get a girlfriend."
My feelings hurt, and the compliment didn't make me feel better.
"So, Kagurazaka-kun, may I ask why a guy like yourself is visiting the pool while a bunch of girls are here?" A sly smirk was on Andou's face.
'It's just a coincidence... I was going to swim, but it's out of the question now.'
"Is that the only reason?" She doesn't seem convinced.
I nodded.
"Whatever you say..."
"Sayo-san, the net is up," a girl with purple hair stated.
"Okay, Minamikita-san. I'll be over soon," Andou said.
We walked over to the wall and sat against it.
"Want to join the volleyball club?" She asked.
I shook my head, watching the two clubs play water volleyball.
"It was worth a shot."
Even though the volleyball club was dominating against the swimming club, it looked like everyone was enjoying themselves.
"You seem to be paying close attention," Andou said teasingly.
I roll my eyes, causing her to giggle.
It didn't take long for Andou to get bored of trying to talk to me and join the girls.
I continued to watch the water volleyball game when I started to feel sleepy.
I guess it wouldn't hurt to close my eyes.
3rd POV
Kagurazaka was resting his eyes when a volleyball got redirected and was heading straight for him.
"Kagurazaka-kun, watch out!" Onodera shouted.
'Is he sleeping?!' Andou thought.
Kagurazaka's head fell to the side as the ball impacted the wall and bounced back toward the pool.
The girls let out a sigh of relief. It would've been bad if he were to get hit in the face.
Kagurazaka's eyes were slightly open as if someone was paying close attention, 'I don't need my face to become a pancake.'
~Timeskip~
Kagurazaka's POV
I left the pool area, making my way back to the dorms. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
TING!
I accidentally bumped into someone, causing me to recoil back. My eyes shot open. There was a girl with a cane on the ground.
"Fufu, I don't think walking with your eyes closed is a good idea."
'Are you okay?'
"Fufu, you're a mute. I would be okay if someone kept their eyes open," she stated.
'Sorry.'
"I'll accept your apology if you do a favor for me," she said.
Talking to this person was making me tired. A sigh escaped my lips before I wrote in my notebook, 'What favor?'
"Are you at least decent at chess?" She asked.
I nodded.
How long is she going to stay on the ground?
"Good, I'll like to have a match with you. May I get to know your name, kind sir?"
'Kagurazaka Norogumi.'
"It's nice to meet you, Kagurazaka-kun," she said, grabbing her cane with her left hand and extending her right hand toward me.
I grabbed her hand and pulled her up, "Fufu, I'll accept your apology."
'You still haven't given me your name.'
"You're quite daring to ask a frail maiden for her name," a smug smile appeared on her face, "Sakayanagi Arisu."
I stared at her while she looked at me smugly, "No response? How boring... How about I give you my contact information to have our match soon?"
'I don't think you want to be talking to someone as boring as me.'
She giggled and stared into my eyes, "My intuition is telling me that you're an interesting person."
We exchanged contact information and parted ways.
Something tells me she's dangerous...