"Quite confident, aren't you?" remarked a girl, whom I believe to be Satsuki Shinohara. Among the individuals present, she appeared to be the least formidable, hardly worth my attention.
"Well, it's not just confidence when I have the advantage." I replied. "As a wind augmenter, agility and speed is something I excel at." It was known that wind augmenters excel at such activities, thanks to the inherent qualities of the element.
"Hmm, maybe, but swimming is also about strength and endurance. And that's where I excel, as a fire augmenter." Onodera countered.
Suddenly our attention was caught by two overly excited students whose voices were loud enough to be heard from the corridors.
"Good morning, Yamauchi!"
"Good morning, Ike!"
"Those two never came early." I mused in a low voice so that only the people around my table could hear. It's been one week since the entrance ceremony, and Ike and Yamauchi would always make it to class right before the bell rang.
"Yeah, it's creeping me out."
As they entered the classroom, ignoring others around them, they continued their conversation.
"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!"
The girls exchanged disgusted glances as if Ike and Yamauchi had completely ruined their mood. No, they actually did.
"Eek...I think I will skip today's lesson."
"Me too." Mi-chan agreed in a low tone.
"What about you, Onodera?" I asked, noticing her relatively calm demeanour compared to the others in the group.
"Could it be that you want me to step down, Ayanokōji-kun?" she retorted in a playful tone, her words didn't quite match the mood of the other girls.
"No it's ju-"
"Don't worry, I'm used to this. You think I haven't been through this in middle school?" Onodera interrupted, and I couldn't help but feel a hint of respect toward her. The fact that she is willing to go so far to pursue her passion is quite admirable.
As the girls continued their conversation, I couldn't help but eavesdrop on Ike and Yamauchi. Thanks to my heightened hearing abilities, I could hear them far more clearly than the average person.
"Hey, Professor! Come here for a sec!"
"Uh, you called?"
A chubby boy, apparently nicknamed "The Professor." approached them slowly. If I remember correctly, his name was Sotomura or something like that.
"Professor, can you record the girls wearing their swimsuits for us?" Ike asked.
"Leave it to me. I'll pretend to be sick so that I can skip class and observe."
I turned my attention back to the girls, it seemed none of them had caught wind of what Ike and Yamauchi were planning.
Concluding that it was none of my business, I decided not to interfere, reasoning that the girls would probably skip the lesson anyway, rendering their plan futile.
Soon the girls said their goodbyes and returned to their seats as the first lesson began.
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"All right! The pool!"
After lunch had ended, it was time for swim class. The moment Ike and the others had so desperately been waiting for. Without even trying to hide his excitement, Ike leapt up and headed with the others toward the indoor pool.
I opted against joining them.
'I don't want my social life to be destroyed like that.' I thought to myself, contemplating the potential consequences of getting involved in Ike and Yamauchi's antics.
I made my way to the changing room, casually took off my uniform and started to change into my swimsuit. As I did so, I couldn't help but notice a few jealous looks from some of the boys nearby. After all, my physique was one of the best in the class and it seemed to attract attention whether I liked it or not.
I left the locker room a moment later and headed toward the pool.
Upon seeing the one-hundred-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 clear 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.
He is a lost cause. I decided I had heard enough and distanced myself from Ike and his group.
It took a few minutes for the rest of the boys to arrive, and among them, Hirata. He noticed me alone and approached me out of consideration.
"Hi, Ayanokōji-kun. Why are you here alone?" Hirata inquired.
"Oh, just taking some time for myself," I replied casually. Then, with a hint of mischief, I added: "Would you like to join me on a journey of self-discovery?"
Hirata looked puzzled for a moment before I chuckled and said, "Just kidding. Actually, I'm waiting for someone."
Hirata's expression became thoughtful. "Are you avoiding Ike and the others?"
I nodded. "You're quite perceptive. Have you heard of their plans?"
Hirata shook his head.
"They plan to record the girls." I revealed.
"That's absurd. They wouldn't do anything like that." Hirata countered. clearly sceptical.
"Just watch." I replied a hint of certainty in my voice.
Hirata and I decided to keep an eye on the situation, curious to see how it would unfold.
"A-are they here?!"
Ike looked ready to strike.
"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...
"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.
"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.
"They planned for Sotomura to pretend to be ill and record the girls while observing the lesson," I explained, pausing briefly. "However, the girls felt put off by how Yamauchi and Ike had behaved earlier, so they decided to skip the lesson."
At my explanation, Hirata fell silent for a moment, considering whether or not to voice the question that was on his mind.
"You're wondering why I didn't stop Ike and Yamauchi?" I asked, surprising Hirata as he nodded meekly. "Simple. They wouldn't listen and if their plan failed, they would accuse me of sabotaging them."
Hirata again was silent.
"Sometimes you have to let events unfold so that a lesson can be learnt." I said as I stood up and reached out to help Hirata to his feet.
"A lesson can be learned, huh?" Hirata repeated as he stood up, contemplating the weight of the words. "Sorry, but I disagree, Ayanokōji-kun. It's better if we address all the problems so that our class doesn't fall apart." Hirata said as he took my helping hand.
"Fair point." I said as I pulled Hirata to his feet.
"Hmm, you're quite tall, Ayanokōji-kun," Hirata observed as he stood next to me. Compared to the average height in Japan, I was indeed tall.
"Mhm." I nodded.
"All right, everyone, line up!"
When the instructor called out, Hirata and I made our way to where our classmates were gathered.
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."
Clearly, some of the students in that count had ditched class, but it didn't appear to frustrate him.
"Please form two groups: augmenters on the right and conjurers on the left." the instructor directed. We followed the instructions, dividing into two groups. There were seven augmenters and nine conjurers in total.
"After you warm up, I will explain the rules for the swimming lesson in this school." the coach announced. "Oh, and during the warm-up you are not allowed to use magic."
"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.
Everyone started their warm-up exercises. Ike kept peeking at the girls. The teacher asked us to swim for about a hundred 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.
"Seems like everyone's got the basics of swimming down. Now, let's dive into the rules for the swimming lesson, especially for those who might not be familiar with how magic factors into it." the coach stated.
I was already familiar with how it worked, so I only half-heartedly tried to listen.
For augmenters, the rules were straightforward: they had to swim across the hundred-meter pool while using their magic to enhance their abilities. However, the challenge lay in navigating through the barriers placed in the water.
These barriers had specific mana thresholds. If the mana level surrounding a swimmer's body exceeded or fell below the requirement, they wouldn't be able to pass through the barriers. Swimmers had to match their mana level precisely to that of the barrier in order to pass through.
Conjurers had a different task: they had to cast mid-range spells to destroy the barriers. However, they had to control the power of their spells to meet a certain threshold. If the spell was too strong, it would pass through the barrier without causing any damage, and if it was too weak, it wouldn't be enough to destroy it.
"Excuse me, sir," a certain girl raised her hand.
"Yes?" the coach inquired.
"What about healers?" Kushida asked.
"Ah, my apologies, but you'll have to sit this one out." the coach replied.
"Understood!" Kushida didn't seem discouraged by the coach's response. Instead, it was Ike who dropped to his knees dramatically for a second time, clearly disappointed.
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Onodera asked, "Who do you think will win?"
"Hmm, it's hard to say since I'm not familiar with all of our classmates, but if I had to guess, it would probably be Horikita." As I glanced over, all the conjurers were lined up, ready to compete for the promised 5000 points from the instructor.
"Horikita? Who's that?"
"The girl with the black hair." I replied.
"Oh, you mean your girlfriend," she teased in a playful tone, her eyes twinkling mischievously. "Isn't Ayanokōji-kun biased towards his girlfriend?"
I sighed before responding, "She isn't my girlfriend, and no, I'm not being biased."
"Sure sure." She said her playful tone laced with amusement.
There were many talented wizards, including Hirata, who specialised in wind magic. My choice of Horikita, however, was based on her extraordinary ability to detect mana, which surpassed that of the average person.
With her ability to track mana, she should easily be able to read the mana level of each barrier and cast a sufficient spell.
As the instructor blew the whistle annoucing the start of the competition, all eyes were on the magicians as they elegantly dived into the pool.
After at least seven metres of swimming, the first barrier was in sight, and my eyes were on Horikita as she manifested an ice spear and launched it at the barrier.
With a swift and precise movement, she let go of the spell and a burst of energy shot out in the direction of the barrier. The barrier trembled for a moment. Then it shattered into a thousand sparkling fragments, dissolving into the water with a soft hiss.
"Wow, she's impressive." Onodera remarked as Horikita surged ahead to take the lead.
On the track next to Horikita, Hirata kept up and did not fall behind. With a swift wind whirlwind spell, he efficiently destroyed the barrier.
As anticipated, the main contenders in the competition were Horikita and Hirata. While Horikita held the advantage with her exceptional mana-tracing abilities, Hirata delivered a commendable performance. However, it was ultimately Horikita who emerged as the victor.
"You've guessed right!" Onodera remarked. "But how did Horikita manage to break every barrier on the first try?" Indeed, unlike the other contestants, Horikita was able to remove each barrier with precision, probably due to her keen mana senses.
"Who knows? How about you ask her yourself?" I suggested, nodding towards the approaching Horikita.
Horikita walked confidently towards us.
"Congratulations on your win." I praised.
"Yes, you did exceptionally well." Ondorea complimented. But her compliment was greeted with a stern look from Horikita.
"Who is she?" Horikita inquired, her gaze fixed on Onodera.
Feeling the weight of Horikita's tone, Onodera flinched, prompting me to step in and steer the conversation. "This is Kayano Onodera. She's from the swimming club and has a question for you." I interjected to ease the tension.
Horikita redirected her gaze toward Onodera. "What is it?" she inquired, her tone curt and direct.
Onodera stammered nervously before asking her question. "Uh... I-I'm in the swimming club, and only a handful of conjurers can destroy all the barriers on the first try. Uh... I was wondering, how are you able to do it?"
"My family has a keen sense of mana." Horikita replied evenly. "I can easily determine the mana required for each barrier and cast the appropriate spell. If that's all, I'll take my leave."
"W-wait!" Onodera's voice trembled, indicating that she had something else on her mind. "H-how about joining the swim club? I'm sure you'd do great."
"I'm afraid I have to decline," Horikita's answer was direct. Then she turned her attention to me, "Ayanokōji-kun, meet me after class."
"Hai." I replied, watching as Horikita walked away.
Once out of earshot, Onodera wiped his forehead and breathed a sigh of relief.
"Wow, she sure is something, too bad she didn't join the swimming club." Onodera remarked, her tone more relaxed now.
"Yeah, it's a missed opportunity for your team." I added.
"Well, that's the way it goes." she replied with a shrug. "Anyway, let's get going. It's time for you to lose."
"That's quite a confident turnaround for someone who was stuttering a minute ago." I teased.
"Shut up!" she retorted with a playful jab.
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I took my place in the second lane and glanced at the line-up. The red-haired guy from the grocery store stood confidently in the first lane, his determination evident. Onodera occupied the fifth lane, her posture poised and focused.
The third lane remained conspicuously unoccupied until Kouenji strolled in, exuding an air of confidence that seemed to fill the entire pool area. An arrogant smile played on his lips as he confidently took his place at the starting line.
"Hey. Uh, why is Kouenji wearing a speedo?"
"Wh-what?"
Although the school allowed such tight swimwear, Kouenji was the only one in our class wearing it. The briefs drew attention to his crotch, and the girls all looked away. The stance he took at the starting line was just like an athlete's. His posture wasn't the only impressive thing, either. He looked to be in even better physical shape than most of our classmates.
I took on my own stance, preparing myself, and just before the whistle blew, I activated my unique eyes, a trait reserved solely for the fourth generation of the White Room.
In my version, various particles became visible, and even the mana surrounding the barrier was visible. I could gauge exactly how much mana I needed to envelop myself in order to navigate through each barrier.
At the sound of the whistle, all seven competitors, including myself, plunged into the pool, augmenting my physical abilities with wind magic. With each stroke I propelled myself forward, maintaining a streamlined posture to minimise resistance to the water.
I soon approached the first barrier, its presence looming in front of me. Assessing the situation, I noticed that the barrier required a relatively low amount of mana to circumvent. With swift precision, I adjusted the mana surrounding my body, lowering it to match the threshold required to pass through the barrier.
As I approached the barrier, it detected that the mana surrounding my body met the requirement, causing it to vanish into thin air.
I cast a quick glance at the other contestants. I found myself in second place, with Koenji leading the pack and the red-haired boy trailing in third. What was truly remarkable was Onodera's impressive performance, keeping pace with us despite the inherent biological differences.
Each of us navigated through the ten barriers, our movements smooth and efficient. Despite not exerting much effort, I secured third place, with the red-haired guy coming in second and Koenji taking the top spot. Onodera, who showed admirable resilience, secured fourth place.
"I told you I would win." I said with a grin.
"Shush, you just got lucky." Onodera replied, rolling her eyes.
"You're a sore loser."
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"So?"
"So?" Horikita parroted my words, her expression a mixture of amusement and annoyance. We strolled out of the classroom and headed for the Palate on the first floor. The room was filled with girls, chatting animatedly and enjoying their freedom after class.
"Wdym 'so'? You're the one who dragged me here." I countered.
"Oh, I did. Well, what do you think?" Horikita spread her arms in a grand gesture, a proud smile on her face.
"The outfit? It's... decent, I guess." I offered, earning a blank stare from Horikita. Sensing my misstep, I quickly added, "This place gives me the creeps though, especially with all the girls looking at me." After all, I was the only boy here.
"You seemed fine this morning." she pointed out.
"Can we please get down to business?" I pleaded, eager to steer the conversation away from my discomfort.
"Well, since your brain seems to be on holiday, remember how you insisted I practice surprising my mana? Well, I've been doing it all week, and here's the big reveal." Horikita struck a pose, and I couldn't help but do a double-take. Her progress was nothing short of amazing.
"Incredible..." I offered, genuinely impressed.
"Thank you. It's quite a workout though. I can see why you don't use it all the time." Horikita remarked.
"Actually, I use it most of the time." I confessed.
"Huh?"
"Actually, I use it most of the time." I repeated, enjoying the confused look on her face.
"Huh?" Horikita echoed, still not quite understanding.
"The amount of mana that surrounds me isn't actually my real output. I suppress it all the time." I explained casually. "There's also Kouenji in our class; he does the same thing."
Horikita remained silent so I continued.
"In battle, if you suppress your mana too low, your opponent would realise," I continued, "that the purpose of suppressing your mana is to appear mediocre."
"I see." She replied, still traumatised.
"Ah, you're probably wondering how that helps with casting spells without getting detected. Well, it's simple." I began, adopting a more straightforward explanation. "Think of it like this: inside your body, you've got what you could call negative mana, and outside, there's positive mana. When you cast a spell, you release some of that negative mana, which then clashes with the positive mana outside." I paused.
"Are you following?" I asked, looking for confirmation. Horikita just nodded. "Some talented mages would change the power of the spell to match their positive mana, but it's more efficient to change the level of positive mana to match your spells. That way you don't lose any firepower." I finished.
"So, I'd have to keep adjusting the mana around my body to match the power of my spell." she concluded, summarizing her understanding.
"Yes. But take it at your own pace. With your talent, I don't think you'll have much trouble." I reassured her.
"I see, I'm grateful for your guidance."
We continued to discuss various topics, including the S-system, which Horikita was now convinced was a trap, although she had no evidence to support her suspicions.
Despite the uncomfortable surroundings, our conversation flowed smoothly, and before we knew it, we had spent more time than we had initially planned. Horikita and I found ourselves relaxed and engaged in our discussion, losing track of time in the process.
"See you tomorrow." I said as I said goodbye to Horikita. With those words, I parted ways and headed for my dormitory, feeling satisfied after an unexpectedly enjoyable evening.
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Three weeks had flown by, and Horikita's progress was nothing short of extraordinary. She lasted longer in our duels than before and even managed to cast a spell or two undetected, displaying her newfound skills with confidence. It was impressive to witness her growth first-hand.
Of course, I was holding back by not unleashing my full arsenal, but witnessing Horikita's massive leap in skill level was truly admirable.
On the other hand when it came to uncovering the secrets of the S-system, Horikita's progress was slow. Despite her best efforts, she couldn't seem to crack the code. I decided not to interfere, as she would soon get her answers.
What didn't change was the behaviour of our classmates. Even when it came to bad language, being late for class or dozing off, no one cared. Whereas our class had been more reserved at first, now everyone was far too frivolous. Of course, there were a few students like Horikita who studied hard.
For the third period, we had history class with Chabashira-sensei. When the bell rang, Chabashira-sensei walked into the noisy classroom. Her entrance didn't alter the students' behaviour.
"Quiet down a little, please. Today's lesson will be a bit serious."
"What do you mean, Sae-chan-sensei?"They already had a pet name for the teacher.
"It's the end of the month, so we're going to have a short test. Please pass these to the back."
She handed out the papers to the students in the front row. Eventually, the single-sheet test reached my desk. It contained questions in the five main subjects. With only a few questions per subject, it really was short.
"Huh? I wasn't listening, though. This is so unfair!" a student cried."
"Don't say that. This test is just for future reference. It won't be reflected in your report cards. There is no risk involved, so don't worry. Of course, cheating is prohibited."
As soon as the pop quiz began, I scanned the questions. There were four questions per subject, for a total of twenty. Each question was worth five points, for a total of one hundred points. Most of the questions were extraordinarily easy, to the point where it was almost a letdown. In fact, the questions seemed to be about two levels less difficult than the ones on the entrance examination. It appeared far too easy.
However, just as I thought that I reached the end of the test. The final three questions were an order of magnitude higher in terms of difficulty.
"No way. These questions are seriously way too hard..."
Well, I should get started.
Chabashira-sensei monitored us. As she slowly patrolled the classroom, she kept a watchful eye to dissuade us from cheating. I quickly glanced at Horikita, who would never even think of cheating. Her pen danced across the paper as she filled in all of the answers. It looked like she was easily going to get a perfect score.
I continued staring intently at my test until the bell rang.