At the changing rooms, I opened up my locker and grabbed my bottle out of my bag. I cracked it open and drank almost half of it in a single gulp.
Katsumi, who had been intrigued by my abilities, came over to me. Following her was Yukina.
"Do you swim often, Takanori-san?"
"Not really. I used to swim back in elementary school."
"In middle school, Yuu-kun wasn't even part of a club."
I wanted to correct Yukina and say I was president of the "Go Home Club", but admitting that to them would be social suicide.
"Then, how did you get so good?!"
Just like Yukimura, Katsumi was surprised that I was apparently good at swimming. Honestly, I probably came 2nd because I had good technique and some luck on my side.
"I don't think I'm good. I think you're overestimating my abilities."
"No, no! The way you swam, it was incredible! Takanori-san, what kind of skills are you hiding from us?!"
"I'm average, really..."
I wanted to reassure them that I wasn't hiding anything. This was my true strength when I went all out. Yukina laughed at our strange conversation.
"Well, I can't wait to race against you in the final race."
"Same here, Yukina-san. I'll be sure to beat you."
"No, I'll be the one to beat both of you!"
Katsumi announced, before Yukimura interjected from the sidelines. He dual-wielded two nearly empty bottles of Bocari Sweat in each hand.
"Good luck trying to beat me, Katsumi!"
All four of us were fighting for the top spots in the final race. It was going to be a troublesome battle with lots of strong enemies.
When we returned to the swimming pool, Himeji explained that we'd be doing the losers race first. Participating in that race were the bottom four from both race 1 and 2: Demiza, Hono, Tanaka, Nora, Sanou, Fujimura, Suzuki and Mitsuba.
Once our break was up, they got ready on the starting platform. I predicted that Demiza or Sanou would win, simply because they got 5th in their respective races. The rest was fair game.
"On your marks... get set... gooooooooooooo!!"
With the official start from Himeji, everyone leapt into the pool. Tanaka had a bit of a late start, but made a splash as he tumbled into the pool.
Immediately, leading the race was Sanou, who was using a front stroke like me. Flanking her sides were Demiza and Hono, who were able to close the gap and catch up. However, Fujimura was hot on their tail, followed by Mitsuba and Suzuki. Nora and Tanaka were the physically weakest students in the race, so they lagged behind.
In an unexpected turn of events, Hono had overtaken both Sanou and Demiza. Slowly, even Fujimura surpassed them too, but Demiza was recovering her ground. In the battle for who would take last place, Tanaka was beating Nora, as Nora's strokes were weak and not pushing him very far up the track.
Then, a head popped out at the finishing line. Turning it around, Hono had became the winner of the loser's race, followed by Fujimura in 2nd and Demiza in 3rd. Sanou, despite being a 2nd Year, only got 4th. It was a good race by everyone. Himeji recorded the results on the whiteboard.
Loser's race results
9th: Hono Ria
10th: Fujimura Shouko
11th: Demiza Taiga
12th: Sanou Nozomi
13th: Suzuki Mayuri
14th: Mitsuba Jun
15th: Tanaka Houji
16th: Nora Takayuki
Funny enough, all the boys ended up in the bottom. Really says something about the kind of guys that were in E Class, huh?
Hono and her friends cheered in her victory that placed her 9th overall. Nora exited the pool with a bright red face as he was completely out of breath. I think he might've had stitches from the way he held his body. Fujimura, rather than revel in her victory, decided to help Nora out by giving him some of her juice to drink.
Now, it was our turn. The eight of us, Yukimura, Katsumi, Shinomiya, Nibiiro, Himeji, Sakigamiya, Yukina and me, all got ready on the starting platform. As usual, I took the end lane, the complete opposite to Yukimura. Since Himeji was also racing, he got Sanou to be the one who'd start the race and record the results.
The tension in the air was thick and palpable, and everyone in the winner's race wanted to win for the point payout. However, the main obstacle in our way was Yukimura and Katsumi, who both got 1st in their respective races. You had to beat those two to win, or else you had no chance of getting any points. That was the kind of stakes that was on the line.
I took a deep breath, putting my goggles on. Sanou began the countdown for our final race.
"On your marks... get set... go!!"
I leapt from my starting platform, and kicked into overdrive from the moment I started. I didn't care that it was painful and hurt my arms. With fifty metres to cover, I had to push myself the entire way just to rival Yukimura and Katsumi's abilities. Utilising my front crawl, I made sure that each stroke I took obliterated the water, and each time I raised my head above the surface, I'd take a deep breath to get more oxygen.
In science, there's a two types of respiration known as aerobic and anaerobic respiration. In a long distance sport like this one, aerobic respiration is preferred, but it requires oxygen to turn glucose into energy, which is why I took deep breaths with each stroke. Anaerobic respiration however, occurs when there's not enough oxygen to perform aerobic respiration.
Unlike aerobic respiration, it gives you a short burst of energy by breaking glucose down without oxygen. This chemical reaction transfers energy from the glucose to the cell, which produces lactic acid as a byproduct. The lactic acid can cause muscle cramps, so I'd rather use it at the end for a sprint finish. After all, if I got a muscle cramp midway through swimming, it'd be disastrous.
Like before, I moved my arms in an arching motion, driving the water around me. The difference this time was that all my surroundings had became nothing to me. The sense of cold water hitting my arms disappeared. The colour of the water as it splashed about. Everything that I didn't need wasn't being recognised by my brain. I tore away everything, being entirely focused on getting to the end before anyone else.
When I was at the three-quarter mark, I pushed myself even harder, using anaerobic respiration to get the energy required to go further. I needed every last muscle in my body to cooperate with me, and give me strength to win. I thrusted through the water, using more powerful strokes agilely to get further and further. With one last sweeping motion, my hand hit the pool wall-
I bursted out of the water, completely out of breath. Looking around, I slumped against the wall, feeling victorious for a brief moment. I closed my eyes, and took deep breaths to recover from my oxygen-deprived body. All the muscles in my shoulder and arms ached, but it was worth it.
I had won the race.
Less than a second later, both Yukimura and Katsumi popped out of the water. It was such a tight match, I probably won by a millisecond. Shinomiya, Sakigamiya and Nibiiro all followed, with Yukina and Himeji coming near the end.
I got out of the pool, and everyone had a shocked reaction. Justifiably so, since I stole the competition from under everyone's noses. Looking at the whiteboard, I had an immense feeling of satisfaction seeing my name at the top.
Winner's race results
1st: Takanori Yuuto
2nd: Yukimura Fudou
3rd: Katsumi Kou
4th: Shinomiya Mai
5th: Sakigamiya Alice
6th: Nibiiro Suzui
7th: Kazuraba Yukina
8th: Himeji Kazuto
Removing my goggles, I felt Yukimura punch me in the back. I turned around, and his fist became a hand.
"Good game, man. You won by some crazy miracle."
Yukimura was also out of breath, like me. He seemed to grudgingly accept my talents as I shook his hand.
"Takanori-san, that was amazing! The way you defeated both of E Class's best athletes was so cool!"
Demiza ran up to me and began gushing over my slim victory.
"That was the closest swimming race I've ever watched..."
Hono covered her mouth in shock.
"T-Takanori-kun... you're amazing..."
Nora, still out of breath, smiled at me.
"Who would've known Takanori-san's strength was swimming."
Sakigamiya slapped my back.
"Good race, you dark horse."
Katsumi laughed, also showing good sportsmanship by shaking my hand.
I appreciated everyone's reactions, no matter if they were good or bad. Even the 2nd Year students were amazed.
"Good job, Takanori-san."
Shinomiya was the first to compliment me. She was also an excellent swimmer, getting 4th place in our final race.
"Awesome job!"
Nibiiro, who also impressed me with his placing, patted me on the shoulder.
"Welp, you three get my private points, huh?"
Himeji laughed, grabbing his phone from the table.
"I'll make the transfer right now. 100,000 Pr to Takanori-kun, 50,000 Pr to Yukimura-kun, and 25,000 Pr to Katsumi-san!"
That 100,000 Pr will be extremely handy in the future. Private points at this school could become a valuable, flexible weapon.
"Lucky... I wanted points..."
Mitsuba, who had risen from the death, slumped on a table.
"We earned 'em fair and square, you greedy bastard."
Yukimura put Mitsuba into a headlock, laughing.
"Yuu-kun, good job!"
Yukina, who was also out of breath, approached me and congratulated me on my win. However, due to her exhaustion, she stumbled forward, falling into my chest. I caught her to ensure she didn't fall.
However, I soon realised the awkward position we were in. Her head had landed against my chest, and my arms were wrapped around her bare body. I quickly let go, helping her back up, and put my hands into my trunk's pockets.
"Sorry... those races took a lot out of me..."
Yukina immediately apologised, but that wasn't the problem here. Everyone had just witnessed Yukina fall into my arms like we were some sort of couple. I didn't want anyone to get the wrong idea about us.
"It's fine. Let's get some rest."
Hono and Demiza began snickering at mine and Yukina's mishap. Of course, it was going to be them who thought there were more implications behind my actions, especially after I dragged Yukina out of that uncomfortable situation back in May.
"Agreed, I've been at the pool since this morning and I'm beat."
Yukimura sat down at a table.
"I mean, we've been here for over two hours now. It might be time for us to head back? The pool will close soon."
Sakigamiya was correct. The pool would close at 4pm, and since it was now 2pm, there wouldn't be much more time left to play.
"Nah, I wanna continue playing in the pool. Let's go back at 3pm."
Hono wanted to continue having fun.
"Yeah, to waste good weather like this would be a travesty."
Nibiiro also agreed. Sakigamiya nodded, understanding their opinions.
"Alright, let's continue playing!"
"Suit yourselves, I'm gonna get a drink."
Yukimura left to go back to the changing rooms.
"Same here..."
As Mitsuba followed Yukimura's cue, many others did as well. The rest went to go play in the pool again.
I looked at Yukina, who was sitting in a seat.
"How... are you... not tired... from all that?"
She asked me that, panting between her words.
"I am tired."
"You're hiding it... extremely well... then..."
The muscle ache didn't get to me that badly. My throat did feel parched though.
"Want to get a drink?"
"Yes..."
So, me and Yukina left to get our drinks from the lockers. However, I had a favour to ask of her on the way there.