Naria had seen her sister date Daisuke for a week now. It made her so sick of seeing those two together. She wished Daisuke could just…disappear.

She was desperate for a man, and she needed one badly. She had been able to scratch that certain itch, but there was an emotional itch that needed to be scratched badly. She needed a love. And no one was interested in her.

Which started her at square one. She spent so much time dominating the male student body in sports and in academics that they were afraid of her. They feared her.

 So she decided to try her last plan: put herself out in plain sight for them. She went to the swimming pool during free swim hours and put on the sexiest swimsuits she could afford. At first, the boys tried hard not to stare. But their will was weak and it didn't take long for them to start paying attention. She noticed a sign: Lifeguard Wanted. She had received the certification a long time ago so she applied for the job. She got the job and became known as "The cat that actually liked water."

 She spent her days supervising the pool, using her cat-like vision to keep an eye on the swimmers. She noticed a group of guys who came in every day.

 They were jocks. They'd brag about how many girls they've had, how macho they were. But one seemed a little gentle. He seemed a little nicer than the others. She observed them out of the corner of her eye.

One was a sumo wrestler named Toshiro. He ate too much, even for a sumo. Naria always scolded him about bringing food into the pool.

Another was a European exchange student named Julio. Julio was an arrogant jerk who thought he was always better than everyone else.

Yet another was Kyo, the baseball player that supposedly all the girls liked.

Finally, there was the American basketball player/diver named Antoine. He wasn't really into the things that the group did, he just went along with it.

 Then the boys started trying to irritate her. One day they (except for Antoine) came in with no clothes on and jumped right in the pool. She banned them for three days.

 But they came back. And tried harder. One day, Kyo faked drowning and tried tongue-kissing Naria when she attempted to perform rescue breathing on him. She banned him for the rest of the summer. But the rest came back. The boys were already there when she started a later shift, and she found a bowl of cat-food waiting for her on her lifeguarding chair. She tried not to let it bother her. She promptly dumped it in the trash, but Toshiro and Julio began meowing disruptively. She ignored that as well.

 She tested the water's temperature by skimming her foot into the water.

"Banzaiii!"

She was hit hard by a large body and was thrown into the water. The water went up her nose and when she came up for air she was gasping and coughing.

"What's the matter, Naria? A little wet behind the ears?" Toshiro said.

"I'm going to dance on your grave, Fat-boy!" she said.

"Hey, I smell wet cat in here," Julio said.

"GET OUT! GET OUT! THE THREE OF YOU! I DON'T WANT TO EVER SEE YOU OR YOUR FRIENDS IN THIS POOL AGAIN!!!"

Toshiro and Julio left, but Antoine stayed.

"GET OUT, YOU LECHEROUS PERVERT! ARE YOU DEAF?!!"

He walked over to the bench she was sitting on and sat down next to her.

"Leave me alone, you fucking wiseass," she said.

"I deserve that," Antoine said. "My name's Antoine Jordan. I shouldn't have let them do that to you."

"What the fuck do you care?!"

"I care. A lot. About you."

"Cut the shit," she said, tears streaming down her cheeks. "You're an asshole and I know it."

"I'm sorry, Naria. I shouldn't have let them do that. I'm a terrible person. I apologize. They never were very nice to girls anyway. You know all that bragging they do?"

"Yeah?" she sniffed.

"All lies. They are all virgins."

Naria smiled.

"What a bunch of cards."

"Yeah. I've been sitting there with the guys all summer long and I've secretly admired you."

"You have?"

"Yes. I may not know much about swordfighting, but if swordfighting gave you a body like that, I say keep it up."

"Thanks," she said. "Maybe I could give you some free lessons? I run my own business. I teach swordfighting privately."

"No thanks. But I'd like to go one-on-one with you."

"Oh?!" Naria exclaimed. He's a pig after all!

"On the basketball court. I can school you in the literal sense of the word."

Whew! I guess he knows his place!

"Sure! I'd love to! I've never played basketball before, but I'm sure you can teach me!"

"I hope you don't get offended when I say this, but you're a hottie."

"You're not so bad yourself." Naria had learned quite a bit of language since coming to school. Including some cusswords, as you already know.

"And I haven't even taken my shirt off yet."

Naria laughed.

"This is too funny. I've been looking for a man all summer, and now I have one."

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course,"

"What's the difference between kissing you and kissing a human?"

"This."

Naria embraced Antoine, and kissed him like she had never kissed anyone else before. They broke off, and Antoine was speechless.

"Oh, my God, that was…wow! I can't believe it! That was incredible!"

Naria smirked to herself.

"Naria, when will I see you again?!"

"My place. Five-thirty. And don't be late."