A.N.= Here you go.
"Good morning Yamauchi!"
"Good morning Ike!"
While arriving at school, Ike called out to Yamauchi with a smile on his face.
It's unusual for those two to be so cheerful nowadays, considering their poor situation. It was exactly one week after the reveal of the S-system which shook Class D to its core. Facing the threat of expulsion, Ike and Yamauchi have improved a lot behaviour wise at least during the classes. Albeit, their attitudes outside the class were still as lecherous as before.
Even Sudou was paying attention in class, although he still lacks patience.
"Wow~ today's lessons were so fun that I couldn't 't even sleep~"
"Yup, this school's the best—Today, we also have swimming lessons! I say swimming, but girls are the important part! And by girls, I mean their swimsuits!"
Certainly, swimming is taught to both boys and girls. In other words, all the girls are required to wear swimsuits and their skin becomes visible. Which also explains Ike and his group's enthusiasm.
The girls who were near them backed away from Ike and Yamauchi's excitement.
Catching up to Tatsuya who was walking along with a guy called Akito Miyake, one of the loners of the class who sits in front of Tatsuya and is also part of the study group held by Tatsuya, same as mine.
He was also better to talk to than Ike and Yamauchi.
Seeing me beside him, Tatsuya included me in their discussion by asking a question.
"Are you free this Friday for the study group's session?"
It's being held this Friday, then? I look forward to how you will handle this situation.
"Yeah. Around what time?"
"During 5 o'clock after the clubs end. It's being held in the Library."
"Hmm. Sure."
Hearing the loud commotion being caused by Ike and his group, I sighed at the excess noise.
"Can anything pure ever come out of their mouths? They are being too uncivil and are noisy over that."
Miyake, who was silent for some while, responded.
"I agree with you on that. Being alone is better than being with them."
Now that I remember, he mentioned something about archery in his introduction a month ago.
"You are in the archery club, right?"
He looked surprised at the fact I remembered. I wouldn't be a masterpiece if I forgot such things.
"Yeah. But I'm surprised you remember."
"It's nothing. I just have a good memory."
Facing the indoor swimming pool, we quietly followed the classmates into the locker room.
Entering the locker room, we were greeted with the surprised looks of another section of boys, who after a further look turned out to be from Class B. Sighing at the loud and confused chatter, I looked around for the class peacemakers like Hirata and Tatsuya in hopes of some explanation.
The confusion of students was inevitable as timetable collision between two classes was unheard of in this school. Maybe this was a combined class, then?
"What is going on?"
"Isn't this supposed to be our class's time now?"
"Maybe there's a mistake?"
All sorts of questions could be heard around from the other students, most of them confused at this situation.
Looking around for someone recognizable, a familiar voice from a red-haired boy came from near the door.
"Sensei said that both classes are supposed to be here. We need to get changed quickly and meet up near the pool. "
"Okay, Akashi-kun."
Some of the students who had ignored the commotion exited the room while the rest started changing into our swimsuits. Quickly changing the clothes, I exited the locker room behind Sudou who also had changed far quicker than me.
As an athlete, his body was well forged from years of playing basketball and was probably better than most of the others in the class save a few. He would be fast in swimming too, considering his arm muscles would be well developed too.
Going towards the corner of the pool, I sat down with my feet in the water. It was pretty cool, but not to the point of freezing. It was perfect for swimming. Crystal clear and undisturbed, the water shone brightly, radiating a faint smell of chlorine I was familiar with.
Averting my eyes from the white tiles so as to not awaken suppressed memories, I glanced at Sudo who was admiring the pool.
"This school's really the best! It's even better than a city pool."
Certainly, it was an excellent facility. But a bit too eerily similar to the one I was familiar with. I guess the best equipment all looks the same.
"Where are the girls? Are they not here yet?"
Ike, who came out wearing swimming trunks, looked for the girls similar to a dog sniffing the air.
I sighed at his enthusiasm.
"They take a while to change after all."
"Hey Ayanokouji, what would happen if I suddenly jumped into the girl's locker room?"
"They'd beat you up and file charges against you. You would probably end up in jail, that is, if you survive the wrath of an overprotective brother."
"...Don't ruin my fantasies with such a real answer."
He shivered at my instant yet accurate reply.
Sudo too decided to give his own two cents about the topic.
"If you stare at the girl's swimsuits too much, they'll probably hate you."
"Are there any boys that wouldn't stare!? ... What will I do if I get a boner..."
If that happened, Ike would probably be hated until we graduated. Or till the time he could survive in this school in one piece.
"Wow~ This pool doesn't even compare to my middle school one~"
A few minutes after the boys finished changing, the girls' voices could be heard.
"Did they finally come!?"
Ike was on guard, waiting while his four joined and crowded wound him eagerly. If you're that obvious, it's obvious they'd hate you.
However, everyone's expectations were betrayed by an unexpected turn of events.
"Hasebe's not here! What, what is this!? Doctor!"
Doctor, who was flustered, looked all around from the observation deck on the second floor.
Ike and co. also looked around, expecting the girls to come out at any time.
Even so—. They were nowhere to be found.
Doctor looked left and right in disbelief.
"Doctor, b-behind you!"
"W-w-w-w-what!?"
Ike pointed his finger with a shout, clearly having noticed something. Hasebe was also on the observation deck next to Doctor.
One by one, all the girls appeared on the second floor. Sakura, another shy girl who was probably one of their targets, also was up there.
"What, what is this... What is this situation!?"
Ike buried his face in his hands and collapsed on the spot from the unbelievable turn of events.
Hasebe, during the class, looked like a self-conscious girl. Furthermore, she would probably be sensitive to the curiosity of the boys. I guess she wasn't amused by the boy's peeking.
"I thought I would get to see big breasts~!"
Contemplating suicide, Ike shouted in agony in earshot of Hasebe.
What an Idiot.
Murmurs spread among the girls. Like I said, I expected the girls to hate him for being so blatant...
"I can hear you laughing inside at their agony, demon boy"
Glancing behind me for the source of the voice, I was met by a surprise.
"Koenji?"
Sitting beside me, I looked at him in surprise.
"I never expected a monster hiding between such insects."
What? Does he know about me or is it a coincidence? Nevertheless, I decided to feign ignorance for now.
"Huh? You must be mistaking me for someone else."
To my surprise, he scoffed at my reply.
"A perfect existence never makes such trivial mistakes. I clearly remember the monster I saw 5 years ago in New York. Don't try to fool me."
How does he know? Is he the only one? It's better to think later when I have a lot of time.
"I guess you recognized me. What gave it away? My eyes?"
He gave me a deadpan look.
"It was the name. Although your eyes are not bad either. Not at my level but worthy of my attention."
He ended with a smug, narcissistic grin.
"Sorry, but I don't swing that way. And what do I get from giving you a good race?"
He smirked at my answer before replying back.
"What do you get? Other than a chance to compete against the perfect existence, you also get insurance for the next three years. Also, don't play dumb. It doesn't suit you. "
I sighed at his answer. He was indeed correct. If my assumptions were correct, there was going to be a race, a 50 m freestyle race to be precise.
And if I did this correctly, I could end up as this class's ultimate weapon for the sports events which were not going to be that many. Getting the class depended on me for getting a win in any sports event would grant as insurance if Tatsuya ever decided to get rid of me.
Although I might gather a lot of attention, it will be worth it in the end.
"Fine. Expect some competition for the first spot."
"Of course, demon boy. I will be going now, then. Keep your word."
Jumping in the water with a perfect dive, he swam away with a quick stroke, attracting a lot of attention.
I sighed as I stared at the water which was disturbed now.
A lot of the students had come out, with two classes mixed together.
Only a few of the students were eye-catching with Kushida, Horikita, Tatsuya's sister Miyuki and a girl named Matsushita who was most of the time together with Miyuki, being the only few whose names I knew.
"Ayanokouji, do you exercise?"
Glancing beside me, I was met with the faces of Tatsuya and Miyake.
"A bit in the morning."
Certainly, it was a bit, as it had decreased from what I used to do in the white room. Maintaining a good figure was necessary for me, if the worst-case scenario ever happened and I had to return.
"That's not a bit. It takes a lot to have that body and your muscles indicate that you have fighting experience too."
Miyake, who himself had a well-built body which also pointed out his fighting experience, stated. Tatsuya was no exception to this too. It looks like all the three of us had some fighting experience.
"The same can be said about both of you too."
Tatsuya's face stiffened minutely before going back to its carefree expression as he replied back.
"I was taught a bit when I was young."
Miyake, though, hesitated a bit before responding.
"Most of this is due to Archery."
True but not the full reason. His muscles indicated fighting experience which could be due to training or real experience. His looks and personality, though, suggested a delinquent-like behaviour in the past. And now that I look at him, he could be menacing if he wanted to be.
It's also good to have another fighter among us, in case problems arise in future.
Before we could talk about anything else, Sensei's voice echoed around the large room.
"Gather around class B and class D."
Glancing around, I spotted the sensei standing in front of the pool, facing the students.
I got up and joined the crowd, coincidentally ending up next to a blond-haired boy from class B.
"Okay. Now that all of you are gathered here, it's time to start the class. First of all, how many of you don't know how to swim?"
Around 6 students raised their hands.
"It's a bit sudden, but I'll be examining your abilities after you're done warming up. You guys will be swimming. And for those who can't, as the teacher, I'll make sure that you learn how to swim by the summer. Don't worry."
"There's no need to learn how to swim... We can't go to the beach anyway."
"That's too bad. It doesn't matter if you're bad at swimming now, but I'll make sure everyone learns. Learning how to swim will definitely be useful. I guarantee it."
Learning how to swim will be useful? That sounds oddly confident of him, as if we will definitely have to swim in the future.
Everyone started the warm-up exercises. Ike kept repeatedly glancing at the girls to take a peak. Afterwards, we were instructed to start the 50m swim. Students who didn't know how to swim were allowed to touch the bottom of the pool with their feet.
It's been a while since I stepped into a pool. Quickly getting accustomed to the water temperature, I swam lightly, with a relaxed posture.
After swimming the 50m, I waited for everyone else to finish up.
"Hehehe, a complete victory. Did you see it? My super swimming!"
Swimming casually, Ike got out of the pool with a self-satisfied look.
No Ike, you weren't all that different from the others.
"You have a perfect swimming style. Did you ever participate in championships?"
The blond-haired boy who had been beside me for a while, asked cheerfully.
Staring at him in surprise, I responded back.
"I have never participated in any championships. I just learned how to swim from a good instructor."
Nodding at my reply, he got out of the pool, before exclaiming with surprise.
"How rude of me to not even introduce myself. I am Kise Ryouta from class B. It's nice to meet you, Ayanokouji-kun."
"Nice to meet you too Kise. Also, how do you know my name?"
"Akashicchi mentioned you before."
Akashicchi? Does he mean Akashi?
"He means Akashi-kun. He just adds a -cchi honorific to those he respects a lot."
Seeing my confused expression, Kuroko, who was somehow beside me, surprisingly responded.
Although, how does he know?
"Do you know Akashi and Kise from middle school?"
Kuroko nodded in response but was interrupted by an excited Kise who started speaking.
"We three came from the same middle school and were on the same basketball team. He was amazing but stopped during the last year."
Basketball? Sure, he had the body of an athlete but it was not on the level of Sudo who was a good player. It made sense now if he had quit it a year ago. I do wonder why he never mentioned it before.
Although, seeing the uncomfortable expression on his face, I decided to not question it.
"Anyway, it looks like mostly everyone can swim."
"Of course Sensei. Back in middle school, I was called the Flying Fish after all."
"I see. Then you guys can immediately start competing against each other then. 50m freestyle, separate yourselves by gender."
"C-compete!? Are you serious?"
"Yep. Completely serious. Now I will divide you into groups to make the competition. There will be 5 groups of 5 girls and 8 groups of 5 boys. Separate yourself fast. The fastest will earn 50,000 points for each gender. And since there are a lot of boys, the fastest 6 will race for the reward."
The classes erupted into excited chatter, each student having an eye on the prize money. Even Koenji looked interested in the reward.
50,000 points? I don't mind getting more points but what about those who don't want points?
Meanwhile, ignoring the commotion, sensei continued with a smile.
"And the fastest student's class will get 20 class points. That's an extra 2000 points every month."
The classes got even louder.
"Did sensei just say class points?"
"So if we win this we will get 2000 points every month?"
"Just see me breeze through everyone with my super speed."
Those who were good at swimming were cheering, while the worse swimmers weren't thrilled at all.
Class points? Now that's interesting. So, it seems that the teachers can award us small amounts of class points for small competition between classes. The diligent students would be more motivated than before and those who skipped classes would miss out on the rewards as a punishment.
Looking towards Tatsuya, I caught his eye as he nodded back. Winning this was important for him to cement himself as a guy who wanted to lead his class to victory. He was also capable of winning if Koenji wouldn't cause him problems.
But I had other plans.
Meanwhile, the sensei, pleased with the reaction he received, beckoned the girls to come forward.
There were 36 boys and 24 girls from both classes, excluding those who didn't know how to swim. When the girls started their race, the boys sat on the sidelines and started to cheer for... no, evaluate the girls. Save a few, most were occupied with staring at girls.
"Kushida-chan Kushida-chan Kushida-chan Kushida-chan Kushida-chan. Hahahaha."
It seems like Kushida completely captured Ike's mind.
"You're scary, Ike—quiet down."
"B-but Kushida-chan is fucking cute. Her breasts are really big too."
Kushida had garnered popularity from the boys in a whirlwind. It was scary seeing someone be so popular this fast. I had also never seen her do anything negative, and her reputation was perfect throughout the whole school. The only problem was that she was too perfect for a class D student. Is there anyone as popular as she is right now?
I guess Hirata was as popular as her but he too was suspiciously perfect for a class D student. From all this, one thing was certain. They both had a flaw and it was large enough to graduate placement in class D even with their perfect personality.
If you only talked about faces, Horikita and Miyuki were definitely on top, but Horikita's bad personality dropped her popularity down. Other than her, Miyuki had a fair bit of popularity, so when she stood at the start line, there were a lot of cheers.
The whistle blew, and the 5 girls jumped in. Horikita is in lane 2. Taking the lead in the beginning, she maintained her lead till the end when she was overtaken by Miyuki who took the first place surprising Horikita. Horikita was fast but got too overconfident and never considered the possibility of being overtaken.
Horikita's time was about 28 seconds while Miyuki got 27 seconds. That's pretty quick. Without even breathing heavily, they both slowly got out of the pool.
Averting my eyes and ignoring the perverted cheer, I looked at the next round of contestants.
With the second race came Kushida in lane 4. The boys were waving and cheering with smiles on their faces.
"Woooooooo!"
They're some aggressive boys.
During the self-introductions, Kushida declared to the whole class that she wanted to get along with everybody. It seems like her wish came true. She was constantly having friendly chats with all the boys around her. Kushida has an atmosphere that attracts other people to her.
The second race started. It was pretty one-sided. The girl known as Onodera won the race in a landslide. Her time of 26 seconds was clearly the best time. Kushida got a time of 31 seconds, which was pretty good but only got her 4th place.
The next race was also one sided, with it being dominated by a purple-haired girl from class B who looked a lot like Karuizawa. She too had a time of 27 seconds while the rest were a lot slower for several reasons better left unmentioned.
None of the participants from the rest of the groups were any better than the previous ones with their times being in the 30 seconds range. The girls' race was concluded with Onodera from our class being the winner by 26 seconds and winning 50,000 points.
It was finally time for the boys' side of the race.
Approaching Koenji who was in the 1st lane, I stood in lane 2 with Sudou beside me. The rest of the boys and girls crowded around the pool, intent on watching Sudou and Koenji speed through the pool. Unfortunately for them, I had other plans. And getting into the top 6 was the first step. Keeping that in mind, I jumped into the pool.
Feeling the refreshing coolness of the water, I picked the pace up to catch up to Koenji. Overtaking the second place, I ended the race in second place, but fast enough to get into the top six. Koenji was not all bark and no bite, it seems.
"Well done. 24.34 seconds is pretty good for a high school student."
Nodding towards sensei, I stood near the ending line beside Miyake, watching the next round of participants stand in the lanes. Many surprised stares were directed at me, including a few jealous ones from Ike and his group.
"I knew you were quick but I didn't expect you to be this fast."
"That was pretty fast even for me. 50,000 points can make anyone swim that fast."
Not like I needed the 50,000 desperately like the others but I had no objections in increasing my point count. I only wanted to win for the 20 class points. The 50,000 points were just the cream of the cake.
"Still, it was fast enough to enter the top 6. But Koenji was really fast. He passed me in a flash and you followed him just as quickly. And I thought I was fast."
Miyake was the person I overtook then? But yeah. Koenji was just as quick as he said. Being more than a second quicker than me, he currently was residing in the top with a speed of 22.56 seconds.
Looking at the third group of swimmers who were getting out of the pool, I glanced at the clipboard in sensei's hands. In first place was Koenji with a top speed of 22. seconds followed by Tatsuya who had a top speed of 22.97 seconds. He was pretty quick too. After him was Akashi with a speed of 23.02 seconds and Kise with 23.96 seconds.
Taking 6th place, I had a speed of 24.34 seconds. The fifth place was Sudou's with a speed of 24.12 seconds. His athletic figure had given him a good boost. Hirata was in 7th place but his speed was not important.
The important part was that I had 6th place and a chance at the final for the reward. Watching the last group of unimportant characters go towards the crowd disappointed at hearing that they were not able to get the reward, I went towards the 6th lane.
Walking towards the first lane, Koenji stopped beside me to give me a challenge.
"Do your best in this race, Ayanokouji boy. I won't be satisfied with the lukewarm performance from before."
"I will try my best."
Akashi, Kise and Tatsuya followed him towards the lane, wishing me luck on the way.
The crowd was pretty active too.
"Do your best. Kise-kun."
"You are the best."
"Don't you dare lose, Sudou."
Hearing the cheers from the crowd, it was surprising not to hear any boos from the crowd, considering that this was a competition with 20 class points on the line. I guess that they still don't understand the value of class points yet.
Sudou, who was beside me, looked towards me, with a pleased grin on his face due to the cheers from the crowd.
"You are pretty fast, Ayanokouji. But don't worry, I will win this for our class."
"Do your best to overtake Koenji then."
Getting into position, I looked towards the pool. It's been a while since I have swam fast.
Taking a deep breath, I waited for the starting signal from the Sensei.
"Ready."
"Set."
"Go!"
Diving into the pool with a dive, I rushed forward with continuous strokes. The cheering from the crowd went inaudible as the water rushed past me. Breathing rhythmically, I overtook Koenji and stretched out my hand towards the wall, touching it roughly to signify the end of my race.
Getting out of the pool slowly along with the other competitors, I felt pats on the back and numerous congratulations greeted my ears.
My time read 21.88 seconds. I had gotten slower than before, it seems.
"Well done, demon boy. That's more like the performance of a masterpiece."
I didn't expect him to be this unperturbed after losing a race. A humorous thought struck me as I watched Tatsuya approach us.
"If you lost against me, does that mean you are not as perfect as you call yourself?"
Laughing at my question, he replied back with a smirk.
"I am still a perfect existence. Losing to you doesn't count as you are just a monster."
Monster, huh?
"You are Ayanokouji, right?"
"Yes, Sensei."
Approaching Sensei, I stood beside Tatsuya and Akashi as Sensei turned to us with a slightly eager look.
"That was an utterly fascinating performance, almost beating the record set by the fastest 15 year old. I am going to ask the others too but do any of you plan to join the Swimming Club? I knew that this year's students were quite a talented bunch but I never expected you all to be this good."
Glancing at Tatsuya and Akashi, I could see that we three had the same thoughts about this matter. Neither of us had any intentions of joining the club.
"Sorry sensei, but I have to decline."
"No sensei."
"Sorry but I don't plan on playing any such competitive sport."
Hiding his disappointment at our replies, sensei nodded.
"I will try the others then. Also, Ayanokouji, come collect the points before leaving."
"Yes, Sensei."
Replying affirmatively, I headed towards the crowd aimlessly.
"I didn't expect you to win this."
Tatsuya interrupted me, asking a question that was probably on his mind for a long time.
"Insurance."
"Insurance? For what?"
His face conveyed his confusion since this was probably not the reply he expected.
Realizing it a second later, he chuckled.
"Don't worry. I am not going to do that. You are pretty high up on the list of competent people in the class. But this way, you could at least protect yourself from ill comments in the class about being useless."
That actually was another thing that I was aiming for. By making the class dependent upon me for athletic activities, I could make myself an invaluable existence for the class. So, if an event came where we had to sacrifice someone, I would be one of the least likely candidates.
This also would raise my social standings in the class, at least higher than Horikita. If both of us have an opinion, mine would be listened to before Horikita's one was.
"Look at you winning races just as I wanted when you said you don't want to work under me."
Speak of the devil and she appears.
"You never told me anything and my answer is still no."
She smirked before responding back.
"I can hear you yelling 'yes' inside your mind. Just admit it and don't act like a tsundere."
What an irony that is coming from her.
"Get your ears checked then. And drop by a mental asylum on the way too since you clearly belong there. And stop bothering me."
Ignoring me, she turned around and went towards the crowd heading towards the locker room.
"I will see you tomorrow in class then. Bye."
Sighing in slight fatigue, I headed towards the locker room, deliberating. Keeping in mind to collect the points before leaving, I pondered on what to do about Horikita.
I guess she could be a bit useful in academics if anything. Sudou and the other two idiots needed a tutor too. She could deal with that headache.
An amusing thought struck me as I entered the noisy locker room.
I wonder how a tsundere would deal with another tsundere.
[Timeskip]
(Third Person)
Red light from the window poured in the room, signifying the sun setting to others while giving an ominous feeling to the teenager on the floor struck by fear.
The green-haired boy was particularly proud of his strength and skills in fighting and was relieved when he heard that his class leader, Ryuuen, had asked him to tail and antagonize the class B students. It was an easy job, he thought.
Tailing the good-natured students of class B was easier and more boring than he had expected. Their sunny attitudes were difficult to watch and antagonizing them was a piece of cake.
That is, until he went towards the pair of boys with red and yellow hair. He had heard that they were famous and rich and had expected them to be a pair of snobby kids who got into the school with money and overall a pushover.
And oh boy was he wrong.
"Ishizaki, was it?"
Nodding hastily in fear, he tried to get farther away from the red-haired boy who was looming over him with a murderous look in his eyes. And the pair of red scissors on his hand didn't reassure him of getting out of here uninjured.
"I heard some not so pleasant things about you from my classmates, ranging from pushing them, insulting them, picking fights with them and overall annoying them."
Playing with the scissors on his hands like he had handled it for decades, the red-haired boy got closer to the green-haired boy who was locked in place between him and the wall.
"So, I will pleasantly ask you to leave our class alone or... you will be going bald at the very least."
Smirking a smirk that was the definition of evil, the red-haired boy stared down at the boy in front of him while playing with the scissors in his hand.
"That's an order and my orders are absolute. Got it?"
Shaking in fear, the green-haired boy stuttered out a quick affirmative reply.
"Now get out of my sight and inform this to your leader. If this gets out, then your class will have few empty seats, to say the least."
Standing up and getting out of the room, the red-haired boy turned towards the window and calmed himself down. His eyes subconsciously seemed to dim a bit and turn to normal as he took deep breaths to calm himself down.
Looking towards the room, the striking fact about the lack of cameras faced him. Even though there was a lab nearby, no cameras were there to keep a check on it for potential fires.
A sudden idea struck him as he immediately took out his phone with a smirk.
Fingers moving nimbly across it, he sent a call to a friend of his and placed the phone on his ears in wait for the blond-haired boy to pick up the call. His wait was fruitful as an excited voice came a few seconds later.
"Hello, Akashicchi. Do you need anything by any chance?"
"Yes. Get me a small white camera and a pair of small voice recorders. I will pay you later."
"Of course. I will get it by tonight, Bye."
"Bye"
Sighing, the red-haired boy headed towards the stairs, giving a last glance towards the scene of confrontation from before. Playing with the scissors, he sighed in exhaustion and headed towards the dorm room with a good sleep on his mind. He was disappointed in his performance today and a good sleep was welcome.
Word Count = 5403 words
A.N.= Done, finally. Sorry for the delay since things are hectic and hence updates will be weekly.
How was the third person viewpoint? They will be common for such scenes which don't involve Kiyotaka.
Also, It's just an idea but listen (or read)=
A classroom isekai with class D and a glitched Kiyotaka who somehow didn't get any powers. Not that he needs any. Any universe is good.
Has this been done ever?
And I am excited for the new season. What do you think is going to happen? Will they follow the canon wholeheartedly or will they divert with Horikita as a main female lead? I think it's the first option as Kiyo had harshly rejected Horikita in the last scene of the anime, just like the LN.
Anyways, ideas are appreciated, don't hesitate to ask questions and Follow and Fav if you like it.
That's all.
Bye.