Chapter 2

"Ne, Rei-chan," Nagisa asked on the way to practice the next day. "What's with you and Sayuri-chan? Are you two dating? She's always flirting with you and teasing you."

Rei shrugged, hitching his bag up on his shoulder. "Sayuri's been like that since middle school. We were both on the track team and she started following me around. Something about having a fetish for guys with glasses. She's not serious about it, she just likes flirting."

"Have you ever asked her out?"

"Not really." Rei frowned, picturing the slightly clumsy, messy-haired little girl who was too open about her sexual preferences for her own good, and had a knack for not knowing when to stop talking. He couldn't imagine himself dating her. "She's… not beautiful. She's clumsy and a complete mess."

Nagisa shrugged. "Gou-chan says she's joining the club. Apparently she's a good swimmer."

Rei scoffed. "I highly doubt that."

"Maybe we'll get to see her swim today!" Nagisa chirped excitedly as they slipped into the dressing rooms. Rei quickly pulled off his shirt and pants, revealing his speedo underneath. He stuffed his clothing and bag into a locker and then quickly padded out into the pool area, where Gou and Makoto were waiting. Haruka was already in the water, and…

"Sayuri-chan?" Rei demanded, watching the figure that was hoisting herself up the pool steps. Her usually messy brown hair was tied back neatly into a ponytail, revealing the sharp angles of her cheeks. The swimsuit was nothing special; a black one piece, but it clung to her body, showing each smooth curve that her baggy uniform had hidden, including a hint of cleavage. Her long legs moved with ease, and as she shook her wet hair lightly, a few wet strands escaped the rubber band and framed her face.

Nagisa came up behind Rei, giving him a playful punch in the back. "Still not beautiful, Rei-chan?" he teased his friend, who's jaw was hanging open. Then he turned and waved at Sayuri. "Sayuri-chan! You decided to join!"

"Nagisa-chan!" Sayuri greeted happily. "Yes, I did. Come on, race me," she invited him over and they both dived smoothly into in adjacent lanes. Rei gaped as he watched her body fly through the air and slide into the water in one fluid motion. It wasn't anywhere near as amazing as Haruka's stroke, but in its own way it was…

Beautiful.

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"So, no luck today either, huh?" Sayuri asked with a smile as she sat next to Rei, their legs dangling in the water. Rei gulped, trying not to watch the way her legs smoothly kicked in and out of the surface. He'd spent most of today's practice trying not to stare at Sayuri in her swimsuit and he hadn't managed to swim yet.

"No," Rei muttered. "Kou-chan says I only have a week."

"You can do it," Sayuri assured him, patting his arm lightly. Rei shuddered. He liked the soft feeling of her fingers as she traced his biceps. "Wow… these are so pretty…" she sighed dreamily and Rei rolled his eyes. Well. There was the old Sayuri again.

"Stop doing that, it tickles," Rei snapped, pulling his arm away from her touch. He tried to hide the reddening of his face and shot her a sideways glance. "I didn't know you could swim."

"My uncle was a swim coach when I was in middle school," Sayuri explained with a shrug, still kicking her legs slightly in the water. She stretched the leg out, pointing her toes like a ballerina. "He taught me pretty well, but he moved to Europe last year. Ne, Rei-chan, how is it that someone like you can't swim? You're so good at everything."

Rei shrugged. "I don't know. I was up all night reading the theories."

Sayuri laughed. "You and your theories. It's good to be well-read, Rei-chan, but you can't learn everything from books. I swear, the night before you lose your virginity, you would read up on every detail of how to do that too." She tried to mimic how he usually muttered calculations under his breath. "Entry angle 90 degrees perpendicular, acceleration 5 m/s, thrust required to penetrate-"

"Shut up, do you hear yourself?" Rei yelled, his cheeks turning a furious red. Did this girl have no shame? How could she talk about things like that, when she was wearing nothing but a swimsuit and there was a guy sitting next to her? His speedo suddenly began feeling extremely uncomfortable and he quickly slid down into the water so she would notice. "I'm going to try swimming again. Go be perverted elsewhere," he snapped, quickly moving away from her.

"Rei-chan! Come back!" Sayuri yelled teasingly. "Can I touch your biceps again?"

"No!" Rei replied.

"I'll let you touch my breasts!" she called after him, causing everyone else to turn and look at her in shock. Sayuri laughed at Makoto and Nagisa's expressions before slowly standing up and walking toward the locker room. "Sorry, boys. Offer's only available to megane guys. Come see me when your eyesight deteriorates, yeah?"

They both flushed and Sayuri winked at Gou, who seemed amused.

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It made no sense. Somebody so unattractive and annoying couldn't possibly become attractive just by putting on a goddamn swimsuit and getting into the water. Rei was frustrated the entire evening as he tried to read up on his swim theories. All he could picture was Sayuri's long legs kicking in and out of the water, and the curve of her breasts as the swimsuit clung to them.

It's normal, Rei told himself sharply. You're a teenage boy, you're allowed to fantasize about girls. Yet why did that girl have to be Sayuri, the annoying loudmouthed pervert that had clung onto him during middle school and never let go? He clenched his fists tightly. There had to be some explanation for this. Some solution to this persistent problem. He had to know.

Rei jogged down to the bookstore just before it became dark outside, and pulled his hood over his head. It wouldn't do for anyone to see him browsing what he was going to browse. He'd just found the right section and was pulling books down from the shelves when he heard a familiar tinkling voice.

"Rei-chan! Still reading those swimming books?" Sayuri chirped, walking up to him. Rei flushed deeply and she pulled his hood down from his head. Was there any way of escape? He hurriedly clutched the books to his chest.

"Sayuri-chan. What are you doing here? I didn't know you could read."

"Very funny, Rei," Sayuri replied with a laugh. "I know you're still sore about that time I got more marks than you in Science. So, what are you reading? Didn't Gou tell you to lay off the theory for a while?" Sayuri reached out and grabbed the two books in his arms, turning them to see their titles. Her eyebrows shot up into her hairline. "100 Theories on Love? Attraction: Broken Down to Chemicals?"

Rei pulled his hood over his head, wanting to melt into the ground. Why did she of all people have to catch him here? It was her fault that he was here in the first place! Sayuri simply watched him for a moment before handing the books back.

"Ne, Rei-chan. Normal guys watch porn."

Rei flushed. "That's not-"

"But this is a family friendly place, so you'd have more luck going to that store down the road. A lot of guys from our school go there, you just need to-"

"I don't need you to tell me where to get porn," Rei hissed, quickly putting the books back on the shelf. He glanced around, hoping none of the other customers could hear their conversation. This was a miserable failure. He just wanted to get out of here. "I'm leaving-"

"Okay, fine, no porn," Sayuri replied with a giggle, latching onto his arm and pulling him back. She wrapped both her arms around his and Rei could feel her chest pressing lightly into his bicep as she clung to him. "So, who's this girl that has you reading up on theories on love? Is it someone from school?"

"Why, are you jealous?" Rei snapped.

"Maybe," Sayuri admitted. "After all, you're my favorite megane guy. I'd have to looking for someone else if I lost you, and there aren't many in our school. Unless your girl doesn't mind sharing…"

"Stop it," Rei muttered, flushing. Was that really her breast that he could feel against his arm? It seemed soft but…he didn't dare look down to check. He kept his gaze fixed firmly on the exit. "Let me go, Sayuri."

Sayuri sighed, finally releasing his arm. "Fine. You're no fun, Rei-chan. I was just teasing you. I'm not an idiot you know, I could see you ogling me during swim practice today." She leaned closer with a smile. "Did that speedo start feeling a little tight?"

Rei turned and glared at her, before pulling up his hood and running out of the bookstore.

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