Mochizuki Haruka's sudden invitation caught me completely off guard.
This is… unexpected. We haven't even seen each other since that whole drunken incident, let alone hung out together.
Ever since that night when she'd gotten absolutely wasted and I'd had to carry her back to her room, our only contact had been the occasional LINE message. She kept making excuses about being busy lately, but I could sense there was more to it than that.
She's probably still mortified about everything that happened. I mean, having the guy you like see you in that state… and then whatever she said after I got her back to her room… yeah, I'd be hiding too.
The fact that she'd been avoiding me for longer than I'd expected made today's invitation even more significant. If she was reaching out now, she must have finally worked up the courage to face whatever awkwardness was lingering between us.
Okay, Mochizuki. Let's see what this is all about.
I quickly typed back a response on LINE, and we agreed to meet at five-thirty.
School ends at four, which gives me about an hour and a half to kill. What to do with all this free time?
Since I'd quit my convenience store job—first due to my finger injury, then because I was making a steady 10,000 yen daily from my… other activities—I actually had legitimate free time for once.
The joys of financial independence through questionable means. Not that I'm complaining.
After considering my options, I decided to head over to the water polo club. I'd skipped Sunday practice to extend my weekend with Kana, and I figured I should probably show my face before Shiraishi-senpai started sending search parties.
Plus, watching athletic girls in swimsuits is never a hardship. Purely for training observation purposes, of course.
Walking across the playground after school was like witnessing a festival of youthful energy. Every sports club was in full swing, with enthusiastic students throwing themselves into their training with the kind of boundless vigor that made me feel ancient despite being their age.
College students really do seem to have infinite energy. Either that, or they're all secretly powered by pure determination and protein shakes.
When I arrived at the outdoor swimming pool, the water polo team was already deep into their training session.
"Ginjo-san? Why are you here?"
Shiraishi Lisa looked genuinely surprised to see me, which was fair considering I'd only ever shown up on Sundays before—and only after extensive begging on her part.
She looks like she's seeing a mirage. I guess my spontaneous appearances are that rare.
"What, am I not welcome, Shiraishi-senpai?" I asked with a grin.
Time to play up the hurt feelings angle.
"No, no! I'm thrilled you're here," she said quickly, though she still looked confused. "I just didn't expect it. When you didn't come on Sunday, the other members actually complained to me about it."
They complained? About me specifically? That's… actually kind of flattering.
"Why do you have time today, Ginjo-san?"
She was standing poolside in her swimsuit with a jacket thrown over it, looking every inch the dedicated coach. The way the afternoon sunlight caught the water droplets on her legs was definitely not something I was supposed to be noticing.
Focus on her question, not on how good she looks in coaching mode.
"I quit the convenience store job, and I happened to have some free time after school," I explained casually. "Thought I'd stop by and see how everyone's doing."
And by everyone, I definitely mean the collection of attractive girls in competitive swimwear. But that's just a bonus.
When I'd arrived, Lisa had been directing the team through weighted treading water exercises—basically having them hold heavy objects while staying afloat, which was as impressive as it sounded.
"I see. Ginjo-san, don't you think our team members have improved dramatically?" she asked with obvious pride.
She's like a proud mom showing off her kids' report cards.
"Definitely," I agreed, watching the girls move through the water with objects that would have sent me straight to the bottom. "The progress has been incredible, Shiraishi-senpai."
Seriously, these girls are developing some serious athletic ability. It's actually pretty amazing to watch.
"Since you're here, Ginjo-san, why don't you help us with training?" she suggested with enthusiasm that was both flattering and slightly concerning.
Help with training? What exactly does that involve?
"What do you need me to do? More underwater observation?" I asked, my mind immediately jumping to the memory of watching high-cut competitive swimsuits from below the surface.
Not that I'm eager or anything. Just… curious about the training methodology.
"No, Ginjo-san," she laughed, apparently missing my hopeful undertone. "Today the players are planning shooting practice. I want you to handle the goalkeeping. What do you think?"
Oh. Goalkeeping. That's… actually probably more challenging than underwater observation.
"Let me be the goalkeeper?" I mused aloud. "Though I have to admit, I think I'd prefer being the shooter…"
In more ways than one, but she doesn't need to know about that internal commentary.
Still, seeing Lisa's earnest request and the expectant faces of the team members, I couldn't really refuse.
Besides, it's not like I have anything better to do until my meeting with Mochizuki.
"Alright, Shiraishi-senpai," I agreed. "Let me test their skills."
Fortunately, I'd brought swimwear since we'd had swimming class earlier today. After changing, I slipped into the pool, and immediately felt that familiar rush of cool water against heated skin.
I'd forgotten how good this feels. Maybe I should make these visits more regular.
The moment the girls heard I'd be participating in training, their energy levels shot through the roof.
"Ginjo-san is going to guard the goal!"
"This sounds interesting! I wonder if I'll be able to score against Ginjo-san."
"I bet you want to score on him somewhere else entirely," one girl said with a mischievous grin.
"You're so mean! Stop saying weird things!" came the flustered response.
Did they just…? Are they really making those kinds of jokes right in front of me? These girls are dangerous.
The team gathered in the center of the pool, their excitement creating this infectious energy that made the whole training session feel more like a game than serious practice.
This is either going to be really fun or really embarrassing. Possibly both.
Lisa divided the girls into two groups, explaining that each team would take turns shooting at the goal I'd be defending. Whichever group scored fewer goals would have to do five extra swimming laps as punishment.
No pressure at all. Just me versus a bunch of motivated athletes who really don't want to do extra laps.
The girls floating in the water looked eager and determined, ready to show their skills in this game of "scoring on Ginjo Sousuke."
The way they phrased that is definitely going to stick in my head for a while.
The first group swam into position in front of the goal area, and I took my place between the posts, trying to look more confident than I felt.
How hard can this be? They're college students, not Olympic athletes.
This shooting practice was set up without defensive players—basically like penalty shots in soccer. Pure shooter versus goalkeeper, skill versus skill.
Simple enough. Just me, them, and a whole lot of water.
The first girl grabbed the yellow water polo ball, and at Lisa's whistle, she launched herself high out of the water and hurled the ball with impressive force.
Okay, that's actually pretty good form—
I reached out casually and deflected the ball away from the goal.
Got it! That was easier than I expected.
The girl shook her head in disappointment and swam away, clearly frustrated with her attempt.
She had decent technique and picked a smart angle, but the power and speed weren't quite there. Gave me plenty of time to react.
The next player stepped up to take her shot.
Let's see what you've got.
This time I didn't even need to move from my position—the ball practically fell into my hands like she was passing it to me rather than trying to score.
Was that… was that actually an attempt at a goal? Because it felt more like a gentle toss.
The girl who shot next seemed nervous, and her ball didn't even make it to the goal area, sailing wide by a significant margin.
Nerves are definitely a factor here. The pressure of trying to score against the mysterious older guy who shows up occasionally is getting to them.
As the practice continued, I began to understand the skill gap. These girls were improving rapidly, but they were still developing their technique and power. To them, I probably seemed like an insurmountable obstacle standing between them and their goal.
I'm like the final boss in their training video game.
I blocked shot after shot with increasing confidence, my reflexes and positioning allowing me to shut down each attempt with relative ease.
This is actually kind of fun. I can see why goalkeepers get addicted to the rush of a good save.
The first group finished their round with a perfect zero—no goals scored against me.
Complete shutout. Not bad for my first time playing water polo goalkeeper.
Lisa didn't seem disappointed by the results. Instead, she was nodding thoughtfully and taking notes, clearly analyzing each player's technique and identifying areas for improvement.
She's actually a really good coach. Focused on development rather than just results.
The second group didn't fare much better, also finishing with zero goals.
Another shutout. At this rate, they're going to start thinking I'm some kind of water polo prodigy.
Since both groups had the same score, technically it was a tie, which meant no one had to do the extra punishment laps.
Well, that worked out nicely for everyone. No extra suffering, and I get to look competent at something I've never done before.
The girls looked at each other with a mixture of frustration and amusement, clearly not having expected to be completely shut out by someone who wasn't even an official team member.
They're taking this pretty well, all things considered. I was expecting more complaints about the unfairness of using a ringer as goalkeeper.
"Alright, everyone," Lisa called out, clapping her hands to get attention. "That was excellent practice! Ginjo-san provided us with exactly the kind of challenge we need to improve our accuracy and power."
Challenge, huh? I like being called a challenge.
As the official training session wound down, I glanced at the pool clock and realized my meeting with Mochizuki was approaching fast.