During P.E. class, without Yamauchi and his usual gang of troublemakers, Class D was unusually quiet.
"Hikigaya-kun… please don't look over here."
"Why not?"
"Isn't this swimsuit ugly?"
Sakura Airi stood shyly in a one-piece, plain black swimsuit—old-fashioned and simple. It looked modest, but somehow had its own charm… perhaps due to the huge devil fruits in front that could not be hidden, no matter how she tried.
"N-no… it's, uh… kind of nostalgic,"
Hikigaya said, forcing himself to hold back his thoughts.
"I've always said that whether clothes are tacky or not depends entirely on who's wearing them!"
Hasebe Haruka, who wore the same pure black swimsuit, had a slightly slimmer figure but the same sized proportions.
She leaned toward him, lowering her voice mischievously.
"If Hachi ever asks us out alone, I could always change into a bikini just for you~~"
"Ahem!"
Hikigaya coughed hard, pushing the dangerous thoughts out of his mind.
"L-let's just practice swimming first."
Sakura Airi lowered her head in embarrassment.
"I'm sorry… I can't swim at all…"
"I'm a little better than Airi," Hasebe said with a grin. "I can dive, at least."
"You two don't even know the basics?"
Hikigaya sighed, glancing toward the P.E. teacher—who was, of course, completely focused on another group: Hirata Yosuke, Takahashi Rokusuke, Sudo Ken, and Ayanokōji Kiyotaka.
"You four are quite talented!"
The teacher clapped his hands in approval. "Ever considered joining the swimming club?"
The P.E. teacher was also the swimming club's adviser—so naturally, he was eager to recruit good talent.
"Let me correct you, sensei. The beautiful me is undoubtedly number one,"
Koenji boasted arrogantly.
"Hey! Don't act like I didn't hear that, Koenji! You wanna prove it? Let's race!"
Sudo snapped back immediately.
"My swimming's just average," Hirata interjected calmly. "Ayanokōji's the best among us."
The teacher turned to Ayanokōji. "You train your body regularly, right?"
"Oh~ my hobbies are piano and calligraphy…"
Ayanokōji said with a completely straight face.
Do you practice calligraphy while carrying a piano?!
Hikigaya groaned internally.
Sometimes, he wondered if this guy was actually some kind of experimental artificial human who escaped from a lab.
Seeing that the P.E. teacher wasn't paying attention to them, Hikigaya sighed and took charge.
"I can give you both some basic guidance… but I can't promise you'll actually learn."
"Really?"
Sakura's eyes sparkled as she nodded eagerly. "I'll do my best!"
"Then I'll leave it to you, Hachi~"
Hasebe added cheerfully, with zero hesitation.
Hikigaya first had them stretch and warm up, then guided them into the pool.
"Okay, first—you need to learn how to hold your breath and exhale underwater."
He took a deep breath and demonstrated, diving smoothly beneath the surface.
The two girls followed his lead.
Moments later, Hikigaya noticed both girls blowing bubbles frantically underwater.
"Eh? What's going on?"
He quickly pulled them both up by the arm.
"Hmm~ I don't know why, but my body just keeps floating upward…"
Sakura looked puzzled.
"Same here. Is diving really that hard?"
Hasebe agreed.
Hikigaya stared at them blankly. He wasn't about to give a physics lecture on buoyancy.
He simply said, "Just… overcome it."
"Yes, sir~"
They obediently nodded, though neither understood what he meant.
"The next step is learning to paddle and kick."
"Paddling's pretty simple, so we'll do that later. For now, put your hands on the edge and practice kicking."
He gave careful, hands-on instruction—occasionally adjusting their movements.
Sakura Airi's legs were perfectly proportioned—not a centimeter more, not a centimeter less.
If she changed into something stylish, she could easily walk a fashion runway.
Hasebe Haruka's legs were long and slender, free of the slight bow that many Japanese girls had. Her skin was pale and smooth—so fair it almost glowed under the water.
And then—
Thwap!
Hikigaya suddenly realized his palm had lingered a bit too long on one of those legs.
Hasebe turned around, outwardly calm, but her ears were bright red beneath her wet hair.
Her light-gold eyes fixed sharply on him.
"Hachi… hurry up."
"…Sorry."
Hikigaya had no excuse.
The few lonely boys nearby stared at him with pure envy.
And then—
A sight appeared that shattered all their fragile hopes.
"Hikigaya~ You all look like you're having so much fun."
Kushida Kikyo approached with a dazzling smile, her blue-and-white halter swimsuit showing off her perfect curves.
Her gaze darted over Sakura and Hasebe again and again.
Alright—she had to admit it.
Their strength was above hers!
There was no padding, no trickery—just absurdly good natural balance.
How infuriating!
No wonder that dead-fish eye guy had such resistance last night…
Turns out, he's already touched something bigger!
"Kushida, can't you swim?"
Hikigaya asked suspiciously.
"Oh, I can swim. But wouldn't it be better if Hikigaya taught me personally?"
Kushida leaned forward playfully, looking up at him with a pleading expression.
Sakura and Hasebe exchanged wary glances—
then wordlessly nodded to each other.
Good girlfriends unite against external threats!
"Sure, sure… do whatever you want,"
Hikigaya said, completely unsure of Kushida's intentions.
Just then, a figure glided past underwater at incredible speed.
"Whoa—!"
Horikita Suzune surfaced nearby, finishing her freestyle lap with precision—sending a splash of water right into Hikigaya's face.
Did she just do that on purpose?
He frowned.
Kushida's eyes gleamed. A faint, knowing smile tugged at her lips.
Heh. She's jealous.
"Oh my~ Horikita swims so fast~~"
Kushida giggled sweetly. "Hikigaya, can you teach me too?"
She suddenly grabbed his arm, shaking it coquettishly.
"Hiss—!"
Goosebumps ran up his spine instantly.
If he hadn't seen Kushida's "dark side" with his own eyes, he might have fallen for it.
"Sorry. I'm not that good,"
Hikigaya said flatly.
"Why don't you just ask Horikita directly?"
"But Horikita keeps ignoring me…"
Kushida's tone turned pitiful—but under the water, her fingers tightened around his wrist.
Her voice dropped to a whisper only he could hear:
"Hikigaya, I need your help to get closer to Horikita."
I knew it!
Hikigaya grimaced internally. This woman was trouble incarnate.
He was already searching for an excuse to escape—
but before he could act, Horikita herself swam up again and stopped beside them.
She glanced at Hikigaya briefly, then looked at Kushida.
"Kushida, if you really want to learn, I can teach you."
"Eh? Really?"
"That's great!"
Kushida immediately released Hikigaya's hand.
Hmph… as expected, that dead-fish-eyed guy is useful after all!
she thought triumphantly.
***
Well this is it…im not planning on continuing this story.
Even though a couple of you guys reached out and offered to buy the rest of the chapters… (btw I was wrong it turns out to be a little over a dollar to buy the rest of the remaining chapters 😅) just a hassle to buy them
I dont like the direction the story is taking…I picked this story up for fun but translating right now is turning into a headache
Sorry n thx for reading 🫡