Sōbu High had always prided itself on its strict discipline.Its academic standards were sky-high, its rules airtight, and the ever-watchful disciplinary committee patrolled the halls like sentinels. Rumor had it that even the faintest hint of "improper relations" between boys and girls would be met with swift correction.
Perhaps because of that suffocating order, the students funneled all their youthful energy elsewhere — into club activities. The result was a campus where nearly every competitive team carried trophies and pride from national tournaments.
The stricter the school, the tougher the selection. And among those chosen few stood Hayase Saki, the ace of the girls' swimming team.A second-year already treated as their star, Saki had been swimming since childhood. For her, getting picked for the next interschool tournament was practically a given.
But her childhood friend Fukuyama Keita, a first-year who had only recently joined the boys' team, wasn't nearly as lucky.Saki had checked in on him a few times in secret, watching his practices from behind the fence. His form wasn't improving. His times barely changed. At this rate, he wouldn't even qualify as a substitute swimmer.
It wasn't something she could easily talk about. She'd always been quiet — shy, even — and outside of Keita, she didn't really have anyone to confide in.Unfortunately, someone else noticed her quiet visits.
That someone was Miwara Kenichirō, another swimmer from her year — talented, cocky, and all too aware of his standing.
"Have you thought about it?" Miwara asked one afternoon, cornering her behind the training building. His tone carried a kind of oily confidence. "The final selection's next week. A first-year like him doesn't stand a chance — unless someone gives him a little help."
They stood in the narrow shade behind the pool complex, the air thick with chlorine and heat.Saki fidgeted with her uniform sleeve, avoiding his gaze."Keita will manage somehow," she murmured, unsure if she believed it herself.
"You know that's not true," he replied, stepping closer. "If I'm competing, there's no spot left for him. You understand that, don't you? So maybe think about my offer again."
Saki froze, her breath catching. She knew what kind of "offer" he meant. His words were a threat wrapped in a smile — something that didn't belong in a place like this. Her throat felt tight.
But before she could reply—
"Yukinoshita-san, did you get that?""Every second," came a calm voice.
From the shadows stepped Yukinoshita Yukino, phone in hand, its camera light blinking. Beside her, Hikigaya Hachiman emerged with his usual dead-fish eyes and hooded expression.
Both of them looked every bit like the worst possible audience for Miwara's performance.
Miwara froze. "W-what the—?! Since when were you— Delete that! Delete it right now!"
He lunged forward — and instantly doubled over with a strangled yelp.Apparently, Hachiman's reflexes were faster than anyone expected from a guy who spent most of his life avoiding exercise. His foot had found its mark with surgical precision.
Yukino sighed. "Hikigaya-kun, you didn't need to kick him there."
"Reflex," Hachiman muttered, shrugging. "My body moved on its own. Like a self-defense mechanism against creeps."
Yukino gave him a look but didn't argue. She turned her attention to the now-trembling Miwara, her voice cutting through the air like ice."I don't know what kind of game you were trying to play," she said evenly, "but coercing another student is a serious offense. The disciplinary committee and the student council will both be informed."
Miwara's face twisted between pain and panic. "You—you can't just—!"
"If you try anything else," Hachiman interrupted, his tone flat, "I'll make sure you get to practice swimming in a much smaller pool. With iron bars."
For a second, Miwara's eyes flicked toward Saki, who still stood frozen, pale and wide-eyed. Then toward Yukino, whose family name alone could crush his future. His breath came shallow. Finally, without another word, he turned and stumbled away.
Yukino exhaled quietly once he disappeared."Unbelievable," she murmured, lowering her phone. "To think things like this happen even in Sōbu High."
"Yeah," Hachiman said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Makes you wonder what the less 'prestigious' schools are like."
He looked after Miwara's retreating form — his gaze briefly narrowing, almost predatory. But then he shook his head."Anyway," he muttered, "that's one less headache for the day."
Saki stood silently, still processing what had just happened. Her lips trembled as she whispered, "Thank you… both of you."
Yukino's expression softened — only slightly. "You should be careful, Hayase-san. Some people mistake kindness for weakness."
Hachiman glanced away, shoving his hands in his pockets. "And maybe tell your friend Keita to work on his timing. Literally."
A flicker of a smile tugged at Saki's lips, fragile but real. "I… will."
The two Service Club members turned to leave, their silhouettes framed against the setting sun reflecting off the pool's rippling surface.
Unseen by anyone else, a faint, unnatural shimmer pulsed in Hachiman's eyes — a trace of something otherworldly, something that didn't belong in an ordinary high school day.
And far behind them, from the shadowed corridors of Sōbu High, new rumors began to stir.