Chapter 7 - Swimming

---Notice---

Its swimming lessons so of course I included pictures in this chapter lol, let me know what you think so far hope you enjoy.

Any support means a lot, and can hopefully get this story out there if you like it.

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"I keep six honest serving-men (They taught me all I knew); Their names are What and Why and When And How and Where and Who." ~Rudyard Kipling

"Light, anything new today? The past few days have been so dull; nothing's happened at all," Ryuk grumbled, munching on an apple.

"No, nothing new. I doubt anything major will happen until next month. Today is the first day of swimming lessons if that counts for anything," I responded, my tone steady.

"Great, a bunch of hormonal teenagers in their swimsuits, just what I needed," Ryuk retorted sarcastically.

Ignoring his comment, I exited my dorm room.

"You know, Light, if you want, I could sneak into the girls' changing room and snap a few pictures for you. I always forget you're just a teen, too. It must be so hard on you," Ryuk continued, clearly joking.

"Don't be an idiot. The day I'm desperate enough to use you to see some girls is the day I'll die," I responded just as the elevator came to a stop.

"Oh, it's you. Hey, Yagami,"

"Good morning, Ishizaki. You too, Albert. Are your injuries better?" I asked Albert, who simply nodded; he had recently been caught off guard by Ryuen on a staircase. His balance wasn't the greatest, causing him to fall and take quite a beating from Ryuen. Albert didn't say anything about what really happened to him until he got back from the infirmary. He wasn't a very vocal person, but most of the class guessed he was defeated by how Ryuen had been acting lately.

Now, Albert seemed pretty loyal to Ryuen. I wondered if he also respected Ryuen in some way, maybe because of his persistence. I also got along with Albert quite well. I visited him in the infirmary often and consistently brought him notes while he was injured to help the class and gain Albert's trust. I didn't want Ryuen to have complete control over someone who could likely beat me to a pulp in seconds.

"This sucks, you know—this whole school thing. You can't even skip classes with the system they have in place," Ishizaki grumbled as the elevator doors opened to the lobby floor.

"Well, look on the bright side. It's just swimming lessons first period. It'll probably be fun."

"Yeah, I guess it can't be that bad," Ishizaki responded as we stepped out of the elevator and into the lobby.

"There you are," Manabe said, rising from a seat in the lobby where students socialize close to the elevator.

"Sorry, was I supposed to meet you here?" I asked her.

"No, I was just waiting for you," Manabe responded.

"I see. You could've sent me a message."

"No, I really just got here. I was waiting for you or one of the girls to come down. You just happened to be first," Manabe responded, looking away from me as she did.

"I see. Then let's get going," I said, and she moved forward.

As we exited the dorm building, Manabe spoke up, "We're supposed to go out today, like you said a couple of days ago," she said, causing Albert and Ishizaki to look over.

"Don't worry, I remember," I responded.

Manabe nodded her head and began to use her phone.

In a matter of minutes, the four of us arrived at the swimming area. The pool was Olympic-sized impressively well-kept.

"Yagami, are you good at swimming?" Ishizaki inquired.

"I used to be. I haven't competed in a while, though. What about you guys?" I asked casually.

"I'm average," Albert responded briefly.

"Eh, I'm not the best, but I can manage," Ishizaki admitted.

"I was part of my old school's swim team. My parents insisted on me doing an extracurricular. I was pretty good," Manabe chimed in.

"Is that why you have short hair and wear hair clips? Are you planning to join the swim team here?" I asked.

"Yeah, partly. My hair has grown a bit since I was on the swim team, so I use the clips to keep it from moving too much. It bothers me. As for joining a team or club, I'm not sure yet," she explained. I simply nodded in response.

We quickly split up into the locker rooms. No one in the class was shy about changing in front of others. It wasn't something I was used to, but I followed suit.

"How's everything going?" Ryuen asked me as I was changing.

"I don't much to say; as you can imagine, this month is pretty simple," I responded.

"That's true, but I'm sure you're planning something for before the start of next month. You've been quite busy these past few months," Ryuen observed.

"Ah, so you noticed? It's true, I applied for the student council," I confirmed.

"Oh? Interesting. But I heard the student council only holds interviews for those they deem deserving. Have you actually earned an interview? I heard the student president is quite selective," Ryuen probed.

"Earned an interview? Not exactly. I sent in an application to join and heard rumors of others who had done the same. No one has earned an interview. It seems, in the eyes of President Horikita, the New Years are all equally worthless. The reason I've been busy is because I was essentially forcing my way into a meeting with the student council president," I explained.

"Interesting. I've heard it's not easy to secure a meeting with the president. How did you manage that?" Ryuen asked, his curiosity piqued.

"People tend to exaggerate. It wasn't that difficult, just a bit tedious. I simply filed a report against every member of the student council for simple things like sexual harassment, assault, embezzlement, and abuse of power, excluding Manabu Horikita himself. That way, he would have to be the one to address and accept my report," I responded, my tone steady.

In the end, I was sure to get a hearing, at the least. The student council would have no choice but to respond in some way to my reports. Ignoring them might validate my claims of ongoing corruption in the council. So, even if my claims aren't meant to go far, I was confident they would at least catch the president's attention.

"Oh, so that's why it seemed like you were studying more than usual. You were actually filing reports," Ryuk chimed in, his voice filled with amusement.

At my words, Ryuen turned to look at me, his expression unreadable.

"HAHAHA," he burst into laughter, "You're insane, you know that? Why would you even do that? Are you that interested in joining the student council?"

"I'd like to join, but I'm also just interested in the student council itself. Think about it: from what I've heard, the student council accepts two new first years each year. But this year, they deemed us a group of incompetents, not even conducting one interview a week after initial applications. I find it hard to believe that last year's first years or our seniors were that much more talented than even the likes of someone like you and me."

"So what are you saying? That the student council president is purposely ignoring the first years?" Ryuen asked, his tone serious.

"Yes, something along those lines," I responded, noticing the empty locker room, "But we can go over the details some other time. It seems like it's time for class," I said, and we walked out to leave the locker room.

As we exited the locker room, it was clear that everyone else had already changed.

Upon stepping outside and catching sight of the girls, Ryuen couldn't resist letting out a whistle.

"There's no need to provoke them like that," I remarked, observing some of the girls hastily covering themselves.

On a side note, whoever is responsible for the selection of these swimsuits for the females should be put on a list. If not for their plain design, few would mistake them for school swimsuits.

Ryuen retorted, "I'm just messing with them; it's just funny to see how annoyed they get. It seems you don't share this issue, though." As he spoke, Manabe and Ibuki approached us, followed shortly by Ishizaki and Albert.

"You two sure took your time," Ibuki noted, given that most of the girls had finished changing before we did.

"Ryuen and I were discussing something, which resulted in us taking a bit longer than necessary," I replied courteously.

"Whatever," she responded, crossing her arms.

Manabe hadn't uttered a word or made any significant movements since her arrival. She wasn't typically very vocal, but her silence was still peculiar.

"That swimsuit suits you well, Manabe," I complimented her.

"Oh, does it? Thank you, I suppose," Manabe responded, clearly pleased.

(Images)

"You know, they actually sell-" Ryuen began but was abruptly interrupted.

"An entire class of 40, huh? That's surprising but good. Listen up, everyone. Obviously, you will be swimming today. As your teacher, I'll ensure you'll all be swimming by summer," the PE teacher announced. His well-built physique made it clear that he was more than qualified to teach this class.

It appeared that his goal was to have us swimming by this summer, meaning we wouldn't be taking any more swimming lessons after that.

"Alright, now everyone into the water," the teacher instructed. No one admitted to not knowing how to swim, perhaps out of embarrassment, but those who didn't know were allowed to touch the bottom of the pool with their feet, making it evident.

We did a casual 50-meter swim so that the teacher could gauge our skill level.

"Who doesn't know how to swim? It's a basic survival skill. I mean, we live on an island, for god's sake," Ryuen commented, eyeing those who were touching the bottom of the pool with their feet.

Stepping out of the locker room, it was clear that everyone else had already gathered.

"Most of you seem capable of swimming, some even exceptionally so," the PE teacher announced, "How about a friendly competition? We'll split by gender and compete in a 50m freestyle. The first-place finisher will receive 5,000 points."

Incentives? This was the first time I'd seen an incentive being offered, which raised some questions.

"Sensei?" I called out to get the teacher's attention. Once I had it, I continued, "Don't you think 5,000 is a bit cheap?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" the teacher asked, looking confused.

"Will these points also be awarded to the first-place contender from other classes?" I queried.

The teacher paused for a moment, probably contemplating why I was asking such a question and how it related to my initial question. Still, he responded, "Yes, this incentive is offered to everyone."

"I see, and who is offering it?"

"Hehehe, I see where you're going with this, Light," Ryuk chuckled.

At this point, I had completely diverted the conversation away from whether the 5,000 points were too little. The teacher didn't seem to notice, or at least didn't understand why it mattered.

"Well, the school. The incentives are meant to encourage your education," the teacher explained.

"Interesting," Ryuen interjected with a smirk, "Mathematics, Japanese, English, Science, History, and other subjects that would be considered more valuable skills in a school than swimming, yet out of all these subjects, the school decides to include an incentive for our performance in our swimming class."

"Yes, exactly. It's quite strange. The school, for some reason, deems this class more important than our other classes. Sensei, you mentioned these lessons would end by summer, right? I assume you meant permanently. Is there a reason for that?" I asked.

The teacher seemed nervous. It was clear by now there were things teachers couldn't say, and this PE teacher wasn't used to being cornered. Mental battles weren't his specialty, after all.

"Sensei?" I asked once again.

"Ah, yes. It's obvious summer vacation starts in the summer. That's just how the schedule is built…" he responded, "No more questions. We're running low on time. It's time to swim instead."

"This is what we will do. Girls will swim first. The pool has 10 lanes, so there will be two races. The fastest overall time will win the 5,000 points for the girls," the teacher instructed, instantly dividing the girls into two groups.

"The teacher was definitely acting suspicious. There's way more to these lessons than I thought," Ryuen commented.

I nodded in agreement and responded, "Yes, for some reason, the school wants us to know how to swim, and it seems like it wants that specifically before summer."

"Who do you think will win the race?" Ishizaki asked from behind us.

Ryuen looked at me, curious about my response, "Ibuki will obviously win. Athletically, I don't think any of the girls can compete with her."

"I thought you were going to say your little girlfriend," Ryuen responded mockingly.

"I've never seen Manabe swim. While she doesn't seem to be athletically lacking and she claimed to have been part of a swim team, Ibuki seems physically superior," I responded. As the race started, both girls were in the same group.

And I was right. It was close, but Ibuki's time was 27 seconds while Manabe was right behind her at 28.

Ryuen observed, "That was a closer call than expected." I merely nodded in agreement. Training, I realized, obviously played a significant role in this, not just physical capabilities. However, I had no means of gauging Manabe's level of training.

As the second group of girls raced, none managed to surpass either Ibuki or Manabe's time.

After the race, all the girls gathered at the sidelines, having received advice from the teacher.

Manabe and Ibuki joined us on the sidelines. Manabe's disappointment was visible, so I decided not to mention the race.

"Alright, it's time for the first group of boys," announced the teacher, summoning half the boys.

Ishizaki, with a grin on his face, remarked, "Looks like the four of us will be in a group together."

The second group, which included me, Ryuen, Ishizaki, and Albert, seemed to possess the most athletic talent.

While stretching, Ryuen casually stated, "Well, we all know who's going to win anyway."

"I wouldn't be so sure," I countered. "I haven't swum in a while, but I got the hang of it during our warm-up. I might give you a run for your money."

At my words, Ryuen turned to look at me, as did several others. "I didn't take note of it earlier since you said you weren't trained to fight, but you do have an athletic build," Ryuen responded, to which everyone around me nodded in agreement.

"I've participated in numerous sports, some at a fairly high level. In terms of athletics, I wouldn't fall behind many," I replied.

Ryuen, with a smile, said, "This might be fun then."

Soon, the first group of boys finished their 50m race.

We all stepped up and entered the water, waiting for the teacher's signal. Then, we all raced. I quickly overtook eight of my nine competitors, but Ryuen and I were neck and neck for the lead. He was surprisingly fast, but I had no intention of losing.

Ryuen was larger than me, so he experienced more drag or resistance moving through the water. Even if he was stronger than me, there's such a thing as too much muscle. That resistance from his extra weight and his lack of flexibility due to those muscles would give me an advantage. Unless those muscles were packing an insane amount of power, his bulkiness would work against him. Either way, I was still capable of swimming faster than this.

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Like I said in the last chapter, We are almost getting to the good stuff. Let me know how you feel about everything so far.