Chapter 6 - Glimpse of recognition

"Do you know who I am?" he calmly asked.

"Yes."

"Do you know what I'm capable of?"

"I know."

"Then tell me, who sent you here?"

The one "who" sent me? To be honest, I wasn't sure about the answer myself. Before I knew anything I woke up inside a bus, and started living my life inside a psychological novel.

I could've been genuinely reincarnated inside the novel, or worse, a post-accidental vegetative state, laxly dreaming about everyday events. In any case both of them were just theories at best. None of them had any concrete evidence to reach a viable conclusion.

However, hypothetically if I was actually reincarnated, then there would be no doubt that the "who" person was related to my current situation, one way or another. And the only "who" I could think of was "the creator", the one who created me. If that was the case, then it was all thanks his whims, which landed me inside this novel.

I could've told him all about the truth. But thinking about it from a rational point of view, Ayanokouji was not insane enough to actually believe my story. To avert the topic was my only logical option.

"If you want me to answer that question, then I'd have to disappoint you."

I took a long pause before continuing.

"However, I will confirm one of your doubts. I wasn't sent here by 'that man', nor was I sent here to extract you back to the white room."

"...."

I looked towards the crowd, the girls were getting ready to swim. Even from a faraway distance, I could hear the crowd screaming Kushida's name. The competition between the girls was about to begin.

"Can you guess why I'm telling you all this, Ayanokouji?"

Ayanokouji also pondered while staring at the same direction.

"I wonder what..."

"Hey, look, Horikita's about to swim. Who do you think will win that match?"

You're not going to get anything from me unless you ask for it.

"Why did you expose yourself, Levent?"

Glad that you asked.

"Simple. I'm doing this to make friends, of course."

"...."

He went silent. I mean, who wouldn't be? It was an answer no one would expect.

"Was that supposed to be a joke?"

"Does it seem that way? In that case let me clarify. I want you to see me as an ally."

"You want me to see you as an ally?"

It didn't even dawn to him that such unexpected questions could be asked, to him out of all people.

"But knowing you, you're the type of person who would stab the patient before believing that they were actually dying."

"That's a sickening way to explain someone's personality, even for me. Not to mention exaggerating."

"Is it? I'm sorry, I guess. Let's get back to issue at hand. The point I'm trying to make is that, I'm not trying to be your enemy. That's all."

"Hmm."

Not convinced? Well, I guess I'll add the element of "foil" to the scenario.

"A word of advice. I suggest you listen to me carefully."

"Is that so? Then, I'm all ears."

"In that case, listen..." I went to his ears and whispered what I had in mind.

He did not show it, but he was undoubtedly surprised when my words got to his ears.

"How did you get that information?"

"I have my ways. If you don't believe me, you can just wait for it to happen, no?"

"How do I know if that information is correct?"

"Listen, at this point it's completely up to you whether you should trust me or not. I only told you what I had planned to tell you."

I got up from the floor, started walking towards the pool again.

"Then, I guess I'll see you..."

Seemingly Ayanokouji did the same. But before I reached the pool however, he asked...

"I have one question."

My plan was going exactly the way I intended.

"Ask."

"What is your modus operandi?"

I turned back towards him, looked straight at the spiral point of his forehead and asked...

"Do you want me to lie or do you want me to give you an honest answer? Which one do you prefer?"

"The honest answer would be much appreciated." he replied without thinking twice.

"In that case my answer will be... that I want to see class D grow up to the fullest extent of their potentials."

That was the direction I wanted it to go from the very moment I had read the novel.

I wanted to see everyone grow up to be the best versions of themselves.

I wanted see a classroom full of defects turning into the best class of the entire school.

I wanted to directly help them shape up by my hands.

Because now, I had something to do other than reading how it was originally written. It was my turn to write the story however I wanted.

"Is that the truth?"

"Maybe."

"Heeeeh...?"

And so it seemed like I was the only person he couldn't get a read on.

"Is that all you wanted to ask?" his nod replied in negative.

"I have one more question."

"Feel free to ask."

"Then, I'll ask this. Who are you, Levent?"

Who am I? Well...

"A mystery. Let's just leave it at that."

I was not keen on intentionally revealing my information, no matter how much pressure he were to put on me. I would not budge unless I wanted to.

But it was time to make a decision. I raised my right hand towards him, suggested a handshake.

"I will ask you this only once. Ayanokouji, let's work together, for the sake of a better future.

You have two options. One, you can deny this alliance and be neglected from my assistance alongside the information I have, thus end up being all by yourself.

Or two, you will accept this alliance and receive my complete assistance. I will provide you necessary informations when needed, which will undoubtedly give you the upper hand at most cases. Besides, I am trust worthy, I can promise you that.

Now it's your call."

For the next few seconds, he kept staring at my hand, leaving me hanging awkwardly. But I didn't mind. After all, in the end, he would inevitably take my hand. He had no choice but to do so.

All I had to do, was to give him a slight push...

"I guess I will take your silence as the answer. In that case..."

"Hold on. I will accept your alliance."

He shook hands with me. My plan went exactly the way I intended.

"Ayanokouji, I know that this was a forcefully made alliance. But believe me, you will not regret making this decision. This is for the best, for both you and me."

"I hope that's the case."

Don't worry. Because I have intel about something much bigger that one could only dream of having.

In the end we both walked towards the pool after the girls competition was over.

[Psychological theory: Looking at the middle of the forehead supposedly throws off your opponent.]

_____________________________________________________

I'd given up on trying to get first place from the very beginning. After all, I wasn't a 'masterpiece boy' like a certain individual. The supplementary lessons seemed like a pain so I had to try my best.

I was assigned to my spot and placed in the third lane, while Ayanokouji was in the second, right next to me. It was impossible to even hope to match his pace if he took things seriously, but I didn't want to give up without trying. My competitive spirit went ablaze inside me.

"I have a request."

Ayanokouji looked at me with his usual look.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Don't hold back."

"Hmm?"

It wasn't me trying to sound cool, it was a nervously excited me who was burning with passion. I wanted to see him taking something seriously for once. I wanted to test the extent of his true strength.

He thought about something to himself for a second. When he was finally done with making a decision, he spoke....

"In that case, I also have a request."

"Let's hear it."

"Swim with everything you have." didn't he say something like that to Manabu?

Ayanokouji genuinely respected Horikita Manabu. For whom he went as far as to expose himself in front of the entire student body. If he was doing the same thing for me, then, maybe...

Maybe I'll actually be able to make him take things seriously.

"Trust me, I will."

After all, I didn't have any reason to hold back either.

Fluut!!!

The teacher blew the whistle as I launched myself into the pool. I threw my left hand, then the right hand, then left again, slicing through the water like a knife running through a block of butter, all while continuously moving my legs. A repetitive process all swimmers naturally do. Swimming was easy as that.

I knew how to swim, I had previously competed with my early peers too. That was exactly why I was painfully aware of my skills on this particular sector. The fact is, I was only slightly above average and nothing more than that.

But by no means was I agonizing over that fact. I was a human like everyone, it was only natural for me to have things I'm not good at. I was perfectly content with my skills.

However, now, my body... somehow it feels lighter than it used to? What happened to me?

I tried to look on my left. No one....

I looked on my right. No one....

Had the other's already pass me? Was I that slow compared to the others?

Thud!

My thoughts came to a standstill when I headbutted against the wall on the other side of the pool, with maximum velocity.

I would be lying if I said it didn't hurt. In fact, it hurt like hell.

While rubbing the point where I hit the wall, I stood up to check the situation.

Everyone, even the teacher, was staring at me, as if I was some extraterrestrial being. Judging by the fact that everyone was silent, I came to a deductive conclusion.

"So I guess I was the last one to finish, huh? Do I really have to take the supplementary lessons?" I mumbled to myself.

"Levent, you're quite fast, aren't you?" Yukimura asked.

"Wait, what?"

I looked back, Ayanokouji was floating right behind me. Following him came Sudou, then the others.

"Eh?" I mumbled in disbelief.

"Sensei, can you tell us the time?" Onodera calmly asked the teacher.

"Ah, right. 22.96 seconds." after announcing the time, the teacher reflexively looked twice at the stopwatch.

Wait, did he say 22.96 seconds?

"Whoa! Levent! What're you, a monster? 22 seconds! That's insane!" Ike screamed.

"Yo, Levent! What the hell was that! You were swimming like an actual frickin' fish! Next time I'm gonna beat you I tell ya! You better get ready!" Sudou was fired up.

Ayanokouji finished in 23.62 seconds, while Sudou was slightly slower, with a time of 25.6 seconds. Seemingly, my accomplishment outshadowed Ayanokouji's monstrous speed, for which no one questioned him. Something tells me he intentionally held himself back for this.

That snake...

But there was something I didn't understand. I thought that I was a perfectly average swimmer. That there wouldn't be any issue if I went all out. I was almost a hundred percent confident about the fact that I'm not a swimming prodigy like Onodera. Then...

What in the world did I do to get that number?

I got out of the pool, my head still in pain. When I was rubbing my head while thinking about my life choices, it seemed to look like I was brushing the water off from my hair in a stylish way, to the girls that is.

"Hey, look at Levent. He's pretty hot, don't you think?"

"Right? I mean look at his muscles."

"I wonder if he works out."

"I wonder if he has a girlfriend~"

"Kya~"

"Quiet! He's gonna hear you!"

Unfortunately, they were being too 'audacious' for me to 'not' overhear their conversation. Never had I ever thought that I would be the kind of person girls would gossip about. It only took me one race to get their attention. How easy can a high school girl be?

Sigh.

"I didn't hold back by the way." Ayanokouji appeared from behind.

I glared at Ayanokouji with the glariest of glares.

"Why are you giving me that face?" he deadpanned while slowly backing away. I immediately caught him by his shoulders.

"I swear I'm going to sign a contract with 'that man' first thing tomorrow."

"....."

That moment he knew that I knew that he had held back and that there was no other place to hide.

"I'm sorry. I really didn't think you'd be that fast."

"So you do admit of holding yourself back, huh?"

"Sorry about that."

Sigh.

In any case, it was no mystery that my newly attained body was the reason behind my miscalculation.

We got out of the pool and waited for the next team to compete.

_______________________________________________________

The teacher blew the whistle, Hirata dove into the pool with beautiful form. Every time Hirata's arms cut through the water, the girls cheered by the side of the pool.

"He's surprisingly fast," Ayanokouji commented.

"As expected from someone who's from the soccer club."

It wasn't a surprise that Hirata was a fast swimmer. By playing soccer, Hirata had enhanced both his agility and stamina, both of which are essential for swimming. With a good foot movement and a perfect swimming form, Hirata was easily dominating the match and thus shot for the first place. The entire pool was filled with deafening screams.

"Sensei, what was his time?" asked Ike, impatiently.

"Hirata's time was...27.83 seconds."

"Fwahaha! It's nowhere close to Levent!"

"Alright! You can do it, Levent! You can easily defeat this one right? Bring down the hammer of justice!"

"Ehhhh...?" the girls who were supporting Hirata, looked at me like I was a villain. What did I do to deserve such antagonization?

"Oi! Leave it to me. I'll destroy him and his popularity..." Sudou, words cannot describe how mesmerizing of a person you are, because those words totally destroyed your popularity, not Hirata's.

"Hirata-kun, you were so cool! You're not just good at soccer, you're really good at swimming! You can do it!" one girl cried.

"You think so? Thank you!" he said.

"I'm sure you can beat Levent-kun and the others like you did!" another girl said.

"No, show him who's better, Levent-kun!" a girl spoke on my behalf?

"Huh? No way! Hirata-kun is way better than Levent-kun!"

"Levent-kun is way cooler than you think."

Please, for the love of God, stop using honorifics for my name!

While Hirata's immense popularity was unbelievably frustrating, what was even more frustrating to me, was the fact that, my name was being thrown around like a verbal punching bag.

"Come on, girls, knock it off. Please don't fight for me. I belong to everyone. I want to be everyone's friend. Besides, Levent-kun is better at swimming than me. What wrong did he do to receive such mean comments?"

Hirata, being a gentleman, saved me from being the enemy of all women. Well, a part of them. Apparently now I had a fan club dedicated to me. How exciting.

When things couldn't get weird enough, Kouenji entered the scene, wearing the thinnest swimwear ever.

"Hey. Uh, why is Kouenji wearing a speedo?"

"Wh-what?"

Kouenji being a bold champion was not a surprise to me. His underwear brief made it impossible 'not' to look directly at his 'T-Rex'. The girls looked away immediately while making a disgusted face.

However, in the third race, all eyes were on Kouenji. The stance he took at the starting line was just like an athlete's. The form and the posture made his bodily features known to everyone. Before he raced, he turned towards me and said....

"It seems there are some of you who can actually swim. Levent-boy, Ayanokouji-boy, prepare yourself to be impressed with a perfect performance by a perfect existence such as myself."

"Ayanokouji... boy?" Ayanokouji muttered to himself.

"Please do." I whispered to no one in particular.

As the whistle blew, Kouenji dove into the pool with textbook form.

"Whoa! Wow!"

Sudou and everyone shouted in response to Kouenji's unexpectedly aggressive swimming. Hirata also stared in apparent amazement. Kouenji splashed fiercely as he swam, but it didn't slow his incredible speed

"22.53 seconds?"

"W-what? 22.53 second! That's even faster than Levent?" Ike crowed.

As expected from Kouenji.

"My abdominal muscles, back muscles, and psoas major muscle seem to be in good shape, as usual. Not a bad performance, don't you think?" Kouenji said looking at us.

I nodded as a reply.

After getting out of the pool, he smirked and swept his hair up. He wasn't short of breath at all. It was as if he hadn't even swum in the first place.

"I'm fired up!" Sudou was blazing, his competitive spirit flared, so did mine. The final race was decided to be against the best of the best. Of course, I was also among them.

"I'm really looking forward to this! Sudou-kun, Ayanokouji-kun, Kouejin-kun, Hirata-kun, all of them are so fast!"

"Hm? Oh, yeah, right."

Kushida suddenly appeared from my back.

"Hmm? What's the matter? Your face looks red for some reason. Are you not feeling well, by chance?" pretty sure I was not blushing.

"My face? I don't think I have a fever though. Maybe it's because of the chlorine?"

"Oh? Is that so? By any chance, are you allergic to chlorine?"

"I sure hope not. By the way, you swim really fast don't you?"

"Well, I'm not as fast as you, Aozaki-kun. Were you perhaps in a swimming club back in middle school?"

"No, I've never been in a club."

"Oh, I see.."

"One more thing, I'd appreciate it if you stopped using that name. It makes me feel uncomfortable."

"Ah, I'm sorry about that. So, Levent-kun?"

"It was better, but try to drop the honorifics, can you?"

"Then, Levent-san?"

That was even worse.

"Just Levent. But if you're uncomfortable with that then you can just call me by whatever you want." though I'd much rather you not using that name.

"Alright. But I also have a condition, Levent-kun." she couldn't drop it.

"Condition?"

"You'll have call me Kikyou too. You know, if we're both using our given names, then it wouldn't sound awkward anymore, no?"

Kushida... blushed?

No, she was probably faking it. Romance wasn't a thing she would be interested at. There was something else at play.

Obviously, she was scheming something. As I had unintentionally raised my popularity, it was a possibility that she was merely orbiting around me for clout. In that case, I'll humor her...

"Kikyou, huh? Alright, I'll call you that."

"Yay, let's be best of friends, Levent-kun."

"Sure. Well then, I'll have to excuse myself, Kikyou."

"Good luck!"

Somehow I managed to get close to a two faced snake that day. I needed to tame her while she was easy to tame, otherwise she would most likely become the biggest thorn in the way. I knew exactly what I needed to do...

After leaving 'Kikyo', I took my place in the fourth lane, alongside Hirata and Ayanokouji.

For the thousandth time, I glared at Ayanokouji. This time he nodded in defeat. Good.

"Hirata-kun! Do your best!" most of the girls cheered for Hirata.

"Go get em, Ken!" Ike cheered for Sudou.

"Go Levent! Beat that piece of s- ikeman" the worst person to ever exist inside this novel cheered for me.

There is a rule that prohibits you from saying such words, Yamauchi!

"Everyone's excited huh, Levent-kun?"

"Don't mind them, Hirata. They're not on their right mind. Just focus on the race."

"Right. Let's not hold ourselves back."

"Let's goo!!!" Sudou screamed.

"You kids ready? Well then, let's begin!" the teacher said.

As he was putting the whistle in his mouth, I looked forward and took my stance.

"Ayanokouji, don't hold back, this time for real." I said to Ayanokouji.

"Don't worry, this time I don't plan on holding back either." he replied.

In that case, the race was going to be much much more interesting.

3

2

1

fluut!!!

_____________________________________________________

"Tie? How's that possible?" Sudou screamed.

Ayanokouji and I, apparently the both of us were tied for the first place.

"Well, it was hard to see who came here first. Both of them were really fast you know."

"But man, 21.06 seconds! That's so close to the world record!"

"Those two are monsters I tell you!"

"As expected from Levent-kun!"

The both of us sat there, quietly as the students bombarded us with questions.

Ayanokouji gave me a glace, his face screamed "Are you happy now?".

To be honest, yes. I was more than happy.

"Everyone the PE period has ended. As there are no clear victors, it's decided that the first place will be decided via lottery." the teacher announced. But I had planned for something else entirely.

"Sensei, if I may, can we decide this with a game of rock-paper-scissors?"

"Rock-paper-scissors? Well, I guess there shouldn't be any problem if you wanted to do that."

"Thank you."

I looked straight at him, while making a fist.

"Well..."

He sighed and proceeded to form a fist.

"Let's do it."

"Ho? This is going to be interesting~!"

Everyone gathered around us as we formed our fists together. It was a match that decided who was better than who. Silence filled the air, everyone waiting for the game to begin. But first...

"Ayanokouji, what color of underwear is Horikita currently wearing?"

This will be the beginning of something unbelievably reckless.

"Wha-?" Horikita was flabbergasted.

"White"

"What are you two talking about?!"

"Fufufu..."

Everyone around us was snickering while Horikita turned red in rage.

Sorry Horikita, but that was a necessary sacrifice.

"Rock paper scissors, shoot."

I threw scissors while Ayanokouji threw paper.

I won.

"Whoa! Levent won!" everyone inside the room shouted.

"Okay."

"Congratulations, Levent-kun. You're the winner of this competition. Like I mentioned, you'll receive 5000 private points for coming first." he probably mentioned it when I was away from the pool, negotiating with Ayanokouji.

"Thank you, sensei."

After that, the chaotic pool class ended and we went back to our own respective lives. I could finally go back to my room and sleep.

"Aozaki-kun, got a minute?"

Eek!

I looked back. It was to my horror that Horikita was standing right behind me with a devilish look on her face, with an NT cutter on her right hand.

Where in the hell did she get that?

"Nope, I'm sorry." Unlike Ayanokouji, I didn't just stand there yo accept my fate. Instead, I rushed outside without wasting a single second.

"Wait just a minute, Aozaki-kun. I have a really interesting topic to talk about. I'm sure you'd love to hear about it." Horikita chased me while making a gesture with the NT cutter.

"We'll talk about that on the phone."

"No, it's something I want to talk about face to face."

"I said I'm sorry."

If she somehow managed to catch up to me, I would be stabbed.

...

I hope this plan goes flowingly...

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