Swimming Through Expectations

"Kouji-kun, do you often workout?"

The next day, PE class rolled around, and swimming lessons were the schedule for the day. Yakishio had asked me that while I was warming up. 

"Regularly," I replied, not bothering to lie. "Why do you ask?"

I had half-expected the question. Her perception of me seemed to have shifted recently—gone was the impression that I was "weird," replaced by one where I was at least approachable enough to strike a conversation with.

"Guess that explains it."

Her eyes drifted to my torso, and before I could react, her hand leisurely brushed over my stomach. It was such a bold act that it momentarily caught me off guard.

"They're really firm, huh?" she muttered, nodding approvingly. "is there something you're especially confident about, Kouji-kun? I won't take no for an answer!"

It seemed I'd underestimated her her lack of boundaries.

But I suppose it's time for me to be more open about my abilities. With how I acted for the past months, I wouldn't be surprised if my inconspicuous status was ruined at any moment. It wouldn't be wrong to reveal it early with a more peaceful method.

"I guess I can run pretty fast," I answered.

I was joking with that response, since she's in the Track Club and all, but it seemed that my tone didn't make it sound like a joke.

"Eh, really? Let me see your legs—oh, wow, they're not bad either," she said, crouching slightly for a better look. "I knew something was off during that race the other day... Kouji-kun, you weren't giving it your all, were you? We should have a serious match later!"

"When I feel like it, maybe."

"How about after school?"

"I'm not feeling like it, so, no."

"Oh, come on!"

"You two—"

A sharp voice interrupted us, and I turned to see Yanami approaching, a sullen look plastered on her face.

"Oh, Anna-chan!" Yakishio greeted her with her usual bright grin.

"Yo," I raised a hand lazily.

Yanami just scoffed. "Do you two realize what you're doing just now?"

"?"

Yakishio tilted her head, genuinely clueless. Then, she scanned her surroundings, quickly noticing that we were being stared by not just our classmates, but also our seniors who were using the pool together. Her lips twitched slightly.

"You two are acting like a couple or something—it's irritating," Yanami spat with a disgusted look.

I raised an eyebrow. "Why would that bother you?"

"Well, I hate seeing happy couples."

"Such a rotten personality..."

"Excuse me?! I don't wanna be told 'that' by some emotionally constipated guy!"

"Emotionally constipated? Big words for someone like you."

"I'm not stupid— stop treating me like one already."

"That's going to be incredibly hard but okay."

Yakishio just laughed at our exchange. Yanami cringed.

"Well, don't you think Kouji-kun has a nice body too, Anna-chan?"

"Huh?"

Yanami paused, and probably by reflex, starting to glance at my torso. I crossed my arms over my chest, which caused her to twitch her eyebrows.

"...Ayanokouji-kun, why does Lemon-chan get to touch you all over your body while I'm not allowed to even see them?"

"If you want to do the same, just say so—not that I'd allow it."

"Why would you think I'd want to?! And you're dodging my question...!"

"If you already know that, then drop it. I'm not gonna answer it anyway."

"Grr," she growls.

"Prez!" a sharp voice cut through our banter.

I took advantage of that to shift my attention and check on Basori, who had just exclaimed that while looking in a certain direction. Following her gaze, I realized what—or rather, who—had caught her attention.

Yanami and Yakishio immediately went very quiet as they also look towards the same direction.

By coincidence—or maybe poor scheduling—our class was sharing the pool with a second-year and third-year class that day. In the second-year, one particular student stood out—Hibari Hokobaru, the Student Council President.

Basori covered her nose as if trying to stop a nosebleed—wait, no, she actually had a nosebleed.

"Is she okay?" I mumbled, watching her stumble toward the bleachers in search of tissues.

"Basori-san is kind of... odd, huh?" Yanami said hesitantly while watching the scene unfold.

Yakishio nodded, her expression unusually neutral. "Basori-chan really looks up to her. Like, a lot."

I watched Basori stuffing her nose with tissues.

Hokobaru-senpai, meanwhile, walked toward the pool with a presence that simply commanded attention. Even in a standard-issue school swimsuit, she carried herself with such poise and elegance that it was impossible not to notice her. She carried herself with elegance and confidence with every step she took.

"But Hokobaru-senpai is amazing, right?" Yakishio commented, clearly in awe.

Yanami frowned, mumbling, "She's too uptight for my taste."

Around us, the murmurs of admiration grew louder. Even the upperclassmen couldn't seem to ignore her presence.

To be fair, Hokobaru-senpai did have a commanding aura. I remembered her speech during the opening ceremony—poised, articulate, and legitimately inspiring. She fit the role of President perfectly—in addition to that, that makes me curious about how competent she is up close. Maybe joining a student council club wouldn't be a bad idea.

"All right, gather up!"

Takanashi-sensei's booming voice pulled everyone out of their Hokobaru-induced daze.

Takanashi-sensei was a muscular guy who was better cut out to be a bodybuilder than a teacher. He looked like he could snap someone's spine easily, if sufficiently provoked. And, from the looks of it, he was somewhere in his fifties—an age where, statistically speaking, he wouldn't be around much longer in this world.

"Listen up!" Takanashi-sensei shouted, his voice echoing across the pool area. "For certain reasons, I'll be in charge of all three classes today. This is going to be a great opportunity for a competition between the years. Consider it a memorable event before summer break begins!"

"Yeah!" Yakishio cheered alongside many others.

"Ugh," Yanami groaned, clearly uninterested. "I hate competitions."

"Don't be like that, Anna-chan—you can use this time to lose that extra weight!"

"I— I don't have extra weight!"

"Not when you're eating like a bear that was about to hibernate," I said.

"Wha—?!"

"Be quiet, three of you!" Takanashi-sensei yelled, shutting us up instantly.

Aside from Yanami's obvious distaste, most of the students seemed on board with the idea. This school wasn't exactly filled with underachievers. Elite institutions like this one were naturally populated with top-tier students—or so the brochures claimed. Yanami, though, was the kind of student who made you wonder if some cracks in the system had been greased with money.

As for me, I had no plans to stand out. I'd do what I always did: hold back just enough to stay unnoticed. That was the plan, anyway.

"Ayanokouji."

"?"

I blinked, looking up at Takanashi-sensei. He was staring directly at me.

"What is it, sensei?"

"Don't try to hold back."

"...?"

The words didn't register at first. Everyone else seemed equally confused. Takanashi-sensei didn't leave us hanging for long.

"You think I don't notice?" he said, voice low but cutting. "I'm not blind, Ayanokouji. I've been watching. You're the only one in my class who doesn't even bother trying."

"Trying what?" I asked, feigning ignorance.

"Don't play dumb with me. Even your classmates can tell something's off about you—and they're not even paying close attention. I'm a teacher. I observe. And I've seen enough to know you're holding back."

I stayed silent, but his words didn't stop there.

"No matter your reasons, if you refuse to even be taught, then there's no point in you being going to school in the first place."

Refusing to be taught? I could only think of how laughable that statement was. What could Takanashi-sensei possibly teach me?

It wasn't hard to understand where Takanashi-sensei was coming from, though.

The thing was, I hadn't gone out of my way to hide the fact that I was holding back. I hadn't bothered with any elaborate schemes or feints—it was just indifference, plain and simple.

There were reasons, of course. My enrollment here wasn't entirely my decision. That man had his own goals, and so did I, to some extent. For now, I'd been granted enough freedom to do as I pleased.

One of those goals, though, required me to eventually show my abilities. Whether I liked it or not, there'd come a time when holding back wouldn't be an option anymore. That's partly the reason on why I hadn't put much effort into concealing it. I wasn't interested in anything flashy or dramatic revelations. I was only thinking about how to leverage the moment for something more worthwhile.

"I understand. I'll go all out this time," I said, bowing slightly.

Of course, that was a lie. Going all out wasn't worth the trouble it would bring. The attention, the questions, the expectations—it would strip away the freedom I valued.

Still, I could at least pretend.

"Good." Takanashi-sensei nodded, satisfied. "Show me, then—Ayanokouji, Nagumo, and Horikita, you'll take lanes one through three. Yakishio, Hokobaru, and Yuki, lanes four through six. The results will be split by gender, but you'll race together to save time. Each of you, pick someone to time you."

The air shifted immediately. Whispers rippled through the class, and I caught a few glances thrown my way.

"What's with the sudden spotlight on you, Kouji-kun?" Yakishio leaned closer, her voice low.

"Don't you already know?"

"Uh, the whole holding back thingy? Yeah, but why'd you do that?"

"It's a bit embarrassing to explain, so I won't tell you."

"Oh, figured..."

I knew my classmates had always found me odd until recently—partly because of how blatantly I held back, though they don't have the specific suspicions like Takanashi-sensei. 

Now that I thought about it, the shift in perception had only begun a week ago, starting with Yanami, to Basori, and currently Yakishio. They were all active students, the kind others naturally paid attention to. My involvement with them must've painted me in a different light.

I'd anticipated some sort of outcome like this, though not this specific—or this favorable. Honestly, it felt more like luck than anything else.

Shrugging off the thought, I scanned the crowd for someone to time me. Yanami was the first person to meet my gaze, so I immediately turned away.

"Basori, could you time me?"

"Huh? M-Me? Uh, sure. I don't mind."

"Thanks."

Without waiting for a response, I moved toward my designated lane.

To my right, in lane two, stood a blond guy with a smug grin plastered on his face. Frankly, he looked like the type who'd pick a fight just for fun.

"Heh, I've never seen Takanashi-sensei like that," he said, chuckling as his eyes flicked toward me. "Ayanokouji, right? I'm expecting a good match."

"The feeling's mutual, Nagumo-senpai," I replied evenly, turning my attention to lane three. "And you as well, Horikita-senpai."

Horikita nodded silently, his expression as stoic as ever.

I sighed inwardly, my gaze shifting to the small crowd gathering to watch.

...I guess I should win this one—it might help to acquire some useful connections.

—spoiler; I win.