Chapter 3

"My belly button's kinda dirty. I noticed it yesterday and dipped

one of my sis's cotton swabs in oil to scrape it out, but it turned red instead.

Does it look bad? Hey, Noto, does my belly button look gross?"

"No one's going to look at your belly button. More importantly, do

you think my armpit hair's long? Is it too thick? It's kind of sticking out

from the front even when I put my arms down, but what do you think? I

only cut off my nipple hairs with scissors. Takasu, let me take a quick look

at your armpit."

"Stop it. Neither of you look weird at all. And you can hide your

belly button and armpits, can't you? I've been worried about this lately

but…are my nipples kind of dark? If they get sunburned, do you think they

could get darker?"

Aaah…

They were lined up in a row: long-haired and flippant Haruta;

Noto with his black-framed glasses and a towel wrapped around

himself as he walked; and Ryuuji, the one with eyes that glinted like a beast

as he eyed his swimsuit-clad companions' nipples. He wasn't imagining

ripping them off—he was comparing their nipple colors to his.

They were at that age. They all had body issues.

"Agh, it looks cold…"

Before their appointment with the pool, they stood stock-still in front

of the line of showers.

And, of course, the showers were left on, spouting fresh water that

splattered their bare feet with a spray cold enough to give them

goosebumps. They had to go in it.

"Uuuuuuggghhhhhh! It's cold!"

After only two hours of sleep, the unforgivingly cold water felt like it

was piercing Ryuuji's skin. He frantically cracked his eyes to check on his

friends on either side of him.

"Basically, as long as your crotch is clean, it's fine, right? Isn't this

good enough?"

Haruta was trying his best to avoid the water as he opened his

swimsuit waist. He let the shower stream into his swimsuit and was wailing

about everything shrinking. Noto was on the other side of him.

"Eek, it's cold! Like, you know how in elementary school and stuff,

there would always be some kid who would pretend to be doing a religious

ritual under the shower?" He was beginning to wax nostalgic as his lips

turned blue. Then, next to him…

"Clear your mind of all worldly thoughts and the shower is nothing!

Nan-myo-horenn-gekyo-nan-myo!"

"Look! There's one even in high school!"

For some reason, the class representative Kitamura Yuusaku still had

his glasses on as he joined his hands together like a ninja beneath the

shower spray.

What an idiot, Ryuuji thought, staring from a distance at the person

who was supposedly his friend.

"Oh, your glasses!"

Kitamura's glasses were knocked off by the force of the shower. The

silly, austere priest fumbled after them as they washed toward the drain.

Does Taiga really like this guy?

It seemed the version of Kitamura the boys saw and the version of

Kitamura the girls saw were completely different.

"Yay, this feels great!"

"Oh, Maruo! Maruo! Show us your muscles!"

"My muscles? Like this?"

Kyaaah! The girls' cheers burst out like glitter underneath the harsh

blue summer sky.

"The weather's clear!"

"The water's surface is shining like waves!!!"

"It's summer!!!"

"Summer's heeeeeerrrrrre!!!"

"Only over there," Noto said.

"Yeah, it's cold here. Isn't June a little too early for the pool?" said

Haruta.

The three gloomy bench sitters, Noto, Haruta, and Ryuuji, were in

agreement. They watched the group of radiant girls who surrounded

Kitamura from the side of the pool, letting their pale-haired shins float as

they occasionally kicked and splashed. Everyone was mostly free to do

what they wanted during swim classes at the school, so no one cared

whether the students were swimming or sulking at the side of the pool.

At the edge of the boys' vision, the group of girls surrounding

Kitamura raised their voices in even brighter laughter. "Aren't his abs

amazing?!" "Yeah, they're amazing!" Apparently, they were. It may have

been because he was part of a sports club, but Kitamura's upper body was

amazingly taut even when seen from afar. He looked completely different

than he did in his uniform—in a good way. With his glasses off, his face

was handsome. Even when he squinted, unable to see, the long, tapered

shape of his eyes looked really great.

"Maruo, you look better without glasses! You should try contacts!"

Holding a beach ball and floating in the pool, Kihara Maya turned her

bright smile to Kitamura where he was by the poolside.

"I'm not wearing glasses today either, though," Noto said.

"Occasionally, I think I'm invisible to the girls. Like, am I even here? I

actually exist, right?"

"Isn't it good enough they don't avoid you because they're scared of

you?"

"Jeez, you two. Don't look like you're going to a funeral."

Sitting in the middle, Haruta wrapped his arms around their

shoulders. In front of the boys, directly in their line of sight was…

"Ah! You've really done it!"

"Nooo! It's freezing!"

A bursting laugh. The spattering spray. The girls' shouts of joy.

Maya, who was splashing water and laughing loudly, had her straight,

long hair up in a messy bun that day. The loose hair clinging to her neck

might have looked good. Her bathing suit was black. It was made to close at

the back of her neck, so her back was fully exposed. Her delicate shoulder

blades and the curve of her back shone like gold in the sunlight.

"Eighty-three points!" Noto said.

"Ah, that's dirty. Noto, you're already above eighty. Hmmm…eightyfive!" Haruta said.

"You two really like Kihara. I'd say seventy-seven points."

"Really? Well, kogal-style girls aren't your thing, Takasu."

"I'm just scared of them."

Ryuuji's friends agreed. From the outside, Ryuuji looked like the

scariest person there, but their friendship compensated for it.

Maya's friend, Kashii Nanako, came into view. "If you stop wearing

glasses, you wouldn't be Maruo-kun anymore," she said. "I think glasses

suit you."

She was another striking girl in class 2-C—one of the two forward

kickers at the front line. She was strolling around the poolside to stand close

to Kitamura.

"Huh, Kashii, you're not getting in?" Kitamura asked.

When the revered Kitamura, who was affectionately called Maruo by

the girls, addressed her, she shook her head elegantly.

"The teachers caught me slathering on sunscreen and told me not to

get in the water today," she said. "Guess I got unlucky."

Her loosely curled hair draped over her shoulders in a way that made

it obvious she had never intended on swimming. The moles around her

mouth were as sexy as ever. Compared to Maya, her figure traced a slightly

softer and plumper line, and her swimsuit, which was navy but nearly

purple, had shoulder straps that were tied into ribbons.

"I want those undone! Eighty-six!" said Noto.

"I do, too! Eighty-one!" added Haruta.

"I think those are probably sewn down so they look like they're tied.

But eighty-five," Ryuuji said.

The three of them nodded together and grinned. One of them had

eyes more dangerous than those of a lecher.

Then it happened.

"Oh, Ami-chan's here now! No way, that's super cute! You're sooo

thin!"

"Sorry, Maya-chan, I was having a bad hair day and ended up

running late~"

Haruta lurched forward without hesitation.

Noto suddenly put on his glasses, which had been wrapped up in his

towel.

Ryuuji leaned back, his expression doubtful.

"I'm glad, I love the pool!" Ami said. "It's my first time swimming

since becoming friends with everyone! That's special, right? I was really

looking forward to this!"

Ami, who had appeared at the poolside, stood slightly pigeon-toed

with her innocent, angelic smile on. She waved broadly at them with both

arms.

The swimsuit she bought the day before wrapped around her as if it

were part of her body. Every eye in the place was glued to her.

"I'm kind of getting really emotional!"

"She's like a living goddess!"

Haruta and Noto sneakily applauded. Only Ryuuji was uninterested,

remembering Ami's true nature and imagining what she must really be

thinking:

Hm hmmm! I'm super cute today, too! Now, bow down and worship

this angel! You have my permission, you peasants! Lick my shadow, it must

be a gourmet feast to you all! Mwa ha ha ha!

Of course, Ami's exterior showed none of that.

"Ahhh, I'm itching to swim!" she said. "I haven't been able to go to

the gym since I moved here! Maybe I'll give it my all and swim a lap!"

Graceful as a ballerina, she stretched her arms and legs and walked

toward the diving board, the center of attention.

"Ah! Hey, Ami, you have to warm up properly first!"

She lightly waved away the warning of her childhood friend with a,

"I know that, Yuusaku, you're too nosy."

"Uwaaah! She's so cool!" Haruta said.

Haruta's vocal admiration was warranted. Ami's form was

magnificent as she dove, slipping into the water. When they thought she

was about to resurface, she sped up. Her technique was perfect, and she

obviously knew what she was doing. Ami swam twenty-five meters in one

go. Then, she performed an incredibly beautiful, natural flip turn that was

magnificently compact. She swam a butterfly stroke on the way back.

Even Ryuuji was captivated as he watched. Her form was amazing,

and she was quick as a dolphin. Even the spray she splashed up sparkled

like jewels.

"Phah! Ahhh, my eyes hurt. I should have worn goggles."

As Ami surfaced, slightly out of breath, unanimous applause rose

from the class.

"Huh? What happened?"

Ami's large eyes opened wide as she tilted her head as if perplexed,

though she knew very well what the applause was for. "Huh?~ Really, stop

it, I'm so embarrassed~ I just used to swim every day at the gym, that's all~

You make me want to applaud all of you for being so kind~"

She clapped her hands lightly as she blushed, which, of course,

earned her more praise.

"That's so cute~"

"She's so kind~"

"She's like an angel~"

"No way, seriously! I'm glad I got to be in the same class as Ami-tan!

Right, Noto? Right, Takasu? Takasu, why do you look so out of it?"

"W-well…" said Ryuuji.

"The pool's really great!" said Noto.

With a broad smile, Noto began kicking and splashing. He got drops

of water on his glasses. Haruta and Ryuuji joined him.

"It's really great!"

"It's just great!"

Even they had finally been swept up by summer.

There really wasn't anything more fun than swimming class and the

pool.

They could see what types of figures the girls they knew had under

their uniforms. The skin on their chests, their inner thighs, their butts, their

underarms; everyone could equally, legally enjoy the sight during this one

time of the year. The school's swimming class was mostly just fun and

games, so they didn't have to worry about exams or grades or anything like

that. They could also spend the PE period like this. For most of the students,

this was their favorite period.

But, of course, there were girls other than Ami and Maya and

Nanako.

"Hmmm. Ten, ten, fifteen, twenty," Haruta said. "That group's pretty

dull. Come on, do a better job."

"Fifty-five, fifty-four. Hmmm…forty-eight," Noto said. "Why do

girls who are the same level of cuteness stick together? Well, I guess that

means they're all average."

Blind to their own shortcomings, they were sometimes scathing in

their critique.

"Hey, why is Koigakubo here? Isn't she an English instructor?"

Following Noto's gaze, Ryuuji saw their homeroom teacher.

Koigakubo Yuri (twenty-nine and single), in a tracksuit with a parasol,

gloves, a hat, and sunglasses—a full-spectrum UV protection outfit. She was

with a group of visiting girls, staring at the ruckus going on in the pool.

Haruta laughed slightly. "Yuri-chan's probably got her eye on that

Kuro-muscle."

The one with the ridiculous nickname was the single male gym

teacher (thirty-four years old, named Kuroma—Ryuuji didn't know his first

name) who Haruta indicated with his chin. Kuroma was sprawled by the

poolside and seemed to be devoting himself to tanning his Kuro-muscles.

And it did seem like Yuri was looking at that burly, glistening back.

Ryuuji sighed. "If I say she seems desperate, that'd sound kind of

pitiful."

"Of course it's pitiful," Haruta said. "According to the down-low,

Yuri-chan's birthday is in September. I heard she has a goal of dating for

one month, being engaged for one month, and registering her marriage in a

rush right before she turns thirty! Why is she worrying about that kind of

stuff? Like, it doesn't have to be Kuroma. If Yuri-chan asked me, I'd

probably date her."

"Koigakubo's desperate, and Haruta's delusional. Kinky! Takasu,

let's go swim a little."

"Don't say that! I'll swim, too."

Their skin was beginning to scorch, and it was a good time to cool

themselves, so the three boys dropped into the pool. It had seemed cold

until that point, but maybe because of their homeroom teacher's feverish

gaze, or maybe because of Ryuuji's stupid friends, the temperature now

seemed perfect.

"All right, let's have a showdown! We'll swim underwater over there!

The loser buys the juice!"

"All right, let's do it!"

"Then we're off now!"

Then, just as Ryuuji was about to submerge…

Betraying his friends, he let out all the air he had filled his lungs with.

"Phooow." He firmly grabbed the edge of the pool and didn't turn toward

his friends, who had started their underwater race. His eyes opened wide,

glinting with dangerous light. It wasn't that his drugs had worn off—she

had arrived. She had, unfortunately, arrived.

Nobody could possibly know what was going through Ryuuji's mind.

He had actually been searching for her all this while.

She's not here, he'd been thinking the whole time.

"Oh, Takasu-kuuun! How is it?! Is the water cold?!"

Minori jogged to the pool, her smile, a perfect complement to

midsummer, more dazzling than the sun.

"Minorin, don't run! My hair will come undone!" cried Taiga, who

was following her. She had secured her hair into two large buns above her

ears like a Chinese girl and was wearing a white parka over her swimsuit.

Taiga noticed Ryuuji and gave him a slight, offhanded nod. He returned her

nod and checked that the "goods" he had made overnight were functioning

smoothly.

But it wasn't the time to be doing that. Minori was smiling at Ryuuji.

She was sparkling and running toward him, waving her hand as if she were

moving in slow motion. Her hair was in a high ponytail. Her navy swimsuit

was old-school. He couldn't understand why she needed to diet—her waist

was perfectly cinched, and her swimsuit held up her voluminous chest.

It may have been because she was in a sports club, but her carefree

limbs were tanned. Her forearms and the skin below her knees (but above

her sock lines) were baked a slight golden brown.

"Aha ha ha ha! I'll run a quick lap around the pool and get my

stretching in! Just kidding!"

"Whoa!"

Minori ran in front of Ryuuji's enchanted, feverish gaze but suddenly

changed direction and dashed toward the pool. SPLASH! Still smiling, she

fell in face-first in a spray of water.

"M-Minorin!" Taiga gaped at Minori.

Splish. Minori's head emerged. "Aha ha ha ha haaa! It feels nice!"

Then, immediately, she waved at Ryuuji, who was in the pool beside her.

"Yo!"

She turned to Taiga. "Taiga, lend me a hand! I'm coming back out!"

"O-okay!"

"Just kidding!" Minori let go of Taiga's hand. Still posing like she

was about to climb over the edge of the pool, she dove in again back-first—

or rather, she fell in again. "Aha ha ha ha haaa!"

Like a submarine, she surfaced. As though she didn't mind that she'd

messed up her hair or anything else, she let out a loud, heartfelt laugh. Was

this really the same Minori who had been so embarrassed being in a

swimsuit the day before?

As if she'd read his mind, the soaked Minori gave Ryuuji a thumbsup.

"Yeah, Takasu-kun! I figured it out. If I get into the pool, nobody will

see my belly! So, I'm gonna swim! Ciao!"

With a rowdy front crawl, she was off.

"Wh-what was that?" Dumbfounded, Ryuuji watched her, then it hit

him: He'd only seen Minori in her swimsuit for two seconds. Because he

had been surprised by her sudden appearance, he could barely remember

those precious few moments.

"Oh no…"

"Don't make such a creepy face. You really are a perverted dog,

aren't you?"

Taiga, who had been left behind, plopped herself down on the side of

the pool, still in her parka.

"It's cold," she said sullenly, dipping her toes into the pool for one

second.

Ryuuji aimed and squirted water at that pouting face with his hands

"There!" He had developed this technique when he was in his sixth year of

elementary school: It was the super high-pressure Takasu-style water gun.

"Nya!" Taiga blinked several times and rubbed her wet face with her

parka sleeve. "Wh-what are you doing, you idiot?!"

"We're finally in the pool, don't look so bored."

"I'm fine! I hate the pool anyway!"

She smacked the water using her feet with a flop flop flop flop! A

towering column of water assaulted Ryuuji.

"Bwah, stop it!"

"There! That's payback for what you just did!"

How was that payback when she was just relaxed and sitting at the

side of the pool?

"Just watch!" Ryuuji forcefully flipped around toward Taiga and

swung his arms, trying to get her with the water.

Taiga quickly turned and avoided it.

"Oh, pleh!" Kitamura, who had at some point come to stand by

Taiga's back, was the one who got a face full of water. "It got up my nose!

What a shock! So you two were still horsing around?!"

The apple of Taiga's eye had made an appearance, half-naked, with a

body so taut the other boys were jealous. Without his glasses, he was so

handsome the nickname Maruo no longer applied.

Taiga pulled her parka hood over her head, cinching it until only her

nose was visible. She squirmed, embarrassed.

"T-Taiga?" Ryuuji stammered.

"Huh? What happened?" Kitamura asked. "Aisaka, that's you, right?

I don't have my glasses on, so I can't really see, but you're Aisaka-sized.

Why are you hiding your head? I was going to tell you your hair buns look

good, like mouse ears. Are you not feeling well?"

Happy that Kitamura seemed unable to see her movements, Taiga

squirmed to her heart's content.

"It's nothing, it's nothing." She repeated the words like an

incantation, and then, as the cherry on top, she made a remark that she'd

probably later regret, "Go away!"

"Huh?" Kitamura sounded sad. "What did I say? Why are you being

so cold? Takasu, if I did something, could you point it out to me?" He

furrowed his brows.

Taiga couldn't see him because of her hood.

From the pool, Ryuuji shrugged. "Beats me."

"It's fiiine! You can stop! I told you I'm fine!" Like a shark that had

had its fin cut off and was struggling on a ship deck, Taiga flailed until

Kitamura finally left.

"Daughhhhhhhhhhhh! I thought I was gonna die!" SPLASH! She

dunked her red, flushed face in the pool water.

"What're you doing?" Ryuuji asked. "You finally got a chance to talk

to him and you blew it. I don't want to hear you complain about it later."

"It's fiiine! Because, because, because…because I'm embarrassed!"

She scrubbed her face with water again! And again! Until her bangs

were drenched.

Taiga giggled. "He said I'm good-looking, right?"

"He didn't say you were good-looking. He said your hair looked

good."

"Good means good-looking. Hee hee."

"He also said he didn't have his glasses on and couldn't really see."

"He said I looked like a mouse. Mice are cute, right? Ho ho!"

Taiga lightly grasped each of her buns with her hands, one in the right

and one in the left, tilted her head, and smiled like a sleepy cat. Because she

had her hood on, her buns were undoing themselves. She didn't seem to

notice.

Ah. Ryuuji scratched his head. Even though it was summer and they

were finally in the pool, Taiga was still the same.

But, well, this is peaceful.

The water's surface glittered a vibrant blue, and the joyful voices of

his friends reverberated through the air.

The weather was clear, and there was no wind.

This is good. Ryuuji watched Taiga, who was worriedly touching her

bangs, and nodded. Days like this really are the best.

Taiga was laughing foolishly over Kitamura. Minori was somewhere

else cutting through the water like an alligator and scaring Maya and the

other girls who were playing with the beach ball. Kitamura was talking with

Kuro-muscle about something with the attendance records in hand. Taiga

had scared Haruta and Noto so they wouldn't come back. Their homeroom

teacher continued to feverishly watch Kuro-muscle. Come to think of it,

Ami was nowhere in sight.

Then…

"Oh my, Aisaka-san? So you're finally here? I thought maybe your

swimsuit was so disgracefully baggy you couldn't come out in front of

everyone."

There Ami was.

She wrung out her hair. She was dripping wet and smiling as if she

were in a sunscreen commercial. Her voice was sickeningly sweet.

The peaceful day was about to be disrupted by a vicious tiger versus

Chihuahua showdown. Ryuuji watched them unhappily.

"My swimsuit?" Taiga said. "What are you talking about? Are you

talking in your sleep? Are you dreaming right now?" Her demeanor had

made a complete transformation. She was composed; her gaze was cold as

she smiled, as if she hadn't been anguishing a moment ago.

"Oh, that's right," she continued. "There's an idiot saying stupid

things about my swimsuit. It's starting to get hot, so I guess I'll take off my

parka."

Taiga stood swiftly and slipped off the parka covering her slim body.

She haughtily thrust up her chin and puffed out her chest, her delicate

limbs exposed. Though she was short, she was perfectly proportioned with

no excess fat, like a delicate anime figure. The only thing hiding the

ferocious tiger's naked body was a thin swimsuit.

The pool went silent.

And then, Whoaaa. Their classmates' voices were like a rumble in

the earth.

Ami held her tongue as the class took in Taiga's ivory skin.

Like Ryuuji had until the day before, everyone must have assumed

the Palmtop Tiger was built like a child with a flat chest, desperately thin

and curve-less.

But behold.

"Ahhh, it'd be such a pain to get a sunburn because I'd turn red."

She lidded her eyes, her eyelashes dropping shadows on her cheeks

and hiding any anguish she might have felt. Taiga twisted so they could see

her waist and straight, limber back. Her long legs were crossed. She was

slender but had proper feminine curves. And those boobs.

A smirk that might have put him in jail slid over Ryuuji's face.

They were too perfect.

They weren't huge, but they definitely weren't small. They naturally

swelled from her swimsuit, like magnificent domes; one on the left and

another on the right. When Taiga casually and triumphantly turned her

body, they jiggled softly. Ryuuji called them "faux breast pads." He had

sewn the finest of masterpieces overnight.

He had taken pads from some of Yasuko's old clothes, layering them

as he cut them. He piled them on top each other to create a subtle gradation

and, stitch by stitch, had carefully and skillfully sewn them together with

flawless needlework that would put a pro to shame. There wasn't a single

lose thread, and they were held in place by invisible snaps. When Taiga

tried it on that morning in the early dawn, she had been so deeply moved by

the inhuman craftsmanship that she blushed. She swore she would

absolutely take it with her to her wedding.

"What? You've got a regular figure, that's no fun. Well, it's still all

wrong since it's miniaturized anyway," Ami muttered. Her true

maliciousness slipped onto her face for just a moment.

"You're stupid," Taiga said, then, turning her back to Ami, gave

Ryuuji a small fist pump. "We did it."

Ryuuji fist pumped back

The boys who had seen the photo from the year before began

whispering.

"It's amazing what one year will do."

"I can testify her boobs grew well."

"I'm definitely on Team Tiger."

Everyone had been thoroughly deceived.

Taiga was in a rare good mood. She smiled and sat by the pool once

again with her feet in the water.

"Ryuuji, show me how you did that thing earlier," she said. "That

squirt thing you just did. I'm going to do it to Minorin."

Ryuuji brought his hands together and showed her how to make the

water gun. "First you put your hands completely together, right? Then, you

just put them in the water and…"

"Like this?"

Taiga obediently put her hands together and stooped forward to put

them into the pool's water. Fooled you! Ryuuji thought as he aimed at her

face from close quarters.

"Like this."

Squirt. He covered her in water.

"Ufuh! Why you!"

She wiped her wet face with the back of her hand and glared at

Ryuuji.

"Fine," she said. "I'll do it back at you. Don't move. Stay right

there."

Taiga tried to mimic what Ryuuji had done and filled her hands with

water. She forcefully squeezed her hands to make a jet.

And splashed her own face.

"Upuh!"

She was a terrible klutz, and sometimes stupid, besides. Without

thinking, Ryuuji burst into laughter, and gaining audacity, he attacked her

again.

"Like this, like this! Why can't you do it?! It's like this!"

"No! Wait! Upuh! Ryuuji! You can't…habluh!"

Taiga tried desperately to avoid his attacks, but she couldn't open her

eyes or stand up. She frantically covered her face with her hands. For the

first time in his life, he had an advantage over Taiga.

"There, it's like this!"

His pride didn't last long.

"Hey! Don't bully Taiga!"

"Bwah!"

BAM! He was assaulted by a heavy blow that was like nothing he'd

ever felt before. Water shot down his nose and throat like bullets. It took

him several more seconds to realize it was being shot from Minori's hands,

and from quite far away, at that.

"Mwa ha ha ha! How's that? How's the power of the Kushieda

family's secret water gun that's been passed down over generations?!"

"H-how did you just do that?!" Ryuuji asked. "That hurt a lot!"

"I won't tell anyone who bullies Taiga!"

Minori flashed a peace sign and swam skillfully to the center of the

pool where the water was the deepest. This was par for the course for the

mad dog from Kanto. Well, no, not really. But anything that required a

strong arm or that had to do with sports really was her forte.

"Minorin, thanks for saving me!" Taiga smiled at her savior.

Her eyes sparkled, but Minori took one glance at Taiga and grinned.

"The fake boob squadron."

Leaving them with those words, she disappeared under water. Like an

alligator skimming beneath the surface, she cast a dubious shadow.

"Sh-she knew…"

"Of course Minorin would know."

The two stood still by the poolside, shivering. They felt the sudden

instinct to clasp each other's hands and stick close together.

Then, on the other side of the pool, BAM! A violent splash of water

rose up. They looked over in surprise.

"Ha ha ha ha! How's that?! Being all popular by yourself!"

"We question the disparity of the social classes!"

The high-pitched laughter came from Noto and Haruta, who were

poolside. Finally, Kitamura's face emerged from the water.

"Y-you guys!" He coughed. "Argh, damn it, I'm going to get you

back!"

With two sidestrokes, Kitamura, who Taiga had driven away, got out

of the pool and caught Noto, who was running away. Class representative or

not, he threw Noto from up high with a suplex.

"S-s-s-stop, my glasses, my glasses! Waaaaaahhhhhh!"

"This is the summer arrival DRRRRRRRRROP!"

He forcefully twisted himself, and, together, they dove backward into

the pool. A column of water spurted up.

Someone else nabbed Haruta. His arms and legs flailed as he was

forcefully lifted off his feet.

"Go, my cradle from hell!"

SPLASH! He was thrown into the pool.

"Now it's a party!"

"I'll throw you right in!"

The pool erupted in screams. People were pushed and fell in. Anyone

who tried to crawl out again was kicked back in.

"Stop stop sto… Nooo!" Nanako, who had been taking a graceful

afternoon nap, was hurled in at the other side.

A battle royale between the boys and girls had begun.

"Wah, wait! This is dangerous!" Ryuuji tried to get out of the pool

but was splashed by someone flailing past him. He stepped onto the ledge.

"Prey detected!"

"Let's go, softball alliance!"

"Huh? Wah, ahhh!"

On the right was Minori. On the left, Kitamura. The moment he

noticed them, they grabbed his arms and threw him backward into the pool.

Ryuuji struggled to get his face above the churning water.

"Ah, those guys! Cough, cough, cough!"

The softball alliance hurried to catch their next victim.

"What?! No way?! There's no way?!" Maya shrieked.

In front of Ryuuji, Taiga rolled around laughing. "Ahhh! Did you not

want to be thrown in?! At least Minorin touched you."

She happily looked down on Ryuuji. As expected of the Palmtop

Tiger, there wasn't a person in the class capable of throwing her into the

water.

"D-damn it! Would you rather I throw you?" Ryuuji asked.

Should I? he thought.

And that was when it happened.

"Just. Found. You ♥. Here's a brat who still hasn't been pushed in yet

♥."

A sinister voice came from behind Taiga. It could only be one person:

Kawashima Ami.

"Y-you!" Taiga had let her guard down and couldn't find her feet fast

enough.

"Heave ho!" Ami grabbed her by the armpits and picked her right up.

"It's just a game, just a game ♥. You can't get mad for reeeaaal! Hah!"

"GYAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaH!

SPLOOSH! Ami threw Taiga in. With a massive splash, Taiga sank

into the water.

"Ha ha ha ha! Look at what she's doing!"

"I-If you have time to say that, shouldn't you be trying to run

away?!"

"I want to see that insolent tiger's face as she cries!"

Ami was practically dancing, but Taiga didn't surface. Plip, plip, plip.

Only bubbles came floating up, and, eventually, even those disappeared.

"H-huh?"

Time seemed to stretch, then it came to Ryuuji. Hadn't Taiga said

something? It was, it was, uhhh… I asked her, "Why do you hate the

pool?!" And Taiga said, "I can't swim! I don't like it!" Or something.

Uhhh, which basically means…

"She can't swim?! She's drowning?!"

"Huh? Seriously?"

Ami's face turned blue. In the same moment, Ryuuji quickly took a

breath, went under, and kicked the wall. Three frantic strokes and his hand

reached Taiga, who was balled up in the water. He surged upward with her

in one push.

"Puhah! Hey, are you okay?!" he asked. "Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey?!"

"I-I-I-It's not the time for thawghhhhhh!"

Taiga floundered and struggled trying to get out of Ryuuji's arms.

She pushed his chin away and the two of them sank into the water. She

inhaled water through her nose, still struggling for dear life. Ryuuji

somehow managed to get her head above the water.

"I'm in trouble aghhhhhhhhh! Blaughhhhhh! What should I

dwooo?!" she cried.

"Wh-what are you aughhhghw?!"

Still choking on water, her reddened eyes were desperately searching

for something. Instead of grabbing Ryuuji, she clutched at her own chest as

if she was trying to hide it.

"Y-you don't mean—aughhhwgh?!"

"It came out aughghghg! J-just one side bleeeghh!"

She could only mean one thing.

"Eek?!"

Several meters away, it floated—the faux breast pad. Before anyone

else found it, Ryuuji made a desperate grab and successfully retrieved the

pad while still holding Taiga with one arm.

"It can't be true, right?! Why didn't you say you couldn't swim?!"

"Gyaaa, no, don't come near me baghaghaghgh!"

It seemed that to Ami, Taiga and Ryuuji's struggling only looked like

drowning. With splendid form, Ami dove in and was heading their way to

rescue them. This was bad; if she saw one plump breast and the other flat as

the horizon, who knew what she would say. It was now or never!

"GYAAA?!"

Ryuuji sank into the water with Taiga. He worked like lightning.

Taiga struggled and burbled. With that hand—with his hand, he opened her

swimsuit at her chest.

There! He stuck his hand into the warmth inside her suit and stuck the

pad back to its original position. He had to do it. He might have touched

something. He might have, but that couldn't be helped.

In that moment, in the water, he only knew Taiga had been trying to

shout something, but only bubbles came from the tiger's wide-open mouth.

***

"Huh, what? What happened?!"

"Ami-chan pushed the Palmtop Tiger into the pool, right? And

then…"

"Eek, isn't that bad?~"

Everyone in the class whispered and prodded each other with their

elbows, but the incident was anything but trivial.

"I really didn't know you couldn't swim!" Ami said. "I told you I

was sorry."

"An apology isn't enough."

With Ami now in front of her, all Taiga could do was roar. She had

her head on her desk, her eyes glinting behind the wet ropes of her hair.

She was right. A "sorry" wasn't going to cut it. Ryuuji was

practically frozen as he watched them.

Humiliated—that was the word Taiga had used after being pulled up

to the poolside after that. Of course, she didn't mean being thrown into the

pool so much as what Ryuuji had done. He thought he had been doing the

right thing at the time, but maybe he had gone too far. He'd touched

something with the back of his hand, and on the other side of the bubbles,

too, he felt he had seen something flat.

"Because you did something as stupid as that, I was…" Taiga said.

"You were what?" Ami asked. "Did something happen?"

"Anyway, just apologize! Apologize, apologize, apologize!"

Taiga shook the desk she was leaning against so it clattered. The

display of anger might have seemed like it lacked force for the Palmtop

Tiger, but no one would have guessed the real reason behind it: that

someone had (maybe) seen her breasts and she was humiliated.

Except Ryuuji, of course.

"Seriously, what are you saying you want me to do?" Ami said. "I

just apologized a bunch of times."

With her angelic mask still on, Ami faced Taiga, but she was clearly

getting frustrated. The smile on her lips was brimming faintly with poison.

"But to think, Aisaka-san, that you'd sink like a stone. I feel kind of

sorry for you. How sad. I wonder if you've been really ashamed of it all this

time? Maybe you've been left out of after school activities because you

can't swim?" Beneath the sympathy, Ami's voice was adorned with

sarcasm.

The students in the class, who had missed that sarcasm, agreed with

sweet voices. "Right, so that's it."

Completely aware of the surrounding eyes, Ami began adding insult

to injury.

"And it's summer," she said. "So you can't go swimming in the ocean

or pool, right? No way, that's the worst. Oh, and also, if you can't go,

Aisaka-san, does that mean your good pal Takasu-kun can't either? Nooo

waaay, that's so terrible! Takasu-kun, we can go swimming if you want ♥."

Ryuuji didn't know what logic Ami had used to get here, but she

seemed to believe toying with him was the most effective way to bother

Taiga. Except Ryuuji was the one most bothered by it all.

"Huh. Why is Ami-chan inviting Takasu-kun out?"

"Why is it always Takasu?!"

As his classmates watched this scene develop, their eyes suddenly

and noticeably changed.

No, wait a second. Ryuuji didn't want to be involved.

"Right!" Ami said. "So, Takasu-kun, my family has a villa! Do you

want to go to the villa with me?"

"Huh?"

Ami passed by Taiga and stepped toward Ryuuji's side.

"Yeah, let's do that!" Ami said. "It's decided! That's fine, right?" Her

Chihuahua eyes glistening, she tilted her head to the side slightly.

The classroom got noisier.

"Why Takasu?"

"Why a villa?"

"What are you doing, Ami-chan?!"

"Wait a sec!" Ryuuji said. "Why are we suddenly talking about

summer? Weren't you supposed to be apologizing to Taiga?!"

"Huh? Was I?" The sham angel cocked her head and smiled, as if to

say, I totally forgot.

"Ahhh, this is stupid! That's it! You can go wherever you please, you

lecher!" Taiga made a resolute noise as she stood. She quickly walked

through the gathered crowd like Moses parting the Red Sea.

Ami pouted as though slightly disappointed, but she pursued and

attacked. "Let's go, let's go for sure, Takasu-kun! I'm sure it'll be fun; we

can spend the whole summer together!"

"Look, cut it out," he said.

"Huh, is that not good enough? Then… Right, it'd be fine if Yuusaku

came, too, right?"

Plunk.

Taiga's footsteps stopped.

She turned on her heel and once again strode through the crowd.

"Whoa?!"

Silently, and with the strength of a vice, she grabbed Ryuuji's wrist,

which Ami had been holding.

"Oh my~"

"What?"

She turned him around and pushed Ryuuji behind her. Ami's eyes

narrowed in as if she had found something entertaining. Although the class

was in the middle of its break, it now quieted like it was a ship ready to

sink. The only sound was the din of the neighboring class. Of course this

would happen; to the bystanders, it looked like the Palmtop Tiger had

pulled Takasu away from Ami by force, so the fickle spectators were

stunned.

However, Ryuuji understood; he understood well. The thing that had

made Taiga stop wasn't Ryuuji at all. It was the words, "If Yuusaku came,

too."

"What's wrong, Aisaka-san?" Ami asked.

"I won't forgive you for being so selfish," Taiga said.

"Isn't that different from what you were saying earlier? Didn't you

say he could go and do what he wanted?"

"It's different when it's the whole summer break. Ryuuji has to

prepare my food and do all kinds of other things. So I can't let him go."

"Whaaat? Are you saying, 'Ryuuji is mine'? That's ridiculous."

"Who said that? Maybe you should go to the doctor? Or would you

rather I probe those clogged ears of yours, instead?"

Ami looked down at her, her lips twitching.

Taiga looked up and arrogantly pushed out her chest.

Ryuuji, as well as everyone out of their field of vision, was waiting

for the imminent explosion.

Taiga made the first move. She took a step forward without

hesitation, and a smile that could only be described as bewitching appeared

on her pale face. As though telling a secret, Taiga stood on her tiptoes and

whispered to Ami, "If you keep being selfish like this, I'll leak the one

hundred impressions in succession video… Oh, or was it one hundred

fifty?"

In an instant, a shadow as dark as black blood loomed over Ami's

face. However, she couldn't allow herself to shed her angelic mask. SMI…

LE. Somehow, she managed to beam at Taiga and leaned forward to

whisper back.

"If you do that, I'll slap you with a publicity rights lawsuit for

illegally using my likeness. Even the Palmtop Tiger isn't above the law,

right?"

"Ha…ha ha ha…"

"Aha ha…"

"Oh ho ho ho ho ho ho!"

"Aha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

The whole class watched as blue veins pulsed on both girls' temples.

Just when it seemed like one of those veins would burst—

"Stop right now! You'll only hurt your fists." Minori, risking her very

life, jumped between the two and firmly grabbed Taiga's fist.

"M-Minorin?!"

"Now, now! Back away from each other! Separate! Separate!"

There! Pushing on Taiga and Ami's chests, Minori put distance

between them and went into sermon mode. She belted out, "You two, cut

that ooout! Taiga, Kawashima-san! I won't tell you to force yourselves into

becoming closer, but you two are waaay too hostile! It's intolerable!"

"But, but, Minori-chan," Ami said. "Do you know what Aisaka-san

did—"

"It's this dumb Chihuahua's fault! If she hadn't transferred, if she had

never existed—"

"Ahhh, seriously!" Minori exclaimed. "Be quiet! Look, Taiga, don't

grab her by the collar! You can't resort to hand-to-hand combat! I

understand you want to nurture your friendships through your fists, but you

don't have to fight. You can settle this through regular old sports instead!"

"Huuuh?!"

The only one who raised her voice was Taiga. The spectators,

including Ryuuji, tilted their heads, speechless. Unable to keep up with

Minori's fantastical imagination, they furrowed their brows.

Unexpectedly, Ami was humming in consideration, her face

composed. "Oh, that might be fun ♥."

She skillfully lavished her dazzling smile on the class.

"Um, just so you all know, I really want to get along with Aisakasan!" she said. "I'm so jealous of her having fun with Takasu-kun that

sometimes I say things even Takasu-kun misunderstands! But I want to

eventually become friends with Aisaka-san! Look, I'm not always good

with words, and I'm a little clumsy, so I'm not doing the best job of it, but I

mean it!"

With this, she skillfully sewed together the seams the earlier dispute

had begun to fray dangerously.

"Of course, Ami-chan wouldn't actually set her sights on Takasu for

real," the class began to whisper. Ami grinned; Ryuuji recognized that

expression.

The only one who refused to consent this was Taiga.

"Why?! How?! What is this? This isn't a joke! There's such a thing

as being too stupid. What do you mean you want me to compete in sports

with this dumb Chihuahua?! I'm not going to become a laughing stock. It

would be an embarrassment for generations to come. Why do I have to do

something like that?! And Minorin, why aren't you on my side in the first

place?!"

"You idiot!" Minori chopped at the top of Taiga's head.

"Ow."

"Taiga, this is for your sake! You can do this stuff while you're a

student, but this won't hold up when you're an adult! Are you going to

suddenly attack your coworkers or other people when you don't like them?!

Listen, if you don't do this, I'll also go to Kawashima-san's villa and we'll

deepen our friendship over the summer! Amiiin! Kiss, kiss!"

"No way, Minori-chan, that's too much!"

Minori clung to Ami, kissing her white cheek.

"Being a girl must be nice," one of the boys muttered.

"Argh!" Taiga stomped her feet in frustration. "Fine! I got it! If

you're going that far, Minorin, I'll do it! But, if I win, I'm starting a fan

club for her video impressions!"

"Then if I win, Takasu-kun is going to spend the whole summer at

my family's villa with me ♥. And then you'll be by yourself the whooole

summer." Ami's final, venomous words were too low to reach the ears of

the rubberneckers.

"Then let's go! Ba-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da!"

Rousing the class with a drum roll that didn't seem like it could have

possibly come from a human mouth, Minori closed her eyes, thrusting her

hand into a plastic convenience store bag and stirring the contents. Inside

were two pieces of paper folded and cut to the same size. On one, Taiga had

written a method of competition, and Ami had written an idea on the other.

"Ta-da!"

Drum roll complete, Minori grabbed one of the paper slips.

Ryuuji and the rest of the class hovered behind Taiga and Ami as

Minori, standing at the teacher's podium, opened the paper. Minori finally

cleared her throat, and the class pricked their ears.

"Hyoo! Shyoo! Jyoo!"

Pop. A gigantic question mark seemed to appear over class 2-C.

What were those foreign-sounding words supposed to mean?

"Oh, that was an imitation of the late David Jones," Minori said. "He

was a foreigner who was famous for presenting the Pan American trophy at

sumo championships on the closing day. And on top of that, we look alike."

At Kitamura's exclamation of, "Why do you know that?" another

question mark added itself above the class.

"Just kidding!" said Minori. "Now, the time for games is over. I'm

going to announce it! Uhhh, the sporting event showdown will be…"

Minori grinned at Ami, then faced Taiga and frowned.

"Kawashima-san's proposal, the 'twenty-five-meter freestyle onegame match!'"

The class applauded.

Ami lavished her surroundings with curtseys. "Yay, lucky me!" she

exclaimed.

Taiga's mouth contorted. Beside her, Ryuuji's eyes glinted. Even

though the drawing had been fair, a swimming competition was just a cruel

method to inflict on Taiga, who couldn't swim.

"This is pretty much a done deal," their classmates muttered.

The day of the match was the last swimming class of the semester.

Incidentally, Taiga's proposal had apparently been Vale Tudo.