It was time to assemble.
“Now, according to past exam rules, we will now randomly divide you into groups by student ID number…”
“Wait a minute, teacher!”
When the physical education teacher was announcing the grouping rules, Fujiwara Chika suddenly raised her hand and bravely volunteered to run forward,
“If we are making groups, please let me help make the drawing slips and host the draw as well.”
“Ahaha, if Fujiwara is willing to help, that couldn’t be better.”
The PE teacher showed a somewhat awkward smile; after teaching her for a few semesters, he already knew this student’s comical personality.
Anyway, the grouping didn’t matter much, so he agreed to her request.
After getting approval, Fujiwara Chika quickly swung into action.
Along the way, she didn’t forget to turn her head and glare at Kiyotaka, who was standing expressionlessly in the line giving her a thumbs-up.
‘Because Shinomiya-kun’s look at me just now really pissed me off, I want to defeat her at the closest possible range during the swimming test later, making her annoyed and regret looking at me with such icy eyes.’
‘I hope you can find a way, Fujiwara, to help me and her get assigned to the same group.
It would be even better if we are in adjacent lanes.’
These were the exact words Kiyotaka had whispered into her ear just moments ago in a flat tone.
After Fujiwara Chika repeatedly confirmed that his brain wasn’t fried and unsuccessfully tried to kindly advise him “not to humiliate yourself,”
they finally struck a deal under the condition that “Ayanokouji must accompany her to spend the whole day at the Omotesando district this week, and he is not allowed to complain no matter how many packages he has to carry.”
Mr.
Ayanokouji, his brain must really be fried, right?
Otherwise, he must be possessed by an evil spirit!
Otherwise, how could that person, who usually looked like a complete slacker, suddenly change like a different person and say something so competitive and proud?
And his target was even Kaguya.
If you lose too badly later, or choke on water because you swam too anxiously and get laughed at, don’t expect anyone to speak up for you…
Fujiwara Chika pouted somewhat petulantly, while her hands skillfully completed making and shuffling the lots.
Then, without anyone noticing, she completed the final “rigging the draw” operation.
She assigned Ayanokouji, Kaguya, and herself to three adjacent lanes in the same group.
Eh, strange…
Chika blinked.
Clearly, she was the righteous Chika who never broke the rules; how could her technique for cheating be so smooth…?
Could it be…
she had a real talent for cheating?
Did Mr.
Ayanokouji also notice this in advance, which was why he was so dead-certain just now that she could definitely do it? You are reading on g.com, the official source.
Fujiwara Chika quietly discovered her strange talent, but she couldn’t feel happy about it at all; instead, she felt even more “resentful” towards Mr.
Ayanokouji who had dragged her into this mess.
As Fujiwara Chika enthusiastically “cooperated” with the PE teacher to display the results, the lines of students quickly completed their grouping according to their numbers.
The first group immediately entered the water and began the test.
The test event was the 100-meter freestyle, which meant swimming one lap back and forth in a standard lane.
Kiyotaka and the others were assigned to the middle group.
Although they still had to wait a while, everyone had already gathered with the rest of the people in their group who would enter the water together, based on the grouping results.
“Mr.
Ayanokouji…”
Fujiwara Chika waved her hand once more like a thief, calling Kiyotaka over.
“Um…”
She rubbed her hands together somewhat embarrassedly, her gaze wandering, not daring to look straight into Ayanokouji’s eyes.
“Are you feeling unwell?
Do you want me to help you ask for leave?” Ayanokouji asked somewhat strangely as he looked at her appearance.
“No matter how you look at it, I’m full of vigor!
Besides, I’ve rarely ever fallen sick since I was a child…”
Fujiwara Chika casually blurted out a setting that seemed extremely reasonable when applied to her, then lowered her voice,
“I mean you!
Didn’t you notice, the result of the draw is a bit…
out of control.”
“But!
This wasn’t on purpose by me, you’re not allowed to blame me!”
“Out of control?”
Kiyotaka turned his head and looked at Kaguya, who was sitting on a resting chair nearby building up her stamina and staring expressionlessly at the water’s surface.
“Didn’t Fujiwara successfully draw me and Shinomiya-kun into the same group?
We’re even in adjacent lanes.
Your cheating skills are very proficient.”
“Looking at it that way, it’s true…”
Fujiwara Chika’s face blushed slightly upon hearing this, Ayanokouji’s words reminding her once more of that inexplicable proficiency she had when making the lots earlier.
Ayanokouji looked following her line of sight.
Those few men and women over there showed obvious traces of long-term exercise, whether judging from the firmness of their muscles or their mental state during warm-ups.
Even, one of the girls was wearing custom swimming goggles that were more professional than the uniform equipment issued by the school.
“Notice it now?”
Fujiwara Chika looked at Ayanokouji with some concern, “It’s not just Shinomiya-kun, who is always top of the grade.
Serizawa over there is the captain of the girls’ swimming club.
Mizuno-chan, who is stretching standing up, is also a participant in city-level competitions…”
Through Fujiwara Chika’s supplementary introduction and his own observations upon paying attention just now, Kiyotaka finally realized that, almost everyone in the group showed extraordinary potential in swimming.
What was most fatal was that Kitahara, the only male in the entire group besides Ayanokouji, was also a star player of the school basketball team and the school record holder for the marathon event.
His physical stamina was simply like a monster’s.
Not to mention Fujiwara Chika herself; thanks to her naturally gifted physique and her wealthy family background where she played in water since childhood, her swimming ability went without saying.
As a result, Ayanokouji—who looked utterly unremarkable, with a physique that didn’t show many characteristics of someone good at sports other than a fairly firm abdominal line—looked practically like a clownfish that had strayed into a shark-infested territory in the eyes of Fujiwara Chika and the surrounding observing students.
“Originally, even if you lost to Classmate Kaguya, everyone would only think it’s natural and no one would laugh at you.
After all, the gauntlet challenging her is only known to the two of us,”
Fujiwara Chika sighed, “But with this setup now…
it seems that unless I intentionally throw the race, Mr.
Ayanokouji…
will only end up dead last by a landslide.
What should we do?”
“So, are you willing to let me win, Fujiwara?”
“No way!
This is going to count towards the midterm exam grades!”
Fujiwara Chika, who had just made Ayanokouji feel a slight hint of “being cared for,” immediately refused with a straight face.
“However…”
She changed the subject and patted her chest, “Because we’re in adjacent lanes, if Mr.
Ayanokouji really loses miserably, or accidentally chokes on water and struggles and needs rescue, I’ll still mercifully fish you out.”
“After coming ashore, I can also lend you my shoulder to cry on, but you are definitely not allowed to get snot on me by then!”
“…”
Before Ayanokouji could figure out what to say to soothe her excessive worry and sympathy, the PE teacher’s whistle had already sounded.
It was their group’s turn.