The days leading up to the start of the new term slipped by quietly, almost without anyone noticing.
For the students of Class A, these few days were a period of adjustment and adaptation.
The hidden rules they had learned were simply too shocking, which meant everyone had to carefully maintain a mental balance—doing their best not to break any rules while smoothly getting through each day’s lessons.
As for Hikaru Naruse, the main theme of these days boiled down to just four words: Keep up the training!
In order to complete the Body Comeback Quest and earn the reward of [Body Remodeling (Beginner)], an hour of running training every morning and evening was a task he absolutely had to finish.
The feeling was a bit like climbing a mountain.
Once you already know how magnificent the view from the summit is, each day’s training naturally becomes full of motivation.
When Thursday came around, the two afternoon periods were swimming class.
For teenage boys and girls in the throes of adolescence, it was more than just a P.E.
class—it was a stage on which to show themselves off.
Active high school girls appearing at the poolside in swimsuits was, in and of itself, a pleasing sight to behold—and that was without even mentioning that the quality of the girls at this school was quite high.
Hikaru Naruse walked into the men’s changing room of the swimming hall and took the school-issued swimming trunks out of his locker.
His name was even stuck on them.
After changing into his trunks, Naruse looked down at his upper body.
Since he hadn’t yet obtained the reward from [Body Remodeling (Beginner)], his body currently showed no especially obvious changes.
Although he didn’t have those sharply defined abs, Hikaru Naruse’s overall proportions were still fairly well-balanced.
His shoulders were broad but not excessively so, his limbs long and firm, his skin fair—a physique brimming with the vitality of someone caught between boyhood and young adulthood.
Not strong, but good-looking.
Just as he was adjusting the waistband of his trunks, two sets of footsteps came from behind him.
“Naruse.”
Hikaru Naruse turned his head and saw that Kohei Katsuragi and Yahiko Totsuka had already changed into their swimwear and were walking toward him.
Kohei Katsuragi’s build was considerably sturdier than Hikaru Naruse’s, the muscle lines on his arms clearly visible, his whole person radiating an aura as steady and powerful as solid bedrock.
The Yahiko Totsuka beside him, on the other hand, had the completely ordinary build of a high school boy—neither thin nor fat.
His expression carried a hint of pride; it seemed he had thoroughly come to regard himself as Katsuragi’s follower.
“What is it?”
“Naruse, I still haven’t formally thanked you for what happened during the class meeting last time.”
“Thanks to the information you added—about how points can be used to waive expulsion—the students trust me more now, and the class’s cohesion has been greatly strengthened.”
“Thank you very much!”
The shaven-headed young man gave a slight, very solemn bow.
A gentle smile appeared at the corner of Hikaru Naruse’s mouth as he replied lightly.
“You’re too polite, Katsuragi.
That was your own achievement to begin with.
I only added a little detail on top of what you’d already built.”
Kohei Katsuragi nodded slightly, and then, as if suddenly remembering something, he spoke up.
“By the way, Naruse—last time when I met with Senior Nagumo, I happened to mention your situation to him.
Did he come looking for you afterward?”
Hikaru Naruse thought it over.
With this matter concluded, whatever dealings Nagumo and Katsuragi had left would likely take place later in the student council, so he answered directly.
“Yes, he even invited me to join the student council.”
“Is that so?!”
Upon hearing those words, Katsuragi’s tone suddenly grew a great deal more urgent.
“Senior Nagumo invited you to join the student council?”
“Yeah.
I’m still thinking it over.”
“That’s a good thing!”
Kohei Katsuragi was someone who genuinely cared about the overall interests of Class A.
Upon learning that Naruse had been invited by Nagumo, a flash of excitement showed on his stern face.
“That’s excellent!”
“Naruse, since you have an opportunity like this, I think you should join the student council right away.”
Katsuragi paused for a moment, then emphasized his tone as he said, “If you can get into the student council, our Class A will gain a brand-new channel of information.”
“Mm, I’ll give it careful thought.”
Hikaru Naruse nodded slightly, then patted Kohei Katsuragi on the shoulder, turned, and headed toward the exit of the changing room.
Watching his retreating figure, Yahiko Totsuka clearly had something he wanted to say.
“Katsuragi, your application…”
“It’s fine.
I’ll keep working at it.
I heard people from other classes have applied to join the student council too.”
Katsuragi had previously put in a request to Miyabi Nagumo about wanting to join the student council, but the other party had brushed him off.
“If Naruse joins, it’ll be the greatest thing for us.”
“Naruse…
really is out of the ordinary.”
“Yeah.”
The moment he stepped out of the changing room, a wave of humid air rushed against his face.
The surface of the pool shimmered with a faint blue luster under the glow of the lights—rippling, clear, and transparent.
Hikaru Naruse’s gaze swept quickly across the entire pool area.
More than half of Class A’s students had already arrived at the poolside.
The boys mostly gathered in twos and threes, and some had already leaped impatiently into the pool, splashing and horsing around in the water.
The girls, by contrast, appeared more reserved.
Dressed in the school’s standard swimsuits, some sat on lounge chairs chatting while others did warm-up exercises by the edge of the pool.
To be honest, the sight of young, active high school girls appearing poolside in swimsuits really was quite a pleasing one.
The quality of the girls at this school was high to begin with, and at fifteen or sixteen—the most brilliant years of youth—every one of them radiated a charm unique to that age group.
Some were slender and svelte, others had shapely curves.
In short, just looking at them put one in a good mood.
Hikaru Naruse wasn’t the type to deliberately stare at girls, but neither would he go so far as to put on the hypocritical airs of someone who claimed [I have zero interest in the fairer sex].
After merely sweeping an honest gaze over the classmates around the pool area, he found a relatively secluded corner and settled there.
He tested the water temperature—it was a bit more comfortable than he’d imagined.
Just as Naruse was beginning his warm-up exercises, a figure suddenly appeared at his side.
“Naruse.”
A cool, flat voice came from his right.
Hikaru Naruse tilted his head slightly.
Ai Morishita was standing beside him, her arms folded across her chest, those pale purple eyes fixed on his face.
Ai Morishita wore the school’s standard swimsuit, its deep-blue fabric wrapping around her slender figure.
The girl had fair skin and a tall, willowy build.
Only her chest fell a little short—to put it delicately, “the peaks and valleys of her curves weren’t particularly dramatic”—but the overall lines of her figure were extremely smooth, and calling her a beautiful girl would be no problem at all.
“What is it?” Naruse asked.
“Are you going to swim?
I can teach you.”
“Hm?”
____
👻🔥Seek: Walnut-chan🔥👻
🔥 New history: Naruto: Is it reasonable to beat up an Otsutsuki with Hamon, right?
Let’s hit these goals: