"So… why are we at a swimming pool?"
Looking at the pool in front of him, Shiro's enthusiasm for diving instantly dropped. He had thought they would be heading into the ocean today. Wait, hold on, maybe he shouldn't be saying "heading into the ocean" so casually…
"For beginners, getting used to being in the water is the most important thing."
Seeing his disappointment, Chisa explained from the side.
"I see… But I think I'm pretty familiar with the water. Back in high school, I was a swimming champion at our school."
Shiro raised his chin proudly. He wasn't lying, when it came to water-related activities, he always felt strangely at ease. There was even a time during his cringey middle school phase when he seriously considered whether he might be the son of the sea god.
He even had an existential crisis wether his father had coitus with a fish and he became the product of crossbreeding.
"Well, this is mainly to help Iori and the others get used to it…"
Chisa sighed as she glanced at Iori, who was still arguing over whether swimming skills were necessary.
"Yeah, that idiot is completely clueless when it comes to swimming. But wait, aren't you already able to dive? Why are you training with us? (′｀;)?"
Shiro looked at Chisa in confusion. He had just gone to the restroom, and when he came back, suddenly there was a professional-level diver in their group?
How was he supposed to maintain his sense of superiority over these fools and shut-ins now?!
Chisa turned her head away, she wanted to know the answer to that too! Her dad had forced her into it! She had already gone through this kind of basic training more times than she could count!
"Anyway! Everyone, get changed into your swimsuits!"
Tokita called out, signaling the start of the diving lesson.
"Eh? Do I have to change too?"
Chisa looked at her senior with reluctance.
"Of course!"
Hearing that, Chisa became even more unwilling, reluctantly grabbing her swimsuit and heading toward the changing room.
"Need any help?"
Shiro extended his hand like a true gentleman. He felt that, as a proper gentleman, he should offer assistance in such situations. After all, the straps on the back of a swimsuit were hard to tie alone.
"Not needed!"
Chisa shot him a fierce glare before turning on her heel and marching into the changing room.
"Hurry up and get changed, Shiro!"
"Oh, right away… Pfft!"
Shiro nearly exploded when he turned back around.
Did the two seniors really have to stand there, casually chatting with their "censored areas" on full display?! If this kept up, this story might end up getting banned!!!
While the two seniors were explaining breathing techniques to Iori, Shiro quickly changed into his own swimsuit, a simple pair of plain black swim trunks without any flashy designs.
"By the way, don't you think it's weird to be wearing Rarako?"
Shiro stared at Kōhei's swimsuit in confusion. Wasn't Rarako supposed to be his waifu? He couldn't even begin to imagine wearing swimsuits featuring Hanabi, Hirono, or any other girls! Especially on swim trunks!
"This is Rarako's way of protecting me!"
"…"
Shiro completely failed to understand these damn otaku! He refused to acknowledge himself as one of them, he was a normie!
"Alright, let's begin the training!"
The two seniors instinctively gathered around Kōhei and Iori.
Shiro looked around and suddenly felt… left out.
"Uh… what about me?"
"Oh, Shiro, Chisa isn't here yet. Just do the same exercise as Iori, try opening your eyes underwater."
"…"
Shiro was starting to understand why they had forced Chisa to come.
He… was definitely the chosen one!
His instructor was a cute girl! Meanwhile, the idiot and the otaku were stuck being trained by muscular bros!
Feeling enlightened, Shiro relaxed completely and slowly submerged himself in the water.
For someone skilled in swimming, this was the most familiar environment imaginable. Opening his eyes underwater was second nature to him.
Look at that fool, Kitahara, over there—he even needed to wear swimming goggles! What a weakling.
And what about our dear Kōhei?
Oh, he was busy messing around with Senior Tokita…
Wait…
…Did they just pull down each other's swim trunks…?
playful splashing noises.jpg
Splash!
Shiro and Iori surfaced at the exact same time. Clearly, both of them had just witnessed something… indescribable.
In some twisted way, their reactions were eerily in sync.
"How was it? Pretty amazing underwater, huh?"
Unaware of what had just transpired, Kotobuki grinned at them, assuming they were simply awestruck by the underwater scenery.
Which, in a sense… they were.
But it definitely wasn't the kind of scenery he was thinking of…
"Sorry… I don't think I can ever go diving again in this lifetime…"
"Sorry… I think I need to go get my eyes checked…"
(′｀;)?
Was the view in this pool really that beautiful?
Puzzled, Kotobuki decided to dive underwater himself to check. Everything looked completely normal. Just like usual!
Hmm… it seemed like those two still weren't fully used to it.
In that case, there was only one solution left—
Time to use the secret weapon!
…
Meanwhile, Chisa was staring at herself in the mirror with a troubled expression.
She never minded wearing a wetsuit while diving, but now that she had to wear a swimsuit in the pool, she felt a bit weird!
Also… that scumbag was actually right, the strings on the back of the swimsuit really were hard to tie. How had she never noticed this before?
But since she had already put it on, she wasn't going to take it off now. Feeling embarrassed, she simply threw on a jacket and walked toward the pool. She had probably taken longer than she should have.
However, when she arrived and saw the scene in front of her, she regretted it…
Iori was lying completely naked in the pool with a towel on his forehead, looking like he was taking a bath at home.
Meanwhile, Shiro was on the poolside, scrubbing Iori's back with a washcloth.
"How's the pressure, boss? Want a red wine scrub?"
Shiro grinned flatteringly. He had once dreamed of spreading the culture of the Northeast bathhouses throughout Japan.
Unfortunately, it was too exhausting, so he gave up on that dream at age ten. He only displayed his techniques when hanging out with cute girls.
As for why Kitahara Iori got to enjoy it? Simple, he paid for it!
50,000 yen!
He even wrote an IOU!
Kitahara Iori now owed 140,000 yen!
Considering the idiot's financial situation, Shiro decided to visit home soon. He was sure Uncle Kitahara would be absolutely thrilled to see that IOU. (??ω??)
"Oh, hey, Chisa! Want to try it out? I'll give you a 20% discount!"
Shiro, a master of bribing instructors, immediately offered a deal. But… why did his teacher look so disgusted?
Following her gaze, Shiro turned his head, only to see Iori still lying there like a bum.
(σ≧?≦)σ Haha! I'm not the trash one this time!
Feeling like something was missing, Iori finally opened his eyes, only to be greeted by a pair of eyes as bright as the stars.
Of course, they would've been perfect if they weren't filled with intense disdain…
"No! Wait, Chisa! It's not what you think!"
Realizing the situation, Iori immediately stood up, his 'censorship block' exposed to the open air. Chisa's disgust deepened…
"This was all for my diving training! Right, senior?!"
Iori desperately looked to Kotobuki for backup.
"Well, technically, yes. But Iori, don't you normally enjoy stripping anyway?"
What kind of image do you all have of me?!
Iori screamed internally as Chisa's disgust grew stronger.
In the end, she reluctantly accepted the explanation, but since she wasn't perverted enough to fit in, she decided to go to the other side of the pool.
"Honestly… I've completely lost interest in underwater scenery now."
Iori sighed as he sat on the poolside. He never wanted to see a sight like that again.
Hearing that, Chisa glanced at Iori with curiosity.