Amid the cheers and applause, the final results of Class 1-D's 50-meter freestyle peak competition were officially announced.
Unsurprisingly, Kure Ragna emerged as the winner.
Kure Ragna - 21 seconds
Koenji Rokusuke - 23.22 seconds
The results were almost absurd. To put things into perspective, the current official world record for freestyle swimming stood at 21.08 seconds, set by Australian swimmer Eamon Sullivan in 2008.
Kouenji Rokusuke had barely missed that mark by two seconds, which was impressive in its own right.
However, what was even more unbelievable was that Kure Ragna's time was less than half a second away from the world record—without even using the butterfly kick.
If summarized in one sentence: his performance was pure talent, not technique.
He was a walking miracle—proof that sheer natural ability could outshine skill. If he ever seriously trained, he would undoubtedly shatter the theoretical limits of human capability.
But in the end, it all depended on whether he was willing. If he had no interest in competitive swimming, then it was pointless.
"Alright, that concludes today's swimming competition for this class," the PE teacher announced. "Kure Ragna, who won first place in the boys' division, and Yukinoshita Haruno, the first place winner in the girls' division, will each receive 5000 personal points as a reward."
After recording the final results on the roster, the teacher put down his pen and called out once more:
"Now, the following ten students I name will need to undergo additional training. The girls' group includes Sakura Airi and Inokashira Shin…"
With every name announced, a student from the waiting area groaned and stepped forward reluctantly.
The extra practice was nothing serious—just another lap—but standing in front of the entire class was embarrassing.
"Kure Ragna,"
A familiar voice called from behind just as Ragna climbed out of the pool, water still dripping from his body.
Turning around, he saw Koenji Rokusuke standing there, his blond hair gleaming under the sunlight.
Despite losing the 50,000-point wager, the guy didn't seem the least bit upset. If anything, he was in an oddly good mood. His chiseled physique was rising and falling with heavy breaths from the intense swim, yet his face remained adorned with his usual dazzling smile.
"Congratulations," Koenji said cheerfully. "This round is your victory. I'll transfer the 50,000 points to you once we're back."
"Alright, got it."
Ragna casually nodded.
At Advanced Nurturing High School, personal points were freely transferable between students. It didn't require going through the school—just downloading the official school app and logging in with a student ID and mobile verification.
The app was widely available, with QR codes posted across the campus. Once installed, it allowed students to:
Check their personal points in real-time.
Transfer points to others.
View transaction history.
Overall, a very convenient system.
"Well then, see you around~"
After confirming Ragna's response, Koenji waved casually before striding off to the locker room.
Technically, leaving a few minutes early wasn't against the rules—especially since class was about to end anyway. Freshening up before the rush was actually a smart move.
But still, losing 50,000 points without hesitation? No, more like deliberately losing them?
Ragna watched Koenji leave and muttered, "He's a really interesting guy."
Back at the Dormitory
After finishing his swim class, Ragna returned to his dorm.
He had just taken his freshly washed swimming trunks out of the machine and hung them on the balcony drying rack when his phone buzzed.
Checking the screen, he found two notifications:
System Message: 50,000 points have been deposited into your account.
Unread Message from a Friend.
The two notifications had arrived simultaneously.
There was no need to check. It was obviously from Koenji.
Instead of opening the message, Ragna tapped "Clear All Notifications" and tossed the phone aside.
He could already predict what the message would say.
That guy wasn't the type to give up after one loss. He'd be back with another challenge soon.
People like him never learn…
Besides, he wasn't sure how the school's chat system worked—whether the sender could see if you read their messages or not. It was safer to leave it unread entirely.
An Unexpected Visit
Knock, knock.
Just as Ragna put his phone down, someone knocked on the door.
A familiar voice called out from the other side.
"Kure Ragna~ Are you in your room?"
It was Yukinoshita Haruno.
Haruno? Why is she here?
Confused, Ragna hesitated briefly before opening the door.
And there she was—Haruno, along with several other girls from Class 1-D.
It felt like déjà vu, similar to when they first arrived at the dorms a few days ago.
At the front stood Haruno, followed by Kushida Kikyo, Karuizawa Kei, and a few others.
What caught Ragna's attention was Karuizawa Kei, who had skipped PE earlier due to feeling unwell. Yet now, she looked completely fine—chatting energetically with the others.
Meanwhile, Kushida Kikyo, usually full of energy, seemed oddly quiet. She had her head slightly tilted to the side, appearing distracted.
Weird. I haven't heard her say much today… Is she feeling unwell? Maybe it's that time of the month?
Pushing those thoughts aside, Ragna looked at Haruno and asked,
"So… what's up?"
Haruno grinned.
"We're going out for karaoke! It's a little celebration for how motivated everyone was in class today. And, well, a bit of a reward for ourselves. You free?"
"Karaoke? Now?"
"Yeah." Haruno shrugged. "We'll be back before dinner. Plus, if we go now, the prices are cheaper. So? What do you say?"
Ragna thought about it for a moment.
"Well… I guess that makes sense. What about the others?"
"Unfortunately, it's just us."
"…What?"
"Hirata's busy with football club activities, and the other guys… well, they were too embarrassed to come."
Ragna raised an eyebrow.
"Too embarrassed? That doesn't sound like Ike or Yamauchi. If a cute girl invites them, they'd jump at the chance."
Haruno giggled.
"Yeah, well… let's just say we didn't bother inviting them."
Ragna sighed.
"…I see."
"So?" Haruno tilted her head. "You coming or not?"
Ragna shrugged.
"Yeah, I'm in."
And with that, his plans for a quiet evening were officially ruined.