“Oh, that’s right. About whether you’ve grown since that time, the previous incident was just acting, right? Today you just said what you wanted to say, so I’m not sure if I’d call it growth. I am grateful though.”
“Ugh, nitpicky. If I think I’ve grown, then that’s good enough. That’s why you’re a virgin.”
“Ahaha, probably. That was payback – ah, I feel better now.”
“I know. Now I’m getting annoyed.”
Yuzuha seemed to get angry after the fact and pulled my arm
“Heave-ho!”
“Whoa!?”
“Ah, crap.”
With Yuzuha’s voice as the last thing I heard, my vision filled with light blue.
I tumbled forward from the poolside and hit the water surface.
—This girl actually dragged me down!
And if I remember correctly, I should have sunk toward Yuzuha’s side.
I can’t surface on the girls’ side.
I twisted my body underwater, kicked off the bottom, and tried to escape in one leap.
However, I immediately noticed something wrong.
In the passing scenery, I could see silhouettes of girls.
I frantically stopped in the water and focused my eyes.
From the sight of all the silhouettes disappearing one after another, I could tell they were getting out of the pool, but the problem was that I had gotten close to these girls.
In other words, this was the girls’ side.
…This is bad, I leaped in the wrong direction.
“Glug…”
This is bad, I can’t tell whose legs are whose, and I already need oxygen.
I seem to have gotten separated from Yuzuha in that initial leap, and I can’t distinguish who’s who underwater.
What would happen if I just surfaced for a moment right now?
Whether someone would see me is a delicate matter, but if I’m unlucky, I could get suspended.
How many times am I going to face life-changing crossroads in just one day?
…This is bad, I’m at my limit for holding my breath.
Just as I was about to secretly take a breath,
I saw a girl’s silhouette approaching.
My hair was grabbed and pulled with just enough force to not be too painful.
I was guided to the wall and immediately touched the outside air.
“Gasp“
The moment I got oxygen into my lungs, I noticed that my vision was dark and felt something against my nose.
“Mmf!”
My mouth was covered with a slap.
Just as I was about to make a sound from the pain, I heard Kagami-sensei’s suspicious voice from above.
“—Nikaido-san? What’s wrong?”
“Oh, nothing. I dropped my hair tie and wanted to get it before I lost it.”
—Remi!
Realizing I was being protected by my childhood friend, I quickly crouched down to avoid being detected.
As I adjusted my position to have my ears slightly above water to gauge when to escape, there was a chest right above my head.
…I feel like I was in the same position about a month ago.
Having learned from that time that moving carelessly would cause more trouble, I held my breath and stayed still.
“Ahaha, Nikaido-san, you’re unexpectedly clumsy.”
“Ahaha, sorry…”
There’s a teacher above, if I’m discovered it’s over.
Despite being in such a situation, this position was equally problematic.
If someone else got in the pool, it would be obvious that I was here, and Remi would be in danger too.
The weight above my head was making my heart race, and maybe I should escape before something happens.
If I cut through the center now, I’d be completely visible to the girls gathered at the poolside.
From the 25-meter × 25-meter pool’s long side to the short side with the diving board, then return to the boys’ side.
That would be the realistic plan.
Having Remi cover for me initially was enough.
I took a breath to dive underwater and leave.
Remi must have sensed this, as the space between her body and the wall widened slightly.
When I went underwater, the world was as quiet as if the tension above had been a lie.
I slipped under Remi’s armpit and positioned my body parallel to the pool floor.
Kicking through the water, I moved forward smoothly and escaped more easily than I had expected.
“Gasp“
“Oh, Yoshiki! Want to race with us? Freestyle!”
Takeru’s innocent invitation made me feel somewhat relieved.
If someone had noticed me, there would have been a big commotion already.
After changing into my uniform and coming out to the hallway, Remi was leaning against the lockers.
Remi brushed away her half-dry hair annoyingly and asked,
“Are the boys still changing?”
“They’ll be done soon. But hey, come here for a sec.”
“…What?”
“Just come.”
I left the Class 2 classroom and stopped between Class 1 and the stairs leading outside.
“Man, that was close. I was lucky not to get caught.”
“Sigh…”
“Wh-what?”
“Are you being serious? It’s because I was distracting them.”
“Distracting? Really? I thought it was because I escaped quickly.”
My childhood friend sighed in exasperation, so I hurriedly thanked her.
“Thank you. You really saved me.”
“It’s fine. But next time, treat me to something. Like the special set meal at the cafeteria.”
Perhaps not wanting to stay in this spot, Remi immediately turned on her heel.
As I headed back to the hallway in front of Class 2, I asked,
“I’ll treat you, that’s fine. …By the way, how did you distract everyone?”
When Remi looked uncomfortable and narrowed her eyes, Yuzuha came running over.
Just as I was startled, she exclaimed, “Remi-remi, that pun from earlier was funny!”
“…Pun?”
“I’ll kill you if you dig that up.”
Threatened in a low, quick voice, I instinctively stepped away from Remi.
In the flow of movement, I approached Yuzuha, who looked guilty and said, “Oh, Yoshiki.”
After all, this all started because Yuzuha dragged me down.
That was going too far. I opened my mouth to voice this complaint.
“You—”
“Yoshiki, sorry about earlier! I panicked and looked for you, but you disappeared in an instant.”
“Ugh… well, it’s fine…”
“Yeah, I definitely reflected on it. But thank you for forgiving me.”
My anger softened, and I nodded while hanging my head, saying, “Don’t worry about it.”
When someone honestly reflects on their actions first, it dampens any anger I might return.
Remi watched this exchange with apparent disinterest, but since she apparently would “kill me if I bring it up,” I couldn’t easily talk to her with Yuzuha around.
While I was thinking about this, the group of girls who had finished changing arrived in the hallway.
With the flow of returning from the changing room, they began gathering on the opposite side from the entrance where we were standing.
“Are the boys still not done?”
Yuzuha went over to the girls’ group with a beaming smile and called out, “They’re really slow, aren’t they!”
And then, of all things, she opened the classroom door wide.
“Boys, are you done yet!? All the girls are waiting!”
From throughout the classroom came various responses: “Just a bit more!” “Just finished!” “You can come in!” “Kyaa, pervert!”
Remi also started walking back toward the classroom.
…Right now, if I talked to her, only Remi would hear me.
I whispered my final question.
“Hey, Remi.”
“Mm. What?”
Though she seemed displeased at being called by name, Remi stopped where she was.
“Back then, how did you know I had come to the girls’ side? Thanks to you I was saved, but if Remi noticed, then other people might have…”
Remi reacted with a start and looked back at me.
“…I just happened to be watching. It was a coincidence, and I’m probably the only one who noticed. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to hide you completely.”
“Right. Man, I was lucky that Remi was watching me.”
Even amid the commotion coming from the classroom, Remi’s voice was easy to hear.
So her final whispered words also barely reached my eardrums.
“That’s right. …Really, it’s disgusting.”
Before I could ask what she meant, Remi disappeared into the classroom for real this time.
I tilted my head slightly and followed her retreating figure.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT gadgetizedpanda.net
TLNOTE: she angry that the girlfiend isn’t watching him?
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