"Suzune!!! I can't believe you! I just asked you to blow on my ear, and you went and kissed me!!"
Amane struck first, leaving Horikita completely stunned.
Kissed her…?
Wait!
Something's not right here!
"Who kissed you! That was my… my first…! I was saving that for my future beloved!"
Horikita's face flushed bright red as well.
Oh, for heaven's sake. Miyako Amane, have you no shame? Now you're just making things up to cause trouble, is that it?
"Well, in that case, there's nothing we can do," Amane suddenly shrugged, spreading her hands.
"What do you mean, 'nothing we can do'?" Horikita couldn't keep up with Amane's leaps in logic.
"Seeing as you didn't do it on purpose, Suzune, I'll forgive you. Ah, well, can't be helped. I'm just too soft-hearted. Anyone else would've latched onto you and made you take responsibility."
Amane wore an expression that plainly said, 'You're forgiven.'
It made a vein throb visibly at Horikita's temple. She hadn't even started giving Amane a hard time yet, and here this girl was, turning the tables and pinning the blame on her.
Horikita finally understood.
Amane's plan was to muddy the waters, hoping to escape her well-deserved punishment. And on top of that, she'd managed to get a free tease in.
This girl was getting more and more insufferable.
And probably because she hadn't received any… 'correction' lately, Amane was getting downright cocky.
Seems it's time to help her regain a little clarity.
Amane-san.
"Then I suppose I should be thanking you, Amane-san?" Horikita's smile was exceedingly gentle.
"Th-that's really not necessary! I don't need any reward. A-anyway, it's almost time, shouldn't we get to our swimming lesson?" Amane's smile was strained.
Her sixth sense was screaming at her, blaring a five-alarm warning of imminent danger.
But honestly, she didn't need her sixth sense to tell her that.
She'd probably gone too far this time.
"Amane, what do you think? Does this swimsuit look good on me?"
Beep.
Keyword triggered.
Swimsuit.
Amane, who had been halfway out the door, spun around instantly.
"Suzune, you look amazing in that! The curves up front are so—URK!" Amane clutched her stomach, her body folding over like a shrimp… no, more like a prawn.
"D-dirty move… sneakin' up on me like that…"
"What was that you were saying, Amane-san?" Horikita bent down, cupping Amane's face in her hands, her smile unwavering as she asked for confirmation.
"I said… baby, you can hit me again—GACK!" This time, Amane went down completely, collapsing on the floor.
"You actually did it again… ow ow ow ow…" Amane held her abdomen, on the verge of tears.
If she'd known this would happen, she wouldn't have gotten so carried away.
"Amane-san, you seem to be in a lot of pain. Shall I take you to the infirmary?"
"N-no! I'm fine, really, perfectly fine!" Amane shook her head so vigorously it was like a rattle drum.
If she had to endure a few more of those on the way, she'd probably end up staying in one of those infirmary beds for real.
"Then, from now on, will Amane-san behave herself?"
Damn it.
She knew Horikita was up to no good.
Trying to make her behave?
As if.
She was a free spirit, unshackled by rules…!
"Mhmm, I'll be good, I promise, ehehe~"
…Okay, never mind. Forget I said anything.
"Good girl. I'm going to class now. You'd better hurry and catch up, Amane-san." Horikita tossed her long black hair and glanced back at Amane before striding purposefully out of the changing room.
Amane could only scramble to change into her swimsuit, still clutching her stomach, and hurry after her.
Her first thought upon seeing the pool was: This pool is way too small.
With this many people taking swimming lessons, is it even going to be enough?
"Miyako-san, why are you holding your stomach?" Ayanokōji looked curiously at Amane, who was still hunched over.
"Well, I got— I mean, I probably ate something bad! It'll pass in a bit." Amane averted her eyes guiltily from Horikita's gaze.
She had originally planned to do a quick warm-up.
But after just a couple of moves, she was forced to stop.
Honestly, boys, could you keep your voices down a little?
Wait, why should she care how loud they were?
Hmph~
They all look so tall and strong, but their resistance to girls is even worse than that stoic Ayanokōji.
Amane glanced back.
"Ayanokōji, why are you squatting on the ground?"
"It's nothing. Just taking precautions to avoid an… involuntary physical reaction that would be impolite."
Tch.
Seems I spoke too soon.
"Suzune~"
Feeling intensely uncomfortable under the boys' scorching gazes, Amane ducked back into the crowd and found Horikita.
"Since you were so… lively in front of the boys earlier, I thought you didn't mind," Horikita remarked.
Here it comes. Horikita's venomous tongue attack.
"I didn't know they'd all react like that! How about next time, I just wear it for you to see, Suzune?" Amane tossed Horikita a… somewhat goofy wink.
"I'm a girl. Why would I want to see you in a swimsuit? If I wanted to see one, I could just look at myself." Horikita was as cold as ever.
Amane rolled her eyes.
"You know, I saw some cat ear hair clips at the mall last time~"
Cat ear hair clips.
Horikita's mind instantly conjured an image of Amane wearing cat ear hair clips.
Gasp.
You know…
That would actually suit her surprisingly well!
Should I get one?
…Yes, I'll get one.
Mhm.
Just in case Amane ever needs one. I can give it to her as a gift.
Perfect.
Just as Horikita was lost in her mental image of a cat-eared Amane, the swimming instructor finally made his appearance, much to the class's anticipation.
"Why isn't the swimming teacher a woman?" Amane grumbled, disappointed.
"What difference does the teacher's gender make? They're just here to teach swimming skills," Horikita asked, curious.
"Heheh, if it were a female teacher, I'm sure everyone would be much more motivated to learn!!!" Amane made a cute little fist, her eyes burning with… less-than-pure enthusiasm.
"A female teacher would only make the boys learn faster, wouldn't it? No, wait, it might backfire. The boys who already know how to swim might pretend to be beginners just so she'd have to teach them one-on-one."
The swimming teacher, who was just about to address the class, felt his eye twitch.
Couldn't you keep your 'private' conversation a little quieter?
Standing in the front row and talking that loudly… Do you really think I'm deaf?
Sorry for not being a woman.
"Everyone, I am your swimming instructor. I will be responsible for teaching you swimming skills and ensuring that, ideally, all of you learn to swim before summer arrives. So, I hope you're prepared!"
He suddenly seemed to radiate intense motivation.
"We have quite a few observers today… but that's fine. Today is just a basic assessment of your abilities. We'll start with some warm-up exercises, followed by a 50-meter freestyle test. Let's see what you beginners are made of." The teacher grinned broadly.
"Sensei… Our class has forty people, and twenty-six are observing. Is that really okay?" Amane raised her hand and asked.
Over half the class was sitting in the stands watching the rest have their swimming lesson.
There were fewer participants than there were people claiming to feel unwell.
Was that really okay?
The swimming teacher sighed inwardly.
Young lady.
That's an excellent question.
Please don't ask it again.
Because this teacher doesn't know the answer either.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.