The club fair was a fairly uneventful affair. The encounter with President Horikita did awaken Yukio’s eyes to how intimidating a person that lead the special institution was required to be, but besides that, there were no run-ins with other important characters.
He considered several clubs that seemed interesting, namely Kendo, Judo and calligraphy, however, he currently put off any applications to join in case he was able to find some other, less conventional, means to learn self-defence and fighting skills.
The high school was a dangerous place with Ryuuen leading his class through violence, and the first years next year bringing a bucket load of troubles too, so the transmigrated young adult thought to equip himself with the means to protect himself.
He was not invited to join the class D boys’ group chat, unlike Ayanokouji, though he wasn’t too fussed about it. He had a hard enough time juggling between working out and studying in the evenings, and maintaining his tiring, but enjoyable, social life.
Some time after classes ended on the third day, Kushida had asked him for his number. Unlike the first encounter, there was no brain power required to navigate the conversation, and she left him with an invitation to Karaoke asking him to bring along Chiaki and Nene.
When she wasn’t trying to unravel the mysteries behind his words, she was a cool girl to be around. Her bubbly personality and ability to carry the conversation made it very easy for one to open up to her, although Yukio remained vigilant given her past.
His conversation with the well-endowed high schooler did earn him the ire of Ike, but he brushed off the boys seething gaze.
‘Honestly, the guy even makes even me feel uncomfortable with his lecherous gaze, let alone the girls. And I think someone needs to tell him to speak a little quieter. His boorish assets discussions aren’t earning him any brownie points with the girls.’
Yukio noticed Ayanokouji gravitating towards the idiot trio in search of friends and thought to intervene but ultimately decided to leave him alone. The boy, fresh out of the white room, needed to experience the dregs of society as well as the upstanding members, to gain a more holistic understanding of what humans were like.
He was willing to give the trio the benefit of the doubt at the start of the year, but experiencing a week of their shenanigans wore him down.
And like that, one week at the Advanced Nurturing High and since his transmigration had passed.
— — —
“I bought this really cute swimsuit but what’s with having to wear this boring blue one?”
Exclaimed a frustrated Nene, obsessing over the school-issued blue swimsuit that all girls were required to wear to swimming classes.
“Hey, we wouldn’t have to wear these swimsuits if it weren’t for Yukio-Kun forcing us to join the class.”
Chiaki replied dryly, as Yukio pondered about the circumstances of the two in the light novel.
Kei had not participated in the class, and Chiaki and Nene who were close friends with the spoiled girl probably did not join in either.
In this life, Yukio managed to convince them to participate, arguing that it would be a missed once-in-a-lifetime experience. A part deep within him just wanted to ogle them, especially after the Nene, the little minx, had been teasing him over the past week. But his mind attested to innocent intentions.
While Yukio was having indecent thoughts, the pair of girls observed him, noticing he was fairly sturdy, with firm muscles and a shapely physique.
“Hm… Yukio-Kun. Don’t you seem to be in shape?”
Asked Chiaki while Nene nodded. The boy nodded obliviously, replying while reminiscing fond memories.
“I guess so Matsushita-Chan. I was into playing sports in my old school. Though I’ve been training recently since I’m still wary about what this school will hold for us.”
“You’re too vigilant Yukio-Kun. But I like the results. How do you think you’ll fare against the other guys today?”
Asked a curious Nene. If he remembered correctly, Kouenji and Sudou had the best times. Being a proficient swimmer himself, he’d be aiming to rank in the top three.
“I should do alright. Sudou-san looks like he’ll win, but Kouenji-san will probably take the win if he’s serious about it.”
“Kouenji-san? That obnoxious boy that sits beside you? Serious? He’ll probably start admiring himself halfway through the race.”
Questioned a disbelieving Nene, who did not know what the blonde narcissist was capable of.
“You’d be surprised at the number of hidden dragons in this class.”
With that, the swim teacher began to herd the students over to begin the class.
“Oh, by the way, you girls look great in those swimsuits. I’m glad that you decided to participate today.”
He quickly trotted off after saying that, leaving the girls amused. That was probably the first time he had complimented a girl’s looks, and he hoped to become more adept at doing so without feeling jittery afterwards.
— — —
Lining up along the edge of the pool, Yukio observed the fit Hirata standing beside him, getting ready for the race.
“Hey, Hirata-Kun. Are you any good at swimming?”
“I guess I would say so, Kobayashi-Kun. While I’m better at football, my swimming skills don’t lag too far behind.”
“Oh really? So what say you and I have a little competition and put 500 private points on the line?”
Hirata looked hesitant so Yukio decided to reassure him. He wanted some healthy competition and not to appear as some random money-grubber.
“I’m also quite good at football, with swimming being my next best sport. Since we’re very similar, I thought it’d be fun to establish who was better between us.”
Yukio grinned at the enlightened boy, who had a fire spark within his eyes.
“I’ll see you at the finish line.”
Yukio reached over to fist-bump the boy, but Hirata looked at his outstretched arm oddly. Realising the fist bump probably hadn’t caught on yet in Japan, he awkwardly pulled back his fist and prepared to dive into the water.
“Start!”
— — —
“25.5 seconds Yukio-Kun. You came in third! You just about beat Hirata as well. Good job!”
Nene exclaimed jubilantly, proud of the friend she made at this odd school.
“Thanks, Mori-Chan, you guys did great too, especially you since you aren’t familiar with swimming. And great going placing fourth Matsushita-Chan.”
Chiaki nodded while Nene stuck her nose in the air with pride, causing the duo to laugh at her antics, which signalled the end of swim class.
— — —
Lying in bed that evening, Yukio reflected upon his relationships with his classmates.
Nene and Chiaki were great friends who were enjoyable to be around and included him in their conversations despite their understanding that he wasn’t familiar with girls. They made him more comfortable speaking to the opposite gender in a friendly way and made him realise girls were as normal beings as boys were.
Nene was extremely playful and would have made a fun addition to the light novels if her character was brought out. Relegated to one of Karuizawa’s posse, her character was probably overshadowed by the more talkative bunch. She made the trio’s group chat especially lively.
Chiaki, on the other hand, was a very caring individual, who appeared reserved but honest, and hid a keen eye for detail. Since the start of the year, Yukio’s vigilance around her had gone down since he understood she wanted to maintain her low-key facade and wouldn’t call him out anytime soon.
The pair of girls had grown closer to Karuizawa and often went out to play in girls-only outings giving Yukio a chance to form a solid friendship with Hirata.
The boys had a common interest in football which the young adult exploited to grow closer to him. He also encouraged Hirata to take the lead of the class by using the excuse of poor behaviour to have Hirata become the figurehead quicker when Sae revealed everything on the 1st of May.
Thinking of ways to keep things on track, and exploiting the future to his advantage, Yukio fell asleep, exhausted.
— — —
During the second weekend at Advanced Nurturing High, on an evening out with Chiaki, Nene, Hirata and Karuizawa, Yukio initiated a Questions game, so the group could better get to know each other.
Yukio had noticed Kei’s indecisive look when she ‘secretively’ examined Hirata and himself, and so he thought she was picking who would be the most suitable to protect her in the class.
The young adult was not so conceited as to think she was seriously considering a relationship based on attraction to him, but thinking about it objectively, he was part of her friendship circle, and well-built. However, he did not have the social influence that Hirata had.
‘It would be fun to get into a fake relationship with Kei, but one based on something fickle like protection isn’t what I’m looking for. Nor can I protect her when I’m still thinking up ways to protect myself. And I think I’ll leave sorting Kei’s past to Ayanokouji. They were a great couple in the light novel, especially when Kei acted so loveable around him, so making a few moves in the background to keep the plot on track shouldn’t be too hard.’
Yukio raised a question about relationships and managed to bring the question back to himself.
“I’m not interested in a relationship currently or anytime soon. I want to bring my studies up to par with the rest of the class and well… become more familiar with Japanese culture and the school. I still feel like there’s something up and it’s just not the right time for me to consider anything of the sort, you know? Hirata-Kun would, however, make for some great boyfriend material for a lucky girl out there though, don’t you think?”
Lying through his teeth, and diverting the attention to Hirata, Yukio thought to himself about the way he would actually react if he was to receive a confession in the future. Imagining something embarrassing, he indulged in conversation with his friends as the night continued in a merry atmosphere.
‘That should do it. Objectively speaking, Hirata would make for a better choice anyway, and my comments should push her in that direction now. To be honest, I’m quite flattered she might have even considered me, but I won’t get it twisted. Sorry Hirata, but she’s all yours. Ayanokouji will come to save you soon enough.’
And like that, another eerily calm night passed at Advanced Nurturing High.
