Chapter 63: Swimming Class
"I don't want to do it," Furuya mumbled, his face planted on Yasushi's desk, almost as if hoping to merge with it and disappear. Monday had crept in once more, bringing with it the inevitability of regular classes.
The morning sun had barely begun its climb when Yasushi, in his usual composed manner, found a moment to relax by his desk. Furuya, ever the reluctant participant in the rhythm of routine, approached him with the air of a man sentenced to hard labor.
Across the room, near Jingliu's desk, Xinyi and Laura engaged her in conversation. This scene, once unimaginable, had become a reality after the garbage collection event. Despite Xinyi's occasional irksome behavior, the event had fostered an unexpected friendship, evident in the soft, fleeting smile that played on Jingliu's lips now and then.
"We have to," Yasushi replied, his voice carrying the weight of resigned acceptance. He glanced at Furuya, whose reluctance was as predictable as the sunrise. "You know it always starts after the garbage collection event."
"Even if that's true, it doesn't mean I have to like it," Furuya retorted, his words tinged with a mix of defiance and resignation. He hugged himself, shivering theatrically. "Who in their right mind wants to do this when it's freezing outside?"
"We're indoors, remember? We'll be having swimming classes until summer. It's really not that bad, and it's only once a week. You know how it goes: during the first week, they schedule it on a Monday, and then afterward, it's always on a Friday. Thankfully, this year, our class has it for the last period, which means..." Yasushi's voice trailed off, the rhythm of his speech as predictable as the tides.
"I know, I know," Furuya interrupted, his tone a blend of reluctant acceptance and mild irritation. "We can just swim and then go home to sleep. It's the perfect way to end the day." He looked at Yasushi, a familiar resignation in his eyes. "You've been saying that since last year and even back in middle school."
"And it's true," Yasushi retorted, his voice carrying the weight of unyielding certainty. He gently karate-chopped Furuya's head, a gesture of playful admonishment. "There's no use complaining. The good thing is we still have the last class today, so you can mentally prepare yourself."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever, Mr. Six-pack," Furuya muttered, his face contorting into a strange, exaggerated expression of disgust. Yasushi couldn't help but chuckle at the sight, the sound a brief interlude of levity in the otherwise mundane morning.
+-+
"My fellow students! In just three more classes, we're going swimming!" Xinyi's voice rang out with a mixture of excitement and authority, her arms crossed as if to emphasize the declaration's importance.
It was lunchtime, a reprieve from the rigors of academia, and Yasushi's newly formed group — comprised of himself, Jingliu, Laura, and the ever-enthusiastic Xinyi — had retreated to their usual spot on the rooftop. The snow had been meticulously cleared away, revealing the concrete beneath, a silent testament to their determination to claim this space despite winter's lingering grip. Furuya, noticeably absent, was off with the baseball team, his presence a ghostly echo in the camaraderie of the group.
"Well… that's how our schedule works," Yasushi remarked, his tone laced with the casual indifference of someone well-versed in the rhythms of school life. He continued to eat, his eyes drifting to Xinyi, who had started wiggling her finger at him in a playful yet accusatory manner.
"I know what you're thinking, Yasushi!" Xinyi exclaimed, her grin broadening as she pointed at him with a dramatic flair. "I know you're looking forward to seeing our budding bodies, just like any other teenager!"
Yasushi stared at her, his expression a mask of bemused neutrality. He blinked a few times, his mind processing her words, before letting out a snort. He returned to his lunch, his reaction or lack thereof, a stark contrast to Xinyi's spirited outburst. This response wasn't what Xinyi had anticipated, her confident facade faltering for a moment as confusion clouded her face.
"W-why aren't you flustered or at least excited to see this!?" Xinyi demanded, her voice a blend of disbelief and frustration. She crossed her arms tighter, as if the action would help her comprehend Yasushi's serene demeanor. It was unfathomable to her that anyone, let alone a teenage boy, wouldn't be at least a little excited about their upcoming swimming class.
Yasushi responded with a soft, almost wistful chuckle. He finished his bite of rice, savoring the simplicity of his meal before addressing Xinyi's question. His eyes twinkled with a mixture of humor and resignation as he began to speak.
"Excuse me for being brazen, but... porn is a thing on the internet," he said, the corners of his mouth twitching upward in a knowing smile. "I'd say most guys my age have seen a naked woman that way. It's strange to be overly excited about a swimming class when the virtual world offers so much more." He paused, considering his next words carefully. "Of course, I'll agree that the real thing and what you see on a screen are different experiences."
As he finished, Yasushi's gaze drifted briefly to Jingliu. Her face flushed crimson, a vivid contrast to the pale winter sky. She was suddenly reminded of the few times she and Yasushi had shared a bath to save water, an intimate memory that now seemed to burn at the forefront of her mind.
The rooftop fell into a contemplative silence. The usual hum of lunchtime chatter and the distant sounds of the city below seemed to fade, replaced by the weight of Yasushi's candid revelation. The crisp air, filled with the scent of winter and the promise of snow, felt heavy with unspoken thoughts.
Xinyi's bravado wavered. She stared at Yasushi, trying to process his nonchalant acceptance of what she considered a significant teenage milestone. Her mind buzzed with a flurry of thoughts, none of which settled into a coherent response.
Laura watched the exchange with a bemused smile, her eyes darting between her friends. The dynamics within their group were shifting, subtle changes influenced by each word spoken and each reaction given. She wondered at the layers of complexity beneath their seemingly straightforward interactions.
Jingliu, still red-faced, pretended to focus on her lunch, her chopsticks moving mechanically. Her mind, however, was far from the rooftop. She replayed Yasushi's words, feeling a strange mix of embarrassment and something she couldn't quite name — a warmth, perhaps, that came from shared secrets and unvoiced understandings.
+-+
"I take it back, I'm looking forward to this," Furuya declared, rubbing his hands together with a giddy enthusiasm that seemed to radiate from every pore. He and the rest of the boys in their class had just finished changing into their school-issued swim trunks and now stood in the echoing, tiled space of the changing room, waiting for the girls to emerge.
Yasushi, leaning against the wall with a resigned look, sighed deeply at his friend's antics. "You look like a creepy old man right now… calm down," he replied, his voice carrying a tone of weary amusement mixed with mild exasperation.
Furuya's head snapped toward Yasushi, his grin widening into something almost feral. "I'm not the only one excited for this! Look at the rest of the guys!" he exclaimed, gesturing broadly at their classmates.
Yasushi followed the direction of Furuya's animated pointing. The other boys were clustered in small groups, their faces illuminated by the same eager anticipation that Furuya wore so brazenly. Each of them seemed to be buzzing with a barely contained excitement, save for a few who, like Yasushi, maintained a more composed demeanor. But even in those few, there was a subtle undercurrent of curiosity and expectation.
Yasushi sighed again, shaking his head slowly. He couldn't entirely blame them for their eagerness. Most of them were virgins, experiencing the raw thrill of adolescence with all its clumsy, fervent intensity. He himself was no different in this new life, though he managed to keep his feelings in check better than most.
The room was filled with the sounds of shuffling feet, nervous laughter, and the occasional hushed whisper. The anticipation was almost tangible, wrapping around them like a blanket. Yasushi's thoughts drifted as he watched his classmates, feeling a strange mix of detachment and empathy. The excitement of youth, the thrill of the unknown, the simple pleasures of school life — all these swirled together in the humid air of the changing room.
"Alright men, charge!" one of the boys shouted, his voice echoing through the humid air of the changing room. The call to action galvanized the rest, and like a wave, they surged forward, leaving the confines of the locker room behind. They gathered at the edges of the swimming pool, an eager assembly of adolescent anticipation, waiting for the girls to emerge.
The moment arrived with a hushed intensity. The girls stepped out, and the reaction from the boys was instantaneous and unabashed. Yasushi observed his classmates' brazen stares, some even drooling in their thoughtless fascination, which made him chuckle softly. The boys' eyes tracked the girls' movements, their gazes filled with a mix of wonder and immature desire.
The girls, however, were clearly uncomfortable under the weight of so many eyes. They glanced towards Jingliu, seeking her silent strength. True to form, Jingliu's response was swift and unyielding. She fixed the boys with an icy glare, a look so potent it seemed to freeze the very air. The effect was immediate and striking; the boys, cowed by her fierce expression, looked away in unison, their bravado dissipating.
Just then, the teacher entered the hall, her face a canvas of mild confusion at the sudden, inexplicable silence that had settled over the room. She paused, surveying the scene before her, then, with a shrug that spoke of long-suffering patience, began to take attendance, attributing the strange quietude to the capricious nature of teenagers.
Meanwhile, the girls kept their distance from the boys, forming a separate cluster on the other side of the pool. However, the bolder ones — Laura, Jingliu, and Xinyi — broke ranks and walked over to Yasushi. Their approach drew a fresh wave of stares, this time tinged with shock and envy. The boys' eyes darted from Yasushi's face to his body, noting the scars that marred his skin, each mark a silent testament to untold stories.
"I told you this would happen," Xinyi teased, her voice light and playful as she tilted her head, glancing between Yasushi and Furuya. Her words carried a hint of triumph, as if she had known all along that this moment would unfold exactly as it did.
Yasushi met her gaze, a faint smile playing on his lips, though his eyes held a deeper, more reflective look. Furuya, for his part, managed a sheepish grin, scratching the back of his head in an attempt to mask his own mix of embarrassment and excitement.
"Let's prepare for the lesson. It's the last class, after all," Yasushi remarked, his words hanging in the air like the last note of a forgotten song. The others nodded in unison, a silent agreement.
The teacher, a figure both distant and familiar, methodically took attendance. Each name called out felt like a stone dropped into a still pond, creating ripples that marked the beginning of the swimming lesson. The pairs, chosen seemingly at random — a boy and a girl — stepped forward as their names echoed in the humid air of the poolside.
Jingliu, standing beside Yasushi, reached out with a delicate, almost hesitant touch. Her fingers encircled his wrist, a silent plea hidden in the softness of her grip. She looked up at him, her eyes large and questioning, searching for a silent affirmation.
Yasushi, with a warmth that was both reassuring and gentle, smiled down at her. "You look wonderful," he said, his voice a soft murmur, as if sharing a secret meant only for her ears. Her lips curved into a small, almost imperceptible smile, a fleeting moment of connection before she turned her gaze back to the front, awaiting their turn with a composed patience.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Haruki_Murakami
Haruki_Murakami "出る杭は打たれる。" -Japanese proverb
"Deru kui wa utareru."
"The stake that sticks out gets hammered down."
Meaning: This proverb warns that individuals who stand out or deviate from the norm are often targeted for criticism or suppression.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone