章 22: Poolside Cleaning
The summer heat, now in full swing. This blistering heat, just makes one want to stay inside with the fan on full blast. So why was Arata standing in the middle of an empty public pool?
Well that was simple, he would explain it as a business opportunity opening up. The local pool was going to be cleaned out. Now that the spring had past and summer just heating up. Well the pool was going to need a good cleaning since it reopened.
He checked his watch. They should be here by now. Arata was going to kill two birds with one stone. Not only was he going to make payday, but inviting Erina and Yogi wouldn't hurt. He'd bet that the boy wouldn't be able to resist Erina. Especially getting all wet… Well he was hoping that Yogi had a dirty mind.
"Arata!" He heard his name called out. He recognized that voice in an instant.
"Ah hello… Ah…" He was also greeted with some of the others with them. There was Misei, Misao, Akiba, and Akaki. He noted that Yuriko was oddly missing in this case. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised. This is pretty much a package deal at this point." He murmured to himself.
They made their way to him, finding themselves at the bottom of the pool. The cleaning tools were laid about by him. Mostly brooms and buckets, along with a hose.
"Wow. I didn't think you'd all be here." His sarcasm was only lost on Yogi.
"Oh yeah, it's a bit odd isn't it?"
"Yeah… Speaking of though, Where's Yuriko?" The others looked at Arata strangely. "What? I don't think I said anything wrong, did I?"
"You called her by first name." Misao said what everyone was thinking. "You've always referred to her as Kikugawa."
"Oh right, well as you know I watch over her sister nowadays. So you know, I can't use that name for both of them." He explained. The others might've believed it, but Misao didn't buy it.
"Anyway, I think she's out shopping with her family. So she won't make it." Yogi answered the question. Though, he said it as if she was invited in the first place.
"That's too bad. Doesn't matter though, if you're here. You better help out." Arata told them. "Also, since I'm getting paid to do this. We'll be splitting the profits equally, so please pull your weight." This was really going to cut into his bottom line. With two other people, he was willing to cut his losses. Considering the circumstances. This was really going to eat into his money.
Without much to say, he handed out the brooms and buckets to everyone. With much more people than he was expecting, there wasn't enough for everyone. So, people had to pair up.
He was able to convince them to get Erina to be with Yogi, since he had only invited those two in the first place. Misei just had to butt in and say she needed to make sure they did a good job though, so she was also with them.
Akiba and Akaki were partnered up as well. He was kind of feeling bad for her. The entire time since he joined this group, he couldn't think of any time she got to spend with Yogi. He figured that at least his plans have been working, kind of.
Of course that left Arata with Misao, not really a big deal. At least he had someone he could talk to without having to worry about keeping a secret.
They started their work in silence. Noting that she was a rather vigilant worker, not a surprise to him. She wasn't the vice president for nothing.
"So those three seem to be getting along." She said, without turning her attention from her mopping.
"Yeah, lucky for us right? Don't have to put any work on that."
"Are you honestly going to be content with that?"
"Um, yeah?" He replied, he didn't that it was a problem. She on the other hand.
"If that's how you're going to act, then it's clear that Erina stands no chance. Of course, compared to President Misei, it wouldn't matter what help she had."
"Sheesh, you don't have to brag about it. You really care about her, don't you?"
"She's the reason I can stand here and even talk to you. I wouldn't even be half the person I am if it wasn't for her."
"Could you maybe elaborate?" He heard this part of the story before, but he didn't know why this was a thing.
"Hmph, you want to hear the story of how I met her? Well it all began the day I was born."
"Just skip to the relevant parts!"
"Fine, then the day I truly met here, was not to different that today. We had been assigned duty for taking care of the school's animals"
"Hold on a second. I didn't know we had animals at the school." There was no way this story was real. This sounded just like a manga he had read before.
"Not anymore, that was a really hectic day." She looked back on something that he really didn't want to know about. Just what happened at school the last year, was he that good at staying out of the loop? "Anyway, let's get back to the story."
She explained to him the details while they worked. It turned out that Misei saw potential in her. Whatever that meant, he didn't understand. Perhaps it was because of how smart she was?
Anyway, after that day, Misei made it a point to have Misao spend more time with her. In fact, that was how she had met Yogi in the first place.
"I remember at first, they were just friends. He was always so helpful for her. I don't know how it happened, or the moment when it occurred. But she had somehow fallen for him." She told him. "When I figured it out, I told her that in debt to her, I will make him fall in love with her."
"Really? She didn't ask you to do it?"
"I'm sure you know by now how she feels about this." The time in his bathroom. When he saw how different she was when he mentioned her feelings. Unlike that cold exterior he usually saw at school. Misei turned into the type to fumble her words.
He couldn't help but wonder why that was the case. It seems that even Misao didn't know why she felt the way she did. Not that it was important to him anyway.
"Now it's my turn."
"Your turn for what?" He asked.
"About Yuriko." Now she was going to take advantage and turn the tables on him. "You might have everyone else with what you said. However, I don't buy your story." He didn't think that his explanation was a bad one, but it wasn't like he was being completely honest either.
"Is there anything wrong with me calling her by first name?"
"Don't think I'm so naive. It's not like I'm forgetting this little competition we've found ourselves in." She said with a look of fury at him. "We both know about her feelings for Yogi, but you do benefit if you tried to get her to fall for you instead."
"What?" This was quite the accusation. One that he really wanted to dispel the notion of. "You've got it all wrong. I would never do something so underhanded."
"Really then? Then why the sudden change in attitude towards her?"
"She'll kill me if I say this, but I guess I've got no choice." He was going to have to tell the real truth on why. "Yesterday, when I was watching the kids again. She came by."
"Of course, to drop off her little sister."
"She offered to help me." He said. The way she said it, he could see how hard it was to offer it. In fact, she tried to make it sound like she was doing him a favor. Taking time out of her day for this. "I couldn't say no, though I realize that cut into my profits too."
Having her help him. It wasn't something he would ever ask for, but when she was there. He couldn't say that he was unhappy about it. She didn't seem against it either, not that she should, since she asked. Though she probably didn't like the teasing from his mother about their relationship.
"… After that, she ask me if it was okay to come over every weekend to help. I didn't say no."
"So that's how it is." He was glad that she believed him on this, even if he felt it was a little more unbelievable than just doing it to tell two sister's apart.
"Yeah, and please don't tell her I said this. I'm certain she would kill me." Just thinking about it made his face flair up from the pain he received from her that night.
"Right. Your secret's safe…" Before she could finished making a promise to him. A bucket came from above, slamming down over his head. Dousing him in soapy water.
"Ah! Are you all right?" Above, it was Akiba. She had knocked over the bucket on top of him.
"I'm fine. It's no big deal, I was already wet anyway." Compared to how dirty he was by cleaning the pool, this completely overrode that in every way.
He wasn't going to whine though, they were almost finished anyway. Also on the bright side, with this heat. It wasn't a bad way to cool down. Everyone finished up their parts of the pool. With the cleaning done, all there was left to do was fill it back up for business.
"Awesome." He said, as the pool was now back to it usual self. Just in time for the place to be reopened for visitors looking for a place to cool down. "Well I guess it's time to enjoy the fruits of our labor."
That was when he noticed Erina standing far away from the pool. In fact, she was about as far as you could possibly be from the poo. Standing by the metal fence.
"Um, usually when people enjoy the fruits of their labor, they do it with the people they worked with." He called over to her, feeling like she was being left out of this.
"She can't swim." Misei informed him.
"Really?"
"Yeah." Yogi confirmed it." I remember when I learned she couldn't swim. I actually had to save her from drowning, almost had to give her mouth-to-mouth." He said. Arata could tell the blushing was from embarrassment and not from this heat.
"I'm sure she would've love if you actually did that." He joked. No one laughed. Ignoring being given a tough audience, he marched up to Erina.
"Eh? You're not seriously gonna make me get close to the pool, what if I..."
"No, I'm not making you get close to the pool."
"Oh, that's a relief."
"I'm going to make you go in the pool."
"What?!" The others looked on in horror at him.
"Okay, I could've worded that better." He smiled nervously back at them. Then he turned back to Erina. "I mean tomorrow, after school. I'm going to teach you how to swim."
"But why?" He grabbed her, leaning close to her ear to whisper.
"Look, I've got a plan. Just follow my lead, okay?" She nodded in agreement, not really understanding what he meant. He hasn't been the type to pull any tricks on her, so she trusted him.
"Okay, fine. I'll meet you tomorrow." She said out loud for the others to hear.
"If that's the case." Said Misao. "Then would you mind teaching someone else?"
"Hm? What are you talking about?" Unless he was getting paid, he really didn't want to turn into a swimming instructor. It was fine if it was just Erina.
"It just so happens that President Misei also cannot swim." She said this, much to Misei's chagrin.
"Is that true?"
"Ye-yes." It pained her to admit it, but like Erina, she also had no experience in swimming. He really didn't want to do it, but it would've been troublesome if any one of them was unable to swim. Especially with the plan he was thinking of.
"Sure, if you have time. Then I'll be at the school's pool after classes end."
"We'll be there." Misao answered for the both of them. Drawing a disappointing look from her friend.
"And the rest of you?"
"Oh no, we all know how to swim." Akaki answered. "In fact, I placed top three at last year's swimming competition. You probably already knew that though." Arata really didn't. School sports was only something he ever watched in anime. Real life was not interesting to him.
"Oh, that's good then." He really didn't want more guests. What he got was already more than he was planning on. Still though, he was willing to suffer a lot for his big plan to come to fruition. And suffer he will.
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