บท 17: R & R With A & T
As to be expected, Teru really did pass with flying colors without his help. Unless there was a god that absolutely hated Kouji, there should've have been nothing going wrong anyway.
"Great." He said, finally getting the chance to relax today. "Well, if that's everything I guess I'll be going home." Kouji informed all the girls.
"Really?" Anastasia asked him. "You do not want to enjoy some pool time with everyone?" Scanning around the area, it was clear that a fair bit of the students here weren't that interested in staying. That even included some of the girls he was tutoring.
"I'd rather just sit back and enjoy the sun's rays" Himawari told them.
"Yeah, you know, my skin doesn't really like being under the sun all that much." Said Waa. Her pale complexion was gained from the days spent inside, binging on anime or games.
"Really? I think that a dip in the pool would be a lot of fun!" Anastasia was excited over the prospect, even though she hadn't changed to the swimwear yet.
"Yeah, you losers can just go lay in the back. I'm gonna stay in the pool a little longer." Teru was floating on her back, soaking in the sun and the pride she had in finishing first in the swimming race.
"I doubt that I can go swimming." Kouji answered Anastasia's original question. Since he didn't have any swimming shorts with him. "What about you Onodera?" He noted that she had yet to answer, and pushed her towards doing so.
"… I don't have to worry about doing servant's work today… So I think that I can enjoy a little swimming." She finally answered after some thought.
"Of course you're all free to stay after school." Headmistress Isako entered their conversation. Without saying anything to him, she tossed Kouji a pair of swimming trunks. He hardly had any time to react to her, nearly dropping it as he caught it.
That was nice of her, though he really doesn't understand why she's just giving him all this stuff. It's one thing that he's helping out as a tutor of some troublesome girls. But this seemed like beyond compensation for what he's done so far.
Either way, he wasn't going to complain to her about this. With suitable wear now, he went and got changed. Too bad this school doesn't really have a place for boys to change at, seeing as there's just girls other than him. So Kouji got stuck just using one of the bathrooms that's a little out of the way, reserved for him, to change.
Returning to the pool, it appeared that the rest of the girls got done changing before him. Mainly due to the fact that they didn't have to walk as far to do so. They were all wearing the school's swimming outfits, with the exception of Waa. That girl was wearing her usual school uniform, minus the blazer.
Probably because it was considered the most appropriate wear, but for some reason, Kouji was a little disappointed in their swimming uniforms. They had the same design as he'd see back at his old school. The simple, though classic, blue one-piece.
"I thought you weren't going to swim?" He asked Himawari, her clothing choice was confusing to him.
"It's a little hard to get any sun in our school uniforms, don't you think?" She responded to him with sass in her voice. "I'd also prefer if you don't spend this free time ogling at my body." While she might've had a body that filled her swimming suit in all the right ways, he did as she asked. After all, spending more time than he needed to with this girl was not good for his health.
"Heh, I'm sure that you'd rather spend it ogling at Anastasia's body instead." Waa was laying beside Himawari, much to the latter's chagrin. She also had an umbrella set up to shade her from the sun's blazing rays.
"I'm a little disappointed that you think that way of me." He said, irritated at the constant slander.
"Come on, a boy stuck in a school filled with girls. I fail to see how this is bad for you." From his point-of-view, pretty bad considering who he was stuck with exactly.
"Come on, Kouji." Anastasia sneaked up behind him, grabbing Kouji by the arm. "Let us go for a swim." With her swimwear, she was pressing her rather large chest onto him. Getting squished up to him.
"I'm sure he's already having plenty of fun." Waa teased the sight she was witnessing.
"Just shut up." He responded to her. "And I can walk myself there." He got some distance from this girl. Did the people of Russia have no concept of personal space? Or perhaps she was just using her foreign status as an excuse.
At the pool, Yuma and Teru were already enjoying themselves. Swimming around, just enjoying the cool, refreshing water to combat this heat. Kouji carefully placed himself inside, getting the opportunity to relax along the pool wall. Anastasia had other plans, leaping in without hesitation. She caused quite the splash all over them.
"Geez." He muttered to himself, wiping the water from his face. Why did these girls have to be like this. It was hardly what he'd expect from a school dedicated to raising fine young ladies.
One would think he whould be happy to be spending a little pool time with some cute girls. But all they ever did was get on his nerves. There was barely any time spent without water in his eyes, until another splash hit him again.
"Hey!" He yelled back. It was Teru, who was laughing her lungs out.
"You're in our pool now!" She said to him. "Don't think that you can just sit back and stare at us." That wasn't his intention, but she didn't care. After another splash, he decided it was time to retaliate.
"Okay, you're on now." He said, as he splashed her back. The pair exchanged blasts of water, which was quite a bit of fun. For the first time in a while, Kouji had on a smile from the enjoyment he was having.
"Hehe." Anastasia joined in on the fun, leaping onto him.
"Eh? What are you doing?" He asked her, taken by surprised by her intimate move.
"Having fun of course." She answered. "After all, I have not seen you smile before." Kouji raised an eyebrow to that statement. Surely that couldn't have been the case.
"She's not wrong." Teru followed up.
"...Yes." Yuma spoke up as well. "You always have that look of seriousness to you. That's all we've ever actually known from you."
"They're not wrong." A new person entered this conversation. The headmistress made her presence known once more. This time though, she wasn't wearing her usual attire.
"Headmistress…" Kouji averted his eyes from her the moment after he looked at her.
"What?" She replied, unconcerned with her wearing a swimsuit to enjoy a dip in the pool. "Don't tell me you get flustered when you see an older lady like this." She's not that old at all. In actuality, she was barely in her thirties at this point.
"It's not that." He responded, steeling himself once more. She got into the pool along with them. "I'm just not used to seeing my teachers like this." Pretty much every other teacher at this school was very formal. Very stern, but this woman was the opposite. And she was the headmistress of all people.
"Um, yes. Why are you swimming with us?" Yuma asked.
"Well school hours are officially finished. I see nothing wrong with taking the opportunity to relax." She answered, laying her back across the water. "As opposed to this young man that won't let his guard down." Kouji would argue that he was perfectly fine with relaxing, just that his current situation made it hard right now.
"Come on, with all this work I have to do. Can you really blame me?"
"So you still haven't told them yet?" She answered, with a question of her own. Kouji was silent in response, not wanting to have the discussion here.
"Told us what?" Teru was the one that pushed it onto him.
"Yeah." Waa and Himewari saw Isako joining the others. So they were approaching to join the conversion, when they overheard what she said. "What haven't you told us?"
"And don't try to get out of this." Himwari threatened. "Clearly some boy like you didn't just do everything you did today just out of goodwill." She still wasn't letting go of that little moment they shared. He sighed, everyone surrounded him, eyeing him with questioning looks. There was no getting out of this one.
"Have of you all wondered how I got into this school in the first place?" He asked, edging himself towards the answer. The nodded their heads. It was clear that he was here for tutoring, it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out. "Did any of you ever consider what would happen, if I failed at that?"
It was common knowledge across the school about the reputation of most of these girls. World class tutors, coming in and failing to complete their jobs. Being broken by the ridiculous matter of these high school girls.
The pieces of the puzzle were being filled out for these girls. It was obvious what he was getting at here.
"...Yes." Isako cut in. "Should he fail at teaching you, or more accurately, you continue to fail in school as you have." She did an unnecessary momentary pause for effect. "Then he will be promptly kicked out of this school."
Those words sunk in for everyone. That was the answer for his actions these past few weeks with them. Now it was making a little more sense.
"But please." He said, navigating through the tension. "Don't worry about me. I don't want any of you doing anything because of that." As he told Isako before, he didn't want to hang anything over their heads. Even if he didn't personally care about any of their feelings.
But even the headmistress had her reasons for telling everyone the truth. After all, she does want him to continue attending this school.
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