Cote: Magic [Exams break]

Swimming lesson.

"Quite confident, aren't you?" remarked a girl, whom I believe to be Satsuki Shinohara. Among the individuals present, she appeared to be the least formidable, hardly worth my attention.

"Well, it's not just confidence when I have the advantage." I replied. "As a wind augmenter, agility and speed is something I excel at." It was known that wind augmenters excel at such activities, thanks to the inherent qualities of the element.

"Hmm, maybe, but swimming is also about strength and endurance. And that's where I excel, as a fire augmenter." Onodera countered.

Suddenly our attention was caught by two overly excited students whose voices were loud enough to be heard from the corridors.

"Good morning, Yamauchi!"

"Good morning, Ike!"

"Those two never came early." I mused in a low voice so that only the people around my table could hear. It's been one week since the entrance ceremony, and Ike and Yamauchi would always make it to class right before the bell rang.

"Yeah, it's creeping me out."

As they entered the classroom, ignoring others around them, they continued their conversation.

"Whew, man! I was looking forward to today so much that I barely slept last night!"

"Ah ha ha! This school is just the best! I can't believe that it's almost time for swimming! And when I say swimming, I mean girls. And when I say girls, I mean girls in school swimsuits!"

The girls exchanged disgusted glances as if Ike and Yamauchi had completely ruined their mood. No, they actually did.

"Eek...I think I will skip today's lesson."

"Me too." Mi-chan agreed in a low tone.

"What about you, Onodera?" I asked, noticing her relatively calm demeanour compared to the others in the group.

"Could it be that you want me to step down, Ayanokōji-kun?" she retorted in a playful tone, her words didn't quite match the mood of the other girls.

"No it's ju-"

"Don't worry, I'm used to this. You think I haven't been through this in middle school?" Onodera interrupted, and I couldn't help but feel a hint of respect toward her. The fact that she is willing to go so far to pursue her passion is quite admirable.

As the girls continued their conversation, I couldn't help but eavesdrop on Ike and Yamauchi. Thanks to my heightened hearing abilities, I could hear them far more clearly than the average person.

"Hey, Professor! Come here for a sec!"

"Uh, you called?"

A chubby boy, apparently nicknamed "The Professor." approached them slowly. If I remember correctly, his name was Sotomura or something like that.

"Professor, can you record the girls wearing their swimsuits for us?" Ike asked.

"Leave it to me. I'll pretend to be sick so that I can skip class and observe."

I turned my attention back to the girls, it seemed none of them had caught wind of what Ike and Yamauchi were planning.

Concluding that it was none of my business, I decided not to interfere, reasoning that the girls would probably skip the lesson anyway, rendering their plan futile.

Soon the girls said their goodbyes and returned to their seats as the first lesson began.

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