NOVEL NEXT Chapter 24
Chapter 24: Swimming Class
After coming out of the changing room, the boys naturally moved the fastest, while internally, they were all eagerly anticipating seeing the girls’ swimsuits. Of course, they all wore calm and unruffled expressions on their faces, but what they were really thinking could only be known to themselves.
“Ah? What’s going on?!”
Suddenly, Ike pointed to the bleachers on the second floor and shouted. It turned out that there were quite a few girls from their class up there—16 in total. They were all wearing their proper school uniforms and were looking down at the pool.
“My plan to check out big boobs is ruined!”
Ike clutched his head and wailed like a monkey. His voice quickly reached the bleachers, which prompted the girls to roll their eyes and mutter complaints. Even the surrounding boys were dragged into it.
On the bleachers were not only Hasebe and Karuizawa but also the Ostrich Girl, Sakura. Clearly, the joint swimming class for boys and girls was something they were very reluctant to join. After all, no one wanted to be ogled with lecherous eyes, being scrutinized by the opposite sex without any shame.
Hikigaya didn’t care much about it. He thought the whole situation was just the result of the monkeys’ bad behavior. If they hadn’t acted so gross and creepy earlier with their weird comments and stares, perhaps the girls wouldn’t be so cautious, and so many of them wouldn’t have chosen to “observe” the class from afar.
“Look, look over there!”
Suddenly, Yamauchi shouted excitedly as if on steroids. Other girls started to appear one by one from the distant corridor, wearing their swimsuits. While the number was small, the most eye-catching of them all was the one walking at the front—Kushida.
“Wow, so big!”
Ike, Yamauchi, and the others’ eyes widened, their jaws almost hitting the floor.
Even though they could already “estimate” Kushida’s bust size when she was in her school uniform, now, in her swimsuit, her full and impressive figure was on full display.
Her curvaceous body seemed to be pushing against the air, as though she could feel the wind at 60 km/h. Her thighs and hips were perfectly rounded, and her slender legs stepped confidently on the floor, with each step making the hearts of the boys around her skip a beat. It was an electrifying sight!
Even Hikigaya, the indifferent “dead fish-eyed” boy, couldn’t help but glance a few times.
Kushida’s arrival instantly made the surrounding boys drool, and Kushida didn’t shy away from their gazes. Instead, she confidently flaunted her figure, even greeting the boys and performing somewhat exaggerated cute gestures that were a bit too much for some. But strangely, the boys loved it.
Led by the monkey duo, the boys were soon entranced, shouting things like “Kushida-chan, the angel!” and “Kushida, supreme!” They quickly became her most loyal fans.
Suddenly, Hikigaya felt a piercing stare, and to his surprise, he realized it was from Horikita. He had thought that she wouldn’t show up in a swimsuit at the pool, but it seemed he had underestimated her “self-respect.”
Moreover… Horikita’s figure was unexpectedly not bad?! It was quite a contrast to some certain demon-like superhero!
Horikita’s figure wasn’t as full as Kushida’s, but there was a healthy, well-proportioned balance to her body.
When Horikita noticed Hikigaya’s gaze, her brow furrowed, and she couldn’t help but speak out, “Don’t you think your eyes are being rude?”
Horikita’s cold reprimand immediately brought Hikigaya back to reality. As always, when Horikita spoke, the atmosphere around her would become awkwardly colder, like a chill wind had suddenly blown through, stinging everyone.
“Didn’t your parents or teachers teach you that looking someone in the eye when greeting them is important?”
While speaking, Hikigaya’s face didn’t show any change in expression, and his “dead fish eyes” didn’t waver at all as he continued to stare directly at her.
Tch!
Horikita clicked her tongue in frustration, clearly not expecting Hikigaya to be so “bold.”
Unlike the monkey duo and other boys, who had earlier said they were eagerly awaiting to feast their eyes, once the girls in swimsuits started to appear, the boys instinctively avoided eye contact. Their gazes faltered, afraid of being caught staring and subjected to moral judgment, as if they would be socially ostracized if someone noticed them.
After all, they were still just teenage boys, going through a phase of rapid mental and physical change. What they said and what they did often didn’t align.
Who didn’t exaggerate in their youth?
Who didn’t show off?
They were still just little boys, far from growing into men.
However, there was one exception: Koenji, who wore the only pair of triangle swim trunks and shamelessly displayed his broad, muscular buttocks to everyone.
Completely ignoring the odd stares from others, he swung his golden long hair while laughing out loud, proudly caressing his own well-built body, turning into an eccentric figure that even some of the girls dared not look at directly.
“Do you think you were being clever just now? Feeling all smug inside?” Horikita, still staring at Hikigaya with cold eyes, surveyed him from top to bottom before snorting. “You’re quite the sly debater. I suggest you put away your little tricks. You’re just an oily-tongued guy.”
Hikigaya didn’t get angry. His expression remained calm: “Indeed, from a girl’s perspective, everything I say now will be labeled ‘wrong,’ because society’s moral code has granted you the ‘absolute justice’ power, whether it’s on the train, in the subway, or here, or anywhere else.”
“What are you trying to say?” Horikita asked, her brow furrowing deeper as she interrupted him, a little annoyed.
“What I mean is, everyone has a love for beauty. As a normal male, if I admire a woman’s body, is it something that needs to be ashamed of and condemned? Just as you girls have been sizing up our bodies from the start, haven’t you?” While speaking, Hikigaya also cast a glance at the unremarkable Ayanokouji, who was not attracting much attention.
Ayanokouji, who was plain to the point that he could disappear into the crowd without a trace, surprisingly had a slim, toned physique. Though not as eye-catching as Koenji or Sudo, if one observed closely, the way his muscles moved revealed an explosive strength that couldn’t be underestimated.
Horikita immediately realized that her own earlier gaze at Ayanokouji’s body had been noticed. Her frown deepened, and a strange feeling of irritation surged in her chest, making her press her lips together tightly.
“So, fundamentally, we are no different. It’s just that the current environment and moral codes give you the privilege to stand on a higher social moral level. I have no issue with that. In fact, if you feel offended, I can apologize. But one thing I hope you understand is that this power shouldn’t be taken for granted, should not be abused, and definitely should not be used to belittle others.”
Hikigaya calmly looked at Horikita.
Horikita’s brows shot up in anger, and her chest heaved with emotion, but she quickly suppressed it. She glared at Hikigaya with resentment before turning around silently and walking away.