After leaving the classroom, they all had their own things they wanted to do, so everyone said their farewells before going in their separate ways. As for Ryuga, he was actually joined by Izayoi and Kurisu as they were all going to get something to eat.
They didn't have anything particular in mind, so they were now just seen wandering around looking at all the available locations. Since the school was basically its own standalone small city, there was certainly no shortage of options for them.
"How about that place?" Kurisu suddenly spoke up as the males stopped and looked towards where she pointed. "I heard it's quite the popular location amongst the students."
The place that Kurisu pointed towards was a simple-looking cafe located in the bottom corner area of one of the two-story shopping buildings. The location had an automatic glass front door and a hanging blue circular sign.
"Cafe Pallet?"
"Popular location amongst the students, mainly the girls you mean. It's also quite the popular place for couples if I'm not mistaken." Izayoi added after seeing what place Kurisu suggested. "Eh~, Lab Girl. Trying to take not one but BOTH of us on a date? How confident of you!"
"Shut up!" Kurisu snapped as she swung her fist at Izayoi's head, which the blonde easily dodged before proceeding to give a loud laugh. Looking towards Ryuga, all she received was a chuckle along with a shrug. "I have no meaning behind my words! Do you want to go in or not?!"
"Calm down~. Sorry, it's just a joke!" Whether or not Izayoi was genuine in that apology was up for debate considering the shit-faced grin he had on his face. Seeing this, Kurisu felt her eyebrow twitch. "Let's head in, shall we? Time's wasting!"
They both watched as Izayoi stuffed both hands into his pockets before walking towards the cafe, and seeing this, Kurisu could only give a tired sigh. Ryuga chuckled once more before following after him, which prompted Kurisu to do the same.
After catching up with Izayoi, they all stepped up to the door before said doors quickly opened up for them. Taking a few steps in, they all looked around to see that the place was incredibly packed, practically every table was taken.
"Guess the popularity wasn't exaggerated." Ryuga blinked in a bit of surprise as he said this. As Izayoi also suggested, the majority of the students here were all females, the number of males could be counted on a single fucking hand, excluding them. "Well, let's take a seat before it's too late."
With the other two quickly agreeing, the three of them quickly moved towards one of the vacant tables that had just been cleaned up by one of the workers here. After taking a seat, they each took hold of one of the small menus provided to them at the table.
"So, none of you guys spent too much, right?" Izayoi suddenly asked without turning his gaze up as he continued browsing through the menu. "I've only spent around forty thousand or so, so I'm still good on points."
"Forty thousand?" Kurisu rose an eyebrow in surprise. "How did you already spend that much in a single week?"
"Necessities, Lab Girl." Izayoi simply smiled as he glanced up from the menu. "I went on a bit of a shopping spree to buy a few things that'll easily last me for over a month. I doubt I'll be buying anything else aside from food."
"I'm the same, I've spent a bit less than Izayoi though." Ryuga added his own response to Izayoi's question. "Saves the trouble of needing to go buy things again every few days. How much have you spent then, Kurisu-chan?"
For both Izayoi and Ryuga, the bulk of their spending was spent mainly towards clothes. If maintained well, clothes could easily last for months. While they could go around in their school uniforms, it's best not to wear them out too much.
School uniforms here were far more expensive than clothes you'd find in the stores, so buying a new set was very troublesome. Thankfully, every student is given three sets each at the start, three of which these two males had no intention of replacing them anytime soon.
"Well, I've only spent around eight thousand so far. I've been managing with the supplies already given to us in our rooms along with a few things I bought." Kurisu answered simply. "I was concerned about what we talked about, so I held off on buying much..."
"In my opinion, I think you should buy in advance." Ryuga spoke up as Kurisu gave him a curious look. "Not only for what I said before about saving trouble, but also because of possible inflation with products."
"Inflation? Really?"
"Although I could be wrong, this school does act as its own small society. This school is made to prepare us for the world. Naturally, it's possible they may place economic impacts on the school stores in response to what we buy. It's a double-edged sword, what Izayoi and I have done. Perhaps the products will be cheaper in the future, or of course more expensive."
"I see... then what should I do."
"I'll say my opinion again, you should buy in advance. Although we don't know how the economy of this school will potentially change in the future, its current prices on the products aren't that expensive."
"Okay then, I'll make a trip after this then. I was just concerned about spending too much."
"I think the ones that need to be concerned are Sora and Shiro." Izayoi chuckled loudly as they both gave him strange looks. "Those two finally snapped. They basically live off games, so it was only a matter of time before they snapped! I reckon they only have like twenty thousand or so left."
"Eh?! That's bad!" Kurisu shouted in a whisper. "Shouldn't we do something?"
"It's fine." Ryuga shook his head. "As long as our conclusions were correct and we still gain a sizable amount of points by the end of the month, it'll be fine. Also, I don't think those two will be desperate enough that they'd risk starving themselves. Even if they do, there is free food at the cafeteria."
"It's not only them either, take a look." Izayoi added as they both turned their heads to see him looking over towards the front counter. They watched as a trio of female students all happily left the counter after making their orders. "They seem to be first-years like us, and they all only had thirty-thousand or so left. Sora and Shiro are one thing, but students who aren't as addicted to games as them?"
"Wait, how could you tell they only had that much left?"
"I could see their phones."
"But... they're more than ten meters away from us!"
"So? I have good eyesight."
"..."
"Well, I know what I want. Tell me what you two want, and I'll go up and make the order for all of us." Ryuga interrupted the two as he closed the menu he was holding. "What other students do are of no concern to us, it's their own fault if they spend too much. They'll have to pay the price."
"Nice pun there!"
"Shut up, Izayoi-kun. What do you two want?"
After mentally noting down what Kurisu and Izayoi wanted, Ryuga wasted no time in going to the counter and making the order. After some time, said order was delivered to their table and they just chatted idly while enjoying their food.
●●●●●●●●●●●●
At the present time, both Izayoi and Ryuga had just finished changing into their swimming clothes as they both exited the changing rooms. Soon after, they both turned around to see Sora also walking out, although he was shaking a bit as both his arms were curled up to his chest.
Their swimming outfits were the ones provided by the school, which consisted simply of a pair of blue swimming shorts. Since they didn't have any shirts on, both Izayoi and Ryuga's strong frames could be seen in full view.
Izayoi had the leanest physique, and although his muscles weren't as prominent as Ryuga's, you could still see them clearly. Ryuga's were very visible, with his lean frame, his compacted muscles were clearly outlined for each section.
In contrast to them, Sora's physique... wasn't the best. Sora had no properly trained muscles, only a very slim physique. Considering Sora's nature, his very unathletic physique was honestly expected.
"Good to see that you're getting used to not having Shiro-chan around." Ryuga smiled a bit wryly when he saw Sora's shaking figure. Although the male was visibly shaking, it was nothing compared to what Ryuga had witnessed a few days ago. "Makes me wonder how you two ever functioned."
"What do you expect?" Izayoi grinned before shrugging his shoulders. "They're absolute NEETs of the highest order, completely useless in public!"
"Izayoi's completely right!" Sora seemed to recover a bit before nodding with crossed arms. "Blank will forever remain useless in society!"
"Don't sound so proud..."
"If there is something Blank will always stick to, it is that we will never do any real work! Thus, Blank will forever remain useless in society!" Sora declared with a clenched fist, earning a deadpan look from Ryuga and a grin from Izayoi. "For that... is the will of humanity!"
"If that's the case, humanity's shit."
"You're not wrong!" Sora nodded after hearing Ryuga's words. They both then watched as Sora then stood up tall before taking a few deep breaths, his eyes closed tightly as he did so. "It's almost time... Sora, this is the moment!"
"What are you talking about?"
"Swimming!" Sora snapped open his eyes before pointing at Ryuga. "For a NEET such as myself, any form of physical activity is akin to suicide! For that, I must prepare myself both physically and mentally! This... is a battlefield!"
"That's not the only thing." Izayoi chuckled devilishly as he crossed his arms across his chest. "It's not only a physical battlefield you're going through is it, Sora? If I'm not mistaken, you're having trouble keeping your third leg down!"
"Can you blame me?! It's the iconic scene in anime, the swimsuit scene!" Sora exclaimed with clear passion in his voice. Taking a sharp breath, Sora yelled up to the roof. "Just thinking about it is making blood rush through my veins! My willpower is truly being tested!"
"For fuck's sake." Ryuga scoffed with a deadpan look. "Just don't let the others hear you."
"Listen, Sora..." Izayoi chuckled as he walked up behind Sora before placing a hand on the male's shoulder. Sora didn't look back, but kept a serious look on his face. "You cannot live like this forever, you must know that not everything can last... It's better to let go. Let go of your restraints and feel the freedom!"
"Izayoi..." Sora finally glanced back at Izayoi who gave him a nod. Sora went silent for a moment before nodding back, closing his eyes... Sora turned around before opening them once more. When he did, a thin river of tears ran down his now comically serious expression. "You're right! I must embrace the euphoria in my pants!"
Just like that, a tent formed on Sora's pants.
"..."
As these antics were happening, the girls finally started coming out as they all turned to watch as Kyoko came out first, followed by Kurisu who was holding onto Shiro's hand as they walked out. Of course, each of them was wearing a one-piece school swimsuit.
"Sora!"
"Shiro!"
Immediately, both siblings quickly embraced one another after finally reuniting after an obviously long and treacherous time apart. The others could only watch as the siblings both had comical tears running down their faces as they continued to hug each other.
"They still worry me with this issue..." Kyoko sighed helplessly before turning her gaze away from them. "Sorry if we kept you three waiting, it took some time to help convince Shiro to get changed."
"It's fine." Ryuga shook his head. "Just glad she could do it in the first place."
"Ryuga, it's a beautiful sight, isn't it? Truly something to appreciate." Izayoi suddenly spoke up while holding his chin as his eyes narrowed into a deep analytical look. "With how both the Purple Detective and Lab Girl are so perfectly developed, it's quite provocative seeing them wearing such tight swimsuits."
"Indeed." Sora nodded after having returned from his little reunion. Of course, Shiro was also standing next to him while also admiring her fellow female classmates. "It's as I said, swimming class is truly the battlefield of both the body and mind!"
"Right? I can already imagine the water droplets running down from their perfectly curvaceous breasts from their silky long hair strands, making their way all the way down until it reaches the ever so well-protected valley of thei-."
"Shut up, pervert!" Kurisu immediately threw the towel she was holding at Izayoi, who didn't even bother to dodge as it collided with his face. Of course, Kurisu had also thrown one at Sora. "Why are two of the three males in our class such perverts?!"
"Enough fooling around, class will be starting soon." Kyoko merely sighed and looked as if Izayoi's words had no effect on her. Ryuga was honestly impressed, Kyoko was really good at keeping a poker face. "We don't want Karasuma-sensei scolding us for misbehaving."
Hearing this, Ryuga glanced at Izayoi who merely responded with a shrug.
"Alright, everyone. Gather around."
Speaking of Karasuma, they all turned to see the man in question walking over while wearing a simple pair of black shorts and a white t-shirt. Despite the shirt being a bit on the bigger side, they could still see Karasuma's physique underneath.
Karasuma was both their PE as well as swimming teacher, which was quite obvious why considering how well-trained the man was, The only evidence of that you needed was the physique he had underneath that clothing.
"Nice body, sensei!"
"Izayoi, please refrain from making such unnecessary comments. Thank you though." Karasuma spoke as Izayoi just gave a laugh. "We'll start swimming classes now. Even if you aren't good at swimming, or even don't know how, I'll make sure to teach you. You'll definitely learn to swim by the time summer comes."
Hearing this, a few of them seemed to pick up on something, and they all sent one another glances before turning their attention back to Karasuma. Something about Karasuma's words just then really stood out.
"First thing's first, for those who can swim, we're going to have each of your swim a full lap across the pool. That way I can properly understand what level of swimming each of you are at. Kirigiri-san, you're up first!"
"Yes, Karasuma-sensei."
With that, the others all went over to sit on the benches while Kyoko went over to one of the ends of the pool before getting ready to dive in. Karasuma was standing at the edge of the pool in front of the others who were sitting down.
"Kirigiri-san, ready?!"
"Yes!"
"And... go!"
They watched as Kyoko quickly swam from one end to the other, and although she wasn't bad, she wasn't anything impressive either. She'd only be considered a slightly above-average swimmer, which was still satisfactory.
"Not bad, Kirigiri-san. 28.36 seconds." Karasuma noted this down onto a clipboard he had in his hand. Hearing this, Kyoko nodded before walking over to where the others were. "Makise-san, you're next!"
"Yes!"
Once Kurisu took off, she did much more impressively than what everyone thought she would. She was capable of completing the fifty meters in a time of 24.40 seconds, a very good time for people their age.
When it came to Sora and Shiro...
Being their turn next, everyone could only watch as the two proved their inability for physical activity. Although they managed to make it to the other end, it was certainly a damn struggle, they looked like fish who couldn't swim. As for their time... let's not talk about it.
Right now, the two were back on the bench and hungrily gasping for air as their bodies looked as if they had seemingly deflated.
"Sakamaki-san, you're up!"
"Alright, I'm next!" Izayoi grinned before standing up as he began stretching his arms. Before he went to line up at the end of the pool, Izayoi turned his head to smirk up at Ryuga. "Hey, Ryuga! Let's see who gets the best time. I can tell you're strong, so try and beat me!"
"Eh~? Sure, I'll amuse you."
"Can you beat Izayoi?" The person who asked was Kyoko, she had asked the question while they all watched as Izayoi walked over to the starting area. "I can tell Izayoi is well-trained, and no doubt you as well."
"Hmm... we'll have to see."
"And... go!"
With a powerful push, Izayoi dove straight into the water, his fingertips piercing straight through the water's surface as he began racing to the other end. Each stroke was powerful and easily gave him a huge boost of speed in the water.
Everyone could only watch in shock as Izayoi had reached the end of the pool before they could even properly process it, he was already calmly pulling himself out of the water as the water droplets rushed down from his body.
"Incredible...!" Karasuma could only stare at his stopwatch in shock as he honestly wondered if his eyes were playing tricks on him. But, considering the file on Izayoi, he couldn't help but believe his eyes. "8.20 seconds..."
"Is that even possible?" Kyoko had actually lost her poker face and was now staring wide-eyed as Izayi walked back over to them. Even Sora and Shiro had recovered in time to witness this miracle. "The fastest speed on record is around twenty seconds..."
Both Izayoi's classmates and Karasuma could only stare at the male as if they were staring at a monster, the exception being Ryuga who had his eyes narrowed slightly after seeing the display. When Izayoi stopped in front of them, he gave Ryuga a big grin.
"So, can you beat that?"
"Can I?" Ryuga smirked slightly before standing up and making his way down next to Izayoi. "Just don't cry when I do."
"Hoh~? Looking forward to it!"
After Ryuga stepped up to the diving spot, he stretched his body a few times before getting into position. He took a deep breath before glancing over at Karasuma, who seemed to have recovered from his previous shock before nodding.
"Go!"
With that, he was off.
"..."
"..."
"..."
Karasuma couldn't believe what he was seeing, he had thought he had witnessed a monster just a few seconds ago. He did, there was no denying that, but what he witnessed now was another monster just as monstrous or even more so than Izayoi.
For someone like Karasuma, he couldn't even remember the number of times he had swum as a form of training. In fact, he had already broken the world record multiple times on his own, he had just never had them recorded in the books.
But, these two... he wasn't even sure if they actually tried. But these results were too ridiculous to think otherwise.
"6.32 seconds..."