1:25 PM
I'm suffering from some fractures after that Kendo practice against Ailiss. She is as skilled with swords as with firearms, and even when her strength is suppressed, her strikes are strong enough to break bones.
Seriously… at this point, after everything that has happened, it makes no sense to question it. Still, I can't help but wonder how I ended up in this situation.
We then decided to have lunch, and obviously, this time Mikoto is in charge of the food. After yesterday's disaster, I believe we all reached a consensus that Ailiss should stay as far away from the kitchen as possible. Sparing her from this task is essential for the common good.
Next, we head to the gym, where they're still deciding which sport we'll play. With a full court available, we have the resources for any ball game.
"Since we are running late, we cannot do all the activities. So, which one do we choose?" Mikoto asks.
"Basketball, maybe?" Ailiss suggests, eyeing the hoop.
"That is a good idea. Thinking about it, I believe this was one of the few clubs I did not join during elementary school."
How unexpected, finally something this proactive girl hasn't done. For the first time, it seems we'll be on equal footing in our competitions. Perhaps this time, I won't come in last place.
Mikoto walks to the gym locker, grabs a basketball, and throws it at me.
I catch the ball and ask,
"So? How are we going to play with three people? Just a shooting contest?"
"Tsk. It's too boring; that's not really playing. Let's form teams," the other retorts.
That's precisely the problem I just pointed out—three is a prime number, and there's no way to form equal teams with it. Unless she plans to play against both of us.
"I have a better idea: boys versus girls, and the losing team has to obey a command from the winner. What do you two think?" Mikoto suggests.
"Agreed," Ailiss replies.
"Hey, wait a second, that means two against one. Don't you realize how unfair you're being to me?" I protest.
The worst part is the consequence Mikoto is proposing. What should I expect from this? They already order me around all the time, implying an even more dangerous command is in store.
"What are you talking about? You survived our snow war alone. Someone was going to have to play solo anyway, and in the end, you are a boy—you should have more physical aptitude than us," Mikoto argues.
The extent to which I've neglected sports makes it entirely possible for me to lose against her alone. Let alone against Ailiss, who could easily defeat our school's official team.
"Clearly, I don't. I'm neither good at sports like you nor have superhuman physical attributes like hers. If anyone should play alone, it should be one of you two."
"Stop whining. We'll make your baskets worth ten times more; is that good enough for you?" Ailiss proposes.
"That seems a bit fairer. But still…"
I can't see myself winning against Ailiss anyway.
"One point, and you win the game. How about that?" she continues.
Not scoring a single point would be too humiliating, even for me. I believe this makes things more reasonable. However, my pessimism remains on high alert.
I sigh and nod.
"And do not forget, if you win, you can order me and Ailiss to do a-n-y-t-h-i-n-g," Mikoto approaches and whispers in my ear.
Anything? If this was meant to motivate me to play better, it had the opposite effect. Now I won't be able to focus, thinking about it.
Suddenly, she takes the ball from my hands and makes a three-pointer from mid-court.
Okay, that was impressive.
"I thought you hadn't been in a basketball club."
"I have not. I am just good at everything I do. Did you forget that?" she smirks mockingly.
This isn't going to end well… it definitely won't.
…
I collapse to my knees, exhausted on the court.
I didn't stand a chance against Ailiss's slam dunks and Mikoto's ballistic aim. In the end, the score was 254 to 0.
4:14 PM
In the morning, they had left the swimming club's heated pool filling up, and now, by late afternoon, the pool has finally reached the appropriate water level and temperature for use.
How long has it been since I've been in a pool? I think it's been at least ten years since my parents gave up trying to entertain me with such conventional activities.
I finish changing in the locker room and enter the pool. The temperature is far from that of a hot spring, but it's comfortable enough to stay in the water during winter. The pool's dimensions are relatively large since the swimming club uses it to train for competitions, but it's usually not heated and therefore only used in summer.
We must be using a significant amount of gas to heat it, but since our resources constantly reset with each iteration, this isn't a problem. We should have enough to keep it functioning correctly.
"I have a spare swimsuit, Ailiss. Our sizes are similar, so you can use this," Mikoto says in the locker room.
Ah… I momentarily forgot the real problem in all of this. How will I handle these two in this environment? This will be the most embarrassing activity of all.
Gradually, I sink into the water in a vain attempt to escape my future problems.
Dealing with girls in a situation like this might be challenging for boys whose hormones are at their peak. However, my concerns are entirely contrary to youthful worries. I'm more afraid of the humiliations these toxic girls are plotting.
Shortly after, the two of them emerge in school swimsuits that, despite being relatively modest, still reveal a fair amount of skin and accentuate their curves.
Wasting no time escaping the cold, they both head to the ladder and enter the pool.
I realize I made a gross miscalculation.
I'm pretty accustomed to the two of them, yet I can't help but feel a bit embarrassed by this. For now, I should avoid eye contact and look for something to distract my attention.
I glance around but find nothing.
There's no entertainment to be had here, like a diving board or something similar. So, I think we'll limit our activities to some kind of diving and swimming competition.
Moreover, I'll try to hide my presence and hope they forget I'm even here.
"So, what activity were you planning?" Ailiss asks Mikoto.
"Actually, I think we have completed enough tasks on our to-do list. How about we take this time to relax freely? Feel free to use the pool as you wish."
Oh, that's excellent news. I can finally rest peacefully at one of the pool's edges while counting the tiles to distract myself.
"In that case, I think I'll exercise a bit," Ailiss stretches.
Then she dives to the bottom of the pool and starts swimming lengthwise from one end to the other.
That was quick. Ailiss reaches the opposite edge of the pool in a time that would undoubtedly qualify her for the Olympics.
I remain astonished by her physical conditioning. How is it possible to endure so much time underwater? Judging by her swimsuit, her muscle structure isn't much different from a schoolgirl's, and her superhuman strength remains a mystery to me.
I feel a pinch on my cheek that breaks my distraction from her dives.
I turn to see Mikoto staring at me with her icy gaze.
It took less time than I expected for her to come and bother me.
"Hey, why did you do that?" I rub my cheek.
"Because you are an insensitive idiot. You never behave appropriately," she responds coldly, crossing her arms.
"Wait a second, what did I do?"
"Honestly, you did not do anything. The first thing you should have done was compliment our appearance in swimsuits."
What? Girls are more problematic than I thought. But Mikoto complaining about something so trivial and superficial? I honestly didn't see this coming.
"You can't be serious about being bothered by this, can you?" I ask, surprised.
"Of course not. I am just teasing you to see your reaction. By the way, your blushing says more than a thousand words," she laughs.
Ah, of course, she's mocking me again. Why am I still surprised? The truth is, I have no skill in distinguishing these ironies.
Who would have thought that the student council president, the ice queen, would enjoy playing with my emotions this much?
"Don't you ever get tired of trying to get to me? Will it ever stop being funny?"
"Probably not. I have told you countless times that your embarrassing reactions are priceless. However, I am only doing it this time to hold you accountable."
"Accountable for what? I don't remember doing anything."
"Exactly. I thought you could at least score a basket, forcing Ailiss and me to obey you once. And what better place than the pool for this?" she grabs my hand and places it on her stomach. "But your incompetence exceeded my expectations by far—what a waste..." she releases me.
How could you know if the order I'd decide to give you would align with what you're imagining? It wouldn't be anything like that, you know.
"Sorry to disappoint you. But you were aware from the beginning that that basketball game was a losing battle for me," I turn my face away.
"Now you are blushing even more—how cute," she leans back and floats on the water. "Besides, it is been an exhausting day, so I am going to take this opportunity to rest a bit. Spend this time however you prefer because I will have more chances to mess with you later."
I watch her body drift away as she floats calmly on the water.
This girl is doing everything to provoke me, and in the end, I'm definitely the one who's the most exhausted… fortunately, I'll now have a bit of peace. However, her final remark left me a bit unsettled.
Still… speaking of peace, where's the other source of my stress?
Although she doesn't seem to have active plans to provoke me like Mikoto does, I must also remain vigilant against that demon.
I look around and notice that Ailiss is no longer at the bottom of the pool.
Did she leave without me noticing?
Then, a shadow passes over me and lands nearby.
Ailiss's jump is close enough to splash water in my face. Reflexively, I retaliate by splashing water back at her.
"Hey, be more careful where you jump."
"An imprudent attack like this? I see you want to restart our war," her dark voice resonates as she splashes water back at my face.
Damn, I screwed up and got myself into another mess.
"What are you doing?! Stop! You were the one who jumped too close to me; I was just defending myself."
She continues splashing, and I have no choice but to try to defend myself by attacking her back.
"To be honest, I'd have some mercy and stop. But you're picking a fight with me," she splashes more water in my direction.
Obviously, it's a lie. You've always carried out your punishments regardless of my resistance. So, at the very least, I'll make your job harder.
"Don't try to pin this on me; I'm the victim here—I acted in self-defense," I continue retaliating.
At least, like during our snowball fight, I'm not ending up with bruises from irritating her. Maybe I'll get some water in my lungs from all she's splashing in my face, but it's undoubtedly a healthier form of punishment than her heavy steel fists.
And I have to admit, it's a bit… fun?
We keep splashing water at each other while hiding our faces.
During our war, I accidentally splash Mikoto, who had been peacefully floating, waking her from her nap.
Damn, it seems I made a small mistake.
"Honestly, Johann..." she wipes her eyes and stands up. "I do not want to hear you complain about injustices. I was neutral until now. You are going to pay dearly for this," she splashes water at me.
When things don't conspire to mess me up, I end up doing it through sheer idiocy. In the end, I guess I deserve all the suffering these two Machiavellian creatures bring upon me.
"I'm sorry, it wasn't on purpose. I was aiming at Ailiss," I respond.
"I do not care about your intentions—you hit me, and now you have earned yourself another opponent."
Why am I still surprised?
With that, our war that started in the snow is finally resumed today in the pool. They splash water from two different directions, making it hard to protect my face and find an opening to counterattack.
This is no longer a war; it's a massacre. Consecutive tsunamis are hitting my kingdom with no time to recover.
I dive and try to move away from them, but Ailiss grabs my foot. I struggle to break free, but I can't escape. Forced by lack of air, I resurface, only to be met with more attacks from Mikoto.
With one attacking me from each side, there's nowhere to run and no way to escape.
"Stop, please! I surrender! I surrender!" I plead as I'm drowned by the water splashing in my face.
They finally stop, and thus, I suffer my second defeat of the day.
"Already giving up? Just from this?" Mikoto asks, raising an eyebrow mockingly.
"What did you expect from this wimp?" Ailiss adds.
In the end, the three of us burst into laughter once more.
These days are delightful. The time I spend with them is so pleasant… I'll treasure these sweet memories as my greatest treasure.