The Prodigy - Classroom Of The Elite

The first race kicked off, and Ayanokoji joined in, running alongside this red-haired guy named Sudou.

I haven't really chatted with Sudou before, just like most folks in our class, but he seems super competitive. I have a feeling he's got a good shot at winning this thing.

But, about Ayanokoji. There's something about Ayanokoji that makes me think I should keep an eye on him. I can't put my finger on why, but he seems like someone... important?

As the race wrapped up, just like I thought, Sudou came out on top.

Meanwhile, Ayanokoji didn't really grab anyone's attention.

Is he doing this on purpose? I mean, during practice, he was pretty fast, but here, it looked like he wasn't even trying.

Oh well, it's up to him, I guess.

Then it was my turn, and surprisingly, Hirata was in the same race with me.

"Good luck, Hayashi-Kun," Hirata said with a smile.

"Thanks, same to you," I replied.

The race began, and I could hear the crowd cheering louder and louder for Hirata with every passing second.

In the earlier race, Sudou finished first with a time of 25 seconds.

I'm aiming for the same, 25 seconds—not a second more or less. Horikita had talked about taking pride in our performance, so I figured that would be a good target. I think it'll work out fine.

The race ended, and I came in first. The teacher announced my time: exactly 25 seconds. Hirata, the crowd's favorite, finished right behind me with 26 seconds.

"Hayashi-Kun, you were amazing out there!" Kushida said with a big smile.

"Thanks! You did really well in your race too," I replied, returning her compliment.

"Both Sudou-kun and Hayashi-Kun finished their races in 25 seconds."

"Yeah, but..."

The crowd kept chatting about the race, but I quietly stepped away and headed over to Horikita and Ayanokoji, who had already noticed me approaching.

"You did great back there!" Ayanokoji said warmly.

"Not bad. But what if I had told you to lose?" Horikita asked, her gaze sharp.

"Then I'd guess I didn't know you as well as I thought," I replied with a playful smirk and a wink, earning a glare from her.

The next race was gearing up to start. One of the guys, the only one wearing those snug swim trunks, was chatting away with the girls by the pool. Actually, he was more like showing off, talking nonstop.

With the blow of the whistle, the third race was underway.

I couldn't help but be amazed by Kouenji's speed. He was leagues ahead of everyone else, turning the race into a one-man show.

In the end, Kouenji claimed victory, clocking an impressive 23.22 seconds.

Someone had been glaring at me with anger, and now it seemed like that anger was directed at both me and Kouenji. It was Sudou.

Not that it bothers me much. I'm pretty sure in the final race, Sudou will push even harder, given his competitive nature.

Judging by his reaction to me beating his time and taking first place, I could tell he was probably fuming right now.

"What do you think?" Horikita asked, referring to the fact that I'd be racing against both Sudou and Kouenji in the final race.

Honestly, seeing how Kouenji swam, if I put in a bit more effort than before, I think I could keep up. I don't believe he's pushed himself to the limit yet, so to beat him, I should aim for around 60-70% of my best. But that's just my guess, and not all guesses are foolproof.

"What do you think? Or maybe, what do you think I should do?" I asked, curious about her opinion, just like last time.

"Why are you asking me this again?" she replied, seeming a bit puzzled.

I couldn't resist teasing her a little. "Because I like you," I said with a lighthearted tone.

She immediately gave me a sharp look, her eyes narrowing with that familiar disapproval. "Just kidding!" I quickly added, raising my hands.

Or am I?

"So, if you're not going to answer, I'll just assume your last response applies here too."

"Whatever, do what you want," she replied, sounding indifferent.

The final race began with the sharp blast of the teacher's whistle. I decided not to go all out, but rather to improve my time from the first race, aiming for around 23.65 seconds. I was curious to see if Sudou, with all his competitive spirit, could beat my previous time.

I kept a steady pace, saving my energy for the right moment. Midway through, I increased my speed, just enough to pull ahead without wearing myself out. As the wall came closer, I made a final, calculated push, touching it just after Kouenji, who finished first. Sudou came in after me.

As I emerged from the water, I noticed the surprise on everyone's faces. They weren't just shocked that Kouenji had beaten Sudou, but that I had too. I wondered how Sudou would take it.

Sudou climbed out of the pool, clearly upset about finishing third. His competitive nature couldn't hide his frustration.

The teacher soon announced the times for each of us, but Kouenji was already on his way out, not bothering to listen. He probably didn't care or just knew he won, so the time didn't really matter to him.

He finished first with a time of 23.05 seconds, a slight improvement from his earlier race. I came in second at 23.64 seconds, just a bit shy of my target, but that's how it goes sometimes. Sudou, who ended up last, clocked in at 24.34 seconds—a bit better than before, but still not enough.

I quietly slipped away, looking for a break from all the attention. Kushida approached me to offer congratulations, even though I only came in second.

I made my way to Horikita, who stood calmly away from the crowd. She looked at me with her usual composed expression. "You did well," she said, with a hint of acknowledgment in her voice.

"Yeah, but I came in second, just like you," I said, trying to match her calmness.

We are meant to be together.

Ugh, why am I even thinking about such cliché stuff?