A few days had passed since the return of the final exam results. Today, a dodgeball tournament that crosses year levels is being held.
Honestly, I felt like dodgeball was a bit childish for high schoolers, but Eriko-senpai and the others had said, “It gets really intense,” so I was actually looking forward to it.
“Muracchi, let’s go.”
“Yeah, I’m coming.”
I, Reiko Murai, responded to my classmate’s voice and headed to the schoolyard.
“It’s been forever since I last played dodgeball—like, since elementary school.”
“Same. …Honestly, I’m worried I won’t be able to catch the ball properly.”
“What? Come on, Muracchi, you’re super athletic! No way that’s true!”
"Well, I’m worried I’ll end up instinctively receiving it like in volleyball..."
"Ahh, right. You’re in the volleyball club, Muracchi. If you receive it like that, does that count as out?"
"I wonder..."
With finals over and the test results returned, the whole atmosphere at school had relaxed. Everyone’s eyes were already on summer vacation.
The teachers seemed to understand that too—they weren’t pushing to get through the rest of the curriculum. Instead, it was all about art appreciation, local volunteer work, and a rush of events, so regular classes basically weren’t happening at all.
Behind this event rush, there was also a support system in place for those whose grades hadn’t gone well. No one in Class 1-1 had to deal with that, but for example, if someone had scored below 40 on a subject in the finals, they wouldn’t participate in the dodgeball tournament today. Instead, they’d take remedial lessons and then a supplementary test during the first week of summer break.
And it’s not just for those with low scores—if someone was sick on test day, they’d be taking a makeup exam around now. If they didn’t finish their required artwork for art or calligraphy, today was their chance to complete it.
In Class 1-1, no one had failed academically (I’ll admit it—I barely made the cutoff), but those who kept dodging swimming during P.E. were now required to take a pool class today.
According to Saeki-sensei, the volleyball club advisor:
“As long as they get into the water, I can give them a grade. If they don’t have a physical reason and still won’t even do that, I can’t give them credit. That means they’d automatically have to repeat the year. So just get in the water.”
Even I, as a high school girl, completely understand not wanting to show up in that embarrassing school swimsuit in front of people.
The school must be used to this by now, because they actually set up special time slots for those students, shortening the time they’d be seen by others and limiting who could be there.
Of course, in that case, they just get in the water, swim a bit, and that’s it—so their swimming grade ends up being the lowest possible. Still, it counts as a grade, which means they can pass the class.
According to Saeki-sensei again, there was quite a commotion in the past when even that wasn’t allowed.
What’s strange is that some people don’t mind changing clothes in front of others and showing their underwear before gym class, but for some reason, they hesitate with a school swimsuit. Well, I guess there’s something personal behind that for each person.
Speaking of being shy about showing underwear, I suddenly remembered Yuuri. Even in the club room, she still secretly changes so her underwear isn’t seen, and she tries not to look at others’ underwear either. One time, after practice, when she saw me in my underwear, she blushed and told me to hurry up and cover myself.
It made me wonder how she manages to live in the all-female Tachibana household, but apparently her sister Hina says she’s been properly taught how to handle it.
When Yuuri wore a school swimsuit for the first time, she was so embarrassed she actually started crying. If you’ve never worn one before, having something that clings to your body like that is probably a deal-breaker.
Even so, Yuuri did her best and attended all the pool classes.
…How do I know? Because gym classes are held jointly with Class 1-2.
Oh right—what really surprised me was that Yuuri couldn’t swim. She’s all over the place in soccer and volleyball, yet in swimming she completely struggled.
When I saw Yuuri, bright red in the face, practicing swimming while being gently guided by Saeki-sensei, I couldn’t help but think she looked really cute. I totally get why someone like Hina would be so fond of a little sister like her.
And speaking of Yuuri…
“Our first opponent in dodgeball is Class 2, right? We’re definitely going to lose.”
“Yeah. They’ve got that pretty ninja girl. Track and field is practically her stage alone. Guess it’s fate that Class 1 and Class 2 always face off first.”
Whenever it’s a class-versus-class kind of thing, the first round is almost always 1 vs. 2. It can’t be helped.
By the way, the “pretty ninja girl” is Yuuri’s nickname. In that volleyball magazine the other day, she was called “The Pretty Ninja from Eastern Europe.” It’s not meant as sarcasm or anything—honestly, you rarely see a “pretty girl” more stunning than Yuuri. I think it’s a great nickname. Yuuri herself hates it, though.
But when I got to the schoolyard, Yuuri was nowhere to be seen. Even though she’s short, her naturally light-brown hair (not dyed) really stands out. And usually right next to her—often holding hands—is her taller sister, Hina, which makes them even easier to spot.
“Reiko. Why are you looking around so much?”
It was Hina, Yuuri’s sister. I didn’t even notice her until she was right in front of me. I guess it’s because, in my mind, the two of them are always together. Hina by herself is still Hina, but also somehow not.
“Hina. Where’s your sister, who’s always with you?”
“Oh, Yuu-chan’s over there.”
She pointed toward the pool.
“Why? Yuuri already completed all her pool classes, didn’t she?”
At that, Hina gave a wry smile and said:
“Yuu-chan kind of got a de facto ban from the dodgeball tournament today…”
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Splash splash splash
“All right, Yuuri. Put your face in the water right there. You’re okay. It’s not scary. I’m holding your hand.”
She silently puts her face to the surface. Keeps kicking. Saeki-sensei matches the force of my kicks, gently holding my hand and walking backward through the water.
It’s mid-July, past the halfway point. The weather is sunny. Extremely hot. And here I am, receiving one-on-one instruction from Saeki-sensei. Literally.
…Honestly, I want to cry.
This all started because of something that happened after last week’s gym class.
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That day, it had been raining since morning, and the weather forecast said it would rain all day. Because of that, swimming class was canceled. What a shame. I wanted to show off the beautiful school swimsuit look of the pretty ninja girl (lol), but if it's raining, then oh well♪
So, due to the rain, the PE class plan changed, and we ended up playing volleyball in the gym.
After that class ended, I, being one of the class PE representatives (I was chosen right after the committee assignments were made based on the results of the physical fitness test), was helping clean up along with the rep from Class 1 and Hina (who always helps out—though it's embarrassing to say it to her face, I’m really grateful), when Saeki-sensei called out to me.
“Hey, Yuuri. About next week’s dodgeball tournament—how about skipping it and doing swimming remedial instead?”
“Huh? No way. Why would I have to do something like that?”
“They're grading PE right now, and your sports test results, soccer, volleyball—you’re getting perfect scores across the board. Normally, I’d give you the top mark, a 10 out of 10, no question. But the only issue is swimming. If things stay as they are, I’ll have to lower your grade. That’d be a waste, right? I won’t be strict about form or anything. If you can just swim 25 meters by any means, that’s enough. So? Want to give it a shot?”
…Wait a sec, aren’t you not supposed to state grading criteria that directly?
Oh, but come to think of it, in Japanese class, our teacher said, “Our school uses a 10-point grading system. Your semester grade is basically the average of your midterm and final exam scores.” So maybe saying it vaguely like that is fine. In this case, it means that regardless of whether it’s crawl, breaststroke, underwater, or even doggy paddle—if I swim 25 meters, I get a 10. That’s what she’s saying, probably.
But still!
“No. I’d rather you lower my grade than wear something so shameless.”
I really hate that outfit.
“I see. If that’s how you feel, Yuuri—”
“Hold up, Tachibana-imouto. If that’s how it is, then you have to go to swimming remedial next week.”
The one who cut in on my refusal was Tajima-sensei, the PE teacher.
“Tachibana-imouto. Before you say anything else, throw this toward the gym door over there. Pretend it’s the real dodgeball tournament when you throw it.”
He handed me one of the dodgeballs that would be used next week. The gym doors were about 17 or 18 meters away.
Heh. Don’t underestimate me. Back when I was a boy in middle school, I was on the handball team. With a little jump shot technique…
BOOOOOM!!!
The ball I threw slammed into the metal gym door with a loud bang.
“Hamura. Do you think you could catch that next week without getting injured?”
Hamura-san is the PE rep from Class 1. By the way, Reiko isn’t in any committee. Hamura-san turned pale and shook her head vigorously. Like, really vigorously.
“So, Tachibana-imouto. As a PE teacher, I can’t allow a situation where students could get hurt. Luckily, there’s something you can do. You’re going to the pool.”
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And that’s how I ended up enjoying a one-on-one lesson with Saeki-sensei starting first thing in the morning. Yes, from first period.
Today’s dodgeball tournament ran from 1st to 4th period. Win or lose, everyone played at least four matches. It was a great event where even first-years could beat third-years and take the championship in a classic underdog victory.
Apparently, they scheduled so many matches to give students in remedial a chance to jump in and participate afterward. Not that I got that chance!
Meanwhile, from the schoolyard, I could hear shouts like:
“DIEEEE!!!”
“Hyahaa! Crush that girl!”
“Uraaahhhh!!”
…This is a girls’ school, right? Where did all the femininity go?
Over on the pool side, remedial class had been progressing steadily.
Even if it meant a lower PE grade, a lot of students, regardless of gender, didn’t want to expose themselves in that dark blue, embarrassing school swimsuit in front of others. That feeling seemed to be widely shared. So there were actually a surprising (?) number of students doing swimming remedial.
“Alright, that’s it. Go call the next person.”
I only glanced occasionally, but students who didn’t want to show themselves in swimsuits (including not just 1st-years but also 2nd and 3rd-years) generally:
-
Did a quick warm-up,
-
Immediately tried the 25m swim cold,
-
Regardless of success or failure, called the next person and were done.
Each group had 3 students, and each person was done in about 10 minutes.
There was a reason for the “3 per group” rule. The school pool has 6 lanes. Lanes 1–3 were reserved for the shy students who didn’t want to show their swimsuits, and those lanes rotated quickly.
Lanes 4–6 were for students who seriously wanted remedial swimming instruction.
If you think about it, the period where the school pool is available is short—only from early June to mid-July. The end of July is already summer break.
Plus, because of the nature of the pool, it can’t be used in bad weather. And since this is a girls’ school, there are several days each month where swimming is not feasible for all students. Not to mention colds and other sicknesses.
So the students who couldn’t attend due to illness or weather, and who could tolerate the embarrassment of the school swimsuit, opted to be fairly evaluated by doing the serious remedial in lanes 4–6.
Lanes 1–3 were managed by Koga-sensei, a female teacher in her late 40s. Lanes 4–6 were supervised by Saeki-sensei.
There were quite a few shy students across the three grades—probably around 50 in total. Since Matsujo has just under 650 students, that’s about 7% of the school population. Around 2–3 per class. Now that I think about it, there was one in my class too.
In comparison, there were very few serious remedial swimmers—just five of us including me. I mean, it’s rare to be sick for an entire month, right?
Most of them showed up around the end of first period (that’s when the group was scheduled to gather poolside), and all were done with their sessions before the start of third period.
I was the only one who swam from first to fourth period with breaks in between. The reason for this was Saeki-sensei’s enthusiasm… and the fact that I can’t swim at all.
“You can do it! I believe in you! Humans are made to float! Trust yourself! Come on, let’s work on this together!”
With that kind of hot-blooded encouragement, I received thorough instruction until I could swim 25 meters. (Don’t worry—she didn’t neglect the other students.)
Thanks to that effort, I successfully swam 25 meters for the first time in my life.
“Yuuri! You did great! I’m proud of you! You managed 25 meters in less than two months of swimming! You really did your best!”
…Sorry. The truth is, it took me more than ten years to be able to swim 25 meters…
Also, Saeki-sensei, please don’t hug me. Because of the height difference, they press against my face. Yours are way bigger than mine. It absolutely shreds my pride.
…Yeah. Big boobs really should explode.
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“—And that’s what was going on behind the scenes while everyone else was playing dodgeball.”
Time had passed, and now we were in the volleyball club room. Today, regular students got to go home after the dodgeball tournament, so it was a half-day. For us hardcore club members, it was a blessed day since we could spend the entire afternoon on club activities.
On top of that, the casual club types like the badminton club had already switched to summer vacation mode, and apparently, they wouldn’t have practice again until September. Which meant that the spacious and clean First Gym was ours to use freely—with room for two full volleyball courts. Bonus!
“Yuu-chan, that’s amazing! You can swim 25 meters now!”
From behind, Hina hugged me and started patting my head. Lately, Hina had taken to treating me like a younger sister more than ever. As the youngest in her own family, she probably wanted someone to dote on. I could understand that—back when I was a guy, she’d helped me out plenty of times too. From my perspective, I think of it as just playing house and pretending to be the little sister, so I don’t mind too much. The problem is that the frequency and intensity of her skinship has clearly ramped up compared to when I first turned into a girl.
Come on now, I’m still a guy inside, okay? Don’t just press those recently-developed E-cup lumps of yours against me so casually.
What if I misunderstood and ended up making a move? You should value your chastity a little more.
…Though, when I warned her about that before, she just replied with a straight face, “How would you do that? I won’t resist or get mad, so go ahead and show me,” which left me completely speechless…
Seriously though, men are wolves. I’m worried about my little sister’s sense of morality—and her future.
“So, how was dodgeball for you guys?”
“Our Class 1 team went up against Class 2 in the first match and won. You and Asuka weren’t there, so that helped. We kept advancing, but ended up losing to Senior Yui’s 3rd-year Class 6 team.”
In our Class 2, if you had to name the top three most athletic students, you’d start with me—Yuuri—then probably Asuka and Hina. But I had swim remedial today, and Asuka...
“Ugh... I had to go to make-up classes for the first two hours...”
Asuka is impressive in her own way. In just four short months since entering first year, her academic performance has plummeted to the point where she already failed Math A with a red mark.
Her Math I scores alone also would’ve been a fail. But thanks to the teacher for that subject—Sakakibara-sensei, also known as the Archangel Sakakiel—she was saved from failing due to 30 extra points from her submitted assignments (though she still ended up needing remedial classes anyway).
I mean, just this past February, she had the academic ability to pass the entrance exam for Matsujo. It’s honestly impressive she managed to fall so far behind in just four months.
Her grades in other subjects aren’t great either. The real question is whether she’ll be able to move up a year, let alone graduate. Given that she got accepted into this school, she shouldn't be that much worse than the others, but...
Just as I was thinking that, the clubroom door opened. Was it Yuki, who hadn’t shown up yet?
“Hey, volleyball club. How about we make a deal?”
Contrary to my expectations, the one who showed up was Maejima, the new captain of the basketball team. Huh? A deal? What kind of deal could she mean?
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Author’s Note:
Watching the current Women’s Volleyball World Championships, it’s clear the level is on a whole different scale from high school volleyball—much more intense and exciting.
Even in women’s volleyball, power plays like spike serves are becoming more common. It’s another point of difference from the high school game.
Seeing stuff like that really makes you want to incorporate it—but this story is about high schoolers, so I need to exercise some restraint...
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