100 Chapter 99 : Bet game in pool

I've had a sudden thought, and that's that this year, I've only been to the pool on a ship.

I was thinking about inviting someone to go to the special swimming facility at school. Last year, I remember hanging out with Ichinose and playing volleyball and stuff. What should I do this year? With that in mind, I contacted someone who seemed free.

Jin: Hey, you free now? Wanna go to the pool?

Kiyotaka Ayanokoji: Yeah, I'm free. Let's go. Are we going alone?

There's something weird about his tone... but if it's just the two of us, I don't know what might happen, and there wouldn't be much to do anyway, so I suggest bringing someone else along.

Jin: Wanna invite someone else?

Kiyotaka Ayanokoji: ....Sure, got it.

It was a bit disappointing, but I didn't dwell on it. I then messaged Hirata, whom I'm friendly with, to see if he was free.

Jin: Wanna go to the pool?

Immediately, I got a read receipt and a reply back.

Hirata Yosuke: It's rare for Horagasaki-kun to say something like that. Sure, let's go!

Jin: Okay, I invited Kiyotaka, so we need one more person. Wanna invite someone?

Hirata Yosuke: Sure, I was planning to hang out with Shibata-kun today, but we haven't decided where to go yet. Is it okay if Shibata-kun comes too?

Jin: Sounds good. See you in the lobby in an hour.

Hirata Yosuke: Yeah, see you then!

I packed my swimsuit, towel, and other necessities into a pool bag, prepared to change, and headed to the lobby. I figured we could buy drinks there, and we'd shower anyway, so it should be fine. As I got off the elevator, I saw kiyotaka nervously scanning the area.

He seemed really excited.

"You're early. Ready to go?"

"Yeah, by the way, is anyone else coming?"

"Well, yeah. I invited Hirata and Shibata."

"Oh, you invited Yosuke too? That's great. Shibata is easy to talk to, so it's helpful."

Yosuke, huh? Since when did they get so close? I felt a strange unease creeping up within me, for reasons I couldn't quite fathom. My annoyance grew a little, and I grabbed Kiyotaka's arm a bit too tightly, earning a puzzled lookfrom him.

"Hey... Jin, what's wrong... That hurts, don't squeeze my arm so hard..."

"Hmm... You're close with Hirata, huh?"

"Oh, yeah. We've been on a first-name basis recently. He calls me Kiyotaka too."

"Tch... Oh, I see."

"What's wrong? Are you in a bad mood?"

"Huh? Why would I be mad? Whatever."

"Jin?"

I began to get annoyed with myself for taking it out on Kiyotaka. Then, in the awkward silence, Hirata and Shibata arrived together from the elevator.

"Hey, thanks for inviting me, Horagasaki!"

"No problem. You seemed bored, so..."

"Hey! Don't treat me like a bored person!"

"Hey there, Horagasaki-kun and Kiyotaka-kun."

At that moment, it felt like my heart sank into something dark.

"Sorry for making you wait, Yosuke!"

"No worries, Horagasaki-kun invited me. Oh, Horagasaki-kun?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah... right..."

Seeing my strange behavior, Hirata and Shibata looked worriedly at us. Kiyotaka then approached me and gently pressed his forehead against mine.

"Are you feeling okay, Jin?"

"Wha--?! What are you doing?!"

I instinctively pushed Kiyotaka away, but he stood there with a sad expression, unlike his usual blank face.

"...Sorry, I just got a little startled. Sorry, Kiyotaka ."

"Oh, uh... It's okay. I'm sorry too."

(A/N : NO GAY)

That exchange slightly warmed the atmosphere, and Shibata livened things up, so we were able to head to the special swimming facility in good spirits.

Thanks, Shibata. I owe you one.

When we arrived at the pool, we changed into our swimsuits in the changing room. Since we were all wearing swimsuits already, we just left our belongings in lockers and headed to the main pool. Shibata immediately started swimming vigorously in the 50m pool.

"Woo-hoo!"

"Shibata-kun, be careful! There are other people here!"

Hirata played the role of Shibata's guardian, while Kiyotaka and I watched with amused smiles. There were quite a few people, including some students we recognized.

"Hey, let's have a volleyball tournament again this year! Last year, Hirata wasn't there, but this time let's include him too!"

After getting out of the pool, Shibata enthusiastically suggested this while leaning on Hirata's shoulder. I didn't mind, but we needed more people. Just as I was thinking that, six boys and girls ran over to us.

They were all from Class B: Kanzaki, Hamaguchi, Ichinose, Amikura, Shiranami, and Ando. Himeno was absent, but then again, she probably wouldn't come anyway. As I was thinking that, unexpectedly, Kobashi and Himeno came from behind Ichinose and the others. Oh, she's here too.

But isn't this too well-coordinated? I looked at Shibata, who seemed the most suspicious, and noticed him stepping back, avoiding eye contact with me. Yeah, he's definitely the culprit.

"Wow, what an amazing group!"

Hirata looked surprised, and Kiyotaka seemed bewildered.

Well, having more people is a good thing. As I thought that, Amikura charged toward me.

"Horagasaki, brace yourself!"

Startled by the sudden attack, I lifted Amikura up and threw her into the pool.

"Eh?!?!"

"Jin, you're so cool!"

"Horagasaki..."

There were two slightly strange girls, but let's ignore them for now. Members of the team who didn't know about the agreement between me and Amikura looked surprised.

"...I got water up my nose..."

Embarrassed, Amikura got out of the pool, holding her nose. Everyone smiled at the scene, and the peaceful atmosphere made me feel like it was a good, ordinary day.

"Alright, we have exactly twelve people, so how about playing volleyball?"

"Yeah, we did it last year, so let's kick it off again this year!"

Thanks to Shibata and Ichinose, the B-class mood makers, the volleyball tournament began. Now, what would the losers wager this year... I was thinking about that when Amikura made a suggestion about the losers.

"So, how about the representative of the losing team jumps from that platform over there!"

With a big smile, she pointed to a diving board that was over 10 meters high. People with acrophobia definitely wouldn't be able to jump. I glanced around, and strangely enough, Shibata-kun's face was turning pale.

"Ah? Are you not good with heights?"

"...N-no, it's not like that. I just need to win, that's all... Yeah, I won't lose!"

With determination in his voice, Shibata prepared for the challenge. We started dividing the teams, aiming for fairness:

Team A: Horagasaki, Hirata, Shibata, Himeno, Amikura, Shiranami

Team B: Ayanokoji, Kanzaki, Hamaguchi, Ichinose, Ando, Koashi

With the teams set, the game began. Both teams gathered in circles, displaying such determination that it seemed like they were taking it seriously. But looking at it this way, Ichinose's team, led by her, seemed like a really good team. On the other hand, our team had a mix of personalities, with Hirata trying to lead, but Shibata and Amikura, with their strong personalities, seemed to be enjoying themselves.

"Leader Shibata, get psyched!"

Encouraged by Amikura's salute, Shibata spoke with a broad smile.

"Yeah! This Is my second volleyball tournament, so I've learned a lot from the first one! This second one is our first one!"

It was a nonsensical statement, and Team A looked confused.

While Hirata was trying to change the mood, I couldn't help but think that I didn't need to follow up on someone like that.

We set up the court, with me as the left forward, Amikura as the setter, Shiranami as the right, Himeno as the left back, Hirata as the center, and Shibata as the right back, rotating positions.

On the other side, Ichinose was the left forward, Kanzaki the setter, Hamaguchi the right, Ayanokoji the left back, Ando the center, and Kobashi the right back.

The serve right was given to the other side, so it starts with Ando's serve. She seems to belong to the volleyball club and apparently has quite good athletic ability.

 Then, an incredible powerful serve flies towards Shibata, who receives it with an under-receive, lifting it high above and sending it to the opponent's court. Ichinose returns it with an over-receive, Hirata passes it under to Amikura, who sets up a beautiful high toss to me. I soar up high and deliver a strong attack towards Kiyotaka.

"Nice one, Horagasaki!"

"Well done..."

"You're doing great!"

Various compliments come from the team members. Now it's our turn to serve, with Shibata serving this time. The powerful, swift, sharp ball is directed towards Kanzaki and Kiyotaka, with Kiyotaka twisting around to receive it with an underpass and passing it to Ichinose. 

She sets it up for Hamaguchi, placing the ball in an easy-to-reach position even for him, and he scores a point.

"Nice one, Hamaguchi."

"Well done, Hamaguchi-kun!"

"Uh, well... it's probably just a fluke, but thanks."

Hamaguchi returns the words with a mixture of joy and embarrassment. The volleyball tournament continues, and as a result...

"We lost, Shibata."

"Ughhhh, we lost again this year! Hirata, please, change the diving board!"

In the end, Shibata shot a serve while being carried away, and it got caught in the net, resulting in a rather pitiful defeat. He's deeply regretting it and at the same time pleading with Hirata to switch places at the diving board.

At this point, Himeno, who seemed disinterested, muttered softly, 

"Shall we decide with rock-paper-scissors?"

Certainly, we thought, and the losing team agreed to play rock-paper-scissors together.

"Uh, me too?"

"Well, yeah, of course. Losers gotta pay. Double up."

"W-why?!"

Although Himeno was not satisfied with it, Amikura, with a smile, said it was okay for her to jump too, but they decided to play rock-paper-scissors. The winning team grinned triumphantly, and they started with rock for the first round of rock-paper-scissors.

As a result, since Shibata chose paper and everyone else chose scissors, Shibata lost, and it was decided that he would jump into the pool.

"Ugh, I really don't want to jump! I hate it!"

Kanzaki watched Shibata, who had lost, with a wry smile, while Hirata gently comforted him. Then, Ichinose and the others began to look up at the diving board, and we also looked up there. They showed us as an example, and the girls happily jumped into the water.

"You can do it, right?"

"N-no, it's scary! It's quite high!"

Holding onto both of Shibata's arms, me and Hirata tried to lift him up and take him to the diving board, but Shibata refused to stand up.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no! Why do I have to jump? I don't want to do it!"

Shibata resisted like he was facing the gallows.

"Hey, if you jump, you're done with it."

Although he complained, Shibata reluctantly made his way to the diving board, gradually realizing that his legs were trembling.

"It's impossible, it's impossible, it's impossible, impossible!"

While Shibata desperately resisted, the B class classmates couldn't help but laugh, and Kiyotaka looked intrigued. He supported Shibata's back and accompanied him to the diving board.

"Shibata-kun, let's at least try going there, okay?"

Encouraged by Hirata's urging, the four of us reached the top of the diving board, which was over 10 meters high. Below, Ichinose and the others watched and cheered, and Shibata resisted even here.

"Go take a look at the tip, Horagasaki-kun."

As instructed, I went to the edge of the diving board.

"Hey, be careful, Horagasaki-kun!"

While Kanzaki warned me, still scared, I cautiously approached the edge of the board.

"Oh, I can totally do this, I can do this, I can do this!"

"You can't! You and I, our courage levels are different!"

Our conversation seemed to be heard below, as the waiting classmates laughed out loud, especially Amikura, who burst into laughter.

"Why don't you just try standing up?"

Hirata gently supported Shibata, trying to encourage him to muster up courage.

"Shibata, why don't you go to the front?"

"Yeah, come on, let's try going to the front."

Supported by Kiyotaka and Hirata, Shibata, still trembling, crawled to the edge of the diving board. He summoned up his courage, slowly stood up, and cautiously moved forward.

"It's scary!!"

"Come on, a little more forward."

"Just one more step, you can do it!"

Shibata seemed dissatisfied with the difference in our attitudes, but he slowly stood up and his legs seemed like those of a newborn deer.

But still lacking in courage, he timidly moved one foot forward, bending his knees and closing his eyes while facing backward.

"It's scary!"

"Can you try going a bit further?"

"It's scary!"

"It's okay."

"Shibata, why don't you try grabbing the edge?"

When Kiyotaka said that, Shibata kneeled down in a posture similar to prostration, grabbed the edge with his hand, and peered down at the water's surface. At that moment, I stomped my foot on the diving board floor.

"Hey, stop it, Horagasaki-kun."

Despite Kiyotaka's somewhat serious tone, Shibata slowly lowered his face to the water's surface, apparently unable to handle the height.

"I'm really scared with Horagasaki-kunbehind me! He's really a demon!"

"No, no, it's okay, it's okay."

Kiyotaka and Hirata laughed softly, reflecting on what I did. Then from below, Amikura shouted loud enough for Shibata to hear.

"Shibata-kun! If you can't jump, you'll have to pay for all the barbecue later!"

"What?!"

Thinking it was a joke, Shibata was hit with another blow from below as Kanzaki said, "I'll really make you pay, Shibata. It's not a joke."

"Hey! Let's save this for lunchtime!"

Unfortunately, lunchtime has passed, but being treated to barbecue is great. Seriously, eating food with someone else's money tastes delicious.

"No way, seriously, I'll go into shock and die!"

"I won't die, but I'm getting off now, so when I jump, it'll be just me, but do your best, okay?"

"Wha-What!? Don't leave me behind, everyone!"

While listening to Shibata's futile cries, the three of us, leaving Shibata behind, descended. However, Shibata, clinging to Hirata, didn't move, so Hirata was left alone here, and Kiyotaka and I descended.

"Hirata, either you or Ayanokoji is fine! Hurry up and get off, Horagasaki-kun! I'm scared!"

It seems like I'm being treated like a demon, so I chuckled as I descended from the spot. Then, Kiyotaka also descended, leaving only Hirata and Shibata behind.

We stood there for 25 minutes. Since we had told the people behind us, everyone was waiting to cheer Shibata on, but he showed no signs of moving. So, Ichinose, Ando, and the girls from below rushed up to cheer for him.

"Come on, Shibata-kun! Once you stick your toes out, you just have to lean forward. The water will catch you!"

Responding to Ichinose's gentle persuasion, Shibata hesitated, unsure whether to comply.

"It's okay, Shibata-kun. Once you jump once, you'll want to jump again!"

Ando's next persuasion ended up breaking Shibata's spirit.

"I definitely won't do it. It'll traumatize me. I'm completely broken already!"

Shibata sat down on the spot, refusing to jump. His appearance was embarrassing, yet somewhat amusing. Ichinose and Ando, unable to persuade him, also descended.

"It's okay. There's water below."

"It's high!"

Perhaps Shibata is scared because he's always at the forefront? Thinking this, I suggested something from below.

"Oh, Shibata! How about trying to get a running start?"

"Eh!? That's impossible!"

Although he said so, I couldn't help but admire Shibata as he took a run-up. Perhaps he could jump like this after all; I started to think so.

"Come on, Shibata! Ready, set, go!"

With Amikura's signal, Shibata started to walk briskly to the tip. Oh! Maybe he can do it. But just as I thought that, Shibata stopped at the edge. It seemed it was still no good.

"Uwah, scary!"

This time, let's try the opposite. Thinking that, I proposed a different approach.

"Shibata, try walking normally? Just like stepping off."

"Yeah, that's right. How about trying to descend smoothly, like a stone?"

"I see... That might work."

When Kiyotaka and I suggested that, Kanzaki also seemed to agree. Shibata stepped back and began to walk slowly.

"Go on, go on, go on, walk normally, then take a high dive... Don't stop!"

Nevertheless, Shibata still stopped. Not only were we, the volleyball team members, laughing at him, but also the students who were participating as spectators. This was embarrassing.

At this point, the first-year students below were also cheering.

"Go for it, Shibata-senpai!"

"Okay!"

Though his eyes seemed dead, Shibata didn't forget to give a thumbs-up sign. Hang in there.

"Hurry up!"

"Hey, wait!"

"I'm scared!"

When I exerted pressure, everyone burst into laughter, and I couldn't wait any longer.

"Shibata, we really don't have time. Can we count down?!"

"Eh!?"

"3, 2, 1, go!"

"I'm scared!"

Even after counting down for Shibata, he still didn't try to jump. Time was ticking away, and Shibata's refusal was turning into a prank.

"Why won't he go?"

Above, Hirata tried to gently persuade Shibata to jump in to support him.

"Shibata-kun, shall I go instead?"

"Really? Can I ask you?"

Hirata reached out a helping hand to the weak Shibata, but I couldn't allow that. Finally losing patience, I headed towards Shibata and Hirata.

"That's the scariest..."

Kiyotaka muttered softly, and I approached the spot where Shibata had been sitting for over 30 minutes.

"Hey, what are you trying to do?"

I grinned as I arrived at Shibata and Hirata.

"Ah, it's scary that you're here."

"Stop it! I can't do it, don't come! Wait, seriously, don't come! I'm really scared! Don't come near me!"

"Why not?!"

"I can't do it!"

"Why not?!"

"I'm scared!"

As Shibata continued to resist, one by one, including Kanzaki, Hamaguchi, Ichinose, Amikura, and Ando, all except Himeno Climbed onto the diving board and cheered Shibata on desperately.

"Shibata-kun, if you don't stand up, nothing will happen. Let's do our best, okay?"

Although Ichinose tried to make Shibata stand up by holding his hand, Shibata didn't even have the energy to stand up.

"I don't want to. I'll definitely be pushed by Horagasaki."

Shaking his head vigorously, Shibata showed maximum caution. Seeing Shibata's lack of trust in me, everyone here burst into laughter. It seemed that Himegino, who was below, also heard it, as she was also smiling wryly.

"It's dangerous, so I won't push you."

"I'll be pushed by Horagasaki... I won't move!!"

"I won't do it, I promise."

Even though we managed to make him stand up, Shibata started to complain. So we all cheered him on, giving him a little encouragement. He seemed a bit more cheerful than before, so we told him we were going down.

"Well then, Shibata, we're going down... Just let us know if you're going or not."

Kanzaki also gently asked Shibata, but Shibata shook his head frantically.

"No, I'm just saying, just saying."

With that, we descended. As other students watched, would Shibata jump in?

"Shibata, come out in front!"

When I called out from below, Shibata slowly made up his mind and stood at the edge with a determined expression.

"Are you going to jump?! If it's no, clap your hands; if it's yes, just step forward!"

This should settle it. Can Shibata do it? Everyone clapped their hands together, hoping Shibata would jump, but Shibata stepped forward, or so we thought...

"!!"

He made a big clapping motion with his hands, and we all smiled wryly and gave up.

"Guess it didn't work... Oh, right! Change! Horagasaki-kun or Hirata-kun! You two were on the same team as Shibata-kun, right?"

Amikura called out to the two of us, and Kiyotaka and I responded with puzzled expressions.

"Yeah, well."

"Right, we were on the same team, but... you mean us?"

"Yeah, please! We need someone to jump, otherwise, it won't end!"

While Hirata seemed resigned, I tapped him on the shoulder and headed towards the diving board's peak, passing the baton.

"Alright, I'll go."

It's surprisingly high, but it's not impossible to jump. As Shibata sat up there looking pitiful, I ruffled his hair and stood at the edge of the diving board, ready to jump.

"Okay, here I go!"

With that, I jumped from the diving board towards the water surface. Clearing 10 meters, I swept my wet hair back and the gallery blushed and cheered, "Yay!" Well, thanks. It was fun.

"I can't believe it... I feel so left out."

Up there, Shibata muttered disheartenedly, while down below, Amikura started clapping her hands, and everyone joined in, chanting for yakiniku.

"Yakiniku! Yakiniku! Yakiniku!"

In the end, thanks to Shibata's treat, the twelve of us went for yakiniku, changed into dry clothes, and arrived at the yakiniku restaurant. We all raised our glasses for a toast.

"Jin, this tongue is cooked perfectly!"

"Aw, I'm so full, but let me eat some!"

"Alright, open your mouth."

"Ahh, mmm! Delicious!"

As everyone watched our exchange, they wore expressions of astonishment. Ichinose and Himeno glared at Kiyotaka and me, while Hirata glared at me. Scary...

"Kiyotaka, the kalbi is cooked!"

"Sorry, and thank you."

"Okay, open wide."

"Ahh, ahh, mm. It's delicious."

We were glared at again by everyone. Then, Amikura spoke with a broad smile.

"You two are just like a married couple!"

At that moment, there was a sound of breaking the ice in the air. Well, it's delicious, so who cares!

Everyone ate a lot, and Himeno didn't seem dissatisfied either. Then, when it came time to pay at the cashier, I had an idea, so I stopped Shibata from paying and spoke up.

"Uh, um... hey. If the amount is exact, I'll pay. Shall we play that game?"

"Oh!? Really? I was trying to figure out how to get away without paying. Alright, let's do it. If we assume 4,000 yen per person for 12 people, that's 48,000 points!"

With that, I borrowed Amikura's terminal and blindfolded Shibata. If he saw the amount, it wouldn't be fair. So, Shibata lent me his terminal, and when we paid, the amount was... 97,000 points. I was surprised by the large expense. Thank you very much.

"Oh, the receipt should be addressed to Horagasaki."

"Hey!? I can hear you!"

The cashier laughed and made out the receipt to Shibata. I took off the blindfold and handed Shibata the receipt.

"Haa!? What the...!?"

Shocked by the amount, Shibata opened his eyes wide and raised his voice. It was visible to everyone, and Hamaguchi spoke up.

"We ate quite a bit, huh..."

Shibata tried to put the receipt in his shirt pocket, but...

"It's not there."

"You seem too flustered, man."

I pointed out to Shibata, who was trying to put it where it didn't exist. Everyone burst into laughter at the ridiculous sight. Shibata, thank you for the treat.

And so, my enjoyable day at the pool came to an end. And yeah, meat eaten with other people's money tastes great. The end.

=================================

Want to read advanced chapter?

Give me your stone to this novel to reach the milestone that will give you bonus chapter per day!!!

200-300 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapters / Day

301-400 Power Stones = 2 Bonus Chapter / day

401-500 Power Stones = 3 Bonus Chapter / day

Want to support me? 

You can join as member in my P4TR30N

p4treon.com/ShirooYuki ( Change 4 to a)

See ya!!