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  Biology was manageable. The calculations were fewer and the data sets larger, which meant it was a prime candidate for his memorization-heavy competition strategy.

  Every morning at Haneoka High began with a fifteen-minute "Homeroom" session. Usually, it was for the teacher to drone through announcements, but the school was liberal enough to let the athletic clubs use it for early drills. The students remaining in the classroom either used the time for quiet study or, like the boy sitting in front of Jun, for surreptitious gossip.

  Jun caught snatches of their conversation—they were talking about the Sports Festival, an event he’d missed entirely during his suspension.

  Eventually, the boy in front of him—Suyama—turned around. "Hey Matsue, did you hear? Sugisaki from Class 5 was hunting for you during the festival. He won the 400-meter dash and was apparently dying to show you up."

  "I heard he has a massive thing for Tomatsu-san," Suyama continued, though his voice began to falter mid-sentence. He had noticed Yuka, who was supposedly "studying," looking at him with a gaze that could peel paint off a wall.

  Suyama’s voice dropped to a whisper, and he quickly faced forward again.

  Yuka was clearly busy weeding out any variables that might interfere with her pursuit of Jun.

  Ever since the rooftop incident, she had become a permanent fixture in the classroom. When Jun arrived in the morning, she was already at her desk. When the bell rang for dismissal, she refused to leave as long as he was still there.

  Jun admired her sheer tenacity, but he didn't let it distract him. He systematically "vacuumed" his way through two math textbooks. Probability, permutations, set theory, quadratic functions—he downloaded it all into his mental hard drive during the first three periods.

  By lunch, the textbooks were useless husks in his desk drawer. He’d finished the entire curriculum.

  Efficiency is its own reward, Jun thought, quite pleased with his morning’s work.

  The final period was PE. Today: Swimming.

  While some overcrowded urban schools built their pools on the roof, Haneoka was prestigious enough to have a massive indoor aquatic center.

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  In the locker room, Jun stripped down to his swim trunks. Suyama and Sakamuro stood behind him, staring.

  "Check out that V-taper," Suyama muttered, calling Sakamuro over to admire Jun’s physique.

  Jun finished changing and turned around to stare them down.

  "Whoa, Matsue, stay like that! You have no idea how sculpted your back looks when you move."

  Suyama was a fitness enthusiast, though 90% of his "training" involved watching workout videos on TikTok.

  Jun tossed his swim cap at Suyama’s chest, a silent command to shut up.

  In the month since the rumors broke, Jun had intentionally tweaked his public image. He was no longer the "Untouchable Saint." He was occasionally moody, a bit of a loner, and prone to the occasional flash of temper. Paradoxically, this "human" side made people feel closer to him. He was no longer a statue; he was a person.

  The Haneoka pool was a sprawling facility with separate lanes for boys and girls at opposite ends. The boys from Class 2 and Class 1 gathered at their end of the water. The two classes were on friendly terms, and the chatter was constant.

  "If Matsue had been at the festival, Sugisaki wouldn't have been nearly so cocky," Suyama remarked, refusing to let the subject go.

  The bell rang, and the PE teacher arrived exactly on time. "It’s almost finals week," he announced, already heading for the lifeguard chair. "Just do some free-laps and relax. Try not to drown." He promptly sprawled out on the chair and closed his eyes.

  Jun dove in. He switched between backstroke and breaststroke, moving with a fluid, silent efficiency that made him look like a professional athlete.

  At the other end of the facility, the girls were having a very different experience.

  "I’ve been sweating all summer, but I swear I’m getting heavier!"

  "Maybe stop eating three ice creams a day, then?"

  "Ugh, Tomatsu is the only one who looks perfect in a swimsuit."

  Yuka was the "Golden Ratio" of high school girls—athletic but feminine, with long, slender legs and a waist that looked like it belonged on a runway. Even the harsh fluorescent lights couldn't make her skin look anything less than radiant.

  She stood in the center of the Class 2 girls, her arms crossed defensively over her chest. Her "Ice Queen" persona made her popular with the girls; as long as she had her eyes on someone (Jun), she wasn't a threat to their own romantic prospects.

  The Class 1 girls approached the pool edge, and Yuka immediately spotted Haruka Mochizuki. Haruka had her hair tied in a high, tight ponytail. Her deep blue one-piece swimsuit made her look like a varsity swimmer—sharp, athletic, and intimidatingly cool.

  To the other students, Yuka and Haruka were like high-definition focal points in a grainy room. They drew the eye naturally, making everyone else look like background extras.

  Yuka sized up the competition. I win on curves, she noted, but I’m still not sure what Jun’s 'type' is. As long as it isn't 'heiress,' I’m fine.

  The girls’ side was also given free-reign, but few actually swam. Most sat on the edge of the pool, dangling their legs in the water and gossiping.

  The two classes were coexisting peacefully until a girl from Class 1 borrowed a pair of binoculars from the teacher’s neck. (The teacher, wanting to go back to her nap, didn't protest).

  The girl, Runa, sat down at the edge and trained the lenses on the boys’ pool.

  "Ugh, so many of these guys have zero muscle definition. Disappointing!" she announced, providing a running commentary as a crowd of girls gathered around her.

  "Runa, let me see!" another girl giggled.

  "Is there someone specific you're looking for?" Runa asked playfully.

  She scanned the water until she found a familiar silhouette.

  "Oh... wow," Runa whispered. "I take it back. Matsue is... wow."

  The binoculars were suddenly snatched from her hands. Runa looked up, startled.

  Haruka Mochizuki stood over her, the binoculars gripped in her hand. Her face was as cold as a February morning.

  "Mochizuki-san?" Runa stammered.

  Haruka didn't answer. She walked to the very edge of the lane, raised the binoculars, and adjusted the focus with professional precision. She didn't look like she was "checking out" a guy; she looked like a general surveying a battlefield.

  Yuka watched from ten feet away, her eyes narrowing. She stood up, her wet hair clinging to her shoulders, and began walking toward Haruka.

  The undercurrent of the pool was suddenly much colder than the water.