"Fast? This is a completely normal heart rate, thank you very much."
"Hehe~"
Shouko giggled but didn't say anything more when she saw Akira turn his head away in embarrassment, ignoring her.
She had noticed his ears were so red they looked like they might start dripping blood.
Quietly, she resumed her previous swimming motions. Akira cautiously turned his gaze back toward her once she had submerged again.
Too passive.
She could get away with taking advantage of him under the excuse of needing help with swimming, but he couldn't do the same in return. Not that he wanted to—but still. It wasn't fair.
But fine. There's no rush. Slowly, steadily… she'll get what's coming to her later.
"Hey, hey, hey! Don't lift my shirt!"
Akira, deep in his scheming, suddenly felt a tug at his abdomen. A playful hand had crept up and yanked his shirt upward.
Before he could react, the sensation of skin-on-skin contact made his scalp tingle. A jolt of static seemed to run through him.
In the water, Shouko was clearly unsatisfied. She began squirming again, rubbing her face against him without the slightest hint of shame. She even stopped kicking entirely.
Akira, completely overwhelmed, reached down and hoisted her out of the water. She clung to him tightly like a stubborn octopus, refusing to let go.
Eventually, her movements grew too wild, and she slipped from his grasp, finally letting him lift her. On her way up, she tugged his shirt back down—thoughtful, at least, in preserving his dignity.
As she surfaced, Akira gave her a look. She was scanning everywhere—anywhere but at him.
"…Shouko, aren't you going to explain something?" Akira asked with a forced smile. "You're really pushing your luck."
"Huh?" Shouko blinked in mock confusion. "Explain what? Was something wrong with my practice? If so, I'll correct it right away!"
If he hadn't noticed her gradually reddening ears, he might've believed her innocent act.
She looked so serious, even pouting slightly.
But Akira wasn't fooled. He narrowed his eyes. She was definitely testing him.
Shouko, trying to keep a straight face, shyly asked, "Coach Akira, should I continue?"
She was close—too close. Her poker face wasn't perfect either; Akira easily noticed the slight quiver at the corner of her lips.
He remembered what Takagi-san had once said: If Akira doesn't stop you, it means he's allowing it. If he blushes and his heart races again—that's your cue to take things further.
Akira's defense kicked in. He quickly raised a hand in front of himself.
"Nope! No need to practice that anymore! You did great. Now try floating and doing the kicking motion on your own, without holding anything."
If this kept up, even chanting a Buddhist mantra wouldn't save him.
"Oh…" Shouko didn't seem disappointed. In fact, she looked satisfied—as if she'd already won.
Besides, she remembered what Takagi-san said after that: If he starts to act guarded, it means you went too far. Ease up, or you'll lose progress.
"Okay then, Coach Akira. Watch me carefully! I'll give it a try."
"Mm-hmm, go ahead," Akira said quickly, dunking his head underwater to cool down. Damn heat…
Plop. Plop. Plop.
He watched Shouko flail around with both hands and feet. Her limbs looked more like a frog's than a swimmer's.
Unsurprisingly, her first attempt ended in failure. Without something to hold on to, it felt like she'd forgotten everything.
She popped out of the water, tapping her temple like a clueless child. "Coach Akira, how about I go back to practicing that earlier movement? I don't think I've mastered it yet…"
Akira immediately took a half step back.
Too late.
Shouko darted toward him—and suddenly "slipped."
He instinctively lunged forward to steady her… only to slip himself.
Grabbing her wrists, he accidentally pulled her toward him as he lost balance.
SPLASH!
They both fell into the water, sending up a large spray that just happened to blur the phone camera lens of Miyamura Shizuka—who had been secretly hiding nearby.
The lifeguard looked over, but after seeing it was the same couple from earlier, he lost interest. The guy was clearly teaching the girl to swim. Nothing unusual.
The water barely reached their chests. They could just stand up—unless they both got leg cramps at the same time.
As they sank into the water, Akira instinctively let go of Shouko's hand. Her wide eyes reflected the shimmering light beneath the surface.
Then—seeing him drift back—Shouko reached out on impulse and pulled him closer.
His lips grazed her nose, then, with the help of buoyancy, slid downward… brushing softly against the corner of her mouth like a feather grazing strawberry cake.
Shouko's brain short-circuited.
She swallowed reflexively.
Her face burned.
Then she choked on a mouthful of water.
Without thinking, Akira scooped her up and brought her to the surface.
"Cough! Cough! Cough!!" Shouko wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, coughing against his shoulder.
Akira gently patted her back, trying to comfort her.
"Shouko's coughing… should we go check?" asked Miyamura Daiki, hidden in the distance.
Miyamura Shizuka didn't even look up from her phone as she took burst photos.
"What are you talking about? Can't you see your son's right there? If you go now, you'll kill the mood, okay? Look around—the lifeguard and the kids aren't even bothering them. Some are even swimming away. Now you want to go interfere?"
Daiki blinked, then slowly backed behind Shizuka again. Still, in his mind, he was making a mental complaint about the lifeguard's attitude. So unprofessional. He's totally slacking off!
Back in the pool, Shouko finally caught her breath.
"Okay, Akira… I'm fine. You can stop patting me now."
Still, her arms didn't budge from around his neck.
She could feel her face burning—and it wasn't just from the water. The longer she clung to him, the hotter her cheeks became.
And the gazes around them weren't helping.
"Since you're okay… could you let go of me now?" Akira asked softly, turning his head.
His breath, warm and damp, tickled her ear.
A part of him was starting to go out of control.
Shouko's ears flushed even redder. Still, she forced herself to stay calm—and gave a cheeky reply.
"Coach Akira… is this part of CPR training?"
"…No," Akira said flatly, already somewhat used to her teasing. "That was just… an accident."
"Really~?"
"Mhm."
"But… Coach Akira, your heart doesn't seem to agree with you."
"Oh yeah? Yours isn't exactly calm either. And wasn't my heart racing because you startled me?"
"...…"
Shouko stared at his bright red ear and—just for a second—really, really wanted to take a bite.
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