A week had flown by since the entrance ceremony.
At first, Mamoru had felt overwhelmed by the sheer size of the campus, but he had managed to set most of the necessary wedges in place, gradually settling into a daily routine.
Of course, not all cursed spirits on campus had been eradicated. Regular patrols would still be necessary. However, with teleportation wedges set up in key areas, moving around had become significantly easier.
At present, Class A was having their first swimming lesson in the school pool.
The pool was indoors—unaffected by the weather—spacious, pristine, and equipped with facilities that rivaled those of professional training centers. It was the ideal environment for swimming, and all the students seemed to be enjoying themselves in the crystal-clear water.
All except one.
"I didn't expect Mamoru-kun to skip class," Arisu said.
"Everyone feels unwell sometimes," Mamoru replied casually.
"Fufu, that's true."
Arisu smiled as the two of them sat in the second-floor viewing seats overlooking the pool.
"So, let's be honest," she said, "do you really think skipping one lesson will hurt your evaluation?"
"Unlikely. I don't have enough data yet, but one absence probably won't affect anything."
Mamoru had feigned illness to skip the swimming lesson and instead observe it, aiming to verify how class participation would impact academic evaluations.
"Well, there are always students who miss class due to injury or illness," Arisu reasoned. "It wouldn't be fair to penalize them too harshly."
Swimming, in particular, often came with complications—body issues, trauma, or aquaphobia—making attendance difficult for some students.
"Maybe if I skip two or three classes, it'll affect my score."
"Then next time, I'll just pay some points and skip, too."
At that, Arisu gave him a curious look.
"Mamoru-kun... Are you planning to skip the next swimming class too?"
"…Yeah."
Arisu had likely assumed Mamoru's absence was purely strategic—for research, not personal reasons. Now she wasn't so sure.
"...Can you not swim?"
"I can. That's not the issue."
Mamoru glanced briefly down at his own body.
For sorcerers, battle scars were common. In Mamoru's case, his body bore the results of brutal, repeated training—injuries, trauma, and survival. His skill rivaled the best of the current generation, but it came at a price.
(I don't have a "normal" body anymore.)
Mamoru's mind wandered back to his junior high days—when teachers and students had stared at him during swimming lessons, bombarding him with questions.
I don't know what's coming next month, but I want to at least take this month off.
If class performance or credits required it, he would attend. Otherwise, he planned to avoid swimming entirely. Today's absence was under the pretense of evaluation, but in truth, he simply didn't want to show his scars.
(But what excuse should I give?)
Glancing sideways at Arisu, he realized a lie would likely be seen through instantly.
"Um... I have an old scar from an accident. I just don't like showing it."
He avoided mentioning the cause, offering the partial truth. Physical scars could be a sensitive subject, even for men. Mamoru hoped Arisu would understand and not ask further.
"I see. I'm sorry... It must be hard to talk about."
Thankfully, she seemed to take the hint and dropped the subject.
(But what if I do have to swim next month?)
His body was covered in wounds—some small, some deep. The thought of having to explain how he'd gotten them made him sigh. He shifted his gaze to the pool, trying to escape reality. Arisu, too, said nothing as she watched the swimmers in silence.
After a while, Mamoru broke the quiet.
"...But why are we having swimming lessons now?"
"Right? I thought that was odd too."
Swimming lessons usually didn't start in spring. Something was off.
"Maybe it's for a special exam that involves swimming?"
"A special exam? Do you mean something that could impact class rankings?"
"Yeah. I'd say it's almost guaranteed."
From the start, Mamoru had assumed there would be inter-class competition. The format was still unclear, but it made sense.
"If rankings were based solely on academics or behavior, lower-ranked classes could never catch up," he explained. "That would be a broken system."
"I agree," Arisu nodded.
They hadn't shared this suspicion with their classmates. Students who were perceptive would figure it out on their own. Sharing it now would only increase unnecessary anxiety without any actionable solution.
"But if it's swimming... I'm out."
Even Mamoru didn't want swimming to be the test. If that were the case, missing classes now would be meaningless.
But after thinking for a moment, he dismissed the concern.
"I doubt it'll be a swimming competition."
"What makes you say that?"
"For one, if they just wanted to evaluate swimming ability, they'd use grades. There's no reason to start classes this early in the year otherwise."
"True. The timing does seem strange."
(Swimming lessons at the start of spring… Maybe they're preparing us for something at the water?)
A lake? A river? What came to mind first was—the sea.
"Also, all signs point to this school favoring class-based evaluations over individual performance. Even if some students can't swim, the test will probably account for that."
Factoring that in, Mamoru formed a theory.
(Not a solo test. Probably at sea. If it's off-campus, it wouldn't be a day trip… maybe a training camp? Some kind of survival test in nature...)
"A survival training exercise on a southern island…?" Mamoru muttered with a smirk. "Sounds like something out of a TV show."
But Arisu responded seriously.
"No, that's not far-fetched. Some companies do hold survival training on uninhabited islands."
"...Seriously?"
Mamoru blinked, genuinely surprised.
"Yes. Of course, only major companies with the budget can afford that kind of program."
"And this school does seem to have money."
"Exactly."
Mamoru's expression darkened slightly.
(Can I afford to leave campus right now?)
He had wedges set around the school for emergencies, and he could teleport back if needed. But surveillance off-campus was limited. Any movement would be harder to manage.
Arisu didn't look thrilled either. For someone with a physical disability, survival training would be more frustrating than exciting.
"…Well, it's just a guess."
"Yeah. We'll see."
It was a theory born from casual speculation. There was no need to take it seriously—yet.
"But a southern island, huh?" Arisu said suddenly, teasing. "Is this your way of saying you want to see me in a swimsuit, Mamoru-kun?"
Mamoru blinked.
(Here we go again...)
He was about to dismiss it with a casual "No, not really," when he caught a flicker of resignation behind Arisu's usual playful smile.
In the past week, Mamoru had learned that Arisu, while strong-willed and clever, still carried insecurities about her condition. As she watched the Class A students swimming, there was unmistakable envy in her gaze.
(Is she giving up on ever being part of something like this?)
Would a sarcastic response really be the right one here?
Mamoru paused. Then answered honestly.
"...Yeah. I might want to see that."
Arisu blinked, surprised. She stared at him for a moment before a quiet smile spread across her face.
"If the opportunity arises, then."
For some reason, her smile looked just a little bit lonely to Mamoru.
(Ah, this is headache...Maybe I chose the wrong words after all. Girl sure complicated...)
Maybe a light joke would've been better. Scratching his head, Mamoru made a mental note to be more careful next time.