A/N: Check comment section
[Third Person Pov]
Lois stood at the edge of the now-clean pool, holding the hose firmly as she aimed it toward the empty basin in an attempt to fill it back up with fresh water. The stream flowed strongly at first, splashing loudly against the concrete and gradually bringing the water level up. Once it reached about halfway, though, the pressure started to decrease noticeably until only a few weak droplets trickled down from the end of the hose. She shook it in confusion, twisting and turning it as she tried to get the water flowing properly again.
"You're stepping on the hose," Jimmy said to Clark while glancing down at the ground. Sure enough, Clark's foot was planted right on the middle of the hose, completely blocking the water from moving through.
"Oh, my bad," Clark said in realization, quickly lifting his foot and stepping aside.
Lois, completely unaware of their conversation, had turned the hose over to take a closer peek inside it, examining the opening closely as she wondered why it had stopped working. "Huh?" she asked, just as the water suddenly surged back with full force.
A powerful spray shot straight into her face, causing her to splutter and cough as she quickly yanked the hose away. She stood there with her arms spread apart in surprise, water dripping heavily from her face and hair. Her entire front was now soaked from head to toe, the white shirt clinging transparently to her skin.
Jimmy and Clark immediately started snickering, doing their best to suppress their laughter at the sight. Their amusement froze instantly, however, when Lois pressed her thumb over the end of the hose and aimed a powerful blast of water directly at the two of them.
They both threw their hands up defensively, turning their faces away as they tried to get her to stop. Clark eventually managed to snatch the hose away from her grip. The two boys stood there afterward, staring at her like a pair of sad, wet dogs, drenched and dripping.
"Clark, get her," Jimmy said, looking at Lois with playful vengeance in his eyes.
"No, wait! We're already even!" Lois exclaimed in a panic as she turned around and immediately started running away across the pool deck.
"No running in the pool!" Kotegawa shouted from where she stood underneath the shade, witnessing Clark chase after a panicked Lois.
"Kyaaa!!" Lois screeched while kicking her feet in the air once Clark managed to grab hold of her. "No! No! No!! Don't just stand there looking—help me!!" she shouted and pleaded with the others watching.
The rest of the group just started giggling as they watched Clark and Jimmy team up to hose her down thoroughly, both boys letting out sadistic little cackles. Lois swung her arms wildly in a pinwheel motion while Clark held her in a gentle headlock and aimed the hose right above her head, drenching her completely.
By the end of it, Lois looked like a thoroughly soaked wet cat, her smudged eyeliner running down her face as she glared at the two boys with clear murderous intent. Clark held one hand out to the side with a satisfied smirk while Jimmy gave him a triumphant high-five, both of them grinning from ear to ear.
"I'm going to go change, you bunch of brutes," Lois grumbled as she started walking away, gathering her wet hair together, tilting her head to the side, and wringing it out as best she could.
"I suppose we better do the same," Jimmy said, pulling at his soaked white T-shirt that was now sticking uncomfortably to his skin.
…
While Clark and Jimmy were changing in the nearby locker area, Clark kept looking at him with a weird mix of surprise and curiosity.
"What?" Jimmy asked, tilting his head in confusion as he noticed the stare. He looked down at his own shirtless body.
Jimmy's physique was lean and compact. With his shirt on, one would never really notice, but he actually had well-defined muscles that showed deliberate training. What really caught Clark's attention, however, were the various scars scattered across his body.
"Oh, those," Jimmy chuckled lightly, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's not what you think. I'm just really clumsy and tend to fall a lot."
He pointed at one of the scars as he explained, "Here, I got this one because I thought I could become a professional skateboarder. These over here are from climbing up a mountain just to get a really nice picture for my collection…"
The conversation continued casually as they finished changing, the scars adding another layer of depth to Jimmy's otherwise easygoing personality.
…
The rest of the girls also decided to go change into their swimsuits so they could properly enjoy the pool. Lala noticed that Kotegawa was quietly packing her things and starting to move away from the dressing room area, clearly preparing to leave the group.
"You aren't going to join us?" Lala questioned, tilting her head curiously.
"No," Kotegawa said plainly, keeping her tone professional. "I've already done what I needed to do. Now that you've all completed your work, you may enjoy yourselves."
"We wouldn't mind if you joined us, you know," Haruna added kindly, beckoning Kotegawa over. "It can't always be all work and no play."
"I appreciate the sentiment, but the reward of using the pool goes to all of you," Kotegawa started to protest. "You're the ones who actually helped clean it. All I did was observe—"
Momo immediately interrupted her, grabbing Kotegawa's hands and gently but firmly pulling her along. "Let's just go already! What part of 'we don't mind' did you not get? Plus, I'm still feeling really guilty for what happened with the frog, so let me make it up to you."
"But I don't have—" Kotegawa tried to protest again, her cheeks flushing slightly.
Komi held up a notepad that simply read: "The School will provide."
Kotegawa had no real rebuttal left and was gently forced to tag along with the group. Although she tried to maintain her usual strict demeanor, a faint little smile slowly grew at the corner of her lips as she allowed herself to be swept up in their friendly energy.
…
The group wasted no time taking full advantage of the freshly cleaned pool, the clear water sparkling under the late afternoon sun after all their hard work.
"Woohooo!!" Lois shouted enthusiastically as she was the first one in. She sprinted across the deck and launched herself into the air, tucking her knees tightly for a massive cannonball that sent a huge splash rippling across the surface.
Most of the others quickly jumped in after her, laughing and splashing around, while Haruna and Komi chose to sit along the edge, content with just dipping their legs into the cool water and watching everyone else.
"Wouldn't it be better to leave your glasses aside while you're swimming?" Lois asked, swimming closer and studying Clark as he drifted casually on his back, completely relaxed.
"Come here, I'll let you in on a little secret," Clark said with a mysterious grin, ushering her closer with a wave of his hand.
Lois looked at him suspiciously at first, narrowing her eyes and wondering what kind of trick he was up to. Still, as an aspiring reporter, secrets were her ultimate weakness. She swam over anyway.
"These are actually Hypno glasses," Clark whispered close to her ear, his voice low and dramatic. "I wear them to conceal my identity and secret identity as Superman."
"Bwhahaha!" Lois burst out laughing, holding her stomach as she nearly doubled over in the water. "Hypno glasses! That's got to be the stupidest thing I've ever heard!"
Still giggling, she splashed water directly into his face. "You're such a dork sometimes."
"Those two seem really close…" Nino pointed out quietly, still remembering the scene she had walked in on during Clark's celebration.
"Aren't you jealous…?" Ichika asked Lala curiously, glancing between her and Clark. She could practically feel the chemistry that burned between the two, if she was in Lala's place would not be comfortable with it.
"Nope!" Lala answered with a bright, jovial grin, not a hint of concern on her face. "I don't care if Clark's with another girl besides me."
The five Nakano sisters turned toward Lala in unison, their faces showing various degrees of surprise and disbelief. "What?"
…
"Watch this~" Lois said with a wide, mischievous grin. She took a deep breath and sank underwater, then suddenly reappeared underneath Jimmy, lifting him up onto her shoulders with surprising strength.
"Lois!" Jimmy exclaimed, his face flushing bright red as he struggled to keep his balance.
Lala's eyes lit up at the sight. She quickly dove under and did the exact same thing to Clark, popping up with him balanced on her shoulders.
"Are you serious right now?" Clark asked with a completely straight, deadpan face as he looked down at her.
Lala and Lois both started giggling uncontrollably. Jimmy and Clark simply stared at each other with matching deadpan expressions before shrugging and interlocking their hands in a competitive grip, firing off intense glares at one another.
Cheers and excited giggling filled the entire pool area as the girls rooted for them. Itsuki and Yotsuba were the loudest supporters hoping to see Clark lose. "Come on, senior! I may not know you well, but I believe in you!!" Yotsuba cheered at the top of her lungs.
The group continued having a blast, water splashing everywhere as they played, laughed, and enjoyed the refreshing fruits of their earlier labor.
Once everyone had satisfied their craving for pool time, they finally decided to call it a day. Clark was the first one out, as he still had responsibilities he couldn't ignore. Kotegawa followed shortly after, choosing to leave alongside him since she had a strict schedule that left little room for extra free time.
As Kotegawa was climbing out of the pool, her foot got caught on the last rung of the ladder. She let out a startled scream that immediately drew everyone's attention.
She hopped awkwardly on one foot, and as Clark turned around in confusion, she lost her balance completely. In her fall, she grabbed desperately onto Clark's swimming trunks and ended up face-first right into his crotch.
Everyone froze like deer caught in headlights, their mouths hanging wide open in collective shock. For a split second, they all collectively envisioned a giraffe lifting its head from the ground.
Lala immediately covered Momo's eyes with both hands. Komi and Haruna both hid their faces, cheeks burning bright red. Haruna couldn't resist peeking through the gaps in her fingers, while Komi sank underwater, bubbles rising furiously as her face overheated.
All five Nakano sisters instantly got nosebleeds, with Miku and Itsuki's eyes rolling back in their heads from the overwhelming sight.
Lois and Jimmy, however, showed zero shame. They nodded appreciatively. "Solid girth," Jimmy commented, arms crossed over his chest.
"Not to mention the length," Lois added, holding her fingers up like a picture frame as if framing the view. "His middle name should be 'Hung like a Horse.' Clark 'Hung as a Horse' Ayase."
Kotegawa immediately scrambled backward, pressing the back of her hand over her lips, her face beet red as she stared at the beast like it was seconds away from devouring her whole.
"What the heck is wrong with you, you clumsy idiot?!" Clark exclaimed, completely flustered as he quickly pulled up and retied his swimming trunks with a tight knot. "If you wanted to see it so bad, just call me," he added, trying to salvage some dignity through sarcasm.
"Will do!" Lois shouted back, flashing an enthusiastic OK sign with her fingers.
"Shut it, Lane!" Clark glared at her, though Lois only burst into infectious laughter that soon had others joining in.
Kotegawa jumped to her feet and sprinted away, utterly mortified and still holding her mouth. Her first kiss stolen.
A/N: Check Comment section
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