"Alright, everyone—rest ti! Out of the water for now!"
Shiraishi-senpai's voice echoed crisply over the pool as she waved the water polo girls to the side. Her long ponytail swayed with the motion, and tiny droplets of water glinted in the fluorescent light.
Instead of heading back to the bench with the others, she glanced at .
"Ginjo-san, follow . We'll borrow so equipnt."
Before I could even ask what she was plotting, she was already striding toward the swimming club's training room.
Lisa Shiraishi—the water polo club's captain and our school's student council president—could apparently talk her way into anything. The swimming club president barely looked up before nodding his approval.
I stepped inside and froze.
"…Whoa."
An entire indoor pool, cutting-edge machines, rows of neatly stacked weights—this place was practically a professional training center.
"Unbelievable…" She murmured beside , her usually composed tone tinged with envy. "Compared to this, our club's… budget is basically lunch money."
I could feel her mood dip. The way her gaze lingered on the shiny equipnt… yeah, it stung.
I scratched my cheek. "Well, soday when we win the tournant, we'll have all this too. Then everyone will take the water polo club seriously."
Her eyes flickered toward , lips twitching in a small smile. "You're just saying that to cheer up, aren't you?"
"Maybe. But I an it."
Her steps lightened a little. "Then I'll take your words as a promise, Ginjo-san. You'd better work hard with us."
I gave her a thumbs-up, trying not to think about how her smile hit right in the chest.
She crouched down by the weights, tilting her head. "Which ones do we need?"
"Smallest plates will do. 2.5 kilos." I hefted one easily. "It's just to get them used to the feeling of weight—don't want to overdo it."
"I'll carry so too."
"It's fine, I've got—"
"Absolutely not. I already dragged you here to help. I can't just let you do all the work."
You can't win against the president. She scooped up two plates without hesitation.
When we got back, the girls were curious, leaning forward in their swimsuits as I set the plates down.
"Eh? What are those for?"
"They look heavy…"
"Not really. See?" I picked one up and gave it a little showy spin in my hand. "Today we're trying weighted treading water. No hands—just legs—while holding one of these."
A few nervous laughs, but no one outright refused.
I gave them a quick pep talk, showed the form, and then—because apparently being "assistant coach" now ca with extra obligations—I jumped in holding a plate aloft. My body dipped for a mont, but with steady kicks I rose back up.
"Whoa, amazing!"
"You can still float with that?!"
Grinning, I swam back to the edge. "See? Nothing scary. Just focus on your legs, not the weight."
Shiraishi-senpai split them into two groups. The first group… well, they tried. The plates wobbled, legs flailed, and within seconds they were sputtering back to the wall.
"It's okay," I called, pulling one girl up. "Takes a few tries to get the feel for it."
The second group did better—especially Shiraishi-senpai. She was steady, graceful… her ponytail drifting on the water's surface like a ribbon. She held out for over a minute, looking completely unshaken. I swear she could've stayed there all day.
We wrapped up with a quick debrief. I made a ntal note that maybe next ti we'd start with dumbbell lifts on land before tossing them into the deep end—literally.
As practice ended, I gathered the plates to return them. That's when it happened.
A sharp squeak of rubber soles—
"Ah—!"
One of the girls slipped at the pool's edge, flailing forward. She crashed straight into Shiraishi-senpai—
—and she stumbled… straight into .
I had maybe half a second to register two very soft things pressing against my chest before—
CLANG.
"Ghhh—!"
One of the plates I was holding slipped free, bounced once on the tile, and slamd squarely into the middle finger of my right hand.
So that's why they call it very soft, then very painful.
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