Chapter 50: Even Kushida Kikyo Has Something She Fears
The hour spent at yesterday's study group was the most painful hour of Kushida Kikyo's life. Even though they were speaking a human language, Kushida felt as though communicating with Elsie was an impossible task. She couldn't help but recall some of their dialogue from the day before.
"Elsie, this question requires using this specific point of knowledge... Do you understand now?"
"I understand perfectly!"
"Then the answer is?"
"Choice C!"
"...Elsie, this is a fill-in-the-blank question..."
"Then it's pi! It must be pi!"
"We are currently tutoring English..."
Just thinking about it made the smile on Kushida's face freeze. If she were dealing with an ordinary poor student, she could maintain enough patience. But Elsie was an existence beyond all logic.
Normally, Kushida would have unhesitatingly agreed to continue, further building her image as a helpful and kind person. But now, Kushida's inner resolve wavered.
"Um, tonight, I actually have some other plans! I have an appointment with Ichinose-san! I'm really sorry!" Kushida's face once again displayed a look of absolute sincerity.
"Ichinose? Is that Ichinose from Class B?" Katsuragi Keima asked. He remembered that among his "cards," there was someone with that surname. Ichinose Honami.
"Yes, does Katsuragi-kun know her?"
"No, I don't. I've just heard her name," Keima flatly denied.
"I see! That makes sense, though! After all, Ichinose-san is an incredibly popular figure among us freshmen."
"Isn't that the same as you, Kushida-san?" Keima suddenly looked up at her.
"I—no, no way, I definitely can't compare to Ichinose-san!" Kushida hurriedly shook her head.
"How could that be? I've always thought you should be the most popular student in the first year, Kushida-san. You're beautiful and have a great personality," Keima said. His voice was at a volume that Sakura Airi, who was standing not far away, couldn't hear.
Keima's sudden praise caught Kushida completely off guard. She never expected such a compliment to come from the mouth of someone like Keima, who was obsessed with games
all day. Her cheeks turned slightly pink without her realizing it. Beside them, Horikita Suzune wore an expression of total incomprehension.
"Kushida-san!"
On the other side, several girls from the class called out to Kushida. They seemed to be the most active female group in the class; two of them were Karuizawa Kei and Sato Maya, both of the gyaru type.
"Sorry, Katsuragi-kun! I'm going over to Karuizawa-san's side now!" Kushida gave an apologetic look.
Watching her walk away, Horikita Suzune narrowed her eyes and then turned to Keima. "How can you suddenly say things like that out of the blue? Though I have to admire you—even someone like Kushida-san seems unable to handle you for a moment."
"I wouldn't be able to speak to you alone otherwise."
"Huh?"
"Did you know Kushida before?"
"Me? It seems we did come from the same middle school, but we never had any interaction. As for anything else, I don't remember. Why do you ask?"
"It's nothing." Keima shook his head.
Kushida Kikyo and Horikita Suzune were from the same school. This might be the reason why Kushida was so fixated on Horikita.
Nearby, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka was also observing Keima.
'Katsuragi-kun's body shows no signs of training. Was I overthinking before?' Ayanokouji thought to himself. If Keima were related to the White Room—or a similar institution—maintaining physical function would be an indispensable requirement. But Keima looked as though he had never exercised a day in his life. That implied Ayanokouji's previous theories about his identity were wrong. Was that truly the case?
Soon, the bell rang, and the swimming instructor arrived at the pool. Some students already knew how to swim and were allowed to move freely. A small group who couldn't swim began learning under the instructor's guidance. Although Sakura Airi was only an average swimmer, she was at a "capable" level. She entered a corner of the pool alone, worried about being noticed, and submerged herself like a submarine.
Airi was still debating when the best time would be to give him the gift. When she surfaced for air, she looked around to see what Keima was doing. In less than a second, she locked onto his location.
Because in the entire pool, Keima was the most conspicuous. He was floating face-up on the water like a corpse, holding his handheld game console with both hands and playing—completely out of place among the other students.
The swimming instructor nearby watched Keima with an incomprehensible gaze. In all his years of teaching, he had never seen a student like this.
"Um, student, playing games in the pool... is very dangerous."
"It's fine. I took precautions."
"Precautions? I don't see you wearing a lifebuoy or anything..."
"I put a waterproof case on the handheld."
"..."
In principle, teachers weren't supposed to interfere excessively with a student's behavior. But... this was really hard to watch. Using his authority and the rules a little should be fine. Finally, reaching the limit of his patience, the instructor gathered all the students together.
"I want to see where your skill levels are, so every student will perform a fifty-meter freestyle test," the teacher said with a smile.
"Will the results affect our Class Points?" Keima, still playing his game, drifted over to the teacher and asked.
"For this class, only attendance affects Class Points, so don't worry. However, as your teacher, I have a mission to ensure you all master the skill of swimming before summer vacation. This is a mandatory requirement. Therefore, I will set a standard time. If your speed is below the standard line, you will need extra practice sessions—"
The instructor's gaze landed on Keima. This boy looked quite thin; he surely wasn't the athletic type. He would undoubtedly fail to reach the standard.
"Next, we will test in pairs."
New Fanfiction!
You call this a projection?
What is a sword?
After Shirou Emiya awakened the memories of his past life and obtained a system that allowed him to travel to other worlds, his horizons were broadened by witnessing the wonders of those realms, and he suddenly reached a moment of enlightenment.
"Only swords... how could it be such a limit!"
Shirou Emiya: "Trace on!"
"False Magician's Red"
Consequently, by the time the Holy Grail War officially began...
Rin Tohsaka exclaimed in agitation:
"This isn't Projection at all!"
Crossover with Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, Jujitsu Kaisen and others.