Chapter 52: Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's Doubt
"I am the God of Conquest! Watch me easily overcome the obstacles of reality!" Katsuragi Keima shouted in his heart.
"This guy... his first half was actually that fast?!" Even the swimming teacher was momentarily shocked; he realized he had completely underestimated this student. As a teacher, he had the authority to view student profiles.
[Katsuragi Keima] [Physical Strength: E]
Shouldn't this student's physical strength be an E? Had he hidden his true abilities when he entered the school?
"Nii-sama! Keep going!!!!" Nearby, Elsie, wearing a swim ring, shouted loudly at Keima. Further away, Sakura Airi couldn't help but take a few steps forward, watching Keima in the pool.
However, just as he passed the halfway mark, Keima's speed suddenly became incredibly slow.
'What happened?' Ayanokouji Kiyotaka was puzzled, but he took the opportunity to overtake him. After decelerating slightly, he reached the finish line.
"Not a bad result, 26.54 seconds," the teacher said with a smile, looking at Ayanokouji.
"That student... what was his name again?"
"I think it's Ayanokouji. I feel like he doesn't have much of a presence in class."
"His swimming level is pretty good, though."
Ayanokouji heard the discussions of the students around him. This was outside his plan. Because he wasn't sure what the normal swimming speed of an average boy was, Ayanokouji couldn't determine what speed would keep him in the middle of the pack, so he could only use Katsuragi Keima as a sample reference.
This resulted in Ayanokouji using a speed that exceeded his expectations. Even though he slowed down in the second half, he still achieved a rather dazzling result, nearly identical to Hirata Yousuke's, ranking fourth among the boys.
That being the case... Ayanokouji turned his head toward the pool.
It wasn't until several seconds later that Katsuragi Keima reached the finish line.
"Katsuragi-kun, the result is 36.54 seconds... Katsuragi-kun!"
Keima had just climbed out of the lane, but his face wore a peaceful smile. With his eyes closed and his head slumped, he sat by the side. The God was burned out. Driven by the game, Keima could break his limits for a short time. But his stamina was, frankly, hard to compliment. During the second half, Keima's stamina bar had been completely emptied.
"Nii-sama!" Elsie hurriedly rushed to Keima's side and shook him vigorously. The latter's head wobbled like a yo-yo.
"Elsie-san, wait a second! You're going to shake Katsuragi-kun to death!"
On the second floor of the gymnasium, a girl with white hair reaching her waist leaned against the railing. She had an incredibly exquisite face, but those red eyes projected an unfathomable gaze. A smile played on her lips as she watched the unconscious Keima with great interest.
"My, a very interesting fellow has joined the first-year class this year." A meaningful smile appeared on her face.
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The swimming class finally ended. Keima, feeling as if he had been saved, changed his clothes at maximum speed and fled the area. The swim had completely drained his physical strength; his legs were trembling slightly.
"Kami-nii-sama, are you okay?" Beside him, Elsie asked with a worried expression.
"For me, the God of Conquest... this isn't a problem at all!" Keima said, though his voice was shaking. "Let's hurry to the cafeteria for food... By the way, for a while, we'll probably only be able to eat the cheapest set meal."
"Eh? Why?!"
"Because my private points are almost gone." Keima sighed. Besides daily necessities, the handheld consoles, games, and the deal with Chabashira Sae had added up to a lot of points. In Keima's eyes, it was all worth it.
But just then, a figure appeared before him. Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.
"Katsuragi-kun, do you have a moment to talk?"
Soon, Ayanokouji and Keima arrived at a deserted corner of the school. Keima had no idea what Ayanokouji wanted with him. Come to think of it, Keima had keenly noticed before that Ayanokouji often seemed to be observing him.
"Ayanokouji-kun, is there something I can help you with?" Keima asked.
Ayanokouji looked at Keima, the lethargy in his eyes appearing a bit weaker than usual. After the swimming class, Ayanokouji was certain that Katsuragi Keima was no ordinary person. Several events in class had already convinced Ayanokouji that Keima possessed abilities far beyond those of an average student—especially the ability to influence those around him.
In just a few days, the attitudes of Sakura Airi and Horikita Suzune toward him had undergone subtle changes. There was no doubt that Keima was manipulating everything from the shadows. However, Ayanokouji wasn't sure of the other's identity or purpose.
And just now, the swimming class made Ayanokouji suspect that Keima was targeting him. By exploiting his lack of knowledge regarding "normal" speeds, Keima had induced him to show a bit of his strength in front of the class. If that were true, the act of being obsessed with games was likely a layer of camouflage.
'I used to think that not being noticed as much as possible was the best disguise.' 'But Katsuragi made me realize that this line of thinking was wrong.' 'The more one stands out, the easier it is to hide one's true identity.'
Ayanokouji thought to himself, though he knew this was just his speculation. To verify it, he decided to take the initiative and appear before Keima. Through face-to-face communication, Ayanokouji could observe him better; even if the other person was hiding something, he could glean useful information from their words and behavior.
"I want to know how you did it," Ayanokouji asked.
"Did what?"
"The swimming. I feel that Katsuragi-kun doesn't look like someone athletic, but at the beginning, you exceeded my imagination. If you hadn't slowed down in the second half, I might have been left behind by you," Ayanokouji said reservedly.
Having grown up in the White Room since childhood, he lacked the emotions possessed by ordinary people and was indifferent to everything. But while swimming with Keima earlier, a strong sense of curiosity had arisen in his heart.
Why did Keima, who clearly hadn't trained, possess that kind of speed? In Ayanokouji's eyes, Keima's deceleration in the second half looked more like a deliberate act of holding back.
Hearing the response, a meaningful smile appeared on Keima's face.
"It's love!"
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