Real teaching, hypocritical gray life

"...I know. After all, there are many people like you around me."

"It sounds like Horikita-san has a very hard life, but I seem to have accidentally become a basic unit...?"

"Please don't mind me...Also, why are you in this position?"

"Hmm, doesn't Horikita know? I remember I mentioned this to Ayanokouji-kun, but didn't he tell you......?"

"You have explained the facts to me, but... is it really as you said?"

"I've also told Kanzaki that if Horikita doesn't trust me, then go ask him. Hiding the details won't do me any good. If I'm really involved in the senior exams, it would be more practical to discuss it with Ichinose and the others instead of fighting alone. After all, my ability to fight alone is very limited."

"Your ability to fight alone is limited... I trust you on this point."

"We are working together, aren't we? I should tell you this. If Ichinose were here, he would definitely talk about it in more depth than I do."

There is a reason why I didn't explain this to you at the very beginning. In other words, whether you understand it or not, this fact has nothing to do with me.

And what to do, this is also a reason for withering.

"...Do you really have no idea about the special exam the seniors are taking?"

"That's a definite fact, and we all have our own understanding of it. Although this school doesn't have any rules that say 'senior students are not allowed to tell junior students about the exams they've taken', the seniors seem to be following this message silently."

"Besides, we won't be informed of this kind of thing by our seniors. At least we need to pay points in exchange for the corresponding rewards."

"Then you are really miserable. You were dragged here to take charge of a special pool facility on the last day of summer vacation without knowing anything."

"I don't deny this. I think I'm usually pretty lucky... This is probably an example of how I failed at the critical moment."

After making those meaningless exclamations, silence fell between us.

After all, there is no such thing as a lot of entertainment-type topics between me and Horikita-san, and even if there is, whether she will talk to me is still a question. In addition, there is the problem of class ranking, which makes it impossible to achieve absolute information exchange between classes.

At the very least, some preparation is needed.

I refocused my attention on the pool. I don't know why, but my mind became so vague that I even felt a sense of regret for a minute or two over the breeze. I really hated this feeling, but I still did this and that while rejecting it.

The few times I get upset in my life come from such unprovoked situations, but all I have to do is take as deep a breath as possible to calm my body and mind.

Then I saw Sudo's 'kind' eyes...

"..."

It feels like being stared at by a hungry beast...

Something is wrong. If this continues, I might be 'killed'.

"......Um, Horikita-san, is there anything else you want to talk to me about? If not, could you please leave for a while? I'm already under a lot of pressure that I shouldn't be under at my age..."

I swallowed my saliva pretending to be scared, and then looked at Horikita-san beside me with trembling eyes.

"Please don't mind it, that guy is just that kind of person."

"...Please at least consider your own safety. It would be really hard to escape unscathed if it's just the two of us."

However, Horikita ignored my request and looked away with an embarrassed look.

"Just now, was the student council president next to you...? I saw you two talking..."

So that’s how it is. So this is just the love a younger sister shows for her brother?

Such a thing is really rare for Horikita.

"...That's it. Is there anything wrong with that?"

"I feel like he's telling you something..."

"Instructions... He seemed to have done something similar to me before he left, but I was in a daze at the time so I didn't hear it... But President Horikita has already discovered this, so it shouldn't be a big deal."

After answering the relevant questions, I pretended to think.

"Well, come to think of it, the student council president and Horikita-san have the same last name... May I ask if there is any relationship between you two?"

"...'Horikita' is not a rare surname... And the reason I noticed him was because he was the student council president. It's hard to imagine him showing up in a place like this, so I want to know the reason."

It's inexplicably dishonest.

"If that's the case, I can give you an answer."

"Horikita-senpai also has a job in the swimming pool, as a substitute lifeguard. The reason why he is a substitute is not because of his personal lack of ability, but simply because there are too many things on his shoulders. If I'm not mistaken, he is probably dealing with other matters right now."

"Come to think of it, the position of student council president is really busy. It seems that it is extremely rare to have time to rest here like just now..."

"...You just said that the student council president is resting here?"

"Yeah. We were watching you play volleyball together... I think that's it..."

"..."

After I said this, Horikita fell silent, and the expression on her face was hard for me to guess. Fortunately, she chose to leave at the last minute, and I breathed a sigh of relief when I felt the vicious look disappear.

However, that feeling soon resurfaced in my perception again, because the little angel Kushida approached me and asked me about what happened to Horikita just now. The hatred brought by this beautiful girl is not small.

Really, what is going on today?

Chapter 148: There is nothing we can do about the situation

One winter morning I opened my eyes dazedly. It was already the usual time to get up. My body was kidnapped by the bed, and the alarm clock was screaming desperately on the bedside table.

I struggled with all my strength, but in the end I still failed.

He fell asleep on the bed again.

"..."

Well, even though it’s summer now, this is how I feel.

"..."

Maybe I have a habit of procrastinating?

I don't know, but I know for sure that the current situation is the result of my laziness being completely triggered by my boredom that prevents me from even sleeping.

For this, I was strapped into a life-saving chair.

I can say this without exaggeration. Now, even if someone suddenly drowned in the swimming pool, I might remain unmoved. I might even stay at the scene of the crime and quietly watch the body floating on the water without calling the police.

This is very similar to the phenomenon that occurs in humans in the winter mornings. In winter, the weather is cold and everything withers, which can easily affect people's emotions, causing sentimentality and large mood swings. Seasonal cold also affects the brain's neural activity, which in turn affects the quality of sleep.

This leads to the behavior of staying in bed too long.

Although the absolute root cause is not due to laziness...

I will still take some action to some extent, but that will have to be confirmed in the future, so at least for the current situation, my behavior can be said to be procrastination, but not so complete.

Because the best way to beat procrastination is to take action. Often the first moments of action are the most painful, but as long as you persevere through that difficult time, most people will feel that it is not that bad.

Whether it's just the pain at the beginning of the action or I don't want to go through the process, the reason I don't want to take action is out of my own laziness. For me, such or that thing is not something I have to do.

Although you know that taking action will have a better outcome, there is nothing you can do if you are lazy. Instead of trying desperately to make changes at this point in time, it is better to accept your unwillingness to move, allow yourself to stay in the lazy thinking, and quietly watch things happen.

Even though it feels terrible, slowly in the experience of the senses, every beginning will have a corresponding end...

"What a terrible conclusion..."

Since a while ago, my mind has been filled with these seemingly nonsensical, but actually nerve-wrecking thoughts. No matter how I try to figure out the consequences of the surroundings, I can't get the understanding I want. I know that those things need to be felt to be understood, but now I'm just going to give up.

So even though I saw Ichinose slowly walking towards me out of the corner of my eye, I resolutely ignored her and didn't pay any attention to her.

Ichinose pretended to be walking normally, and tried not to let people around her focus on her. This was probably because the towel on her body covered her body very well. Although her pair of white and slender legs attracted attention, only a few people were attracted.

However, the elastic bandage on Ichinose's right foot exposed the fact that she was injured. In addition, the fact that her right toe only lightly touched the floor when she walked and her body's shifted center of gravity also made this point quite obvious.

A beautiful girl is walking while suppressing her physical illness. I think this will attract attention if it is placed in various areas for junior high school students.

But at least let me be willful for a moment and not pay attention to Ichinose's figure. I don't really want to take any action.

I stretched my body a little after not moving for a long time, and then quickly adjusted my body posture back to the original 'thinker'.

In every sense I don't want to move...

"..."

So I let out a long sigh.

My sight inadvertently turned to Ichinose's direction, and happened to meet her eyes. When Ichinose saw that I noticed her figure, she smiled awkwardly and scratched her cheek lightly with her hand, feeling a bit overwhelmed.

Things have come to this point, so I can't continue to do nothing. I climbed down the lifeboat and trotted towards where Ichinose was. She also stopped and stayed there waiting for me.

"......I remember that I told Ichinose to have a good rest in the infirmary before I left."

"I'm sorry, it's just too boring in there, there's nothing to do... and I'm not used to the smell of disinfectant..."

"Even if that's the case, at least let Shiranami and the others help you out instead of forcing yourself to do it alone."

I reached around the towel and put my hand under Ichinose's armpit, while the other hand was placed on the left waist. After our skin came into close contact, Ichinose's body shook noticeably, and then his body became a little stiff, and he slowly responded to what I had just said.

"It's so rare to come to the swimming pool. I can't let them have regretful memories because of me..."

"But if it increases the severity of the individual's injuries, it will also cause them to worry. At this time, it is better to rely on others, no matter who it is. I think Ichinose should be quite clear about this."

"Yeah... yeah, I understand...clearly..."

As I supported Ichinose as she walked, her voice was weak and tinny, and she lowered her head, and her voice was unclear.

"...What's wrong?"

"I touched it... and... it's a little itchy..."

"Oh, sorry, I tried not to scratch myself with my nails."

"Um......"

Ichinose whispered back. Although I made some adjustments, the expression on Ichinose's face was still not very natural.

I originally wanted to send it to the lounge chair in the pool lounge area, but Ichinose refused because it was a bit far away.

Although I don't understand why he could not walk far with my support, even though he could endure the journey from the infirmary to here, and could not even reach the recliner that was so close.

Finally, I could only arrange for her to sit by the pool, where she could be covered by the shade of the parasol and avoid being exposed to the sun. The moment I let go, Ichinose secretly breathed a sigh of relief and patted her face.

"...can I stick my feet in the pool? It shouldn't matter, right?"

"...It would be useless even if I said no..."

As for why I say this, it is because Ichinose put his foot into the swimming pool while speaking. Although I think others may mind this behavior, making the swimming pool you are in more like a footbath for others, and Ichinose's right foot is also bandaged.

However, most people were so engrossed in the water that I didn't think anyone would care. Also, although it was summer, the strong sunlight could not heat up the pool water, and the pool water would not absorb the temperature of the soil like a river, so the overall temperature of the swimming water was still a little cold.

This can also shrink the blood vessels in the injured area, reduce exudation, and relieve pain and swelling during the acute injury period...

"Ahaha, because I thought there should be no problem... or did I do something wrong...?"

What? Don't put on that pitiful expression. Even if you don't do this, I can't force you to do something...

"No, or rather, it's better this way. But please don't do anything that causes 'stress' beyond your senses, as that will only aggravate the severity of the wound."

"I see."

In this regard, Ichinose nodded obediently, but her little feet in the pool water were still shaking up and down restlessly.

"...I just heard from Kanzaki-san why Luo is working as a lifeguard at the swimming pool...but why did Luo hide it from everyone and not explain it to us clearly?"

Since you've explained why I'm here, please also explain why I'm hiding this from others, Kanzaki.

"I have mentioned this to Kanzaki. If this gets out, Okabe and the others will definitely know about it. I will inevitably be ridiculed. Although it's just a joke, I still want to avoid this kind of thing as much as possible. Also, if it gets out, my sense of shame will give me a bad feedback."

"Luo is involved in the senior students' exams. It would be terrible if something unexpected happened."

"Don't worry, I have checked this with the student council president. After all, I am just a 'lucky person' who was drawn, so it won't affect me in any way. At most, I will lose the last day of summer vacation."

"You should have told us that you would come to the pool, instead of lying to us and saying you couldn't come..."

"No, that's a complete misunderstanding of what I meant. I never said I wouldn't go to the swimming pool. I just rejected the invitation. Besides, it doesn't really matter whether you say this or not. We lifeguards at the swimming pool are not allowed to go into the water and hang out with the swimmers."

"We can't do activities together... we don't even have time to rest during shifts?"

"Yes, but that time is only enough for me to have lunch."

"That's right..."

I nodded, confirming the reply. It was a pity that I didn't carry the swimming pool lifeguard's manual with me, otherwise I could have given it to Ichinose and let him read it to kill some time.

Just when I was thinking about how to divert the conversation, Ayanokouji and his group, who had left not long ago, came back here.

"Ah, so you went to see Luo-san, Ichinose."