Cote: Retelling

Chapter 7: Swimming with Narcissists and Perverts

            It's Monday and classes are back in session. My day officially began with another morning jog, though this time I brought my phone just in case I saw Matsushita again. Lo and behold, this time she was the one who came up from behind.

"Good morning, Ayanokouji-kun."

"Good morning, Matsushita. Did you sleep well?"

"No... I had a glass of hot milk but it didn't help at all. If I say something weird, Ayanokouji-kun, just know it's because I'm sleepy."

"Have you tried eye masks or scents? I hear lavender helps with sleep."

"Well, I'd like to hold out for a bit longer before spending any money."

"Being thrifty, aren't you? Even with 100,000 yen?"

"" Money always disappears quickly." That's something my father said. He wasn't being materialistic, though. It was just the perspective of a thrifty person, and I think I've inherited my sense of money from him."

"Sounds like you had a good father." Unlike me, I almost blurted out, which surprised me.

"Mmm." She nods sleepily. She looks worse compared to yesterday, her eyes threatening to close shut during every waking moment. Unnecessarily dramatic phrasing aside, she shouldn't be jogging, but sleeping.

"Matsushita, you should take a nap. You look like you're about to fall over."

"But I've already begun jogging... Also, it'd be hard for me to wake up once I fall asleep."

It seems like her sleepiness is affecting her judgement a bit. I should be a bit forceful here.

"Matsuhshita, how about you change, go to school and nap for a bit at your desk? We have time until school starts."

"It'd be embarrassing to sleep at school for all my classmates to see..."

"Then how about you take a nap in your room after setting an alarm?"

"I don't trust it to wake me up."

"How about the bench?"

"Cold and in public..."

Is there any other suitable location...?

"It's ok, Ayanokouji-kun. We have swimming today, so I'll just skip that and take a nap."

"In that case... Alright, I guess. But don't fall asleep in class, ok? Chabashira-sensei's pretty scary, so who knows what she'd do."

"Mmmm."

And just like that, we finished our jog. I bought Matsushita a can of coffee from a nearby vending machine, and afterwards we each returned to our room to change and get ready.

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"Good morning, Yamauchi!"

"Good morning, Ike!"

I was greeted with the sight of an unusually happy Ike and Yamauchi upon entering the classroom. Somehow, I can guess what this is about.

"Man, this school is great, isn't it? Not only do we get a huge monthly allowance, we get mixed swimming classes!"

"Exactly! This school is just the best! I can't believe it's almost time for swimming, which means swimsuits, which means girls in swimsuits, which means..." Yamauchi, you're shouting.