As the most successful subject of the White Room's fourth generation—indeed, the top specimen among all participants—Ayanokouji Kiyotaka had endured a life of unimaginable monotony and relentless repetition. What kept him going was his near-superhuman thirst for knowledge.
Every single day within the White Room, he could feel himself evolving. There was no joy in the growth itself; rather, it was the curiosity about how far he could go that drove him. Whether it was physical training or mental development, Ayanokouji continued his steady progression without pause.
From infant to child, from the sensory-motor stage to the formal operational stage, he matured. As puberty hit and secondary sexual characteristics developed, he became more attuned to his body than most people ever would.
After spending an entire semester at Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School, Kiyotaka had gained a clear understanding of the average stats across Class A students: academic performance, physical ability, and more.
This wasn't mere curiosity. It was all to maintain the illusion that he was a perfectly average Class A student. And he succeeded. Most saw him as nothing more than one of Katsuragi Kouhei's followers, similar in standing to Totsuka Yahiko.
But Katsuragi knew better. He'd long suspected Kiyotaka was hiding his true abilities, which is why he kept trying to pull him into his circle—to use that hidden potential to solidify Class A's dominance.
High schoolers aren't subtle. Recruitment usually meant food, karaoke, and shopping sprees. But Katsuragi wasn't Kushida Kikyou; asking him to fire up a karaoke room was laughable.
Instead, Katsuragi chose baths.
While every dorm room had its own shower, they were compact, all-in-one stalls. So, the school also offered a public bathhouse. For many Japanese students, soaking in a bath was more than hygiene—it was a ritual.
During several group bathing sessions organized by Katsuragi, Kiyotaka began to realize something.
He had made a mistake—like a frog at the bottom of a well. But in his case, the situation was reversed. He was the one outside the well, smirking at the frogs within.
Today, however, he had finally met a rival.
Had he encountered this moment right after leaving the White Room, he might have developed a severely warped view of average human anatomy.
Fortunately, he now understood the norms.
Which made what he was seeing all the more shocking.
Meanwhile, Ryo was staring at Kiyotaka with equally complicated thoughts.
Especially once he recalled that Kiyotaka's biological father, Ayanokouji Atsuomi, had started his post-graduation career as a male host—and had even used his earnings to build his initial political capital. In that light, maybe this wasn't so surprising after all.
Maybe it really did run in the family.
As more students trickled into the changing room, an unspoken tension filled the space—no one wanted to be caught staring at that area for too long. With practiced nonchalance, both boys quickly averted their gazes and reached for loose-fitting swim trunks.
Surprisingly, only six groups had registered for the task by the time the deadline hit. Each group could only send one male representative, so six students stood at the shoreline, warming up and getting ready.
Ryo noticed that Sudo Ken's group was absent—which was strange, since they had just participated in the Beach Flag Showdown nearby. Maybe they skipped the swim task due to poor cost-performance?
Yamada Albert and Miyake Akito weren't strong swimmers. Sudo himself was powerful, but mainly in short bursts—his forte was basketball, not long-distance swimming. In the ocean, raw endurance mattered more than pool sprints.
Still, there were familiar faces. Katsuragi Kouhei's group had come, represented by Hirata Yousuke. Though Katsuragi looked imposing, his athleticism was average. Hirata, a soccer club regular, was built lean but strong, with excellent stamina and agility.
Because the course was risky, most group members stayed behind to cheer from the shore.
Five minutes before the race began, the supervising teacher allowed the swimmers to enter the water for warm-up and acclimation.
Unlike the calm stillness of a pool, the ocean was unpredictable. Half of the six competitors had clearly never swum in open water. The waves were overwhelming. Some struggled just to stay balanced, and if they couldn't adjust quickly, they'd fall behind right from the start.
A yellow rescue boat drifted nearby, manned by a lifeguard in a bright suit, ready to intervene if needed.
Further down the beach, the distant view made it hard to discern details, but murmurs spread among the students watching.
"He'll be fine. Ryo's in great shape," Sakayanagi said confidently.
Horikita, turning toward her, saw the girl holding a compact pair of binoculars and smiling faintly.
"Where did you get those?"
"Traded points for them," Sakayanagi replied, casually adjusting the magnification.
Hearing this, Katsuragi's group perked up. Kushida Kikyou, squinting toward the start line, asked, "Should we get one too?"
Katsuragi considered it—until he saw that a basic pair cost 120 points. He paused, then spoke gravely:
"It's not worth it. We might not need binoculars later, and saving points is crucial."
"Kitagawa's group already dropped to the middle ranks last night. That shows how much they're spending. This is our advantage. Look at them, even willing to blow 120 points on something like—"
His words trailed off as Kamuro Masumi motioned toward Ryo's group.
"Where?"
"Third from the left. Can't recognize him? It seems Horikita-san and Ryo aren't very familiar with each other."
"Not as close as Sakayanagi, clearly. She's got that long-distance gaze thing down to an art."
"Ryo's starting!"
The three girls whispered amongst themselves, each holding a matching set of binoculars.
Katsuragi could only twitch the corner of his mouth and fall into thoughtful silence.
-------------------------------------
Ryo had no idea his three extravagant groupmates had spent a fortune on not one, but three mini binoculars just to watch his performance. Not that he'd expected them to share one obediently anyway.
By now, his focus was entirely on the competition.
As soon as the starting pistol fired, Ryo launched forward like a bullet, accelerating toward the finish line with no intention of conserving energy.
As a former White Room student, he was well aware of Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's capabilities—but he also knew his weaknesses.
Ryo had learned a particularly interesting tidbit from Yuki, another fourth-generation White Room student. In one of their idle chats, she had mentioned something telling: while Kiyotaka was indeed the top-ranked student, he hadn't always held that position.
Take swimming, for example. In their first lesson, Yuki had clocked the best time.
She was the classic prodigy—grasping any new skill instantly with freakish aptitude.
Kiyotaka, on the other hand, possessed an unrelenting drive to improve. Maybe he wouldn't beat you on the first, second, or even third try. But give him a little time, and he'd surpass his previous self with terrifying ease.
That was Kiyotaka's greatest strength.
But also, Ryo's best chance at victory.
He knew the White Room's greatest limitation: its students had no real-world experience. Their understanding of the outside world came from books and VR simulations.
Kiyotaka, for all his power, had likely never competed in a real ocean swim.
Ryo surged forward, betting everything on his sprint.
The prize—a card upgrade—was too good to pass up. His [Discount] card was already Level 2. If he could bump it to Level 3 by the next morning, their group's start in this exam would be near-perfect.
No one, not even his spy in Class A, knew what card Kiyotaka held. Was it a normal card? A special one? No clue.
A quarter of the race passed, and the six swimmers had begun to spread out. From the shoreline, Horikita and the girls tracked everything clearly through their binoculars.
Ryo was leading, alone in the first pack.
Hirata Yousuke and Ayanokouji Kiyotaka followed close behind, shoulder to shoulder.
The remaining three students were falling too far behind.
Roughly 200 meters in, one swimmer began to struggle. A nearby rescue boat swooped in, hauling him out of the water—luckily, he was okay.
Seeing someone else drop out gave the last two stragglers an excuse. They swam a few more meters before signaling for help, ending their participation.
That left three.
Gradually, Kiyotaka began to close the gap. He overtook Hirata and started closing in on Ryo.
This was unfamiliar territory for him.
Just as Ryo had predicted, it was Kiyotaka's first time seeing a real ocean—his first time swimming in open water.
Everything was different: breathing rhythm, stroke mechanics, reacting to sudden waves. It was nothing like a pool.
If his life were a video game, Kiyotaka's HUD would be flashing: [Proficiency +1], [Proficiency +1]...
In the first 500 meters, he trailed behind Hirata.
By the second 500, he'd passed him and was now chasing Ryo.
On shore, Class A shouted encouragement.
Even though Ryo was the only non-Class A swimmer left, and even if they took second and third, letting him win would feel off—especially since his group had led the rankings the previous afternoon.
Motivated by pride and strategy, Class A poured their support into their most underestimated classmate.
Kiyotaka couldn't hear them.
And even if he could, he wouldn't care.
He was simply enjoying the moment.
The vast ocean stretched before him—never in his life had he moved through such a boundless, open world.
It was different from his old, lifeless training room.
Wind kissed his skin. Blue water surged around his limbs.
Whether he caught up to Ryo or not hardly mattered anymore.
For the first time in his life, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka had a thought that was truly his own.
And then—
Ryo blazed past the finish line.
[Discount: Reduces point costs by 35% when exchanging items (Level 3)]
The zero-point shopping plan moved one step closer.
Everything was perfect—except for his clingy, soaked swim trunks.
Standing at the shore, Ryo pulled off his swim cap and wrung water from the corner of his trunks.
The motion tugged the fabric tight, drawing a... noticeable outline.
Thankfully, only the male teacher recording results was nearby.
Ryo flashed an awkward smile.
The teacher smiled back. Even patted his shoulder meaningfully.
Ryo had no idea...
...that two kilometers away, three lenses were locked onto him.
The three girls who had been loudly cheering moments ago were now deathly silent.
Each of their binoculars was aimed precisely at one target.
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