Chapter fifteen. Water treatments, goodies and evil looks

It was difficult for Hideki to invite a girl to the pool for no reason, even though he had almost no doubt about the answer. Nevertheless, Hideki gathered his courage almost until the end of the week. And on Friday, I was finally able to do it.

— Ame-san, — he turned to the girl at the end of their lunch together just before the weekend, — Would you agree to go to the pool with me this weekend?

— And why on you, by last name and with a suffix? Kyoko smiled, "I don't mind at all, Hideki-kun. But won't it be too cold now?

In response, Hideki took out two tickets to the indoor and heated pool, and Kyoko looked at them and nodded:

— Then everything is fine!

—And also..." Hideki lowered his eyes for a second, "Kyoko—Chan, I'm not very good at swimming.

Hideki could swim, but only with a crawl, not quite right, for a very short time and quickly ran out of strength. Therefore, he could even swim through the Olympic pool, but only one, and immediately after that — that's it, finish, carry me seven.

"It's not a big deal, Hideki—kun, I can help you with that." And also... — "I'll need a new swimsuit," Kyoko did not say out loud and only waved her head. — It doesn't matter… It's okay, Hideki-kun. What time do you want to meet?

— At nine o'clock… I think nine is just right..." Hideki tried his best to hide his embarrassment. — I think we'll meet at the entrance somewhere.

Kyoko didn't mind, and that was the end of it.

Around nine, or rather, at eight fifty in the morning, Hideki stood nervously shifting from one foot to the other at the entrance to the pool and cursed everything in the world. Herself, Kyoko, her sister, the pool itself, the onlookers… It wasn't very comfortable to stand and so obviously wait for someone, even at such an unusual place as the entrance to the pool. Hideki reminded himself over and over again that, even if it wasn't his fault and not in such an embarrassing place, Kyoko stood there and waited for several hours. So he can definitely wait a few minutes; it's okay. Even though today was not particularly sunny, there was no rain yet, either.

— Good morning, Hideki-kun. Have you been waiting for me for a long time? — Kyoko may have already seen Hideki in casual clothes, but it was either not in the best circumstances, or the date could not be considered real. So, it could be considered that this was the first time. However, this time, Kyoko was wearing significantly more clothes, but it was still much colder. A long dark skirt and a dark green sweater under a long silver jacket with the hood pulled back. And a pink shoulder bag.

— Not so long ago, Kyoko-chan, I arrived one subway train earlier, I think. Well, shall we go? Hideki hesitated for a split second and held out his hand to Kyoko.

However, together, they walked only to the entrance immediately after going to the locker rooms.

— Meet me at the exit of the locker room, Hideki-kun.

It was quite warm inside the pool body; at least Hideki did not feel the dank cold of late autumn, which bored him terribly all the time that he was waiting for Kyoko. Warmth was a virtue, but the downside was that he was being stared at again. The fact that he was wearing a closed suit did not help much — his magnificent muscular body was still covered with a thick layer of fat. For the first time since that ill-fated spring, he thought that maybe it would be worth doing something about it.

"Now it's also here to wait for her" — not that Hideki was so much annoyed by these looks, but still, it was unpleasant to stand under the gazes of those who were wondering who exactly he was waiting for. However, when Kyoko finally came out, he felt a little ashamed of his thoughts. It wasn't particularly surprising that Kyoko looked great, but even Hideki, who knew her well, was surprised. Kyoko was wearing a sky-colored swimsuit and looked simply amazing, although some of this splendor was under the cape, covering the upper part of a slightly darker blue color. However, this only emphasized her perfectly shaped long legs.

—Hideki-kun," Kyoko called out to him, apparently not for the first time by her tone.

—Yes, yes, I'm sorry, Kyoko-chan,— Hideki apologized. "You just look too impressive."

Hideki couldn't remember the last time he was in the pool, which is why he urgently had to move for a bathing suit himself. Not really worrying about style, he chose a dark blue T-shirt and swimming shorts, and now they were in amazing harmony with Kyoko, at least in the color scheme.

Kyoko blushed a little at Hideki's phrase and, hiding her embarrassment with even more embarrassing actions, pulled Hideki by the hand further into the building. The crowd around them buzzed a little, but there was no one brave or arrogant enough to hint at some inharmony of their pair.

In elementary school, Hideki went to such places with his parents, but since he took a rounder shape, this has yet to happen. And it was as much fun as he remembered. At least when he was with Kyoko, however, it was not without excesses. He partially provoked the classic "what are you doing with that fat pig" situation himself.

Hideki couldn't say for sure how much he trusted Kyoko, and he didn't start this check on purpose. He just needed to get another confirmation. Everything turned out by itself: he went away to buy something to drink, and when he returned, he found Kyoko surrounded by a rather hot group of guys. More or less their age, perhaps a year or two older, outwardly handsome Ikemen, as Hideki himself was once a very long time ago.

As he approached the place where he had left Kyoko, he heard what was said in a firm voice:

— I'm here with my boyfriend, and I'm not interested in anyone else, sorry.

— The guy is not a wall; he will move. And did we see him, not a particularly interesting fat man, or is he so rich?

— First, you insulted him, now you insulted me. However, before that, Kyoko's rather calm voice was filled with such contempt that it could be scooped up with spoons. — What else can you expect from people who evaluate others by their appearance?

"Kyoko, is everything okay?" Hideki's voice sounded a little worried, but only a little. It was enough for the crowd next to Kyoko to disperse. The number of hostile glances per unit of time, however, was one of the most record-breaking for Hideki.

In the future, their date passed without incident. On closer acquaintance, this pool was more like an indoor water park. It was a water park; some of the water slides went out into the outdoor pool and were designed for warmer weather, but still, there were enough of those that were inside. If Hideki was more concerned with securing interesting memories on a date last time, then this time, he was enjoying the time he spent with Kyoko.

He gave up on his appearance and almost forgot that he might not look like that somehow. Kyoko didn't seem to care about that, and he didn't care about anyone else at all. They took turns riding all the available slides, tried several times the one where they had to go down in the neighboring slides, and even climbed and descended a rather steep slide, from which they had to descend on a paired inflatable double circle.

—For...— was all Hideki could say when he surfaced.

"Oh, it was fun, Hideki—kun, even if it was a little scary. By the way," Kyoko recalled, "If I remember correctly, did you say that you don't really know how to swim?"

Hideki lowered his eyes and nodded.

"It's okay, there's nothing to be shy about, Hideki—kun, do you mind if I teach you a little bit?"

— It's a little embarrassing, but I don't mind... — I decided to be completely arrogant to Hideki.

— That's great, let's go over there!

They walked to the empty, shallow pool path and went inside.

— Lie down on the water, Hideki-kun, I'll support you.

Hideki doubtfully compared his and Kyoko's dimensions but decided to listen.

— Whatever you say, Kyoko-sensei!

— Don't be so afraid, Hideki-kun. The body in the water is much lighter, and I can easily hold you back.

Hideki cautiously tried to lie down on the water; Kyoko supported him, putting her hands under his chest. It was not obvious from her appearance that she was physically straining in any way; however, the slightly reddened cheeks showed that for her, as for Hideki, the situation was extremely embarrassing. Hideki himself was saved only by the fact that he had the opportunity to dip his face into the water and cool off a little.

— Now make an arrow with your palms, smoothly turning into a circle… Try it a few times. So… Fine. Ten more times.

Hideki did as he was told, hiding his face in the water from time to time. He was just terrified to look around and see exactly how many people were staring at them. It was also good that it was late autumn and there were relatively few people.

— Otherwise, they would have tortured you with advice... — muttered Hideki.

"What is it, Hideki—kun?" Kyoko asked.

— Nothing.…

— Nothing.… Well, that's fine. The next stage. Leave your hands alone for now, and start moving your legs like a frog. Or better yet, put your hands on the side.

Hideki did as he was told, got to his feet, grabbed the side, and began to pretend to be a frog. After that, I felt a slight disappointment from the current situation. It was just as embarrassing as before, but such pleasant sensations from the gently supporting hands of the girl disappeared.

— Great, Hideki-kun! Kyoko's soft voice calling his name gave Hideki real pleasure just by its sound. — Now I'll support you again, and now you try with your hands and feet at the same time. The idea of this style of swimming is that the synchronous movement of your arms and legs lifts you above the water, you inhale, you dive again, again the synchronous movement of your arms and legs, and so on…

Hideki also gave Kyoko the opportunity to support him, although, in principle, everything was clear to him anyway. Theoretically and for other things, you need practice. But why not give Kyoko the opportunity to teach him and enjoy her touch himself? It may be a little embarrassing (or very embarrassing), but there was nothing unacceptable or indecent about it. And he was also hoping for cold water, wide swimming trunks, and the fact that Kyoko wouldn't look there.

— Go ahead, Hideki-kun, try to swim now.

— Yes, well, thank you very much, Kyoko-sensei!

Strangely enough, he succeeded. Hideki first swam one pool from end to end with Kyoko next to him, just in case. Then, once again, on her own, Kyoko, even though she was swimming not far away, still kept her distance. Then, two in a row without stopping.

— I did it, Kyoko-sensei! Hideki, much more confident, swam up to his girlfriend, "It turns out it's not as difficult as I thought."…

— You did well, Hideki-kun! And stop calling me sensei!

Kyoko herself was pleased. It turned out to be quite funny, teaching someone.

- thanks. How are you not tired, Kyoko-chan? Do you want to have a snack? Or anything else?

— I'm not very hungry, Hideki-kun... — Kyoko thought a little... — But I definitely didn't refuse coffee with a cake or some other dessert…

— I haven't swum yet, and I want to swim at least three kilometers... — Hideki paused, admired Kyoko's round eyes, and continued, — I wish I could say, but I've had enough for now… Do you want to go inside the pool or look for something outside? I doubt we'll find a decent dessert here.…

— You can do it outside… I guess I've been swimming for today, too.

"Then," Hideki looked at the clock on the side above the large pool, "will we meet at the exit in half an hour?" Is that okay, Kyoko-chan?

—Quite...— Kyoko estimated. "But I might be a few minutes late."

She was indeed a little late, but Hideki-kun wasn't particularly bothered; he was glad that he had a few extra minutes to scroll through the reviews and look for a suitable cafe. And he even found something. Relatively close to the pool, there was a fairly large shopping center, and there, not far from the entrance to the cinema, there was a cafe, which, judging by the reviews, had very good cakes.

— Hideki-kun? Kyoko approached Hideki, who was checking the information once again.

"Is everything all right, Kyoko—chan?" Hideki, who was sitting near the exit, looked up at Kyoko. — Shall we go?

"Let's go," Kyoko naturally settled down next to Hideki, who was walking slowly and only after that asked, "Where to?"

— To the Pink Braid. Hideki pronounced the name of a shopping mall quite close to the pool.

— That's right! She's right here! Kyoko remembered the wrong time how she went there with Gila and her "girlfriends," and although there was too much falsehood in their relationship from the very beginning, it was still a little fun. Kyoko became a little sad, and at the same moment, she felt Hideki tense up and was able to smile at him. "It's okay, Hideki-kun.

Hideki did not put pressure on her but took her by the hand and pulled her along. Kyoko blushed slightly, but she was in no hurry to take her hand away. At the mall, he pulled her towards the cinemas and cafes on the second floor. They went not to the most fashionable but one of the most popular.

They got a place at the window overlooking the interior of the shopping center.

"What are you going to order, Hideki-kun?"

But before he could answer, the waiter came over, and Hideki answered him directly.

— Carrot cake, please — Hideki turned to the waiter who came up — and black coffee, please.

—Chocolate cake with cream,— Kyoko said after a moment. — And green tea.

The waiter nodded:

— Wait five minutes, please.

While they were waiting, Kyoko couldn't help but be curious:

"Why carrot cake, Hideki—kun?"

Hideki smiled faintly:

— Once upon a time, when I began to gain a lot of weight, my parents restricted me in food. Sweets were absolutely forbidden.

— And how does the carrot cake relate to this? Kyoko was genuinely interested.

— My sister was able to find an article in which it was written about the beneficial effects of carrots for weight loss. Hideki chuckled, "This became the only sweet I was allowed to eat at home for a long time. And I'm not even tired of her.…

Kyoko was about to ask if it was delicious at all, but they had just been served cakes with drinks.

Hideki noticed her hesitation and did not hesitate to ask:

"Is there something you wanted to say to Kyoko—Chan?"

She looked down for a second, hesitated, and still asked:

— Is it delicious at all?

— Quite, — Hideki did not slow down with the answer and decided to fool around a little, — feed you?

— Submit — Kyoko also decided to fool around.

Hideki hesitated for just a second and decided that such hesitation was unworthy of a man. Especially since he's done it before. And then I wasn't so embarrassed. But then it wasn't like it was real.… But now, there are no such self-justifications. And that's probably why he's so embarrassed. But you can't do that. Hideki spooned a small piece of cake onto a spoon and turned to Kyoko:

— Say "A-a-a-a".

As embarrassing as it was, it was too late to give the back one, and Kyoko still let Hideki feed herself with a carrot cake. It was even delicious. Kyoko smiled. However, she wasn't going to leave an attempt to embarrass her without consequences, either.

— Say, "A-a-a-a-a", Hideki-kun… Try my cake too, otherwise it's not fair.

Hideki didn't quite understand what was unfair, but he didn't resist. Delicious. The chocolate cake Kyoko ordered was quite good.

His contented and relaxed state suddenly deteriorated a little. Hideki shook his head and decided to ignore it. Their date, their first real serious date, and he would enjoy it to the fullest!

***

Haire was looking through the window at his classmates. The damned fatty Anpan-kun, and it's unclear how Ame-san turned out to be his girlfriend. Envy, jealousy, and even sparks of hatred were reflected on his face so clearly that his usually handsome face resembled a demon mask.

—You stinking fat bastard," Khair whispered, "You're going to regret it!"

The couple did not notice his presence at all. Kyoko smiled, and Haire became even angrier. Suddenly, in the reflection, he noticed an expression on his face, quickly put on a smile, and turned to his friends waiting for him a little further away, who walked a little further after he stopped.

Gila was the only one who noticed the change of expressions on his face. It was her idea to get everyone together over the weekend. She would have preferred the company of only Khaira, but she knew that if she invited him alone, he would refuse, and she would feel extremely sorry after that.

Who knew that her great idea would turn out like this?! She apologized, said she would catch up with everyone soon and went towards the cinema like she had forgotten something. I looked through the window and confirmed my suspicions: Hideki and Kyoko were sitting there. Why is everything to her? She, Gila, is much better and more beautiful! Haire... Haire... Gila floated out of her dreams, and her gaze became sharp. We'll have to hold back Khair so that he doesn't mess up ahead of time. So far, they had yet to learn how Anpan-kun got out the last time, and it was worth being careful.