Chapter 150 - The Swimming Lesson and the Disobedient Waterfowl
I changed into the red speedo Avea had given me.
"What about you, Claire? If you're practicing, you'll be in the junior division, I'm afraid."
"I'll have you know I'm an adult!"
She pouted, covering her chest.
"Shizuka is here with me, so I'll just watch today."
She fluttered her wings. Patapata. Right, because of what happened this morning, she was probably bleeding and in a bit of pain. Why was it that I could understand her patapata language so perfectly when it came to things like this? In any case, Shizuka and Claire seemed to be getting along well. They must have just met this morning, but they were already chatting away comfortably. Maybe it was because they were close in age. I just hoped Claire wouldn't pick up any of her bad habits.
At any rate, I took Fam and the others into the river. The water was cool and felt pleasant. I glanced around and saw that Mizuki's group had already started practicing. Just as she'd said, all of them seemed to have learned the crawl stroke. Among them, Fang and Avea had reached a decent level. I wondered if they'd had prior experience. And what surprised me was Beers. He was swimming with beautiful form.
"First, the teacher should show us an example."
At Cecily's prompting, I swam out to the buoys marking the swimming area and back. Aside from the time I nearly drowned with Fam in the river the other day, I hadn't swum since graduating high school, but my body remembered. On top of that, I seemed to have gained strength through my adventures, as I still had plenty of stamina left after swimming the distance. It looked to be about twenty-five meters one way. The competition was set to be a relay race along the course I had just swum. It was a long distance for beginners, and the water got deep partway through, making it feel dangerous since you couldn't touch the bottom.
"Your form was surprisingly clean. You're good."
Cecily commented, sounding impressed. The others nodded in agreement.
"Alright, let's start practicing then."
We moved to a spot where the water came up to our shoulders. Lini was already using her floatie since she couldn't touch the bottom.
"What should we start with?"
Maira asked.
"First, learn to float on your back. Once you can do that, we'll move on to treading water. Let's start with just learning to stay afloat on the spot."
I moved out to where my feet couldn't touch the bottom. First, I demonstrated floating on my back. Then, with just my head above the water, I showed them how to tread water, using my hands for balance and kicking my legs alternately to keep from sinking.
"Huh? What's the point of learning that now? We won't win unless we learn to swim faster, right?"
Cecily said.
"This is fundamental. You have to swim all the way out there and back, you know? Most of it is in water too deep to stand in. What are you going to do if you start to drown?"
"I think if you just swim with amazing speed, you can get back before you drown."
Lini said this, then started a furious flutter kick and charged forward at full speed. Water sprayed everywhere, and we all turned our faces away. I averted my gaze while grabbing her floatie to stop her.
"If it were that easy, nobody would have any trouble. It looks close, but the resistance in the water is strong, and you'll get tired quickly. Plus, this is a river. If you're not careful, you'll get swept away. Also, that flutter kick is inefficient. Kicks should be done mostly underwater. It's faster that way... I think."
Lini gave a small nod. I wasn't sure about the superiority of underwater kicks, but I had a feeling things would get out of hand if she kept kicking so wildly, so I wanted to stop her.
"Master, I'll be fine with the doggy paddle. I can go anywhere with it."
Fam started paddling toward the buoys, so I hurriedly grabbed her tail to pull her back.
"Eek! Please don't grab my tail so hard!"
"You get your tail grabbed because you swim like that. If I were an enemy, that prized tail of yours would be gone. First, learn to tread water."
"Hmph, I don't think any enemy would be so uncouth as to aim for my tail first."
I thought she'd listen to anything I said, but she was being unusually stubborn. She seemed happier than usual, though. Maybe she was enjoying being in the water. She seemed to be frolicking.
"Fine. Try to get away from me using whatever swimming style you want. I'll chase you and catch you. If I catch you, you do what I say. If you get away, you can do as you please."
As Fam tried to bolt at my words, Maira grabbed her shoulder.
"Mash, we don't have time to be playing around."
"Ah, you're right."
Was I getting carried away by the sight of them in their swimsuits? To calm myself, I looked at Maira's two large flotation devices. It was no use. I wanted to take her out to the deep water where she couldn't escape and massage them from behind. When I snapped out of it, everyone was staring at me with stern expressions. Maira was trying to cover her chest with her arms. I cleared my throat.
"A-Alright, let's start with the back float. This is easy. You just lie on your back, relax your entire body, and float."
"You'll sink if you do that, won't you?"
"But you don't. I just showed you, didn't I?"
To convince Cecily, I demonstrated floating on my back one more time.
"...I can't believe it. Then why did you and Fam almost drown that time?"
"There are lots of reasons, like wearing clothes and shoes, but for some reason, people sink when they panic."
"Explain it so I can understand!"
Cecily scolded me, but I can't teach what I don't know myself. I wished I could connect my smartphone to the internet and search for it.
"We'll deal with the scary big sister later. Lini, you're up first."
"Is it okay if I start kicking if I get in trouble?"
She seemed to have taken a liking to the flutter kick.
"Forget the flutter kick. I'll support your back at first, so just take a deep breath and relax your whole body."
Lini nodded and took a breath. I took her floatie and supported her back. Once her head and chest were floating on the surface, I let go.
"Oh, ooh... Lini is floating... I'm bobbing, it feels so nice."
Her eyes widened as she looked at the sky, moved by the experience.
"Treading water is boring. Teach us a way to swim faster!"
Just as we were about to move on to the next step after everyone had mastered the back float, Cecily started complaining again.
"You don't complain to Mizuki. Why do you only say these things to me?"
"Mizuki taught us how to do the crawl from the start. But you're just too plain, Mash!"
All they could do was float on the water, yet they were already hit by a wave of intense fatigue. They really were the junior group.
"Hmph... Fine. Complain all you want. But we're not practicing how to swim fast until you can tread water. Let's begin. We'll try one by one."
At my words, Lini raised her hand.
"Alright, Lini's first."
"Wait, please. Why does Lini always get to go first? That's favoritism. I hate always being last. I want to be taught first, too."
Now even Maira started complaining. Why was she trying to compete with such a small child?
"You saw Lini raise her hand first. Besides, it's tradition to go in order from smallest to biggest."
"In that case, I should be before Cecily."
"No way!"
I groped both Maira's and Cecily's chests.
"Hyaaah!" "Kya!"
The two of them let out shrieks. Cecily's was cuter than I expected. While they were flustered, I started Lini's treading water practice. I supported Lini's body and removed her floatie. Her swimsuit was navy blue, similar to a school swimsuit. There was a hole around her tailbone, and her white, pom-pom-like tail was perched there. When I touched it, it felt more like hard bone than fluffy, probably because it was wet.
"Ngh... nn..."
Lini let out a troubled sound as I touched it from the tip to the base.
"Mash..."
Fam, Maira, and Cecily were staring at me with exasperated looks.
"N-No, that's not it! I was just checking to see if Shizuka had put a butt plug in Lini!"
At my words, they all covered their behinds.
"There's no way she'd do something like that!"
Cecily said.
"You pervert! I'll take care of Lini, so come over here."
She reached out her hand, but Lini shook her head.
"I heard that when they stop doing this kind of thing, it's a sign you're about to be kicked out. Lini can endure it, so it's okay."
"..."
At her words, everyone fell silent and stared at me. I had become a complete villain. At this rate, I swore I would grope all of their bodies, fondling both their chests and butts.
By the time everyone, including Lini, had learned to tread water, an hour had passed. Mizuki's group, perhaps to keep their strategy hidden, was now practicing in a distant spot. Instead, a crowd of children around Lini's age and their parents had gathered around us, practicing treading water with us. When I let my guard down, a water fight started out of nowhere, and things got out of hand. I was about to give up, thinking I couldn't handle it alone, when Shizuka came to help.
"This must be a testament to your virtue, Mash. No one dared to approach when Mizuki was teaching."
Maira said while helping a child with treading water. Mizuki's teaching style was probably too intense.
"The teacher's a pervert, though!"
Cecily seemed to be pouting a little, probably because I had groped her chest and butt the most. If she'd learned her lesson, I wished she'd just be quiet.
"Alright, time to practice the crawl stroke."
"Mizuki already taught us that. We want you to teach us a way to swim even faster."
"Unfortunately, I don't know a faster way to swim. Speaking of which, Maira and Cecily, you two can swim now, right?"
Maira and Cecily nodded.
"Master, do I need to learn it too?"
"Lini has this."
She patted her floatie. I felt like I understood why Mizuki had pushed these two on me. They had no intention of listening to me from the start. My motivation to teach was fading.
"I get it. Let's have an exhibition match. First, I want to see everyone swim to check their skill level."
"Hey. You're not planning on swimming, are you, Mash? Isn't that cheating?"
Did Cecily think I was trying to slack off? It seemed I couldn't move on to the next step without explaining the intent behind my actions and instructions. I moved toward her as if to grope her chest again, and she quickly dodged backward.
"I'm going to watch everyone swim and check for any flaws in their form. Shizuka will swim in my place."
"Huh? Why me...?"
"Everyone is being too willful. Let's try to trust Mash a little more and listen to what he says."
Maira said that, but I wanted them to listen to me completely, not just a little. And I was getting annoyed by the precocious brat who had been clinging to her and hugging her for a while now. The little punk was trying to reach for Maira's breasts.
"You little... damn brat!"
As I lunged for the brat, the surrounding children splashed me with water all at once.
"Bwah! You little punks, I'll never forgive you!"
"A monster! A monster has appeared!"
From there, a spectacular water war erupted.
After the water fight settled down, I had everyone swim. As expected, Shizuka was the fastest. She swam with a smooth, rhythmic, and beautiful stroke. To my amateur eyes, I couldn't see any flaws. Cecily was next. Then Maira, who could swim but was a bit shaky. Fam and Lini were out of the question.
"Cecily, concentrate on your hand movements when you pull through the water. Also, your kicking weakens when you breathe, so be mindful of that."
She nodded.
"Maira, all your movements stop when you take a breath. You're looking up too much. Keep lifting your head to a minimum."
"B-But I'm scared water will get in my mouth."
Maira was like a different person depending on whether she was holding her mace. In combat, her movements were powerful, but normally she was somewhat laid-back. I wonder what would happen if I made her swim with her mace strapped to her back.
"I understand how you feel, but you won't get any faster if you don't overcome it."
When she breathed, she would lift her face as if she were flipping over. This caused her to stop moving, which threw off her direction, and then she would try to correct it, making her swim in a zigzag pattern.
"Hmm... instead of turning your face straight to the side, how about trying to look diagonally behind you?"
"Y-Yes!"
She replied.
"Also, you two, the match is soon, so don't wear yourselves out by over-practicing. Don't go all out. In fact, you should be resting. Swim slowly, focusing on checking your form. If you run into trouble, have Shizuka swim so you can check her form."
"Huh, why me...?"
"I need to whip these two into shape."
I placed my hands on Fam's and Lini's heads.
"Master, among the dog-eared race, we have a saying: 'Master one path, and you will understand ten thousand.' Like your swordsmanship, Master, I wish to master the doggy paddle."
"That saying was left by a swordsman about a thousand times greater than me, so it's hard to argue, but there's also the path of elevating your own art by learning others. Besides, I do what I do because it's all I can do. I want you to learn many more things, Fam."
"...Alright. I'll try."
She wasn't particularly strong, but she had excellent reflexes. She should be able to do it. I shifted my gaze to Lini.
"Lini will do it too!"
"Alright, then. Let's start with putting your face in the water and the flutter kick."