Volume 3 Chapter 26 Pool Opening
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The rain had stopped, but the rainy season wasn’t over yet. At night, there was still a hint of a chill in the air – well, maybe not cold, exactly, but it felt a little early for the pool to be opening.
Today was finally the day.
We lined up and headed for the roof of the school building. Large nets were stretched overhead to provide shade and a bit of privacy. Our first stop was an empty classroom just inside the roof access to change.
With the teachers watching over us, we pulled our gear out of our pool bags. Towels, swimsuits, caps – no one had forgotten a thing. (Our parents really went all out for this, didn’t they?) In kindergarten, they don’t separate the boys and girls for changing yet. (Thinking back, I think it was the same in my previous life until the start of elementary school.)
Suu-chan threw on a hooded towel that made her look like a little ghost-doll¹ and started wiggling around as she changed underneath it. She’d practiced this “lady-like etiquette” with Mio-san many times. Most of the other kids didn’t bother with the modesty, though. They just stripped stark naked right there in the room. (I guess when you’re this small, you don’t have a shred of shame.)
Shiho-chan was trying to use a towel, but she wasn’t actually covering much. Jun, on the other hand, had zero intention of hiding anything. Our swimsuits were the standard navy-blue ones² the school assigned to toddlers.
The boys finished in a heartbeat. I expected the girls to take longer since they wore one-pieces, but they were just as fast. (I guess it’s easy when you have absolutely no curves to worry about.)
”Maa-kun,”
Suu-chan said, clinging to my arm the moment she was done. The warmth of her skin felt amazing. It wasn’t just her, though; all the kids’ suits looked a little too big, especially in the shoulder straps. I didn’t think we’d be doing anything too crazy in a class for the youngest kids, but the looseness made me a bit nervous. I made sure to tie my drawstring extra tight. The teachers helped the other boys tie theirs, so at least no one was going to have an accident.
”You look great, Suu-chan,”
I said.
”Hehe…”
I’d complimented her during her practice runs at home, but I couldn’t skip it now. (Mio-san taught me that a true gentleman always notices when a lady changes her look.) Suu-chan looked adorable, and I could have watched her all day, but I don’t have that kind of complex. And boys are out of the question.
(Now, if I had to look at someone, it would be the teacher… Not Seiko-sensei, obviously, but Riko-sensei and the other younger ones.)
She was wearing a rash guard that covered everything from her neck to her wrists. On the bottom, she had on those little athletic shorts you see on track stars. I knew there wouldn’t be any bikinis – that’s just asking for trouble around kids – but damn! Those legs were incredible. And that damp silhouette… (My imagination is doing a lot of heavy lifting right now.) I thought maybe I’d see a competitive one-piece, but all the teachers were dressed the same.
”Maa-kun?”
”…It’s nothing, I promise.”
(Get a grip, man.)
We stepped onto the roof, and the nostalgic scent of chlorine hit me immediately. The pool was a permanent, drop-in model, not the big concrete kind. It was about ten meters long, and I spotted a famous brand logo on the side. (Wait, they make pools too? Pianos, bikes, and now this? They really have no chill.)
Riko-sensei led us through our stretches, we hit the showers, did the foot-bath, and finally moved toward the water. The kids were buzzing like they’d found a brand-new playground. I was the first one in.
(Oh, it’s actually warm.)
The water was only mid-shin deep – maybe twenty centimeters. It felt a bit deep for a first lesson. (I know kids can drown in an inch of water, but with one teacher for every five kids, we’re probably safe.)
Suu-chan was right behind me. She’d never been to a pool before, and neither had I in this life. (I thought she was too young, but apparently Mio-san just hates pools.) I’d love to see Mom in a swimsuit, but I’d have to scheme a bit to make that happen. (I see her naked in the bath all the time, but it’s not the same. Definitely not the same.)
Even if the pool was new, Suu-chan had played in the bath enough to be fearless. She used to copy me and dunk her face right in. She hit the water and immediately started doing the “crocodile walk,”³ crawling along the bottom.
But the line behind us stalled.
”Shi-chan, are you okay?”
”The water is scary…”
Shiho-chan was shaking her head, huddled on the top step. (Some kids just panic when they see that much open water. It’s a smart reaction, honestly. The ones who dive in without thinking are the ones you have to watch.)
”Suu-chan and I will hold your hands,”
I said.
”Let’s try it together.”
”Shi-chan, hold hands!”
”Okay…”
Shiho-chan took our hands and gave a brave little “Here goes!” as she stepped in. She closed her eyes tight, which was actually more dangerous, but then she gasped.
”…I did it! I’m in!”
She gingerly opened her eyes, realized she was actually in the water, and beamed. Riko-sensei clapped, and soon the whole class was cheering. Shiho-chan waded deeper, looking bashful but happy. She seemed fine once we let go.
Then there was Jun.
”Jun, don’t tell me you’re scared too,”
I said.
”B-Big Bro Ko said… pools are a cootie-filled cesspool of germs!”
(Ko-san… The fact that he’s technically right makes this so much worse.)
”They use chlorine to kill the germs, Jun. And we took a shower first. It’s fine.”
”But at home, Mom is there…”
”……”
(Is that all it takes? Your mom being there makes the germs go away?!) Apparently, Jun’s mom was an apex predator for bacteria. (Well, she is built like a tank.)
”The teacher is here, and you’re strong enough to beat them now, too,”
I told him.
”You’re your mother’s son, aren’t you?”
”Yeah! I’ll do it!”
(For a simpleton like Jun, that’s all it takes. I give up.)
”Look, Makoto! I’m in!”
”Good job.”
Jun thrust his fists into the air with a smug look on his face. I gave him a courtesy clap. It was so anti-climactic I felt a little deflated.
The lesson started with the basics: sitting in the water, washing our faces, and splashing our legs. Shiho-chan was cautious but grinning. Jun had already forgotten about the germs. Suu-chan was a pro. During free time, we did the crocodile walk through a tunnel made of Riko-sensei’s legs.
(Makoto, coming through!)
When Riko-sensei moved, the hem of her shorts stuck to her skin, and that wet rash guard really didn’t leave much to the imagination.
”Maa-kun!”
”Wait, Suu-chan, hang on -“
Suu-chan started splashing me like a maniac.
”I’ll help!”
”Take that!”
”Wait, pffft – you guys – glub!”
It looked like everyone had officially become friends with the water. All’s well that ends well.
—
Summary:
The kindergarten holds its first pool day on the rooftop. Makoto and Suu-chan help their classmates, Shiho-chan and Jun, overcome their fears of the water and germs respectively. The chapter ends with playful splashing and Makoto being distracted by the teacher’s silhouette.
—
Trivia:
- Makoto remembers his past life’s elementary school experience.
- Mio-san has a personal dislike for pools, which affects Suu-chan’s exposure.
- The pool brand is the same one that makes instruments and bikes (Yamaha).
- Jun’s brother Ko-san is the source of his germaphobia
—
Character Insight:
Makoto demonstrates his protective and social nature by helping the other children, despite his internal adult cynicism and distractions.
—
Behind the Scenes:
The ‘crocodile walk’ is a standard Japanese swimming drill for toddlers to get used to shallow water.
—
TL Notes:
Notes:
• Mio – 28‑year‑old pregnant mother of Suu‑chan, visibly round belly, wife of Mitsuhisa (164 cm, 57 kg, baby‑faced, G‑cup curves, elegant in a gray suit). Former relay runner and badminton star, now teacher, cook, photographer who bakes strawberry shortcake and chirashi‑zushi, adores babysitting Ma‑kun, subtly pushes his marriage to Suu‑chan, avoids crowds, captures family chaos, dresses the protagonist’s mother, devotes herself to her daughter’s education, and is playful and mischievous as a Totsuka family guest.
• Shiho – Three‑year‑old Rose‑Class girl with shoulder‑length hair in a side‑up ponytail, easily thrilled by decorations and food, uses training chopsticks and a white kitten‑themed placemat, often sleepy and leans on Makoto’s “secret” advice. She’s a friend of Makoto and Suu‑chan, slightly less coordinated but diligent at mud dumplings, neighbor and friend of Yuma, older sister in the senior group, and shares a quiet, competitive bond with Suu over Makoto’s attention.
• Jun – An energetic, restless boy of the Rose Class, the youngest of three brothers who all attended the same kindergarten. He is curious, surprisingly strong, often needing Makoto to rein him in. Competitive and prone to believing his brothers’ tall tales, he quiets when his mother watches, speech clumsy. Described as a simpleton, he follows his brother Ko‑san’s germ warnings.
• Seiko – Lead teacher of the Rose Class, a veteran with a steely, battle-hardened aura. Polite yet intimidating when serious; Miku calls him an ogre when angry.
• Riko – Lead teacher of Rose Class at Hinomori Kindergarten. Young woman in a rash guard and athletic shorts for pool duties, also school nurse. Appears stiff at intro but becomes cheerful in lessons. Practices autonomy‑based supervision, lets kids resolve conflicts, tends flowerbeds, leads excursions, and practices magic tricks. Slightly cynical about being single.
• Makoto – 93 cm, 13 kg three‑year‑old boy in a neat shirt and cap, gentle‑looking but actually a 30‑year‑old reincarnated salaryman. Lives with the Totsuka family, mother works, protects Suzuka‑chan. In Hinomori Kindergarten’s Rose Group he uses a booster seat, short hair, backpack, and wields adult memories, analytical skill, high dexterity, stock tricks and magic. Calm, clever, caring, stoic, known as Maa‑kun, leader of the Rose Class.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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