{ ☆ } fighting spirit!
It was starting to become outright embarrassing for her. She brought her pale knees closer to her chest as she curled atop a plastic seat, her eyes glazing at the occasional bright-colored rubber cap that would resurface from the water as students swam in their appropriate lanes. Most girls would probably have died to be in her situation, exempt from any sort of physical activity that required them to get showered and then re-dressed within a fifteen minute time period (since that was the time allotted between classes). Such a tight time slot would be quite impossible for most of them, and especially for Sayaka since, well. Taming all that blue hair and then attempting to blow dry it before the next class to look presentable seemed out of the question. But that wasn't the reason she was exempt from the school's swimming lessons; it was simply because she couldn't swim. Hence, she was forced to watch everyone else carry out a task that she was incapable of; or rather, a task that nobody had ever bothered to take the time to teach her.
Some of the girls in her class had already finished the required laps and started to wade over towards the edge of the pool to greet her. They pushed themselves up out of the water, dripping chlorine all over the pale tiles. They gave smiles and slight waves to her before they waddled over to the changing rooms. Nosy as she was, Sayaka found herself trailing behind them, only to overhear a couple of comments that involved her.
"Hmmmn, must be nice, huh? Being an idol and all that." "Yeah, she gets to cut out of swimming classes! How lucky..." "I wonder why she has to put on a swimsuit when she isn't swimming...?" "I wonder if I was one if I could get out of swimming, too!" "Silly! You're not pretty enough!"
She felt like stepping in and objecting angrily right then and there, but that would have ruined her reputation as a sweet, docile girl in more ways than one; and she couldn't afford that. Hence, she found herself turning back without another word, biting her lip as she returned to her confining chair to pick up her things so that she could change, too. Just as she was picking up her towel, however, the tanned and talented swimmer herself had leapt from the pool and was starting to make her way into the changing rooms. And it was then that Sayaka had an idea. This was the last class of the day, after all. Perhaps, she would...--?
Without further ado, Sayaka practically skidded her way over the slippery tiling and nearly fell over; which seemed to get the other's attention. Recomposing herself with a taut huff, she looked straight into the athlete's eyes, hopeful as ever.
"Asahina-san...please, hear me out. Everyone thinks that I'm not swimming because I have special privileges, but...but that's not the case! That's why I would like to ask if you could please teach me how to swim! I...I want to learn from the very best!"
