A Warm Encounter at the Pool

“Senior, I’m so tired. Xiao Xi wants to rest.”

Ai Xi’s legs paddled weakly, her big watery eyes looking at me pitifully. It seemed her initial enthusiasm had been replaced by exhaustion.

“Then let’s take a break.”

“Mm!”

After we got out of the pool, we sat on a bench in the rest area, watching the club members who were still training not far away.

“Senior, do you think Xiao Xi is useless? I only swam a little bit and I’m already out of energy.”

Ai Xi watched for a while, then suddenly lowered her head and said dejectedly, her fingers nervously twisting on her pale, slender thighs.

“Why do you say that?”

I shifted my gaze from Ling Yan and looked at Ai Xi in confusion.

“It’s just… everyone swims so well, but Xiao Xi isn’t even familiar with the strokes yet, and I’m already tired after less than half an hour.”

Ai Xi’s head drooped lower as she spoke, and even her previously swinging feet hung limply.

“Say, Ai Xi, have you ever exercised before?”

Instead of answering directly, I asked this question.

“Why does Senior ask that? Xiao Xi only exercises during PE class normally. I don’t exercise otherwise.”

Ai Xi looked up, thought for a moment, and said to me.

“There you go. The people you admire work hard every day, training nonstop to get where they are. If you learned everything quickly on your first day and could keep up with their training intensity, then they’d be the ones feeling useless. Don’t underestimate others’ efforts.”

I gently patted Ai Xi on the head, saying words that didn’t sound like comfort.

“Don’t you think those words are unconvincing coming from you, Senior?”

“Uh… good point. I guess I sound a bit self-righteous. Suddenly, I feel so embarrassed.”

My old face flushed red. I retracted my hand and awkwardly rubbed my cheek, not daring to meet Ai Xi’s staring eyes.

“But… Xiao Xi doesn’t dislike it.”

Ai Xi’s slightly sweet, soft voice reached my ears. I looked at her in surprise; she had already perked up.

She rested her hands on the bench, her small feet swinging up and down as she gazed at the club members in the distance, her eyes once again filled with admiration.

“Senior, if… if Xiao Xi said she wanted to become like everyone else, what would you do?”

Ai Xi turned to me seriously, her bright brown-black pupils reflecting my silhouette.

Her eyes seemed to be confirming something. What was that? I didn’t know. But right now, I only had one answer.

“What else can I do? Of course, the same as now. After all, you’ll be a club member by then.”

“Just as Xiao Xi thought.”

Ai Xi said softly, then let out a relieved sigh.

“Then Senior, please take good care of me from now on!”

Ai Xi smiled sweetly at me and extended her fair, slender little hand.

“Huh?”

I looked at her outstretched hand, unsure what she wanted.

Was she asking for water? But we hadn’t finished the water earlier.

“Geez, Senior, is your brain made of wood? Of course, it’s a handshake!”

Ai Xi puffed out her cheeks and looked at me with some dissatisfaction.

“Handshake? Oh, oh.”

Was she asking to be friends? I reached out and shook her small hand. Before, I had been teaching her to swim, and we were in the water, so I didn’t really notice. But now, I could clearly feel how soft and tender her hand was. Unlike Ling Yan’s, her palm was a bit warm—maybe from the exercise? Overall, it felt very nice. By the way, are all girls’ hands this soft and tender?

Achoo~

Just as I was lost in thought, Ai Xi suddenly sneezed adorably.

“You might have caught a chill. You’ve been sitting for a while. Here, put on my jacket. It might smell a bit, though.”

“Um… no, it’s… mm.”

Ai Xi was about to refuse, but then she shivered and ended up taking the jacket I took off and draping it over herself, pulling her slender legs inside too.

Watching Ai Xi shiver in my jacket, I felt a twinge of guilt. I should have noticed earlier. The sun was no longer so glaring, and the temperature had dropped a lot compared to after school. Ai Xi had just finished swimming and was drenched. After sitting on the bench, being hit by the wind would naturally make her cold.

Sniff, sniff~

“What are you doing?”

After a while, Ai Xi seemed to have warmed up. She put her legs down from the bench, pinched the collar of the jacket, and sniffed it with her small, delicate nose.

“Of course, I’m smelling if Senior’s jacket stinks!” Ai Xi rolled her eyes at me, as if to say, “Isn’t that obvious?”

That got me annoyed.

“How could it stink? If you don’t want to wear it, give it back!”

I kindly lent it to her, and instead of thanking me, she complained.

“No way! Xiao Xi is still a bit cold. It’s okay, Xiao Xi won’t dislike Senior. Sniff, sniff~ Though Senior’s jacket does have a bit of a smell!”

Ai Xi hugged the jacket tightly with both hands, watching me warily with big eyes. She also scooted away from me.

“You don’t want to give the jacket back, but you still talk smack.”

I slowly stood up and said to Ai Xi with a dark look.

“Senior, what are you doing? I warn you, don’t come near me, or else Teacher Xia and Senior Xiao Lu will come over. I will scream.”

Ai Xi started backing away inch by inch as I approached.

“I’m sure Teacher Xia and Xiao Lu will understand me!”

“How can this be! Senior, you, you, don’t… come any closer!”

…

“Let go.”

“Senior should let go! It’s just a jacket, so stingy!”

“Who was it that said my jacket stinks? I think you shouldn’t wear it!”

“Xiao Xi wants to wear it! I’m not giving it back!”

“… Let go! You’re going to tear it!”

“Then you let go, Senior! It’s your jacket, after all.”

In the process of trying to get my jacket back, Ai Xi had already put it on and zipped it up. Now she was fiercely protecting the zipper tab so I couldn’t unzip it.

I was also pulling at her hand. Although I felt something was off, I found it quite fun.

Beep, beep— “Alright, everyone take a break. Zhou Chen…”

Teacher Xia’s whistle startled me out of my scuffle with Ai Xi, and then her voice abruptly stopped, sending cold sweat down my back.

(Damn it. Only now did I realize what felt wrong. Me holding Ai Xi’s hand and trying to pull open her clothes—no matter how you looked at it, it looked like I was up to no good.)

I glanced at Ai Xi, who had a mischievous grin, then turned to look at the club members.

They all had expressions of confusion and shock. Were they thinking that the usually well-behaved me had suddenly gone wild and was about to push down the junior girl?!

Xiao Lu’s eyes especially were burning with anger.

“Chenzi, I hope you can give me… and Little Yan an explanation?”

Xiao Lu walked over slowly, her gaze wanting to kill me, but her voice was unusually calm.

(What’s going on? I thought Xiao Lu would rush over to protect Ai Xi and then give me a good scolding.)