It wasn't that the others were too strong. It was that none of them planned to make it easy.
After dinner, the table had just been cleared.
The four of them were ready to return to their rooms.
That's when Saki—the operations officer—stepped out from the study.
Now dressed in a tracksuit, his expression unchanged.
He gave them a look and said evenly:
"No study sessions tonight."
"It's your first day together. Following tradition—
we'll do an ice-breaking activity."
Gao Mo raised a brow.
"What kind of ice-break?"
"Swimming. 7 p.m. sharp. Pool. Seventh floor."
Silence settled for a beat.
Then Meng Yuanxiao gave a short, crooked smile.
"Seriously? There's not even a swim class. 'Ice-breaking'?"
Meng Zhiheng laughed.
"You just don't want to get in the water."
"I just don't want to lose."
Off to the side, Gao Mo glanced at them—
said nothing, just picked up his towel.
Elric stayed quiet.
But there was no hesitation in his eyes.
No one had said, "Let's race."
But the quiet, inevitable tension between boys was already there.
**
The pool on the seventh floor glowed under soft lights.
Gentle reflections shimmered across the surface.
Aunt Ann had set out towels, warm tea, and a few energy bars.
It was clearly meant to be a welcome gesture.
The four changed and stepped into the water.
It was warm.
Silent.
Saki stood at the edge, as if officiating a meet.
"Paired heats. Freestyle. Fifty meters. One-on-one."
"It's not about the scores, only connection and bond."
**
First heat: Meng Yuanxiao vs. Gao Mo.
They hit the water like it mattered—
not just the speed, but the pressure to own the lane.
Their form was clean.
Breathing steady.
The water pulsed with rhythm.
Gao Mo touched the wall first—barely.
No one said win.
But Yuanxiao threw him a side glance.
"You're breaking the flow with early breathes in every stroke."
Gao Mo replied flatly:
"You were slow. Didn't bother me."
Their faces stayed neutral.
But the look in their eyes had sharpened.
**
Second heat: Meng Zhiheng vs. Elric.
Zhiheng chuckled as he entered the pool.
"My brother swims like a hammer. I swim like a headline."
Elric didn't respond.
Just gave a small nod and gripped the pool edge.
The whistle blew.
The surface split.
Elric launched—no wasted motion, no show.
Just a line of force, cutting clean toward the far wall.
Every stroke precise. No drag.
No hesitation.
Zhiheng followed close, but his rhythm slipped.
He spit out the water on the finish line.
"You didn't even breathe, did you?"
Elric pulled himself out.
His breathing calm.
"I did. Just less."
Zhiheng blinked.
Then grinned.
"Damn. You're intense."
**
Back at the edge, they sat with drinks in hand.
Gao Mo glanced at Elric.
"You don't have much bulk. But your speed's real."
Yuanxiao nodded.
"Technique. Sharp."
Elric looked back at them.
"You were fast too."
The air was warmed.
The swim wasn't about winners.
It was about how they moved—
how they watched each other underwater.
Not rivalry.
Not yet.
But the first step to recognition.
**
Back on Floor 22, Aunt Ann had prepared warm tea and snacks.
The four sat around the dining table, chewing quietly.
No one said "good job" or "you were fast."
But soft jabs floated across the table:
"You almost veered off, didn't you?"
"You missed the light. Knew you were slacking."
"I'm checking the replay later."
Sharp words, soft gazes. The mood had shifted.
Under the surface—
they'd taken their first step toward understanding each other.
Not through talk.
But through one good swim.
—
[Chapter Prologue]
Boys don't trust with words.
They trust with the way they swim,
the way they push,
the way they laugh afterward.