Teaching someone who can't swim normally isn't too big a problem.
But teaching someone who might have hydrophobia is troublesome.
For some people, once the water reaches shoulder level, they have more difficulty breathing than normal, their body goes weak, and their face gradually pales.
Kaito didn't expect Sayuri to have this problem.
'Although she was an otaku before, judging by her personality, she shouldn't be like this, right?'
'Could this be gap moe?'
If this were happening to Tearju, Kaito might believe it.
Not far away, Tearju was just as scared, which made Sephie, who was teaching her, both amused and helpless. On the shore, Yami sat beside Ako, who absolutely refused to go into the water to learn swimming.
"Feeling better?"
"M-much better."
Sayuri nodded, her face still pale.
But her action was to cling even tighter to Kaito, completely wrapping her arms and legs around him, refusing to let go.
Thanks to that, Kaito had intimate contact with her, especially since her swimsuit was a slightly bolder style.
'Hmm...'
'Could it be that she's pretending to be a newbie?'
'Otherwise, who buys this style for their first swimsuit!?'
"Alright, if you keep clinging to me like this, you'll never learn to swim."
"...I, I know. But you can't let go of my hand."
"Yes, yes, I won't let go of you."
Sayuri was also well-maintained, with smooth, delicate skin, looking completely like a university student in her twenties.
Unfortunately, she's not too big. Standing with Eriri, they could indeed pass as sisters.
And her current mindset was no different from an ordinary young girl.
After much persuasion, Kaito carefully got her to let go. Sayuri began trying to paddle with her arms and kick with her legs.
"That's not right. Do it like this: keep looking at me, and I'll hold your hands and pull you along for a while, okay?"
"O-okay."
Sayuri, face flushed, grabbed Kaito's other hand. As Kaito slowly backed up, she tried to lift her feet off the bottom.
But due to excessive fear, whenever her body sank, she would subconsciously stand back up.
Repeating this back and forth for nearly 10 minutes, after being hugged by her more than ten times, she finally managed to glide while being pulled by Kaito.
"Good, like that. Start moving your legs up and down, slowly increasing the range..."
"Not too much, not kicking."
"Good, like that. Now, relax your body a little more, and let it slowly float up."
Gradually, Kaito took her into water over one and a half meters deep.
Only at this depth could she float well.
"Kaito... my neck hurts..."
"Hmm, then close your eyes, hold your breath, and put your face in the water. Lift your head when you can't hold it anymore."
"Huh? W-well, okay."
It was something she had to face eventually. Sayuri showed a pitiful expression, then put her face in the water, but quickly lifted it again.
"Kaito, I'm tired. Carry me."
"...Alright."
Since they were still in the water, Kaito had to reach out, pull her, and hold her close.
Sayuri hugged Kaito, climbed up a little, and then rested her chin on his shoulder with a blissful expression.
"Good thing you're teaching me. Otherwise, I'd really be scared to death."
"Mrs. Sawamura, I..."
"Call me Sayuri, okay?"
"Alright."
Unable to see her expression, Kaito just kept holding her to prevent her from slipping down.
The others saw this, but said nothing, silently thinking to themselves.
"Hehe, Kaito, your body is amazing. How do you train?"
"It's simple. 100 push-ups every day, 100 sit-ups every day, 100 squats, and a 10km run every day."
"That's it?"
"Yes, that's it."
In university, he did indeed exercise like this in the morning, though the training content was slightly different.
Before he became as handsome as the readers, his body was also quite good, with decent muscles.
Now that he's as handsome as the readers, his body is naturally even more perfect.
"Oh ho, I thought you went to the gym, Kaito. By the way, Kaito, you're so handsome, you must have many girlfriends, right?"
"Well... actually, I've never had a girlfriend."
Speaking of this, Kaito felt regret.
Since childhood, his family had forbidden him from early dating. When he finally met his senior, Xiao Yunyun, in university, she ran off after that one time, which also made him uninterested in finding other girls for a long time.
Because he had once possessed a better woman, he naturally looked down on ordinary women.
Plus, at that time, he wanted to find his senior and achieve a family status matching hers, so he studied hard afterwards, dreaming of becoming a high-level executive in a large corporation.
Become an executive, accumulate experience, gather some capital, build a network, then break away and start his own company.
That was the plan. However, after graduation, reality shattered it.
It wasn't that he lacked ability or had poor grades, but that he had no 'connections'.
Due to his youth, others didn't trust him. To them, he was even a threat. After failing several job applications, he revised his somewhat arrogant resume, and then he became laid-back.
Novels are ultimately novels.
Well, in the workplace, he actually had opportunities, but he didn't choose that path.
Because...
Auntie, I'm still young, I can still work hard! Your tonnage, I can't bear it!!
"Oh? So, Kaito, you still have your first time?"
"Hmph, how could that be!"
He couldn't tolerate this topic. Even without experience, he had to say he had experience.
Because a man can't say he can't!
"Hehe, I see~"
Sayuri smiled shyly, then released one hand to touch Kaito's face, while she herself pulled back slightly.
"Before I met you, I really wanted to set you up with my daughter."
"But unfortunately, I'm also a woman."
'And...'
'A wounded woman, a failed woman.'