High Speed!: Chapter 4 – Relay

A freezing wind blew on the road leading to the school today, too. On the road which everyone walked with their shoulders narrowed and their eyes cast down, only Rin was running. Passing by the other children while breathing out white breaths, while sometimes seeming like he’d collide with them.

Unlike the road to the swimming club, the poplar-lined road was unsuitable for running. Since there are too many people when they’re heading to and from school, you can’t run as you wish. That’s why, it’s sort of pointless for Rin to run here, it could be even said that he was just bothering those around him a little.

In front of where Rin was running, a white scarf stained light brown fluttered in the breeze. Speeding up a little, when Rin caught up to that scarf, he stopped his feet while gasping out white breaths.

“’Morning, Yazaki-san.”

Having turned around, a smile was blooming on Aki’s face again today. He thinks that perhaps she had been walking with a smile on her face all along.

“’Morning, Matsuoka-kun. Did you run here?”

“Yeah, well, it’s kind of like training.”

To show off, he breathes out white puffs of breath again.

“Oh, that’s amazing. But it’s dangerous to run in a place like this, you know.”

Rin gulped down the white puffs of breath he was breathing out.

“Yeah, well, I pay attention while I’m running.”

Aki’s scarf fluttering in the wind, it grazed Rin’s cheek. The scarf with filth staining it that wouldn’t come out even after washing……. Rin doesn’t know why Haruka went so far as climbing down the embankment to pick this scarf up. He had no intention of asking by now. Just like he had no intention of pursuing why Makoto was trembling.

That’s why Rin didn’t think of asking Aki why she’s wearing this white scarf stained light brown, either.

“Hey, sorry for asking you to do something unreasonable yesterday.”

As Rin says that, Aki tilted her head to the side a bit.

“No, that’s not so. I think Nanase-kun should swim in the relay, too.”

“Ohh? Why?”

To Rin’s straightforward question, Aki slightly lowered her eyes, still smiling.  And then, she slowly raised her gaze and stared off into the distance.

“Nanase-kun can do anything on his own. Studying and exercise, he’s even skilled at drawing. Really, he just ends up being able to do anything, right? So, everyone relies on him, but he rarely relies on anyone else voluntarily, doesn’t he?

He thinks it’s certainly like that. Although he had just changed schools, it was exactly the impression Rin had of Haruka. Even though he doesn’t seek out relations out of his own accord, it’s not like he’s being isolated. Rather, he’s someone whom the class depends on. And when he’s relied on, he showed that he always lived up to the expectations. In that strange balance, Haruka is supported by those around him.

“I think Nanase-kun’s a kind person. That’s why he doesn’t say the things he wants to, and tries not to worry others so much. I’m sure he doesn’t like hurting others and brushing them aside. But I don’t think it’s very good to think about that too much. I think it would be better if Nanase-kun became more assertive.”

Aki turns towards Rin with a look that seemed to ask what he thinks about it. Frankly speaking, he hadn’t even thought about going along with Haruka’s personality. He couldn’t imagine it as an ‘it will turn out somehow’ kind of personality, but what Rin holds interest in is only Haruka and his own feeling of wanting to swim in the relay.

“I thought the same thing, too. That guy seriously lacks a sense of humor. He should follow my example a little, yeah?”

Joking a little, he holds the conversation together as he sees fit. Aki laughed a little at Rin’s words.

“That’s for sure. It would be just right if you added it up and split it between you two, huh?”

“By that, you mean I get too carried away?”

Aki’s meaningful smile confirmed those words.

“It’s not like that. But still, I kind of want to see Nanase-kun trying his best with everyone.”

Aki looks up at the sky. On that sky, the cirrus clouds that were indeed winter-like flowed like a painting drawn in pastel crayons.

 

Haruka climbed down on the stone steps just as Makoto climbed down, too.

“Hey, I wasn’t late, was I?”

“Let’s go.”

Haruka and Makoto started running side by side, breathing out white puffs of breath.

When they reach the vicinity of Mutsukibashi, Nagisa was waiting for them. In response to Nagisa waving his hand, Haruka shows the palm of his right hand a little. Nagisa’s glance going past Haruka and Makoto, he widely waved at that person, too. He knows even without looking. That it’s Rin, at least. The footsteps drawing nearer gradually grow louder, he lined up beside them before they approach the bridge.

“Yo.”

To Rin’s voice calling out, Haruka replied by fleetingly showing him his palm. From what he sees, it couldn’t be interpreted as anything other than he’s saying to go to the other side.

Nagisa runs lined up beside Haruka.

“Nanase-kun. Today, I’ll properly keep up for sure.”

“If took a break over there, then it won’t become much of a training.”

“Then, starting tomorrow I’ll wait while stepping in place.”

If he was serious or if he was joking, that sort of thing is so typical of Nagisa that it almost makes him laugh. Behind him, Makoto and Rin burst into laughter instead of Haruka. When they see Nagisa looking confused, it appears he was being serious about it.

“Though I said stepping in place, I meant stepping in place really-really fast.”

The laughter of the two behind them grows louder. Rin’s feet getting tangled for a moment, it looked like he was going to lose his balance.

“I’m gonna leave you behind if you chatter.”

Haruka sped up a little. Was the wind blowing again today on Mutsukibashi?  Haruka had forgotten about that until they finished crossing the bridge.

Nagisa earnestly keeps up. If he stays at this speed, he might not be able to keep running beside him anymore. That’s how it happened yesterday. Nagisa’s breathing getting harder, as he sees him fall behind by a step, Haruka slightly cast his eyes down.

—— So this is as far as he can go.

A sigh mingles inside a long breath. And then, Haruka’s feet slow down just a little.

“Oh.”

Rin said in a tiny voice. “Nanase sure is kind.” Getting a feeling that he heard him say something like that, Haruka clicked his tongue in his mind. Nagisa keeps up while wearing a pained expression. It appears to be that he’s even lost the energy to chatter already.

When they reach Iwatobi SC, Nagisa was struggling with his hard breathing.

“Well done, you tried your best.”

Rin lightly pats Nagisa on the back. Nagisa tried to say something, but he just kept voicelessly breathing out. And yet, by the time he changed and appeared on the poolside, he had completely returned to being the usual Nagisa.

“Matsuoka-kun. Are you practicing for the relay today?”

“Yep.”

Rin gives him a half-interested, half-indifferent reply. Even for practicing, they don’t have all the members yet. And besides, that has nothing to do with Nagisa.

“The fifth graders have their time trial today, you know. So then, if, and I mean if, I place first at the bure, will you let me be a member for the medley relay?”

Rin looks hard at Nagisa’s face. He tried to find in which part of him was all that self-confidence, the basis for it in that delicate body.

——Am I wrong? Is Nagisa different from what I thought him to be?

He’s supposed to be nothing more than a cute presence, like a little brother.  He hadn’t once felt even an atom of anything like a burning fighting spirit coming from him.

But once he tried considering it, he has only seen Nagisa for a month. Besides, when Rin was a fifth grader, he had even greater confidence in himself and was even cheekier. Even when he was chosen as a representative instead of the sixth graders, he thought of it as natural.

“Fine then. But only if you place first, of course.”

He thinks he had ended up making quite a light promise. Though, he assumed that the possibility of it is probably almost none.

“Hooray! Hey did you hear that, Nanase-kun? I’ll absolutely try my best for sure.”

“Yeah, good luck.”

Even that appropriate reply seemed to become an encouragement for Nagisa. He’s innocently delighted since before he’s even swum it. Believing that he’s thinking too much about it after all, when Rin smiled from its infectiousness too, Makoto worriedly whispered to him.

“Hey Matsuoka-kun, are you sure? Making a promise like that.”

“It’s nothing to worry about. Anyways, if he comes in first, it means he has plenty of fighting power we can expect from him.”

Rin thought that he’ll make sure of Nagisa’s true nature hiding inside him. He wanted to know if there truly was a heart hot enough to burn packed away in such a flimsy chest. If he wanted to swim in the medley relay, they’d be in trouble if he didn’t have at least that much.

“That’s not it, I meant about Haru. It seems like Nagisa’s under the impression that he’s a member.”

“Just the opposite. No offense to Nagisa, but it’s a tiny plan to get Nanase to be in the medley relay.”

It’s a faint hope, but the first condition of all is to reach the goal in first place. From what Rin saw, it didn’t seem like Haruka is alienating Nagisa to that extent. How long can he insist that he won’t swim to Nagisa, who was so delighted to become a member? He thought that if he were to feel somewhat resistant to disappointing Nagisa, that there could be a possibility in that. Like how he loosened his pace for Nagisa’s sake.

It was a tiny plan that waited for a miracle, with feelings that even resembled a prayer.

 

The fifth graders’ time trial is carried out using the 25m pool’s short lane. Their time will be measured on 50m, following the system of backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and free in that order, competing in groups of eight.

Makoto received “I’ll think about it” as a reply from Haruka. However, he thinks that there’s still a little distance until it means “I’ll swim”. It’s not that Nagisa wants to swim in the relay, he wants to swim with Haruka. Since Haruka is in the swimming club, Nagisa joined, too. Since Haruka runs, Nagisa runs with him, too. Since Haruka will be in the relay, Nagisa wants to swim in the relay, too.  That’s what it seemed like in Makoto’s eyes, it wasn’t based on having asked Nagisa about it. For the order of things, they should’ve properly made Haruka a member before they considered Nagisa’s case, after all——, while thinking about things like that, as Makoto is viewing the fifth graders’ time trial, Nagisa stood on top of the starting block. The second event of breaststroke is about to begin. He wonders just how much energy could possibly be in that body, which appears to be so delicate even compared to the other fifth graders?

Setting his toes at the edge of the starting block, Nagisa bends down. And then putting his hands at the edge of the starting block, he waits for the signal.

“On your mark.”

——Silence——

The whistle sounded. The eight of them dive in all at once. Nagisa’s landing point is closer than the other swimmers’. One pull, one kick. He’s in third place when his head emerged from the water. He’s about two heads behind the top position. Though it can’t be called a good position, without seeming to be in a hurry, it didn’t feel like he was exerting his strength. Rather, he’s swimming with more leisurely strokes than usual.

Even if it’s the same breaststroke, everyone has their differing rhythms and styles. Those like Nagisa, who paddle a lot of water with huge strokes. Those who aim to speed up by doing many more rotations. If there are those who make their powerfulness felt, there are also those who cut through the water with sharpness of a knife.

Around having passed the 20m mark, drawing closer to the swimmer in front bit by bit, though he lines up with second place, they pulled apart again at the turn. Even so, when he lines up with the second place swimmer again, perhaps because that swimmer started to be hasty, it subtly broke their rhythm. And then, they trailingly fall back to third in that state.

In the remaining 10m, coming up again bit by bit, the difference between Nagisa and the top position almost completely disappeared.  At the moment it seemed like the outcome would depend on the difference of the touch, the opponent superior in height being advantageous, Nagisa’s hand stretched out just before the goal. And as his hand touches the surface of the wall, the outcome was decided.

Lifting his head from the surface of the water, Nagisa looks around nervously. Informed of the time and ranking, his expression completely changed.  Raising his right fist as high as he can, he expresses his joy while jumping up in the water.

When Makoto gives him a round of applause, he reciprocated it with a huge wave of his hand.

“You’re amazing, Nagisa! You did it!”

Makoto showing him a thumbs up, Nagisa imitated it, too. With his arms folded, his mouth hanging half open, Rin almost went into a state of shock.

“He really……. did it.”

Those were the words that finally came out.

Upon hearing the sound of someone diving in, when Makoto turns around, Haruka was swimming. Did he start swimming after seeing Nagisa’s time trial? Or did that timing happen just by accident? He probably wouldn’t tell him even if he asked, but supposing that perhaps he was worried about Nagisa, that was something Haruka hadn’t done before. It’s possible that something is subtly changing within Haruka.

Unable to hold down what was welling up in his chest, Makoto dived into the lane beside Haruka.

——–

While Rin was taking a shower, he called out to the shower room next to him.

“Nanase, what’ll you do?”

“About what?”

“About Nagisa. He really did come in first.”

“Sure looks like it.”

Haruka’s mumbling voice is almost drowned out by the shower’s noise. Feeling a lack in the response that didn’t seem admiring, Rin raised his voice, a little irritated.

“So, what are you gonna do?”

Instead of a reply, he heard the sound of the shower curtain opening. Blowing out a large breath through his nose, Rin washed his hair like he was trying to tear it off.

When Haruka entered the changing rooms, Makoto and Nagisa were already there.

“Nanase-kun, you saw me.”

Nagisa runs up to him with such energy that it seems like he’s about to jump at him.

“Yeah, I saw.”

To that reply, Nagisa shows a full smile.

“That’s the first time I came in first, you know.”

“I see.”

It’s an ordinary answer, seeming half-interested and half-indifferent. But it’s clear from that smile that it’s enough for Nagisa.

When he finds Rin coming out of the shower room, he asked the main question without delay.

“So, it’s about the promise, Matsuoka-kun.”

Modestly stopping his words, Nagisa looks up at Rin with big round eyes. Even without knowing the context of conversation, the mention of a promise with Nagisa, it could only be one thing.

“I did promise. Nagisa’s a member for the medley relay, too.”

As soon as Rin finishes speaking, Nagisa turns around to face Haruka.

“I did it! I’m on the same team as Nanase-kun!”

“You sure are.”

Haruka’s nonchalant reply grazes by Rin and Makoto’s ears. Since he said it so readily, it came close to passing unheard. Makoto looks at Haruka, his eyes widening.

“Haru, just now―”

“Nanase, that true?”

Rin’s words overlap with Makoto’s.  They couldn’t help but ask again.

“Are you really going to swim in the medley relay?”

“Well, I intend to.”

To Haruka’s blunt response, Rin can’t hide his delight.

“We did it, we did it, Tachibana!”

Facing Makoto with his fists clenched in triumph, he shouted out more enthusiastically than Nagisa.

“Yeah!”

“All right, starting today, we’re a team. From tomorrow, we’ll train real hard!”

Makoto and Nagisa nod. Haruka was drying his head with a towel.

“Oh yeah, let’s call each other by name from now on. We’ll feel more like comrades that way. As such, Nanase is Haru.”

Haruka’s hand, that he’s drying his head with, stops for a moment. Hidden by the towel, his face can’t be seen. But he went back to drying his head right away.

“As for Tachibana, Makoto.”

“There’s nothing different about it.”

Makoto laughed amusedly, raising his eight-shaped eyebrows.

“Hey, what about me?”

“As for Nagisa, it’s fine to stick with Nagisa, the same as before. And, call me leader.”

“Huh?”

Nagisa raised his voice, sounding displeased.

“You’re wrong. There’s no such name as ‘leader’, is there?”

Makoto laughing, Rin puts both his hands on his waist, amazed.

“Listen here, the ‘leader’ is the greatest person on the team, taking care of everyone, they’re kind of like a manager.”

“Really? Still, ‘leader’ is weird. Wouldn’t ‘Rinrin’ be okay?”

“Ah….”

Rin stiffens up, his mouth dropping. Makoto laughs, clutching his stomach. Drying his head, Haruka’s back shook a little. Nagisa points at Makoto and Haruka.

“And so, Mako-chan and Haru-chan.”

Makoto’s laughter stopping, Haruka’s towel fell to the floor.

“I can’t wait for tomorrow. The relay is teamwork, after all, right? We have to try our best together. Let’s practice a lot.”

There was an atmosphere like no other in the changing rooms, only Nagisa’s voice resounded, with a cheerfulness that is remindful of spring.

 

“’Morning, Nanase-kun.”

Entering the classroom, Aki’s cheerful voice leapt into his ears.

“Hey.”

For now, he just gives a minimum reply.

“I heard you’re doing the relay.”

He takes an extensive view of the classroom.  Makoto isn’t there yet. Rin has his textbook and notebooks out, feigning ignorance. He determined the source of the information to be Rin.

“For the time being.”

He was stubbornly trying to show that it wasn’t certain, but it didn’t seem like Aki caught on to it.

“I’m glad. I really thought that it would be nice if Nanase-kun would swim in the relay. But it bothered me a little that I couldn’t say it well at the time.”

It’s nothing to be worried about. Around him, there are meddlesome guys whom even others would call unpleasant. While thinking that, he mentioned something else.

“What about your team?”

“Yeah, it’s going well. Only little by little, but we shorten our time every day.”

That’s what it means to be in the relay. You can’t swim for just your own sake. Victory or defeat, responsibility, teamwork, he becomes influenced by such things. All the things that Haruka had avoided were packed into that.

Until now, he swam while seeking a place in the water where he could be released from his ties. However, swimming in the relay means that he’ll be creating ties in that water.

“I want to see it soon, Nanase-kun swimming together with everyone. I think that Nanase-kun’s team will surely come in first place. Since everybody’s fast.”

“It’s not my team.”

Once he cuts his words short, he draws in a deep breath. And then, he lifted his voice so Rin could hear it.

“Rinrin’s the leader.”

Rin’s shoulders jump. All eyes in the class concentrating on Rin, after a moment of silence, they laughed. Aki couldn’t keep herself from bursting out either.

Standing up, Rin comes over to where Haruka is, while squaring his shoulders. When they thought that he was intending to vent his worked up feelings at Haruka, regaining his composure just by taking a deep breath, he spoke in a voice that only Haruka and Aki could hear.

“Look, at my previous school, they always called me ‘Rin-chan’ and teased me with it. I changed schools because I detested it, so please, drop that. If I’m called ‘Rinrin’, I might end up changing schools again.”

That is something Haruka didn’t know. He wasn’t even interested in what Rin was like at his previous school. In the first place, the story itself about getting teased is suspicious.

“I’m sorry.”

Aki apologized instead of Haruka.

“Nah, why are you apologizing, Yazaki-san?”

“Because I laughed, too. I had no idea that you were teased.”

“Oh, I see. I’m shy, so I didn’t answer to it. Then the teasing steadily got worse, until it became real serious.”

“Oh, really?”

Aki asked with an earnest expression. Even though there’s no way a shy guy would call himself shy. Going past being suspicious, it could only be thought of as aiming for a laugh.  But he’s not so good-natured as to laugh over something like this.

When he thought that he couldn’t go along with this stupidity anymore, Makoto entered the classroom with his good timing.

“’Morning, Haru. Zaki-chan. And, uh, Rinrin, was it?”

“Hey, you shouldn’t say that.”

Sooner than Rin, Aki said it to Makoto with an earnest expression.

“Eh, really? But I thought we decided on ‘Rinrin’ yesterday.”

“Apparently, he was teased at his previous school because of the name.”

“Teased? Who?”

“Matsuoka-kun, obviously.”

The good-natured Makoto laughs, raising his eight-shaped eyebrows.

“You shouldn’t laugh.”

Since Aki says it so earnestly, Makoto somehow managed to suppress his laughter.

“Sorry, sorry. But there’s no one here who would tease you over that, so you can relax.”

When Makoto said that, the bell rang, like the gong signaling the end of the boring match.

 

When March came, as the sunlight grew warmer, small buds beginning to sprout on all kinds of trees, the birds’ chirping became energetic little by little. The wind blows again today on Mutsukibashi. But before they noticed it, the wind had lost its intense coldness. Haruka and Makoto’s breaths aren’t white anymore. Turning into vapor that held its temperature transparently, it blends into the wind. From behind Haruka, Nagisa joined up with them at almost the same time as Rin catches up.

“I’m not resting, you know. I stepped in place all along.”

Nagisa’s breathing is pretty rough. Rin’s breath overlaps with his.

“You say the same thing every day.”

“Because I keep stepping in place all along every day.”

“That’s why you don’t really need to say it every day.”

Rin was sort of irritated today. To the point that he picks a fight with Nagisa’s childish words.

“Rinrin, you say the same thing every day, too. Such as, we’re a team……”

Before Nagisa finishes speaking, Rin talks over him.

“Listen here, Nagisa. My name is ‘Rin.’ Not ‘Rinrin’, you know.”

“Eh, really? That complicated character isn’t read as ‘Rinrin’? But, oh well, whatever.”

“What?”

“It can stay as ‘Rinrin’, right?”

He was seeking Haruka’s consent, not Rin’s.

“Sure.”

“Haru, you.” [you = omae, used in a derogatory sense. it’d be kind of like ‘damn it, haru’]

Makoto steps in front of Rin, who looks like he’s about to snap at Haruka.

“You shouldn’t, Nagisa. If you call him ‘Rinrin’, he might end up changing schools again.”

“Alright then, ‘Rin-chan’ is fine. Sheesh, you sure are selfish.”

As Rin is about to say something to Nagisa, Haruka speeds up.

“I’m gonna leave you behind if you chatter.”

Makoto lightly patted Nagisa on the back.”

“Nagisa, don’t fall behind.”

The four hot breaths ran through, like the wind on the embankment alongside the river approaching the spring.

 

Even Nagisa’s breathing, that was still rough in the changing rooms in the beginning, by now it had completely settled down. Perhaps he’s gotten used to running. As Haruka is thinking about that, Rin, who had finished changing before him, suddenly raised his voice, putting both his hands on his waist.

“Listen up, everyone.”

—— We can hear you without being so loud. What are you getting so fired up for?

Without saying anything, Haruka complained through his eyes. But it didn’t seem like Rin caught on to it. He lifts his voice again.

“I think we all know that the tournament is near. Therefore, I think we should try and change how we practice a little.”

Makoto listens while putting on his cap.

“Change it how?”

“I’m thinking a practice schedule focused on the medley relay, or like, let’s narrow down our practice to just the medley relay.”

“Hooray!”

Nagisa was delighted, throwing up both his hands in no time. Since becoming a member, Nagisa had wanted to do relay practice one way or another. Perhaps it could be summed up as it’s just what he’s been wishing for.

In contrast, Makoto shows an uneasy expression.

“What’ll we do about the other practices?”

“We won’t.”

“’We won’t’……?”

“I want to concentrate just on the medley relay practice.”

Rin’s hot glance coils around the bewildered Makoto.

“But, unless we practice, we won’t be able to swim properly in the tournament.”

“As for the other races——”

Cutting his words short, Rin looks at Makoto. Then, he looks at Haruka.

“No participating.”

A silence occupying the air of the changing rooms, its density grew heavier. In that air, Haruka’s words, that aren’t yelled nor are they criticizing, hang in midair like as if he’s talking to himself.

“Who decided that?”

“It’s not decided yet. We’re deciding it now. I won’t be in any contest other than the medley relay. So that’s why I was thinking of wanting everyone to do the same. Unless we do, unless we do that much, I don’t think we can win.”

Haruka closing the locker’s door like he’s striking it, a sound resounded that made his ears hurt.

“Beat who? How many seconds do they swim? Why do I have to follow your lead?”

“Haru!”

Makoto steps in between them. Haruka thought that it’s good timing. He doesn’t intend to argue with Rin any further, on the other hand, he didn’t intend to follow Rin’s method, either. Being dragged into it and sticking with his opinion, both were troublesome. Acting by his own intentions——, it’s enough if he conveyed just that. So, Makoto’s interruption was good timing.

He quickly wants to go to a place where Rin’s heat doesn’t reach. He quickly wants to sink his body in the water.

As he silently turns to the side, Makoto asked a question.

“Haru, we’re in the relay together as a team. No matter what happens, that won’t change, right?”

He doesn’t intend to abandon them. It’s not that he decided on it with half-hearted feelings. That’s why he intended to see it through to the end. That feeling hasn’t changed, nor did he intend to change it.

As he silently turns to the side without replying, Makoto breathed out a small breath and faced Rin.

“Why are you so obsessed with the relay? If you have a reason for it, then tell us.”

Rin’s firm attitude didn’t break. Keeping his hands on his waist, he looks at Haruka, past Makoto. Perhaps he was prepared for an opposing opinion. For this reason, he aims to show the strength of his intention with a firm attitude.

“I don’t intend to force you all, but if we really plan on winning the relay, we have to do at least that much. If I do it at all, I definitely want to be the champion. That’s my reason.”

Winning and being the champion, those words that aren’t a reason for Haruka to act on, spew out of Rin’s mouth.

——I don’t swim for the sake of things like that.

Then, what do you swim for? Not wanting to be asked that, Haruka remained silent. Makoto shows a confused expression, pulling close his eight-shaped eyebrows.

“Wait a bit. I want to be the champion, too, but only practicing for the relay seems a little……. I want to be in the bure and I intend on being in free, too.”

At the previous tournament, Makoto was in the 100m breaststroke and became the champion. Rin is the champion at both breaststroke and free at 50m. However, Rin is saying to concentrate on the medley relay, to the extent of throwing aside the contests that they’re contenders in. It would be weirder to not be confused by such an incomprehensible suggestion.

“Can we get a little time to think about it? And, for the time being, can we practice as usual today?”

As Makoto says that, lowering his hands from his waist, Rin went back to his usual smile.

Alongside an exhaled breath, the heat it carried dispersing, it disappears into the changing rooms.

“Sorry, suddenly suggesting something like that. Of course, it’s your personal freedom as to what you do, it’s not something I can complain about. However, for now, I want you to at least understand that that’s how I feel about it.”

As Makoto nods, Nagisa, who was silent until then, looked up at Rin.

“I’ll do the medley relay practice with Rin-chan. And I’ll only be in the medley relay, too!”

Rin smiles broadly.  Whatever the reason, Nagisa accepted Rin’s selfish suggestion.

“Thanks, Nagisa. But, my practice is pretty strict.”

“It’s okay. Because I’m the best among the fifth graders.”

From Nagisa saying that while sticking out his chest, Rin gets fired up.

“Alright, then, let’s practice at once!”

The rubber of his goggles making a sound as Rin snaps it, Nagisa imitated that.

“Yeah!”

While looking at the backs of the two heading to the pool, Haruka felt like he’s gotten lost in a thick fog. What happened earlier, it’s as if it can’t be seen. He thought that he’s sorry for being swallowed in it. And yet, he’s already ended up being totally soaked. The more he thinks about how it can’t be swept away, the fog’s thick density just kept growing.