Chapter 3 - Promise

Since there were absentees in the P.E. lesson, they adjusted the number of players for basketball, so Haruka and Makoto played in the game on the same team. It’s not a coincidence. The P.E. teacher, who is also the advisor for the basketball club, planned it.  As evidence, Kisumi and Asahi, as well as Ikuya were on the opposing team. When all’s said and done, you could say that it’s an ‘ability inspection of the notable guys’.

“Haru, over here!”

Makoto calls for a pa.s.s while running. However, Ikuya was sticking close to Makoto. Including the pa.s.ses that he made in the first half, since Ikuya’s marking him, most of them are blocked. Compared to Makoto, there’s a considerable height difference between them, but he was covering it with so much momentum that it can’t be felt.

It’d be okay to aim for a 3-point shot from here, but thinking that at long last Kisumi is standing in the front, he decided to slip past him. It’s a good opportunity to try out if the dribble he had used before to slip past Ikuya works against Kisumi.

Haruka speeds up at once––.

“Like I’d let you go!”

Asahi came cutting in all of a sudden. He was supposed to have been underneath the hoop until just now, yet he’s coming back already. He tries to dodge Asahi right away, but he can’t make it. As a last resort, he starts to do a drive by force, prepared for a foul.

“Uwah.”

“Ouch.”

Asahi and Kisumi came into contact. He tries to open up that gap, but without a moment’s delay, Ikuya came in to block. However––.

The bound pa.s.s that Haruka tossed behind his back crossing over to Makoto who had become free, it beautifully made a jump shot.

“Kisumi, it’s your fault!”

“It’s because Asahi cut in.”

Exiting the gym, the performance review meeting began. Makoto slips past Haruka who’s squinting his eyes from the sunlight.

“Haru, I’m going ahead. Because Music is next.”

He wonders why he says every little thing, but he’s gotten used to it.

“Oi, Haru. Don’t think you could slip past me with something like that.”

Reflecting Asahi’s displeasure, his spiky hair sharpens.

“Really, it’s a disgrace. Haru has no choice but to join the basketball club now.”

The sunlight glints off of Kisumi’s white teeth, the wind strokes his silky hair.

“He said he’s not joining. Right, Haru?”

He thinks he’d be okay with joining.

It’s not that he’s discovered a special meaning in basketball. However, there’s no meaning in swimming now, either. If he’s swimming meaninglessly, then it’s the same as playing basketball meaninglessly. It may still be better, if at least Makoto is there.

Speaking of which, Kisumi has invited him many times, but Makoto hasn’t ever invited him yet. He had only invited him to the swim club’s weight training once. It could possibly be because Makoto hasn’t made up his mind yet, either.

“Haru and Makoto––”

Kisumi says while walking next to him.

“I thought that you two might be like brothers, but maybe that’s not quite right, huh.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“You understand each other on a much deeper level, or rather, it’s like your hearts are connected––”

“We’re just childhood friends.”

He breaks off the arbitrary delusions in advance. He can’t stand weird ideal-like things being pushed onto him. He doesn’t understand anything about Makoto. Why he’s doing something like basketball. Why he’s doing something like weight training. Why he can be fine without swimming. Haruka didn’t understand any of it.

Makoto can get along well with anyone, wherever he goes. Naturally blending in before he knows it, he ends up attracting people. There’s no doubt about it, he’d surely do well whether it’s basketball or swimming. Even if Haruka’s not there……

He pa.s.ses by in front of the spiraea. The small white flowers in round cl.u.s.ters were swaying. Haruka thought that it was just like them. Each of them in a cl.u.s.ter of something, they’re blooming by trying to crowd together. They can’t live unless they cl.u.s.ter together while leaning on each other’s shoulders. They can’t do something like live while harboring their loneliness.

While wondering if he was such a weak being, Haruka gently averted his eyes from the spiraea swaying in the sunlight.

After tying Makkou outside of the entrance, he goes into the Swimming Club. It probably wouldn’t run away without being tied, but apparently he must. Nagisa said that that’s the responsibility of a pet owner. When he goes out to the pool after changing, Nagisa came to coil around him with a happy look on his face. He seems to be happy, but the innocence he had before was gone, it even seemed like it was tinged with sorrow.

“Hey, I’m going to swim in the 50m and 100m breast.”

It seems that the results of the previous tournament were taken into consideration.

“What about Haru-chan, and Mako-chan?”

“Makoto, probably won’t take part. If he intended to, he’d be training a little more.”

“……Yeah, that’s right. –– What about Haru-chan?”

After his expression sunk once, Nagisa asked with his smile returned. When he wonders if that smile will sink again, his chest hurt a little.

“I won’t enter, either.”

He uttered it without having prepared an answer for when he’s asked why. But Nagisa nodded, still directing a smile towards him.

“There are a lot of tournaments, huh. It must be hard to take part in all of them.”

Perhaps he had predicted it to an extent. It was predictable. Haru took several days off, using Makkou as a reason.

“I’ll go and cheer for you.”

“Really? Alright, I’ll try my best!”

Pulling the rubber of his goggles with a snap, Nagisa returned to the elementary school group. Averting his gaze from Nagisa’s retreating figure, when Haruka puts on his goggles, he dived into the pool like that.

He feels the water. They can mutually acknowledge each other. Accepting, and being accepted. However, it didn’t heal his heart. He was no longer being released from the unpleasant things and the ties.

What could Nagisa be wishing for from swimming?  Swimming fast, swimming enjoyably, winning…… Or, the same as Haruka, could it be feeling the water?

Suddenly, he remembers Rin. Like how Haruka is alone, like how Nagisa is alone, is Rin alone again, too? Among people who can’t even understand what he’s saying, what could he be thinking?

After thinking that far ahead, he stopped thinking about it. Alone or not, Rin has a clear goal. Apart from swimming fast, there shouldn’t be anything for him to think about now. He had departed with his dream urging him on. He can’t possibly have the spare time to think about unnecessary things.

Surely, Rin is only looking ahead. While feeling envious of such a Rin, Haruka let his body slip inside the water.

The day before Golden Week began, after Haruka spent a lively lunchtime with Kisumi and Asahi, he went to the pool. Wondering what kind of training Makoto was doing, he got interested in trying to take just a little peek.

However, not a single person was doing training on the poolside, there were only several people scooping the water’s surface with what looked like bug-catching nets.

“A potential applicant?”

When he turns around, the swim club’s captain, Natsuya was there before he knew it. Apparently having run today as well, he’s wiping his sweat while the thick chest of his jersey falls and rises.

“No, I’m not…… What are they doing?”

When Haruka points at the pool with his gaze, Natsuya showed a smile that burned into his eyes.

“It’s the biology club. The water will be drained from the pool after school today, they’re gathering specimens before that. Apparently there are euglenas, parameciums, daphnias and dragonfly larvae in it.”

Oh, he gets it now. No wonder they’re merry about it. From the biology club’s point of view, even the pool that’s like a swamp would be a gold mine of research material.

“What about the muscle training today?”

“We’re taking a day off from it today. –– You must be Nanase. From Iwatobi SC.”

It’s not particularly something to be surprised about. He remembers him, too. In the first tournament he swam at the end of his fifth year, Natsuya partic.i.p.ated, too. They were in different age groups, but he remembers watching him while thinking that his swimming is dynamic. He hasn’t seen him since that tournament. According to Asahi’s information, he ended up quitting the Swimming Club.

“I am.”

“Are you taking part in the next tournament?”

It’s the tournament at the end of Golden Week.

“No, I’m not.”

“If you’re not taking part in it, won’t you try joining the swim club? So far, there’s only one potential applicant among the first year boys. It’s OK to stay at the SC, too.”

Potential applicant…… Could it be Makoto? Attracted by the weight training, he might have decided to join the club. He had a feeling it would end up like that. The ‘land’ doesn’t suit Makoto. It can’t be that he can stand to not swim. It’s true for both Makoto and Haruka.

Suddenly, Nagisa crosses his mind. At the same time, Rin flitted through his mind. If he swims in the water where Makoto isn’t there, feeling loneliness again, he has a feeling that he’d be envious of Rin. He hated himself like that. He didn’t want to be someone who envied others. He always wants to be like himself. He wants to keep being stronger than anyone else. If it’s for the sake of that, he can even shake off Nagisa’s sunken expression. He can endure the pain in his chest, too. It’s for the sake of being like himself, being strong––.

“But I only swim free.”

“That’s just like you, huh. When you swim, you at least hear rumors. –– Fine. In exchange, I’ll have you enter in all the free events.”

Though Haruka didn’t grasp the meaning of that, he still nodded in a.s.sent. He didn’t want to undermine what he had decided just now for a trivial matter.

“Also, try to use honorific language when speaking to your senpais. I don’t mind if it’s only to the extent you can.”

“––Yes.”

While staring at the days that are starting anew, Haruka couldn’t help but feel something vividly boil deep in his chest.

He was told that the next day, which was the first day of Golden Week, the pool would be cleaned starting in the morning. They’re returning that pool which had turned into a swamp to its original form. It got him a little curious that Natsuya was wearing an oddly happy expression when he was talking about it. He couldn’t possibly be chuckling to himself because he was able to secure the work force for cleaning, could he……?

Finishing the walk he calls training that has already become a part of his daily routine, he leaves the house after taking a shower. Makoto wasn’t at the bottom of the stone steps. It’s not like they had promised. There was no solid evidence that he had been there, either. It’s just that he had thought that he’d be there, like usual.

It’s possible that he doesn’t know yet that Haruka joined the swim club. He might’ve gone ahead, or maybe he’s still taking it easy at home. At any rate, thinking that they’d meet later, Haruka started walking towards the school.

When he goes out to the pool after changing into his P.E. outfit which consisted of shorts and a short-sleeved shirt in the changing room, the cleaning had already begun. The water spouting out so high that he thought it was a fountain, the pool echoed with the lively voices of those running away from the water, and the laughter of those who watched them run. A rainbow is arcing in the sky above.

“Yo. So you came, Nanase.”

Natsuya’s smile was drenched in water. Somehow, it seems like he had joined in on the playing a bit. Nevertheless, ‘so you came’ was a fine thing to say. Perhaps he thought that he might not come.

“Ooi, everyone–”

Natsuya yells facing towards the pool, but because of the commotion, it seems they don’t hear him. They keep playing with the water. Sharply breathing in, Natsuya puffed up his thick chest.

“Gather round!”

Both the noisy voices and the rainbow in the sky disappeared as a voice that makes your ears hurt boomed. From inside the pool, and from the poolside as well, people come gathering one after the other. Aki was also among them. Maki and Yuki, who had been on the same team in elementary school, were also with her. With a seemingly surprised look, they’re pointing at Haruka.

After making sure that everyone had gathered up, Natsuya yells, putting his hands on his waist.

“Listen up, you all. The water’s drained but don’t be careless. The pool is the pool. You’ll get hurt if you screw around. Be serious!”

‘Even he……’. ‘He himself……’. ‘In the first place, he……’. The individual voices complaining reached Haruka’s ears, too. When he puts together the words that he hears in bits and pieces, it seems that Natsuya was having the most fun. 

“This is the first of our new faces for today.”

If he’s first, then perhaps there are other new faces. It seems that Aki and the girls aren’t new faces, since they’ve been partic.i.p.ating in practice for a while now. In that sense, Makoto isn’t supposed to be a new face either, but he can’t find that Makoto.

“Nanase, introduce yourself.”

“I’m Nanase.”

“Your first name, too.”

“……I’m Nanase Haruka.”

He says it in a small voice, looking to the side a little.

“Okay, cheers!”

After Natsuya’s shout, the applause erupted all at once. Aki and the girls’ smiles are blooming, too. He doesn’t know how many new faces there are today, but do they do something so bothersome every single time? Just imagining it makes him feel anxious.

“Saying this in advance, but Nanase only swims free.”

A small ripple noisily rises.

“He’s from Iwatobi SC, he has past results, too. I don’t know the reason, but it seems he only swims free at the SC, too. Well, it’s like that. Think of it as a fixation. However, I’ll have him enter as many free events as possible. I had him join on that condition.”

The questioning expressions spread evenly. Only Aki and the girls are smiling for him.

“Go on, you say something too, Nanase.”

Natsuya nudging him, he only takes a half step forward.

“Please treat me well.”

When he lowers his head after bluntly saying it, he heard a thin applause. He fully understands that he’s not really welcomed.

“That’s all, return to your posts!”

Noisily, they all disperse while talking. Aki returned to her post as well while waving her hand at Haruka.

“Nao!”

The called boy came, carrying a deck brush.

–– Serizawa Nao.

He’s that fair-skinned library committee president. It seems that Nao remembers him as well, he directed a friendly smile towards Haruka. Speaking of which, he gets the feeling that he smiled during the entire the library committee meeting. It’s not from familiarity, maybe his face is like that by nature.

“He’s Serizawa Nao, a third year. I mainly have him work as the manager. I also have him work as the trainer for the first year boys, so have him teach you all sorts of things.”

“Looking forward to it, Nanase-kun. We met during the library committee meeting, right?”

“Yes.”

Haruka curtly replied.

“Don’t rush, do it leisurely. Here, the brush.”

He’s not rushing anything in particular. Where was he looking to think that? While doubtfully staring at Nao’s smile, Haruka accepted the deck brush. Wondering if he has to clean with that, he looks at the inside of the pool. Several people were scrubbing the wall and floor while covering it in detergent. It’s already turning into a sea of bubbles.

“It’s your first time cleaning a pool, right?”

“Yes.”

He replies after Nao asks him.

“Moss and algae are fairly stubborn, right? If you just scrub, the roots remain, so you scrub after putting algicide on it. Then you leave it like that for a while, and scrub again. Afterwards, when you’ve used a shoe-washing brush and dust cloth to polish off the small places, you flush water on it and we all check. Then, you thoroughly wash off what’s left, and we’re done after rinsing it off again. It’s like that, so it’ll take until today evening to finish.”

Oh, he gets it now. He understood what ‘don’t rush, do it leisurely’ means. He just has one question.

“What’ll we–– What are we going to do about lunch?”

“Huh? Didn’t you bring a bento?”

“……No.”

“Natsuya!”

“Ah, sorry, forgot about that. I’ll give you half of mine.”

“It’s fine. I will get Makoto’s.”

Natsuya and Nao look at each other.

“By Makoto, you mean Tachibana Makoto?”

Natsuya asked.

“It looks like he’s not–– he is not here yet.”

“The trial member period ended yesterday. Only the people who actually joined are here today.”

He doesn’t follow. It’s almost as if Makoto didn’t join––.

“–– Did he say he’s joining?”

It seems that Natsuya has also noticed that something’s out of place in the conversation.

“No, he did not.”

“Nao, call him and make sure!”

“Sorry. I haven’t asked for his number.”

“What are you doing? I told you to properly secure the work force, didn’t I?”

Natsuya and Nao look at Haruka.

“Aah, I know it.”

“Good. Call him right away. Let’s go, Nanase, Nao!”

When Natsuya ran off, someone came out from the changing room.

“Chiiissu.”

It’s Asahi. In a swimsuit, neatly wearing the cap, too. He doesn’t know what sort of appeal it has, but he’s even put on the goggles. It seems that the first year potential applicant boy was Asahi.

“I– will be in your care from today! I’m Shina Asahi-ssu. Nice to meet you!”

He went ahead and started his self-introduction, but it’s out of the question for them to bother with that. Natsuya and Nao slipping past Asahi, Haruka hands him the deck brush as they pa.s.s by each other.

They wouldn’t be rushing if they just want him to join. If it’s to make sure, then it should’ve been fine to do so tomorrow. In other words, they just want to secure the cleaning personnel as work force. While thinking that in that case, that’s what yesterday’s invitation was for after all, Haruka kept running after Natsuya.

“Jeez, Haru. Haa, haa. If you’re joining the swim club, haa, then tell me, okay?”

It was after the sun had climbed quite high that Makoto breathlessly arrived. Haruka replies to Makoto while cleaning the pool’s floor with the deck brush.

“It’s because of doing confusing things like muscle training.”

“So, what was it, that phone call. ‘I joined the swim club, so make two bentos, please.’ It made no sense at all. Then, after that, Nao-senpai and the captain……. I was panicking, you know. Really.”

Makoto wipes the sweat off his forehead with his hand. It seems like his breathing had finally calmed down. As if he had been waiting for the right timing, Nao calls Makoto.

“Tachibana!”

“Yes?”

When Makoto goes over to Natsuya, starting a gathering right away, he was introduced as a new face.

“He’s big, but he’s a first year. Hahaha.”

While lightly slapping Makoto on the back, Natsuya laughs. He heard voices from here and there saying ‘we know’, ‘we know’. They’re already on familiar terms with him from when he came to experience the club.

“Please treat me well!”

Makoto lowering his head and receiving applause, the farce came to an end with that.

Aki waves her hand to Makoto and Makoto waves back. Yuki and Maki, who were at the Swimming Club, are waving their hands, too. Nii Satomi was among Aki and the girls. It seems she joined today. Apparently, she came while they were making the phone call and Natsuya introduced her right away as a new face after they returned. Completely unreserved, she’s delightfully talking to Aki and the girls. However––.

Satomi was supposed to be Kirishima Ikuya’s friend. He’s heard from Makoto and Aki that Ikuya doesn’t think too highly of the swim club. And yet, why did she join? Ikuya’s eyes as he slipped past Haruka at the school gate are still burned into his retinas. Those piercing eyes shining darkly……

Taking a deck brush into his hands, Makoto came down to the bottom of the pool.

“If Haru was going to do club activities, then I intended on doing them together, you know. I have a hard time if you don’t tell me properly. Really.”

“What’ll you do about basketball club?”

There’s supposed to be practice in the afternoon today. If he were to partic.i.p.ate in that practice, it means he joins.

“Ah, I met the advisor just now, so I told him that I’m joining the swim club.”

The basketball’s advisor is also the P.E. teacher. But, all things considered, it’s frivolous. That frivolity will surely hurt someone one day. It’s possible that right around now, Kisumi might be bearing a deep wound. When he thinks of that, he pitied Kisumi a little.

“Shiina-kun joined too, huh.”

Asahi was single-mindedly absorbed in the work, his back turned to them and facing the corner. Wearing his swimsuit, and firmly wearing even the goggles.

He should leave him alone, but Makoto approaches Asahi. Since it can’t be helped, Haruka follows after Makoto.

“Hey, Shiina-kun.”

Asahi turns around. Even though he’s wearing goggles, he can tell that he’s sulking. As evidence, he doesn’t even give a reply.

“This guy’s okay with being called ‘Asahi’.”

It’s not like he asked, but everyone calls him ‘Asahi’. Most likely, it’s Kisumi’s influence.

“Then, Asahi-kun. Let’s work hard together, okay?”

Curling his pouty lips, Asahi murmurs.

“Why did Haru join? After how much I told him that club activities are just playing.”

“Wouldn’t have joined if I knew Asahi did. Actually, why’d you join the club activities that are playing?”

“Shaddup.”

At a disadvantage, Asahi went back to work again. Then, when Haruka and Makoto were about to start working, Asahi mumbled to no one in particular while scrubbing the floor.

“About the tournament, what’re you doing?”

In these cases, Makoto is the one to reply.

“This time, we didn’t enter the tournament.”

“Are you quitting Iwatobi SC?”

He keeps scrubbing with the brush while saying it.

“We’re not quitting, but I guess we’re focusing on club activities for the time being. What about Asahi-kun? You’re at Bandou SC, right? You were in the medley relay in the previous tournament, huh?”

Asahi’s back twitching, the brush stops moving.

“……You remember?”

“Because you were in the lane next to ours.”

When Asahi raises his head and looked hard at Makoto, a voice suddenly called Haruka.

“Na-na-se-kun!”

When Haruka turns around, he was sprayed with water out of the blue. Unable to even react to something so overwhelming, he ended up getting hit with it right in the face. It’s a complete surprise attack. When he looks, Yuki and Maki were holding the hose and laughing. What a great welcome this is. Behind Haruka, Makoto and Asahi got mixed up into it.

“Hey, you first years over there! No playing!”

While being scolded by Nao, Haruka oddly accepted that Asahi did the right thing by wearing his swimsuit.