High Speed!

" h i g h s p e e d ! " c h a p t e r 1 s u m m a r y - s w i m

Gonna be summarizing the individual chapters as I go! These

summaries will contain some direct translations (mostly

dialogue, since that’s dead easy and great for characterization)

but mostly be an overview. We (September Scans) may go back

and translate them properly later on, but of course anyone else

is free to translate as well. We’re busy right now, so it might be

some time before we get to it.

Now, without further ado…!

Chapter 1 opens in the pool (specifically, the opening scene of

the anime, down to the very same lines), except unlike the

anime, it’s only Haruka and Makoto present. Haruka finishes a

1000-m run, and Makoto extends a hand to help him out of the

water.

They’re 6th graders, in their final year of elementary school,

and have been best friends since childhood. Makoto has a bad

habit of tacking -chan onto Haruka’s name, which Haruka finds

most distasteful, and even when he remembers not to do so, he

still can’t help injecting ‘Haru’ at the end of every sentence

when they converse, equally irritating to Haruka.

Haruka: "I keep telling you—you don’t have to say my name at

the end of every sentence; plus, you really need to call me by

my family name."

Makoto: “But you’ve always called me ‘Makoto’. Would you

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rather I call you ‘Haruka’ instead, then?"

Haruka: “Do it, and I’m never speaking to you again."

Makoto: “Then ‘Haru’ it is!"

It’s just after New Year’s when Matsuoka Rin transfers to their

school. “I’m Matsuoka Rin! I’ve come here from Sano Elementary

School. I realize my name sounds like a g irl’s, but please rest

assured I am a boy! It’s nice to meet you all." January is an odd

time of year for a new transfer student to arrive, and the entire

class is kind of dumbfounded by his introduction, but Makoto

stands up and greets him with, “Matsuoka -kun" and a smile.

Rin had known that Makoto and Haruka went to this school, but

had not expected them to be in the same class. “Tachibana… -

kun. So we’re in the same class?"

Makoto: “Yup, that’s right. And Haru -cha—erm, Haru’s here,

too." He jerks his head to indicate Haruka sitting at the desk

beside him.

The other students are curious now as to how the trio knows

each other, and during break time, Rin is surrounded by his

new classmates who want to know everything about him. He’s

eager to make a good first impression and flashes a smile as

he congenially answers their inquiries, but at length he grows

tired of the attention.

Just after lunch break, Rin prepares himself for another round

of “attacks", but a hand clamps down on his shoulder from

behind—and Rin doesn’t even need to turn around to know it’s

Haruka, able to sense the strong energy flowing from the

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connection. There’s no one else in the class who could make

him feel this way.

"Come with me for a bit." Haruka leaves him with these words

and strides off alone. Rin stands, but he’s thrown off by

Haruka’s pushiness and has to take a breath before following.

He pauses for a few moments, staring at Haruka’s back, unsure

of how to hold himself in Haruka’s presence—he wants to be

cocky and strong and confident, but it’s not how he should

behave as a transfer student on his first day.

"What’re you doing? You’re gonna get left behind!" Makoto

gives him a push from behind, and Rin gathers himself quickly

to follow. When he glances around, he realizes that the entire

class is watching the three of them interact with curious gazes.

Haruka draws to a stop between the school building and the

pool, under a large sakura tree—Makoto comments that during

the spring, when the tree is in bloom, the flower petals pepper

the water’s surface.

Rin: “Wow…I’d love to swim in a pool of sakura petals!"

Makoto: “The water’s far too cold then, though! It’s best to wait

until summer."

Haruka: "…Then, you intend to still be here next year?"

Rin is a bit shaken by Haruka’s words and tries to laugh them

off, “What, trying to bully the transfer student into dropping

out on his first day?" He reassures the pair that he didn’t

transfer there just for them, that it was really just a

coincidence when his family moved. “I never expected to be in

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the same class as Tachibana and Nanase! Coincidences are

scary things~"

——————-

It’s March, of the previous year.

RIn: “Wow, you’re fast! Are you seriously an elementary school

student?"

Both Makoto and Haruka had run into Rin before at municipal

tournaments—Haruka had taken top in the 100-m freestyle race

and Makoto top in the 100-m breaststroke, but the 50-m races

in both styles had been taken by Sano SC, Rin’s swimclub—

specifically, by Rin himself.

The first time they’d interacted with Rin had been after Haruka

had overtaken him in the last 30 meters of the 100-m freestyle,

where Rin had lain splayed out on his back on the concrete in

defeat.

Haruka: "…Who the hell is that?"

Makoto: “Matsuoka-kun, of Sano SC."

Haruka had never heard the name before, and didn’t care one

way or the other now that he knew it—but he wanted to be sure

he remembered the name of this boy who was ticking him off,

splayed out flat on his back and breathing harshly, goggles

still on his head. Maybe he’s crying , he had thought at the time,

but quickly turned his back on the boy.

Rin had approached them just before the awards ceremony, a

bit self-deprecating as he had admitted he probably needed to

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work on his stamina. Haruka had warned him that he needed to

do more than simply work on his stamina.

They’re rushed off to the ceremony, with Rin vowing good -

naturedly to win when next they met, and after that, the trio

could be seen together at every tournament they entered.

——————-

The wind whips up, and Makoto suggests that the three return

inside. Haruka reflects that he didn’t bring Rin out here just to

show him the sakura tree—and he still isn’t sure if Rin

transferring here really was a coincidence or not. Regardless,

his presence here is going to affect both he and Makoto in

some manner, and it probably won’t be enjoyable. He doesn’t

want to get involved in anything, so he’d thought to call Rin

out here and nip any issues in the bud—but the harder he tries

to do so, the deeper he becomes involved, he’s realizing.

He tears his gaze away from watching Rin dart back into the

school building and turns it back now to watching the sakura

tree weave in the wind.

[END CHAPTER 1]

" h i g h s p e e d ! " c h a p t e r 2 s u m m a r y - w a t e r

High Speed!

Here’s the summary for chapter 2, quite a bit longer (and a hell

of a lotweirder) than chapter 1!

Haruka’s house is located near the Misagozaki Shrine—halfway

up the stone steps, you take a left at the first torii gate by the

handwashing basin. This location means that any time Haruka

wants to go somewhere, he must either ascend or descend

these great stone steps of the shrine. There are other routes,

of course, but due to the almost maze-like layout of his

neighborhood, it’s faster just to take these steps.

His bicycle is parked at the base of the steps; every day after

school, he comes home just long enough to pack a bag, then

hopes on his bike and makes for the swimming club. Once at

the base of the steps, he pauses and glances up at Makoto’s

house, situated just opposite of the stone steps.

It’s usually at this point that he meets up with Makoto’s

smiling face, but today it seems Makoto is running late.

They’ve never made any particular plans to always commute to

the club together, so Haruka isn’t obliged to wait. After all,

Makoto has younger siblings in preschool he has to watch after,

which can take extra time on occasion, so Haruka jumps back

onto his bike and pedals away. Makoto might catch up on the

way there, and even if he doesn’t, they’ll still see each other at

the club. It’s better for the both of them if Haru just heads on

alone rather than waiting impatiently, growing irritated.

It’s a 10-minute ride to the swimming club; on the way there, he

passes over the Mutsuki Bridge spanning the Shiwagawa River,

just beyond which lies the Iwatobi Swimming Club. But as he’s

riding over the bridge, he spots a fellow swimming club

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member, a girl named Yazaki Aki standing on the bridge,

looking rather despondent. He draws to a stop and notices

she’s staring down at the water below.

On closer inspection, it’s clear she’s in trouble, and he

considers trying to pretend he didn’t see anything—or perhaps

he ought to call out to her? He glances around, but Makoto

hasn’t caught up yet, and as he’s chiding himself for leaving

Makoto behind and now getting involved in something boring,

Aki notices him and calls out.

He asks what’s wrong, and she explains that her muffler has

fallen into the river. Haruka glances down and can indeed see

that it’s been caught in the current, far from where it can be

reached. “That sucks. Guess you’ll have to give up on it." As he

says these words, he reflects silently that he sounds a bit cold,

but it’s the truth. He bids her farewell and heads on ahead,

leaving Aki and her un-Aki-like expression behind.

When Makoto finally arrives in the changing room of the club,

Haruka’s already adjusting his goggles, and he explains his

tardiness, chalking it up to having to clean out the goldfish

bowl. Haruka silently chides You could always do that

afterward.

In the corner of his mind, the thought of Aki pops up, and he

realizes Makoto would have had to have seen her crossing the

bridge when he came if she’d still been there. “Hey, earlier on

the bridge…" he starts, but Makoto doesn’t seem to know what

he’s referring to, and Haruka waves him off.

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But then—“That reminds me, I ran into Zaki -chan on the bridge

on the way here! She seemed kinda down…" Haruka explains

that it was because she’d dropped her muffler. “Ah," Makoto

agrees. “Yeah, the wind’s really powerful up on that bridge."

Haruka had said she’d dropped it , not that it had been blown

away—and it’s here he realizes that Makoto had known all

along, merely pretending not to know. Perhaps he’d heard from

Aki about Haruka’s cold demeanor and was intending on

scolding him for it. Either way, it sounded awfully dull.

He heads out to the pool area, loath to continue this

conversation any further.

—————

“I’m Matsuoka Rin! I’ve come here from Sano Elementary School.

I realize my name sounds like a girl’s, but please rest assured I

am a boy! It’s nice to meet you all."

Haruka had seen this coming, so there was no reason to be

shocked. After all, this is the only swimming club in the area.

Rin can do whatever he pleases—Haruka doesn’t plan on having

anything further to do with him.

Rin is tickled pink, though, continuing to express his awe of

coincidences—but Haruka has no intention of playing along and

abandons Makoto for the pool, diving in and relishing the

sensation of sliding his body through the water. He accepts the

water, and the water in turn accepts him—two beings who

acknowledge each other’s existence.

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In the water, he’s freed from all annoyances. He doesn’t have to

deal with Rin, or Aki, or her muffler, or the wind. It’s not as if

he can forget it all, but at the very least, for but a moment, he’s

freed from having to deal with any of it.

He completes a 1000-m crawl and raises his head as he draws

to the poolside, finding Makoto with one hand stretched out to

him. “Good run." He doesn’t feel like he’s run at all, though—

he’s not out of breath in the least, not compared to Makoto.

Makoto never lets the water slide around him when he swims,

though, for some reason—and Haruka has never asked him why,

nor thought to ask.

When he inquires as to where “that guy" is, Makoto informs him

that Rin is swimming, of course, and in the farthest lane at the

edge, Rin can be seen lazily stroking through the water, getting

a feel for the water. On confirming this, Haruka sets off, asking

Makoto to come time him on the short course.

He doesn’t care about his time, of course. He never has, but he

wants to be as far away from Rin as possible. He doesn’t want

to get involved in anything annoying, and doesn’t want Makoto

associating with Rin either. If he does, Haruka will wind up

getting roped in as well eventually, and that’s just not

happening.

—————

Rin finishes his 1000-m run at a gentle crawl, and looks up to

find a boy staring him down curiously. "…Are you Nanase -kun’s

friend, Matsuoka-kun?"

Rin replies, “Not so much friends as…rivals, I guess?"

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"What’s a ‘rival’? Actin’ really important and stuff?"

"It means we challenge each other." He tears his gaze from the

boy and lifts himself up from the pool; too long being stared at

makes him feel like he’s being seen through.

"So who’s faster, you or Nanase -kun?"

"Me at 50 m, him at 100."

"Why’s that?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why are you faster at 50 but slower at 100? Ooh—can you only

swim 50 m? Do you not know how to breathe properly? Want

me to teach you?"

"I’m fine! I can swim 100 m just fine, thank you! And I know

how to breathe!" He lifts his goggles and sets off in search of

Haruka and Makoto.

"So what’re you best at, Matsuoka-kun?"

"Everything."

"Everything? Even the Butterfly?"

"Butterfly, Backstroke, Freestyle, Breaststroke. And my doggy-

paddle’s pretty good too." He can’t seem to find Haruka or

Makoto, it’s like they’ve disappeared.

The boy introduces himself now as 5th-year Hazuki Nagisa,

begging Rin to watch him swim the Butterfly and offer critique.

Rin doesn’t even wait for him to get in the water before giving

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him a dressing down on everything he ’s doing wrong. Nagisa is

heartbroken at being critiqued so harshly, nearly in tears as he

begs Rin to watch him properly. Flustered, Rin gives in—he

can’t have the guy bawling on him—and Nagisa brightens into a

smile, diving in and asking him to watch.

His “Butterfly" is more like a “Grasshopper", though, and Rin

gets the distinct feeling of foreboding that this guy is going to

take a lot of work.

He ends their critique as soon as possible and urges Nagisa to

follow him, promising to show him “something good", and

Nagisa doesn’t need to be told twice, eyes shining with

curiosity as he follows Rin.

Rin reminds Nagisa of his earlier question as to who’s faster,

him or Nanase—and offers to let him see for himself. He draws

up to Makoto, who’s timing Haruka, and asks where he is in his

run—just at the 50 m turn. Rin quickly slips on his goggles,

snaps the band, and dives into the lane next to Haruka’s,

quickly catching up and silently urging the boy into a race. No

more lazy laps—come and get me!

By 20 m, they’re neck-and-neck, both taking the turn

simultaneously, and Rin stretches, reaching out and starting

his stroke after a dolphin kick; he can feel Haruka’s fingertips

at his hips.

Haruka’s stroke changes in the final 15 m—he hasn’t

quickened his pace, he hasn ’t put more power into his

stroke…but Rin still knows, all the same. He can still feel it—

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like a ball of energy building up, an overwhelming

presence.There it is! Come on come on come on COME ON.

Haruka biting into his shoulder, ripping off his head

—He’s going to overtake me, going to pass me—no, I WON’T

LET HIM.

Their heads align, they touch the wall—“Who won?!"

Both Nagisa and Makoto point straight to Haruka…who, not out

of breath in the least, calmly lifts himself out of the water onto

the poolside.

"So how fast was his time, then?" But before anyone can

confirm, Haruka snatches up the stopwatch and erases the

record.

Nagisa is over the moon with glee at the show, but Rin just lets

himself sink back down into the water. Man…he’s so damn

fast… he whispers into the water, unable to tamp down the

sheer excitement bubbling up within him.

—————

As Haruka exits the changing room, he reflects on the race he

just ran—he had recognized the body in the water next to him

as Rin’s immediately. Having raced together in tournaments

before, he can recognize Rin by the sensation of the ripples in

the water—plus, Rin’s the only person in the club who would

challenge him to a race like that.

But the moment he’d recognized it was Rin next to him,

something had bubbled up within him—on realizing there was

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someone here before him who had a greater grasp of the

water, a closer connection to it than he, his whole body had

heated up, something burning through his whole being. He

hadn’t even tried to tamp it down.

He hates this feeling that Rin rouses within him, stirring up his

cool, calm emotions, and chides himself for being so easily

goaded by the boy. He leaves the pool area and heads into the

break room, where along the wall are hung pictures from

generations of club members, taken at the end of every March.

There are two featuring Haruka, standing blithely at the far end.

He glances over at the oldest now, though—one from 23 years

prior and featuring far fewer members than there are now. The

boys in the middle have a trophy held in their hands and are

smiling, each sporting medals for the “18th annual" something.

When he steps outside, the wind is still fierce. Makoto catches

up from behind, commenting the same—he always seems to

feel the need to put into words whatever he’s thinking; it’s kind

of annoying.

"Whoo, that was a great swim!" Rin announces as he exits the

building—then starts to walk in the opposite direction of

Makoto and Haruka, who are headed for the parking area to get

their bikes. When Makoto points this out, Rin replies that he

didn’t come by bike. Makoto offers him a ride, and Haruka

silently chides him, urging him not to do unnecessary things,

but Rin declines again, opting to walk, as it’s not too far to his

place.

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The pair find their bikes and set off for the bridge—and Haruka

spares an unconscious glance down at the river, but the

muffler is gone. They pass Rin, who’s jogging ahead of them,

just before crossing the bridge; Haruka reflects that he

probably runs after their time at the swim club every day, and

this pisses him off for some reason, so he jerks his gaze away

from Rin and puts a bit more power into his pedaling.

As they leave Rin behind, Makoto calls out to him, asking how

far it is to Rin’s house. “Just over three kilometers!" is the

reply they receive, ripped away in the wind.

—————

Haruka always goes to school alone in the morning, as Makoto

has to see his younger siblings off to their bus stop. He hates

this wide road leading up to the school, bounded on either side

by poplar trees that bend and sway in the wind. In the winter,

everyone lines up in one long line to travel down it, and when

he thinks about himself being stuck in that line, it becomes

unbearable.

He hates it, because it makes him remember a similar sight

from years before—an old memory, but still fresh in his mind.

An icy wind had been blowing back then as well.

There had been several dozen—maybe 50 or so—people all

dressed in white, smacking their canes along the street,

sending the sound echoing about the bay.

They had all had their heads down, silently walking along, old

and young alike, and before he could catch himself, Haruka had

found himself chasing after one of the children, reaching out

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and grabbing the hand of a young girl, herself clad in white

and staring down at the ground like the adults around her. He’d

tightened his hand around hers, thinking she was crying, but

when the girl had turned to glance at him, their eyes met—and

she’d fiercely wiped away the tears from her eyes, glaring

daggers at Haruka.

"Haru-chan…where are they going?" Makoto had asked, hiding

behind Haruka.

"Dunno."

"Then, what are they doing?" As if Haruka had any remote

clue—he had turned to look at Makoto, who had his f ists

clenched tight in worry at Haruka’s sleeve, his grip tightening

when a sobbing moan had risen up from somewhere in the

group.

"…Are you scared, Makoto?"

"I’m not sure… What about you?"

Haruka hadn’t been scared—but a strange, unfamiliar

discomfort was throbbing in his chest. He hadn’t known what

this procession meant, but he’d known it was something that

frightened Makoto, and pulling away from Makoto’s grip, he’d

run as far away as he could.

"Good morning, Nanase-kun," Aki greets him, and he wonders

for a moment what his expression looks like, pulled out of

memory like this, but he quickly schools his features. She

apologizes for worrying him the previous day on the bridge,

and Haruka silently reflects that he hadn’t been worried at all,

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really; Aki’s troubled features had simply taken root in a small

corner of his mind.

"So what happened with the muffler?" As soon as he asks, he

regrets the question; it’s pretty obvious that nothing could

have been done. But Aki doesn’t seem as depressed as she had

been the previous day, confirming that it had sunk into the

river after Haruka had left, so she’d given up on it. If it hadn’t

sunk, had just floated along instead, she probably would have

kept watching it forever.

"What’s wrong, Nanase-kun? You’re flushed." She peeks close at

his face, and when their eyes lock, Haruka slides his gaze off to

the side. She brings a hand to his forehead to check for a fever,

and Haruka reflexively slaps her hand away. Time freezes for

an instant as they stare, each shocked at what has just

happened, and Haruka quickly mutters a stilted apology.

If he didn’t want to be touched, he should have moved himself

away or blocked her hand—there was no reason to hit her, but

she doesn’t seem too put off, apologizing as well, and they

continue on to the school building in silence, the chilled wind

bearing down upon them and the poplar trees at their sides.

The theme for homeroom is “Graduation Memorial Project"—

where each class puts forth an idea for a project to leave

behind after they graduate elementary schools. Aki suggests

that they build up a flower bed around the large sakura tree

near the pool, stating that it seems really lonely on its own.

While he makes no objection, Haruka senses some kind of

resistance to this idea—the sakura tree is tall, taller than the

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others around it, and grand and majestic, it should be imbued

with an air of calm composure; he doesn’t want to

even imagine its beauty marred by a bunch of insignificant

little buds all around it.

Makoto supports the flower bed idea as well, but giving in to

majority rule isn’t always fair, so everyone is given equal

opportunity to voice their vote. Haruka knows that it would be

best if he could just make his opinions clearly known, like

Makoto and Aki, but he cannot bring himself to force his

feelings on others.

In the end, the overwhelming majority support Aki’s flowerbed

idea.

—————

"Are you okay, Haru?" Makoto asks after homeroom, worried.

“Your face is really red. Do you have a fever?"

Haruka brings his hand to his neck after being asked the same

thing as Aki, and it feels a bit warm. “No, I’m fine." It’s nothing

for others to concern themselves with, and Haruka can’t stand

Makoto’s overly attentive stare in the face of someone ill—but

Rin saves him the irritation with his appearnce.

"Never would’ve pegged you for a romantic with a thing for

flowers, Tachibana!" he teases, arms crossed over his chest.

"I could say the same for you, Matsuoka-kun! Seriously, putting

a satellite into orbit? Sounds a lot more romantic than my own

idea."

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"It’s not putting one into orbit—it’s writing messages and then

having thosebe put into orbit on a satellite. Stuff about our

dreams and friends and all, you know?"

"…Yup, definitely romantic."

"Well, whatever. I have to say I was kind of shocked that

Nanase supported the idea, though. Kind of a thrill!"

Both of their voices grate on Haruka’s ears, but it’s too much

trouble to even yell at them for being annoying. ‘Crap…I don’t

think this is good…’

Rin now notices Haruka’s state—and Haruka wishes he hadn’t,

as Rin inquires as to his health. Makoto answers that he

suspects Haruka has a fever, peering down into Haruka’s face.

He snaps at them that he doesn’t have a fever, too irritated to

explain himself, and his outburst calls the rest of the room’s

attention, an awkward silence following. He apologizes again,

just as he had to Aki, then stands and heads out the door.

He just wants to get away from everything, even for a short

while.

—————

Haruka prepares to jump on his bike at the base of the stone

steps—but pauses.

‘…I’ll bet he’ll be running to the club again today…’

Thoughts of Rin occupy a small corner of his mind. It’s about

2 km to the club—a far shorter distance than that which Rin

runs. Haruka has never done much land-based training, has

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never been all that interested in building up his body.

Swimming is simply about feeling the water to Haruka; he’s

never swum with the ultimate goal of winning against anyone,

which is why he’s never worried about his time or training.

But now…there is someone faster than him at his side,

someone able to feelthe water to a greater degree than Haruka,

leaving a sensation of something in his chest. He doesn’t know

what Rin feels in the water, but the boy is faster than him at

50 m, and still leading him for 70 of the 100 m races.

And Rin is running today. That’s all the reason Haruka needs.

He knows he has a fever—but he’s always been able to swim it

off before; being in the water heals him, and he assumes that

today will be no different.

But if he goes…he’ll have to face Rin. He’ll have to see Rin

running—and if he goes by bike, passing Rin up, he’ll have to

deal with the frustration of knowing he chose not to run.

He glances up at Makoto’s house—no Makoto today—and

leaving his bike where it is, he starts running.

—————

The wind on the bridge is strong again today, and his breath

comes out in white puffs of fog in the freezing air, but he

keeps running forward. He’s sweating—it’s been a while since

he’s run this far, and despite the lack of hills or steps or such,

his heart still pounds in his chest and his breathing is labored.

Makoto still hasn’t caught up yet; maybe he’s busy with the

goldfish again. Haruka couldn’t really care less.

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But just as he’s nearly over the bridge, Haruka realizes he’s not

going to make it to the swimming club, and he stalls in place,

leaning over to place his hands on his knees as his shoulders

shake with heavy breaths. Sweat pours down his face, and he

wants to flop down on his back—like Rin had done that first

day they met.

‘Dammit… What am I doing slacking off like this?’

He tries to snap some sense into himself, but his chest pains

him, and his legs refuse to move. He couldn’t stand it if Rin or

Makoto saw him like this—he hates being worried over, being

fawned over; he’d rather just disappear than deal with that, and

frantically tries to calm his breathing.

At length, he finally succeeds—and something white in the

water below catches his eye, just a bit into the stream of water,

easily reachable by hand from the bank. It’s Aki’s muffler—and

it’s stuck in a place Haruka could easily reach it if he felt

inclined to try.

At the squeal of brakes, he turns to see Aki worriedly watching

him from her bike. "…What’s wrong, Nanase -kun?"

He stretches up tall, steeling himself, and prepares to tell

her nothing and set off at a run again, but he can’t speak—if

he does, he’s worried his ragged breathing will become

apparent.

"Ah…!" She’s followed his line of sight and seen her muffler,

and Haruka curses to himself , taking a breath and finally

deeming himself calm enough to speak.

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"I’ll get it for you."

"Oh—no, don’t worry. It’s too dangerous."

He can’t be seen being weak here, and tells himself he was just

pausing because he happened to catch sight of Aki’s muffler.

He heads down onto the riverbank but is suddenly overcome by

a wave of dizziness, his vision going black, and where there

should be solid ground beneath his feet—there is only air as he

tumbles down the embankment. All he can hear now is Aki’s

shrill scream…and the sound of the wind ripping through the

bare poplar trees.

The chill of the water soaks into him, and he realizes here he’s

fallen into the river, his senses slowly returning. Half of his

body is in the water now, with one hand clutching tight to the

riverbank grass while the other…grips a now -brown muffler.

‘Crap… What the hell am I doing?’ this is his last coherent

thought; the water doesn’t heal Haruka’s body and soul this

time, merely saps his strength and ceases all conscious

function.

Somewhere far away, between dream and reality, he can hear

Makoto calling out to him and the sound of an ambulance

siren—and then he slips into a deep sleep

—————

He wakes up thanks to a pounding headache, and Makoto

greets him with, “Are you awake now, Haru?" He doesn’t find it

annoying now; he doesn’t feel like fighting against being cared

for. Makoto’s is the same as always, flowing around him

High Speed!

naturally. He tries to focus, but it’s no use, and his head still

hurts, his body heavy and he opens his mouth in an effort to

reassure Makoto he’s fine, but what comes out is, “Where am

I?"

"The hospital."

"Hospital?"

"Are you okay, Haru? Your mom’ll be here soon—they called her

earlier." He’s finally able to bring Makoto’s face into focus—and

realizes they aren’t alone, as Rin stands silently back along the

far wall, an uncharacteristically serious expression on his face.

He spots something white dangling from a hanger on the wall—

the muffler!—and it all comes back to him. He tries to sit up,

but Makoto is having none of it, urging him to lie back; “Your

fever was over 40 degrees!"

Haruka asks after Aki; he desperately wants to know what

happened, and she’d been watching the whole time, so she

would know. Makoto explains that she went home, and is

probably very worried.

"…What happened to me?"

"Matsuoka-kun and I heard Zaki-chan screaming just as we

crossed the bridge—and when we went to check on her, you’d

fallen into the river." The pair had then dragged him back onto

the shore while Aki had called an ambulance, with Makoto and

Rin piling into the ambulance with him while Aki notified the

club.

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It’s everything Haruka had wanted to ask, and Makoto explains

further that Haruka had had influenza—which only irritates

Haruka, frustrated that something so seemingly

inconsequential has put him in this position now. Makoto

leaves to go call a doctor, leaving Haruka and Rin alone

together in the quiet hospital room, only the sound of the air

conditioner and Haruka’s labored breathing piercing the silence.

It’s only now that Haruka realizes his difficulty in breathing.

He turns to glance at Rin, who stands silent, his gaze shunted

off to the side.

"…Thanks, Matsuoka." He’s amazed himself at how easily the

words come, but Rin only nods shortly, not bothering to face

Haruka properly. They stay like this in silence until Makoto

returns, the air conditioner and Haruka’s breathing the only

sounds breaking the quiet.

—————

The cold wind breezes past them outside, and Rin trudges

silently after Makoto, hands stuffed in the pocket of his jacket.

His feet feel heavy, and it’s hard to breathe.

"…Tachibana." It feels like it’s been a long time since he

spoke—and indeed, it’s at least the first time since leaving the

hospital.

"What is it, Matsuoka-kun?"

"I…"

"Hm?"

High Speed!

Rin falls silent, and Makoto patiently waits for him to gather

his words, continuing to plod forward without stopping, slowly,

as if waiting for Rin to catch up.

"I was…really scared." His emotions are without artifice—and

his feelings of fear still linger even now. He’d always thought

his lungs would continue to take in air, his heart continue to

beat without even being conscious of it—but right now, he

feels like if he doesn’t consciously take deep breaths,

everything will just stop. “So scared…I didn’t know what to

do."

Makoto turns to face him, a smile on his features, then starts

walking backward, facing Rin as he moves his body forward.

“It’s all right—it was just the flu. It didn’t develop into

pneumonia, so he’ll get better soon." What had happened to

Haruka had been terrible—and Makoto had truly panicked when

he’d seen Haruka topple into the river.

But this isn’t what has Rin scared: “No—I’m not talking about

Nanase. I’m talking about you, Tachibana."

"Huh…?" Makoto’s feet stop, and he takes Rin’s stare full on,

his smile not faltering.

"When you pulled Nanase out of the river…you were trembling."

"…Was I? I was kind of in a frenzy—so I don’t really remember."

He starts walking forward again properly, and Rin stares at his

back—recalling that Makoto had indeed been trembling. He’d

done well with giving Aki her orders calmly, but he’d been

shaking the whole time. His hands, his feet—even his face. Not

because of the cold, but because he was scared of something.

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Even after piling into the ambulance, he’d held on tight to

Haruka’s sleeve for dear life, trembling as he’d called out for

Haruka over and over and over.

Rin…had never see anyone so frightened before, and that

image has burrowed down into his chest, keeping his body

from responding as it should.

Rin says nothing more, simply following behind Makoto—if he

doesn’t remember, then he doesn’t remember, and if he doesn’t

want to talk about it, then Rin doesn’t want to force the

discussion.

They remain silent even waiting for their bus, not even

glancing at each other. Rin pushes the button to get off two

stops before Makoto, offering a, “Bye…" as he takes his leave—

glancing at Makoto’s face full -on. It’s the same as ever, the

same smile as he always wears.

Maybe he’s just overthinking things.

Once off the bus, it feels like all the strength leaves his body,

and he takes a deep breath as he raises his eyes to the evening

sky, watching the bus drive off into the distance.

After Rin gets off, Makoto’s hands start trembling. Something

he’d been straining to keep in check snaps, and his hands

refuse to listen to him any further, shaking violently. The

trembling travels through his body, to his legs, his chest, his

face—and his teeth ring as they rattle against each other.

He wraps his arms around his chest, but no matter how hard he

squeezes, the shaking won’t stop. His lips quiver, no matter

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how he grits his teeth, and he cannot stop the tears which

silently seep down his cheeks.

[END CHAPTER 2]

" h i g h s p e e d ! " c h a p t e r 3 s u m m a r y - f r e e

Time for chapter 3! Long as usual, with pretty much all the

dialogue translated :x Prayer circle for Makoto bb everyone ;3;

It’s 4 days later when Haruka finally shows up at the swimming

club again, striding into the changing room and greeting

Makoto with his usual expression and labored breathing.

"Haru…"

"Yo."

"Don’t ‘yo’ me—what’s with you? Are you okay?" Haruka replies

that he’s fine now, but Makoto isn’t so easily convinced, given

Haruka’s haggard breathing.

"I ran here," Haruka explains calmly.

"From where?"

"Home, of course," and he tosses his bag into his locker.

High Speed!

Haruka hadn’t been at school that day, but he chalks it up to

simply not feeling well that morning, assuring Makoto that he’s

much better now. Makoto continues to badger him—what if he

breaks out into a fever again?—and Haruka has had enough,

snapping at him…before calmly thanking him and then exiting

the changing area.

Makoto feels all the strength leave him as his cheeks relax at

the unexpected words of gratitude…and his worry over Haruka

seeps away into nothingness.

—————

Haruka’s doing his usual 1000 -m crawl, and while he had been

out of breath running on land, he’s perfectly calm here, the

water healing him through and through. It’s the same water as

always, to him.

He’d lied when he had told Makoto he’d been feeling better

before; in actuality, he’s just feeling better now. School won’t

heal him, mind or body, so he’d skipped out—but the water

restores his strength, and he slowly increases his speed.

When he lifts his head from the water, a hand is stretched out

to greet him—it’s Aki, a bright smile on her face as she stares

down at him. The same hand he had batted away under the

poplar trees, he recalls, is now pulling him up from the pool.

He thanks her, cocking his head to the side to remove the

water from his ears, and mutters softly, “Your muffler…" at

which her smile falters. “I guess you probably don’t need it

anymore after all that’s happened, but…" Try as they might,

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they hadn’t been able to get it back to its former glory, but Aki

explains that she got it from Makoto already.

Haruka reflects that she probably blames herself for him

falling in the river and warns her not to drop it again. She

apologizes again, and he curses inwardly for her to quit doing

that, that he’s the one who should be apologizing—and he

does apologize here.

Shortly, her friends come to call her for relay practice, and she

takes her leave with a smile, passing Rin on his way to

Haruka—who then invites Haruka to relay practice as well.

Haruka doesn’t understand why he needs to prep for any relay,

but before he can voice his reluctance, Makoto interjects that

Haruka shouldn’t push himself more than he already has.

Haruka feels irritation rising at Makoto’s overprotective nature

and reflects that he’d rather be in the water doing anything—

even relay practice—than sitting out here being coddled.

He ignores Makoto and asks Rin what sort of relay—as Haruka

only swims freestyle—and Rin replies that it’s a free relay,

their conversation interrupted with Makoto’s continued pleas

of Haru!

Haruka leaps into the pool, taking up a lazy crawling stroke to

the far end of the pool, tapping the wall to signal for Rin to

take up the next leg of the relay. His height doesn’t differ that

much from Haruka’s, but he’s got more leg strength than either

Haruka or Makoto, making him a fierce competitor on short

runs thanks to the power of his kicks.

High Speed!

Haruka reflects that even though it’s the same 100 m, short

runs require three turns to complete the full course, whereas

long runs require only one. These turns give Rin a chance to

use that leg muscle, putting him at a distinct advantage over

Haruka. This is why Haruka runs, now.

He’s never denied that there are some out there who swim

faster than he, but that doesn’t mean he has to take it lying

down. It’s not a matter of wanting to win or hating losing; he

just can’t accept that there’s someone here, standing before

him, who feels, who understands the water better than he

does. He can’t be sure that running every day means he’ll be

able to jump further on his dives, but here he has a guy who

surpasses him on his jumps, and that guy runs every day.

That’s more than enough reason for Haruka to do the same.

He watches Rin swim while reflecting on this, and takes note of

Makoto just beyond him. With his swim cap and goggles on, he

doesn’t really look like an elementary school kid, given his

broad shoulders and firm chest. He’s not ‘built’ necessarily, but

when he takes to the starting block, he has undeniable

presence.

Rin touches the wall, and Makoto leaps forward into the water,

charging forward with a powerful stroke. They’re not even

counting time, and yet he seems to be swimming with all he

has. It’s the usual Makoto, the same one as always, nothing

different about him at all—and yet with only a few meters left

to the goal, he draws to a stop.

Haruka wonders for a moment if he swallowed water or hurt

his leg or something, but he’s just…standing there, frozen,

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breathing painfully in the water. Rin, who had just gotten out

of the pool, dives back in and swims over, checking to see

what’s wrong.

Makoto simply removes his goggles, smiling wryly, and

professes to not feeling well; Haruka thinks he looks like he’s

about to cry and jerks his gaze away, heading for the showers.

—————

Aki’s flower bed idea winds up being chosen as the graduation

project at school, and it’s decided that they’ll set it up around

the base of the great sakura tree, with preparations begun in

earnest. A load of clay is carted in, and after school, the

students take part in preparing clay bricks for the project.

Haruka mindlessly pours himself into making bricks, trying not

to think about how they’ll be stacked up around the sakura tree,

when Rin turns the conversation his way. “So, Nanase—about

the tournament coming up…wanna run the medley race with

me?" The tournament will be at the end of March, just after

they graduate, and a rather grand affair at that. It was there

that he had met Rin for the first time. Haruka and Makoto have

taken part in most tournaments since becoming 6th graders;

everything’s broken up by age group and gender, and while

there are 3 or 4 times or races that can be run solo, Haruka

always limits himself to freestyle runs—which he’s won thrice.

Makoto enters freestyle and breaststroke runs, and has won

twice.

Haruka reminds Rin that he only swims freestyle, but Rin

doesn’t seem put off, reassuring Haruka that he can be in

High Speed!

charge of running the freestyle leg of the relay, looking to

Makoto for support. Makoto wonders what they’ll do about the

butterfly leg, and wouldn’t it be better to just run a freestyle

relay instead?

Medley relays require four members, each in charge of

swimming one leg of the relay in backstroke, breaststroke,

butterfly, and freestyle—and there’s no one in their club who’s

particularly fast at butterfly.

"Nah, the medley’ll be fine! I’ll do the butterfly portion, and you

can handle the breaststroke, Tachibana. Then we just need

someone doing the backstroke leg. I can’t think of anyone

who’d really fit the bill, but if they can get through it fine, we’ll

handle the rest. Just find someone who can swim the

backstroke for us." Makoto is silent, overwhelmed by Rin’s

pushiness, and he goes back to working the clay, but Haruka

takes over arguing in his stead.

"I told you I only swim freestyle; don’t pull me into your relay

just because you feel like it." He speaks softly, but there’s

force behind his words, and Rin sighs into the clay, as if

frustrated with an unruly child who won’t listen.

"And that ’s why I said you can do the free part!" His voice

grows loud at the end, calling the attention of their classmates

around them—even Makoto pauses, staring at Rin. Rin

scrambles to his feet, hastily trying to put things back in order.

“L—like I said, we should all write messages on the bricks! Our

favorite words, some kind of memory, you know? Just whatever

you want—you’re free to write what you like!"

High Speed!

Aki stands up here, offering her support for the idea, and the

atmosphere settles down again as their classmates begin to

discuss what to write on the bricks. Rin relaxes, letting out a

soft sigh, and Haruka and Makoto go back to kneading the clay

as if nothing had happened, with Rin sitting down again to do

the same. That is the last of any relay discussion for the day.

—————

Haruka glances down at his watch to check the time—he’s

getting faster in his jogs to the swim club. He doesn’t have any

particular goal, really, isn’t racing anyone; but for some reason,

he still pays attention to the time. Maybe he’s racing against

his past self, he reasons, wanting to surpass the him from

yesterday, and the day before that—eager to step into a new

world.

He’d always assumed the ground was nothing like the water,

with nothing of healing to offer him, but when he runs, he

sometimes feels like something within him is freed. So he

simply tries to run as fast as possible.

As he crosses the bridge today, he catches the sound of

footsteps along with his own—“Hello, Nanase-kun!" Hazuki

Nagisa calls as he jogs up beside Haruka. Haruka returns the

greeting, but nothing more. He doesn’t wonder why Nagisa is

running, because that will lead to wondering why Nagisa is

running with a smile on his face .

"You run every day lately, don’t you, Nanase -kun?" His sickly-

sweet voice winds its way into Haruka’s ears.

High Speed!

"Yeah, I guess," he returns curtly, hoping to avoid conversation.

He’s not avoiding Nagisa, he just doesn’t want to think about

anything else when he runs, doesn’t want his mind distracted

by anything other than running.

"Well I…" he starts, words cut off as he runs out of breath, “I

was thinking about…starting running today, too. Can I run with

you?"

Haruka has no reason to refuse. “I don’t care."

"Really?? Yay!"

"But I’m not waiting for you if you fall behind."

"Gotcha!"

He doesn’t want to be caught up in conversation with Nagisa

any further, and after crossing the bridge, puts more speed

into his step. Nagisa’s labored breathing grows distant, and

soon Haruka is back in a world of his own.

The wind picks up and rushes past him—and for a while

moment, Haruka imagines that it’s Nagisa, and gulps thickly.

It’s only for a moment, thought.

—————

Rin had been right to have a bad feeling about Nagisa; after

finishing a 1000-m butterfly run, he lifts his head out of the

water and comes face to face with the same big, round eyes as

he has every day now.

"What?" He knows what Nagisa wants, but he asks anyway.

High Speed!

"You really can swim the butterfly!"

"Uh, yeah? So?"

"You’re really good!"

Not as good as your grasshopper , he wants to reply; instead,

though, he offers to watch Nagisa swim and critique him,

deeming further resistance futile.

"Oh, no—I’m taking a break from the butterfly for now."

Rin wonders if he’s given up, noting that the boy will never get

any better at this rate. “Then I guess you don’t need me

anymore."

"That’s not it! Just—well, you’re going to be in the tournament

coming up, right?"

"Yeah." He spots Aki standing poolside at the furthest lane—is

that Haruka swimming?

"What will you swim?"

"The medley." It is Haruka—swimming with all the elegance of

a shorebird in flight, as if he’s sliding through the water.

There’s none but Haruka who can swim like that.

"With Nanase-kun?"

"Nothing’s settled yet, but I’ve asked both Nananse and

Tachibana." Was Aki waiting for Haruka to finish swimming? As

he considers this, he quietly slips away from the lane—but not

without pausing occasionally to glance back at Haruka.

High Speed!

"So one, two, three…who’s the fourth?"

"Don’t have one yet." He notices Haruka lift himself out of the

pool just as Aki disappears into the crowd.

"Then take me! I’m really fast at the breaststroke!" His big eyes

shine excitedly.

"No way." Maybe he shouldn’t have asked Aki for help…

"Why not?"

"There’s no way a guy who skips out on his butterfly practice

could be fast."

"That’s not it! I didn’t skip out on it—I’m just taking a break!"

"Then why are you taking a break?"

"Because I’m gonna swim the breaststroke in the medley race,

so I need to practice that!"

"Huh? But your times are all over the place."

"C’moooon lemme in!"

"No means no ." He cuts off the conversation, ignoring

the meanie Nagisa throws at his back, and walks away.

—————

"So what’d you write on the bricks?" Aki settles down next to

Haruka on the bench as he takes a breather after his time in

the pool.

High Speed!

“‘Free’," he returns shortly.

"As expected of you—you can take that as ‘live however you

want’ or ‘freestyle only’, huh?"

There really hadn’t been any deep meaning when he’d written

it—he’d just been pissed at Rin after saying he only swam

freestyle and scribbled it out of desperation. He doesn’t bother

asking Aki what she wrote, even though social niceties dictate

he ought to—he’s mostly curious if she came all the way over

here just to ask him that, or did she have some ulterior motice?

Perhaps realizing his curiosity, she takes a breath and starts,

“Umm, Nanase-kun…" but cuts herself off.

"What?"

At his prodding, she smiles shyly and continues. “Y’see, I think

I’m gonna take part in the medley relay at the tournament—

with Miki and Maki and Yuuki. Kinda funny, huh? We sound like

four sisters…" Haruka wonders if she decided not to say

whatever she’d been going for initially—not that he particularly

cares.

"Yeah, it does." He notices Makoto just finishing a run and

takes the opportunity to switch out, trading places as Aki’s

conversation partner with Makoto and taking his place on the

starting block.

"Nanase-kun?" Aki stands up and calls out to him, and Haruka

pauses but doesn’t reply. She eventually steels herself, and her

voice spills out, “You should…do the relay race also."

High Speed!

He doesn’t turn, just cocks his head to glance at her. "…Why?"

"Because—well, you’re the fastest of the sixth -years."

"Matsuoka’s faster at 50 m." He starts forward again, passing

Makoto who’s dripping water, and dives straight in from the

starting block, away from her gaze and into the freeing

embrace of the water.

—————

"Did you run here today too, Haru?" Makoto asks as they

change.

Haruka, wary of Rin changing behind them, answers softly,

“Yeah; so what?" He wonders if Rin will say something about

it—but it’s Nagisa who pipes up.

"I’m gonna start running today, too! Nanase -kun said I can run

with him!"

"Is that soooo?" Rin calls out teasingly, staring Haruka down.

Haruka doesn’t want to be misunderstood, so he amends, “So

long as he can keep up with me, at least." But this doesn’t stop

Rin from leering, and Haruka feels a swell of irritation, which

Makoto catches and tries to put a stop to before it develops.

"Maybe I’ll start running, too!" He sounds like he’s just joking,

but Haruka knows he isn’t. He figured Makoto would suggest

that as soon as he asked Haruka if he’d run here today—and it

just pisses Haruka off even more, because he has no reason to

refuse.

High Speed!

"Just so you know—I’m not waiting up for you."

"It’ll be fine; I’m not that slow."

"I don’t mean that; I mean even if you’re late getting started."

"Oh, that…" A cloud passes over Makoto’s eyes but quickly

dissipates, and it’s the same Makoto as always. “It’s all right—

I’ll be able to head out earlier starting tomorrow."

So then—that means something’s been going on until today,

Haruka realizes, and Nagisa cuts in, “I can run with you on the

way back, though, right??"

Haruka tugs his bag out of his locker and slams it shut. “If you

hurry up and finish changing," he allows, exiting the room.

"Ah—wait!!" Nagisa scrambles after Haruka, pulling his socks

on one-handed, and Rin and Makoto both watch the sight with

laughter.

The laughter dies away soon, though, and the temperature

drops, and Makoto pulls his bag from his locker to leave,

waving to Rin. “Well, I’m headed out."

"Tachibana." Makoto stops, and when he turns, Rin’s expression

is strangely serious. "…How do you feel about the medley

race?"

Makoto is torn—how is he expected to respond? “I mean…I

don’t mind taking part?" But Rin doesn’t look pleased, just nods

a few times. This obviously wasn’t the answer he was looking

for.

High Speed!

"Do you think…Nanase will take part with us?" What Makoto

hears, though, iswill you please ask him to take part? Rin is

obviously concerned with Haruka ’s participation, not Makoto’s.

"I’m pretty sure he’ll say the same, even if I’m the one asking."

"C’mon, don’t be like that!"

"Well, I don’t mind trying at least…"

"Please!" His eyes seem to suggest that Makoto is his only hope,

and a tiny pressure builds up inside. They part ways, and

Makoto heads for the lobby at a light jog—but Haruka is gone.

It’s not as if he has to speak with Haruka about the race right

now, but sooner is better than later, he figures.

He doesn’t plan on pressuring Haruka into partic ipating, and he

doesn’t mind if Haruka refuses; there’s no reason for any of

them to care all that much about the medley race. It’s Haruka’s

own decision as to what he wants to swim.

In the parking lot, he unlatches his bike lot and glances over

where Haruka’s bike is usually parked—finding someone else’s

there instead. It’s strange, and a little cold, being in this lot

without Haruka.

‘I’ll start running tomorrow,’ he reminds himself of what he

vowed in the locker room, and puts his bike into gear as he

pedals off. He catches up to Nagisa at the bridge, calling out

encouragement as the boy runs, panting white clouds into the

cold air. He can easily just pedal onward, but he feels kind of

bad for the poor guy, who’s obviously been left behind by

High Speed!

Haruka, so he slowly to a steady cycle beside him. “Keep it up,

Nagisa!"

He can always bring up the conversation with Haruka

tomorrow; there’s no hurry, and he continues to encourage

Nagisa in his efforts as they cross the bridge together.

—————

When he arrives home, Makoto pulls out a gardening trowel and

begins to dig a small hole in a corner of the yard—and on

finishing, he heads inside and turns the light on. There’s a

goldfish tank sitting on the shoe box just inside the front foyer,

and in it float two lifeless little goldfish.

They no longer swim, no longer flutter their fins—just silently

drift in the water. Their scales are dotted with little white

growths, obviously due to some sort of sickness.

Makoto had diligently cleaned out their tank every day after

school, slipping medication into the water, but when he’d come

home today, they’d both been floating like this, dead.

He gently takes the bowl into his hands; he can feel how

lukewarm the water is now, like some stagnant bog. The pulse

of life is completely gone, and he scoops out the fish, sleeping

in his hand and not even wriggling in the slightest.

He carries the fish to the corner of the yard and sets them

down in the hole he’d just dug, scraping dirt back on top of

them now—and thus ends the makeshift funeral. When he

thinks about the little lives that have just been extinguished

with so little fanfare…something hurts deep in his chest. “You

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probably…still wanted to swim a little more, huh…" He stands,

the trowel in his hands, but he can’t tear his gaze away. "…I’m

sorry."

He tosses the trowel to the side and runs back into the foyer,

cutting off the tank’s pump. The tank now holds nothing more

than dark, quiet water, with no purpose or reason at all—and it

reminds him of the water that tried to swallow up Haruka,

setting his fingers to trembling.

He charges out of the house, down the steps and headed for

the great stone staircase leading up to the shrine—just near

Haruka’s home. He has to see Haruka right now. It can’t wait

until tomorrow; if he doesn’t see Haruka right this moment ,

he’s not going to be able to stay sane. He wants nothing more

than to see—

"Makoto." A voice calls out to him just as he’s mounting the

stone steps, dusk nearing; his heart thuds in his chest, and his

feet stop. It’s Haru’s voice…

He slowly raises his gaze, and there under the first torii,

backlit by the setting sun and thrown into deep shadow, is

Haruka.

‘Was he…waiting for me?’ he wonders—but quickly quashes

the notion; it’s impossible, and he knows this, but he still can’t

help feeling that way. His feet start to move of their own

accord, bringing him to Haruka, and he slowly mounts the

stairs. He can’t tears his gaze away, can’t look away from

Haruka; he’s being pulled to Haruka, and climbs up to the first

High Speed!

torii. If he just reached out—he’d be able to touch Haruka—

that’s how close he is.

"Were you…here this whole time, Haru?"

"Yeah." His expression doesn’t change, and his response is low

and soft.

"…Did you know I was coming?" He knows Haruka can’t have,

but he can’t help but ask.

"No."

"Then…why?" Why are you standing there?

"I was watching the sunset." Makoto turns his gaze to follow

Haruka’s own—it’s indeed a beautiful sight, but nothing all that

special. So maybe he reallywas waiting…? Even if not, Makoto

desperately wants to hope he was. Thinking that helps calm the

pain that throbs in his chest. “Did you need something from

me?" Haruka’s face looks red, backlit by the setting sun.

"Not really, just…well, I feel like I got what I needed by seeing

your face."

"What’s that supposed to mean?" he laughs lightly, showing a

bit of teeth.

"Yeah, I’m weird, I know," Makoto returns w ith a self-

deprecating chuckle. It feels like it’s been ages since they’ve

been able to talk like this, just the two of them; lately, Rin’s

been with them everywhere they go.

High Speed!

Haruka turns to face him straight on, and the setting sun

flashes deep within his eyes, leaving Makoto feeling as if he

can see straight through into Haruka’s mind. “Makoto."

"What?"

"…Are you scared of the water?"

His heart flips, and his throat goes dry. He tries to keep calm,

but his breathing grows labored—he meets Haruka’s gaze and

realizes that he is the one whose secrets are being laid bare,

Haruka seeing right through to his core.

It’s always been like that, ever since they were small. Haruka

would never say anything about himself, but he always

knew everything about Makoto. Knew everything—but had the

good grace to pretend he didn’t.

Haruka isn’t attacking him, isn’t probing with questions, just

calmly asking in that same tone as always. "…Have you always

been…?"

Makoto silently nods. Fearing the water has nothing to do with

whether or not you’re able to swim; it’s the fact that no matter

how well you swim…there’s something inescapable lurking

beneath the surface. It may seem like it’s slumbering, but

there’s no telling when it will attack. Makoto has felt the fear

of that lurking something , is terrified of its shadow, and it

grips his heart now.

Haruka continues his short questions, “Why?" He doesn’t mind

Haruka asking; in fact, he wants Haruka to know—maybe he’s

always been hoping Haruka would ask some day.

High Speed!

"You remember when we were little…and we saw all those

people dressed in white lined up?" Haruka nods shortly; the

image of the child they saw that day blooms in Makoto’s mind,

and he suspects it does in Haruka’s as well. “Apparently…a big

fishing boat sank that day. There were dozens of people on it,

and it sank…three kilometers out from the harbor." He’d only

learned what had happened years after the incident itself.

Haruka turns his gaze to the sea, and Makoto follows. The wind

blows past them, carrying the sunlight out to the ocean.

"Three kilometers… That’s as much as we swim every day,

right? How couldfishermen drown just three kilometers out…?"

Something lurking in the water had kept those men from

swimming that short distance; they’d probably never find it,

even if they tried, for it was probably something you couldn’t

see in the first place.

"So just…whenever I’m in the pool, I kind of…lose it. I’m

not swimming so much as…running away from something. I

know it’s not the ocean, and my feet can even touch just fine,

but still… I’m always running away from the water."

Haruka listens to him silently, and Makoto closes his eyes, still

facing the ocean, before slowly shifting his gaze to Haruka.

“When you fell into the river…I was so scared, I trembled. I

tried to stop it, tried so hard—but my whole body just kept

shaking. My hands, my feet, my entire body shook."

Something lurking in the water was trying to drag off Haruka;

he’d been so scared that Haruka would disappear. The fear

he’d only ever imagined before was being played out here right

High Speed!

in front of him. “Fear" had been all he knew at that moment.

Ever since then, he’s found himself struck at odd moments by

that fear; whether at home, or at school, or even swimming in

the pool… It comes back to him, freezes him in place, stops all

conscious thought. He’s doing everything he can to fight this

fear.

"And…understand that it’s not just because Matsuoka -kun

invited me, but…I’m going to swim the medley race. So…you

should swim with us. If you’re not there…if it’s not with

you…then it’s meaningless to me. I want to swim with you."

High Speed!

Haruka doesn’t bat a lash at Makoto’s impassioned plea, taking

the words straight on, staring calmly ahead. This cool

reception soothes Makoto’s heated body and soul, and he feels

High Speed!

the ripples reverberating through his chest slowly calm.

"…Sorry, I’m saying weird things, I guess. Don’t pay much

attention to me—it’s late, so…I’m gonna head home." He bids

farewell and turns to head down the steps.

But just as he starts down the stone stairs, Haruka’s heavy lips

open just slightly, and, "…I’ll think about it."

"Huh?"

"The medley race." Makoto’s brows lift in surprise, and his lips

twitch into a smile. That’s all he could hope for right now, and

it’s more than enough.

"Then…see you tomorrow, Haru."

"Sure."

Makoto’s heart is far lighter now than before, and he feels like

he’s finally gotten a heavy weight off his chest—he fears the

water, but he loves to swim, and whenever he’s in the pool, he’s

overcome with the urge to flee, so he just wants Haruka to be

there with him, yet Haruka’s always so brusque…

Still, he doesn’t care right now. Haruka understands him, and

that’s more than enough.

Makoto heads down the darkening stone steps on light feet

back to his home.

END CHAPTER 3

High Speed!

" h i g h s p e e d ! " c h a p t e r 4 s u m m a r y - r e l a y

Time for something a bit lighter! Chapter 4 coming at you!

It’s another morning marked by freezing winds on the way to

Iwatobi Elementary, and everyone’s got their shoulders

hunched and heads ducked against the chill—except for Rin,

who’s getting in a morning jog on the way to school, darting

between his peers as he runs the road dotted with poplars.

Up ahead, he spots a girl walking with a brown-stained muffler

wrapped about her and draws to a stop, breath coming out in

white puffs. “Morning, Yazaki -san." She turns and greets him

with a smile, asking if he’s run all the way there. “Yup—kinda

like training, I guess." He huffs another breath of white fog for

show.

"Wow…but you’d better be careful; it’s dangerous to run around

here!"

Rin swallows his breath. “Yeah—but I’m taking care!" Her

muffler flies up and brushes across his cheeks; it’s still stained

brown, the dirt refusing to come off completely.

Rin still doesn’t know why Haruka climbed all the way down to

the bank to get the muffler—nor does he intend to ask. He

doesn’t know what made Makoto so frightened he trembled in

his own skin—and he doesn’t intend to press for an explanation

on this point either.

High Speed!

"I’m sorry…for asking you to do what you did yesterday."

Aki shakes her head softly. “No—I really want Nanase-kun to

swim the relay, too."

"Oh…? Why?"

At this, she glances downward, then lifts her head and fixes

her gaze somewhere far away. “Nanase-kun’s so capable…he

can do anything. In class, in sports—even his drawings are

amazing. He really can do whatever he puts his mind to. And

that’s why everyone relies on him; but he never relies on

anyone else, you know?"

Rin has to agree; he’s only just moved here, but that was his

immediate impression of Haruka. He doesn’t actively seek

interaction with others—but it doesn’t push them away, instead

drawing them closer to him. And he always rises to meet their

expectations. It’s a strange balance indeed.

"He’s really kind; so even if he has something he wants to say,

he never will. I think he doesn’t want to force himself on

anyone else, or hurt anyone else—but it’s not good to behave

like that all the time; he really should learn to be more

assertive." The gaze she fixes on Rin is obviously seeking his

opinion on her thoughts, but truthfully, Rin has never felt

compelled to try and change Haruka for better or worse. In fact,

he doesn’t think Haruka needs to change at all—all he’s

concerned with is being able to swim the relay race with

Haruka; it’s what he wants to do.

Instead, though, he offers his agreement, suggesting that

Haruka needs to get a better sense of humor. Aki uses this

High Speed!

opportunity to get a playful jab in at Rin about his own over-

the-top humor style, adding that in all seriousness, she really

wants to see Haruka doing his best with the others.

—————

When Haruka reaches the bottom of the stone staircase, Makoto

is waiting for him. “See? Not late."

"Let’s go." They set off at a jog, breath coming out in white

puffs—and once they reach the bridge, they’re joined by Nagisa,

who waves at them wildly, with Haruka returning a weak flash

of his own palm. Nagisa’s gaze passes beyond Haruka and

Makoto, though, to just beyond them, and he gives another

large wave to Rin, who draws up alongside them shortly.

"Yo!" he greets the others, and Haruka flashes him a bit of

palm as well in return—a gesture which could just as easily be

interpreted as Get the hell away from me .

Nagisa draws up even with the others, professing to Haruka

that he’ll be sure to keep up with them today, but Haruka

simply chides him for resting while waiting for them—that

hardly counts as training. “Then tomorrow I’ll jog in place

while I wait!" he vows. Joke or not, it ’s very Nagisa-esque, and

Makoto and Rin sputter in amused laughter—which, from

Nagisa’s confused expression, suggests that he was serious.

“I—I’ll jog really fast!" This just makes the laughter increase in

volume, with Rin tripping over himself and nearly toppling

forward.

High Speed!

"I’m gonna leave you all behind while you’re babbling," Haruka

threatens, increasing his speed a bit. Nagisa does his best to

keep up as they cross the bridge, but his breathing grows

labored, and when Haruka notices he’s starting to fall behind,

High Speed!

he glances downward—‘Guess this is it for him.’ A sigh mixes

with his breath, and slowly, almost imperceptibly, he gentles

his pace just a bit.

"Ah…!" is the soft response from Rin, and Haruka can already

almost hear theAww, Nanase’s so sweet! , tutting to himself.

Nagisa manages to keep up, though, despite his twisted

features, albeit with no energy left to chat anymore.

—————

Nagisa is practically breathless by the time they reach the club,

and Rin gently claps him on the back, congratulating him for a

job well done. Nagisa tries to respond, but nothing comes out,

he’s so out of breath. By the time they get changed and back

out into the pool, though, he’s back to his usual chatty self.

"Are you gonna practice for the relay today, Matsuoka-kun?"

Rin replies that he is—but inside, he’s worried more about the

futility of practice without an actual official team.

"Well, the fifth-years are doing time-trials today, so if—if, mind

you—I take top time in the breaststroke, will you let me be a

team member?"

Rin stares, fixated on Nagisa—the guy really has some self-

confidence—and attempts to locate the source of that

confidence in his slender frame. He’d always chalked Nagisa up

to some cute, little-brother-like existence with no real drive or

fire to him, but maybe he’s been wrong all along—after all, he’s

only known Nagisa for a month, and Rin himself was a little

fire-cracker in his fifth year, surpassing his elders easily.

High Speed!

"…All right, then—fine. If you place first, though, and only

then." It’s an easily made promise, though, and Rin doesn’t

seriously believe that Nagisa has much chance of pulling

through. Nagisa is nevertheless thrilled, turning to Haruka

excitedly, and Haruka offers him encouragement to do his best,

which gives Nagisa even more cause for elation.

Watching the exchange, Makoto worriedly inquires as to

whether or not it’s okay to promise that sort of thing.

"Nah, there’s nothing to worry about; if he places first, then

he’s first, and that means we can put our faith in him to pull

through when we need it." Rin has decided that he’s going to

actually try and figure out what dwells within Nagisa, his true

ability. If he wants to run the medley race—he needs to have a

heart bursting with energy and drive.

"Not that—I mean Haru. Nagisa thinks Haru’s already a

member."

"It’s the opposite, actually—I realize it might not be fair to

Nagisa, but I’m using him to lure Nanase into competing in the

medley race." It’s a long-shot, but it’s the first step to their

goal, and he wonders how Haruka will react to Nagisa’s elat ion

at becoming a member while he himself chooses not to swim

with them. If he’s even the slightest bit hesitant to disappoint

Nagisa…that might be their chance—just like how Haruka had

slowed his pace a bit for Nagisa’s sake earlier.

It’s a long-shot, but it just might work.

—————

High Speed!

The fifth-years’ time trials are held in the smaller 25 -m pool,

with eight students at a time swimming one of the four strokes

over a 50-m distance. Makoto has had Haruka promise to “think

over" participating in the relay, but he fears there’s still a ways

to go to get him to actually agree.

Nagisa doesn’t want to take part in the relay, though, so much

as he wants to swim with Haruka; it’s the reason Nagisa joined

the club in the first place, and it’s the reason he runs as well.

So Nagisa wants to be in the relay because he thinks Haruka is

going to do so as well. They really should have gotten Haruka

to agree to participate first—then they could focus on Nagisa.

When Makoto turns his attention back to the time trials, he

spots Nagisa on the starting block; it almost time for the

breaststroke leg to start. Just how much energy can the guy be

storing in such a small container as his body…?

Nagisa curls down into a starting position, positioning his

hands at the edge of the block, and waits for the whistle—

"Ready…!"

The whistle blows, and all eight swimmers on their blocks dive

in. When Nagisa resurfaces, he’s a good two heads behind the

top swimmers—not a very good position, but he at least

doesn’t seem to be letting it affect him, actually looking like

his strokes are calmer and more collected than usual.

Everyone swims the breaststroke at their own pace, and slowly

but surely, Nagisa inches his way up through the ranks—

clinching his victory at the last moment.

High Speed!

He breaks the surface of the water, glancing around worriedly,

but when his time is called, he raises his right fist in a gesture

of victory and leaps up from the water in joy. Makoto begins to

applaud for him, and Nagisa offers a big wave in return. “That

was amazing, Nagisa! You did it!"

He throws Nagisa a thumbs-up, and Nagisa returns the gesture.

Rin, arms crossed over his chest, is dumbstruck. “I can’t believe

he did it…"

The sound of splashing reaches them from behind, and Makoto

turns to find that Haruka has jumped into the water, starting

his run after watching Nagisa’s own, perhaps—or maybe it’s

just coincidence. Haruka will likely never confess one way or

the other, and if he had expressed interest in Nagisa’s

condition, it would be a first. But maybe this is the start…of

some tiny change in Haruka, and unable to contain himself any

longer, Makoto jumps into the lane next to Haruka.

—————

"So what’re we gonna do, Nanase?" Rin calls from his shower

stall into the one next to him.

"About what?"

"About Nagisa. He placed first, you know."

"Yeah, I guess so." Haruka’s soft voice is almost lost in the

sound of the spray. He doesn’t sound very interested, which

sparks a bit of irritation in Rin.

"So—what’re you going to do now, then?"

High Speed!

His only response is the sound of the shower curtain rustling

as Haruka leaves, and Rin sighs deeply to himself.

When Haruka enters the changing room, Nagisa and Makoto are

already there.

"Nanase-kun, you were watching me!" Nagisa exclaims,

practically launching himself at Haruka.

"…Yeah, I was."

Nagisa beams at the response. “I got first place!"

"I see." It’s the same tone as always—-but Nagisa’s smile says

he’s more than thrilled for it.

"So then—about that promise, Matsuoka-kun?" he directs at Rin

when he steps out of the shower room.

"…Yeah, I promised: you’re officially a member of our medley

team."

Nagisa whirls in place to face Haruka as soon as Rin announces

this. “YESSSS! I’m on the same team as Nanase -kun now!"

"Guess you are," Haruka allows evenly—and Makoto and Rin

freeze for a moment, unsure if they’ve heard correctly.

"Haru—did you just—"

"Nanase, are you serious?! You’re going to swim the medley

race with us?"

"…I was planning to, yeah."

High Speed!

Rin is unable to contain his joy, even at this curt response.

“AWESOME! We did it, Tachibana!" He directs a victory pose in

Makoto’s direction, shouting with even more enthusiasm than

Nagisa had.

"Yup!"

"All right, then! We’re officially a team starting today! Time to

get down to business with practice!" Makoto and Nagisa nod

sharply—Haruka dries his hair with a towel. “Oh hey—let’s use

our first names from now on! It’s more ‘friendly’, don’tcha

think? I guess that would make Nanase ‘Haru’ then!"

Haruka freezes his hands toweling off his hair—but it’s

impossible to see his expression, and after a moment, he starts

moving again.

"And Tachibana—is ‘Makoto’."

"Not very inventive, are you?" Makoto chuckles wryly.

"What about me??"

"Nagisa is…well, Nagisa, just like you’ve always been. And as

for me—you can all call me ‘Leader’!"

"Eeeeh??" Nagisa is decidedly unsatisfied with this. “But

‘Leader’ isn’t a name!"

Makoto stifles a laugh, and Rin settles his hands at his hips in

mild irritation. “Listen up—the Leader is the most important

person on the team; he looks after everyone else and kind of

binds everyone together, see?"

High Speed!

"Really…? But…I still think ‘Leader’ is weird. Don’t you think

‘RinRin’ would be better?"

"Urk…" Rin freezes, mouth open, and Makoto clasps his hands

over his stomach in laughter—even Haruka’s back is shaking a

bit as he continues to dry his hair.

"And then ‘Mako-chan’ and ‘Haru-chan’!" At this, Makoto’s

laughter stops, and Haruka’s towel drops to the floor. “I can’t

wait for tomorrow! The relay’s all about teamwork, right? We’ve

gotta do our best together—gotta be sure to practice together!"

—————

"Good morning, Nanase-kun!" Aki greets cheerfully, and Haruka

returns a softHey, the bare minimum required by society. She

comments that she’s heard he’s going to participate in the

relay.

One glance around the room reveals that Makoto hasn’t arrived

yet, while Rin is pulling out his books and notes with an air of

feigned innocence—the obvious culprit for leaking this

information. “Yeah, I guess."

She expresses her relief—you’d really wanted him to take part,

actually, but she hadn’t been able to get it across to Haruka the

day before, so she’d wondered how things would turn out.

He asks after her own team, and she returns that they’re doing

well, trimming down their times little by little each day. That’s

what a relay is all about, after all; it’s not about swimming for

yourself, but instead involves teamwork and responsibility—

winning and losing.

High Speed!

All things Haruka wants to avoid at all costs.

"I can’t wait to see you swimming with everyone, Nanase -kun,"

she continues. “I’m sure your team will earn top place ! You’re

all so fast, after all."

"It’s not my team," he corrects, then takes a breath, raising his

voice just enough to be sure Rin hears him: “RinRin’s our

leader."

Rin’s shoulders twitch, and all eyes turn to focus on him—

laughter erupts after a moment’s silence, with not even Aki

being able to contain herself. Rin stalks over to Haruka, who

initially thinks he might be about to let him have it, but after a

deep breath, Rin calmly and quietly, so that only Haruka and

Aki can hear, explains, “You know—I was teased at my old

school, with everyone calling me ‘Rin -chan’ all the time. I hated

it so much, I transferred. So—please, I’m begging you: if you

keep calling me RinRin, I’m gonna have to transfer again."

It sounds, to Haruka, like complete bull, and how was he to be

expected to know anything about what happened at Rin’s old

school? Aki quickly apologizes though.

"Huh? But—why’re you apologizing, Yazaki -san?"

"Well—I laughed, too! I had no idea you’d been bullied…"

"Ah yeah—well, I’m a shy guy like that. I could never say

anything back to them, so the teasing just got worse and

worse… It was horrible…"

High Speed!

"I see…" Aki is obviously drinking this up—but what kind of

shy person would ever outright say they were shy? Haruka can

only assume Rin is trying to score points. He’s about at the end

of his rope with the whole charade when Makoto enters.

"Morning Haru. Zaki-chan. And…’RinRin’, right?"

"No, you mustn’t call him that!" Aki butts in before Rin can say

anything.

"Huh? But—didn’t we decide on ‘RinRin’ yesterday…"

"Apparently he was bullied for his name at his old school!"

"Wait…who was bullied?"

"Matsuoka-kun, of course!" Makoto can only laugh at the notion,

and Aki reprimands him for his reaction.

"S—sorry, sorry! But no one would every tease you for that kind

of thing here, so don’t worry!"

—————

March brings promise of spring and new life—and their breath

no longer forms fog as they pant on their runs.

Nagisa’s breathing as they run together is still labored as he

joins up with the others on their jog. “Just so you know, I’m not

slacking off! I’ve been jogging in place the whole time!"

"You say that every day, though."

"Because I jog in place every day ."

High Speed!

"Then what’s the point in going out of your way to say so every

day?" Rin’s a bit irritated today for some reason.

"Well you say the same thing too every day, RinRin. Going on

about how we’re a team—"

"You know, Nagisa—" Rin cuts him off. “My name is Rin, not

RinRin."

"Wait—really? Aren’t you supposed to read that difficult kanji

you use for your name ‘RinRin’? Well—whatever."

"What do you mean ‘Whatever’?"

"Just that ‘RinRin’ should be fine, even if it’s not the correct

reading. Right?" He looks not to Rin but to Haruka for

confirmation.

"Sounds fine to me."

“Haru, you—" But Makoto jumps in before things can get out of

hand.

"No, don’t say that, Nagisa! If you call him ‘RinRin’, he’ll have to

change schools again!"

"Well—fine then, we’ll just go with ‘Rin -chan’. Gosh, so pushy…"

Rin looks like he wants to give Nagisa a piece of his mind, but

Haruka increases his speed.

"I’m leaving you behind if you’re gonna run your mouths all

day." With that, the four charge on.

—————

High Speed!

Perhaps a sign that he’s finally getting used to running, Nagisa

no longer is out of breath by the time they reach the changing

rooms, Haruka notes, when Rin saunters in, hands on his hips.

"All right, listen up everyone!" They can all easily hear him—

there’s no need to yell; what’s he so worked up about? But

Haruka doesn’t voice this aloud, so Rin doesn’t get the message.

"The tournament’s coming up soon, as I’m sure you’re all aware,

so I’m thinking of changing up our training regimen."

"How so?" Makoto asks, tugging on his cap.

"We’re going to focus on our medley regimen—or

rather, only on that."

"Wooohoo!!" Nagisa raises both hands in joy, thrilled to finally

be focusing on only medley-related training.

Makoto’s not nearly as excited, though, expression troubled.

“Then…what about our other practice regimens?"

"We won’t do them."

"Won’t do…?"

"I only want to focus on training for the medley."

Makoto is still unsure. “But if we don’t practice…we won’t be

able to swim our races properly at the tournament."

"Then…" Rin slides his glance from Makoto to Haruka. "…we

won’t swim any other races."

"…Who the hell decided that?" Haruka wants to know.

High Speed!

"No one—but we’re going to decide it right now. I won’t take

part in any races other than the medley; so I want you all to do

the same. If we don’t, I don’t think we have a chance of

winning."

Haruka slams his locker shut, and the sound stings the others’

ears as it echoes in the changing room. “Who’re we trying to

beat? What’s their time? Why do we have to go along with

whatever you say?"

"Haru!" Makoto jumps in, just in the nick of time as far as

Haruka sees it, loath to continue this conversation with Rin and

not intending on doing anything he suggests. He wants to get

away from Rin’s passion as quickly as possible, wants to sink

into the embrace of the water. “Haru…" Makoto continues,

"…we’re entering this race as a team. That’s not going to

change…right?"

Of course not; Haruka didn’t make this decision lightly, so he

intends to follow through with it, and that won’t change. At

Haruka’s silence, Makoto sighs softly and turns to Rin. "…Why

are you so obsessed with the relay race? If there’s some

particular reason—tell us now."

Rin doesn’t crack, though, staring right through Makoto at

Haruka beyond him. He probably was expecting some

resistance, which is why he’s being so inflexible on this point.

“I don’t intend to force anyone to go along with me. But if you

really intend to win this relay race, it’s what we have to do. If

I’m going to participate, then I want to win it . That’s my

reason."

High Speed!

Winning, victory—words that do nothing to move Haruka to

action just keep spilling out of Rin’s mouth.

‘That’s not why I swim.’

So…why does Haruka swim, then…? He hates being asked that

sort of thing, so he doesn’t voice his opinion, instead sitting

quietly.

Makoto’s expression is confused. “Wait—I mean, I want to win

too, sure, but just training for the relay race is kind of… Well, I

want to swim the breaststroke race, too, and I’d been planning

on doing the freestyle run as well." Makoto had won the 100-m

breaststroke at last year’s tournament, and Rin had won the 50 -

m breaststroke and freestyle divisions…yet here he was, saying

he wanted to focus on the medley race so badly he was willing

to give up on those races he’d taken in the past. "…Can we

have some time to think it over? Maybe practice like normal,

just for today?"

At this, Rin lets his hands drop from his hips, and his usual

smile finds its way back to his face. “Yeah, sorry for bringing it

up all of a sudden. Everyone’s free to do whatever he wan ts, of

course; I can hardly blame any of you. I just…wanted you all to

know how I felt."

Makoto nods, and Nagisa, who has been silent all this time,

glances up at Rin. “I’ll…do medley practice with Rin -chan, then.

And I’ll only take part in the relay!"

Rin breaks out into a broad grin; whatever his reasoning,

Nagisa has decided to go along with Rin’s admittedly selfish

suggestion. “Thanks, Nagisa. But just so you know—my

High Speed!

training’s tough!" Nagisa is confident he can handle it, though,

being the best of the fifth-years. “All right then, let’s get

practicing!" Rin snaps the band on his goggles, and Nagisa

does the same—after which the two head off to the pool.

Watching the pair leave, Haruka feels as if he’s lost in a deep

fog, unable to see in front of him. He hadn’t wanted to get

involved in anything, but now he’s well and thoroughly

involved, and the more he tries to keep from being dragged in,

the deeper the fog grows around him.

END CHAPTER 4

" h i g h s p e e d ! " c h a p t e r 5 s u m m a r y - s t r o k e

Time for more summary! Dive right in :3

Rin stands on the starting block and watches Nagisa’s

breaststroke carefully, noting to himself that his stroke seems

a bit different from the time trial not too long ago. When

Nagisa reaches the wall and Rin doesn’t dive in to complete the

relay, he asks what’s wrong, panting with fatigue.

Rin squats and peers down into Nagisa’s face. "…Were you

swimming with all your might just now?"

"Yup."

High Speed!

His big, goggle-covered eyes show no doubt or hesitation or

lies—he’s not trying to hide anything he’s thinking, showing

himself to the world just as he is. That’s how Nagisa is—and

it’s the kind of person Rin struggles most in dealing with.

People with something to hide have weaknesses that can be

taken advantage of—he knows that from experience.

"You haven’t changed the way you swim since the time trial,

have you?"

"It’s the same." Nagisa obviously doesn’t notice anything off.

"Your time…it’s slipping."

"Seriously?" The time trial wasn’t a fluke—Rin’s convinced—and

a time that’s been shortened wouldn’t just lengthen again so

easily, especially not for a boy still maturing. “I wonder why,

then… That’s weird. I’m really not swimming any differently!"

"Are you…keeping an eye on your opponents during races?"

"Yeah."

"Then that must be it—it’s a matter of feeling that urge to

swim faster than someone. It increased your speed without you

even realizing it."

"You can swim faster just by feeling something?"

"Of course." Feelings mature people—almost to the point

of evolution. “Wanna swim against me?"

"Against you? But I’ll lose for sure."

High Speed!

"I’ll hold back. If you can beat me—you’ll break your own

personal record!"

"Okay!" They take their marks and sync their breathing—and

RIn calls the start, both diving in and hitting the water at the

same distance.

As they race, Rin can feel Nagisa’s fingers just at his hips, the

distance neither widening nor narrowing even at the 25-m

turn…but with only 15 m left, Rin feels Nagisa’s fingertips

stretching out, his arm quickly pulling into view as he catches

up, practically clawing at Rin’s own shoulder. A shudder runs

down Rin’s spine—and now he understands what threw off

Nagisa’s opponents during the time trial.

Each stroke narrows the distance between them, and soon

Nagisa’s arms are neck-and-neck with Rin’s chin, and with 5 m

left, their heads are nearly lined up. It’s no longer Nagisa that

Rin sees, but something altogether indescribable.

‘He’s going to pass me…!’ Rin pours more power into his

shoulders and manages to reach his goal maintaining a head

lead on Nagisa, immediately lifting himself up onto the

poolside. His breath is ragged, far more than it should be at

just 50 m.

He hadn’t lied when he’d said he’d hold back; he’d had plenty of

confidence he could beat Nagisa’s best time easily. So why had

he been so stiff? In a word, it had been out of: fear. Not

irritation or instinctive response to a challenge; he’d been

terrified of Nagisa coming up from behind him, had struggled

to escape him, and in the end he hadn’t been able to even bear

High Speed!

staying in the same water as Nagisa and had leapt out of the

pool at first chance.

Nagisa glances up at him, confused. “What’s wrong, Rin -chan?"

RIn can’t even look him in the eye; he’s afraid Nagisa will see

right through him.

"See what you can do when you put your mind to it?" he offers

instead, and Nagisa is confused—he lost, so how has he gained

anything? “Your arms—"

"Yeah?" It’s the same Nagisa as always; Rin’s teammate, almost

like a little brother. He’s not “something altogether

indescribable". He finally manages to look Nagisa in the face.

"Your arms are getting longer."

"My arms?"

"Yeah; on the last leg, you started to catch up, right? Your arms

got longer."

"They did? I can’t tell at all…"

"What do you think about when you swim?"

"Just that I’ll catch up, no matter what." He obviously doesn’t

focus on his form or rhythm. Nagisa is clearly the type to learn

by doing, and Rin invites him to try swimming against him

again.

Nagisa lifts up onto the poolside, and Rin takes in his body—

slender and small…how on earth did someone like that manage

to nearly overtake him? Perhaps there’s some hint in Nagisa as

High Speed!

to the perfect form Rin’s always been searching for. They take

their places on the starting blocks.

"Ready…? Go!"

They both leap forward and slip into the water—but is the goal

really only 50 m away? Or is it perhaps much, much further…?

Rin can’t be sure anymore where he’s heading, just repeating

strokes through the water.

—————

Everyone’s broken up into groups based on the stroke they’ll

be swimming with the tournament so near at hand. Today,

Makoto’s in the backstroke group, a stroke he’ll be swimming

during the relay mostly by default since the other strokes were

taken.

It’s not that he can’t swim it, or that he’s bad at it—but he’s

never swum it during a tournament before. Mostly because he’s

never tried the S-curve pull he’s supposed to use with the

stroke

He grips the poolside, bringing his legs up to brace against the

edge as he faces the wall—then pushes off backwards.

Usually, when he dives into the water, it feels like some demon

is dragging its tongue over him, and his body wants to freeze

in place—but right now, that isn’t happening. It feels like he’s

being licked still, but he isn’t seizing up. His arms extend, his

body stretches—this is him swimming. He’s not fleeing the

water—maybe…this is what he’s always been meant to be.

High Speed!

He can still sense that demonic presence, but staring up at the

ceiling of the swimming club like this, his body doesn’t fight it,

he feels no reason to run. He feels like he’s riding the water

now, properly sensing the water.

‘Like a marine mammal…’

Maybe he used to be some kind of great sea creature in a

previous life. It’s ridiculous, but it’s all he can think of. If that’s

not the case—then why does he feel like this? Where is this

sense of fulfillment coming from? Some sensation he’s never

experienced before is freeing him within the water.

The high follows him even after he leaves the water, and he

manages to calm the feelings and find his way over to the

bench, where Aki is sitting.

"Huh? You’re doing the backstroke too, Zaki -chan?"

"Oh—Tachibana-kun. No, I’m freestyle."

"Taking a break, then?"

"Mmm, just…thinking."

"About the relay?"

"No…"

"Oh—I get it! About the flower bed tomorrow!" It’s time to start

cementing together the bricks they’ve just had fired.

"No, we’re having a plasterer come in to take care of it, so he’ll

apply the cement."

High Speed!

"You should’ve just asked Haru."

"Nanase-kun? But…isn’t it hard?"

"It’s all right—Haru laid bricks in the garden of his home, after

all."

"In the garden?"

"Yup; you get mud on your feet walking around the yard, right?

So he laid bricks to make a path—it’s really well done."

"Wow…he really can do anything!" Her smile looks a bit clouded,

though.

"But…that’s not what you were thinking about, is it?"

"No…I was thinking about Nanase -kun, actually."

"Haru?"

"I’ve only been focusing on my freestyle practice, and I was

wondering…why he only swims freestyle."

"Why would you wonder that?" It’s not as if Haruka’s only just

started acting this way.

"He’s a really fast swimmer, right? So I was wondering how he

feels when he swims. Maybe if I understood, I could swim

faster myself."

Makoto glances over to the freestyle group, and his eyes find

Haruka—he sticks out, swimming with all the grace of a

dolphin.

High Speed!

"You know…Haru doesn’t actually like swimming all that

much."

"Huh?"

"And he doesnt’ really particularly like freestyle e ither."

"But, then why would…"

Makoto brings his gaze back from the freestyle group to meet

Aki’s. “I’ve never asked, but for him…swimming has a different

meaning than it does for the rest of us."

"How so?"

"Haru…it’s just natural for him to be in the water."

"Huh?"

"And probably the most natural form to do so…is freestyle. I

guess you could call it ‘instinct’. It’s like asking why dolphins

and whales live in the ocean." Makoto himself just experienced

something similar only moments before. He can’t be 100%

certain, but he feels he isn’t far off.

"Then if that’s the case…I guess I can’t understand it."

"I’m not sure anyone could—understand Haru’s emotions, that

is." He takes his leave, bidding her farewell, and she responds

with a soft okay; from it, he can tell that she’s still watching

Haruka.

—————

High Speed!

The fired bricks have been set around the base of the sakura

tree, and the students start to lay the brick in increasing steps

with cement. Haruka is laying his set with ease, no worry as he

layers the bricks cleanly, Aki brings Haruka more bricks and

apologizes for asking him to do this, but he waves her off,

saying he’s done it before, and had the plasterer give him

instructions.

Rin wanders over as Haruka returns to his brick-laying. “Nice

work there." Since he isn’t obv iously seeking any response,

Haruka gives him none. “Maybe I’ll give it a shot!"

‘Do it if you want, then; there’s no need to make an

announcement about it.’

At the sound of Rin’s footsteps fading away, Haruka notices

there are bumps in the cement he’s just laved now—Rin simply

calling out to him has unsettled him this much. Moments later,

though, Rin returns and sits across from Haruka and starts

laying cement, actually quite adeptly.

They’re no more than 2 m away from each other, and yet

Haruka hates it. If they’d been closer, Haruka could move away,

and any further would put a stop to any conversation.

"Haru—I’m going to start timing myself tomorrow." As expected,

Rin starts speaking to him. “I want…to start practicing in a

tournament format, so…" He trails off; this time he isn’t

making decisions on his own like he usually does.

"Go for it, then." Haruka is as expressionless as ever, not once

tearing his eyes from the bricks. He can’t see any reason they

have to talk about this right now.

High Speed!

Rin nods softly, seemingly satisfied. “Nagisa…is getting

faster." Haruka knows; they’re on the same team. “His arms—

they’re getting longer."

"………"

"It’s his up-kick; he doesn’t realize it, but when he draws in his

legs, he lifts up a bit. But he can only do it when

he absolutely has to."

"………"

"And I think he can get even faster if we can get him a good

start." Maybe, but there’s no reason they need to discuss this

right now. Can’t he just be quiet? “We need to teach him about

how a match feels, and timing and focus, those kinds of

things."

‘And what do you have worth teaching anyone?’ Haruka

brushes off the mild irritation that rises up. He tries to ignore

Rin’s conversation, focusing on keeping the cement from

bumping. When he glances over, he sees that Rin’s almost

finished with his section, and it looks perfect—and he finds

himself somewhat in awe of Rin’s ability to be so skilled while

babbling like he was.

"Haru, I brought some more." Makoto arrives with a new bucket

of cement.

"I was just mentioning to Haru that I wanted to start timing

myself today, like in a real match."

High Speed!

"Yeah—the tournament’s just around the corner, after all."

Haruka leaves Makoto to be Rin’s conversation partner here,

turning his attention back to the bricklaying. He just wants to

finish—and then be in the water, sinking below the surface.

—————

Almost to the bridge, Haruka is running alone today—no

Makoto, no Rin, and Nagisa’s probably long gone. It’s been a

while since he’s crossed the bridge alone. He’d always planned

to run along—running with others had never crossed his mind,

just as swimming with a team hadn’t either. Swimming is a solo

sport, and even relays are swum as individual legs. As such, he

can’t understand the point of obsessing over the team.

Swimming doesn’t require eye contact or any special

formations, it’s all about each individual expressing their own

abilities, swimming as fast as they can. There’s no reason to

consider anything beyond that.

But then Rin got so passionate when he speaks about it, and

Makoto went on about needing Haruka there with him, and

Nagisa clamored to join their team, and Aki told him he should

swim with them.

What’s so special about the relay? If there’s something there he

doesn’t know about, then it’s worth trying, no matter the price.

"Haru-chan, what were you doing? You’re late! Where’s Rin -chan

and Mako-chan?" Nagisa greets him as soon as he exits the

changing room.

High Speed!

Nagisa throws him off—Haruka never knows how to deal with

him. “Working on the graduation project. They probably can’t

come today."

"Aww, well whatever! Let’s practice, c’mon!" Nagisa is obviously

referring to relay practice.

Nagisa takes his place on the starting block, issues the starting

call—and then dives in. Around 70 m, though, he can feel

Nagisa’s arms lengthening, like they’re too long for his body

almost. Nagisa is the same as ever, though, executing a nice

calm stroke, but at 15 m til the end, he puts on a burst of

speed, and again at 5 m to the wall, before he touches.

Haruka dives in at the pass from Nagisa, body flying through

the air. He’d heard from Rin about Nagisa’s swimming style, but

seeing it in person, he starts to realize it’s more difficult to

comprehend than he imagined.

—————

They start training for the tournament in earnest after the

graduation project is finished. Their days are divided in half—

with the first half dedicated to individual races and the second

to their relay practice, Haruka in his freestyle group and

Makoto in the breast- and backstroke groups. Rin and Nagisa

focus on the relay for both parts.

Today, Aki and Yuuki are taking part in practice with Rin and

Nagisa, Nagisa touches the wall, and Rin dives in as Nagisa

moves to pull himself out to watch Rin swim.

High Speed!

Aki, admittedly, hadn’t thought Nagisa would be able to push

himself this hard. He’s obviously exhausted, and his time is

slipping, but he isn’t complaining a bit.

He struggles at the wall to pull himself out, almost slipping

back in, and she reaches out to tug him forward.

“Thanks…huff…Zaki-chan…huff ."

"Want to take a break?"

"Sure." Nagisa nods at her, not bothering to disguise his

huffing. He never tries to come off stronger than he is—if

urged to do his best, he does, and if suggested to rest, he does.

He’s always exactly what he seems, no artifice or subterfuge.

They both settle down onto the bench. “You’ve gotten a lot

faster, Nagisa-kun."

"Yeah—but if I don’t get even faster, I’ll lose!"

"Lose? To whom?"

"…I dunno. That’s what Rin-chan-said."

"….Hmm, I see." She glances over at Rin, who’s trying to get out

of the pool. Who is he swimming against…? He always seems in

such a hurry, like he’s seeking something, headed somewhere.

"Who taught you how to dive, Zaki-chan?"

Aki pauses, caught off guard. “Hmm…I don’t remember. Why?"

"I can’t get it down. I’ve tried all kinds of things, but it still

doesn’t seem right. And Rin -chan won’t teach me."

High Speed!

"I see…I wonder why?" It’s strange—Rin’s taken such a shine to

Nagisa, she’d thought.

"So how do you think I can get better?"

It’s hard for Aki to respond—she’s never really paid that much

attention to her form. “Maybe…try looking further than just

beyond your fingertips when you dive?"

"How far?"

"Like…try jumping to the far wall."

"Hmm…" His big eyes stare at her, and something akin to

regret blossoms in her chest. Maybe she should have just said

she didn’t know—it would’ve probably been better than giving

such vague advice. “All right! I’ll try it ." He heads back to the

starting block, and Aki feels almost relieved to be free of him.

It’s not that she doesn’t like him—in fact, he’s almost like a

little brother to her—but being stared at with such honest eyes

makes her lose her confidence and want to run away.

Rin calls out to her after having just gotten out of the pool.

“Yazaki-san, what did you say to Nagisa?" He just finished a

run, but he’s not out of breath in the least. He’s not accusing

her of anything, but she still feels a bit awkward.

"Just about how to dive."

Rin glances over at Nagisa. “I knew it… His start looked a little

different just now."

"About…where to look."

High Speed!

"Hm?"

"I told him to look at his goal when he dives."

"Ah, I see."

"…Why won’t you teach him, Matsuoka-kun?"

Nagisa picks up his pace at the 25-m mark. “Nagisa isn’t they

type to increase his speed by fitting some form—he just can’t

get his body to cooperate, even if he understands with his

mind. But if he can feel it with his mind, it comes out naturally

in his swimming. Though he doesn’t seem to realize it himself."

Aki adjusts her goggles. “Then, I suppose I just made matters

worse…"

"Nah, I think it was good. What you told him has to do with

feeling as well—and I think he understood that."

"Good, then…" She nods and takes her place on the starting

block—her eyes on her own goal as she dives in.

She wonders if she’s ever been like Nagisa, straightforward in

her approach to swimming, and grows irritated with her own

inability to answer that question.

To be continued…

High Speed!