The water is scary, it's formless, it's colorless but when you are in it, the water might kill you.
"Ohayo, Aki-chan."
The girl stepping down the stairs replied with a small voice.
"Breakfast is ready."
The chair gritted against the floor as it was being pulled.
"Here's your bentou Aki-chan. Right, I'm going up to take a shower."
A soft nod was a reply.
"The new uniform looks good on you. Try to make friends here okay? Ganbatte."
The girl replied with a hum, it was neither an approving nor disapproving hum.
Gou was busy writing down training regimen for the Swim Club.
"What is that?"
"Hana-chan! It's for the Swim Club."
"Hey hey, have you heard there is a new transfer student today in the other class."
"Really? This time of the year?"
"Everyone was making a fuss about it because it was a Tokyo student and she's cute and stuff."
Gou just realized that the boys in her class has been talking much since morning and it was because of the new transfer student.
"What was the name again? Hmmm...", Hana seems to think hard. "Kamikura ... Something like a boy's name."
Gou let out a sigh, being a girl with a boy's name and with everyone on the swim club having girl's name, it wasn't strange to her anymore.
The shoe locker was noisy, filled with the chattering of students deciding what to do after school. Gou was tucking her feet to her shoe when Hana tugged on her sleeve.
"What is it, Hana-chan?"
"It's the Tokyo transfer!", whispered Hana.
Hana points at a girl walking towards the school gate. She walked alone and doesn't seem to care about her surroundings. Her long hair moved softly with the wind. Something caught Gou's eyes, something about that girl. Something about her physique, something about her movements, something about her is familiar.
"Ah! I remember now, Kamikura Akira! That's her name."
The pool was filled with nothing but the sound of splashing water and bodies gracefully dancing through it. Everyone was busy training hard. Gou sat on the bench, focusing hard on her phone.
"AAHH!"
Gou's scream stopped everyone immediately.
"Gou-chan!"
"What's wrong?"
Everyone swam to the edge immediately and Gou paced towards them with the phone in her hand.
"This, this!"
In the screen was a newspaper article and a girl in a swimsuit as the picture.
"Ah! Isn't this the transfer student?", Rei asked.
"What? We have a transfer student?", asked Nagisa.
"Yes, this is the new transfer student from Tokyo, Kamikura Akira!"
"She's a swimmer?", asked Makoto.
"And apparently one of the nation's top butterfly swimmer! Nicknamed The Mermaid."
Gou was terribly excited.
"You want to recruit her?", asked Makoto again.
"Of course! With someone like her, we can boost our club!"
"Wait, wait, Gou-san."
Rei raised his hand to everyone's attention.
"Everyone said that she was a loner, she didn't talk or converse with anyone in her class. And besides if she really is a swimmer, why didn't she sign up with the Swim Club immediately?"
"Maybe because she's shy?", Nagisa added.
"Whatever the reason is, we need to recruit her!", Gou said with a resolve.
Makoto felt uneasy inside, Haru wasn't saying anything and in fact was going back for a swim.
"Okay, if you want to recruit her, just don't try to scare her okay?", Makoto said.
Rei focused his attention on the screen in front of him. A video of a girl swimming. Kamikura Akira. Having another butterfly swimmer in the club means that Rei now has a contender. But seeing that beautiful form.
Rei has a long way to go.
The trio consisting of Gou, Rei and Nagisa spied near the locker room.
"There, there she is!", called Nagisa.
"She didn't come outside during break time and we never saw her talking with anyone. She really is a loner.", said Rei.
"For the sake of the Swim Club!"
Aki was taking out her shoes when her name was called. She looked behind her and saw 3 strangers.
"Hey, you are Kamikura Akira-san, right?"
Gou found her resolve shrinking by the second when the reply was a small nod. This Akira clearly is not an enthusiastic person.
"Akira-chan, we are from the Swim Club.", Nagisa said.
Rei saw a slight change of expression in the girl's face.
"Kamikura-san, would you like to join our Swim Club? We're a small club but we're doing quite okay. Las year, we actually made it to the ..."
"I don't want to join the Swim Club."
Gou found herself out of words when Akira cut her off immediately.
"Akira-chan..."
Nagisa grabbed the pale colored hand and Akira retaliated by pulling her hand immediately.
"I don't want to swim."
The statement cut through the three like a sharp blade that rendered them motionless as Akira left the school.
Makoto observed the 3 that is sitting on the bench with a sad look. Haru, as always, wasn't paying any attention and already dived into the pool.
"What happened with you three?", he asked.
"We met Akira-chan.", Nagisa said depressingly. "
She rebuffs us straight away.", Rei continued. "
Did you guys scare her?", Makoto asked.
The three can be too enthusiastic sometimes and it might scare people, that's what Makoto thought.
"She said she doesn't want to swim.", Gou answered.
Makoto threw a confused look.
"What kind of swimmer doesn't want to swim?"
"Haru..."
"Haruka-senpai..."
Nagisa jumped out suddenly.
"Maybe we need to show her the pool, and that way she might want to join us!"
"We can try that..."
"How are you going to take her here? She is not going to listen to any of you three anymore.", Makoto said.
"We can ask Ama-chan sensei to take her here!"
Makoto sighed, why does he feel that this method is way worse.
"So, Kamikura-san, are you used to the school now?"
Miho looked back to the girl diligently following her.
"Yes."
A short reply. Miho let out a small sigh. She heard from the other teachers about Kamikura and how she is such a loner. It is her fourth day at school and no one ever saw her socializing.
Miho took her around the school as a tour. The true intention of the tour is to bring her to the pool at the end of it. She feels bad for lying to Kamikura but when Gou and Nagisa begged her on the verge of tears, Miho is powerless.
"Did you find a club yet?", Miho asked again.
"No."
They reached the stairs leading to the pool. They both stepped up to it.
"We have a pool here and a Swim Club. Everyone is real nice."
"Oh, sensei.",Makoto called out.
Miho pointed at Makoto that is standing near the pool.
"That is Tachibana-kun, the captain of the club. Tachibana-kun, this is Kamikura-san. She used to be a swimmer, so why don't you two talk for a while."
Miho walks away immediately, Akira's first response was to follow her.
"Kamikura-san, wait!", exclaimed Makoto.
Makoto stopped Akira in her place. Haruka was observing from the pool while Gou, Nagisa and Rei hid somewhere Akira can't see.
"I'm just here to talk, all right?", Makoto comforted the girl.
Makoto can feel that Akira was not letting her guard down, she was on hostile.
"Everyone is really excited to know that you are a swimmer. Everyone wanted to have you here."
"I already said I don't want to join the club."
"I know we're not a great club and all but ..."
"I'm not joining! I don't want to swim!"
From afar, Gou, Nagisa and Rei looked worried. Even Makoto can't talk Akira out of it.
"This is bad...", said Gou.
Makoto lifts his hand in order to calm her down. Akira looks pretty upset.
"I don't want to swim again and I am not joining this club!", shouted Akira.
"Go-me-na-sai!"
It all happened in a split second, Rei running towards Akira, grabbing her school bag out of her hand and pushed her with all his strength.
And it all ended with a big splash.
Everyone's jaw dropped.
Updated the chapter because it turns out, the formatting gone wrong and the line breaks were missing