It had been the second summer that Kou had worked for the local swimming club. On top of going to school, she held part times jobs from time to time. Whenever she was available, Sasabe would invite her to return working for him as a lifeguard during the peak season of the year. Her little brother, Rin, was excited to find out that his big sister was going to work at the swim club he attended. He joined the club around his kindergarten year and had returned ever since. Just like his little friends Haru, Makoto and Nagisa, Rin loved splashing around the water, challenging Haru to races or playing sharks and minnows with the others. Kou preferred to work by her brother, just in case he needed some extra discipline. There had been more than few times previously where Coach Sasabe would have to call home to report that Rin had bitten someone or made other trouble.
Kou arrived at the club a little earlier than usual; Sasabe needed to talk to her about something before the pool opened that day. Rin didn't seem to mind; once they got inside, he dashed toward the locker rooms with his little shark bag in tow. Arriving early to the pool became a nice little perk that he enjoyed. "Stop running by the pool!" Kou shouted. She wasn't even on duty and she had to remind her brat brother not to break the rules. Rin just ran faster and disappeared to the hall that led to the changing rooms. Sighing, she entered the staff rooms to drop off her things.
"Afternoon, Kou. I see that your brother is on his best behavior," Sasabe jeered, looking up from his clipboard. The teen rolled her eyes at her boss.
"You're his coach, you should know how he acts," she retorted, putting on her whistle and badge. Kou usually got dressed in her regular uniform and swim attire before arriving to work. The older man chuckled, putting down his paper work.
"Speaking of which," Sasabe started "How would you like to sub for my swim class for a few days?" Kou looked at him with wide eyes.
"Is this what you called me in for?" Kou asked. Sasabe gingerly rubbed the back of his neck.
"Yeah well… I need someone to watch over my class while I'm away for the swim league conference. I figured, since I coach your brother's class, that you'd be a good fit. You know the kids already since you've been here for a while…" Kou put a hand on her hip and looked at him with disbelief. Sure, she was his older sister, but she didn't feel qualified to coach a group of seven year olds how to swim.
"No offense coach, but I could barely teach my brother how to tie his shoes. Besides, I kinda know his friends." Sasabe smirked in amusement.
"It'll be easy! I'll give you list of the drills, what to focus on with who and such. There's even a bunch of games they know how to play already. You just ask them what they wanna do and then go do it. Heck, you can even have a little 'free play' time at the end of the lesson," Sasabe started to dig through his messy desk, searching for the lesson plan he was talking about. He made a noise of approval when he found it, handing it to Kou.
Kou's dark red eyes scanned the items on the list. Really, it looked more like a reference sheet that Sasabe would use if he needed an activity to burn time. She wouldn't put it past him if he allowed them to have "free play" time every day.
"When would I start?" she asked, folding the sheet of paper. The blonde smiled nervous, which did not make Kou feel any better.
"Err…tomorrow. And I'll be gone for three days."
"Tomorrow?! Three days?!" Kou shouted, irritated that her boss would procrastinate like this. Sasabe held his hands up in defense.
"Trust me, Kou, if I could tell you sooner I would. My original sub cancelled on me and I didn't know what to do! Please, I'll owe you big time if you could do this for me. Please?" The older man smiled sheepishly, hoping that she would say yes. Folding her arms across her chest, Kou pressed her lips together and looked at him with narrow eyes.
"Fine!" Kou sharply turned her head to the side as her boss cheered.
Meanwhile, Rin sat by the poolside, his feet dipped in the water. Kou had a rule that he couldn't go in unless there was another life guard around. It was for safety, or something. Rin didn't care; he was old enough to swim all by himself. He could go into the deep end even! Only big kids got to do that. But he'd rather not get in trouble with Kou, and then have her report home that he was being naughty. Rin slouched in boredom, blowing his bang away from his face. 'What's taking her so long? I'm so boorreddd.' Normally, he would be in the water by now, swimming before any of the other kids even finished changing. He enjoyed his special pool privileges, although he would like to share it with his best friend Haruka. Rin growled in annoyance when the staff opened the pool doors to the public. So much for having private swimming time.
By the time the lifeguards attended their posts, Haruka, Nagisa and Makoto had joined Rin on the poolside.
"Rin-chan!" Makoto greeted with a bright smile. "How come you're not in the pool already?" Makoto was unaware of the fact that his sister worked for the club. He was lead to believe that Rin had some sort of magical pool pass that allowed him to go swimming before anyone else. Rin pouted, turning away from his friend without saying a word.
His scowl soon turned into a grin. "C'mon! Let's do our warm ups!" Rin slipped into the cool water; his friends following right after. Coach Sasabe emerged out of the staff room with Kou, briefing her on his class.
"…Nagisa can be super friendly and likes physical contact, so be careful. Rin and Makoto like to fight over who gets to be partners with Haruka, so just have Haru pair up with Nagisa. Haruka only swims freestyle or he cries, so don't try to force him to do anything else. And you should know about Rin's biting problem…" Kou glanced over to the pool while still listening to Sasabe, walking with him towards his class. She had seen her brother's friends before, but only as other students of the club. She vaguely remembered them coming over; it was usually Rin who left to play at his buddy's house. She was most familiar with Haruka, only because Rin would babble on and on about him. Four little heads popped out of the water, all of them staring at her and Coach Sasabe as they approached. Kou smiled softly at the boys, finding them all awfully adorable together. Sasabe gestured for the boys to swim closer to the pool's edge.
"Coach Sasabe! Coach Sasabe!" Nagisa greeted, swimming to the poolside wall. His bright pink eyes turned to look at Kou. "How come you're with Rin's sister? Are you daaattinngg?" Nagisa giggled. Makoto giggled along with him, finding the prospect of their coach having a girlfriend funny. Hakura's deadpan facial expression didn't change. Rin shot a glare at Nagisa.
"No! I'd go to jail if I did!" Sasabe replied hastily. The boys looked at him curiously as the comment sailed over their little heads. Kou put her hand on her forehead, shaking her head at her boss's idiocy. Sasabe cleared his throat, and then gestured to Kou. "I have to leave for a few days starting tomorrow, so uh, Coach Kou will be teaching you guys while I'm gone."
Rin grinned brightly, throwing his little hands in the air. "Yay! Big sis is gonna be our coach! My sister's the best!" Kou giggled at the praise she was receiving. It was obvious that they had a very strong sibling bond. Nagisa cheered alongside Rin, reaching out and grabbing Kou's ankle. "Coach Gou! Cool!" Kou didn't have the heart to correct the boy, so she let the mistake slide for now. She gently pried his little hands off her ankle while a nervous smile on her face. The last thing she needed was a little boy clinging onto her.
"We're gonna miss you, Coach Sasabe," Makoto said, looked up at him with sad eyes. The blonde man sighed. Makoto had a more difficult time dealing with people he wasn't familiar with. He knelt down and patted the young boy on the head.
"Don't worry, I picked a really nice coach for you guys okay? I wouldn't leave you with just anybody." His words seemed to ease Makoto's nervousness. "Beside, she's Rin's sister. Rin's your friend right?" The brunette nodded timidly. As if on cue, Rin swam to Makoto's side.
"She's really cool, Mako. You'll like her." He put an arm around the taller boy, grinning brightly. "Ne ne, big sis, does that mean I get to be assistant coach?" He turned to look up at Kou with big, brilliant ruby eyes. Kou wrinkled her nose, immune to his charms.
"No," she answered curtly. Rin pouted, sticking his tongue out at her.
"Well, she's kinda cool," he mumbled to Makoto, who only nodded. Kou shot a look over to Sasabe.
"Aren't they cute?" he commented, standing up. Kou sighed, making her way to her post.
"Yeah, real cute."
A/N: Thanks for reading! Please let me know what you think!