Chapter 3: The Dotted Line
Rin was tired. It had been a long day.
Managing, coaching and running the swim team was hard enough, but studying for a degree too? Almost impossible… almost. He somehow found time for both, but it always left him exhausted when it came time to crawl into bed at night.
With little free time, the few minutes he did get he liked to spend on the couch with his laptop, either playing videogames or watching documentaries (preferably about sharks). Today, however, he was doing neither.
Sprawled out across the length of the sofa, he lay on his front with his chin in his hands, staring aimlessly down at a sports science textbook. He was supposed to be doing some extra studying in preparation for his first lecture as a third-year, but really he was just using this as an excuse to enjoy an hour to himself, alone. Unfortunately for him, having Sousuke as a flatmate meant that, no matter how hard he tried, he was never going to achieve this. His friend, as kind as he was, rarely let him enjoy the few moments of quiet he somehow managed to find each day.
"That girl has been asking about you again," he smirked, eyeing him from the kitchen.
If it was anybody but Sousuke, he wouldn't answer. His vice-captain was his only real friend and had been since the beginning of his university life. Of course, there was always Haruka, but they weren't really 'friends'. The term 'rivals' was probably more apt. No, Sousuke was the only person who was willing to tolerate him. Rin was lucky – they shared a competitive edge and a sharp focus. It was this focus that tended to drive people away… well, that and his somewhat 'abrasive' personality. He was tired and overworked, he didn't mean to come across like an asshole all the time. Despite this, the one group of people he couldn't seem to lose the attention of was the girls on campus.
"Which one…?" he sighed reluctantly.
Sousuke grinned and joined him in the living room. He sat down on the sofa across from him and cracked open a soda.
"The brunette who sat behind us in Principles of Coaching last year."
Rin stared vacantly at him.
"You know, the one with the bow in her hair."
"Oh." Rin vaguely remembered, but he couldn't care less. "Not interested." He shook his head and went back to staring at his book.
"Typical Rin," Sousuke laughed, sipping at his soda. "Your only love is swimming, right?"
Rin rolled his eyes.
"Speaking of which, what did you think of the newbies today? Some pretty strong talent, huh?"
He let slip a rare smile. They were indeed strong.
"They have potential," he agreed, sitting up to match his gaze.
"They certainly do, especially Momotaro."
Rin nodded.
"What I can't understand though, and I've thought about this a lot, is why you picked that Nitori kid."
Rin's smile quickly faded. "His name is Aiichirou and he isn't a kid. He wouldn't be here otherwise, you know that."
"Alright, alright. But why did you choose him? He had the worst time out of all the breaststroke swimmers and nearly drowned himself on the return lap."
"There's just something about him, alright," Rin shot back, his brow furrowing. "I like his attitude and he showed a lot of resilience out there. That's what this team's about."
Sousuke narrowed his eyes and smirked. "You sure it's not something else?"
Rin felt a heat begin to creep up his neck. "What do you mean by that?" he demanded, knowing exactly what he meant.
"Well, you know." Sousuke shrugged. "All those girls in our class would kill for you to speak to them in the same way you spoke to him."
Rin had had enough. "Fuck you, Sousuke," he snarled, grabbing his book and getting to his feet. "You're wrong."
"Whatever, man. I was only joking." Sousuke shook his head and took an idle sip of his soda.
Embarrassed and angry, Rin stormed out and headed for his room. He barged open the door and locked it behind him.
"Asshole…" he muttered, leaning back against the door's frame.
How dare he question his integrity as captain? He picked Aiichirou on his merits, his ability, his potential. Yes, he was a nice guy and there was something about him that was inexplicably likable (his naivety maybe?) but that's certainly not why he picked him for the team. He was a good swimmer, a strong swimmer, that was it.
That was it…
Rin threw his book down onto his desk and slumped into his chair.
Fucking Sousuke, he thought, as if he had the nerve to imply something so ridiculous.
He didn't look at Aiichirou like that… did he?
He tried to shake the possibility from his head, to think of something else, but it just wouldn't go away. After a few moments of deliberation, he sat back and laughed a little.
He was straight. He always had been.
Aiichirou was just an honest person, a hard worker. Someone who doesn't give up even when the going gets tough. He was a freshman who had potential and Rin's instincts were in tune with that. Yeah, that was it…
Happy with his conclusion, he sought a distraction in the papers on his desk. The team registration forms lay in a neat pile beside his textbooks, they just needed his signature. He began to sift through them, hurriedly signing each one. He made quick work of the first two before his eyes were drawn to the one at the bottom of the pile. Drumming his fingers on the desk, he slowly pulled it out and placed it in front of him. He hesitantly looked it over, knowing exactly who it belonged to. He checked their contact number, email address, and course of study. His eyes soon fell upon the name at the top.
Aiichirou Nitori.
He stared at it for a moment.
Snatching his pen up from the desk, he quickly scribbled his signature at the bottom of the paper.
