"Matsuoka Gou, unlock this door right this second!"

"Go away, Rin! It's none of your business!"

"I'm your brother! You owe me that, at least-"

"I don't owe you anything!"

Silence.

"Gou," he was calmer now, softer, "why didn't you say something sooner?"

She paused from her bed, hugging tightly on to her favourite blue pillow, "You don't care anyway. You never have."

Silence.

"You know what? I don't care," he seemed angry again, "I just don't want anyone tarnishing our family name."

Gou shrugged, although she knew full well he couldn't see it, "Too late for that."

"EH?!" was the enraged reply, "You mean they did more than that prank?"

She nodded, though Rin couldn't see from the other side of the door.

"Those slimy little-" he cut himself off, and she thought he might be pacing from the footsteps just beyond the doorway. "I'll find out, Gou," he said after a moment, "and when I do, god help those idiots."

He left after that, and she heard the front door slam behind him.

Sighing, she flopped down on her bed, cradling her violin to her chest.

"Shit!" she cried, leaping up, "Makoto and Haruka are still here!"

With that she darted back into the living room, skidding to a stop before them, violin still in her hands. For a moment they just stared between the three of them, and eventually Gou took her seat opposite them once more.

Clearing her throat awkwardly, she turned to dragging her bow lightly along the fine-tuned strings, "What happened?"

A beat of silence passed before Makoto spoke up, "We were walking past a classroom at lunchtime and we heard some people talking about how well their prank went yesterday…" he looked uncertainly to Haru, who was staring impassively at the tablecloth before him, fists hidden beneath the table.

"They called out to us," Makoto continued, "and asked us some rather… crude questions concerning your honour and our decency."

Gou was grateful he didn't go into detail about what was said.

"And before we could walk away – well… Haru, he…" Makoto nodded to his stoic friend, unsure about how to proceed.

"You can tell her," the blue eyed swimmer nodded.

"Haru punched the boy named Tsukino and threatened to drown anyone else who spoke about the swim team."

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!"

OOO

Friday afternoon arrived, and Gou found herself walking to the front gates with Makoto and Haru. The air between her and the boys had shifted. All of them insisted on being called Mako-chan, or Nagisa-chan, or Rei-chan – even Haru-san.

Gou didn't want any special treatment, but she couldn't deny that the boys' extra effort to thank her and strike up conversation with her was flattering. They'd even invited her to sit with them on the roof at lunch!

"Gou-kun!" she heard a familiar booming voice call to her, "Fancy seeing you here!"

Subconsciously, a grin adorned her face, "It's Kou, Sei-chan, Kou!"

"Ah, sorry," he laughed as they walked to meet him, "I forgot!"

"Hello, Mikoshiba-senpai!" Makoto greeted, smiling in a friendly manner, "What a coincidence to run into you here! Are you here to check out our pool for summer?"

"Eh?" the tall Captain was puzzled, "That's a good idea, Tachibana! Joint practices at Iwatobi in the summer will be perfect training!"

"You're welcome here any time," the green eyed boy nodded, still smiling.

"Aha, but that's not why I'm here," Mikoshiba grinned, averting his stare to Gou, "Mitsuoka and I have some business to attend to, don't we Gou?"

The girl nodded, burgundy hair bouncing as she chuckled, "It's KOU! And we do indeed, Cap'n."

"Ah, swimming business?" Makoto asked, smiling down at his team manager.

"Yes, but it's top-secret spy stuff so we can't divulge anything," the flaming haired boy said in good humour.

"Sei-kun! You can't say that, now they'll think we're spying!" Gou scolded, scowling.

"But Gou, we are spying- OW!" he yelped as she kicked him in the shin.

"We've got to go! I'll see you later Mako-chan, Haru-san-" and she ran away, dragging the staggering Captain behind her.

"…are they dating?"

"Look at his shoe size… she'd definitely enjoy that!"

"That whore doesn't deserve someone like him!"

Seijuuro couldn't believe his ears. He made one appearance – one appearance – and already gossip was spreading like wildfire.

"Kou," he stopped her with the use of her preferred name, "did you bring the ID cards? I want to show you something different today."

The girl frowned, but nodded and procured the cards anyway as they neared the station. "What approach are we taking?"

Whipping out a pair of sunglasses and a large camera, Seijuuro looked every part the school journalist.

"We are representing the high school of Saijouin to interview the members on their latest and greatest talent, as well as any competition they may encounter at the prefectural tournament."

"Aha," Gou chuckled, slipping on her own pair of glasses as the train pulled into the stop, "I see what you're doing there, Agent Mikoshiba."

"Indeed you do," he said, superiority ringing through his tone. He offered her his arm, "Care to take a stroll, partner?"

"Bring it on," Gou whispered, and the two headed from the station to the school, cackling together as they went.

OOO

"Hello, I'm Okazaki Toshio and this is my partner, Sanohara Atsuko!" Mikoshiba greeted the Captain of the Saijouin High School swim team, gesturing to himself and Gou enthusiastically.

"Hello!" Gou piped up, shooting the boy a winning smile.

"Hello?" the boy frowned at them, confused. He hadn't been informed they were coming, "Why are you here?"

"We're aspiring journalists," Seijuuro grinned, holding up his camera while Gou held up her notebook, "and we're writing a feature article in the school paper about the team!"

"Ah," the Captain nodded, shaking out his dark head of hair, "I see. What do you need to know?"

"Firstly!" Gou was taking charge now, standing slightly in front of her partner, "The school body wants to know about the most talented members on the team – yourself included, of course!"

The teen flushed slightly, a small smile gracing his freckled face, "Uh… sure, Sanohara-san," he mumbled before launching into an explanation of the newest members and most outstanding talent.

They were there for an hour, sticking as a pair as they toured around the pool, interviewing swimmers on the training regimen and even the finer details of some of the better swimmers strokes.

"So this 'Joe' known as the 'Flying Fish'," Gou began, frowning as she and Seijuuro crouched at the pool's edge to talk to some submerged members of the swim team as she scribbled down notes in her book.

"Ah, yes, he's bound to win some medals this year!" a third year barked, laughing.

"Hm. Tell me about his stroke," Seijuuro quizzed, staring intently at the boy on the opposite side of the pool, itching to push him into the water to see his so called 'talent' for himself. "Is it long and flowing, long and rough, short and flowing or short and-"

"Hang on a second," said the boy beside the interviewee, eyes narrowing suspiciously, "why do you need to know so much for an interview in the school paper?"

"Uh," Gou began, shooting Seijuuro a glare, "the readers are curious!"

"Readers, hn?" the same boy said again, standing to his full height and preparing to heave himself out of the pool, "What years are you in anyway?"

"Uh… I'm a senior and she's a junior!" Mikoshiba coughed, edging away from the poolside, tugging Gou along by the hand as he did so.

"How come I've never seen you around? I'm a senior, too," the boy interjected, gaining the attention of a few of the other team members.

Thankful that they were wearing sunglasses, Seijuuro and Gou exchanged a cool glance.

"Yeah!" shouted another boy as he got out of the water, "now that I think about it, Ryou is in charge of the journalism at this school!"

The cool pair exchanged one last glance.

"Bail?" Gou muttered, hand tightening around the Captain of Samezuka's.

"Bail," he confirmed, and with that the two made a dash for it, sprinting away to the angered cries of the swim team members. "Faster, Gou!" Seijuuro cried breathlessly, torn between laughing and panting.

"I'm – trying!" the girl gasped, clinging to his hand, glancing over her shoulder as they went. "They're in pursuit!" she alerted the more experienced super spy.

"We'll lose them at the train station! Hurry!" and they powered to the station, skidding to a stop on the platform just as a train pulled up either side.

"Shit, which one do we choose?" Gou cried, head snapping from side to side frantically as Seijuuro paced briefly, trying to think fast.

"There they are! Stop them!" from the other end of the platform, half-dressed swimmers appeared, sprinting for them.

"Quick, this one!" Mikoshiba shouted, tugging Gou onto a train as its doors were closing.

They made it just in time, and the train pulled out a second before the swimmers leapt on to it themselves. The partners in crime dissolved into hysterical laughter, ignoring the strange looks they were receiving from the other passengers.

"Oh, that was gold!" Gou sniffed as she wiped at her eyes, trying to regain her composure.

Seijuuro only laughed harder, slapping at his knee, doubled over. Soon Gou joined him again, and they found themselves holding on to a pole to keep their balance.

A strange sound erupted from the young girl, and the Captain turned to her with wide eyes, "Did you just… snort?"

Gou was laughing too hard to speak, so she merely shook her head frantically and made an attempt at deep breaths.

"You so did!" Seijuuro boomed, laughing all the same.

When the pair finally calmed down enough to speak, it was Gou who peered around, "Where are we?"

"I would check the map, but I'm still reeling from that adorable little snort-"

"Shut up, I didn't snort!" the fiery teen snapped, marching over to the map situated on one of the train walls. "Aw man! We're headed all the way in to Nagoya!"

"Nagoya? Eh, that's not too bad," the Captain shrugged nonchalantly, "it's almost nightfall anyway… hey…do you want to make a night of it?"

"Huh?" Gou walked back to him, pulling out her phone as she went, "A night?"

"Yeah," Seijuuro admitted, sheepishly rubbing at his neck, "like do you want to grab some dinner and walk around the city, maybe even go on the Ferris wheel?"

The girl paused for a moment, taking a second to smile up at him, "Yeah. Yeah, I think we should make a night of it, Sei-chan."

And with that she called her mother to inform her of her plans.

"Hey mum!"

"Hello, Gou-"

"Before you ask, I'm not home! I was doing some work for the swim team but a friend and I accidentally took a train to Nagoya."

"Nagoya? There's no point in going there and coming back just to head there tomorrow for practice anyway. Why don't you stay there and I'll join you later on tonight with your violin and some fresh clothes?"

"Ah, yes ma! I was going to stay and have dinner with my friend and walk around anyway! Will you be here in time for dinner?"

"No, honey, I'm a bit busy at work. Call Rin, maybe he'd like to go out with you for dinner?"

"Okay mum, I'll ask him... but I don't think he'll come."

"Okay love, say hello to Captain Mikoshiba for me!"

"EEEEEHHH? How did you know he was with me?"

"Other than the Iwatobi boys, he's the only one you hang around with nowadays sweetie! Alright Gou, I've got to get back to work, I'll call you this evening!"

"See you ma!"

She hung up and turned to her friend, smiling, "Dinner it is then."

His smile was blinding.

OOO

The night went by all too fast for Seijuuro. He took Gou to a fancy restaurant (and insisted upon paying, of course!) and they went for ice cream afterwards. For an hour or so they roamed the shores along the bay before they spotted a Ferris wheel and went for a ride. After that, they hit the arcades and played on the machines until late at night.

Finally, Gou's mother called and told her to meet her at the hotel.

"Ah," she hummed, turning to the tall boy as they stood on the busy street, "thank you, Sei-kun," she smiled, "I had a lot of fun tonight."

"Uh – you… you too, Kou-chan," the red head stuttered, cheeks suddenly flushed.

"Sei? Are you feeling okay?" Gou frowned at his strange behaviour, reaching up to place a hand on his forehead.

"Yes! I'm fine! Fantastic! Brilliant!" he exclaimed, jittery, "I just… I had a lot of fun, too… and I was wondering… whether we could do this again?"

"Eh? Spy and run away again?" the girl exclaimed, surprised.

"No! I mean yes! Wait, no – ugh!" Seijuuro threw his hands up in frustration, "I mean us," he gestured between them, "this. As in hang out together more often, and not just for spying reasons."

He waited on baited breath, watching Gou's face closely.

Finally, she smiled, "Yes. I think that would be fun, Sei-chan."

"Great!" he boomed, back to his normal self, "It's getting late. Let me walk you back to your hotel."

"Ne? Don't you have a train to catch?" the teen questioned, head tilted curiously.

"That can wait. I just want to see you back safe, first."

Gou flushed, "Thank you, Sei-kun."

"You're welcome, Gou-kun," he smiled down at her, winking.

And so Seijuuro walked her to her hotel, gave her a pat on the head goodnight and headed to the station. He didn't get home until the early hours of the morning, and the next day he wasn't out of bed before 12, but he just couldn't seem to wipe the goofy grin off his face despite how hard he tried.

OOO

"Hey Rei-chan," Gou piqued up one morning in homeroom.

"Morning, Kou-chan," the bespectacled boy greeted, offering a small smile, "how are you today?"

"I'm great, thanks," the girl grinned spinning around in her seat to face him, "do you think you could give me some advice?"

"A-Advice?" Rei buckled, "On wh-what?"

"Running," his manager told him, still smiling, "it's just – I know you were on the track team and I'd really like to become a better runner!"

Almost breathing a sigh of relief, Rei nodded (albeit, a bit uncertainly), "Sure, Kou-chan," he replied, "what would you like to know?"

That afternoon, Rei, Nagisa and Gou all ran to the train station, Rei coaching the two others as they went.

"Oh my god!" the burgundy haired girl panted, hands on her knees as she doubled over, "I don't – think I'm cut out for this."

"Now, now, Kou-chan!" Rei tutted, pushing his glasses further up his nose, "You can't quit that easily."

Something in his tone told Gou that she would be hitting herself for asking Rei for help – she was the one shouting at him non-stop during training hours to perfect his time, after all.

"Why do you need to know this anyway, Gou-chan? Wouldn't you rather swim instead?" Nagisa asked, eyes wide, "Oh, don't tell me you're leaving us to join the track team?!"

"It's Kou, Nagisa-kun!" the red head snapped, shooting him a glare, "And I don't swim, so I thought I should know how to run."

"You can't swim?" the little blond gasped, eyes widening, horrified.

"I never said that!" Gou backtracked quickly, "Of course I can swim! I just – I'm not the best swimmer. And I don't know the strokes, per say."

"Aha! That's why you wouldn't swim at the beach the other day!" Rei exclaimed, light bulb coming to life above his head.

Blushing, Gou looked away, "It doesn't matter. I just want to know how to run."

Rei and Nagisa exchanged a brief glance, but didn't press the subject as their train pulled into the station, "We'll see you later, Kou-chan," the taller teen waved, smiling as he and his blond accomplice hopped on to the train.

"Bye! See you tomorrow," she smiled, heading over to her platform.

The train ride home was silent, and Gou spent that time reflecting on what stage she was at in her life.

Violin seemed like the only thing keeping her sane in the world. Without it, she didn't know how she'd cope with Rin and the Swim Club and rogue captains and her busy mother.

When she made it to her house, she changed into a pair of casual clothes and packed her violin in its case, heading back out into the sunny afternoon and making her way very purposely to the seaside.

It was hard to make it up the steps to the hill holding her violin, but she managed it somehow, finally coming to a stop in front of her father's grave.

"Hey dad," she murmured, placing a kiss on the cold stone. Wordlessly, she drew her instrument and began to play, swaying gently from side to side, her back to the ocean. Once she was done, the sun was about to set, and so she packed the instrument and sat before the gravestone.

"I need some help," she admitted, picking up a stick to write in the dirt at the foot of the stone. "Rin's back from Australia. He's different, dad. I don't know what to do…it feels like he doesn't care about anything but beating Haruka. Mum's sad and he can't even see it…" trailing off, she let her eyes wander to the sun as it set over the ocean.

"I wish you were still here. I… I'm starting to forget your face," she didn't like the way her voice hitched on her last few words. "I really hope Rin gets better soon. I need him, and so does mum."

Averting her gaze from the deceivingly calm ocean, Gou looked to the dirt before her and carved We miss you into the hardened soil.

"Dad… there's also this guy," she breathed, training her eyes on the stick in her hand, "and… he's funny and kind and a brilliant swimmer. I think… I think I like him. I just thought that you should know that."

With that she stood, bringing her case with her, "See you later dad. Thanks for the talk, you know it always makes me feel better."

OOO

"O-Onii-chan? What're you doing here?" the teenage girl asked, eyes wide as she opened the front door to let her brother in.

"I had to grab a few things," he muttered, brushing past her to enter the hallway.

"O-Oh! Sorry for the mess, I've been a bit busy practicing!" Gou scrambled hurriedly, dashing in front of him in an attempt to try and make the living room a little more presentable. Sheet music was strewn about the room, a stand took up the centre of the living room and a USB was plugged into the television playing the Shingeki no Kyojin episodes on repeat.

"Where's mum?" Rin asked, eyebrow raised.

His sister looked up at him blankly, "It's a weekday," she said simply, as though that would answer his question.

"And?"

Gou blinked, trying to understand why he didn't know. "Mum works until nine every weekday, Rin. She won't be home for ages."

"Eh? Nine?" he frowned, "That's a bit late."

"She's been working that late for years," his sister shrugged, heading to the kitchen, "ever since I can remember, really."

"Wait… she never worked late as far as I can remember," the tall boy frowned.

"You mustn't remember much, then," Gou sniggered, shaking her head.

Rin let the subject drop after that, putting it down to his bad memory, "Right. I just wanted to grab some stuff from my room."

"Go ahead," Gou yawned, pouring them both a cup of juice, "here you go."

Rin took the juice, nodding to her in thanks as he made his way to his room. He'd decided to leave only his school and swimming clothes at the Samezuka dorms, opting to leave his casual clothes in his old room.

Back in the lounge room, he heard his sister start playing in time with the music in the episodes, and he briefly marvelled at her talent. It made him jealous to think his little sister had already been propositioned by a high paying company when he had obviously put so much hard work into his swimming as well, and was getting nothing from it.

Stuffing a few items of clothing into the bag he'd brought, he headed back into the lounge room and flopped on to the couch.

"O-Onii-chan, you're staying?" Gou asked, eyes alight as she turned to face him, still playing the song.

"Just for a bit," he scoffed, rolling his eyes, "what is this shit anyway?" he pointed to the screen, where the fifteenth episode of Shingeki no Kyojin was playing.

"It's Attack on Titan," his little sister explained, skipping back to the first episode, "want to watch it with me, nii-chan?!"

Shrugging, Rin nodded, trying to ignore the slight flutter in his stomach as his sister squealed excitedly and did a little happy dance, leaping on to the couch beside him.

"Just don't play that damn annoying thing when we do, okay?" he nodded to the violin, face upturned in a sneer.

"Yes, okay!" Gou laughed, bouncing in her seat, "Let's go!"

Later that night, Harumi came home to a dark house. She found her two children sprawled out on the couch, immersed in an anime.

"Eren you idiot!" Rin shouted at the television, "Don't shout shit like that in the courthouse!"

"Go Levi!" Gou cheered as one of her favourite characters came on screen.

"Damn, what if Eren transforms there? Ugh, everyone on this show is so stupid – oh. Mum. Hi." Rin waved to his mother from the couch.

"Rin? What're you doing here so late?" Harumi scolded her son, "Don't you have a curfew?"

The teen shrugged, "Oh well."

"Listen here, young man! I don't like this attitude of yours-"

"Mum! It's not his fault!" Gou jumped off the couch, extending her hands before her in defence, "I made him stay to watch it with me!"

"Eh?" Rin breathed, staring up at his little sister curiously.

"Is that so?" the woman hissed, hands on her hips, "Gou, I'm very disappointed. I thought you were more mature than this, but I was obviously wrong! Now you've gotten your brother into trouble – if he gets caught who knows what the punishment will be!"

"I'm sorry, mum!" Gou cried, "We just got carried away with the time-"

"Enough! Off to your room, before you get your brother kicked off the swim team!"

"Sorry," the girl mumbled, shooting her brother an apologetic glance as she scooped up her violin and trudged to her room.

"Mum," Rin spoke up when his sister was out of earshot, "curfew isn't until ten thirty."

Harumi bristled, glaring at him, "It doesn't matter! You need to be more responsible, Rin! Hurry, off you go before they realise you're not there and get you in trouble."

"Yes, mum," he groaned, stifling a grimace as he let her kiss him goodbye on the cheek before he hurried out of there.

Meanwhile, Gou was in her room, frantically dialling a familiar Captain's number.

"Gou-kun! Is everything alright? Why are you calling at this time?"

"It's Kou, Sei-kun! And I'm calling to ask you not to kick my brother off the swim team, please!"

"Eh? Kick him off the swim team? Why would I do that?"

"He's not back at Samezuka and it's almost curfew! I accidentally made him watch the first fourteen episodes of Shingeki no Kyojin and now he's late!"

"Ah, I see – calm down Gou, he won't be kicked off the swim team for something so small."

"Promise?!"

"Yes, Gou-kun, I promise."

"Thank you so much, Sei-kun – and it's Kou!"

OOO

"Come on Rei! Rotate those arms!" Coach Sasabe bellowed, pacing alongside the pool agitatedly.

Off to the side, Gou was taking notes on his Coaching technique, Makoto reading over her shoulder. In the water, Nagisa was practicing his dive, Rei was swimming laps and Haru was floating leisurely on his back.

"Haruka-san! Nagisa-kun! Mako-chan!" the only girl present bellowed, stomping her foot, "In the water, now! We've got to get your times down, there's less than a month until prefecturals!"

"But Gou-chaaaaaaan," Nagisa whined from the diving block he was perched up on, "It's so hoooooooooooooot! Can't we swim at Samezuka more often?"

"I'll get us all popsicles after this, then!" Gou countered, shooting him a glare at the use of her name, "And no – Samezuka can't let us use their pool every day."

"Why not?" Nagisa asked, pouting, "You could easily put your sex appeal to good use on the Captain- AH!"

It was only fitting for Gou to come up behind him and shove him into the water, "If it's so hot, then how about you do us all a favour and swim!"

Later that afternoon, as the five members of the Iwatobi Swim Club walked away from a corner shop licking their popsicles, Gou turned to face them, running backwards slightly.

"Good news! According to my records, you've all improved your times by a minimum of forty seconds – that's amazing!" she enthused, eyes alight.

"Thanks for your help, Gou-chan!" Nagisa chirped as the boys congratulated each other.

"It's Kou! And it's nothing," she smiled, spinning to face the front. Of course, that had to be the exact moment a crack appeared in the concrete at her feet, and so she went flying towards the ground.

Surprisingly for her, she didn't meet the hot concrete. Instead, a pair of ridiculously sculpted arms encircled her.

"Mmmph!" came a muffled voice from above her.

Chancing a glance up, her eyes widened at seeing her partner in crime – the Captain of Samezuka's Swim Team himself – pressed rather immediately against her.

With an embarrassed start, she realised her popsicle had been shoved into his mouth at the fall.

"Oh!" she cried as he righted her, "I'm so sorry!"

Lifting a hand to take the popsicle from his mouth, Seijuuro shook his head, "Are you alright, Gou-kun?"

"It's KOU! A-And yes, thank you Sei-kun!" she blushed as she pushed herself away from him, acutely aware of the Iwatobi boys watching intently from behind them.

"This is the opportune moment for Gou-chan to use her sex appeal on the Captain to get more Samezuka training days-"

"Nagisa, shut up!" Gou screeched, spinning around, her face burning.

"Good afternoon, Mikoshiba-san," Makoto greeted kindly, "what brings you here?"

"Ah," Seijuuro began, tearing his eyes from Gou to look over at his opposition, "I'm a bit late… but I wanted to have a look at the Iwatobi pool."

"Oh," Makoto nodded, "we finished practice not twenty minutes ago! How about you come past on Friday and check out our pool?"

Seijuuro nodded, "I don't think I'll be able to get into your school without-"

"Gou-chan can collect you!" Nagisa exclaimed before the Captain had a chance to finish his sentence, "While we're training she can run along and get you!"

"Hm?" the Captain looked to his friend, and she nodded.

"I'll come and get you," her eyes darted to the popsicle in his hand, "Sei, about the ice block I'm so sorry-"

She was cut off by his boisterous laugh, "I should be apologising! Come, I'll buy you a new one!"

"Eh?" she frowned, "No, that's not right – I smashed into you-"

"Come along, Gou-kun!" he chuckled taking her by the hand and leading her in the direction of the corner shop once more, "I'll see you on Friday, Tachibana, Nanase, Ryugazaki, Hazuki!"

"W-Wait! Sei!" Gou whined, tugging on his hand, "I want to race you!"

"Don't argue, I'm buying it – huh?" the red head spun to face her, eyes wide.

"A race!" she cried, eyes glinting in a predatory manner.

"Where to?" his eyes flashed at the challenge, and he stuck the popsicle in his mouth for a moment as she formulated a reply.

"Hm. Well, from here to over there, the corner shop!" she pointed at the corner of the long road on which they stood where a lone shop awaited them not two hundred metres away.

"Deal!" the Captain boomed, licking briefly at the bright blue stick, "Ready? Set – go!" and they were sprinting off in the direction of the shop, laughing as they went.

They were neck to neck for most of the way – once Seijuuro decided he didn't want to let her win – but he found himself struggling. His muscles were best suited for swimming – not running – and although Gou hadn't been the fastest last time she ran, her speed and endurance had improved drastically.

They came to a skidding stop at the shop, Gou seconds ahead of Seijuuro.

"Damn it!" he huffed, sticking the popsicle in his mouth to alleviate the dryness, "Have you been training – or something, Gou?"

Gou was much too smug to bother correcting him, "Nope. It's all natural talent."

"Lies!" Mikoshiba cried, pointing an accusatory finger her way, "You've been practicing!"

"Think what you want, Cap'n! I beat you fair and square!" the girl laughed, sauntering into the corner shop before him.

"Hey – wait up, I'm buying that for you!"