"Recruitment day?" [name] asked as she ruffled her hair with her towel while sitting on the sofa with the other girls in the living room.
"Yeap! Nagisa said that the swimming club is extremely busy with preparations for recruitment; that's why they can't spend much time with us!" Mika explained, and Hana stretched slightly and laid her head onto [name]'s lap.
"I see." [name] spoke with disinterest clearly shown on her face.
"Maybe we should pay them a visit, right [name]? After all, we're all friends." Hana spoke, and [name] immediately pinched Hana's cheeks hard.
"That's a yes!"
"Are you serious?" [name] spoke as she sat on her bed; apparently Nana had informed her that she needs to bring her swimsuit in order to enter the area where the swimming club was hosting their recruitment booth; apparently they're having a swimming café.
"Yes! And it's been an extremely long time eve-."
"No."
"Eh?"
"NO!"
"MOU, [NAME]-CHAN!"
"URGH."
"What's the ruckus about?" Mika asked as she entered the room along with Hana as well.
"[name]-chan doesn't want to go! Because she needs to wear a swimsuit!"
"Ah. [name], come on; we're not asking you to swim." Hana tried to convince [name]; and the three girls then looked at her with puppy dog eyes… Which [name] clearly honestly couldn't resist at all.
.
.
.
"Fine."
"YAY!"
"BUT ONLY THIS ONE TIME!"
"So classes are cancelled today?" Mika asked one of her classmates; which he nodded in response with a blush on his face. Mika then thanked him energetically before turning on her heels and running towards where the other three girls stood waiting for her.
"Classes are cancelled, so we're free to roam about." Mika explained.
"I'm hungry, let's go to the swimming club first then!" Nana exclaimed, and immediately [name] turned to leave when all of a sudden she was grabbed by both arms. She then took a look back and realised that Nana and Hana had grabbed onto her, and now she's being dragged all the way towards the swimming pool.
"LET GO OF ME!"
"[name]-chan! Hana-chan!" Makoto called out in surprise as he stood at the entrance of the booth, clad in only his swimsuit as well as a bow around his neck. [name] was staring at his body the entire time, and Makoto definitely noticed it as his ears turned red from embarrassment.
"I hope you girls brought your swimsuit." Makoto spoke in a frantic manner, and the girls nodded except for [name], who was reluctantly being pushed through the entrance of the booth.
"Head over to the locker room which is that way." Haruka mumbled out, and the girls immediately made their way into the swimming club; while Hana winked at Haruka, causing him to blush slightly.
"Oh god, [name]! You still fit perfectly in your middle school's swimsuit!" Hana cried out as she saw [name] coming out from the changing room, wearing her one-piece swimsuit that had blue designs on the sides of it.
"Not really. It's kind of tight." [name] mumbled out as she headed over to where the other girls were waiting for her; clad in their own swimsuit.
"Come on, the boys are waiting!" Nana cried out, and she ushered [name] out of the door of the locker room.
The girls soon made their way up the stairs towards where the swimming pool was; and [name] immediately came to a halt as she watched the scene right before her. Makoto and Haruka were surrounded by a huge group of girls; who clearly aren't from their school. One of the girl just seems so familiar to [name].
"Makoto-senpai! Haruka-senpai!" Nana called out, and immediately the two boys turned to look at Nana who had called them. Makoto eyes soon then travelled towards [name], who was busy tying her hair up into a pony tail; looking sexy as hell.
"Makoto is checking you out." Hana whispered, and [name] immediately shot her view up; causing Makoto to quickly look towards the other side.
"[name]?" [name] then looked towards the group of girls as someone had called her name. She then narrowed her eyes slightly; and then it widened out in surprise… A girl with dark green wavy hair was seen making her way towards where [name] and the others were standing…
.
.
.
"Kirimi…"
"Ah, so the losers ended up transferring school and not even joining the swimming club?" Kirimi taunted, and the girls held back [name] for they knew that she was about to blow a fuse any moment now. How she hated Kirimi; the way she taunted her after she got kicked out from the swimming club.
"Oh right, I forgot. Who will accept someone who got kicked out from the swimming club? After all, you're just an extremely violent girl." Kirimi spoke with venom clearly in her voice.
"That's not the right way to talk to [name]-chan!" Nana yell back, causing Kirimi to gape in shock.
"Yeah, and we clearly know that you're the one who started that little brawl back then!" Mika yelled as well. [name] then quickly placed her hands on both their shoulders and shoved them backwards, behind her and Hana.
"Whatever, she isn't capable of winning anymore. She can't ev-."
"Take that back."
"Eh?"
"I SAID TAKE THAT BACK, YOU BITCH. HOW DARE YOU SAY SUCH THINGS ABOUT [NAME]!?" Hana yelled, and even [name] stared in shock at Hana's sudden outburst.
"Make me." Kirimi smirked.
"Why not Kirimi and [name] have a race instead of bickering here." One of the girls from Kirimi's group called out, which the other girls clearly had no recognition of her.
"Not interested." [name] mumbled out as she walked past Kirimi and her group.
"Oh right, she's a coward. She doesn't dare to take up challenges." Kirimi added, and smirked as well as she noticed [name] stopping in her steps.
"Then I'll take [name]'s place then. What are we swimming then?" Hana spoke with anger in her voice.
"Backstroke." Kirimi added.
"Hana, back off. This is my race." [name] spoke as she made her way back to the front of her own group.
"If I win, you'll have to kneel before me and apologise for causing me to injure my shoulder." Kirimi spoke with a glint in her eyes.
"Whatever." [name] replied, totally not interested in the reward.
"Kicked out from a swimming club?" Haruka whispered.
"What's going on here?" Makoto asked out just loud enough for Haruka to hear, which Haruka just shrugged his shoulders at.
"Nene! I heard [name]-chan is swimming!" Nagisa called as he dragged Rei towards the starting line of the swimming pool; with Rin and Sosuke just behind them. Apparently the Iwatobi Swimming Club had invited Rin and Sosuke to come attend the recruitment day and also have a tour around the high school.
"[name]!?" Sosuke yelled, and [name] simply ignored him as she got ready in the water, holding onto the bars and lifting herself up; together with Kirimi as well.
"So-nii!" Nana cried out, and Sosuke immediately made his way towards where Nana, Mika and Hana were standing at; rooting for [name]. Makoto hesitantly stood by the side of the starting line to give the signal go for the start of the race.
"Swimmers, get ready!" and [name] and Kirimi pulled themselves up.
"Go!" and [name] and Kirimi immediately kicked off.
"[name]'s kick was powerful!" Hana called out.
"Kirimi-san!"
"[name]-chan!"
"Isn't [name] specialised in freestyle?" Sosuke asked as he sat down beside Rin and the other girls.
"Sosuke, you totally forgot didn't you? [name] is specialised in all styles." Hana spoke out with admiration as she looked at the race before her.
"[name]-chan made the first turn!" Mika called out, and the girls started to cheer.
"[L/N]-san is pretty fast. The gap between her and Kirimi-san is getting wider!" one of the girls pointed out.
*SLAM*
"[name] won!" Makoto called out, and [name] immediately removed the swimming cap and goggles, shaking the water away from her hair. She then spotted a hand outstretched towards her, and she looked up to realise that Rei was holding a hand out for her. She reluctantly grabbed hold of his hand, and allowed him to pull her out of the water.
"[name]-chan! You swam so beautifully!" Mika cried out as she ran over and hugged [name].
"What was her time, Makoto?" Hana asked as she came up, and Makoto stared at her with his mouth open in shock.
"50.36 seconds…" Makoto mumbled out and Hana's eyes widened in surprise; she then turned to look at [name] who gave her a confused look through the towel that was draped over her head.
"[NAME], YOU BROKE YOUR OWN RECORD BY 3.15 SECONDS!"
[name] just stared at her without any interested, and all of a sudden she was roughly grabbed by the shoulder and slammed into the fence. Everybody soon dropped what they were doing and looked at what was going on;
"WHY?!" Kirimi shouted with tears in her eyes.
"Why can't I win you…"
"Does it hurt?" Hana asked as she walked beside [name] down the street towards their house. [name] just held her face with her hand, cupping the now bruised cheek as it swelled up.
"Not as much as before." [name] mumbled out.
"You're lucky that Sosuke was there." Hana spoke once more.
"I guess so…"
"Why can't I win…" Kirimi cried out, and [name] grabbed hold of her shoulder in a gentle manner, only to be slapped hard across the face by one of Kirimi's girls. [name] was then roughly grabbed by the shoulder and was shoved about within the group; despite her own girls trying to break up the fight. That is until Sosuke stepped in and shielded [name] from any more harm.
"Back off."
"I can't be bothered anyway." [name] mumbled out as she entered the front door of their house.
"Where's Nana and Mika anyway?" [name] asked as she removed her shoes and set foot onto the indoor floor.
"Out with the boys. Apparently they're planning something." Hana responded with a soft smile on her face.
"Whatever. I don't feel like seeing anybody right now." [name] mumbled as she headed for a shower.
[name] sat on her bed with her towel draped over her head. She sighed as she remembered about the incident that had happened earlier on; and she was glad that she had locked her room door. Because currently there were a mad boy who was trying to break in; Yamazaki Sosuke.
"[L/N] [NAME], OPEN THIS DOOR RIGHT NOW!" Sosuke yelled from outside of her room, but [name] made no movements of proceeding to her door to unlock it. She then got up and headed over towards her room's balcony and stood outside in the night air; looking up at the full moon above her.
"Sosuke, she did say she didn't want to see anybody." [name] heard Hana explaining, and she smiled softly as she could imagine Hana with her usual gentle smile, trying to get the enraged Sosuke to calm down.
"But what if she does something stupid?!" and [name]'s eyes immediately widened at Sosuke's comment. Was she about to do something stupid? That's when [name] realised that she was sitting on the railings of her balcony; and she quickly got off from there, a little shaken from the fact that she could have lost her hold and fall down.
"What's wrong with me?"
"[name]-chan still isn't going to come out?" Nagisa asked as he sat at the table where dinner was being held. Mika and Nana had just come out from the kitchen with the last few dishes in their hands, and they set it upon the table; it was all of [name]'s favourite food.
"Not anytime soon, Nagisa." Hana spoke with her usual gentle smile; but one could tell that it was a smile filled with both sadness and worry.
"[name]… Reminds me of the old me." Haruka mumbled as he took a seat beside Makoto.
"What was the old Haruka-senpai like?" Nana asked as she handed out the bowls of rice to the guests.
"Haruka-senpai is a strong and quiet person who loves water. He is a taciturn and reserved individual. He doesn't express much of his emotions to others." Rei spoke as he gave a smug look which Mika gagged at.
"He stopped swimming competitively when he realised he had hurt Rin when he won him in a race when they were younger." Makoto added on, and Rin nodded in agreement.
"How was [name] back then? Before all these happened." Rin asked as he leaned forward slightly; showing that he was rather interested in knowing [name] fully before trying to help her friends out with her problematic self.
"Ever since [name] had joined us at the orphanage and attended school with us; we couldn't be happier. She was always smiling, laughing; kind and considerate. She was like a happypill; bringing around all the happy vibes with her." Hana spoke with a genuine smile as she remembered how [name] was like back then.
"[name]-chan always protected us from being bullied. Because back then, Nana and I are considered too tall for that grade; and people always taunt us, calling us giants and all. [name]-chan will then make us our favourite food so that we will cheer up; and then she will give the bullies some warnings about bullying us!" Mika added on as she giggled at how overprotective [name] was when it comes to the girls.
"[name]-chan always sacrifices her happiness and freedom. She loves swimming, all of us knew that. But the reason why she swam was because of her friends. Us, the ones she met in junior high as well. She was actually extremely reluctant when we asked her to participate with us in the relay for the competition back in junior high; but she ended up having loads of fun." Nana spoke softly, but loud enough for the whole table to hear.
"The [name] I knew back then, was all that they had said. She's the girl with all smiles and laughter; always looking out for others but not herself." Sosuke chipped in, and Hana patted him on the shoulder lightly.
"Then why did she stop all of a sudden?" Rin whispered-asked.
"I don't think [name]-chan will like it if we speak about that incident…" Mika mumbled out.
"Don't you think it's a little rude to talk about someone's past without their consent?" a cold voice was heard, and the whole table turned to look at who had just spoken.
"[name]-chan! You came out!" Mika cried out as she ran towards [name] and hugged her tightly.
"Come join us for dinner, [name]." Hana spoke with a soft smile as she made her way towards where [name] was standing.
"[name]-chan! Come on!" Nana called out as she started to pull her towards the table with Mika's help.
"Let go of me." [name] muttered out, and the three girls stopped in their tracks.
"[name]?" Hana mumbled out.
"I'm not going to join you all for dinner. Enjoy." [name] muttered as she got out of the younger duos grasp and made her way towards the house's main entrance, slipping on her shoes; she then opened the front door and exited the house, slamming the door shut in the process.
Hana sighed as she turned to look at Mika and Nana, giving them a reassuring smile and ushered them back into the dining room. Hana then smiled at the others before settling herself down back into her seat.
"Let's eat. [name] won't be coming back anytime soon." Hana mumbled out, tears threatening to fall.
"[name]-chan hates it when we talk about her past…" Mika mumbled to herself.
"Hey, where's Mako-chan?!" Nagisa asked.
"[NAME]-CHAN! WAIT UP!" Makoto yelled out as he tried to catch up to [name] who was jogging down the street in the nightlight. [name] clenched her fists tightly and quickly made a sharp turn, being able to lose Makoto as she continued to jog down the street. Soon she heard ocean waves crashing, and that's when she realised she was standing right in front of the beach.
"People should know when to keep their distance from me…" [name] mumbled to herself as she got her shoes off so that sand wouldn't get caught in them. She then started to walk barefooted towards the sea; embracing the salty sea breeze that was greeting her and blowing her hair backwards.
She then found a dry spot where she wouldn't get wet, but close to the sea; and settled herself down there. She sighed as she placed her shoes by the side of her and wrapped her arms around her knees as she realised it was rather cold; and she didn't bring her jacket out. She then looked up towards the night sky that was full of stars, and sighed; mumbling to herself.
"If I swim and it hurts someone; what's the point?"
"[name]-chan?"
"Stop adding a chan behind my name, it makes it sound too girly." [name] snapped back, knowing exactly who it was that had called her; Tachibana Makoto.
"Ah, I'm sorry. I didn't know that. Mind if I join you?" Makoto asked with a soft smile.
"You're just like Hana." [name] muttered out as Makoto took a seat beside her.
"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"
"Bad."
"EH?!"
"Why are you here anyway? Shouldn't you be having dinner with the others?" [name] asked.
"It doesn't feel right without you there though. Hana-chan and the others looked extremely sad." Makoto spoke, and [name] clenched her fists tightly as she heard the very last part.
"I see."
"You don't have to put up a strong front though." Makoto continued, and [name] immediately looked up at him with a confused look.
"The moment I saw you; your eyes reminded me of how Haru was back then. You don't have to put up a strong front just because you've hurt someone by winning." Makoto continued, and [name]'s hand shook with some sort of anger she can't describe.
"Winning isn't everything. And you don't have to give up on swimming just because someone is hurt by you winning." And all of a sudden Makoto was pushed down roughly; and [name] straddled herself on his hips.
"[name]? What a-." and Makoto stopped as he saw the look in [name]'s eyes; tears were about to fall, and her arms shook.
"You don't know how it feels like to be guilty about causing a fellow swimmer being unable to participate in swimming activities for three months. You don't know how it feels like to live up to everybody's expectation of you just because you won the nationals. You don't know how badly I just want to disappear from this world so that people will be happy, so that people won't look down on themselves. It hurts so much. I caused her to be hospitalised. I caused her to have a fractured shoulder. I CAUSED HER TO BE UNABLE TO SWIM AT HER UTMOST BEST!" [name] cried out the last part as tears fell from eyes, dropping onto Makoto's face. And Makoto assumed that the 'her' which [name] had mentioned was Kirimi; the girl from earlier on.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know what you went through." Makoto spoke as he lifted his hands and wiped away the tears from [name]'s face.
"Don't… Tell anybody… Please…" he heard [name] mumbled out the last part as he brought her in for a tight hug. He then rubbed her back trying to soothe her sobs, and soon she went all quiet. Makoto then took a look at her face, and smiled softly; she had fallen asleep. He then stood up and carried her bridal style; grabbing hold of her shoes and making his way back to her house; where the others were definitely worried about him and her.
"Don't worry. I won't." Makoto whispered to himself.
And from that very moment, [name] had opened up to someone whom she clearly thought that she will never open up. [name] had let someone whom she barely knows for a week to know her weakness. But [name], definitely felt better.
