High Speed!

Chapter 5: Stroke

Chapter 5: Stroke

The water's surface rippled with a small splash. A stroke, a kick. The rings spread out, and after them, Nagisa's head rose to the surface. He relaxedly pushed his way through the water, made the turn, and came back. His style of swimming was a bit different than it had been on the day of the time trials.

Rin was on the starting block, watching Nagisa swim with a sense of unease. Nagisa touched the wall with both hands and raised his face from the water. Rin, who should have jumped in over Nagisa's head already, was still standing on the starting block.

"What's the matter, Rin-chan?" Nagisa asked, between ragged breaths.

"Were you swimming at full speed just now?"

"Yeah." Nagisa was peering earnestly through his goggles at Rin, his eyes big and round. There were no worries, doubts, or untruths to be found in those eyes. Even so, Rin tried to peer into their depths, but he quickly realized that there was no need to do so, and looked away. Nagisa's eyes weren't the slightest bit murky; they were as clear as anything. So much so that Rin could tell even through the goggles.

Nagisa wouldn't try to hide what he was thinking. And anyway, Nagisa wasn't the type to feel ashamed in front of people. He was able to believe things earnestly, and so his expressions were earnest. That was how Nagisa was. For Rin, that was the most difficult personality type to deal with. If Nagisa had been the deceitful, evasive type, his heart would have been vulnerable due to the things he was hiding. Even Rin himself had weaknesses in his heart from where he was hiding the truth.

But Nagisa had no such weaknesses.

"Hasn't your swimming style changed since the day of the time trial?"

"It's still the same."

It looked like the person in question hadn't realized it himself yet. Is this what is meant by 'often, people don't understand themselves'? Perhaps things like assumptions and ideals get in the way, and it can be hard to see clearly.

"Your time's slipping."

"Really?" Nagisa pulled off his goggles and peered up at Rin from below, right into his eyes, and then deeper into them. Rin stood up, fleeing from Nagisa's gaze.

"You were faster before."

That race wasn't a fluke. This was Rin's fervent hope. Once someone improved their time, it didn't just slip like that. Especially for kids in their growth spurts, like they were. It wasn't just the body or muscle strength that grew; things like technical skill and strength of heart were included in growth spurts, too.

"That's weird, I wonder why? I really haven't changed the way I'm swimming."

"Hey, during the race, were you watching your opponent?"

"Yeah, I definitely was."

"Well, that's it, then. You were probably feeling like you had to swim faster than your opponent. Without realizing it, feeling like that made you go faster, Nagisa."

"Feelings can make you swim faster?"

"Yeah, they can." Strength of feeling can make people grow. Sometimes it can even change them so dramatically that it could be called an evolution. That was the reason that Nagisa had shown swimming skills that surpassed his normal strength during the time trial. Raising Nagisa's skills to the level of a limit he had already passed once shouldn't be that difficult. That was the special privilege of those in their growth spurts.

"Want to try swimming with me?"

"With you, Rin-chan? I think I'll lose, but..."

"I'll go easy on you." But he wasn't going to swim at the pace Nagisa had been going. "If you pass me, you'll be beating your old record, right?"