Chapter 11 - Swimming 101

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            “No, bakas! To swim faster, slightly cup your hands! Not like a hook, Rei-chan! Like this!” I motioned for him to come closer to the wall of the pool. He came closer and then I grabbed his hand. I moulded his hand to mine to show him how it was done. Haru inspected his hand like it was the most intriguing thing in the world. I leaned past Rei and smacked the back of his head.

            “You’re not a very good coach, Mei-chan,” Haru muttered. I ignored his comment and moved on.

            “Okay, now start over everyone. Your time will definitely be faster by a couple of seconds if you are doing it correctly.” They obediently lined up at the vertical end of the pool. “Go!” The four of them kicked off from the wall, swimming their own forms. I noticed that Mako was slowly down, so I made a mental note about his hand techniques.

            “Wahh! Mei-chan, you’re soooo smart! It made me swim faster! I felt it!” Nagi exclaimed, jumping up and down which splashed water everywhere. Haru and Rei nodded their heads, agreeing with Nagi.

            “Alright, go take a five minute break. Mako-chan, I need you to stay for a minute.” The other three climbed out of the pool, leaving Mako behind.

            “Yes, Mei-chan?” He curiously asked.

            “Are you able to change the shapes of your hands really fast as you swim?”

            “Hai?”

            “I mean, when your arm is in the air, coming down to make the rotation, turn your hand to the slide, like you’re cutting the water. Like this.” I grabbed his wet hands, and demonstrated. “And then, once your hand is in the water, cup it slightly to propel yourself forward. When you pull your hand up out of the water again, turn it onto its side again.”

            Mako looked at me with confusion in his eyes. I sighed and slipped my jacket off. His eyes widened slightly, before blushing. I lowered myself into the water.

            “Float on your back,” I commanded. He did, and I stood behind his head. I held onto both of arms, surprising him. He sank down; sputtering once he came back up.

            “M-m-mei-chan?”

            “Just relax. I’ll show you what I mean.” He floated on his back once again and I held both of his arms. I maneuvered his hands to my liking and understanding lit up in his eyes. I backed away, giving him room to stand.

            “I get it now! That made a lot of sense!” I smiled at him, which made him blush even more. Just then, the door burst open, causing the five of us to turn towards the source.

            Rin stood at the entrance, making eye contact with Haru.

            “Rin-chan. Don’t do anything rash, got it?” I reminded him, letting my voice carry out. He swivelled his head until he found me, giving me a cocky grin.

            “Hai, I won’t. Just for you, Megumi-chan.” I nodded my head, satisfied with his answer.

            “Mei, what is he doing here?” Haru demanded, coming towards me. I gave him a long, hard stare. That is totally not cute…

            “He signed up to be a member of Aki-nii’s training facility. I have to help him too. Don’t do anything stupid to get kicked out of here, ‘k? Not only will you be put on probation here, but also at the indoor pool. You don’t want that, cause it’s too cold to swim outdoors.” A sad look crossed Haru’s face before a look of determination appeared in his blue eyes. He nodded his head and made sure to stay away from Rin for the rest of the day.

            After I was finished with Mako, I told him to go take a break. He joined Haru and the others.

            “Rin-chan, your turn,” I called out. “What’s your form?”

            “Freestyle and butterfly.” I raised an eyebrow at his comment.

            “Alright, swim 100m of each. Don’t stop until you finish both.” Rin stood on the diving platform, waiting for my command. I held my stopwatch in hand.

            “Ready, set… go!” I started my watch. Haru, Mako, Nagi, and Rei observed Rin as he dominated the pool. It wasn’t as graceful as Haru’s, much less Rei’s, but it had power to it. I stopped the timer once he completed his laps. I was itching to ask him this one question, so I just had to.

            “Why do you swim like a whale, Rin-chan?” His face was one of surprise mixed with confusion and then anger.

            “You’re the first to say that. I’ve been told that I swim like a shark, not like a whale.” Mako and Nagi burst out laughing, but then tried to stifle it.

            “I mean, Haru-chan swims like a dolphin – graceful and powerful. Mako-chan’s like a whale? No, like an orca with his backstroke – determined and focused. Nagi-chan… eto… like a dog? Just kidding Nagi-chan,” I corrected myself, laughing when I saw Nagi pout. “Nagi-chan’s like a fluffy penguin with his breaststroke – strong arms. Rei-chan… I don’t really have anything to compare you with, Rei-chan. Gomen’nen!” I winked at them. “Rin-chan’s kicks and arm strength are powerful, but not graceful at all. I would say you seem like an elephant swimming, but that’d be too mean.”

            His eyes were filled with understanding as he caught the meaning behind my allegories.

            “What can you do to change that?” I inquired, cocking my head to the side. Rin mulled over the thought before replying, “Swim more gracefully?” I nodded my head.

            “Work on that on the side. Haru, Makoto, Nagisa, and Rei – it’s your turn.” The four of them jumped into the pool, happy to receive my attention again.

            “Let’s do the 100m again. Swim your own forms, and try to improve your time. Think about what I told Rin-chan earlier about the way you swim.”

            With Mako in the water, and the other three on the platforms, they awaited for my call.

            “Ready? Set… go!” They all began to swim. Following my advices, their times became faster.

            “Haru-chan, 0:34:19 seconds faster; Mako-chan, 0:21:57 seconds faster; Nagi-chan, 0:44:12 seconds faster; and Rei-chan, 0:26:01 seconds faster. Not bad, min-na!” I praised. “Your time is up; go to Room 3-12 and wait for me there. I should be done with Rin-chan in twenty minutes.” I turned around to focus my attention back on Rin, just in time to notice the toothy smile of challenge he aimed at Haru. I looked back at Haru and the others, “Go. Now.” In a flash, they disappeared.

            “Megumi-chan, don’t you find me… dangerous?”

            “Huh? What brought that on? Is it because you have those sharp teeth?” He sighed, huffing out a ‘never mind.’ I rolled my eyes. I continued to teach him on how to kick gracefully. For some reason, I didn’t want to give Rin all my secrets, like I did with Haru and the others.

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            I stood outside of the clear-windowed gym, watching the four of the using the gym equipment. I pushed the door open, making sure the stay near the door.

            “Let’s go, min-na.” I announced, clapping my hands. I watched as Rei walked in front of the weight lifting bars, and I felt myself cringe a bit. I’ll be fine all the way over here, baka. Calm down. They finally then all looked up, ready to leave.

            We made our way out of the training facility and headed home.

            “When do you think you can swim in front of others again, Mei-chan?” That was an unexpected question. I glanced over at Haru, who was walking beside me.

            “I think I can do it starting tomorrow. I’m ready to compete again.” I gave them a half-grin, thinking about the past. I’m definitely ready!

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