Caught in the Act (A 'Free! Iwatboi Swim Club' Fanfic)

Chapter 12 - Starting Over

            Breathe in. Breathe out. In and out. Man, it’s really hot out. Okay, seriously, I got this. I dove into the water with Rei timing me. Free, breast, back, butterfly. I allowed my mind to go blank, as my body effortlessly glided through the water. My hands sliced through the formless liquid, carving a path for me to swim through.

            “0:43:02 seconds!” Rei shouted. I continued onto my breaststroke, not stopping at all. Within seconds, I moved onto backstroke and then butterfly. I gasped for air after swimming a total of 400m.

            “2:04:35 seconds?!” Rei exclaimed, pushing his glasses up to look closer at the time.

            “Wahh! Mei-chan is amazing! Better than all of us!” Nagi shouted leaning over the edge of the pool to throw his arms around my neck. I chuckled, allowing him to hug me.

            “Mei-chan, you’re really amazing.” Mako said with a gentle expression. For some reason, the way he said it made me blush. I know he’s just talking about my swimming, but why does my heart feel like this? It was a new and strange sensation – that light and fast thumping of my heart that wasn’t a heart attack for the first time. I wiggled out of Nagi’s embrace and ducked under the water again, feeling Haru’s stare following me.

            Once again, the five of us had skipped the second half of class. We returned after the school bell rang to retrieve our belongings to find Ama-sensei standing in at our desks with her arms crossed.

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            “If you three misbehave like this again, I’ll have to prohibit you from swimming at the pool for a week,” scolded Ama-sensei. Haru, Mako and I hung our heads. Hearing light snickers, the four of us looked up to find Rei and Nagi hiding behind the door, laughing at our misfortune.

            “And you two!” Ama thundered, scaring the five of us. “Don’t learn bad things from your sempais!”

            “Actually, Mei-chan is the same age as Nagisa-kun and I. Does that still make her our sempai?” Rei asked, pushing his glasses up on his nose again. Realization dawned on all of their faces as they stared at me.

            “That’s right! I forgot about that,” Ama remarked, putting a finger on her chin.

            “Oh yeah…” Nagi, Haru, and Mako echoed. “She just acts really mature for her age.”

            For my age? I’m sixteen… so yeah, I would be mature… I rolled my eyes.

            “Oh, Ama-chan! We want to sign-up for a competition! We’re ready now, since we have Mei-chan! She was amazing just now, Ama-chan! Like a mermaid!” exclaimed Nagi.

            Wuuuut... You serious, Nagisa? She sized me up, slowly assessing me with plan formulating in her cunning mind.

            “Good! I was waiting for this moment for four years, Haruno-chan!” She crowed happily. She waited for me for four years? I shuddered. How creepy.

            She chuckled evilly, her fingers move on their own accord. “Finally, my hero Haruno-chan will be swimming for this school! I’m. So. Happy! I’ve followed you in magazines and on the television!” She danced around.

            “Ano…Ama-sensei?” She ignored me, continuing her tribal dance. “Oh and no more skipping classes!” Oh well, whatever…

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            “You have until next Monday to get ready, min-na!” Ama-sensei announced on Thursday.

            “Only four days to prepare? Including today?!” Rei exclaimed. “That’s not enough time, Ama-sensei.”

            “On the contrary, I think we’re definitely ready,” Mako put in, smiling. He glanced at me and smiled warmly, causing me to look away.

            “Let’s practice.” Haru jumped into the pool.

            “Sugoi! Practice hard if you want to win the prize!” Ama encouraged.

            “What’s the prize, Ama-chan?” Nagi asked excitedly. Her eyes gleamed. “A prize money of 100,000 yen! We can use the money to repair the pool, or go on a trip!”

            “A trip!” Nagi and Rei cried out, pumping their fists into the air.

            “Repair the pool!” Haru put in. Mako and I glanced at each other, laughing at their reactions.

            “A trip doesn’t sound bad, ne, Mei-chan? We could have fun.” implored Mako and his green eyes. They sent a little shiver down my spine.

            “Yup! I’d love to go on a trip!” I agreed. Haru, looking dejected, mumbled something about a pool. Everyone ignored him, knowing his obsession with water.

            “Hot springs! Let’s go to the hot springs, min-na!” Nagi began to dance around too. “So practice hard!”