“This is the first day of Olympic scouting, ladies and gentlemen! The young adults down there are part of the scouting trials, both for the young men and women. First, they will compete in their respective schools, then will be separated by their races, and then into genders.” The announcer’s voice was carried through the large stadium that seated over thousands of people. Three hundred competitors mingled around, greeting one another. The Iwatobi boys and I stood in a small group at the tables for registration.
“Iwatobi High School. Haruno Megumi, Nanase Haruka, Tachibana Makoto, Hazuki Nagisa, and Ryugazaki Rei.”
“Alright, thank you for signing in!” The lady smiled only to notice that our group consisted of one girl and four boys. “Eto… ma’am? Do you not have a female team at your school?”
“Nope! I’m with these guys.” I flashed a 100-watt smile at her.
“Ah…o-okay, Haruno-san,” she stuttered.
“Wahh, Mei-chan! You’re such a lady-killer!” Nagisa joked. I sighed, draping an arm around Nagi’s shoulder.
“I’m not a lady-killer, since that was just one woman. To be a lady-killer is basically to be irresistible to women,” I replied.
“……”
“Oh.” I saw Nagisa’s face flush and I had to chuckle.
“It’s okay, Nagi-chan. I understood what you meant anyways.” I ruffled his hair. He beamed a smile up at me. Step 1: enter the competition. Check. Step 2: blow the scouts’ minds away. I was definitely ready.
----------------------------------------
“First up is the 400m melody. In lane one…” The announcer called out the lane numbers and which high schools were in what lane. Iwatobi was in the third lane. It was backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, and then freestyle. Nagisa got in the water, in ready position, waiting for the buzzer. It sounded. He pushed himself off the wall with force and was already in second place. Makoto was crouching down, ready to jump in at any second. Splash. Makoto was taking first with three seconds ahead of the second place team. Rei dropped down to second place, only a second behind. I knew that Haru was going to fix this.
Buzz. “First place goes to Iwatobi High, leading by 0:03:17 seconds. Second place…” The announcer rambled on as I whooped with joy. They smiled – including Haru – heading towards me.
“Good luck, Mei-chan!” Nagisa shouted as the announcement called out for backstroke swimmers, which included me and Makoto.
“Don’t stop or slow down. Don’t wait for Makoto-sempai either.” Rei pushed his glasses up.
“Win, Mei.” Haru’s voice surprised me as he whispered into my ear. A small smile crept onto my face. I closed my hand into a loose fist and gently tapped his stomach, reaching my arm backwards.
“I won’t lose.”
----------------------------------------
I wiped the competitions that I participated in. It was an incredible feeling of adrenaline, the one that I was missing years ago. It brought joy and vigour into my life. After my four 100m individual races and 200m individual races, melody team race, and individual melodies, I was immediately gobbled up the reporters. I saw Makoto’s happy face as he watched me, and Rei’s ecstatic expression at being congratulated. Haru’s blue eyes met my violet ones and a small smile crept onto his face.
“Haruno-san, you’re that same Haruno Megumi from all those years ago, correct? What prompt you to go back swimming? How does it feel to win in all of these races? Will you go on to be an Olympic swimmer?” Millions of questions flooded towards me as I made my way up to the podium after I heard my name announced. A flash of green was visible in the corner of my eyes and I swivelled my head towards the source. It was that familiar cheeky green-haired reporter from a while ago.
He flashed a grin at me before weaving out of the crowd. Déjà vu… I thought before hollering, “Hey! Reporter with the green hair! Hey! HEY!” I watched with satisfaction as he froze and turned around. By that time, I was already by his side, gently moving the other reporters out of my way.
“Where have I seen you before?” I demanded. He smiled, shaking his head as he placed a finger to his lips.
“No, seriously. I know you from somewhere, I don’t remember where though. You seem… familiar,” I insisted. His sea-green eyes bore into my violet orbs, almost as if he was seeking something in my soul.
“Who was the one who promised to support your Olympic dream years ago? Before the accident? Before you moved?” He whispered. I narrowed my eyes, racking my brain to search for the answer. It suddenly hit me.
“Kyuu-kun?” I asked hesitantly. I reached a hand out to touch his tanned cheek, gently brushing it. “Kyuu-kun! I knew that you would come soon!” I grabbed him into a hug.
“Go talk to the reporters. You know how they are,” my childhood friend chuckled low into my ear. I pulled back, grinning at him.
“Hai, hai!”
----------------------------------------
“I honestly want to thank all of my supporters out there! Because of your support, I was able to make a comeback into what I love doing: swimming!” I shouted, pumping a fist into the air. I was standing on the podium, giving the reporters the interview that they had waited for so long. “I want to thank my amazing friends from Iwatobi High. They were the ones who not only forced me to join their team, but the ones who have helped me. Daichi-sensei for letting me overtaking his pool. And Kyuu-kun for being the first person to support my Olympian dream!” I stared straight ahead at the camera, deciding to let it all out.
“And to my onii-san Aki, and Hiro-kun: I did it!” I grinned, feeling my smile stretch over my face. I heard the spectators erupt into roars of cheers and support. I had forgotten the feeling of love from everyone – the feeling of support and adrenaline.
I saw Haru, Mako, Nagi, and Rei make their way towards me. I jumped off the stage and ran over to them, enveloping them into a hug.
“You know that this was just the first day of Olympian scouting, right?” Rei asked, standing awkwardly in my embrace of five.
“Hush, Rei. Don’t spoil Mei-chan’s moment,” chided Mako. I laughed, releasing them from my grasp.
“With everyone behind me, I’ll definitely make it through the next couple of days. And besides, the scouts said I don’t have to participate in the trials since I’ve already broke the records for trials and for Japan.” They gaped at me with their mouths opened. Haru was the first to recover.
“You deserved it, Mei.” A small smile appeared on his lips with his eyes twinkling. I covered the already-small distance between the five of us, wrapping an arm around Haruka’s and Makoto’s waist, surprising them.
“We’ll have to focus on winning the Olympics now, ne? We can’t lose after coming this far, after all!”
----------------------------------------
A/N: Aren't you guys just a tad curious who Megumi ends up with? Leave comments on who you want her to be with! Haha, the suspense! No? Ermm... well then? And I think the next chapter will be the last one unless you guys want one-shots afterwards :) Just send requests by commenting or PM!
YOU ARE READING
Caught in the Act (A 'Free! Iwatboi Swim Club' Fanfic)
FanficWhen 16 year-old Megumi Haruno was involved in a near-death accident, she lost her confidence in swimming in front of others. Still never giving up, she continues to harbor her dream of making it to the Olympics by practicing. Megumi was the competi...
