Free! A rare member

Stroke?

You couldn't sleep.

You kept thinking about the things Ren said. Of course, you had come across mermaid hate before, but it was never told like that in your face. And it kinda hurt to know Makoto thought you were a monster.

You wiggled for a bit in your bed before deciding: "Screw it. I'm gonna swim now. I can't wait till morning."

You threw on some simple work out gear and stepped out of your house. A slight shiver went through your body. It was spring already, but it was still chilly outside, especially at night.

To warm up your body you started to jog slowly. Your body was in pretty good shape. You had some pretty visible muscles but you weren't extremely buff. Most of them appeared from swimming every day.

The ocean wasn't far away but you didn't feel like waiting so you picked up your pace. Just as you were about to turn the corner you saw that there was something in the way. You didn't notice it in time and bumped right against it. Because of your speed, it was quite a force and you fell on the ground. Just as you were about to curse at whatever was in the way someone called out your name.

"(y/n)! What are you doing this late at night?" You recognized the voice instantly. You looked up at the worried emerald-green eyes looking down at you. Right next to Makoto was Haru. He seemed to be out of balance, indicating he was the thing you crashed into.

You groaned and stood up. "I could ask the same to you guys." You murmured, rubbing your lower back.

Makoto chuckled. "We're jogging, but we're almost done. I guess you're just starting?" He asked, pointing at your gear.

You shrugged, noticing you were only wearing a t-shirt and a pair of short jog pants while they were wearing thick jackets and long pants. "Aren't you cold?"

You shrugged again. "Not really." You said under your breath, growing a bit irritated.

Haru seemed to notice and turned around. "Makoto, let's go." Makoto peered at him for a second before looking at you again. "See you later (y/n)!"

You waved at him before running away again. It wasn't long before you reached the ocean. You threw off your shirt and instantly dove in. Not even waiting till you were fully emerged to change to your tail. You didn't feel the cold, you just felt the satisfaction the water brought.

***

You woke up pretty dead that morning. You had swum for a lot longer than usual and your body was protesting about it. You thought about calling in sick for school but your nerdy side decided against it.

You lazily put on some clothes and made yourself a lunch. You never ate fish since the thought of eating something that was part of you made you literally sick, so instead, you prepared some spicy chicken and rice. It would do the job.

You packed your bag and walked outside. You noticed Makoto left his house at the exact same time and you made eye contact. Makoto smiled kindly and waved. "(y/n)! Wanna come walk with us?"

You barely thought about it and just nodded. You actually wanted to walk with them. Makoto beamed excitedly. "Come with me, I gotta get Haruka first."

You nodded slowly and walked up the stairs with Makoto. You found it quite amusing how he didn't even knock, he just barged in. "Haru! It's me, are you upstairs?"

"No, I'm here." The soft dull voice was heard in the kitchen, along with the smell of something grilling. You and Makoto opened the door and walked in. Haru was wearing an apron over his swimsuit, which looked a bit ridiculous. He looked up and made eye contact with you before going back to his grill. "(y/n) is here." He stated.