Open Waters

Chapter Ten

Trial Member

"No luck," Nagisa sighed. "He won't say yes. I don't think Rei-chan likes water."

Hana sighed as well, bracing herself against the desk she, Haru and Makoto were gathered it. It had been a day since Miss Amakata had informed them that they'd need a fourth swimmer for a chance to increase their budget if they placed in a tournament, and already they were feeling dispirited. 

Why couldn't they just produce a swimmer out if thin air?

"Forget that kid," Haru said. "He doesn't deserve the water."

That was the wrong thing to say. Nagisa slammed his hands against the wood of the desk and leaned forward into Haru's face. "If you say that, then nobody will join! We'll have to spend all winter lifting weights and jogging! Are you okay with that, Haru-chan? Are you really okay with that?"

For once, Haru looked intimidated. He turned his face away, but sighed a defeated, "No."

I knew that would be the case. Hana smiled in amusement.

Nagisa frowned, holding his chin in a thoughtful pose. "I think we need to ask Ama-chan to strip down for us," he said thoughtfully.

Wait, he's not being serious, is he? But after catching the serious expression on his face, Hana knew that he was.

Hana stared openly at Nagisa, her eyes were as wide as dinner plates, filled with shock and horror. Didn't he hear what she said last time? "Absolutely not!" she seethed, slamming her fist on the table. The loud noise attracted a few stares, but Hana didn't care. "Didn't you hear her last time? Honestly, she's a teacher, you idiot!"

Nagisa deflated like a balloon at Hana's words. She snorted inwardly, folding her arms. I swear, Nagisa acts before he thinks things through.

"Then we should reverse it!" the blonde boy exclaimed, not to be kept downtrodden for long.

"Reverse it?" Makoto repeated. Hana furrowed her eyebrows, confused. What did Nagisa mean by reversing it? How did you reverse seeing Ama-change in a swimsuit?

Unless... unless... oh good God, he actually isn't going to say...

"If you join, you get to have Ama-chan see you in a swimsuit!" Nagisa exclaimed. From his expression and tone of voice, you would think that he had just come up with the most ingenious idea in the world.

He got the exact opposite reaction from Hana. "No, no, a thousand times no! Not happening, Nagisa!" She glared daggers at him. Normally she got on really well with Nagisa, but when suggestions like this popped up, she instantly got defensive no matter who was saying it. She would just as easily snap at Makoto or Haru.

Apparently oblivious to Hana's reaction, Haru absently grabbed a pen and went to write on the poster in front of them. Fortunately, Makoto realised what Haru was doing and seized his wrist, preventing the pen from touching the paper. "Wait, don't write that down!" he exclaimed.

Hana didn't fully understand why, but she suddenly felt someone else's presence behind her. She swallowed. I don't have a good feeling about this.

Slowly, Hana craned her neck around, and bit her lip as she saw Miss Amakata standing behind their little group. Did she hear everything the boys just said? Oh gosh, judging by the expression on her face, she did.

"Excuse me, boys," Ama-chan began. Hana felt relieved, even a little amused as she only said 'boys.' She was free from whatever their teacher might be about to say, so she was free to stand back and enjoy whatever was about to unfold.

Makoto and Nagisa gulped, looking suddenly nervous. Unsurprisingly, Haru remained emotionless.

"We're sorry!" Makoto and Nagisa yelped. Hana chuckled at their hasty apology, shaking her head. Those boys, honestly. I can't help but love being a part of this group.

"Ahem, sorry to interupt!" a new voice called. Hana twisted around to see Gou hovering in the doorway.

"What is it, Kou-chan?" Makoto asked as the girl strode quickly into the classroom, ending up standing by their desk.

"I need Hana for a while," Gou said, grabbing the said girl's arm, much to her surprise. In response to the looks she as receiving, Gou only shrugged and said, "Important manager's business."

Apparently, no one was going to have a say in what happened as Gou dragged Hana out into the hallway. Hana waved at her friends and shrugged as she was pulled away.

Once Gou's grip on her arm was released, Hana sighed, flicking several strands of hair from her face. "Kou, what's up?" she asked, curious as to what was so important that it prompted Gou to drag her friend from the classroom.

Gou grinned, radiating excitement. "Well, you know that we can't afford to go to the gym?" Hana nodded slowly to show she had heard. Gou, if possible, grinned wider. "Well, there is a way we can swim in an indoor pool!"

Hana blinked, momentarily stunned. "How?"

"We borrow Samezuka's!" Gou exclaimed, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Hana raised an eyebrow. "Borrow Samezuka's pool?" she repeated. She still wasn't sure that she'd heard her friend correctly. "How?"

Gou smiled. "Ask for a joint practice," she said, in a very matter-of-fact tone. "If it's accepted, then they get to swim before the weather starts heating up."

Put like that, the idea sounded good. However, a problem popped up in Hana's mind, one that could cause their plan to come to a halt. "It's a good idea, but who are we going to ask? Your brother?" Hana doubted Rin would listen, or even want to do a joint practice.

Gou shook her head, but she was still smiling. "No, he won't listen to me. I was thinking about approaching their captain."

Hana blinked. "Do you even know him?"

"I do, actually. I ran into him during my trip to Samezuka to visit my brother."

"You never mentioned that."

"It wasn't important." Gou dismissed the comment with a small wave of her hand. She looked intently at Hanq. "So, you in?"

Hana mulled the thought over for a bit. "It isn't a bad idea, honestly," she admitted.

"Great! Let's go when school's over!"

Surprisingly, the rest of school passed by in a blur. When they were finally released, Hana said a quick farewell to Haru and Makoto, explaining that she wasn't walking home with them that day due to manager's business. When Makoto asked why, Hana only smirked and said, "You'll find out," before she ran out.

Gou was already waiting for her by the gates. Hana quickly spotted her friend, since her red hair stood out from the rest of the crowd. She jogged on over. "Right, I'm ready."

To get to Samezuka, it required the two girls to take a train. It want too long a journey, fortunately. Whilst on the train, Gou informed Hana what she knew about Samezuka, so she wouldn't be completely clueless upon her arrival.

Even though the train covered most of the distance, they still needed to walk a short distance to Samezuka. But the journey was quickened as the girls talked and laughed, and soon enough they were passing through the school gates and had entered the entrance building.

Since she'd been to Samezuka before, Gou talked to the receptionist and soon was granted permission to the school grounds. Hana stuck close to Gou, knowing that without her friend, she'd soon be lost in this school.

Gou led Hana to the indoor pool. Hana didn't know what she was expecting as they walked in, but even she had to admit it was pretty impressive. Numerous swimmers filled the pool, some swimming and others loitering around the edge as they awaited their turn in the water.

So many people... all good swimmers, with no fear of the water. Hana ran a hand through her hair as she looked briefly at the pool. She constantly felt like the odd one out in regards to the water nowadays. It made her feel ridiculous, yet also strangely curious as to what it was everyone else loved about the water that she was apparently missing out on.

"Gou-kun! What a surprise."

The voice cut through the air, and brought Hana's attention back to her and Gou's task. And it looked as though they may have found their person of interest. A tall, well-built third-year with red hair was making his way toward them, dressed in Samezuka sport gear. She guessed he was the captain, Mikoshiba Seijuro, as Gou had infomed her on the train. Gou wasn't joking when she said she knew him.

Gou sighed. "Please don't call me that." She indicated to Hana, who stood a little awkwardly on the outskirts, and whom had attracted a curious stare from Samezuka's captain. "Oh, this is Etsumi Hana."

Seijuro offered his hand. "Pleasure to meet you, Hana-san."

Hana smiled and took his hand, unsurprised by the strong grip. "You as well, Seijuro-senpai," she said, allowing her hand to drop back to her side.

"So, what brings the the two of you here?" the captain asked.

Gou flushed nervously, realising that this was time to explain the motives. She clasped gee hands behind her back and cleared her throat. "We were thinking..." she began, "well, mostly I was thinking, since our school doesn't have an indoor pool, that as managers for our school swim club, maybe we could organise a joint practice. Our swimmers haven't been able to swim for a while, so this will be good for them."

Hana nodded slowly and glanced up at the captain, awaiting his response. A flutter on anticipation nerves settled in her stomach.

"A joint practice?" Seijuro repeated. Hana bit her lip. She couldn't exactly read the expression on his face.

Apparently, Gou couldn't tell either. "Y-yes," she stammered, shrinking back a little.

Hana was expecting many reactions Seijuro. She was expecting him to maybe laugh and say it wasn't a good idea. She was expecting him to maybe shrug and say that he'd think about it. She was expecting him to maybe say it was a good idea, but he'd need to check dates first before they made it a definite thing.

What she wasn't expecting him to do was grab Gou by the hands, grin, lean forward as exclaim, "That's a good idea! Let's do it!" But he still did it.

Hana chuckled quietly over her friend's obvious discomfort. She couldn't help but be amused., and had to allow Gou's moment of discomfort to last for a little while longer.

Eventually, she decided her friend needed to be saved. "That's great news!" she said, grinning. "Any specific date in mind?"

They soon managed to organise a time. Gou stepped a little further away from Seijuro, her cheeks still flushed red. Hana knew she'd be able to tease her friend about this later, and she'd have fun doing so.

"So that's sorted," Seijuro said, once they'd agreed and on a day and time. ,Oh, and just remember, you'll need to bring at least four swimmers to the practice."

Hana felt her spirits sink, but tried to keep it from showing. "Sure! Thanks again!" Great. Once again, it comes down to not a fourth member, but a freaking fourth swimmer! Seriously, we've asked everyone about three times! How are we going to locate this non-existant swimmer?

Seijuro smiled. "No problem. Take care, Gou-kun. You too, Hana-san."

"Bye!" Hana called. She smiled back as she and Gou walked away, exiting the pool area and eventually making it to the outside hair.

As soon as they were out of the building, Hana burst out into hysterical laughter. "He has a thing for you, Gou-kun!" she sang, elbowing her friend in the side. She couldn't keep the teasing glint to her eye or the cheeky smile off of her face.

Gou glared at her friend, cheeks still tinged bright red. "Shut up. And don't call me that."

Hana chuckled. "Sorry, I couldn't resist. But at least we have good news for the boys tomorrow!"

"And bad news," Gou put in with a sigh.

Hana's shoulders slumped. "Ah yes. That fourth swimmer. How inconvenient."

"We're sure to find someone eventually," Gou said.

Hana shrugged. "Well, considering we've asked everyone at least three times... I don't particularly like our chances."

That was why that the next day, once they had assembled the boys at lunch, Hana stood next to Gou with a mixture of excitement and nerves. How were the boys going to take this? How would they find their final swimmer?

They boys were assembled before them. Hana looked over at Gou and they had a small silent conversation, and came to the agreement that Gou should be the one to speak.

Gou turned so her full body faced the boys. "I have good news for everyone today!" she exclaimed. She assumed an important position, a satisfied smile on her face. "Amazingly enough, Hana and I were able to schedule a joint practice with with Samezuka!"

The reactions from the boys were instantaneous. "What?" Nagisa exclaimed, jumping forward in such a way that it was as though his excitement had transitioned into movement. "Really?"

Hana chuckled. "Yes, Nagisa. We did." As she spoke, she glanced over at Haru, wondering how he was reacting to the news. She sighed. Does he ever show expression? She peered a little closer at his face and bit her lip, thinking she spotted something deep in his eyes... was that a flash of excitement, possibly? It was gone before she had a chance to consolidate her theory.

"Did you ask Rin?" Makoto asked. While he sounded calm, the expression on his face suggested otherwise.

"My brother won't listen to me," Gou explained with a grin, "so we went straight to their captain!"

Nagisa laughed, unable to wipe the bright smile from his cheerful, eager face. "That's our super managers, Gou-chan and Ha-"

"It's Kou." Hana glanced over at Gou, a little disgruntled. Of course, just as Nagisa was about to mention and credit her, Gou barged in only to correct her name. She sighed. Last time she told Nagisa off for not acknowledging me, and now she's stopping him from doing so.

"That means we have permission to swim in Samezuka's indoor pool now," Makoto noted.

Gou suddenly looked uneasy. Hana bit her lip, the same unease filling her. It looked like now was the time to break the unfortunate news to the boys.

Gou cleared her throat. "But," she began slowly, breaking the previously cheerful mood. "Since it's a joint practice, we need to bring four members at a minimum."

Hana squeezed her eyes shut. Great, oh great. We've shattered their hopes, they're definitely going to be in a great mode with us.

Ugh, seriously, what is it with swimming and having four swimmers?

Hana reopened her eyes, expecting the boys to look dispirited. And they did, for a time. But Nagisa was like a ball, as soon as he hit ground he bounced right back up. "That just means we have to recruit a new member before the practice. Especially since Hana-chan Gou-chan managed to seduce the captain to get us this chance."

Wait, hold on, what did Nagisa just say? Hana flushed a deep red, the words starting to sink in. Great. This is just great.

"W-what exactly are you suggesting, Nagisa?" she stammered, caught off guard. Sure, their captain may have been good-looking, but that didn't mean that she would seduce him into agreeing to a joint practice. She was highly agaisnt to anything of the sort.

"I didn't seduce anyone!" Gou exclaimed next. "Neither did Hana!"

"Huh? You didn't?" Nagisa sounded genuinely shocked.

"Of course not!" Gou fired back.

Hana rolled her eyes, doing her best to suppress the blood from rising to her cheeks. "Honestly, Nagisa," she sighed, rubbing her forehead. "I don't think you know the first thing about girls."

*          *          *

Being sandwiched between two boys who were both slightly taller than you could be awkward. Hana's lack of height was noticeable to anyone as she, Haru and Makoto walked down their usual route to school.

"I hope we can find this fourth swimmer soon, so we can do this joint practice," Makoto hummed. The school gates loomed before them, promising another day of trying to pay attention during class while all everyone wanted to do was head home and put their feet up.

Hana glanced sideways at the black-haired boy she was walking with. Because of her height,she had to tilt her head up a little to get a proper view of his face. "It would especially good for you, Haru," she mused. "Wouldn't you love to be back in an actual pool, and not a bathtub?"

"It would be nice," Haru admitted.

Hana winked at him, a teasing grin on her face. "More than nice for you, I'll bet. You'll make Samezuka your next home."

The black gates were now in front of them. Students filed in, the smiles on their faces disguising how much they really didn't want to go to school, in he majority of cases. Catching up with friends was good, classes weren't.

The trio were just about to pass through the waits when a familar voice yelled, "Wait!" Curious, they all turned, and saw Nagisa job up to them, face red and shiny. He wasn't dressed in school uniform, and instead was wearing attire suitable for jogging.

"Nagisa?" Hana murmured as the blonde boy came to a stop before them. He bent over double, resting his hands on his knees and using that as support. His breaths came to him in heavy, laboured pants.

"What are you doing?" Makoto asked.

Nagisa looked up from his bent-over positions, his hands still firmly gripping his knees for support. "Haru-chan. Mako-chan. Hana-chan," he greeted between puffs for breath.

"I didn't think you ran to school," Hana said, staring quizzically down at him.

"I didn't." Nagisa straightened himself up, and suddenly caught someone coming up from behind Hana's shoulders. "Oh, Rei-chan."

Rei-chan? Does he mean, Ryugazaki Rei, as in the one from track, and the one who explicitly told Nagisa he didn't want to join the swim team?

Hana turned around and, sure enough, the blue-haired boy came to a stop beside them. His eyes instantly sought out Haru. "Are you Haru-chan-san?" he asked.

"Don't put -chan and the -san on my name," Haru responded.

"Is something up?" Makoto asked.

Rei sighed, his eyes flicking between them all. "I'm willing to participate in your joint practice as a trial member," he said eventually.

Nagisa gasped. "What, really?"

Rei pushed his glasses further up his nose. "But only on one condition," he warned.

This doesn't sound all too good. Hana tilted her head to the side. "And that is?" she asked, genuinely curious.

Rei paused before he answered.

"I will not swim."

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yay, Rei-chan! all the boys have been properly introduced into this story now, haha. hoping to get the next chapter out soon, i'm really excited about a number of upcoming chapters! 

speaking of that, next up is the joint practice! what do you think will happen? i'd love to hear your thoughts :)