𝐠𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐭 / 𝘪𝘬𝘶𝘺𝘢.

𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞 / 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘸𝘪𝘮.

『  note: boku and ore are informal ways of saying i  』

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the pool was silent except for the sound of footsteps against tile. a boy with black hair knelt at the edge of the pool, cupping the chlorinated water in his hand and splashing it against his chest and knees before stepping onto the diving platform.

this is nanase haruka, a swimming prodigy. he prefers to be called haru.

he positioned himself into a track start, staring at the water with confidence. imagining the beep of the gun, he dove into the water flawlessly, waving his body as he approached the surface. he imagined his friends as he swam. as he reached the end of the pool, he did a flip turn, powering to the finish line, pushing his palm into the wall when he finished.

he panted and rested his arm on the lane rope, ripping his goggles and swimming cap from his head. he adjusted his hair with a shake of his head and looked up at the hand that was extended for him.

'morning, haru-chan.'

this is tachibana makoto, haru's childhood friend. he's guilty of adding chan to haru's name.

haru looked away after a moment's hesitation. 'i told you to stop calling me haru-chan.'

'sorry, sorry, haru,' makoto responded, correcting himself. 'we're going to be late to the entrance ceremony,' he added.

haru eyed makoto's hand before gripping it and hauling himself out of the pool.

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haru buttoned up his school jacket with a frown, attempting to ease the discomfort that came with the collar buttoned up. giving up, he unclasped it and left the changing rooms, gazing at the friendly giant who approached him.

'haru, no... you have to close the collar!' makoto chided, rebuttoning haru's collar, much to the boy's annoyance. as they started walking to school, haru's agitation grew.

'it's uncomfortable,' he complained monotonously.

'you'll get used to it soon enough.'

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as they walked beneath the cherry blossoms, they caught sight of a girl with [hair colour] hair and [eye colour] eyes. a cherry blossom petal landed on her head. haru sighed, plucking it from her hair.

this is [last name] [name], haru's adoptive sister. she was diagnosed with a heart condition when she was a child.

'how did you know where to find me?' haru asked, facing makoto.

makoto laughed softly, 'i know everything about you, haru,' he answered, smiling with closed eyes. haru looked put off. '...is what i'd like to say, but i actually asked [name] when i couldn't find you mother.'

'oh.'

'haru, are you going to join any clubs? I (boku)- ah... I (ore) haven't decided yet.'

[name] tilted her head to the side, 'ore?'

'since i'm a middle schooler now, i was thinking that i should start calling myself ore now,' makoto explained, rubbing the back of his head with a sheepish laugh.

haru stared at his friend, fiddling with his collar as they walked. the trio's hair blew in the wind and a wave of cherry blossoms fell from their branches, floating in the air in an elegant yet unorganised dance. glancing at the sky, the teenagers stared at the petals as they drifted away. haru's trance was broken as an eagle swooped down, dropping a feather for haru to catch.