𝐠𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐭 / 𝘪𝘬𝘶𝘺𝘢.

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 / 𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭.

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'geeze. i told natsuya not to tell you guys,' nao said, looking at the first years he had been coaching as they filed into his hospital room.

'but are you really ok? i heard you're having surgery,' makoto asked.

nao smiled at his concern. 'it's not that big of a deal. and it seems i'll be discharged right away.'

ikuya pondered this information. 'what kind of surgery is it?' he asked.

nao pulled his lower eyelid down gently. 'retinal detachment. in fall last year, i started feeling like it was kind of hard to see, but i thought it would get better soon, and so ignored it. now i've ended up needing surgery,' he explained guiltily.

'when will you be able to come back to practice?' [name] questioned.

'i'll be able to go back to teaching right away, but i won't be able to go back to being a swimmer for a while. i can't enter any of the competitions this year.' the students' faces were grim. 'hey hey! don't be so gloomy! i can't enter any more competitions in middle school, but i'll be able to swim in high school!' nao added in his panic.

'you'll be able to continue?' asahi replied, relieved.

nao reminisced for a moment. 'i entered the swimming club because natsuya forced me to, but... i really got into it.' his green eyes landed on asahi. 'asahi. when they said that i couldn't enter any more competitions in middle school, i was a little sad, too. but when i remembered that this isn't the end, i felt better. i figured there's no point in rushing. i'm sure you'll be able to swim free again, asahi. just go slowly and don't force it,' he suggested.

'yes!'

'makoto, you worry too much. think about yourself more. also, haruka definitely thinks you're meddlesome.'

makoto's jaw dropped slightly. 'eh? really haru?'

'ikuya, you need to trust the people around you more. if you close yourself up, your swimming and school life will suffer.'

ikuya turned to the side, thinking about when he and [name] were a tangled mess of limbs. 'it's ok, i've figured... that out a little,' he assured.

'i see. haruka,' nao began, smiling from ikuya's response.

'yes,' haru answered.