High Speed! Volume 2

Chapter 4: Start

He runs with Makkou on the shore while basking in the morning sun. The wind from the sea feels pleasant. The weather's nice today, too. The temperature had risen enough to make you think that it was the beginning of summer. It's the ideal weather for the first day of practice.

Yesterday's pool cleaning lasted exactly until the evening, in the end, they finished with all the members covered in bubbles and soaked to the skin. Apparently, it happens every year.

That exhaustion ended up getting blown away to somewhere while he was running with Makkou.

After the walk, he leaves the house after taking a shower. Makoto was waiting at the bottom of the stone steps.

"Let's go."

"Okay."

Making the expectations grow for the days that are starting anew, Makoto's smile reflected the morning sun.

Joining up with Asahi at the school gate, after they got changed in the changing room, Nao-senpai came to them when they came out onto the poolside.

"Morning."

Wearing a jersey, he raises his hand while smiling. He's heard that he's the manager as well as the trainer for the first years, but will he really not swim?

"Zaa-ssu!" [Note: Since the previous chapter, Asahi is adding –ssu near the end of his sentences as a verbal tic. It doesn't really mean anything, but he only does it at the swim club. Here he's shortening 'good morning' down to one syllable and adding it. So from here on out, I'll mark his sentences that have a –ssu in them with a *.]

Yelling, Asahi lowers his head very deeply.

"Good morning."

Makoto saying it, Haruka lowered his head, taking advantage of the opportunity.

"From today onwards, I'll be teaching you a lot of stuff, so I hope we'll get along. To begin with, bowing when you enter the poolside."

Beside them as he's saying so, upperclassmen come out and make a bow.

"And then, bowing again before you leave to go home."

"Is there a kami in the pool?"*

Asahi asked.

"You can think of it like that, but it's for the sake of focusing your mind. It means that after bowing, you don't lose focus until you bow again."

"Hoo hoo. Basically, it's to throw our heart and soul into practice, huh."*

"That's part of it, but the most important thing is to make sure we don't injure ourselves. We're not on soil, and it's not a wooden floor, either. Because a pool is water and concrete. Even the smallest accident could take your life. That's why we focus ourselves by bowing."

"Oh, I see."*

"Then, let's get going."

Nao started to walk, Haruka and the others followed after him after making a bow.

While looking at Nao from behind, Haruka felt by intuition that he'd probably be fast if he were to swim. He's been thinking about it since yesterday, but it's almost as if there's no waste in his posture. Carrying himself as flexibly as a cat, there wasn't the slightest gap. It was like he was constantly prepared to react even if a foreign enemy were to attack him.

While walking, Nao looks back at them over his shoulder.

"Since I'm also the trainer, I'll call everyone by their first names, okay? You're all fine with Asahi, Makoto and Haruka, right?"