The after-school school building smelled of the sea breeze. The Iwatobi High School Swimming Club's clubroom was at the very end of the gymnasium building. The roughly twelve-tatami-mat room had six steel lockers lined up, and an old whiteboard on the wall. From the window, you could see the outdoor pool. No one was swimming in it now, and the water's surface just glittered in the evening sun. Matsuoka Rio was alone, pushing a mop. On their small frame, the light blue jersey looked a little too big. Their black hair, just a bit longer than their shoulders, was tied back in a single bunch. Every time they cleaned, the small beauty mark on the right side of their nape peeked out from between the strands of their tied-up hair. "...There, that should do it." They said it, and returned the mop to the bucket. Only the sound of their own breathing echoed in the clubroom. Five club members. And just one manager — themself. *(We're barely scraping by, this club.)* According to Iwatobi High School's club activity regulations, if membership drops below five, the club gets demoted to a "circle." If that happened, the school's budget would be cut in half. There was only one month left until the prefectural qualifiers for the Inter-High. This tiny club was fighting a crisis of survival, and yet, still aiming for nationals. After confirming no one was around, Rio approached the locker at the very back. Club captain Nanase Haruka's locker. They quietly reached out a finger and touched the cold steel surface. Their heart pounded noisily. Even though no one was there, it felt like they were doing something wrong. "...Senpai." Their voice trembled. The summer of their third year of middle school, a competitive swimming meet their brother Rin had taken them to see. Rio still vividly remembered the profile of Haruka's face they saw there. Those clear eyes that gazed only at the water. That straightforward swim, with nothing wasted. In that moment, it hurt, like their heart had been squeezed tight. *I like him*, they thought. Ever since then, they haven't been able to tell anyone about this feeling. "You turned down the recommendation, didn't you." There had been talk of a recommended admission to a sister school. But Rio turned it down and chose Iwatobi High School. For the sole reason that Haruka was here. *(Like an idiot.)* Rio gave a wry smile. Just then, something fluttered down from a gap in the locker. It was a blue towel. When they picked it up, there was embroidery on the edge. *Haruka*. "...Haruka-senpai's." They traced the letters with their finger. One character at a time, slowly. Those eyes that only look at the water — if only they would look at me. They knew it was a wish that would absolutely never come true. Tachibana Makoto was always at Haruka's side. His childhood friend, closer to him than anyone. The only person Haruka probably opened his heart to, besides the water. A tear spilled from Rio's eye. Once it fell, it wouldn't stop. Quietly, stifling their voice, they cried. This love they couldn't tell anyone about — the only way to release it was to cry alone in the clubroom. "...Like an idiot." They murmured it, as if telling themself. Even if they did this, nothing would change. And yet, they couldn't help but cry. --- Outside the clubroom, Hazuki Nagisa stood frozen. He had just come back to get his practice clothes, which he'd forgotten. But the scene he glimpsed through the gap in the door made his feet stop moving. His senpai was crying. Nagisa's large, golden-brown eyes opened wide. His naturally permed light brown hair bounced and bobbed with every movement. At 165 centimeters tall, Nagisa was usually the mood maker of the swimming club, acting brighter than anyone else. But now, the expression had vanished from his face. *(Rio-senpai...)* He remembered the day of the entrance ceremony. It was an evening when the cherry blossoms had fallen and the school building's shadows stretched long. Nagisa had mistaken his classroom and happened to wander into the gymnasium building. And when he passed by this clubroom, he heard a sobbing voice from inside. When he secretly peeked in, there was a girl, crying alone. Black hair a little longer than her shoulders. Tears spilling from her large, dark brown eyes. *Oh crap*, he thought. It was love at first sight. Since then, Nagisa had started acting cheerful so he wouldn't make her cry. Playing the mood maker, softening the atmosphere of the club. All of it, because he wanted Rio to look at him. But. *(The one Senpai likes... is Haruka-senpai.)* The monologue just now had made it perfectly clear. Rio touching the locker, crying. All those tears were directed at Haruka. A sharp, stinging pain gripped his chest. *(Am I... not good enough?)* He thought that, but he also knew that wasn't it. Feelings aren't something you can just make yourself have because someone tells you to. Nagisa clenched his fist. His eyes, usually sparkling, were now dull and clouded. Behind his curious nature, he was actually more attuned to the atmosphere around him than anyone. He had acted cheerful to secure his own place. But that didn't work on the person he'd truly fallen for. *(What am I supposed to do...?)* --- Inside the clubroom, there was a sign of Rio moving. He hurriedly hid behind something. Rio wiped their tears and took out a small compact mirror. After checking that the area around their eyes was red, they looked down. "...I have to smile." Facing the mirror, they lifted the corners of their mouth. Once, twice. Practicing making a smile that wasn't unnatural. *(Am I smiling well?)* After repeating it a few times, Rio let out a breath. Already, they had their usual manager's face on. "Okay." Muttering quietly, Rio left the clubroom. Their back, heading towards the poolside, was already straight. --- Nagisa was left alone in the clubroom. The evening sun streaming through the window dyed the empty room orange. In the vacant space, it felt like Rio's tears from just moments ago still lingered. He approached Haruka's locker. The spot Rio had been touching until just now. *(I wonder if the feeling of Senpai's hand is still there.)* He knew there was no way it could be, but he couldn't help thinking it. Nagisa stretched out his right hand and gently touched the locker. It was cold. Rio's warmth was nowhere to be found. "...I..." He tried saying it out loud. Words meant for no one. "...What should I do?" No one gave him an answer. Nagisa clenched his fist. His eyes, usually sparkling with curiosity, now held a serious light. *(I hate it when Senpai cries.)* He knew the reason. It was because he liked them. But he also understood that his feelings wouldn't be returned. Even so. "...I can't give up. Not on that." He murmured quietly, as if telling himself. Alone in the clubroom, Nagisa stood frozen. The evening sun tilted further and further, and the shadows stretched long. From the poolside, he could hear the voices of the club members. Practice would start soon. He had to act cheerful, like always. But, just for now. Nagisa stared at Haruka's locker once more. His expression was complicated. Jealousy, and admiration, and a feeling of not being able to give up. It was a look where everything was mixed together. *(I don't know what I'll do next.)* He clenched his fist tight. *(But I can't let it end like this.)* Outside the window, the evening sun was about to sink into the sea. The orange light slowly filled the clubroom. Nagisa took one deep breath, and then put on his usual bright face. "...Alright." He grabbed his practice clothes. He opened the door and headed for the poolside. But on his back, a shadow of hesitation still lingered. The feeling of longing for someone is quiet, like being underwater, but deep. Once you sink, you can't easily float back up. Rio's small love remained unnoticed by anyone. But beneath the water's surface, it had certainly begun to spread ripples.