Friday after school. The sky hung heavy with clouds, and the sea outside the window was a murky gray. There was no wind — just a sticky, oppressive humidity that seeped even into the hallways. Matsuoka Rio dragged their feet down the corridor of the gymnasium building, each step as heavy as if they'd swallowed lead. On the bulletin board were the words: "Two Weeks Until Inter-High Prefectural Qualifiers." Normally, those words would make their chest tighten with determination. Today, they felt like something from a distant world. (*I couldn't answer.*) Yesterday, on the way home. The words Nagisa had thrown at them on Shiomizaka were still lodged deep in their ears. *What do you think of Makoto-senpai?* That gentle smile. The person who was always looking out for Haruka, who was kind to everyone equally. The person Rio secretly envied. The one and only person Haruka had kissed. What did they think — there was no way they could put that into words. No way they could say it. No way they could say they liked Haruka. So in the end, all they could do was hang their head in silence. They stood in front of the club room. From beyond the door, the faint murmur of voices could be heard. The peaceful sounds of before practice. Unconsciously, Rio twirled the ends of their hair around their fingertip. "[whispers]...It's fine." The habitual phrase slipped out, addressed to no one in particular. These were the words that always came out precisely when things weren't fine. One deep breath. Then, they pulled the door open. Inside, Haruka and Nagisa had already finished changing. Haruka leaned against the wall by the window, a blue towel draped over his shoulders. His clear blue eyes gazed absently at the pool outside. Expressionless as always, impossible to tell what he was thinking. Nagisa stood in front of the lockers, and when he saw Rio come in, his movements stopped for just a moment. His fluffy, light brown hair twitched slightly. "...Ah." That small sound escaped Nagisa's mouth. Yesterday's events still lingered clearly between them. Unable to meet Nagisa's golden-brown eyes directly, Rio dropped their gaze to the floor. "[gentle]G-good work today." A forced smile. The manager's face they'd practiced countless times. Lift the corners of the mouth, narrow the eyes. But their voice trembled just a little. Nagisa, too, didn't seem to be smiling properly. His body, which usually moved with a bounce, was stuck in front of the lockers today as if glued there. Only Haruka seemed completely unbothered by the awkward atmosphere. That was normal for him. Haruka existed somewhere slightly removed from this world's gravity. Trying to start their usual tasks, Rio picked up the stopwatch and the time record binder from the desk. Their own scribbled notes from yesterday's practice. The edges of the paper were slightly smudged with sweat from their hands. (*Today, for sure, I'll do it right.*) That was what they thought. And then it happened. *Clatter.* The club room door opened again. Rio had assumed it would be Makoto. But the voice they heard was unfamiliar. "Excuse me. This is the Iwatobi High School Swimming Club, correct?" A calm, quiet voice. With little intonation, its pronunciation was precise, almost like a calculated machine. The person who entered was a male student in an unfamiliar uniform. A navy blazer. The emblem on his chest wasn't from Iwatobi High School. It was the badge of Samezuka Academy. He was tall, with excellent posture. Behind his black-rimmed glasses, his eyes held an intelligent, sharp light. His hair was neatly trimmed, and his uniform was without a single wrinkle. Everything was too perfectly arranged — he had the air of a precision machine rather than a human being. Rio nearly dropped the binder in their hands. "...Rei?" Nagisa's voice trembled faintly. It was a voice completely different from his usual bright tone. It sounded as if he'd been suddenly struck somewhere he wasn't emotionally prepared. The game console nearly slipped from Nagisa's hands. Rei walked straight to the center of the club room. His stride was clean, without hesitation. And despite everyone else being present, Rei's gaze was fixed solely on Nagisa. As if Haruka wasn't even in his field of vision. As if Rio wasn't either. "[serious]Nagisa." Rei stood directly in front of Nagisa. The distance between them was less than a meter. The air in the club room tightened with tension. Outside the window, the sound of the pool's circulation system was unnervingly clear. "[serious]I'm in love with you." The binder fell from Rio's hands. The rustling sound of paper hitting the floor echoed loudly in the frozen club room. Several sheets of time records scattered across the floor. "...Huh." Their voice wouldn't come out. Haruka didn't move a muscle by the wall. Arms still crossed, he coldly observed Rei. As for Nagisa, he was completely frozen. His usual grin that showed his fangs was gone, and his golden eyes were simply opened wide. As if he had anticipated Nagisa's reaction, Rei quietly continued. "I also know that you've been watching that manager senpai over there all this time." Rio's heart gave a huge, violent leap. (*He knew.*) About Nagisa's feelings for them. Someone named Rei, whom Rio didn't know at all, knew. "Even so, I couldn't keep it to myself any longer." Rei's voice was as matter-of-fact as if he were reading aloud from a thesis. But that very calmness only made the abnormality of the situation stand out more. Behind his glasses, Rei's eyes never left Nagisa for a single moment. With trembling hands, Rio tried to pick up the fallen binder. They crouched down. The hem of their skirt touched the cold floor. They picked up one sheet of paper. Their fingers trembled and couldn't grip it properly. (*This is my fault.*) Because Nagisa had been watching them. That's why Rei had come here. The words spun round and round in their head. That was when it happened. "[angry]No... that's not it, I said!" Nagisa suddenly shouted. His mouth, frozen until now, burst open as if it had broken. "I— I—" Nagisa's face twisted in anguish. He glanced at Rio's face. His eyes wavered, as if seeking help. Still crouched down, all Rio could do was receive that gaze. Rei's confession. His feelings for Rio. And the uneasy stirring about Makoto that even he himself didn't fully understand. All of it, Rio thought, must have exploded in Nagisa's head at once. "[crying]I'm in love with Makoto-senpai too—!!" That cry echoed throughout the club room. Rio froze on the spot as if turned to stone. The meaning didn't register right away. Everyone stopped moving. Sound vanished. *Click.* As if to shatter that silence, the club room door opened for the third time. "[gentle]Sorry I'm late. I brought some snacks—" His large frame stopped at the door. The convenience store bag in his hand rustled. His pale green eyes slowly widened. Makoto had heard what was just said. The color drained from his face. That gentle face that always embraced everyone was now rigid, as if struck by shock. The bag slipped from his hand. A plastic bottle of tea rolled out, clattering coldly across the floor. Makoto put a hand against the wall. His large hand gripped the wallpaper tightly. He seemed barely able to stand. No one could say anything. One second, two seconds, three seconds — the silence piled up, heavy. Still crouched down, Rio couldn't move. *After all, no one chooses me.* They heard the sound of those words crumbling and collapsing inside their head. Haruka had chosen Makoto. Nagisa had said he liked Makoto too. Rei had confessed to Nagisa. Everyone had feelings for someone. But not a single one of those arrows pointed toward them. Their vision blurred, growing wet. They killed their voice. They bit their lip, desperately stifling their breath. But the tears wouldn't stop. One streak, then another, falling onto the floor and making small stains. "[crying]...Senpai." Nagisa, noticing Rio's distress, called out to them. "That's not... I didn't mean it like—" The words wouldn't continue. He probably finally understood what he had said. The color drained from Nagisa's face too. He had hurt everyone. That fact painted Nagisa's expression with despair. That was when it happened. Haruka, who had been silent the entire time, slowly pushed his back away from the wall. The towel draped over his shoulders fell soundlessly to the floor. Haruka glanced at Nagisa with cold eyes. His blue eyes betrayed not a shred of emotion. It was just a gaze like water without warmth. Then Haruka began walking toward the door. He passed right beside Rio. For just a moment, blue flickered at the edge of their vision. But — Haruka didn't look at Rio at all. As if Rio, crouched down and crying, didn't even exist there. As if they were air. Just like that, without a word, he left the club room. *Click.* The door closed — an ordinary, insignificant sound. But that sound definitively broke something in Rio's heart. *I don't exist.* They couldn't reach Nagisa. They weren't even in Rei's field of vision. Makoto was distant in a different sense. And to Haruka — they were the same as not being there at all. Rio gripped the fabric of their skirt tightly and continued to cry, killing their voice. Rei hung his head, consumed by guilt. His shoulders trembled faintly. Nagisa sat down on the floor, holding his head. Overwhelmed by self-loathing for having hurt everyone, he seemed unable to utter another word. Makoto reached a hand toward Rio's shoulder — and that hand stopped in midair. He was the person Nagisa had said he liked. What could he possibly say? His hand dropped, powerless. Rio couldn't accept comfort from anyone anymore. Unable to tell anyone, they continued to cry alone in the corner of the club room. Nagisa's cry. Makoto's shock. Haruka's indifference. Rei's guilt. The pain of the four left in the club room pointed in scattered directions, as if they would never intersect again. Outside the window, the gray clouds grew thicker and thicker. It looked like rain was about to fall. That was the beginning of the night when all five members of the swimming club fell apart.