Sᴘʟᴀsʜᴇs & Sᴛʀɪᴋᴇs | Nagi Seishiro √

04: 𝐀 𝐃𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝.

"Huh?" Rea's eyes welled up with tears. This was a dream come true, to see her family supporting and inspiring her. "Am I dreaming?"

"Not at all, silly," Reo chuckled. "Let's finish up here and head to the pool."

There were no upcoming soccer matches or swimming tournaments, as the National Heats were scheduled for the following month—only three weeks away. Rea was eager to improve, so she and Kai practiced together at school. Though they were rivals, their interactions were friendly. They spent time swimming together, learning from each other, yet Kai still couldn't beat her. He considered her to possess natural swimming abilities. He had never imagined practicing side by side with her.

However, on the weekend, the Mikage household was bustling with more than just the Mikage siblings. Given their parents' absence, they invited their friends over. As usual, Reo picked up Nagi, and Kaori arrived with Bachira and Kai.

Rea and Kaori went straight to the pool, fully immersed in swimming, leaving the others to their own devices. No one blamed them as these two were akin to aquatic creatures. Bachira, being Rea's fan, took charge of timing, while Kaori timed Kai's swimming.

"Whoa, you're amazing, Rea-chan," Bachira exclaimed, stretching out his hand to help her out of the pool. "I'm sure you'll win the National heats too."

"I'm still trying to catch up with her," Kai wheezed, sitting next to Rea, who mirrored his action. "Do you dive, Rea?"

"I can't hold my breath underwater for very long," Rea admitted, lying on the floor with her legs still in the water. "How about you?"

"Kai is an amazing diver," Bachira chimed in. "He even goes diving with his father during vacations."

"Bachira-senpai, how do you know so much about that?" Rea frowned, glancing at Bachira, whose face was upside down as he stood next to her head.

"Kai, Kaori, and I live in the same neighborhood," Bachira explained. "I play soccer, Kaori learns painting from my mother, and Kai is into swimming. An odd trio, right?"

"Yeah, totally odd," Rea said. "I never knew you two knew Kai because you never cheered for him at the tournament."

"Well, I thought it would be better if I reached you first before you knew me," Kai grinned. "A first encounter as rivals, nice, right?"

"Everything apart from swimming is complicated to think about," Rea remarked, looking at Kaori. "Isn't it a hassle?"

"Now we see more of Nagi than Reo in you!" Bachira laughed, sitting with the swimmers. "Your brother and Nagi are best friends, and Reo is really babysitting him, isn't he?"

"Of course, yes. Nagi is a big baby who doesn't care about doing anything," Rea shook her head. "Two weeks ago, I went with my brother to Nagi's place. I felt like I was dead after cleaning his apartment. He doesn't move his butt to clean his space at all."

"Stop complaining, champion," Kai jumped into the water. "I can show you something. Can you hold your breath underwater? Let me know when you reach your limit."

"Whoa, whoa, what is it?" Kaori, hands on her hips, felt she and Bachira were being kept out of the swimmers' little secret.

"That's a secret. Rea, ready?" Rea looked at Kai's outstretched hand. "Don't worry, I told you to let me know when you can't hold your breath anymore!"

"Alrighty!" With curiosity, she accepted Kai's hand. Kai counted one to three, and both of them sank into the water.

"I never thought Rea would get along with someone other than me," Kaori said to Bachira.