Chapter 152 - High Summer and Youth (Part 2)
By the time Cecily and Avea reached the buoy, the gap between them had closed to just a head's length. Like Fam, Cecily switched to treading water for a moment to execute the tightest possible turn. Avea powered around the outside, her turn sweeping around Cecily's.
Once the turn was complete, the two were side by side.
"Cecily's won," Mizuki and I murmured at the same time. Avea had gambled everything on catching up by the buoy. She had intended to get in front of Cecily and crush her spirit. However, Cecily had swum the first half at a faster pace than she'd anticipated, and she continued to maintain that same pace on the return leg. The race was unfolding like a carbon copy of the battle between Fam and Fang. But that wasn't all. Cecily began to pick up her pace. It was a matter of pride for her. Avea, out of stamina, couldn't even keep up and was left behind.
At the starting position, the fourth swimmers, Beers and Lini, were getting ready.
"Hee hee hee... Those who came before were mere foot soldiers, assembled only to fill the ranks. You will tremble in fear at the great leap forward that is to come!"
Beers was still playing some kind of role. He seemed quite taken with himself. I wanted to kick him, but I held back, knowing I'd have no comeback if he complained about me and women again.
"He's the fastest..."
Mizuki said with a troubled look. It was an unexpected talent of his.
"Faster than you?"
"Do you really think I'd lose to any of these people in swimming?"
Such confidence. She had the presence of a Demon Lord waiting behind her Four Heavenly Kings. Either way, our only path to victory was for Lini and me to protect the lead Fam and Cecily had built. It was a simple relay. There were no complex strategies to be made. As I was thinking that, I noticed Lini was about to take off her floatie.
"Hey, what are you doing?"
She turned and looked at me, her gaze filled with fierce determination.
"I saw them swim. Lini wants to swim with her own power, too."
It seemed Fam's and Cecily's efforts had ignited something within her.
"I understand how you feel, but right now, you don't have the skill or the stamina to swim this course. That's not a bad thing. It just means you can't do it yet. You'll be able to swim eventually, Lini. You have that flutter kick. If you keep at it, you'll be faster than anyone when the time comes."
"If I get in trouble, I'll do the back float. ...Please?"
She looked up at me, her earnest gaze unwavering. I sighed.
"Alright. But don't you dare push yourself to the limit, understand? If you're in trouble, wave your hand immediately."
She gave a small nod and took off the floatie.
True to her word, Cecily returned, having greatly expanded the lead Fam had built against Fang.
"Lini, I'm counting on you! Get it to Mash!"
"Mm. Lini will do her best!"
The two slapped hands, the sound echoing with a smack. Lini was off. The spectators applauded Cecily's performance. She raised a hand shyly, and cheers were added to the applause. She made her way over to me.
"Hey, why isn't Lini wearing her floatie?!"
Before I could even praise her, the smile she'd given the crowd vanished and she confronted me. I really wished she would smile at me a little more.
"Because she wanted to."
"Do you even want to win?"
"I do. But it's meaningless if it's not the result of all of us giving it our all. The five of us are one team."
"Honestly... you always try to talk your way out of things like that."
Cecily sighed at my words and shifted her gaze to Lini in the water. Her pace was slow, but her flutter kick was as intense as ever. While we watched, Avea finished.
"Damn it, I fell for Cecily's cheap provocation and went out too fast..."
Beers tagged the dejected Avea.
"Leave the rest to me. A gap this small is no handicap at all."
Leaving behind those uncharacteristically reliable words, he began to swim. He didn't have the raw power of Fang or Avea, but his strokes were smooth. His breathing was good. He was fast. Meanwhile, Lini kept swinging her arms until she ran out of breath, then paused to breathe. She wasn't lifting her head high enough. She swallowed some water and had to switch to treading water while she coughed. After catching her breath, she resumed the front crawl.
"Lini, take your time!"
I yelled, and from the crowd, voices followed, shouting, "Go, Lini!" As if responding to the cheers, her flutter kick grew stronger. The powerful kick was unique to the rabbit-eared race. The flutter kick was her strong point. But all the while, Beers closed the distance, easily overtaking Lini before she even reached the buoy. He made a quick turn around it and picked up his pace, heading for the goal.
I headed to the starting line with Mizuki. The cheers for Lini continued to grow, eventually becoming a full-blown Lini chant. She had switched to treading water at the buoy, taking a break while breathing heavily, haa, haa. As I watched, Beers returned and tagged Mizuki.
"We've won!"
He declared, striking a victory pose for the crowd. The spectators responded with a storm of boos.
"Wh... Why..."
As Beers slumped his shoulders in defeat, the Lini chant erupted once more. She had been resting, but she had started swimming again. Shizuka came over to us.
"I'll go help if she gets into trouble. But she's going to make it to the goal, so Mash, you get ready to welcome her."
Her words were contradictory, but they were filled with both concern and hope for Lini. She had a motherly side to her after all. It was a heartwarming thought.
"You can make the call on the rescue, Shizuka. But Lini is going to make it here on her own power."
"Yeah, I know."
She patted my chest. All the while, Lini swam toward the goal. Her pace had dropped considerably since she started. Even her only weapon, her powerful flutter kick, was only creating modest splashes now. But contrary to that, the cheers for her grew louder. They must have been reaching her. Her rabbit ears had to be hearing those cheers. I glanced at Mizuki, who hadn't started even after tagging Beers.
"We've won," she said, repeating what Beers had said.
"Yeah, you're right. It's a crushing defeat that leaves no room for argument, Mizuki-sama."
"But I was wrong. I made them practice at my pace. We should have taken proper breaks, and I should have taught them how to tread water properly..."
Mizuki had figured out why Aira, Fang, and Avea had struggled.
"You're not wrong. You won. So hurry up and start so you can finish the race."
I wanted to spank Mizuki for dawdling. This was just me being a sore loser.
"Mash..."
"What is it?"
"I had a lot of fun today. But... it made me remember..."
Swimming must have made her think about her old world, about school clubs and student life. Contrary to her words, she didn't look happy at all. Her face looked like she was about to cry. Had she become homesick? I wanted to comfort her, but I couldn't think of the right words. I didn't know anything about her life in her original world. Lini had reached the final third of the course. She was treading water again, resting. She took several deep breaths, her face contorted in pain. She had decided to swim. I wanted her to reach the goal on her own power. I didn't want to lose because she retired. I wanted to exchange that final tag with her. The cheers for her grew stronger. Next to me, Shizuka was shouting Lini's name over and over. Lini resumed swimming. Applause erupted from the crowd. Little by little, she drew closer to the goal.
"You're amazing. You got not just Fam, but Lini to swim too."
"I'm not the amazing one. Lini worked hard. You're working hard too, Mizuki."
Mizuki hugged me. I could feel her body heat. Now that I thought about it, the sun's strength had faded, and the water temperature had dropped quite a bit. She pressed her lips against mine, then quickly pulled away. Unlike her body heat, her lips were slightly cool, yet they left a soft sensation behind. Mizuki dove into the water. Her long, straight limbs cut through the surface. After a moment, she surfaced and began to swim with a supple form. She was overwhelmingly faster and more beautiful than anyone else. I was mesmerized by the sight. A murmur of awe rose from the crowd. Mixed in with that sound, I heard the splashing of Lini's flutter kick. Sensing the finish line, she was squeezing out the last of her strength. Then, she stretched out her hand with all her might. I clasped it and pulled her up. Immediately, Shizuka caught her in an embrace. Lini was taking deep breaths, her shoulders heaving.
"Lini, you did great!"
"Haa, haa, haa... Mash..."
She repeated her ragged breaths, forcing out the words through her exhaustion. Fam, Maira, and Cecily gathered around her.
"Alright, everyone, let's give Mash a proper send-off!"
"What are you planning?"
She shot me a mischievous smile in response to my question.
"Mash, win this!"
Cecily slapped my back with an open palm. A loud smack echoed out.
"Master, I'm sorry if this hurts! But please win!"
Fam closed her eyes and, just like Cecily, slapped my back.
"Mash, this is to fire you up!"
Maira followed their lead. On my back, I felt the heat of three hands, and in my own, the warmth of Lini's hand from when she finished. Shizuka grinned and raised her hand as if to slap me.
"Well then, on Lini's behalf, I'll leave a big red handprint on your cheek..."
"Wait, you've got nothing to do with this!"
I hurriedly started swimming to escape her. Mizuki was already on her way back. She never held back. But my team told me to win. I would swim with everything I had, even if I already knew the outcome. I passed Mizuki as she swam toward the goal. She looked just like a dolphin. I put all my strength into my strokes, trying to close the gap with Mizuki, even if only by a single second.
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