Hey.
Who are you?
Where do you live?
Um...
I asked you a question!
Tomo-chan!
Let's play house!
Okay.
When I was a kid,
I always found myself alone.
Oh, Hiyo-chan, are you by yourself?
Both your parents work, don't they?
Look at you, waiting for them by yourself!
What a big boy!
The truth was that I hated being alone,
but I always wore a smile.
I'm so sorry.
Your dad and I both have to work this Sunday.
Hiyori...
It's okay.
I had to keep smiling.
I wanted to be the kind of kid that grown-ups would like.
So I acted the way I felt was necessary to do that.
The Little Mermaid
Being with others made me forget the role I was supposed to be playing.
But when I was in the water,
I could feel who I really was in a way I couldn't elsewhere.
Hey!
That was where I met Ikuya...
You're really good at swimming.
Oh... Um...
Let's swim together!
Okay.
And that was the day I learned how to smile again.
Episode 6: The Mermaid of the Abyss!
Was my time worse?
My freestyle's lousy today.
Kirishima, you up for karaoke?
You haven't heard me sing yet, right?
He does a dance while yodeling, you know.
He's like, "Yodelay-hee-hoo!"
I sing it while I'm swimming, too.
No way!
So c'mon, join us.
Sorry. I can't today.
Ik—
Hey, Toono.
I see you're not all about the backstroke.
Your 50m freestyle has improved, too.
So for the freestyle relay in the next tournament—
I'm sorry. I need some time to think about it.
Ikuya, wait!
It's dumb to get like this just because my time's a bit worse, right?
I can't let this weakness show.
I have to get stronger.
He's still on your mind that much?
And freestyle... You're struggling in freestyle because...
I told you about it before.
In middle school, there was an accident during practice,
and it was Haru who saved me.
But after that, Haru quit the swim club,
and the team split up.
I decided to continue swimming,
because I just couldn't stand still.
I believed Haru would come back one day.
Then I went to America,
but I hit a wall
and pushed myself too hard in practice.
As I sank through the water alone, I thought,
"Haru really is gone."
And not just Haru.
I realized that I was weak because I relied on my brother
and teammates all the time.
That only I can make myself stronger.
I felt I had to do it all on my own.
But when I saw Haru again,
the weakness I thought I had left behind started to come back to me.
I can't allow myself to be that weak right now.
Sorry. I'm heading home.
Ikuya...
Damn it!
What can I do for him?
Nice swimming.
Oh, um...
Thank you—
Wait, you speak Japanese?!
Hey!
Toono Hiyori.
Kirishima Ikuya.
Are you here for swim training, too?
Nah, I moved here because of my parents' work.
I see.
I lived in Iwatobi up through grade school, though...
Really? Same here!
I lived in Iwatobi through kindergarten!
It's possible...
we've met somewhere before, huh?
Yeah, maybe.
Ikuya.
Oh, hey, bro.
He's my big brother.
Ikuya!
Ikuya! Ikuya!
I really liked these.
Sorry...
I don't read many books.
Oh, sorry...
You must be pretty amazing, though.
These look really difficult.
Um... Yeah.
Oh, there is one book I like, though.
Really? Which one?
The Little Mermaid.
Hey!
You're creeped out, aren't you?
Huh?
You think that's too girly!
I wasn't thinking that! Honest!
It's fine. You don't have to worry about it.
Hey, sounds like you're having fun.
Bro.
You're here again, I see. Thanks.
It's okay.
And for saving Ikuya, too—
Oh!
I should really be going.
Bye.
Thanks.
Sure.
What can I...
do for Ikuya?
Hey, Mom, read me the rest.
Where did we leave off?
The Little Mermaid
Where the Little Mermaid saves the prince
and washes up on the beach!
"Having saved the prince, the little mermaid laid him upon the sand.
Then along came a young girl.
The little mermaid quickly concealed herself.
When the prince awoke, he believed the young girl had saved him,
so he offered her his thanks.
He did not even realize that the little mermaid had saved him.
Instead, the young girl..."
That's right.
The prince still has no idea...
I never expected to see you here, Nao-senpai.
How long have you been coaching here?
I started today.
I met that boy there over spring break, when I went to see Haru's apartment.
That's how it started.
I wanted to teach swimming to kids who were trying their best.
Is Haruka at this school too, then?
Yeah, he's at Taka U.
Asahi is, too.
Oh, really? So you're all together again.
You're all still swimming, huh?
Actually, I'm in the sports education department,
so I'm not a swimmer.
I see.
I'm in college studying sports medicine, myself.
I'm hoping I can support swimmers as a trainer someday.
Coffee Shop Marron
It's been so long! You guys really have grown up!
You look a lot tougher now.
Have you been well?
Pretty much.
I heard you knew Asahi in middle school.
I bet he was constantly making trouble, huh?
Sis! I'm not a kid anymore!
You don't get so depressed anymore, then?
Just forget about that already!
What's Ikuya up to?
Have you kept in touch with him?
Natsuya told me that Ikuya's going to college in Tokyo, too.
Yes, he's at Shimogami University.
We saw him at a college newcomer tournament recently for the first time in years.
Oh, really?
What's wrong?
It seemed like Ikuya hasn't been doing so well lately.
Did something happen?
It's my fault.
Ikuya's teammate told me
that everyone who swims with me ends up suffering.
Come on, that's not true!
Makoto and I haven't suffered at all!
We're trying to figure out what to do, but...
You can't just go talk to him?
Toono-kun...
Ikuya's teammate...
He doesn't seem to want Ikuya seeing Haru.
I see...
Okay, then.
I'll try asking Natsuya.
But after hearing what you've told me,
I feel like there's still more you guys can do.
Speaking as your former Iwatobi Middle School teammate, you know?
Right.
Look. I found a great café.
Nice color.
Let's go on the way home.
Sorry.
I'm not in the mood today.
Okay. Whenever you feel up to it, then.
Sure.
Didn't the little mermaid... turn into foam at the end?
In the book you once said you liked.
I'm actually not that fond of it.
The little mermaid was by the prince's side all along, and yet...
Something wrong?
Nah... Nothing's wrong.
Mm, that's good!
Aren't you gonna eat?
Is this National No Mackerel Day?
That doesn't exist.
Didn't I tell you that I hate mackerel?
Listen up.
What I recommend here is the tanuki soba.
There's that guy again.
You think you're some kinda cafeteria critic?
Well, I do have a blog.
Handed over the meal ticket. It took less than a minute. Tanuki soba is here! I was instantly captivated. The golden tag team of bonito and seaweed entwining around my tongue...
Tanuki soba is here!
Uh, for real?
Yo, I asked you before if you really only swim free, didn't I?
Do you have an answer yet?
Unless you find it yourself, your potential will stay locked up forever.
Who are you, anyway?
You're not just some cafeteria critic.
Right now, all I want to do is get my blog ranked higher.
...the aroma of the stock. Exquisite. #cafeteriasoba #hidakauniversity #tanukisoba #sobarules
Approve! Comment
Be sure to click the "Approve!" button, okay?
Approve!
I'm not gonna "approve" anything!
Hey, Asahi-kun.
Oh, Kon-niichan!
This is my sister's husband, the sports writer I told you about.
I'm Kurimiya Kon.
Working?
Yeah, sorta...
Asahi-kun, you know Ryuuji-san?
Ryuuji? Who's that?
Oh! You mean that weird old dude?
Actually, he's...
I hear Japan has all kinds of great proverbs.
Like, "Time is muscle!"
And "Don't expect your parents and your muscles to be there forever."
And "Muscle is the key that opens all doors."
Which is your favorite, Rin-kun?
Uh, I'm not particular...
Rin-kun!
"Those who laugh at muscle will cry over muscle."
Is that...
Oh, that's a video of a tournament I swam in when I was in high school.
Wow...
Oh, Rin-kun?
Could it be you're intrigued by the muscles I had in my prime?
Such incredibly bold strokes...
That guy there was more powerful than me, though.
Ryuuji-san. He was actually called "Fully Built Ryuuji" back in the day.
He was a very promising competitive swimmer on the global level.
That old dude?
But for whatever reason, he suddenly quit swimming competitively.
I heard he'd been working as a coach overseas since he retired.
All the swimmers he coaches pile on tons of strength,
so now, they call him Pile-It-On Ryuuji.
I had heard that he was back in Japan...
I wonder if he plans to be a coach here, too.
Hey, it's been a while.
Kirishima
I'm actually back in Japan now.
Oh, I see...
How's Ikuya doing?
Huh?
I've tried to call, but I can't seem to get through.
Sports Nutrition
He's... a bit worried that his time isn't improving.
Has it been long?
Oh... But knowing him, I'm sure he'll be fine.
He probably missed your calls
because he's busy focusing on the next competition.
Oh, yeah. He's always had a habit of forgetting what's going on around him.
But, Hiyori, just... make sure he doesn't push himself too hard.
I don't want to go through that again.
Sure.
Wow, this looks so good!
College must be awesome!
So that weird guy wasn't a cafeteria critic,
but a former competitive swimmer?
Haru?
He asked me why I only swim free, and I've been thinking about it.
I still can't find the answer.
The answer...
You should just swim something besides free.
Was I wrong?
His butterfly and backstroke, and even the breast, his best stroke, have gotten worse.
But
especially his freestyle...
I wonder why Ryuuji-san was roaming around Taka U...
He's a coach, right?
Maybe he found a good athlete there.
Welcome.
Well, speak of the devil.
Ikuya.
What's wrong?
I can't see the stars.
I could see them back then.
The day we made that promise...
That day,
both in the sky and in the pool,
and right over my and Haru's heads,
so many stars were raining down.
I felt like all my wishes would come true,
like I had been set free.
But I was wrong.
I was still as weak as ever.
You're strong, Ikuya.
Even if I sink, no one's going to save me anymore.
So I have to get stronger on my own.
That's why I practiced so hard...
You could aim for the global level.
You could compete globally.
But I couldn't get stronger.
That's not true!
You've gotten a lot stronger!
You can become who you want to be!
You don't have to wish on stars to make dreams come true!
In exchange for her voice,
the little mermaid gained human legs and excruciating pain.
I gave up my heart in order to get stronger.
Or I thought I did,
but...
I couldn't become human.
You're wrong!
You're not the little mermaid!
I can't be strong like Haru.
Can't you just forget about Nanase already?
I can't stand to see you suffering because of him any longer.
I'll think about myself, for myself.
You could aim for the global level.
I know you can do it.
You can become a new you!
If that'll bring you happiness—
You don't...
You don't understand anything!
Don't talk like you do!
You're not the normal Ikuya right now.
Ever since you saw Nanase...
Just forget about him.
Ikuya...
Why don't you get it?!
That would be the best thing for you right now!
It's not your concern, Hiyori!
Sorry.
Ikuya...
There. That's him.
We pursue strength to protect ourselves.
At times, that strength becomes weakness.
Next time: "A Solitary Medley!"
A Solitary Medley!
It's finally tournament time!