𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟐𝟑- 𝐒𝐄𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐓 𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍
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"Try not to get separated from us, you guys!" Nagisa waves his hand while he and Rei scan the stalls for food, his stomach churning for a decent meal.

(Y/N) gently flaps her hand at him, smiling as she stands between Makoto and Haru. "Stop worrying, we're right here." Her hand drops to her side, becoming hidden behind her sleeves while the tips of her fingers peek out.

She frowns when a pressure wraps around both her arms, and looks down to see both her friends had tried to tangle their fingers with her own. They, however, quickly withdrew from their attempt when they see the other do the same.

(Y/N) sighs and shakes her head. 'What's gotten into them?' She thinks to herself before looking up and seeing Nagisa and Rei bending down slightly, their backs towards them as they converse in secrets.

"What are you doing?" Makoto asks, and watches the two jump in fright. "No! We were just talking about how much we love squid!" The blonde's attempt at covering up his conversation makes the trio deadpan, but they listen nonetheless.

(Y/N) rolls her tongue across the roof of her mouth, before jerking her head up when a flash of maroon catches in her peripheral. She scans the area, but jumps when Nagisa's wide red eyes block her vision.

She jumps back in fright, her back hitting into Haru's chest. "What the hell Nagi?" She yells, her hand coming to pat her friend's arm that gently rubs her shoulder from behind.

"Wait! I've got a better idea!" He yells, his voice mixing with the music and loud chatter. "How about I buy a round of squid burgers for everyone?"

"That sounds like a wonderful idea, thank you!" Rei plays along, equally as weird as the blond beside him.

"No problem!" Extending his arm, Nagisa points the trio into another direction, his face stern yet awkward. "Now go find a table and I'll bring it to you!" Both he and Rei however look up with nerves when (Y/N) shakes her head.

She eyes the two, her lips pulled into a frown that made them even more nervous. "Hm, that's nice of you but I didn't want the burger." Makoto nods from beside her, smiling apologetically at his friends.

"Well..go wait for us anyway." Nagisa mumbles, trying to find the right excuse to get rid of not only Haru, but (Y/N) as well. He begins to wink rapidly towards Makoto, who raises his eyes in surprise.

(Y/N) however, obviously saw her friend's weird action, and crosses her arms. "Okay, what's going-!" She's cut off when Makoto wraps his arm around her waist and backs up, practically dragging her away from the two.

"Okay, let's go Haru. We're gonna need to find a spot for all five of us." Haru simply shrugs, and follows after while the (H/C) girl beside him allowed herself to get dragged away in defeat.

Nagisa and Rei watch them leave, before finally releasing an anxious breath and turning to eachother. "I'm a little concerned that Haru and (Y/N) will run into Rin over there." The blond nervously fidgets with his nails and Rei nods in understanding.

"Me too."

"The reason I invited them here in the first place was to take Haru's mind off swimming and to let (Y/N) get her mind off of what Rin said.." he says the last part softly, having heard from Gōu that their old teammate had yelled and insulted their friend to the point it put her off for the rest of their tournament.

Despite (Y/N) saying that she was okay and nudging their concerns to the side, Nagisa had always been the most observing of their little friend group. He noticed the eye bags that increasingly got darker, and the way she would fidget with her fingers constantly.

"It seems now your plan may end up having the opposite effect.."

He wanted the two people he knew to be the overworked and most stressed of his friends to finally relax, and he was going to try his hardest to make sure his plan is a success.

Nagisa shakes his head. "You're right! If Haru gets too stressed he might ditch the relay at regionals!" He shivers for dramatic effect as another thought comes to mind. "And when (Y/N) gets stressed she gets all.." he imitates the sound of a growl and a hiss, and Rei tilts his head.

"She turns into a cat?"

The boy sweatdrops, and sighs at his friend's lack of understanding. "I really want Haru to swim with us. AND I want (Y/N) to be there cheering for our team!"

Rei nods. "I want that just as badly.."

"We have to do whatever it takes to keep those three from crossing paths tonight."

"I'm in agreement." Nagisa places his hand on his friend's shoulder, determination set within his gaze. "Rei, make sure you follow Rin."

"..what??"

"Once you have a location, you find me and tell me where he is. We'll lead Haru and (Y/N) somewhere else so neither of them will know the other is here!"

"That's a good plan, but are you enjoying this..?" Rei jumps when Nagisa moves away from him, his arm extended into the air while a bright grin spreads across his cheeks.

"Nevermind! Focus, we've got work to do!"

_____

Rei had since left the group to play secret spy with Rin, while Nagisa ordered and hauled a truck load of food to keep his friend's occupied for as long as he could.

(Y/N) is quick to bite into a fried squid kebab, her mouth full as Makoto looks down at the spread infront of him. "Wow! That sure is a lot of food." He nods in thanks, but looks up when he sees they were missing someone.

"Hold on, where's Rei?"

Haru looks up at Nagisa, who scrambles for an answer. "Oh-well-he ran into an old acquaintance of his! They're catching up and stuff yknow?"

"..okay."

An awkward silence fills the air, and Haru quickly jumps to his feet. "I'll go and get us some drinks." (Y/N) nods her head quickly, forcing down the squid before cleaning her hands with a tissue. "I'll come with, I need to wash my hands anyway."

She stands, but jumps when Nagisa waves his hands infront of their faces. "No! You stay here and enjoy the food, I can handle the rest!" A bit off out by her friend's kindness, she shakes her head.

"That's really sweet, but you'll need help anyhow. If you try to carry it by yourself you'll spill everything."

He stares at her, his cheeks puffed out before he sighs. "Okay." He grabs Makoto's hand and drags him out from the bench. "Me and Mako will go, but you guys make sure to stay put!"

(Y/N) and Haru share a glance, confused and surprised as they watch their friend's begin to walk away.

_____

Makoto leans beside a vending machine while Nagisa bends down to collect the rest of the drinks. Folding his arm, the taller of the two sighs, and digs his nails into his arms.

"So, what's going on here?" He glances to Nagisa and pulls his bottom lip between his teeth. "You're not..trying to set them up, are you?" His question comes out more as a mumble, and Nagisa doesn't seem to hear.

"Rin's here at the festival, okay?"

Makoto looks down at him in surprise, his cheeks red from his previous question but relieved he hadn't heard. "What? No way!"

"I'm keeping my eyes on them while Rei trails Rin." Sending his friend a thumbs up with a wink, Nagisa grins as he admits his plan.

"Pretty cool, huh?"

_____

(Y/N) snickers as she watches Nagisa lean over a stall, his feet practically off the ground as he points a toy gun towards a pile of empty cans. "Hm, I want that game console.." he mumbles, and fires a shot only to miss the objective.

"Man! That wasn't even close." Turning to his taller friend, he hands him the toy, a pleasing look in his bright eyes. "Mako, will you hold this for me?" His friend takes it without complaint, and watches as he turns around to fish his phone from his kimono.

(Y/N) stares at Nagisa, her eyes pulled together before she grabs the gun from Makoto and leans against the counter.

The brown haired boy flushes from behind her as she kicks one leg up into the air and crosses it over the other, her back arched and shoulders straightened as far as they could go. Makoto steps to her side and clears his throat, his head turned to the side to his embarrassment.

Haru glances at her from his own position on the counter, and the two nod once, twice, and three times before firing a shot together. The cans topple over, and (Y/N) punches her fist into the air in victory.

"Yosh!" She yells through grinning teeth, and chuckles when the man behind the counter hands her a fluffy pink otter, and nods to her in congratulations.

Hugging the plushie close to her chest, (Y/N) looks up and grins as Haru gently pats her head, his fingers hovering and catching on loose strands of her hair. He nods, and looks up at Makoto. "Where's the bathroom?"

"I'm pretty sure there's one in the convenient store on the main road."

At the mention of the location, Nagisa quickly jumps to his friends and pockets his phone. "Don't go!" He grabs Haru's arm. "You don't have to pee that badly, do you?"

(Y/N) once again watches him with scrunched brows, and looks up in surprise when Makoto quickly agrees with him. "Oh! Actually I think theres a porta potty just right over that way, it might save you some time." Looking down, he catches his friend's eye, and smiles gently at her.

She however, ignores his smile and sends him a small glare, obviously seeing right through him.

"..okay, thanks." Haru side eyes his friends, and shrugs before heading to the second bathroom. "I'll come along too!" Makoto calls, and leaves (Y/N) to continue to send questionable glances towards the small blond haired boy beside her.

_____

After the weird conversation about toilets, the group had found themselves knelt in for of a long tub of water, full with colorful balls with hooks attached to the top of them.

'Yo-yo tsuri' was the name of the game, and (Y/N) had always opted for leaving this game out and instead decided to just watch her friend's fish for the prizes instead.

Kneeling beside Haru, she watches with wide eyes as he collected various different prizes, all collected and gathered in his fist while he fished with the other.

Nudging her shoulder into his, (Y/N) gently nods towards the two boys beside her friend, their eyes wide and intrigued (with slight jealousy) at the collection of prizes in his hand.

Haru raises a brow at the boys, and shrugs before extending the prizes towards them. "You can have them if you want." He watches as their big eyes light up even more, and graciously take them and talk about sharing them with the rest of their friends.

(Y/N) sighs with a smile, and cheekily rests her chin against Haru's shoulder. He glances down at her, before diverting his attention back towards the water, and mindlessly dangles the small fish hook without a care.

"What?" He mumbles, and she chuckles. "You've got a soft side." She pokes his cheek softly, and laughs when he shakes his head, but allows her to continue leaning on him

Makoto watches them from the other end of the tub, his chest tightening just a bit when he sees Haru mumble something, and (Y/N) laughs gently.

Shaking his head, he looks down and continues the game, ignoring the way his fingers gripped the edges of the small fishing rod.

_____

"I haven't had candy apples in forever!" (Y/N) ogles at the sweet treat, shining in the window of a nearby stall. Makoto and Haru stand beside her, nodding along as she continues to drool over the thought of the caramel covered treat.

Turning her head, she sees Nagisa bending down with his back to her, his phone clutched tightly within his hands. Groaning, she finally turns around and stomps her way over to her friend.

"Okay, enough, what are you up to Nagisa?" The boy flinches and turns around, seeing both (Y/N) and Haru leaning over him, their arms folded and shadows covering most of their face, adding on to his nerves.

He chuckles nervously, and scratches the back of his head. "I suppose it's about time I came clean, huh?"

After explaining what exactly he had been up to, (Y/N) nods her head slowly, her brows finally relaxed and her peace of mind returning. "So..Rin is here." She states slowly, and Haru cautiously glances to her from the side.

"Yeah.."

"Hm." She hums, and shares a look with her dark haired friend. Haru nods, and looks back to Nagisa. "We're not mad at you, so you can tell Rei that he can come back now."

Their friend looks up at them in surprise, but nods with a small smile at their understanding. "You got it, I'll go find him and bring him back!" He takes a step in the opposite direction, but stops when an arm wraps around his neck, and (Y/N) shakes her head.

"I'll come with to make sure you two don't spy on anyone else." She teases, and Nagisa chuckles before the two begin to make their way to where their blue haired friend was waiting for them.

_____

"So..you wanna tell me why you stayed in a statue position the whole time before we came and got you?"

"..I'd rather not say." Rei scratches the back of his head with a nervous smile, and laughs when he sees Nagisa hum away from his place on (Y/N)'s back, his feet swaying from side to side as they made their way up a hill to meet up with Haru and Makoto.

She sighs, and cranes her neck to look at the sky. "What is with you guys and piggy back rides..?"

"You give the best ones!"

"That's not an excuse!"

They finally make it to the top, and vault when they see Makoto and Haru, facing eachother while involved in a heavy conversation. The trio stand and listen, and their eyes widen when they hear Haru.

"I remembered how it felt to swim in the same lane with my friends." (Y/N) gently lowers Nagisa to the ground, and leans against a pillar beside the pathway to listen. "I..I remember how good it felt to have her cheering for us again." At this, both Nagisa and Rei turn towards her, and smile when a small blush crawls onto her cheeks.

"..how it felt when everyone was waiting for me at the finish line." Haru continues, and brings his hand up to bundle his shirt into a fist. "And I felt happy." He looks up to face Makoto, his eyes wide as he tries to show how he was feelings.

"I..felt so happy! Just like you!" His words were slightly broken, but they rang true, and Nagisa grins from his place beside a beaming (Y/N) and Rei.

"Haru!" He yells. "Did you just say what I think you said?!"

"How long have you guys been standing there?"

Rei adjusts his glasses, and looks up at his friends with a small smile of his own. "Long enough to be invested in the topic of conversation."

Haru stares at his friends, but his eyes remained fixed on a certain (H/C) girl. "Nagisa..Rei..Makoto." He lists his friend's names, trying just as hard to show his emotions. "I want to swim with you guys in the relay, I want us to do this together."

Taking a step forward, he stares at (Y/N), his eyes pleading. "I want you there with us, cheering us on..please." He ends the sentence with a whisper, and (Y/N) smiles wide, before nodding, her hair loosening from the small ponytail.

Nagisa laughs from beside her, "But if we're gonna make nationals, we're gonna have to start training hard first thing tomorrow!"

"I'm getting fired up!"

Makoto chuckles. "Tell me about it! We should get some sleep."

They all begin to make their way back down the pathway leading to the festival, and turns around when Haru calls out to them. "Wait, one other thing."

_____

Five goldfish swim slowly around one another in a small plastic bag, their tailed flickering and casting a golden glow when the light hit them just right.

"I'm rather impressed, Haru." Rei says as he eyes the fish, and Makoto looks down at them with gratitude.

"Are you absolutely certain you want me to take them?"

"Yeah."

"He's right." (Y/N) adds, her eyes never once leaving the fish. She squeezes the pink otter plush against her stomach, and smiles. "You have really great paternal instincts." She jokes, and the group laugh.

Makoto nods. "I'll do my best." Rei glances to his friends, and tilts his head with a smile. "They're yours now, you have to come up with their names."

"..I do?"

"Personally, I'd go with Nagisa, Rei, Haruka, (Y/N) and Makoto!" Nagisa's idea makes the group sweat drop.

"That might get confusing.."

"Go with sea fish names."

"I vote no!" (Y/N) raises her hands at Haru's suggestion, and the group burst into giggles, the small goldfish rounding eachother even more.

_____

The next day, they had all gathered for swim practice, and look up when Gōu runs out of the clubhouse, out of breath and wide eyed.

"Big news everyone!" She pants, and (Y/N) stares at her in question while helping Makoto with stretches near the diving boards.

The next words that leave her lips cause not only the group, but Haru and (Y/N) to stare at eachother, their eyes wide with surprise, and slight fear.

"My brother announced he's officially swimming the relay at regionals!"

'What?'

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𝐄𝐍𝐃 𝐎𝐅 𝐄𝐏𝐈𝐒𝐎𝐃𝐄 𝟗