Archive of Our Own

Surprisingly, it all started with Suo. 

A few days after their beach trip, the members of Class 1-1 gathered in the classroom again. Even though it was summer, their work as members of Bofurin never truly ended, so during breaks, they continued using the school as a base for patrols and periodically trained on the grounds. Secretly, Sakura was glad for this. It was a guarantee that no matter what, his summers wouldn’t be as lonely and boring as before. 

That morning, Sakura was at the chalkboard with Suo and Nirei, trying to organize sparring partners for their training session in the afternoon. The other members of the class were yelling out suggestions and generally causing a ruckus when Anzai finally arrived.

“I got our beach photos printed!” Anzai announced as he threw the classroom door open. He pulled a large envelope full of photos from his backpack and waved it triumphantly. 

Everyone quickly dropped what they were doing and gathered around Anzai to look at the photos. After some prodding from Nirei, even Sugishita pulled his head from his desk and joined them, though he still stood at the edge of the crowd. 

The photos ended up spread out all over Anzai’s desk with everyone chaotically grabbing and pointing to various ones. Excited voices filled the classroom as everyone relived the memories of that fun-filled weekend.

“Wow, I forgot how beautiful the weather was that day.”

“Man, that was such a nice break. We need to go again!” 

“Didn’t I tell you those swim trunks I picked looked cool?”

In the chaos, Sakura spotted a photo of him and Nirei in the ocean. He stretched out an arm and grabbed it to take a closer look. In the photo, Nirei was smiling broadly as he pushed the inflatable tube they were hanging onto. Sakura himself was wearing an expression of confused uncertainty. He remembered thinking at the time that it had been his first time at the beach in a long time as well as the first time he could remember being in the ocean. He hadn’t even realized someone was taking a photo at that moment. 

Nirei noticed Sakura staring at the photo and came over to stand next to him. “That was fun, wasn’t it, Sakura-san?” he remarked as he looked on. “Let’s be sure to go again soon!”

“Mm, yeah,” Sakura agreed quietly. It had been very fun. In fact, embarrassing as it was to admit, this was already the best summer break he’d ever had. Sakura held onto the photo as others continued showing off their favorites.

“Ah, here's a picture of Tsuge-chan face-planting in the sand.”

“Hey, who took that one!”

“Sugishita looks like he’s almost smiling in this one. You should join in more, man!”

“Mmph.” 

“Whoa, I forgot how big Kiryu and Suo’s sand castle was. How did you guys have time to do that?”

“So you two didn’t go into the water at all?” Takanishi asked, turning to Suo and Kiryu.

”Nope,” Kiryu answered lightly. “I didn’t want to get all sticky.”

“And the seawater would’ve made me wither and die!” Suo said with a big smile, repeating the same lie he’d told at the beach, though Sakura wasn’t falling for it this time. 

“Oh, is that so? Do you also melt in the rain, Suo?” Anzai teased.

“That’s what umbrellas are for!”

“What happens if you accidentally fall into the water?” Takanishi mused.

“Well,” Suo laughed. He turned toward Sakura and clapped a hand on his shoulder. “In that case, I’ll be counting on Sakura-kun to save me!”

“Huh?!” Sakura yelled. He felt his face heat up, though he wasn’t quite sure why. “Why the hell am I being dragged into this?”

“Sakura-san,” Nirei jumped in, rifling through his notebook. “Earlier, you said you don’t know how to swim, right?”

“Yeah, I don’t,” Sakura admitted. 

“Oops,” Suo said cheerily. “I guess I’ll just have to accept my fate then.”

“Why can’t you just have someone else save you?” Sakura asked under his breath.

That made Suo laugh again. “Is that your takeaway, Sakura-kun?”

At this, everyone else in class also laughed a little. Sakura, for his part, was just confused. He didn’t understand what was so damn funny. A few seconds later, Kakiuchi distracted everyone with action shots of Sakura and Sugishita’s capture-the-flag showdown, and the topic was dropped. 

As Sakura lay on his futon trying to fall asleep that night, for some reason the conversation from earlier in the day came to the front of his mind. He’d never considered it before, but it was true. If one of his classmates were drowning, he wouldn’t be able to save them. 

He thought back to the day he and Kaji chased after that lost cat. Unlike Kaji, he’d hesitated to chase her into the river. But what if instead of a cat, it had been a person in need of saving? 

Sakura frowned. Did that mean he should learn to swim? It sounded troublesome, but there was a chance it would be useful. There were a number of small rivers in Makochi, not to mention the nearby ocean. Besides, Sakura thought to himself. If I want to become the top of Fuurin and stay with everyone as long as possible, why shouldn’t I do everything I can to protect them? He grimaced at the wall of his apartment, suddenly feeling embarrassed.

But that settled things. He would have to learn how to swim. Preferably without Suo or anyone else in class finding out. Sakura could already picture Suo laughing and saying something along the lines of “Aww, is it because you want to save me from the water, Sakura-kun?” So that meant everyone in Class 1-1 as well as any loudmouths like Umemiya were out of the running as potential swim coaches. 

That left only one person he could ask.

The next morning, Sakura knocked on the door to Class 2-1. A few seconds later, a tall, blond upperclassman whose name he didn’t know opened the door.

“Is Kaji here?” Sakura asked, trying to sound serious. Like he was here for business and not for some stupid personal reason. “I need to talk to him.”

The upperclassman stuck his head back into the classroom and yelled, “Yo, Kaji! Your favorite kouhai is here to see you again!” Sakura felt his face heat up as a round of laughter echoed from inside the classroom. Favorite kouhai?

Kaji stepped out into the hallway. “Oh, it’s you,” he said upon seeing Sakura.

Why are you so surprised? Sakura thought. No one else comes to you for advice!  

“What’s up?” Kaji asked.

“I need to ask you something,” Sakura muttered. “In private,“ he added, shooting a glance at Kaji’s nosy classmates who were grinning at them through the doorway.

Kaji looked behind him. “Enomoto, Kusumi!” he called out. “I need to step outside. You’re in charge while I’m gone.”

Enomoto’s voice reverberated into the hallway as Sakura and Kaji took their leave. 

“Listen up! We’rrrrre going to be patrrrrolling laterrrr today…”

They ended up on the roof again even though Sakura insisted the thing he wanted to talk about wasn’t roof-level important. But it was a beautiful summer day, so Sakura couldn’t complain. There was hardly a cloud in the sky, and a gentle breeze blew through the rooftop, making the space sunny but cool. The leaves of Umemiya’s plants danced lightly in the wind.

After last time’s eavesdropping incident, Kaji checked to make sure they were alone and positioned one of Umemiya’s toolboxes in front of the door before plopping down on a bench and pulling a lollipop from his pocket. He unwrapped it in one smooth motion and stuck it in his mouth.

“So what did you want to talk about?” he asked.

Sakura felt his face heat up again. He looked away from Kaji’s face. “Teach me how to swim,” he mumbled. 

“What was that?”

“Teach me how to swim!” Sakura yelled.

Kaji removed the lollipop from his mouth and looked up at Sakura in confusion. “What makes you think I know how to swim?“

“Huh?” Sakura started. “What do you mean?”

“I’m saying, I don’t know how to swim either,” Kaji responded casually. 

“But-but,” Sakura protested. He’d been so sure that if anybody knew how to swim, it would be Kaji. “You jumped into the river when we were chasing that cat—“

“Yeah? And then Kusumi had to fish me out, right?” Kaji pointed out.

Sakura thought back. It was true. He hadn’t thought much of it at the time, but a few of Kaji’s classmates had rushed down to help him out of the water. But he’d jumped into the river with no hesitation. Was Kaji crazy? Was he stupid? Or did he simply trust his classmates that much?

“You mean,” Sakura clarified again. “You don’t know how to swim, but you jumped straight into the river?” 

“Yeah, do I have to spell it out for you, dumbass?”

“I don’t want to hear that from the guy who nearly drowned himself!” Sakura yelled.

Kaji glared at him. “I knew my team was right behind me,” he said loudly. “Besides, Risa-chan would’ve been in trouble. Cats can’t swim, you know.” Having said his bit, Kaji stuck the lollipop back in his mouth and sucked on it heatedly.  

A few seconds later, Kaji spoke again, much calmer this time. “What’s with all the secrecy anyway?” he asked.

“It’s because…” Sakura frowned. Somehow, it felt embarrassing to admit that he wanted to learn to swim in the unlikely scenario he ever needed to save Su—one of his classmates. 

“N-no reason,” he finally stammered. 

Kaji stared at him for a few seconds. Sakura was sure Kaji didn’t believe him, but thankfully, he didn’t push the issue.

“Whatever,” Kaji said. “I think I know someone who can help. I’ll ask if he can teach you. Secretly.” 

“Really?” Sakura said. “Thanks, I owe you,” he mumbled.

“What else is new,” Kaji remarked as he got to his feet. He pulled the now-clean lollipop stick from his mouth. “Let’s head back down. I don’t want those guys wondering what we’re doing up here all the time.”

A couple days later, Sakura received a message from Kaji: Saturday 2 PM. Bring your swim trunks.

The message was followed by a long set of directions. 

That Saturday was another beautiful day, warm and sunny, perfect weather for swimming. Sakura carefully followed the directions Kaji sent. It led him deep into the forest park at the edge of Makochi. 

“What the hell,” Sakura muttered to himself as he hiked along an overgrown path. Where in the world is that guy sending me, he wondered.

Just when he was sure he was headed in the wrong direction, the trees suddenly gave way to a clearing, revealing a small secluded pond around the size of his apartment. Kaji was already there, crouched at the edge of the water. He was wearing black and white swim trunks, his trademark headphones missing from his neck. Standing next to him was Hiragi, also wearing swim trunks. So that was who Kaji found to teach him.  

“Sakura!” Hiragi called out when he saw him. “Glad you managed to find the place. Come join us!”

“Ah, sure,” Sakura answered. He was already wearing his swim trunks, the unpatterned ones Kurita had deemed plain, so he simply pulled off his shirt and stepped into the pond. The water was pleasantly cool after his sweaty trek in the woods, and the mud at the bottom was soft between his toes. 

Sakura glanced around. The water in the part of the pond he was standing in only came up to his knees, but there was a steep decline, and the water looked quite deep in other parts. A thick copse of trees grew on all sides of the pond, providing plenty of coverage from the outside world. If he hadn’t been following Kaji’s directions, Sakura would’ve never thought to venture this far off the main path. 

“What is this place anyway?” Sakura asked. 

“Just a little place that Kaji and I found as kids,” Hiragi answered as he and Kaji followed Sakura into the water. “Not many people know about it, so most likely no one will find us.”

Sakura nodded. That was good. Exactly what he was hoping for. 

“Okay,” Hiragi continued. “If you’re both ready, let’s get started.”

Sakura looked questioningly at Kaji. “Hiragi-san thought if he was going to teach you, I might as well learn too,” Kaji explained. 

“Yeah, and why did I only just learn about you jumping into the river?” Hiragi added with a sideways glance at Kaji. “Just thinking about it makes my stomach hurt…”

The first thing Hiragi made them do was practice holding their breath and putting their heads underwater. Frankly, Sakura hated the suffocating feeling of being underwater, but he didn’t complain. This was something he had made up his mind and decided to do. For my friends, he told himself. The thought made his face heat up, so he quickly dunked his head underwater again.

When he and Kaji were able to hold their breath for a reasonable amount of time, Hiragi had them practice floating. At first, Sakura couldn’t get the hang of it. As soon as he flopped onto his back, he would sink immediately. More than once, he ended up blowing water out of his nose. 

“Hold your breath a little, it’ll help you float,” Hiragi suggested after carefully observing one of his attempts. “And try relaxing too.“

There was a small splashing sound next to him as Kaji sank into the water and then stood back up. He pushed his wet bangs out of his eyes and lay down to try again. Sakura was pretty sure that under normal circumstances, Kaji would have gotten pissed at least once already, but maybe because Hiragi was the one teaching them, things were different.

Eventually, Sakura got the hang of it. It was amazing, really. As Hiragi had put it, as long as he could figure out a way to float, he wouldn’t drown. And honestly, floating on the water was very relaxing. The cool of the water was a lovely contrast against the warm day. If Sakura listened closely, he could maybe make out the hum of people talking in the more popular parts of the park, but otherwise, it was just the sounds of the birds overhead and Kaji and Hiragi next to him. He felt weightless, like he could float up through the shadows of the leaves and into the sky. 

Hiragi called it a day after Sakura and Kaji mastered floating. They’d been at it for a couple hours by that point, and Sakura noticed that the tips of his fingers looked like raisins.

“Good start,” Hiragi said as they walked back to town together. The sun was much lower in the sky now, so the walk back wasn’t nearly as long and hot. “I’m so proud of you both! Let’s try and meet again next Saturday.” 

And so it went. Sometimes, they would have to change the time, but as long as the weather was good and nothing else was going on, they would meet every Saturday afternoon at the pond in the forest.

Over the next few weeks, Hiragi taught them to tread water, bob, kick, and do a few basic strokes. By the time summer was nearly over, Sakura and Kaji had become decent swimmers. They certainly weren’t winning any contests for speed or style, but at the very least, Sakura was pretty sure they could save themselves if the need arose. 

“How do you save someone that’s drowning?” Sakura asked one weekend in late August. There weren’t many warm weekends ahead, so Hiragi wanted them to practice as much as they could while they still could.

“That’s pretty tough,” Hiragi admitted after a moment's contemplation. “If someone’s drowning, they’ll probably panic and try to grab onto you. Then, you might both be in danger.”

“The safest and easiest way,” he continued. “Is to grab them from behind.” He motioned for Kaji to help him demonstrate. In response, Kaji let himself sink completely underwater. 

Sakura watched closely as Hiragi followed Kaji underwater. A few seconds later, they emerged again, floating on their backs. Hiragi had Kaji pulled close, almost on top of him, his arms wrapped under Kaji’s armpits. He showed Sakura that by kicking his legs, he could propel the two of them backward. 

“This way, they won’t be able to grab you as easily,” Hiragi explained. “You want to make sure their head stays above water, and if they’re awake, they might be able to help you kick too.”

He stood up and placed Kaji on his feet next to Sakura. “Here, practice with Kaji.”

Rock-paper-scissors decided Kaji was drowning first, so he made his way back to the deeper end of the pond and disappeared into the water without a word.

Sakura dunked his head under and forced his eyes open. The pond was small, and the sun was bright, so it wasn’t hard to spot Kaji. Sakura swam behind him like he’d seen Hiragi do and wrapped his arms under Kaji’s. 

Hiragi was right. It was really hard. Even though Kaji didn’t struggle at all, by the time Sakura managed to pull him to the surface, they were both gasping for air.

“Sakura! Pull Kaji closer, his head’s going underwater!” Hiragi called out as Sakura tried to swim them to shore. 

Sakura grunted and tightened his grip on Kaji. He wouldn’t have guessed Kaji was so heavy, and he probably wasn’t, but it was twice as hard to swim and stay afloat when dragging a second body along. 

“My turn,” Kaji said, after Sakura finally managed to swim them out of the deep end. Obediently, Sakura swam back to where they’d started and let himself sink completely underwater. A few seconds later, he felt arms loop under his shoulders, pulling him back up. 

Sakura decided he didn’t enjoy being manhandled by Kaji. Frankly, he found the whole “getting saved” thing embarrassing, but he supposed fair was fair. And to give Kaji credit, he was probably better at the whole thing than Sakura was. At least, he never let Sakura’s head fall into the water, which was more than Sakura himself could say. 

The two of them traded off a few more times. It was still hard and one of the more tiring things they’d practiced these past few weeks, but eventually, Sakura felt like he was starting to get the hang of it.

“Let us practice with you too, Hiragi-san,” Kaji said after a while. He stared at Hiragi.

Hiragi held his gaze for a second. Something Sakura didn’t seem to understand passed between them. “Alright,” Hiragi relented. 

Practicing with Hiragi was a whole different challenge. He was much bigger than Kaji, and Sakura could barely keep his own head above water when holding him, much less move in any direction. 

“Sorry, I’m much heavier, aren’t I?” Hiragi said sheepishly as Kaji tried practicing with him. 

“Not really,” Kaji answered breathlessly. His face was barely above the water. Earlier, Kaji had been able to pull Sakura along with seemingly no effort, but he was visibly struggling with Hiragi.  

Hiragi emphasized again that saving a drowning person was very, very hard. He also added that swimming in clothes would be much harder than if they were just wearing swim trunks. 

“Clothes have a lot of drag,” he explained. “You won’t be able to move exactly how you want.” 

“Can we practice then?” Sakura asked. “Next week.” Kaji nodded in agreement.

Hiragi smiled. “If you two insist. Bring a change of clothes.”

The last weekend of their lessons, Hiragi pulled out convenience store drinks for each of them. Coffee for Hiragi, peach soda for Kaji, and original Ramune for Sakura. As the day moved into late afternoon, the three of them sat near the edge of the pond enjoying their drinks and taking in the last drips of summer. The days were no longer as warm as when they'd started their lessons. Now, it was cool, almost cold, when they left the water. 

“Are you worried about your classmates?” Hiragi asked out of the blue. He turned to Sakura.

“Huh?” Sakura felt his face heat up instantly. “How did you—”

“You’re an open book, idiot,” Kaji chimed in as he took a sip of his drink. Hiragi chuckled. 

“I‘m sure you don’t want to hear this,” Hiragi continued. “But I’m really proud of you. Both of you. You’ve done well.”

“Really? Th-thanks,” Sakura stammered as he turned to hide his face. 

“Thanks,” Kaji muttered into his soda can. 

“If anything happens, just keep calm and remember what you’ve learned,” Hiragi advised. “But no more jumping into rivers,” he added jokingly, turning to Kaji.  

“Hiragi-san, didn’t you also jump into the river?” Kaji remarked. 

Hiragi frowned at him. “When did I—wait, are you counting that?” Kaji stared silently in affirmation. Sakura simply stared in confusion. He still had no idea what they were talking about.

“Good grief, I was pulled. Pulled,” Hiragi groaned, putting his hand over his face. “I can’t believe you were hung up on that.” He waved away Sakura’s concerned “what” before adding another thought. 

“I would tell the two of you to be careful and not rush into danger,” Hiragi said with a sigh. “But I’m guessing when it comes down to it, nothing I say will stop you from trying.”

Sakura knew Hiragi was right. If anything happened to one of his classmates, he would try everything in his power to save them. He just hoped he’d never have to find out whether or not that was enough. 

As fate would have it, Sakura put his skills to the test only a couple months later. Again, it started with Suo. 

One evening in late October, a smaller gang decided to break into a few shops along the edge of town. Sakura and a few members of Class 1-1 were patrolling a nearby area at the time and rushed to intercept them as soon as they heard. The two groups ended up clashing on one of the bridges leading out of town. 

A few of the gang members had pocket knives that they’d used to threaten the shop owners, but soon, it became apparent that none of them actually knew how to use the blades properly and were quickly disarmed. Though less than half the class was present, the Bofurin members made quick work of the thieves. It would have been an eventful but mostly smooth night if not for what happened at the very end of the fight. 

Sakura only pieced together what happened hours after the fact. At that point, a moonless night had fallen, and everyone was fighting by the dim light of the streetlamps. One of the last gang members standing was carrying a large sack of stolen cash and goods. He had been protected by his comrades the entire fight, but as he saw them fall one by one, he grew desperate. In a last-ditch attempt to escape, he tried to throw the sack into the river, heaving it away from himself with all his might.

Normally, Suo was keenly aware of his surroundings in a fight, but on that night, perhaps because of the low visibility, perhaps because the object came from his blind side, a freak accident occurred. Sakura wasn’t sure if Suo happened to be standing at just the wrong spot or if his fight happened to bring him there at just the wrong moment, but either way, the heavy sack caught him in the side of the head. He managed to raise his arms in time to block it, but the force of the throw was enough to push him over the railing of the bridge. 

“Oh!” Suo said quietly. Somehow, over the chaos of the fight, that small utterance caught Sakura’s full attention. Forgetting the enemy he’d just beaten down, Sakura stared at the incomprehensible scene unfolding before him. 

For a moment, Suo seemed suspended in the air. There was no fear on his face, only a look of mild surprise, almost as if he were intrigued by the sudden turn of events. Then, he was gone, falling into the river along with the hard-earned money of Makochi’s citizens. 

“Suo!” Sakura yelled, panic rising in his chest. He ran to the edge of the bridge. Only a silvery ripple remained in the water. He’d never even seen Suo take a hit in a fight. Without thinking, Sakura climbed over the railing and jumped down after him.

Nirei’s panicked voice followed him on his way down. “Wait, Saku—“ 

Then, Sakura hit the water.

Poor Nirei, Sakura thought briefly as the cold of the river covered his head and seeped through his clothes. He forced his eyes open and turned his head left and right, looking for signs of Suo in the agitated water. Sakura never told his team he learned to swim that summer, so Nirei probably thought they were about to have two drowning victims on their hands.

He spotted Suo a few yards away, his red hair a murky cloud in the dark water. Sakura swam up behind Suo and grabbed him, pulling him up and out of the water, just as he’d practiced with Kaji and Hiragi.

Sakura took in a big gulp of air as soon as his head broke the surface. Shortly after, the beams of several phone flashlights trained upon his face, and many shouting voices filled the air.

“There they are!”

“Sakura!”

“Sakura-san!”

Suo twisted his head around to get a better look at Sakura. “Sakura-kun?” he asked in surprise.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got you,” Sakura muttered under his breath as he tried kicking them toward shore. He found it impossible to look at Suo, so he tried to think only of kicking. He was sure if Suo could get a good glimpse of his face right now, he’d tease him for how much he was blushing.

Suo, to his credit, didn’t say anything at all, only obediently helping Sakura kick toward shore. Though the river wasn’t very wide, it took them a while to make it, especially when the cold started setting in. Sakura could feel his muscles tensing up, and though he tried, he couldn't stop his teeth from chattering a little. Still, he made sure to keep a tight grip on Suo and not let his head go underwater. When they finally made it to shore, some of their classmates were already there waiting for them, and they quickly pulled the two of them out of the river.

“You two!” Nirei cried as he ran up and hugged them both, not caring that they were dripping wet. “Are you okay?” He turned to Sakura. “Sakura-san, I thought you couldn’t swim. You nearly gave me a heart attack!”

“Sorry, I… learned,” Sakura said sheepishly. He shivered a little in the night wind.

“And Suo-san!” Nirei said, turning to him. “Are you hurt?”

“I’m perfectly alright,” Suo answered calmly. “All thanks to my hero Sakura-kun!” He flashed a radiant smile at Sakura. Sakura noted that if Suo was feeling the cold, he didn’t show it at all. 

“Sh-shut up. It was nothing,” Sakura sputtered. He could never tell when Suo was being serious and when he was teasing him. 

Sakura looked Suo up and down. Surprisingly, even after everything that had happened, Suo had hardly a hair out of place. Sure, they were both soaked to the bone, but Sakura was willing to bet he himself looked much more disheveled than the person he’d supposedly rescued. Just as he had that thought, he sneezed, which set Nirei off again. 

“The others have the situation on the bridge under control, but we have to get you out of those wet clothes,” Nirei insisted. “Both of you, come with me. Now!” He put one hand on each of their wrists and dragged them hurriedly back in the direction of town. 

As it turned out, Nirei’s house was only a few minutes away. It was Sakura’s first time there, but he didn’t get the chance to take a good look at the first floor. Nirei dragged Sakura and Suo straight to his room and prodded them into sets of spare pajamas. Then, he insisted on running down to the kitchen and boiling a pot of tea.

“You two stay here and keep drying off,” Nirei ordered. “I'll bring the tea up when it’s ready.”

Then, he ran off, leaving Suo and Sakura alone in his room together. They sat on the floor in silence. As he obediently dried his hair with the towel Nirei had given him, Sakura glanced around the room. Nirei’s room was so… him. There was a desk filled with books, some clearly marked with notes. One of his notebooks lay half-open on the coffee table in front of them, and though Sakura tried not to peek, he caught a glimpse of a Shishitoren uniform. 

On the other side of the table was a rack of the colorful shirts that Nirei sometimes sported. Behind that, Sakura could see a few animal stickers stuck to the bottom of what he assumed was a closet door. Glancing to his right, he saw a shelf topped with stuffed animals and a drawer full of gummy candies. Everything felt colorful and friendly and so Nirei. 

Finally, Sakura’s eyes landed on Suo, who was sitting to his right. Suo sat completely still, towel around his neck, staring straight ahead, but when he noticed Sakura looking at him, he turned and smiled. 

The words came out before Sakura could stop himself. 

“You didn’t actually need me to save you, right?”

Suo’s eye briefly opened in surprise. Even after the fall into the river, he’d managed to keep his eyepatch firmly in place. “Why, Sakura-kun,” he said. “What makes you think that?”

“It’s just—never mind.” Sakura didn't know how to explain it exactly, but somehow he was sure it was true. Or maybe he was wrong, and it was just that he simply couldn't imagine Suo ever being in real danger. 

“Sakura-kun?”

“Hmm?” Sakura turned to look at Suo again.

“Really,” Suo said. He smiled gently. “Thank you.” Unfortunately, Sakura got the feeling that Suo was being entirely sincere this time. 

Sakura felt his face flush again. “Like I said, it’s no big deal,” he muttered.

“So, when did you learn to swim?”

“This summer. Hiragi taught me.” 

“After the beach trip?”

“Yeah.” Sakura was sure that if Suo hadn’t figured him out already, he would soon enough. 

Suo simply let out a hum of amusement. “I should have expected as much from Sakura-kun,” he said cryptically. 

“Huh? What does that mean?” He couldn’t help thinking that half the words that came out of Suo’s mouth were lies, and the other half were things Sakura never understood immediately. 

“Nothing much,” Suo laughed. 

Sakura huffed in frustration. Sometimes, it felt like Suo knew everything about him, but he knew nothing about Suo. There were too many questions that nobody, not even Nirei, knew the answers to. Even just a few minutes ago, he’d been reminded of some of Suo’s stranger behaviors, such as never taking his shirt off in front of others and surviving on a diet of what seemed to be only tea. 

“What are you thinking about so intently, Sakura-kun?” Suo’s voice interrupted his thoughts again. 

“I…,” Sakura started. He didn’t even know where to begin. “I was wondering—”

“Sakura-san, Suo-san, sorry for the wait!” Nirei called out as he threw the door open. He balanced a tray with a teapot and cups in his other hand. 

“Are you two feeling alright?” Nirei asked as he shoved his notebook to the side and set the tray down on the coffee table. He hurriedly poured out two cups of steaming hot tea and passed them to Sakura and Suo.

“Yep, thanks a lot, Nire-kun!” Suo said cheerily. 

“Uh huh,” Sakura answered as he took the cup. Nirei’s house was warm. He’d stopped shivering soon after changing out of his wet clothes. He took a careful sip of the tea. Though he couldn’t really taste the flavor, the warmth of the tea traveled down his throat and filled his entire body. 

Nirei finally poured out a third cup of tea for himself. “You two really scared me, you know,” he added, almost as an afterthought.  

“Sorry,” Suo smiled apologetically. “I should’ve kept better watch of my surroundings. And here I am always telling you to keep your eyes open.” 

“Sorry, I should’ve told you guys,” Sakura muttered. 

Nirei sighed. “Well, at the end of the day, I’m just glad you’re both alright,” he said. He took another drink from his teacup before setting it down and picking up his notebook. “Sakura-san,” he insisted. “You’re going to have to tell me everything.” 

Sakura told the story of how he learned to swim again, this time going more in-depth about how Hiragi had taught him and Kaji over the summer. 

“I see, I see,” Nirei mused as he flipped through his notebook and made notes on various pages. “So Hiragi-san is a strong swimmer, and Kaji-san also learned this summer.” He turned to Suo. “And Suo-san, you…?”

Suo simply smiled back at him. 

“Really,” Nirei sighed affectionately. “You’re impossible to read, Suo-san.”

“If only we could all be like Sakura-kun, right?” Suo joked. 

“Hey, Suo!” Sakura yelled. “What’s that supposed to mean!”

Nirei and Suo only laughed in response. 

Sakura couldn’t have stayed angry if he tried. In the end, he couldn’t help smiling too. There was a lot he didn’t know, but being with his friends, seeing them laugh together in this warm room, Sakura decided he didn’t need all the answers. When they were ready, they would tell him. Until then, Sakura thought as he looked at Suo and Nirei. 

Until then, I’ll stay right here and protect you for as long as I can.