DIVE!!

Book 4 Chapter 3 - Dearest Brother

“Yay, Tomo-kun got first place!”

Miu’s cheer revived his consciousness with a start, as he pushed his eyelids up with difficulty. Like taking off layers of clothing, the drowsiness coiled around him was torn away little by little. The ranking table on the electric scoreboard appeared blurrily in his sight, and Hiroya, feeling like he’d been tricked, thought, it’s still the end of the second round…? He felt a slight dizziness.

“Eh, Hiro, were you actually sleeping? No way, I can’t believe you.”

“It’s because I stayed up all night making a new song. Even today I really had to go to band practice, but I had to turn it down, get up early, take the train, and I just think that it’s great that we finally got here, really.”

“That’s not right. Since Tomo-kun specially said that it’s okay to come and cheer him on. Hiro, which is more important, Tomo-kun or the band?”

“No, it’s of course…”

Hiroya wrapped his arm around Miu’s shoulders and smiled, rescuing the situation by buttering her up. His girlfriend had suddenly wanted to know the order of “which is more important?”. He’ll probably struggle for the rest of his life trying to explain these incomparable things.

To begin with, Hiroya had too many important things.

The rock band he formed this summer. The school’s soccer club that sometimes asked him for help. His class friends who he hung out with. And, Miu. For a time, he still hadn’t lost interest in the fishing hobby that he was engrossed in, and when he spotted a fly with an unusual shape, he immediately bought it.

Ever since he was little, he changed his objects of interest frequently. Because he tried to cherish all of them, he sometimes exploded and lost his temper. He wasn’t good at keeping still in one place.

So for Hiroya, spectating diving competitions where twelve people go for ten rounds, and therefore having to focus on watching a hundred-and-twenty dives, was naturally like an endurance match in hell.

In fact, this was only the second time that he was spectating.

The first time was during the summer of fourth grade. He was taken along by their mother, Megumi, to go support Tomoki at his first junior competition, and he arrived at the Tatsumi Swimming Center half-interested.

His unforgettable first impression was, it’s so boring. Because there were only elementary school students in the competition, there were no impressive techniques. They got on the three-meter springboard one by one, and simply dropped into the water with a splash. When Tomoki’s turn finally came and he shouted, “Let’s go, Tomo!”, Megumi told him that he was being distracting. What, they came all the way here to cheer him on, but they could only watch?

He was soon assailed by sleepiness. The swaying springboard, and the rippling diving pool beneath it. That listless smell, like being in class after the pool on a hot day, Now, go to sleep. To your heart’s content. He could only believe that someone was whispering that close to his ear.

When Hiroya, who gave in to his drowsiness, suddenly woke up, shockingly, it seemed that Tomoki and the others were still continuing to do the same things in the pool.

“Hey, can’t we go home yet?”

Hiroya cried to Megumi.

“Not yet. We have to watch until the end.”

“When will it end?”

“Everyone still has to dive six more times each.”

Six more times! Tomo and the others have to repeat that thing six more times? For what reason!? If we go home I can get tasty ice cream. Oh, I wonder if we can go home early.

“Hey, how many rounds before it’s over?”

“Four more.”

Four more rounds. He wanted to go home as soon as possible and play with Tomo. He wanted to teach him new wrestling moves, and tell him funny stories about class.

How long will Tomo be in such a place?

“Hey hey, how many rounds left?”

“Two more.”

Ah, I hope Tomo comes home soon.

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“Hiro!”

Miu pinched his cheeks, and he pushed his eyelids up again.

“Hiro, how can you sleep at such an important time? Just now, the person with the camel-colored swim trunks dived, and got four 9 points, so it’s going to be Tomo-kun’s turn soon.”

“I know, I know, sorry.”

Though he wrapped his arm around Miu’s shoulder as a conditioned reflex, within Hiroya the fourth-grade him and the impatience of that afternoon still remained markedly.

Yes, that summer. More than the dodgeball I was obsessed about during that time, more than drinking milk in the morning, more than playing at pro wrestling with my friends, I liked being with Tomo the most.

His carefree big brother. He always patiently went along with Hiroya, whose mood changed frequently. His first friend from ever since he could remember. Megumi was sometimes too overwhelmed and fussy at home about the fact that they were in the same grade, the two of them being born in April and March, but Hiroya had never held a sense of inferiority. He was just happy being with Tomoki for everything. They were together at their entrance ceremony. They were together on trips. They were together at athletic meets and dances. Even if Hiroya fell behind everyone else Tomoki was waiting for him, so he was always at ease. Because Tomoki was there, he could go wherever his curiosity took him, and take detours until he felt satisfied.

But, before he realized it, Tomoki was about to fly far away, compared to him, who was only scampering around nearby.

“Hey, it’s almost Tomo-kun’s turn,”

Miu poked at the ground restlessly with her heels.

“I don’t really understand diving well, but today’s Tomo-kun is somewhat amazing. I feel like he’ll win and go to the Olympics as he is now. It’s not just a hunch, but actually yesterday…I’m only tell you this, Hiro, but I had that dream. What kind of dream did you have?”

“A dream where I was eating dried young sardines.”

Miu pretended she didn’t hear that.

“But, if Tomo-kun really went to the Olympics, I’d feel a little bit lonely. If he becomes a celebrity and forgets about us, what would we do?”

“It’ll be fine. Even if he forgets us in Sydney, he’ll remember when he comes back to Japan. I, for one, am his little brother.”

“And me?”

“He couldn’t forget you even if he wanted to, in more ways than one.”

“Ugh, that thing immediately…”

Miu tapped him on the head, and Hiroya smiled wryly.

Originally, Hiroya had stolen Miu, who had been Tomoki’s girlfriend, during this year’s rainy season, which was something still new in the brothers’ history. As expected, Tomoki had been furious at that time, not saying a word for three weeks. However, in the fourth week his attitude had softened, only communicating with him in writing, and he further compromised in the fifth week, only saying a few words. In the sixth week he came to watch TV with him side by side, and in the seventh week they went to buy stuff together at the convenience store. Nowadays they were completely back to normal.

And then, a few days ago. The day before Tomoki went to Osaka, he himself informed him that “the competition’s far, but if you want to come with Miu, then come.”

Even though he had band practice, even though he had no sleep, even though the train fare was too expensive, even though the diving competition was murderously boring, there was no reason not to rush here to cheer him on!

“Ah…it’s Tomo-kun!”

It was Tomoki’s turn again. Seeing that small shadow on the distant platform, Miu’s shoulders shook.

“I can’t take it anymore, it feels I’m getting anemia with the blood rushing to my head. Every time Tomo-kun dived, I felt like I was going to faint, throw up, and about to die.”

“It’s okay. People can’t die from just anemia.”

“Why are you so calm, Hiro? Aren’t you nervous?”

“Yeah, not really.”

“Why? Aren’t you supporting Tomo-kun?”

“Dummy, that’s not it.”

Of course he supported him. If Tomoki won and went to the Olympics, he himself might be the one who was so ecstatic that he’d get anemia. But…

Even if he loses, I won’t be disappointed, Hiroya decided in his mind. Even if everyone here is disappointed, I will be the only one who absolutely wouldn’t be.

So that Tomo can come home with his heart at ease—.

Tomoki placed his hands on the platform and slowly lifted his feet.

They were watching the most thrilling of dives, the armstand dive.

How terrifying it must be, to do handstands in such a high place.

How much courage he had, in order to throw out his body.

If he failed, how painful it would be.

“Oh, it’s no good, I’ll faint before it ends. Hey, how many rounds does Tomo-kun have left?”

“Eight more.”

At the same time Hiroya murmured that, Tomoki released his body into the air.

“No…seven more.”

Ah, I hope that Tomo comes home soon.

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