Ryu's Blog

Karen: So you like him?

Chinatsu: Maybe not that degree just yet.

Karen: What? Not yet? What do you mean?

Chinatsu: How do I explain it? It’s like I’m growing a flower. Being interested is like when the plant starts to sprout. Back when I used to see him during morning practice, I just thought of him as some guy who was always around. After talking and getting to know him, I realised he was a nice guy, and the seedling began to grow. The more things I find that I like about him…the bigger and bigger the plant grows. But since I’m so focused on basketball, and considering my situation, it hasn’t quite blossomed yet.

Karen: We all go at different speeds when it comes to love.

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Karen: Does she [Chinatsu] sometimes stare off into space?

Taiki: She does.

Karen: And then when you start eating snacks, she stares at you instead?

Taiki: She communicates a lot with her eyes. It almost feels like time slow down around her. I don’t hate it.

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“It’s tough working hard but never feeling like you’re improving…When there’s someone you want to beat and you make that your goal, all you can see are the things you can’t do. You stop giving yourself credit for the things you can. He [Taiki] acts like he has to cross a desert without water to get anywhere. But there’s no need for that. He faces his issues so diligently that he forgets to keep himself hydrated.” – Haryu

“Well, I know what it feels like to want to progress faster. Even people who do remember to hydrate still end up quitting. But…if you don’t want to give up, you just have to keep moving your feet. Because standing still hurts the most.” – Chinatsu

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“We talked it over, and he was really torn at first. Ultimately, we decided we would break up if either of us started lagging in our careers. We couldn’t go back to how things were once we knew we liked each other. And I couldn’t keep imagining how things might go wrong without actually giving it a shot.” – Karen

“We always told each other about our lives, motivating each other. Even when I wanted more, I kept making excuses about not getting in her way. That’s why…it made my heart ache…thinking about how silly it was that despite how much I cared about her, I never told her how I felt just because I was embarrassed. I felt pathetic. She was always the cool one. Just like with swimming, she always chooses to challenge herself rather than be afraid or embarrassed.” – Haryu

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“‘Like-minded souls striving for the same goal,’ huh? Then I guess when practice gets tough, they will start thinking of each other. Knowing that someone else is working just as hard as they are…encouraging each other…I bet that’s the kind of relationship they have.” – Hina

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