spoilers for ep. 8!! (canon: Free! Iwatobi Swim Club)

[openturn]

I'm not jealous. That was a legitimate critique -- the butterfly isn't meant to look like that. The recovery was all wrong, for one. And only beginners need to pull so far above the waterline to take breaths.

[ hey... it's okay to be jealous, you know -- ]

More like I want compensation for being forced to watch that.

[ you weren't forced, though... ]

Comments

[doingthemistything]

[... suddenly he's reminded of how he felt watching the team that got picked for Galaxy...]

... I can understand the feeling at least.

[openturn]

[ it's not a very good one, even if he is in staunch denial that he's feeling it. ]

It's frustrating, isn't it.

[doingthemistything]

Very. Sucks worse when you let it sit there for a long period of time.

[thesmallesthero]

Butterfw...fly? Breathing?

[falchiondisaster]

[It takes her a moment to realize what he's talking about.]

Pardon my asking, but what is it you continued watching for? It doesn't sound like you're particularly concerned for them.

[openturn]

I plan on forgetting it as soon as possible.

[ this is the guy who carried a serious grudge for four years. ]

[openturn]

[ finally, somebody that's about at Rin's level of maturity

(rimshot) ]

... I'm talking about swimming.

[openturn]

[ he... doesn't have a good excuse for this one. ]

It was a competition. I wasn't just watching them.

[ liar. ]

[falchiondisaster]

[...He sounds a little bit like someone she knows, albeit large and male and lacking the fabulous pigtail action.]

Why focus so much on someone so amateur, then? Does that not make them less of a threat to your own victory, if it's a competition?

[doingthemistything]

... that's probably for the best, in the long run. Feelings like those are bad to allow to fester.

[blue_distance]

If you have critique for Rei, tell him after the race. Don't sulk.

[Guess who has to swim his part still-- mun has a sinking suspicion that Rin's sudden appearance is going to make Haru pull a High Speed! and try to fight the water instead of embracing it, especially with the way the episode was cut off.]

[Still, you're not his favorite person in the world right now, and Rei has proved to be a good friend teammate.]

[openturn]

[ hey, he can do a cute little ponytail when he wants. ]

... I wasn't competing against them. Some of my teammates were, though.

[ not that he was paying attention to them at all. ]

[openturn]

Like I owe your teammate any advice.

[ also, you replaced him with that guy!!

... conveniently ignoring the fact that Rin was the one who left in the first place though. ]

[openturn]

[ ... but he's so good at letting his feelings do just that. ]

... I'd rather concentrate on other things, anyway.

[doingthemistything]

[And Kirino really ought to be taking his own advice.]

Well, that's good at least! It's always good to have something else to focus on...

[falchiondisaster]

[A very cute ponytail. Mun raves about it, make no mistake--]

...I believe my point still stands. If they weren't a threat, there's no need to fixate unless you really were... erm.

[blue_distance]

It seems more productive than complaining.

[who's not talking about that thing you just said to him? haru's not.]

[thesmallesthero]

Oooooh.

...I swim! And I fwoat!

Engwand can't, he sinks like a rock!

[openturn]

Exactly. [ a sigh. ] As if these things are worth getting worked up over, anyway.

[ the hypocrisy comes off of him in waves. ]

[openturn]

If I were what?

[ he is already preparing to not like this answer. ]

[openturn]

Constructive criticism isn't complaining.

[ not talking about issues is just kinda how things go in this anime... ]

[falchiondisaster]

...Jealous?

[She won't pretend to know the details, but it really is puzzling as to why this guy seems so... upset about this.]

[blue_distance]

Constructive criticism is given to the swimmer, too.

[openturn]

I'm not.

[ he said that way too quickly to be serious, though. ]

... There's nothing to be jealous of!

[openturn]

It's not like I have anything to gain from helping out a rival school.