Then, he heard a faint cry. Rei was out there, and he was sinking. Makoto gritted his teeth, his love for his friends finally outweighing his terror. He plunged into the cold water, his powerful backstroke cutting through the swells.
Rei sat up, coughing and looking thoroughly defeated. "I'm sorry... I just wanted to be like you all."
Desperate to catch up to the natural talent of his teammates, Rei decided to take matters into his own hands. Under the cover of a growing storm, he slipped out of their lodging and headed for the ocean. He believed that if he could just conquer the open water alone, the "logic" of swimming would finally click. Free! (Dub) Episode 5
They reached Rei just as he was losing strength. Haru and Makoto grabbed him by the arms, keeping his head above water while Nagisa helped guide them back. By the time they collapsed onto the sand, they were exhausted and shivering, but alive.
"Haru! Nagisa! Rei is gone!" Makoto’s voice cracked with urgency. Then, he heard a faint cry
"I just need to find the rhythm," he muttered, adjusting his glasses before diving into the dark, choppy waves. But the ocean wasn't a controlled pool. The tide was stronger than he anticipated, and the salt water stung his eyes. His limbs grew heavy, and the "beauty" he sought was quickly replaced by panic as the current pulled him further from the shore.
Makoto, still catching his breath and trembling from the adrenaline and the lingering fear, placed a hand on Rei’s shoulder. "We're a team, Rei. You don't have to do this alone. And besides," he added with a small, weary smile, "we're not perfect either. We all have things we're afraid of." He plunged into the cold water, his powerful
The Iwatobi High School Swim Club—Haruka, Makoto, Nagisa, and Rei—had arrived at a remote island for a summer training camp. While the others were focused on sharpening their strokes for the upcoming prefectural tournament, Rei Ryuugazaki was drowning in frustration. Despite his "beautiful" theories on swimming, he still couldn't stay afloat doing anything other than the butterfly.