Ever since the race began, Rei hadn't taken his eyes off of them. Since they'd all wrapped around each other in their celebratory hug, he hadn't even blinked.

The official event photographer was with them now, ready to immortalize their moment of glory.

Our moment, Rei corrected himself.

Nagisa was still crying, but trying to calm himself for the photo, while Makoto laughed indulgently and rubbed his back. Haruka and Rin were saying something to each other, foreheads pressed close.

No. Their moment.

Rei smiled. Pride swelled his heart, and that now-familiar feeling of awe for his friends had him fully in its grip. They truly did look beautiful.

"It's like they're shining," he vaguely heard Gou say.

That was it exactly — the four of them, surrounded by a halo of light. Next time, Rei would be a part of it, rather than just another blinded spectator. Next time, he would— Next time—

Rei closed his eyes.

"Ah! Look!" Amakata-sensei exclaimed.

Startled, Rei looked back down and saw all four of them turned towards his section of the bench. No, towards him.

All of them were waving — Nagisa with both hands — motioning down to the poolside.

Rei stared.

"Uh, Rei? I think they're calling you," Coach Sasabe prompted.

Rei shrank back into his seat.

"What are you doing? Go down there!" Exasperation was clear on Gou's face.

"No," Rei found himself saying. "This is their win."

But they didn't stop waving, even when Rei finally got to his feet and made a giant X with his arms.

"Reeeiii-chaaan!"

Even over all the noise in the stadium, Nagisa's voice rang clear.

"I— I can't," Rei said, beginning to tremble.

But after being forcibly pushed to the stairs by Coach Sasabe, Rei found himself moving towards them, despite himself. He couldn't help it. It was where he wanted to be, even if he hadn't done anything to deserve it.

Gently brushing through the crowd that, in the tournament's aftermath, had largely migrated from their seats to the aisles, Rei put one wobbly foot in front of the other until he finally made it down to the bottom of the steps.

Nagisa was there to meet him, hand fisting in Rei's jacket and dragging him towards the pool.

"I shouldn't," Rei tried to explain. "This isn't right. I didn't do anything."

Nagisa stopped. When he turned back to face Rei, his eyes were wide with disbelief.

"What are you talking about, Rei-chan? Everything is thanks to you."

Even as he modestly protested, "No, that's—" Rei couldn't help the way his heart pitched at those words.

By the time Nagisa finally managed to drag him to the others, the photographer was looking mildly annoyed at the hold-up.

"Stand together," he instructed.

Rei stood beside Nagisa and looked directly at the camera. After a few moments, the photographer lowered it, eyes narrowed.

"I can't take a picture with him looking like that," he complained.

Rei, cardboard stiff and still existing somewhere halfway between reality and some humiliating, beautiful dream, tried to relax his clenched face.

"Rei-chan…" Nagisa murmured.

"Oi, Ryugazaki." Rin looked over at him, then hesitated. "Rei. Thank you."

Rei's face finally went slack — from shock, more than anything.

"It's not a team photo without you." Makoto smiled warmly.

"It would feel wrong," Haruka said.

"Super wrong," Nagisa agreed, grip tightening on Rei's jacket, pulling him closer.

"Next time, we'll do it right," Rin said, sending a sharp grin Rei's way. "You can show me what you're made of when you're swimming in the lane beside me."

Rei swallowed. They were all shining, so bright he could barely look at them.

The cameraman coughed and raised his camera one more time.

Rei smiled.

The light enveloped them all.