Original Drama ～Rin & Rei～

Original Drama ～Rin & Rei～ is the third track of Vol.3 Rin Matsuoka & Rei Ryugazaki character song duet CD of the Free! anime. It is an audio drama and the casts were Rin Matsuoka and Rei Ryugazaki's  seiyūs, Mamoru Miyano  and Daisuke Hirakawa. It was released on February 12, 2014.

Translation
Rin ：Hey, Rei. Rei ：What is it, Rin-san? Rin ：I’ve been wondering for some time now… Why are you only able to swim butterfly? Rei ：[stabbed through the heart] Rin ：How come it hasn’t even occurred to anyone here that they teach you? If you’re given a proper swimming lesson, you ought to be able to swim like all normal folk. Rei ：[stab stab] Rin ：Even kindergartners these days can do the crawl, at least. Rei ：[stab stab stab] Rin ：I mean, heh, only being able to swim butterfly doesn’t even make sense logically. Rei ：[screams] What is your problem?! You just keep up the criticism, don’t you! Without even knowing how I feel! I endeavored with my utmost efforts! Haruka-senpai and the others taught me in great detail! But still, I couldn’t swim! That’s right, I can only swim butterfly, so what?! Humans are originally creatures that evolved out of the water so that they can live on land anyway! You don’t understand what it’s like not being able to swim! You don’t understand what it feels like, sinking like a rock in water every time!! Rin ：Okay, okay, I’m sorry! In that case, I’ll teach you. Rei ：?! <font color=>Rin ：What’s the matter? Don’t you want to be able to swim? <font color=>Rei ：…I–I… do… <font color=>Rin ：Then follow me. <font color=>Rei ：…! Okay!

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<font color=>Rin ：I guess we’ll start by teaching you freestyle– the crawl, first. <font color=>Rei ：Haruka-senpai taught me the crawl before, but I couldn’t do it… <font color=>Rin ：Heh. My teaching style isn’t mild like Haru’s. I won’t show mercy. You better be ready. <font color=>Rei ：Okay! <font color=>Rin ：Listen up, Rei. The crawl is the foundation of all swimming styles. Master it and you’ll be able to swim the other strokes. <font color=>Rei ：I’ll be able to swim backstroke and breast stroke…! <font color=>Rin ：This goes for all of the strokes, but what’s most important is how you move your hips. Your hips are your core consideration for how you kick, stroke, breathe, and all that. Here’s how it’ll look illustrated. [drawing] See how easy it is when I draw lines here from your hip in connection to the movement of your hands and kick? This part of the straight stroke is the part that enters into the water. In the theoretical sense, it has the least resistance and thus– <font color=>Rei ：This is all so easy to understand! It’s very different from the way Haruka-senpai taught me. <font color=>Rin ：What did Haru tell you? <font color=>Rei ：“Fly with my heart.” <font color=>Rin ：I see the guy’s still using abstract descriptions. Heh. I’m different from the likes of Haru. I’ll be sure to teach you in a way that fits your style. I’ll show you the difference between him and me. <font color=>Rei ：O–Okay! <font color=>Rin ：All right then, let’s go! [Rin and Rei jump into the water] <font color=>Rin ：Ready… <font color=>Rei ：[breathes in] <font color=>Rin ：Go! <font color=>Rei ：[goes underwater] <font color=>Rin ：… <font color=>Rei ：… <font color=>Rin ：Why is he sinking? <font color=>Rei ：[surfaces] …Why? <font color=>Rin ：That’s what I want to know!! Don’t tell me you only call yourself a logical thinker when you really aren’t and just make excuses later to justify yourself?! <font color=>Rei ：N–Not at all! I am, without any doubt, all about logic! <font color=>Rin ：Then try it again. Your hands go like this! Your legs go like this! Your hips go like this! <font color=>Rei ：Okay! <font color=>Rin ：Ready… <font color=>Rei ：[breathes in] <font color=>Rin ：Go! <font color=>Rei ：[goes underwater] <font color=>Rin ：… <font color=>Rei ：… <font color=>Rin ：[groans] <font color=>Rei ：[surfaces and sighs calmly] It appears that I was born to be a butterfly swimmer. This is a sign from god that I improve solely on my butterfly stroke and that I must not be distracted by learning other strokes. <font color=>Rin ：Don’t talk about god if you call yourself a logical thinker. <font color=>Rei ：[ignoring Rin] There’s no other choice, I will have to spare learning freestyle for today. From here on, I will improve my butterfly! And then, with butterfly, I will take over the world! HAHAHAHAHA! <font color=>Rin ：…Sure, if that’s what you want. <font color=>Rei ：But there is one thing I lack before I can do so. Rin-san, I want you to teach it to me. <font color=>Rin ：What is it? The technique for butterfly? <font color=>Rei ：No! I want you to tell me an example of a good sea creature that I can go by! <font color=>Rin ：Huh? <font color=>Rei ：You know! Like how Haruka-senpai is a dolphin, you’re a shark, Nagisa-kun is a penguin, and Makoto-senpai is the king of the sea, the orca! Even though he swims backstroke, he’s an orca! Backstroke has absolutely no relation to how the orca swims! If you were to give an example of backstroke swimming, wouldn’t you use the otter?! But instead, he’s an orca!!! And, for some reason, I alone am a butterfly. A normal insect named exactly after the name of the stroke! There’s nothing witty about that at all!!! <font color=>Rin ：Tch, you’re complaining about this now? What a pain in the ass. <font color=>Rei ：So, please tell me an example of a sea creature that befits me! <font color=>Rin ：Then… how about the flying fish? When it spreads its fins and flies over the water surface, it brings to mind the butterfly stroke. Its speed mid-air also ranges from 50 to 70 km/hr. It’s pretty fast. <font color=>Rei ：No! The flying fish only goes its fastest above water when it’s escaping from predators! Running away quickly from danger isn’t beautiful at all! <font color=>Rin ：Then how about the tuna? It’s big, it’s fast. It eats flying fish. <font color=>Rei ：Tuna… Let’s try that out for a bit. I will swim butterfly while I leave you to come up with the description. Here I go. [Rei begins to swim butterfly] <font color=>Rin ：That swimming… That speed that keeps everyone else at bay! He rides on Japan’s current while migrating wildly through the Pacific Ocean, like the stroke of the tuna! <font color=>Rei ：[surfaces] <font color=>Rin ：How was that? <font color=>Rei ：It sounds cool, but doesn’t make sense at all when you really think about it! Besides, when people think of tuna, the first image that comes to mind is a fish that’s slow to respond and lazes around. It’s not beautiful! Isn’t there a better example I can use? <font color=>Rin ：How about the yellowtail then? <font color=>Rei ：Yellowtail? <font color=>Rin ：Yeah. It’s a fish that represents different stages of growth. It’ll be the image of your future, as someone who grows by starting off as dead weight but moving on to swimming in the prefecturals, then in the nationals, and then on to the world. Coolest example ever, don’t you think? <font color=>Rei ：[laughs, most pleased] Very well! It’s perfect for me! Okay then… here I go! [Rei begins to swim butterfly] <font color=>Rin ：That swimming… It’s like the stroke of one who is wildly maturing from a clueless small fish into a young yellowtail, then into an adolescent yellowtail… then into a fully grown yellowtail that’s the fattest it can be! <font color=>Rei ：[surfaces] You’re talking like you’re looking at the lineup of sushi dishes in a conveyor belt restaurant!!! <font color=>Rin ：Oh my god, you’re such a pain! <font color=>Rei ：Besides, the pronunciation for adult yellowtail sounds like “BURITT!” like some globby thing is sticking out, and that isn’t beautiful at all!! <font color=>Rin ：Oh, for chrissakes! Fine, I got it. As long as it sounds cool, that’s what you want, right? Then Geppetto. How about that? REI: Geppetto? What’s that? <font color=>Rin ：It’s the name of an awesome guy who got swallowed by a whale and survived inside its stomach. <font color=>Rei ：That’s the name of the grandpa who made the puppet with the nose that grows longer whenever it lies! It has nothing to do with swimming!! Just forget it! [sighs] Instead, there’s one last thing I want you to tell me. <font color=>Rin ：Hm? What, all you’ve been doing is complain at me! I’m fresh out of ideas, okay? <font color=>Rei ：You and me. What is our relationship? <font color=>Rin ：H–Huh? <font color=>Rei ：Rin-san. Even though you’re on a different team, you share a deep bond of friendship with Haruka-senpai and the others. Among this group, I hold the position that you once had, and like you, I swim butterfly. <font color=>Rin ：… <font color=>Rei ：Are you and I rivals? Or are we friends? <font color=>Rin ：…Heh. Rivals? Friends? That isn’t for me to tell you. The one who decides that, Rei… is you.

Translator's Notes
In case it isn’t clear, the Japanese yellowtail is called by different names as it grows larger. The “inada” is yellowtail that is 40cm long (translated here as “very young yellowtail”), the “hamachi” is yellowtail that is 60cm long (translated here as “adolescent yellowtail”), and the “buri” is fully fledged yellowtail that is over 80cm long (translated here as “fully grown”).