Hiyori Tono/Relationships

Hiyori's main relationship is that with Ikuya Kirishima. In the very first episode when Ikuya comments he doesn't desire to be ordinary, Hiyori affirms this by saying he does not think that Ikuya will ever be anything ordinary. Ikuya does not seem truly satisfied with the affirmation and immediately Hiyori inquires that if Ikuya is upset with him. Ikuya indifferently replies that he is not though looking distracted at a bird in the sky.

The relationship between Ikuya and Hiyori is a bit complex and complicated. On one hand, Ikuya seems to care deeply for Hiyori and appreciate him. When the Shimogami University coach asks Ikuya why he doesn't swim medley and thinks its a loss of talent, Hiyori supports Ikuya. On the other hand, Ikuya seems to find Hiyori a bit of a nuisance in that he can deeply interfere in Ikuya's life. This is shown when Haruka and his friends want to meet Ikuya but Hiyori pretends that he has no acquaintanceship with him and tells them to just watch the people from the colleges swim. He also considers Asahi and Haruka "inferior copies" to Ikuya when he watches them swim.

To avoid having Ikuya meet his former friends and peers, Hiyori intrudes on Ikuya as he is showering saying he has got his things and they can leave. This invasion seemed to Ikuya a bit odd. Later in a cafe, Ikuya asks Hiyori why he is acting "weird" to which he replies he is always weird. When Haruka and Ikuya meet on the bridge and Haruka genuinely attempts to apologize for quitting the swim club in middle school, Hiyori interferes. He cuts their conversation short and says that Ikuya is too tired to talk.

The next day, Hiyori gives Ikuya a wake-up call and proceeds to talk about Haruka and Ikuya's other former friends but Ikuya just wants to get ready and go to university to swim. Ikuya's tone suggests that he is not always appreciative of Hiyori giving too much attention to him. However, Hiyori is able to see that Haruka's sudden presence has an effect on Ikuya's swimming. When asking about why his rhythm seems off Ikuya rebuffs it. Hiyori is later shown to message Natsuya to show that Ikuya is not doing well as last year and gone back to swimming basics.

Hiyori seems to know that the reason that Ikuya now swims individual medley because of Haruka and Asahi suddenly quitting in middle school, which had a negative impact on him. Ikuya swims to mirror some of Haru's insecurities in the first TV series. Where Haruka was adamant to swim only Freestyle, Ikuya seems adamant on swimming only Individual Medley (IM) and no longer wishes to participate in relays. In this mirroring, Hiyori seems to be an "extreme" hybrid of Sousuke and Makoto, in that he loves Ikuya deeply and wishes to protect him. Like Sousuke did with Rin in the 2nd TV series, Hiyori seems to challenge Ikuya to be the best at swimming and feels no one can compare. Like Makoto, who seemed to never in the past question Haruka leaving swimming, he doesn't seem to try to help Ikuya grow or change out of his reluctant attitudes about Medley.

In a way, their relationship/friendship seems to have both positive and negative attributes. Whereas Hiyori is very caring and kind towards Ikuya, he seems to overindulge him and put him on a pedestal. This means Hiyori cannot always understand the complex human emotions of Ikuya. Despite these shortcomings, he is a devoted friend and seems to always hold Ikuya as a top priority.