TV Animation Free! Novelize/Episode 01: Machibito

''Synopsis: Haru thinks about Rin's return with mixed feelings. He heads to an old spa where he's joined by Makoto and Nagisa. Sharing a pool filled with water, instead of soaking in a tub all alone, rekindles feelings of camaraderie for the boy who gave up competitive team swimming because he thought he'd caused a friend to give up on his dream. Now, with the stirring of memories and the help of caring friends, Haru begins to find a way back to something he once found meaningful though the future is as mysterious as ever.''

Haru remembers how happy Rin used to be; used to be before their race during winter break as first-years in middle school. Haru, the boy who simply loved the water, won and Rin, the boy who wanted to go pro, lost. Rin couldn't handle it and quit swimming altogether, filling Haru with such guilt that he gave up swimming with his middle school team without explanation to anyone. He thinks back on that time wondering if it was fate that brought Rin around then, and again at the old Iwatobi SC pool where the much changed person he used to know challenged him to race again. Except, they didn't and Haru doesn't want to race Rin again. "At 10 you’re a prodigy, at 15 a genius. And then, once you pass 20, you’re a normal person." Haru can't wait to be a normal person so he doesn't have to think or feel the emotions that haunt him.

His friends, Makoto and Nagisa, agree that Rin has changed and not for the better. Nagisa wonders if change is inevitable while Haru ponders the fact that although he didn't share the reason he quit the swim team with Makoto, his childhood best friend has the eerie ability to tell what he's thinking even when he doesn't say anything. It's a blessing and a curse, but Haru relies on it nonetheless.

Being early evening, the boys go to Makoto's house where Nagisa plays video games with Ren and Ran, his childlike antics making him a fun playmate. Haru finds himself becoming anxious, the feeling of the swimsuit he wears beneath his clothing pushing his thoughts towards water - calming, soothing water. He abruptly leaves and takes the train to a stop where he locates an old family spa. There he enters, alone, the lukewarm pool he had discovered the day before when he skipped the first day of school.

He isn't alone for long. Makoto and Nagisa, worried about him, have followed and join him. Haru is annoyed and sinks further down, but the feeling of sharing water with comrades sparks memories of feelings from long ago - good feelings so when Makoto inevitably notices Haru's changed attitude, Haru doesn't balk. They all agree they'll likely return but while drying off, they see a sign saying that the spa is closing down and are disappointed.

During their long walk back to Iwatobi, Haru compares the starry sky to the bottom of the ocean covered with bioluminescent plankton. If he were alone, he'd spend all night looking at them, but the feeling of sharing time with comrades feels good, too. Rin taught him what it meant to have comrades. Makoto is a comrade and much more; he's a special presence and Nagisa has melted his heart just a little.

Back home, Haru again thinks about that fateful winter day. He remembers the letter Sousuke gave him, recalling that Rin was having a hard time in Australia so he went to the Iwatobi shrine to buy an omamori he could send to him as encouragement. Instead, he pulled a fortune that said, "Slightly good luck. The person you wait for will come. The things you wish for will come true. Though in the distant future." Haru thinks the person must be Rin with his current behavior defining slightly good luck. As for Haru's wish? He doesn't have a clue, but the fortune is saved in his desk drawer until it comes to fruition.