High Speed!: Free! Starting Day transports viewers to the past of Iwatobi Swim Club members, as well as their other swimmers and competition. Haruka Nanase and Makoto Tachibana have begun middle school and must adjust to the changes that come with maturing. While Makoto blends in with his peers and remains enthusiastic about swimming, Haruka finds it difficult to make friends or join his school's swim club because of his prior swimming problems. He struggles to decide which group to join after distancing himself from his boisterous peers and the swimming club. The rest of his classmates, including Makoto, are likewise undecided about which clubs to join. After an altercation forces them to join the swimming club, the lads work hard to improve their skills.