"Wow ah—Even though I've been working in Izu for so long, I feel like I've never really been to the beach..."
Strolling on the beach in a pure black 'Must-Win' swimsuit, the salty sea breeze brought a charming wild scent. Satomi Tachibana seemed to be able to imagine a handsome guy approaching her.
However...
"Why is it so empty here! Shouldn't there be many tourists this season?"
Looking at the deserted beach in front of her, she immediately collapsed to her knees, and large, humiliating tears seeped into the sand and vanished.
"Ah, because this is a dive spot, the underwater drop-off gets very steep very quickly, so tourists usually don't come here!"
Pointing to the "No Swimming" sign nearby, Miyazawa Yu watched the seemingly about-to-throw-a-tantrum Satomi Tachibana helplessly.
Was this person really a teacher? Not only was her chest smaller than Soryuin Akemi's, but her personality was also so erratic.
He originally thought she would have a cool and aloof persona, but she instantly broke character the moment she reached the beach.
"How could this be..."
Tears hanging in the corner of her eyes, she abruptly looked up. Coming to the beach with her students was already enough to disappoint Satomi Tachibana.
Now, there wasn't even a single handsome man in a swimsuit. This was a massive blow to her, who was seeking an encounter!
"Well, well~ Tachibana-sensei, don't say that. Isn't it great that only we are diving together! The underwater world is super beautiful!"
"Really..."
"That's right. Even the nearshore fish species have increased this season. If we're lucky, we might even see a sea turtle!"
Having done his homework, Miyazawa Yu squatted down and extended a finger, smiling as he continuously shared information about the ecology of the nearby waters.
Watching the young man earnestly comforting her, Satomi Tachibana's pupils slightly dilated, and her heart trembled a little.
Amidst his look of utter confusion, she quickly stood up and stiffly hid behind Akemi—
Oh no, she actually thought a boy more than ten years younger than her was yasashii (kind/gentle)!
No, no! This was a boy a whole generation younger! An old cow eating young grass would be socially unacceptable!
"Um... Tachibana-sensei?"
"Yes!"
"Hurry up and put on your wetsuit. We're going underwater~"
With her wetsuit already half-on, Soryuin Akemi skillfully let her hair down.
While handing her hair tie to Azusa Hamaoka for safekeeping, she also handed Satomi Tachibana's wetsuit to her.
"Arigato... Akemi, have you dived before?"
"Yes! I've dived in places like the Maldives and Hawaii, but always alone..."
Smiling brightly and securing her diving mask on her head, Soryuin Akemi's emerald green eyes sparkled with surprising excitement.
"This is the first time I'm diving with friends and enjoying it together!"
"Is that so? That's definitely something to be happy about."
With her student so excited, how could she, as a teacher, spoil everyone's mood?
Smiling indulgently, Satomi Tachibana quickly put on her wetsuit and stood at the back of the line for inspection before descending.
The underwater world? She was really looking forward to it. It should be entirely bright blue!
"No problems so far. The rest is up to you, Nanaka-san!"
It was Miyazawa Yu first time helping the shop secure business, and it was impossible for him not to be nervous.
Although the atmosphere was ruined once by that blonde-haired Kohei, the entire process had not had any major blunders until this moment.
And he couldn't help with the next part of the job. He hoped Nanaka-san and the vast blue ocean could conquer these few fitness girls.
"Don't worry, I'll do my best, even for you, Yu~"
Smiling and giving an OK sign, Nanaka Kotegawa's eyes grew gentler as she watched all his efforts.
Yu, who worked so hard for her and constantly pushed his limits, was truly handsome.
In that case, she couldn't afford to fall short either!
"Everyone, are you ready!"
"No problem!"
"Understood, let's... begin the descent!"
Taking the lead and holding onto the rope to enter the water, the sea was as deep and beautiful as ever. Sunlight pierced through the water surface, projecting the texture of waves onto the seabed.
The ocean proved worthy of being the spiritual home of humanity. The moment the deep blue sea appeared before her eyes, Sakura Hibiki unconsciously exhaled a large amount of bubbles—
It was too beautiful. And as her body was completely enveloped by the sun-warmed seawater, the genetic memory of an infant living in the womb was reawakened, and a strong sense of peace surrounded her.
The wetsuit tightly bound to her body now felt like an invisible embrace, making her want to just fall asleep peacefully.
[Are you okay?]
Giving the OK sign underwater, Nanaka Kotegawa turned around. After counting the number of people and receiving responses, she skillfully raised her thumb and pointed forward twice—
[Continue forward!]
The underwater world was never the same with each dive. Even the same reef was adorned by different shell and algae species, creating a completely different visual effect.
At least this was the case at the crushed stone area that Miyazawa Yu had created with his Fish-Man Karate last time. It seemed to have been favored by many small fish and shrimp, which had turned it into a shelter from predators.
[Come closer!]
Signaling the fitness girls to break away from the main group, Miyazawa Yu quietly floated above the crushed stone, counted to three, and then abruptly lifted the roof of the shelter, startling dozens of small fish into frantic escape.
Watching the girls wide-eyed and applauding madly, he proudly raised a thumbs-up to praise his brilliant move!
"So! You overturned my home just to make a beautiful girl happy? How selfish are you! Ptooey! Ptooey!"
Just as Miyazawa Yu was about to try and catch a sea fish to show off his hand-eye coordination, Nanaka Kotegawa's hand-chop landed on his head the next second.
"???"
Clutching his head, his face full of question marks, Miyazawa Yu didn't remember the rule that one shouldn't interfere with the lives of marine creatures while diving. It felt like a waste to dive without bringing back some local specialties!
However, Nanaka Kotegawa had a completely different view—
She would be happy to take back two edible fish that Yu caught with his bare hands for an extra meal, but destroying the homes of small ornamental fish was a bit too much!
Bullying the weak was absolutely not supported or encouraged anywhere!
"..."
Reading the gentle reproach from Nanaka diving mask, Miyazawa Yu momentarily lost his temper and had to obediently rebuild the unfinished building he had just wrecked.
Only then did the former nod in satisfaction. Patting his head, Nanaka Kotegawa led the group back to the usual safe route.
Perhaps her kindness was repaid, as after that, the group saw various deep-sea fish that rarely appeared in shallow water more than once.
There was even a lonely sea turtle slowly swimming past Uehara Ayaka, attracting all the girls, who had only seen this marvelous creature in an aquarium, to crowd around, vying to feel what a turtle shell felt like.
However, amidst the silent rejoicing, Nanaka Kotegawa swam slower and slower until she finally stopped completely—
Something was wrong! Although it could be luck, they had encountered too many deep-sea fish from the start until now. This clearly did not match her diving experience!
Unless these deep-sea fish were being chased by something, and the creature capable of such a deterrent effect...
[Something is wrong!]
[Stop!]
Seeing Nanaka, who was at the very front, signaling twice, Miyazawa Yu immediately raised his hand to stop the complete novices who couldn't read diving gestures well. Azusa Hamaoka, meanwhile, swam from her observation position at the back to the front.
[Come to me!]
[Danger nearby!]
[Turn around!]
Her sign language was almost smoking. Nanaka Kotegawa frowned deeply and instructed everyone to turn back immediately.
Diving could continue in the shallows near the coast, but they absolutely could not venture deeper into a deep-sea area with unknown danger!
Unfortunately, it seemed to be too late to turn back now. Miyazawa Yu was just lamenting how well high school students ate nowadays.
Except for Ayaka, both Hibiki and Akemi's figures were comparable to Tachibana-sensei's.
The next second, he looked up slightly, and a massive, blue-black shadow appeared at the edge of his vision, slowly swimming towards Nanaka-san's back...