The Next Day
Chisa and Aina grabbed Maki's hands and explained, "We misunderstood about Iori and the others yesterday."
"Ahaha…"
Cold sweat beaded on Maki's forehead, and she suddenly felt a bit disappointed.
So it was a misunderstanding, huh. She had been excited for nothing, thinking the three were actually in that kind of relationship.
"It's fine, really, this was kind of my fault too…"
Maki had never expected anyone would actually believe a joke like that!
Just how innocent were these two girls?
Had they never been in a relationship before or something?!
"Haha… I knew those three couldn't be in that kind of relationship. Right, you guys?"
Aina looked over at the Iori-Kōhei-Kamishiro trio who were lazily slacking off. She still liked Iori, after all—there's no way that rumor was true!
However—
Faced with the question, Iori and Kōhei awkwardly averted their eyes. Kamishiro, meanwhile, quietly took a step back to leave the space to the other two.
{{(°△°; "}}
Aina and Maki were stunned, but quickly understood the implication behind those actions.
In an instant, Maki's eyes lit up again!
So… it wasn't a threesome, it was pure love!!!
"Wait, don't tell me you two are actually…?!"
"Is it true? Is it?!"
"Of course not!!!"
"You're embarrassing me!"
Kohei and Iori hurriedly denied it.
They had just remembered some terrifying thoughts.
Like Azusa being bisexual.
Or that one time Iori mentioned wanting to "experience a new world"...
No matter what people might think!
They were straight men!
The kind that liked sparkly, glamorous big sisters and 2D anime girls!
Watching the whole ruckus, Kamishiro smiled subtly, took out his beloved camera, and snapped a photo.
This was one for the memories~
As for Chisa...
Kamishiro turned his gaze to the awkward mother-daughter duo nearby.
"Honestly, you're just hopeless.
With an attitude like that, you'll never make it in the service industry!"
With that parting comment, Aunt Kotegawa stood and left, leaving behind Chisa's defiant figure.
"Sigh…"
Kamishiro let out a breath. Maybe it really was time to start thinking seriously about how to ease the tension between those two.
At this rate, they were bound to become "familiar strangers."
Watching Aunt Kotegawa's back as she walked away, Kamishiro shook his head.
Was it really that hard to give a single word of praise?
Even if she didn't want her daughter becoming a diving instructor, wasn't this approach a bit too extreme?
Stubbornness ran in the family, clearly.
The final night of their part-time diving stint.
Everyone agreed to Maki's idea—for a joint welcome and farewell party!
That evening, instead of going home like usual, everyone gathered together under Maki's lead.
"Cheers!!!"
Clink!
Glasses clashed together, and golden beer sloshed down the sides, reflecting everyone's smiling faces.
At this point, the two-week part-time work experience for Kamishiro and the others was almost over.
The staff felt quite proud.
They'd watched these clueless newbies grow into semi-reliable team members who could now handle things on their own sometimes.
It made them a bit proud, actually.
"Ha! That hits the spot!"
The bold and energetic Maki chugged her beer in one go. With that gutsy attitude, she was clearly one of the crew.
After downing her drink, Maki sidled up to Iori—who was currently scarfing down food—and gave his shoulder a satisfied pat.
"You did great today, kid. How about not going back? Stay here and work with us!"
Maki's eyes were full of admiration as she looked at Iori. She really did want to keep him around—he just seemed perfect for a diving instructor!
Not that he was especially skilled. Compared to Kohei or Kamishiro, he was the weakest in terms of technique.
But that wasn't what Maki cared about. Skills could always be built with time. What she admired was how calm and tactful Iori had been today.
It was rare to see such maturity in a college student who hadn't even graduated yet.
Earlier in the day, Iori had helped Chisa deal with a rather troublesome customer.
Just like in swimming, diving accidents usually happened to seasoned veterans.
They'd done it so many times, they lost their sense of caution. They thought their experience alone meant they could cut corners.
And then he met Chisa…
A girl who loved diving, but was a bit rigid about the rules.
Predictably, the two clashed. But Iori quickly stepped in and defused the situation.
First, he agreed with the customer's point of view. Then, with a subtle "Newbies tend to mimic veterans unconsciously," he massaged the guy's ego.
Under Iori's subtle manipulation, the guest began to see himself as a role model.
With that newfound sense of importance, he decided to follow the rules properly and set a good example for the "younger generation."
It was textbook crisis management.
And from that moment on, Maki saw real part-timer potential in Iori!
Of course, it wasn't like Iori was the only one with skills.
After twelve days of observation, Aina also showed promise in getting along with guests quickly. Her only weakness was slow on-the-spot reactions.
As for Kamishiro, he was great all around—probably even better than Iori.
But if Kamishiro stayed at the shop, they'd never get female customers again!!!
So… pass!
As for Chisa and Kohei...
Well, they had issues. Especially in guest-facing roles—Chisa was too rigid, and Kohei was socially anxious...
Hearing Maki's invitation, Iori scratched his head and smiled, "Can't do it. I still have school."
School?
That's easy to deal with!
Maki grabbed his hand enthusiastically. "You look like someone who's never gonna graduate anyway. Don't waste your time and money—come work here!"
The manager facepalmed at that. Who says stuff like that to someone?
"Nonsense! Give me six years and I will graduate!"
Iori declared confidently. Six years would definitely be enough!
"Try graduating on time, why don't you?!"
Kamishiro snarked. In six years, even the freshmen after next year's batch would've graduated!
He'd go from upperclassman to classmate to junior…
Iori: "Naruhodo nai wa!"
Kohei: "Don't use that line unless you're a loli!!!"
"Hahahahahaha!"
Seeing the three of them bickering playfully, everyone else smiled kindly. Thanks to them, the new shop was finally on track.
However, in the midst of the laughter, Chisa remained silently with her head down in the corner.
It was clear that what had happened earlier in the day had affected her.
Even John, sitting nearby, noticed something was off with Chisa and thought she might be feeling unwell, so he told her to take care of herself.
"Hey hey hey! Since it's the last day, how about we all share our most memorable moment?"
Maki was already tipsy. These two weeks had given her a taste of what it felt like to be a senior!
Waaahhh, this was her first time being a senior!
Although new recruits would be coming soon, it wouldn't be her first time anymore!
She decided to relish this last moment of being everyone's senior once more!
Seniors always like to have juniors talk about their work experiences, right?
"The most memorable moment, huh..."
Kamishiro's mind began to replay snippets from the past two weeks.
Diving, working hard, filming promos, flirting with girls, more work, learning shocking things, and even trying to arrange a mother-daughter meeting...
It had truly been a fulfilling two weeks~
Come to think of it, this was way more interesting than staying in Izu.
But if she had to pick the most memorable thing...
Kamishiro: "Getting the phone number for IP (IP Company)!"
That's right!
Thanks to her shameless persistence and unyielding will, she had managed to get a contact number for an executive at IP社 from the manager!
At first, the manager hadn't wanted to give it out, but... he had been tricked by the cameraman!
He originally thought the cameraman just wanted it for learning purposes!
(*っ´∀`)っ
After learning the truth, the manager deeply regretted it. He could already imagine how badly he was going to be laughed at.
He must deduct the cameraman's pay!
Maki's mouth twitched—she couldn't really comment on that. But if Shiro actually managed to make a film...
She would absolutely support her!!!
"And you guys?"
Maki turned her gaze toward Iori and the others—surely the rest of them had more normal memories.
However…
What she saw were three gloomy faces.
Iori: "Seeing Kohei flashing himself on TV…"
Kohei: "Being mistaken for gay…"
Aina: "Learning that men don't split in half from the groin down…"
"..."
Maki was speechless. What the hell were these messed-up stories?!
But thinking about it…
They were pretty unforgettable!
A bit too unforgettable. Judging by their expressions, they clearly didn't want to bring it up again, so Maki turned her gaze toward the still-silent Chisa.
"What about you, Chisa?"
"I…"
Chisa hesitated, then replied seriously, "I realized how hard the job of a diving instructor really is."
A very official answer—so official that even Maki didn't know how to respond.
It kind of killed the mood.
Just as Maki was about to change the topic, Kamishiro spoke up first: "By the way, Maki-san, what were you like when you first started working?"
"Eh? What was I like when I started?"
Maki was briefly stunned, then realized—this was Shiro throwing her a lifeline!
She gave Shiro a look of appreciation.
This kid's got emotional intelligence!
If only she weren't so into flirting with customers, she might've invited her to stay.
"When I started, I was just like you guys—clumsy and fumbling around. I had a supervisor guiding me back then."
Maki scratched her head. Because of her carefree personality, she made plenty of mistakes when she first started working.
The supervisor smiled, reminiscing about what Maki had been like when she first joined.
With a fond look, she said, "Back then, you even mistook someone's gender."
"Oh?"
Shiro and the others looked at Maki with teasing expressions. That was even worse than them!
Even Maki couldn't handle their mocking looks. Blushing, she slammed her fist on the table.
"Shut up! That was just a misunderstanding!
How was I supposed to know that was a boy..."
Honestly, that wasn't her fault, okay? There were just too many trap characters in the world these days.
Everyone burst into good-natured laughter, easily imagining the scene.
"By the way, Maki-neesan, what do you think is the hardest part of the job?"
Iori asked. After two weeks on the job, he had become interested in what it was like to be a diving instructor.
He just wanted to understand better.
It definitely wasn't because he was tempted by what Maki had said about staying—he was definitely going to graduate!!!
"Hm, that's a tough one...
But I'd say the hardest part is keeping a smile on your face at all times."
"Eh?"
Everyone was surprised by this answer. They knew how important smiling was for a diving instructor—the supervisor had told them that before.
But they hadn't expected even Maki to say it was hard. After all, they had always seen her laughing and goofing around.
Smiling should come naturally to Maki.
Seeing their expressions, Maki understood what they were thinking and explained, "What you've seen is just me forcing myself to smile. I'm just an ordinary person—I have times when I can't smile too, you know~"
Shiro and her team could completely relate!
Kohei: "Like when you're hungover!"
Iori: "Or when your friend gets a girlfriend."
Kamishiro: "Or when you get caught doing something naughty—no way you're smiling then."
Aina: "...Can you guys please think of something normal for once?!"
"Haha, very accurate examples."
Maki laughed heartily. With her carefree demeanor, you'd never guess she ever got upset.
The supervisor casually ran a hand through her hair and explained to everyone, "To customers, coming to our shop is a very special day.
But to us, it's just another ordinary day."
"But we still have times when we feel unwell or are in a bad mood~"
"Smiling under those conditions is really difficult."
Shiro and the others understood. In the service industry, you had to smile when your customers were happiest.
But they were human too. It was hard to keep that smile going day after day.
For an average person, maintaining a smile for even a week was an impressive feat.
In fact, in Japan, many people had grown to hate smiling because of work...
Some restaurants even offered slap-in-the-face services.
Damn!
Now they wanted to work as waiters there—even for free!
The supervisor looked at Chisa and said gently, "Chisa, if you take on this job, it'll be really tough for you~"
"...Yeah." Chisa responded gloomily, staring down at the liquor in her cup.
What had happened today had shifted her mindset slightly. She... was starting to doubt herself.
Eventually, Chisa asked the question she'd been holding in.
"Do you guys really think I'm suited for this job?"
Hearing that, both the supervisor and Maki looked awkward.
Based on the past two weeks, Chisa was technically competent as a diving instructor.
But as they had said before—skills could be learned over time.
What was more important was something else.
Something Chisa was currently lacking…
Both women weren't good at lying, and they fumbled to avoid the question.
"Well, um... everyone has a different working style—"
"Not suitable!"
Before they could finish, a cold voice cut them off.
"Manager—!"
The supervisor looked at the shop manager in panic. While what she said wasn't wrong, it was a bit too harsh.
It wasn't like this was something Chisa couldn't overcome—it just required more practice and adaptation.
But Aunt Kotegawa (the manager) didn't care and continued on her own.
"You just love the ocean and diving."
"With your unlikable demeanor and lack of flexibility, I can already imagine how much you'll suffer in the future."
"So, I suggest you find a normal job and keep diving as a hobby."
Aunt Kotegawa's words were brutally blunt, making it clear that she didn't think Chisa was fit for the job.
Seeing this, Kamishiro let out a sigh. She could already foresee what was coming—it was going to get messy…
No, actually… maybe not messy.
Usually, Aunt Kotegawa often pointed out Chisa's flaws, but she had never been this harsh.
It was almost as if... this was her last attempt.
One final effort to get her daughter to give up on this career.
She actually understood how much Chisa loved the ocean and diving—but she didn't want her daughter to dive for work.
She had watched Chisa over the past two weeks. When she was diving, her eyes had none of the usual joy or sparkle.
There was only stiffness and tension…
She didn't want things to be like this.
Bang!
Just as Kamishiro expected.
As soon as Auntie Kusukegawa finished speaking, Chisa slammed the table and stood up, shouting,
"I didn't ask Mom for her opinion!!"
The sudden outburst shocked everyone. Iori and the others stared at Chisa in stunned silence.
No one could remember ever seeing Chisa like this before.
It was as if a wounded deer, whose scars had already crusted over, had them forcibly torn open again.
So full of anger, so full of helplessness—and fear...
Seeing everyone's dumbfounded expressions, Chisa suddenly realized what she'd done and quickly apologized,
"I'm sorry..."
Then she immediately turned around and left.
She just couldn't stay here rationally anymore.
Iori and the others looked at each other, then watched Chisa's retreating back. They politely excused themselves and chased after her.
Letting Chisa wander off alone in this state was just too dangerous.
Kamishiro was the last to leave. Before going, he sighed and said to Auntie Kusukegawa,
"Chisa might resent you for a while."
Auntie Kusukegawa adjusted her glasses, her face still emotionless.
"If she resents me, so be it. If it makes her give up on this idea, that's for the best.
If not... then let her keep resenting me while she continues to work hard."
As she spoke, Auntie Kusukegawa stood up.
Maybe she, too, wanted to find a quiet place to be alone for a while.