Dormitory
"That Kotegawa girl really lost it, huh."
"Yeah..."
Everyone was still discussing what had happened at the restaurant.
After spending so much time together, this was the first time they had seen Chisa completely lose her temper.
Not even during the beauty pageant had she shown such emotion.
"Kitahara, do you know anything about what's going on?"
Kohei turned to look at Iori.
Out of all of them, Kitahara was the closest to Chisa—they were "dating," after all.
Not to mention they were technically relatives.
"Eh, how should I know? But given Auntie's personality, there's bound to be friction with Chisa."
Thinking about those two and their personalities, Iori got a bit of a headache. They really were too alike...
"True... Kamishiro, do you know anything?"
Kohei turned to their "brains of the group."
This time, he finally asked the right person—Kamishiro knew almost everything.
But Kamishiro had no intention of saying anything.
He just stood up with a bottle of alcohol in hand and walked toward Chisa's room.
"Leave it to me."
At that moment, Kamishiro's back looked just like the loyal best friend from a justice-driven story.
Kohei: ???
All he wanted was to know what happened! How did things suddenly turn so dramatic...? From the looks of it, Kamishiro was going to try and talk some sense into Chisa.
The three looked at each other. Although they didn't completely understand, they could only hope now that Kamishiro would succeed.
Knock knock knock
"Chisa, I'm coming in, okay?"
Kamishiro knocked on the door. Inside, he heard the rustling of bedsheets and someone turning over.
After a while...
The person inside seemed to realize someone was still outside and said in a muffled voice,
"I'm fine..."
Kamishiro sighed but didn't insist. He just stood at the door and began speaking.
"Some things really should be told to you after all."
He'd hesitated for a long time, but any more hesitation and he might never get another chance.
Originally, he had wanted to keep Auntie Kotegawa's secret—about her ear—if she and Chisa could just talk things through.
After all, Chisa still didn't know. And Kotegawa didn't want her daughter to worry...
But now, he had no choice.
"Let me tell you a story, Chisa."
Leaning against the door, Kamishiro began talking, not caring whether there was a response inside.
"Even professional diving instructors can make mistakes. Not long ago, there was an extremely skilled diving instructor who kept diving despite having unbalanced ear pressure.
Eventually, her left eardrum gave out completely during a dive.
That incident forced her to say goodbye to the career she loved so much.
But she was strong—and excellent. Although she could no longer be a diving instructor, she didn't give up on diving.
She took over a new dive shop instead."
Inside the room, Chisa froze. Her mother's face appeared vividly in her mind.
"Around the time she took over the shop, her daughter came to visit. That daughter who loved the sea and diving with all her heart.
Her dream was also to become a great diving instructor—just like her mother.
Maybe because she loved it so much, the mother saw her younger self in her daughter.
They were so similar. And it was exactly because of that resemblance that the mother didn't want her daughter to become a diving instructor.
She understood how much hardship it involved—physically and emotionally.
She loved her daughter deeply and didn't want her to walk the same painful path. She didn't even dare to tell her daughter about her ear.
Because the reason..."
"Stop..."
Sobbing sounds came from inside the room. Chisa's voice was muffled and helpless as it passed through the wooden door.
From the beginning of the story, she had already guessed who the protagonist was.
But she never expected that something like this had happened to her mother...
Still, Kamishiro's voice continued—calm and steady:
"...was because the injury came from the thing her daughter loved most—diving."
Bang!
In that moment—
Chisa opened the door, red-eyed, and stared at Kamishiro.
"Is... is that true...?"
She still couldn't believe it. The mother who never acknowledged her, who always belittled her, who she saw as an idol—could it really be because of diving...?
Seeing her tear-streaked face, Kamishiro gently nodded.
"The manager told me everything. I think she didn't want you all to worry."
"I have to go find her!"
Chisa stumbled, wanting to rush to the shop to ask her mother directly—if it was all true, she wanted... to hug her.
But—
Kamishiro stopped her.
Under her confused gaze, he handed her a bottle of beer.
"Are you really ready? Or do you just want to run to your mom and cry in her arms right now?"
Chisa froze.
Crying in her mother's arms...
After growing up, she had never even thought about such a thing. Her personality wouldn't allow it.
It was always her sister who loved clinging to their mom.
Suddenly... she felt a bit jealous of her sister.
"Get some rest first. Go find Auntie Kotegawa tomorrow.
Once you've made up your mind, I'm sure she won't turn down her precious daughter crying in her arms—or even crying with a smile~"
Kamishiro teased as he clinked his bottle against the one he handed her.
"Good luck! We'll be waiting for your good news~"
The color returned to Chisa's eyes. She nodded firmly. "Mm!"
Suddenly, she realized something from what Kamishiro had said...
"We?"
"Yeah, we~" Kamishiro smiled. "This house isn't that big, you know~"
Following his gaze down the hallway, Chisa saw three heads sneaking around the corner, eavesdropping.
Caught red-handed, Iori and the others awkwardly came out, scratching their heads.
"Ahaha... We didn't mean to! We just heard noise and thought... maybe a rat? Haha..."
"Yeah! We were just passing by. Just passing by..."
"Damn rats—must be hiding here somewhere!"
Kamishiro: (;¬＿¬)
"Come on. Keep lying. You've already been caught—no need to keep pretending, right?"
"Ehehe..."
The three laughed awkwardly. They were just curious. Curious about what had happened—and how Kamishiro had managed to talk Chisa through it.
They never expected that kind of story.
No wonder sometimes the manager didn't respond when they called her...
"You guys..."
Chisa was a bit dazed. She didn't know how to face them all.
Clink!
Five beer bottles collided together!
Golden liquid sloshed over their hands as the bottles met.
Four big smiling faces greeted her.
"Good luck!"
At that moment, tears sparkled in Chisa's eyes once more.
"Mm!"
The Last Day
Kamishiro and the others got up early to accompany Chisa in finding Aunt Kotegawa. They wanted to be quiet little spectators~
Unfortunately—
Aunt Kotegawa wasn't in the shop due to some work-related matters.
~
The most disappointed was probably Chisa. She had barely slept all night!
She was in a half-asleep daze the whole time.
(っ╥╯﹏╰╥c)
Because she had wanted to see her mom first thing in the morning.
"Hey, don't be sad. Let's go diving together,"
Kamishiro said, patting Chisa on the shoulder to comfort her.
"Diving?!"
Iori and the others perked up, but...
"Isn't it work hours right now?"
"We've still got customers coming…"
Thinking about their customers, Iori and Kohei sighed. They had hoped to spend their last day diving too.
Seeing their gloomy expressions, Kamishiro gave a mysterious smile.
"Don't worry. Today's customers aren't coming!"
???
Iori and Kohei looked at him like he was an idiot. Had the work stress finally broken him?
Kamishiro: "What's with those looks…"
Iori: "It's nothing. You should probably take a break."
Kohei: "If you're dreaming, save it for nighttime."
Kamishiro: "You guys still don't believe me. Just now, Maki-san told me—today's reserved customers are all in the hospital due to food poisoning. That means—we don't have any customers today!"
"Eh?!" ×3
Everyone turned in disbelief toward Maki. Could something so dramatic really be true?!
Maki smiled and nodded, "Since we already brought the gear out, let's go diving together!"
"Yay!!!"
?(≧∀≦)?
It was kind of unethical, but to those customers they had never even met—your food poisoning couldn't have come at a better time!!!
…
Swimming in the sea really is something that lifts your spirits.
Different scenery from the first day, but the same feeling.
As they admired the beauty beneath the waves, the five of them couldn't help but smile.
This time—
They were simply enjoying the dive!
On the way back, the supervisor walked up to Chisa.
"That's a really nice expression you've got there~"
"Eh?"
Chisa, who was looking at the underwater photos she had just taken, blinked in surprise, a bit slow to react.
"This time, you're truly enjoying diving."
Chisa felt dazed for a moment. She looked down at the group photo in her hand and naturally smiled.
"Yeah!"
…
Back at the shop—
Aunt Kotegawa was already back in the office working.
Seeing this—
Chisa's heart, which had just been relaxed by the dive, grew tense again.
She tiptoed up to the door, hesitating.
She definitely planned to go in—but how should she even start? She still hadn't figured that out…
Just as she was about to wait a bit longer to gather her thoughts, her friends didn't give her that chance.
Several naughty hands gave her a push straight into the room.
Chisa turned around in shock and saw four sneaky grinning faces.
(?ω<)★
You got this!
Σ(っ °Д °;)っ
She wasn't ready yet!
When she tried to flee, it was too late—Kamishiro swiftly shut the door behind her with a loud bang, drawing Aunt Kotegawa's attention.
Seeing Chisa standing at the door, a look of surprise crossed her face.
"Chisa?"
"M-Mom…"
Seeing that familiar face, for some reason, the tension in Chisa's heart began to fade.
"Is something wrong?"
Behind her sunglasses, a flicker of curiosity passed through Aunt Kotegawa's eyes. She thought she had seen Kamishiro and the others outside the door. What were those kids up to this time?
Chisa took a deep breath. First of all, she wanted to apologize for losing her temper the day before.
"I'm sorry, Mom… for blowing up at you yesterday…"
A glint of understanding passed through her mother's eyes.
So that's what this is about…
She had also reflected on it herself yesterday. But that was as far as it went—she wasn't good at expressing her emotions.
Despite the harsh things she had said yesterday, she hadn't expected Chisa to actually apologize. It showed growth.
Aunt Kotegawa's voice softened slightly, though it still had that cool tone,
"I didn't take it to heart… If there's nothing else, you can go."
She turned back to resume her work.
"Wait… there's one more thing. It's about your ear…"
Aunt Kotegawa froze mid-motion, looking toward the door.
Through the glass, she could vaguely see the bangs of a few little brats.
She sighed, then put a lollipop in her mouth.
"Kamishiro, that sly little brat told you, didn't he?"
"…Yeah…"
Realizing her mom had figured it out, Chisa nodded. She opened her mouth to say something—
But her mom cut her off.
"It's a minor issue. Just a punishment for pushing myself too hard."
"How can it be a minor issue?!"
Tears welled up in Chisa's eyes.
"Clearly, clearly you love diving so much… You love being a diving instructor…"
Aunt Kotegawa looked dazed for a moment. Staring at Chisa, she saw a glimpse of her younger self.
"So even if your future ends up like mine, you still want to be a diving instructor?"
Diving instructors often work according to the needs of their clients—which is why she had kept going despite the pain.
Chisa froze. Eardrum injuries…
But she didn't hesitate for long. Her gaze grew firm.
"I still want to be a diving instructor!
Please let me try. I'm begging you!"
Chisa bowed deeply. She understood now how much her mother cared, but…
She still wanted her mother's acknowledgment.
To prove she could do it!
"Ahh…"
Aunt Kotegawa sighed and walked over to Chisa, patting her head.
"You silly girl. This is when you should be saying, 'I'll be prepared and make sure I won't get hurt.'"
"Eh?!"
Chisa looked stunned. Before she could react, a lollipop was stuffed into her mouth.
"Good luck!"
In that moment—
A radiant smile blossomed across Chisa's face like never before.
Her mom… had acknowledged her!!!
She completely missed her mom walking past her out the door.
Soon after—
A scream came from outside.
"Wait… Aunt Kotegawa, this is a misunderstanding! Chisa figured it out herself!
Ahhhhhh!
Don't hit my head, future mother-in-law!
I'll never do it again!"
Chisa finally remembered—
She had totally sold out Kamishiro…
(;´＿｀)
Judging by the screams, he was getting it pretty bad.
That Night
To celebrate and make up for it, Chisa hosted a huge drinking party in the dorm!
The result of that was…
They almost missed their flight the next day.
Thankfully, Aunt Kotegawa had foreseen this and kicked them all up off the floor.
"If you miss the flight, you can pay for it with two weeks' worth of wages!"
"NOOO!!!"
…
On the Plane
Chisa fiddled with the earplugs in her hands, a blissful smile on her face.
She had finally received her mother's approval.
The earplugs were a gift from her mom.
In the row in front of Chisa, Kamishiro was also in high spirits. At that moment, he was counting money while drooling.
Hehehe, other people's salaries really do smell sweet~
All of this? Promised to him by Iori earlier!
Right next to him, Iori stared blankly into space—not because he regretted the money.
Money, after all, could potentially be swindled back from Kamishiro somehow. What really broke his heart was… his precious lewd book!!!
That lewd book that Maki-senpai had gifted him!!!
He had forgotten it in the rush to catch the plane!
(っ╥╯﹏╰╥c)
My precious lewd book…
Nighttime
Aunt Kotegawa, exhausted from a busy day, had just laid down when the sound of her phone rang out, startling her.
Seeing "Nanaka" displayed on the screen, her usually cool expression cracked a little.
It felt like… she was dealing with someone she was completely helpless against.
She already had a hunch about what her eldest daughter was going to say the moment she answered.
Sigh…
Still clinging to a sliver of hope, Aunt Kotegawa chose to answer.
What if…
She just wanted to ask about Chisa?
Unfortunately—
There was no such luck.
The moment she answered, her daughter's anxious voice exploded in her ear.
"Mom! Mom! Mom!"
"How's your ear?!?"
"Did you go see a doctor? Did you—did you—"
Aunt Kotegawa silently pulled the phone away from her ear. This daughter of hers… was way too noisy—exactly like her father!
And that brat!
A certain sleazy grin flashed through her mind—Kamishiro again.
Once she got back to Japan, she was definitely going to give that brat a proper punishment!
What a pain…
Though she grumbled aloud, even she didn't notice—
Her lips had curled into a smile.