"We look forward to your next visit!"
Bowing to see off all the guests, Kotegawa Chisa waved goodbye to the most difficult local uncle, her heart still thumping wildly.
There was no doubt she was doing things she had never done before—fake smiling, lying, and catering to personalities. This was a situation that would never happen with the regulars at Grand Blue.
Fortunately, it seemed her attempt was a success... right?
"Floor Manager... did I do it right? Why did I feel so unlike myself just now?"
"Hmm... whether it was right or wrong depends on your own judgment, Chisa. But your dream is to become a dive guide like Nanaka, isn't it?"
Tapping her cheek as she noted the rookie's growth and confusion, the Floor Manager closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them, her gaze met the vast sea of stars slowly lighting up the sky.
Raising her hand high, framing the beauty between her fingers, she explained with a smile: "Service and the self are not the same thing. If Chisa wants to share the joy of diving with more people..."
She reached out and took Chisa's small hand, gently pressing it against her own chest. "You must listen with your heart. You must accept everyone's differences and give them the specific joy they want most. Only then comes the diving!"
"But shouldn't the diving be the most important part?"
Chisa felt a stir of emotion, but she still turned her head sharply, looking at the Floor Manager with a serious gaze!
Take the situation just now: although the problem was perfectly resolved and the guest gave her a high rating, that man had insulted Yuu and Maki. It was clearly his fault for ignoring safety, yet he pushed the blame onto others. Was that kind of behavior really supposed to be allowed?
"Well~ to reiterate, we are in the service industry. If you choose this path to define your future, you should be prepared to endure some grievances!"
Gently tapping Chisa's nose, the Floor Manager laughed and turned her "piggy nose" toward the side. There, Miyazawa Yuu and Imamura Kohei were supporting each other as they shakily walked off the boat, still looking traumatized.
As for Maki, the moment she got off the boat, she charged into the shop, fell to her knees, and hugged Kotegawa Sayaka's legs while wailing!
The latter tried to shake off the "barnacle" twice but failed, eventually pointing toward the changing room with an annoyed scold. Maki immediately thanked her a thousand times and sprinted inside.
"Nobody cares about the insults, Chisa, because we are serving! Once you put on this uniform, the guest's subjective experience comes first."
Stretching out her hands to pull up the corners of Chisa's mouth, the Floor Manager smiled. "Diving is the process; joy and enjoyment are the goals. If you pursue the diving so intensely that you ignore the person's feelings, isn't that putting the cart before the horse?"
"Did I... put the cart before the horse?"
Standing still in a daze, Kotegawa Chisa had loved diving from the very beginning and was dedicated to sharing it as a hobby equally with everyone.
But what she hadn't understood was that a dive guide is more than just making friends. Unlike scumbags like Miyazawa Yuu who were tricked into PaB, a guide faces many more strangers!
They might put on a wetsuit with the same thoughts, but before they become friends, they are first guests seeking enjoyment...
"Great job! Chisa, I didn't think you had it in you!"
"Really? I only... I was just mimicking the Floor Manager's way of treating guests?"
"Yeah, you already feel like a very mature dive guide!"
Laughing and frantically ruffling Chisa's hair, Kujo Maki didn't have the Floor Manager's brains, nor could she deliver profound life lessons.
But the candid girl was very good at expressing her feelings. Chisa had bailed her out, so she was happy. It was that simple!
"And besides, didn't that guest say it himself!"
Assuming a haughty, old-fashioned posture, she pouted and chopped the air with her hands to mimic the man's muttering: "Finally, a normal guide! Thank goodness!"
"Pffft! Maki, you can't just mock the guests!"
Unable to hold back her laughter at Maki's ridiculous impression, the Floor Manager delivered a "hand-sword" chop to Maki's head, turning her three lumps into a symmetrical 2+2!
"Hey! Those were his exact words!"
Baring her white teeth in annoyance, Maki shouted her grievances to the heavens even while under "sanction"!
"I'm just repeating it! After all, I'm just a 'highly incompetent guide with a backward T-shirt'~ right, Backward Underwear Hero?"
"Is your mouth only capable of saying things that endanger other people's lives?"
Kneeling before his mother-in-law to clearly articulate his mistakes, Miyazawa Yuu had just earned the "reward" of being used as a footstool by the angry Manager after promising he would never again make Nanaka unable to get out of bed.
Being dissed at his lowest point, the veins on his forehead throbbed as he glared sinisterly at Maki, already calculating how to throw her into the sea without attracting police attention.
"But Chisa did a great job. You've already got half of my flair. With time, you'll be a legend."
"..."
With one small attempt, Chisa had received triple approval from her manager, her colleague, and her partner. A shackle in her mind that hadn't been broken for a long time loosened slightly.
But before her full "awakening," she instinctively walked up to her mother and looked up timidly across the reception desk.
The laughing and joking voices nearby temporarily ceased. Over the past few days, everyone could see the tension between Chisa and her mother, and they all hoped for a perfect resolution...
"..."
The mother and daughter locked eyes. Kotegawa Sayaka opposed Chisa being a dive guide for two reasons.
One was her personality. An iceberg like herself being a guide would just be asking for misery—but now Chisa was trying to change her style.
As for the second point...
Her left hand slowly rose to her ear. Diving isn't without risk. It was enough for Nanaka and her husband to inherit the family business; there was no need for her second daughter to also...
"Eek!"
Halfway through her thought, Sayaka suddenly felt her ankle being grabbed. Startled, she looked down to see Miyazawa Yuu whistling innocently.
"Whew-whew-whew..."
"If you can't even make a sound, don't whistle!"
She delivered a sharp stomp to his lower back. Her eyes were cold—she hadn't even settled the score for what he did to Nanaka yet, and he dared to meddle now? He had a death wish!
But thanks to his interference, the silence was broken. Even as an iceberg, she had to say something.
"Sigh... you did well, Chisa. At least you didn't blow it this time..."
"What Auntie means is: 'You did a spectacular job, Chisa, you are my pride.' Right, Yuu?!"
"Heh! Spot on~"
Lifting his hands off the floor, maintaining his "footstool" posture purely through core strength, Yuu gave a light laugh and gave two thumbs-up toward the source of the voice!
"Iori?!"
Turning around to see Iori leaning weakly against the doorframe trying to look cool, Chisa was genuinely shocked. The guy had looked like he couldn't even get out of bed this morning!
He was really pushing himself just to coordinate with Yuu! But...
A sweet smile bloomed on her face again. Chisa kept her gaze on Iori, while her body gratefully bowed 120 degrees toward her mother with her hands over her chest!
"Thank you very much for your affirmation! Manager!"
"Oh~ calling her 'Manager' now. Looks like you've truly recognized your status as a dive guide employee! Congratulations~"
With stars in her eyes, Maki clapped silently. She was truly happy that Chisa got the Manager's approval!
And Chisa's smile was clearly adorable! At least Iori would never—
"Blegh... sorry. Even though Kohei warned me, I still couldn't hold it back..."
"Are you bastards from PaB cursed?! Is 'vomiting at the sight of Chisa's smile' some kind of local urban legend?!"
Maki rushed forward and grabbed Iori's collar, shaking the bastard frantically with angry tears. The touching atmosphere was ruined!
"Hehe~ it's okay, Maki."
Gently embracing Maki's shoulders, Chisa straightened her back, seemingly not bothered at all by Iori's failure to stay cool. Instead, she shook her head gently at Kujo Maki.
"But Chisa!"
"It's okay. When dealing with scumbags like this, one must never use the weapon of words!"
"Eh?"
Maki watched blankly as Chisa walked past her. Then, a scream erupted from Iori under Chisa's hands. Her indignation instantly vanished, replaced by a deep sense of pity.
Five minutes later, having been stripped of his gear and securely tied to the shop's flagpole with a safety rope, Kitahara Iori remained unphased. Adapting perfectly, he continued to remind everyone:
"Also, today is the last day. Nanaka-san said we're going to have a feast together. Make sure everyone shows up!"