“Nngh!”
Hinako grunted as she hoisted a bucket of poppy anemones with both hands. The soil was waterlogged, which made it extra heavy, and she staggered bowlegged to the door. It was almost time to close up shop, so her task was to bring all the products back in for the night.
She set the bucket down in the front of the door and opened it. Then, using her head to keep the door ajar, she bent down to grab the bucket again. This was a skill she had picked up over the past ten months of working at the florist’s. But today the buckets were heavier than usual, and she was really struggling.
Just then, a hand reached out from behind her and opened the door for her.
“Whoa!”
As Hinako lost her balance, water splashed up out of the bucket and onto her apron.
“Sorry!” It was Wasabi. He hastily pulled a towel out of his bag and handed it to her. “Here! I, uh, was meaning to return this to you.”
Wait, what the? It was the very same towel she’d given that firefighter on her first day back… Then it finally clicked.
“That was you?!” Hinako exclaimed. You were the guy who sprayed me with the fire hose?!
“You only just now put that together…?” Wasabi slumped his shoulders.
“I’m sorry! Anyway, no need. It was just a splash,” she shrugged. “So, are you here to buy some flowers?”
“Oh, uh, yeah!”
If the customer was male, there was a 99 percent chance the flowers were a gift for a woman. But while most men chose flowers in red or pink, Wasabi was an exception.
“I hope the recipient likes their flowers,” she told him as she handed him the finished bouquet. But for some reason, he started to panic.
“Oh, uh! Well, she really loves the ocean, so I figured I’d do blue and white, but…maybe that’s kinda dorky…”
“That’s not dorky at all! It’s a wonderful idea.”
“Oh, thank goodness!”
Blue poppies and white roses—both among Hinako’s favorites.
“I notice you don’t have your friends with you today.”
“Huh?”
“You know, that water bottle you’ve been carrying around?”
Hinako’s heart skipped a beat. How did Wasabi know? She averted her gaze. “Well, I’m on the clock, so…”
“Or that giant inflatable porpoise?”
Now that made her panic. “What?! How do you know about that?!”
“Well, I’ve seen you around…at the station, on the street… I wanted to say hi, but it was too awkward because…I mean, you were talking to your water bottle like it was Senpai!” Wasabi took a step closer as he spoke.
“I’m sorry! I was just talking to myself, that’s all!”
“But still…!”
“Uhh, y-you should take your flowers and get going! Before they wilt!”
Changing the subject, Hinako pushed the bouquet into his arms…but for some reason, he turned around and offered them back to her.
“Actually, uh…these are for you.”
“What?! But you said she loves the ocean, and I—”
“I’ve always had feelings for you, deep down!” Wasabi interrupted, blushing. “Don’t you think maybe I could be good for you too?! Couldn’t I make you happy?! I love you, and I want you to be happy!”
Wasabi thrust the flowers firmly in her face. But it was all so sudden—Hinako couldn’t think straight.
“I, uh…I mean…I…I…I’m sorry!”
And with that, Hinako dashed into the staff bathroom and shut the door.
Wasabi’s declaration of love had been completely out of left field. Panicking, Hinako started singing into the toilet.
“I see you there, looking at the water!”
The toilet water bubbled, and Minato quickly appeared. “What’s up, Hinako?”
“It’s Wasabi-san… He…!”
“He what?!” Minato turned white as a sheet. Perhaps his first thought was that Wasabi had been injured in the line of duty.
“He just told me he has feelings for me!” Hinako told him point-blank.
Minato fell silent for a moment and then looked up at her. “Well, how do you feel about it?”
“Me?! I’m only interested in you!”
“But I’m dead, Hinako. I can’t hold your hand, or hug you, or kiss you…”
To be fair, yes, she missed doing all that. Especially since she could remember how nice it felt. But…
“He’s a good guy, you know.”
“Minato…”
“Trust me, I can tell. He’s kindhearted, and sincere, and…”
I can’t believe this. Are you seriously telling me to get with him?! Hinako stared. “Are you listening to yourself right now?! I told you, I’m happy with the way things are now! I can see you whenever I want! Sure, maybe we can’t hug or hold hands, but at least you’re always around! That’s all I need!”
“Hinako, calm down! Your coworker’s looking at you funny!”
“Huh?!”
Hinako looked over at the door, and sure enough, one of the other employees was peering at her through the crack. Crap, I forgot to lock it! She hastily jumped to her feet and remedied her mistake.
“Sorry, I wasn’t thinking…”
“Listen to me, Hinako,” Minato said quietly. “These new waves are going to keep coming at you, one after another. Sure, some of them will be too small to ride, but if you keep hiding in the water, you’ll never move forward.”
Minato’s words weighed heavily on her shoulders.
But by the time Hinako left the bathroom, Wasabi was nowhere to be found…and in his place, the bouquet was lying forgotten on the table.
Hinako dashed out of the flower shop in pursuit of Wasabi.
To be clear, she wasn’t going to date him just because Minato encouraged her to, like some kind of new coffee blend he wanted her to try. But regardless, Wasabi deserved an apology for the awful way she’d gone about shooting him down.
When Hinako reached the main street intersection, she spotted him standing on the bridge, looking out over the river. Judging from the sigh he heaved, he was devastated.
I need to do this the right way.
“Wasa—”
But just then, there was an earsplitting screech, followed by the sound of a hard impact. Near the intersection, a semi-truck had crashed into a small passenger car, which was now on fire.
As Hinako froze in fear, Wasabi ran over to her. “Hinako-san!”
The instant he shielded her, the passenger car exploded.
A few other cars rolled to a stop, and the drivers hopped out.
“Somebody call 119!”
“There’s been an accident!”
The local residents flooded out onto the sidewalk, and it turned into a spectacle.
“The driver hasn’t made it out of the passenger car,” Hinako whispered. Reflexively, she took a step forward. But Wasabi stopped her.
“It’s too late. You can’t save them.”
“But they’re still in there!”
Hinako pushed forward, but Wasabi used his full force to stop her. “It’s not safe!”
“If Minato was here, he would try to save them!” Trapped in Wasabi’s arms, Hinako started singing at the top of her lungs. “I see you there, looking at the water! Glittering sapphire as far as the eye can see!”
“Hinako-san!”
“Bit by bit, you’ll find that its color will change!”
Please, Minato! Please save the driver!
Bubbles rose from the depths of the river, and the water rose up in a high column that crashed into the burning car. With a loud sizzle, the fire was extinguished, and steam rose up in its place.
Moments later, the fire department arrived on the scene; Minato watched them work from inside the rising steam cloud. The passenger car was completely totaled, and when the rescue workers pulled the driver’s body from the wreckage and loaded him onto a stretcher, it was clear he was already gone. Sadly, he had died instantly upon impact.
Human beings were fragile creatures that could lose their lives in an instant—that much Minato knew from firsthand experience. That was what made life so precious.
But just then, a light shone down from the heavens onto the stretcher, and the soul of the victim rose up into the air, as if summoned. Then, as Minato watched this unfold, a light suddenly shone down onto him as well. He felt a tremendous power pulling him upward.
No! Don’t take me! Please! Struggling, he reached out to Hinako and Wasabi below.
“Minato?!” Hinako shrieked.
“What’s wrong?!” Wasabi asked her.
“It’s Minato! I can’t hear his voice!”
Hinako! Minato reached out to her desperately, but to no avail. The light was swallowing him up.
“They’re taking him away! Minato!” Hinako screamed, half-delirious, as Wasabi did his best to hold and soothe her.
“Hinako-san!”
“He’ll vanish!”
“Hinako-san, snap out of it!” Wasabi shook her by the shoulders. “I don’t mean to hurt you, but Senpai is gone, and there’s no such thing as ghosts!”
“You’re WRONG!” Hinako shoved his hands away. “Maybe you can’t see him, but he’s there! In the water! He appears every time I sing—I see him! He’s real, and he’s there! He’s always there!”
“I admit, from the way he loved you, I wouldn’t be surprised if he fought tooth and nail to claw his way back to you.” Wasabi started to reach out to her, but then thought better of it and drew his hand back. “But I know for a fact he wouldn’t want to see you like this!”
Hinako stared back wordlessly. Her chest ached as her mind replayed the last words Minato had spoken to her:
If you keep hiding in the water, you’ll never move forward.
“A long time ago, Senpai told me that you were his hero. Remember how you used to go out and surf the waves all by yourself? You were so strong. What happened to you?”
“I get it, okay? I get it already!” Hinako turned and took off running down the street. Screw this.
“If you keep acting like this, he’ll never be able to pass on!”
I know, I know, I KNOW!
“Hinako-san!”
Wasabi’s voice was all that chased after her.
The front door flew open, and Hinako dashed into her apartment.
“Minato!”
She flipped on the lights and spotted the inflatable porpoise sagging lifelessly on the floor. Hastily, she affixed one end of her hose to the valve and the other end to the bathroom faucet. Slowly but surely, the porpoise straightened back up again.
“I see you there, looking at the water! Glittering sapphire as far as the eye can see!”
Inside, Minato faintly reappeared. “Hina…ko…?”
“I’m so sorry, Minato! I shouldn’t have called for you all those times! Has it been too much for you?”
It probably took a lot of energy to manifest back in the real world. Maybe that was why he was starting to fade away.
“What do I do…? I don’t want you to disappear… I’m so sorry…!” Her pained sobs echoed through the empty apartment.