The next day, Hinako paid a visit to the campus recreation center. As it turned out, there were a lot of different sports teams and liberal arts clubs at her college. Maybe she would have noticed sooner if she weren’t always so hyper-focused on surfing.
“Interested in lifeguard training?”
As she looked over the posters and photos on the bulletin board, it just so happened that she was called out to by the captain of the very club she was looking to visit: the Lifeguard Club.
“Our club attracts people from all walks of life, from seasoned surfers to folks who can’t swim. And while we’d love it if everyone could learn how to rescue people from the water, our main focus is on accident prevention,” the captain explained as he led Hinako to their clubroom. “For some people, their goal is just to get certified. Others compete in lifeguarding events.”
He showed her the storage room where they kept their canoes and surfboards. Then he brought her into the clubroom and showed her their extensive collection of life vests, stretchers, and other lifesaving equipment. They were so well-equipped, they seemed less like a casual college club and more like a full-scale organization.
“The guy-to-girl ratio is about 60-40. In the summer we go on club trips to patrol the beach, and we take part in those competitions I mentioned too.”
The reason Minato had never sent his last message was probably because he stopped to rescue that drowning man before hitting Send…
On the train home from her parents’ place, Hinako had done a Google search for “jobs that help people.” A lot of results had popped up: lawyer, teacher, certified caregiver, police officer, social worker, firefighter…and lifeguard.
According to the internet, she would need to study a lot of different subjects to get her certification: lifeguarding, beach safety, surf lifesaving, emergency first aid, CPR, and more. And since studying wasn’t her favorite thing in the world, this was quite possibly a massive hurdle to overcome. But hey—even Minato had been able to overcome his poor swimming skills in order to be a firefighter, right?
Like a sea turtle, I’ll just have to chase after him…right into the ocean.
✦ ✦ ✦
Wasabi jogged along the beachside road. With each breath, sweat dripped down his body. If only it were that easy to get the heartbreak out of his system, but alas. As worried as he was, Hinako had rejected his help…
“Hey, loser!” a cheerful voice called. He looked up to find Youko waving at him up ahead, wearing a short-sleeved hoodie and shorts. “You train on your days off too?”
She poured some beans into a coffee grinder and started cranking the handle. This was Minato’s coffee-making equipment, which Youko had chosen to inherit as a memento. She used his drip-brewing method to make coffee for the two of them.
Minato had always been such a coffee geek. Wasabi must have heard him ramble about beans and brewing and all that nonsense a dozen times.
“I check the fire hydrants as often as I can, because the city likes to move them around a lot, and the next thing I knew, it just sorta…turned into a jogging routine. Not that it’s even my job to check ’em.”
“Oniichan used to patrol the city too. ‘An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,’ as he always put it.”
“Man, he was one hell of a guy, wasn’t he? I’ll never be like him, no matter how hard I try.”
“Of course not.”
“Right…” Wasabi let out a dry laugh. I’ll never win Hinako-san’s love. She would sooner choose a water spirit over me.
Honestly, the battle for her heart had been settled during the fire at her apartment complex, when Wasabi arrived at the rooftop just in time to see Minato carry her away.
“What made you decide to be a firefighter, Wasabi?” Youko asked.
“Isn’t it obvious? Because fire trucks are badass! I always wanted to learn how to drive one, y’know?”
“That’s not the first reason that comes to my mind, but all right.” Laughing, she handed him his coffee.
“Thanks.”
“Sugar’s in here.” Youko gestured to a plastic container with raw sugar inside.
“Maybe I should’ve thought harder before committing my whole life to this career. Want some?” After adding sugar to his own drink, Wasabi added some to Youko’s too.
“Ah…!”
“I always considered myself athletic, but man, this job really takes a physical toll on you…” This was something Wasabi struggled with all through firefighting academy, and it hadn’t improved since he was formally hired. Minato had always been his one source of encouragement at work. Without him, Wasabi probably would have quit the force a long time ago.
“No matter how much effort I put in, I’ll never be like Senpai was. I can’t save lives… I’m just not cut out to be a firefighter.” Wasabi took a sip of his coffee and frowned. “Not strong enough.”
“You can say that again,” Youko replied with a scowl.
Oh. Maybe I should’ve put more sugar in hers. Wasabi winced. “Sorry… I’m not a coffee expert like Senpai was.”
“Will you shut up about my stupid brother?! You don’t have to be like him! You can just be yourself!”
Wasabi hadn’t expected Youko to reassure him like this, so he floundered for a moment. “I can’t believe it… You actually said something nice for a change…”
“Don’t you get it, you idiot?! I’m just repeating your own words right back at you!”
“Huh?”
“Remember that time when my mom was comparing me to my brother? You stood up for me and said I was fine just the way I was.”
Wasabi vaguely remembered this. It was that one night when he had been invited to dinner at the Hinageshi house.
“I’m not a workaholic, and I’m not a social butterfly—but you made me feel like maybe I don’t have to be! That’s how I found the strength to go back to school! You changed my life, Wasabi!”
“I did…?” He hadn’t even put that much thought into what he said; at the time, he had simply spoken his mind. “So I do have the power to help people…?”
He balled his hands into fists. Not strong enough, my ass.
“Thank you, Youko-chan! I’m gonna keep trying!” he exclaimed, triumphantly raising his fists into the air.
For the briefest of moments, he thought he saw her smile sweetly—but he must have been seeing things, because a split-second later, she was scowling again.
“Anyway, I gotta get to work. You sit there and enjoy your coffee. Just bring all my stuff back to the café when you’re done with it.”
“Huh?” Her mood swing was so sudden, Wasabi didn’t know how to react.
Then Youko spun on her heel. “And for your information, that was the moment I fell for you! And now I’m madly in love with you!” she shouted at the top of her lungs. She turned and started running—then turned back a second time. “I’m rooting for you, birdbrain!”
With that, she finally dashed off, her face beet-red.
Youko-chan…is in love with me…? Stunned, Wasabi turned back to his coffee and drank it in silence, staring into space. For some reason, it tasted a lot sweeter than he remembered…