On each and every floor, firefighters battled the blaze…until the moment a mysterious phenomenon occurred.
“Whoa!”
“What’s happening?!”
A large mass of water traveled up the building, exuding clouds of steam as it extinguished the pillar of fire. It engulfed the firefighters, flushed them outside the building, and carried them up with it.
When it arrived at Wasabi’s floor, he watched in awe as the giant burning tree fizzled out. Then the steam faded away, and Minato’s playful grin appeared in the water.
“Looks like you’re a real pro now.”
Senpai?! Wasabi could see Minato, clear as day. So Hinako-san wasn’t delusional after all!
“I’m proud to see how far you’ve come. Don’t worry about the two upstairs—I’ll rescue them.” Tossing up shakas with both hands, Minato floated up and away.
Senpai!
A rush of water flooded Wasabi’s feet, and he was swiftly engulfed in the torrent. As it rose, he swam down to the bottom, popped his feet out, and landed on his butt on dry land once again. The other firefighters had gone through the same training he had, so it was likely they had escaped the water the same way.
“The fire is under control. A large mass of water is ascending the building and dousing the tree,” the commander reported into his lapel radio as he gazed up at the steaming building from the street below. “Source unknown.”
When the water reached the fifteenth-floor terrace, Youko straightened up in alarm.
“Youko-chan, we’re going into the water for a bit,” said Hinako. “But don’t worry—your brother will be with us.”
The two girls took a deep breath…and a moment later, the water engulfed them.
“Are you hanging in there, little blue-ringed octopus?” asked Minato.
Youko took one look at her brother’s ghost, and her almond-shaped eyes widened.
Oniichan! She tried to speak, but only bubbles left her lips. Grimacing, she clasped a hand to her throat.
“Say hi to Mom and Dad for me.”
Say hi to them yourself, you jerk! After all the water Youko had inhaled, she was on the verge of suffocating.
Minato turned to Hinako and gestured upwards. There, several pool stretchers floated on the water’s surface; he had borrowed them from the athletic club on his way up here. Hinako nodded firmly. Got it.
With Youko in her arms, Hinako swam up to the surface, where they gasped for breath. The ceiling was mere inches above their heads.
“Youko-chan, climb on!”
Hinako pulled Youko onto the stretcher using the same technique she’d learned in the Lifeguard Club. With Youko on her stomach, Hinako climbed on top of her and started paddling for the stairs.
“Right! Left! Right! Left!”
As soon as they made it to the stairwell, the water flooded the room as it continued to rise. They weren’t going to make it.
“We’re going back into the water! Hold your breath!”
But when they submerged, Minato was waiting for them.
“Once this water reaches the top of the building, it’ll crash back down like a wave…and you’re going to ride it,” he explained as they rose up along the extinguished tree. “We’re almost outside now. Youko, hold on tight!”
The mass of water reached the roof of the building and rushed outwards, like the eruption of a volcano.
“Almost time!”
The current was moving faster and faster. They shot past Minato.
“Three, two, one…!”
Then the pool stretcher flew off into the open air. Youko screamed.
“Hinako! Paddle, paddle, paddle!” Minato called from the water.
“Here I go!” With a hard look in her eyes, Hinako steeled herself for the roller coaster of a lifetime.
“Now get on your feet and ride your wave!”
Time for the takeoff! Hinako passed through tube after tube, nailing each turn at breakneck speed. As she glided down the water, she reached into the tube wall so she could hold Minato’s hand. Now they could ride this wave together.
The stretcher flew out into the air as she pulled off an aerial, and when Hinako landed back on the water, another wave engulfed them. Fortunately they made it through, but the board was moving faster than her body, and Hinako lost her balance.
Crap! I’m gonna fall off!
Right as the world threatened to turn topsy-turvy, Hinako felt Youko grab her ankle and pull it back down to the board. With her help, Hinako managed to recover.
“Thank you, Youko-chan!”
Youko smirked in response. Evidently she was starting to enjoy this night surfing excursion.
The stretcher descended farther and farther, spinning in little circles as it went. Minato smiled from the tube wall as he watched Hinako fly free.
“Thank you, Hinako.” Minato reached out to her as the distance between them grew. “You’re my hero.”
His gentle voice disappeared beneath the waves.
As the girls slid to a stop on the ground, Wasabi ran over to them.
“Youko-chan! Thank God!”
Massive relief was written all over his face. Clearly he’d found the girl that truly mattered to him.
Hinako shifted Youko into his arms and then looked back up at the building, where a golden light shone down onto the roof from the clouds above.
I guess this is where we say goodbye, huh?
Bathed in blinding light, Minato rose into the sky, holding out twin shakas—a gesture Hinako returned in kind.
Goodbye, Minato.
And as he vanished into the light, Hinako saw him off with a smile.