They pulled into the parking lot. Atop the car, Hinako’s weathered old shortboard and Minato’s brand-new longboard were nestled together like a couple of lovebirds.
“I see you went out and bought your own,” Hinako commented. At a glance, she could tell he’d carefully chosen an affordable board appropriate for his height. And he had a porpoise decal too! While hers was a full-body porpoise, his was just the face, complete with an angelic little smile.
“I figured it would help motivate me to learn.”
Minato unstrapped his board from the rack and pulled it down. The thing was twenty pounds and more than nine feet long, but he hefted it like it barely weighed an ounce. He seemed a bit on the lanky side compared to Hinako’s mental image of a burly firefighter, but evidently he was in better shape than she thought.
“Besides, I’ve been wanting to put this surfboard rack to use.”
That kinda made him sound like a poser, but Hinako appreciated his honesty.
Here in the springtime, the beach was practically empty on a weekday. Only a handful of surfers had awoken from their winter hibernation. Plus, the waves were only waist-high at most.
Perfect.
Once Hinako finished changing into her yellow bikini, she stood outside the men’s changing room and waited for Minato to return. And when he did…
“Whoa! A full wetsuit!”
Indeed, he was covered from head to toe in black neoprene rubber. Clearly, he was taking this very seriously.
“Dude, you look hot! You’re gonna be a pro surfer in no time!”
Hinako threw up a shaka, and Minato scratched his head sheepishly.
Paddling: the foundation of surfing.
After Hinako’s long lecture on the beach about proper surfing stances and the importance of aligning one’s center of gravity with the board, they started by paddling their boards out into the water while lying on their bellies. Sink or swim, as they say.
Together, they floated side by side as Hinako taught Minato the essential steps of paddling. Keep your head raised and look into the distance to maintain your balance. Make sure the board stays parallel to the water’s surface.
“Lift your chest up! Now paddle, paddle, paddle!”
Minato was a surprisingly fast learner; he quickly mastered the most efficient strokes. Straddling their boards, they waited in an empty spot for a wave to come.
At last, it was time to practice the takeoff. To do so, they needed to locate the wave’s peak—the most powerful part, where the whitewater was located—and try to catch it. Hinako sat perfectly still, scanning the waves and giving instructions to Minato.
“Paddle, paddle, paddle, paddle! Then jump up onto your feet!”
“Whoa!”
“Paddle, paddle! Pull your legs in and bounce up!”
“Aack!”
Every time Minato tried to stand, he slipped and fell into the water instead. He was clearly trying his damnedest—or maybe he was just desperate. Floundering in the water, he moved both arms in sync, like a butterfly stroke, as he paddled.
“Paddle, paddle, paddle! All right, hop up! Stay balanced!”
“Gah!”
The waves continued to elude him. Sometimes he couldn’t make the turn in time, while other times he failed to paddle hard enough.
“Good, good! Get up! You got it, you got it! I know you got it this time!”
Unfortunately, that was not the case. The wave slipped past Minato, and he splashed headfirst into the water. But for a first-timer, he was doing incredibly well. Even those with the most gifted of reflexes generally struggled with this first takeoff…but those who mastered it could master surfing itself.
Around noon, the pair returned to dry land, where Minato stripped off the top half of his wetsuit and gasped for breath.
“You okay?” Hinako asked, peering at his face.
“I’ll…haah…try harder…haah…after lunch…”
He looked frustrated—a feeling she could understand, especially since he’d gone to all the trouble of buying his own board. They sat there for a few minutes until Minato caught his breath; then he unloaded some stuff out of the car, including a portable camping stove and a kettle.
“I’ll make us some coffee.”
While they waited for the water to boil, Minato took out a portable coffee grinder and started grinding up some beans. Hinako could scarcely believe it.
“You grind your own beans?!” She’d only ever had canned coffee—or instant, if she was lucky. As he continued to grind away, a rich fragrance rose into the air. Hinako flared her nostrils, taking it in. “That smells incredible…!”
“I made this blend to complement the flavor of the sandwiches,” Minato explained as he poured the coffee grounds into a filter. Then, as he poured the hot water on top, the grinds began to swell.
“Whoa…!”
“When you brew fresh coffee grounds, they release carbon dioxide, which causes them to expand, like so.” Minato poured the water in a circular motion, starting from the center and slowly moving outwards.
“Seems complicated!”
Minato’s skills and knowledge were on par with those of a professional barista. He poured the steaming hot coffee into a large mug and then handed it to Hinako.
Holy crap! The flavor’s so much better than instant!
Next, Minato took out a carton of eggs and cracked them into a bowl. He added a little dashi soup stock and gently mixed it all together with a whisk. What was he making this time? He seemed to sense her curiosity.
“It’s for egg sandwiches.”
Minato pulled out a rectangular tamagoyaki frying pan and set it on the heat. The egg mixture sizzled as he poured it in. Then, once the edges started to bubble, he used a pair of chopsticks to stir it around, applying heat evenly. Meanwhile, he arranged four slices of bread side by side in a square and spread mustard and mayonnaise onto them.
What a multi-tasker! thought Hinako. “Hinageshi-san, you’re so good at everything! Are you Superman or what?”
They were only four years apart. Would she be this competent at adulting once she made it to his age?
With a quick flip of his pan, Minato folded the eggs in half, then placed this thick rolled omelet onto one half of the bread. He flipped the other slices on top and then got to work cutting it all into finger sandwiches with his knife.
“Whoaaaa!” Hinako was completely wowed. No way am I letting this guy see my sad attempt at omurice.
Meanwhile, Minato explained that firefighters were required to be on standby at all times in case of emergencies and therefore cooked their own meals at the station instead of going out to eat.
Above them, a black kite screeched as it rode the updrafts in a lazy circle, like a surfer of the skies. Hinako sat and waited patiently, and soon the finger sandwiches were ready. She opened her mouth wide and took a huge bite of hers. Her eyes flew open. Holy crap, this is incredible! The eggs are so fluffy! And the mustard goes with it perfectly!
“Y’know, back when you saved me from the fire, I thought to myself, ‘You’re a total hero, Hinageshi-san,’” Hinako gushed through a mouthful of food.
“Nah, I’m nothing special,” Minato replied with a sheepish smile. “And I’d like it if you called me Minato, because I’d like to call you Hinako.”
Wha?! Hinako’s face flushed red, all the way to her ears. After what he had just said to her, surely anyone would react the same way…or was it because it was coming from a guy like him? On second thought, maybe that was the bigger reason.
But it was right as she let her guard down that tragedy struck.
“WHOA!”
Out of nowhere, the kite swooped down and absconded with Hinako’s sandwich like it was a baby bunny.
“My food!”
Behind them, a sign read BEWARE OF KITES: WILL ATTACK ANYTHING THAT MOVES.
Alas, Hinako only had eyes for Minato.