Dolphin Girl

I am, Izumi Hana. Just a normal girl, living in Ryusejima.

It’s been a couple days since our trip to the secret beach.

A lot happened that day, and those 2 days weren’t anywhere near enough to process it all.

I cannot remember how long I had these feelings for Yukio. But what I do know, is that they’re genuine. But I have to admit, I was scared to act on them. Scared that, if Yukio rejected me, then things would never be the same between us.

But, to my delight, everything worked out and now me and Yukio are officially dating.

I know it won’t always be rainbows and sunshine, and that our time together is limited, but I’m gonna try and live in the present. Just like Yukio told me to.

And we’ll deal with what comes after, when the time is right.

What comes after…

…

I’ll try to make the most of our time together!

Another day, another shift…

I think to myself, as I wash the last of the glasses I served this morning.

It may be another day, but today is special. Because right now, I have a girlfriend.

I never imagined myself in a relationship like this, truth be told. Back at Tokyo, I was too apathetic to even try and look at someone that way. Of course, I wanted to be popular, but there’s a fine line between popularity and interest in romance.

But with this girl… with Hana, I feel different. Different in a good way. I want to try and see for myself, how this thing between us will go. And when the time comes for me to leave, well… we’ll see about that.

Am I in love? I must be, right?

For now, I just wanna see her.

“Woop!” And just as if God himself, has answered my prayers, the ever-energetic girl next door, jumps over the railing of the terrace, landing soundly on her feet like a cat.

I chuckle to myself, wiping my hands with a towel, while walking out to the terrace to greet her.

“The perfect girlfriend is here!” Hana smiles at me, saluting like a soldier.

Finding a clear opening for teasing, I walk past her and lean over the railing, looking around as if I’m searching for something.

“Really? I don’t see one…” I voice.

“Ey!” And as I’m leaning over the railing, one special Hana kick is enough to send me over the top.

“Woah!” I turn over the railing on my stomach, and fall with my back on a pile of greenery, that thankfully cushion my fall.

Thanks for the assist, Mother Nature…

“Hey!” I shoot up from a bush, glaring at Hana.

“Heh, how did you like my ultimate technique, Perfect Girlfriend Kick?!” My mischievous girlfriend crosses her arms over her chest, a proud grin plastered across her face.

“Oh, now you’re asking for my Angry Boyfriend Forehead flick!” I declare, jumping over the railing, and landing on my feet with a thud.

“Eep!” Hana decides to go on the defensive and cover her forehead with both her palms, yelping at my menacing stare. “First, you take my first time, and now you’re abusing me?!” Hana sniffles, trying to guilt-trip me with false accusations.

“I did whaaaaat?!” I shout in bewilderment.

What is this girl saying first thing in the morning?!

“HE DID WHAAT?!”

Uh oh…

And that was none other than the devil himself.

“Grandma! She’s only joking!” I put my hands up in mock surrender, before I turn to glare at Hana, who’s now smiling from ear to ear instead of fake-crying.

You little demon…

“You useless brat! What did you do to Hana-chan?!” My grandma stomps her way out to the terrace, getting her kitchen knives ready.

“Hana, tell her!” I try to get my girlfriend on my side, before I’m full of stabbing holes.

“But you were my first…” Hana blushes furiously, her gaze falling at her feet.

“PHRASING!” I exclaim, as I see the end approaching.

“YOU BRAAAAT!” My grandma is now visibly boiling with pure rage.

“I DON’T WANNA DIEEEE!”

(Incidentally, Hana was talking about her first KISS.)

“Yukio!”

“What now?!” I ask clearly irritated, holding an ice pack over a fresh bump on my head. I’m honestly thankful I only got away from my grandma’s rage with just a bump. But I could have avoided it all together if…

I glare at the oblivious Hana over my shoulder.

“Today, we’re going on an adventure!” But Hana declares enthusiastically.

“Why do I feel like I’ve heard that one too many times…?” I mutter, and turn to look at her beaming smile.

How can I say no, to THAT?

Defeated, I sigh, deciding to indulge her.

“So, are you gonna leave me hanging or what?” Soon, Hana’s smile transforms into one twice as brighter, practically radiating as much as the sun up above.

“Today, Yukio-kun, we’re going diving!”

“I’m already sold!” I shoot up from my chair.

“That’s the spirit!” Hana smiles, seemingly ecstatic.

“Let’s head inside and talk about the details.” Taking my chance, I flick Hana’s forehead to repay her for what she’s done to me today, and briskly walk inside.

“Ouch! You meanie!!” She stomps after me with a squeak.

To spare you some time: we decided to rent some equipment from Hana’s shop, and go to a really popular diving spot, called Umi No Kuchi*, which is a big opening of a rocky cliff, shaped like a mouth.

(Umi No Kuchi* = the literal translation is “The Mouth of the Sea”)

We also called up Daichi and Emi, who said they were coming too, but apparently Emi isn’t the sort to dive so she said she’d be on the boat with Chinatsu.

The boat we will be using is one Daichi’s father uses to fish, because no one in the group has a license to drive a boat as big as Hana’s family shop owns.

After my shift ended, I got ready and met up with Hana and Chinatsu outside the shop. From there, we walked to the Iruka Diving Shop, rented our equipment, while I got the chance to show off my C-Card, and met up with others.

“Row, row, row your boat!”

With Chinatsu and Daichi, who was at the helm yet again, singing their usual tune, that 30 minute boat trip, seemed all too familiar. Although Emi had no bases to interject this time around.

Soon, a magnificent, long sea arch came into view, that seemed almost like a tunnel. I could clearly see now, why they called it The Mouth of the Sea.

“Wow…” I muttered, as even the lousiest of people stood in silence before this view. And of course I was talking about my friends.

A couple of minutes later, we pulled up inside the arch, and stopped the boat around the entrance, so Emi and Chinatsu wouldn’t get grilled by the sun, while we were diving beneath the waves.

Of course, since this was a fairly popular diving spot, a couple of other boats were stationed near the entrance just like ours.

“Hello!” Hana greeted the ones she had met before, due to her family’s line of work.

After we set up the boat, me and Hana geared up, while Daichi was stretching the hell out of his limbs, since he had decided to free dive. Truth be told, I will never understand where he finds the stamina to do so.

“Buddy check time!” Hana said cheerfully, walking over to me.

“Yeah, “check” your “buddy”, don’t mind us!” Emi smirked, satisfied at her own comment, while Hana’s face was set ablaze with embarrassment.

“Emi!” My girlfriend cried, as she started to check my equipment. “Regulator, okay… BCD and belt, okay… You’re good to go!” She shoved me playfully after checking, trying to play off her shyness.

We had decided to announce our relationship to our friends, the day after our kiss, since we both agreed that was the reasonable thing to do. Of course, with Daichi being as oblivious as always, he was shocked to say the least, while Emi played off her bewilderment with a smirk, and proceeded to interrogate Hana one-on-one after the announcement. Little Chinatsu just remained as stoic as ever, albeit showing a hint of irritation at her sister, for taking away her Onii-sama.

“Hey, don’t push me, you need a buddy check too!” I whined, but my voice betrayed the hint of a smile on my face. Even her defensive, embarrassed side seems so endearing after all.

“Hey, what’s this?” Emi asked, as she rummaged through someone’s bag.

Thank god that’s not MY bag!

….

Not that I have anything to hide…

She removed her arm from the bag, now holding a camera.

“Oh, that’s my new camera!” Daichi perked up.

“New camera…?” Emi muttered, turning it around and looking at it from every possible angle.

“Haha, yes! Trust me it’s as expensive as it is beautiful!” The brawny guy declared happily.

Why’s he so happy? Emi is manhandling your brand new EXPENSIVE camera, man!

“Cool, is it waterproof?” The girl in question asked, dangling her arm over the water.

“No!” Me and Daichi reply, both of us shooting towards her.

It won’t matter if it’s waterproof, if it sinks to the bottom of the ocean!

“Haha, it was a joke, chill!” Emi finally voiced, safely trapping it between her palms. “Can I take pictures while you dive?” She asked, earning a big nod from Daichi.

“Of course! That’s the reason I brought it with me, but I completely forgot!”

“Sweet!” The art-loving girl was ecstatic at the idea of capturing the beauty of the sea. “Say cheese!”

Or maybe not.

She took a quick snap of me and Hana on our wetsuits instead. While Hana had time for a cheerful and cute pose, I was left with a bewildered look on my face.

“Hey, you’re supposed to take photos of the scenery!” I whine at her, who’s smirking at the photograph displayed on the small screen of the camera.

“We shall be the best photographers, Emi-onee-san!” Chinatsu declared, looking at the camera over her shoulder.

“That’s right! So you guys go and do your thing!” Emi shooed us away, having found a new interest.

“O-Our t-thing?! We would never do something so indece-“ I cut off Hana before her mumbling digs us a hole we’ll be unable to get out off, and explain what Emi meant.

“She’s talking about diving, Hana.”

“Oh!” Hana’s embarrassment subsides, as she remembers what we initially came here for.

“Let’s goooo!” Daichi exclaims with his usual passionate voice, diving in the water with only his swimming trunks.

Hana and me on the other hand, have completely geared up, and wearing our masks and regulators dive behind him.

Daichi said he didn’t need a buddy, since he wasn’t really diving so he could wander off anywhere he wanted. But me and Hana, had to stay together, since we were buddies and all. Not that I was complaining…

Beneath the soft veil of water separating our world from the one below the waves, laid beautiful patterns of coral reefs, colorful schools of fish swimming away, and the hazy blue tone wrapping it all in a warm blanket.

I gazed at the scenery as I followed closely behind Hana, who zoomed in the water as naturally as the fish around her.

Soon, we began to descend deeper, and when we had reached a significant depth, we stopped and turned around, to gaze at the scene from below instead. Around us, were one or two other divers, but we paid each other no mind, as everyone was too preoccupied with the view.

“Look!” I pointed at a big tuna which was around two meters in length and Hana turned to look at my signal.

She gave a big happy nod, and pointed at a school of fish swimming around a large rock.

At that moment I truly felt like I could stay there forever. All my troubles felt so small and insignificant, in the face of such a sight. And even the fact that I would be leaving these views behind, and I would have to return to the mundane sights of Tokyo, felt so surreal, I couldn’t fully grasp it. For me, that moment, felt like it would last an eternity.

And then, while I was lost in my thoughts, and consumed by those sights, a grey figure entered my peripheral vision.

All the divers stood on guard, as the figure in the distance seemed to gradually approach, and I could feel my heart starting to pound away at my chest.

Is that… a shark?

Suddenly, I felt the urgency to get out of the water, But Hana grabbed my arm, as if to stop and reassure me.

What are you doing?!

My eyes through the lens of the mask were practically screaming at her.

All the other divers had moved towards the surface, seemingly aware of the danger, but me and Hana just stood there and watched.

Soon, what finally came into a view was…

A dolphin?!

I was bewildered at the appearance of that marine mammal, which swam up towards us. I suddenly tensed up. I had heard from Hana that dolphins roamed around these parts, but I didn’t expect to see one so up close. I didn’t even know if it was safe to be around it.

Hana noticed my anxiousness, and she moved between me and the dolphin, who had cut off on speed and was approaching slowly.

Then, when the dolphin finally reached its destination, it started swimming around us in small circles, before stopping in front of Hana.

With what I imagine was a chuckle that caused bubbles to erupt from her mask, she put a hand over the dolphin’s nose, stroking it.

Ecstatic from the affection, the marine mammal playfully swam around, and Hana followed behind it, with her swimming form seeming as natural as the dolphin’s.

All the divers and I could do, was look on in awe, as the girl and the dolphin had started a dance, in a little world of their own.

NOW I wish that camera was waterproof! Damn it, Daichi!

I thought before Hana swam over to me and grabbed my hand pulling me into the dance.

The dolphin accepted me all too quickly as it started swimming around me too, after I pat his head like Hana did.

If you ever told me I’d pet a dolphin, at the depths of the ocean I’d probably call you something more than crazy! But here I was, doing just that…

Soon another set of divers joined in, as our little dance circle had turned into a grand event.

After a good 40 minutes of playing around, we decided to wrap it all up and head back to the boat.

As soon as we popped our head backs over the surface we were greeted by the flabbergasted faces of our friends, who had their mouths agape in shock.

“What happened down there?!” Even Emi couldn’t help but raise her voice.

“Well, a dolphin just appeared, and we started playing around a bit!” Hana explained vaguely, her voice betraying more than her words.

“I saw that grey figure in the distance and got the hell out of there, but who thought it was a dolphin?! Oh man, I wish I could join in, but you were too deep for me to go…” Daichi explained, hanging his head in disappointment.

Apparently Daichi had explained what was happening underwater to Emi and Chinatsu, since they couldn’t really see clearly from up here.

“Seriously, why is your stupid camera NOT waterproof?!” Emi voiced, glaring at the camera as if it were its fault.

“Whoop!” With Daichi’s help, I made it up to the boat and removed the heaviest of my gear.

“Here.” I stretched my hand out towards Hana, who was still in the water. She gave me a small smile before she removed her regulator and cylinder, which I grabbed and hurled on the boat.

“Thanks.” She finally voiced as she removed her mask and grabbed my hand.

I put all my strength in my arm to pull her up, but to our surprise, that same grey figure emerged from the water, and gently pulled her back down.

“Woah!” Hana said with a chuckle, as she fell back down into the water, and the dolphin made a sound that resembled a laugh.

“Golden picture time!” Emi pushed me, who was enjoying the sight, away and started snapping photos left and right. “Perfect!” Chinatsu joined, making a frame of the scene with her fingers.

“Who’s a good boy?” Hana smiled at the dolphin’s playfulness, which squeaked in delight underneath Hana’s touch.

The dolphin had chased after us, and it clearly took a liking to Hana. I always thought dolphins swam in groups, so I couldn’t help but wonder why this one was all alone. Maybe that’s why it was so friendly and playful? It would be safe to assume it was searching for company, and found it on the face of Hana.

“The dolphin is stealing your girlfriend, man!” Daichi threw a hand over my shoulder after a hearty laugh.

“Pfft… there’s no way!” I shrug and turn back to the water, noticing her radiant smile.

“…You don’t think so… do you?” I whipped my head back around towards Daichi, whose amusement only increased, indicated by his loud laughter.

The dolphin was now nuzzling his nose against Hana’s face, while she gave a ticklish laugh, and of course the photographer and her small assistant continued snapping pics like crazy.

Wait… when did I deduce the dolphin was a HE?

…

While Hana indulged the dolphin some more on the surface, I couldn’t help but notice how natural she seemed in the water, and next to a marine mammal such as that. She truly seemed, like some kind of heroine from a book or a movie. A true Dolphin Girl, that reciprocated the animal’s affection with her own.

After playtime for the two of them was over, we decided it was time to go, so my girlfriend climbed on up, as Daichi started the engine.

“Bye bye buddy!” Hana waved at the dolphin who followed behind the boat and made a cheerful sound, before disappearing underwater.

“Haah…” The she sighed longingly, clearly having had her fair share of fun. “I’ve played with dolphins before, but this one was so cheerful and friendly it took me by surprise…” The girl explained. Naturally, in a tropical island like Ryusejima, dolphin sightings weren’t too rare. But this particular dolphin, felt friendlier than anyone would have pictured it to be.

Of course, I was happy she had fun, but I decided to play the needy lover part, just to see a reaction.

“I’m your buddy, though…” I muttered, a part of me still feeling jealous.

“Oh someone’s jealous of a dolphin, pupupu!” Emi laughed mockingly at me, as she checked her masterpieces on the camera.

“You’re jealous?” Hana gave me a sidelong glance, as she sat beside me.

“Who, me? Nah…” I turned away, failing to make eye contact.

And that was when she…

“Hahahaha! What are you doing?!”

She started tickling my sides.

“Stop it! Hahaha!” I squirmed and laughed with her every touch, trying to get away.

“Come back here, Yukio-chan!” Hana chased after me with a smirk, as I grabbed her hands.

“Two can play this game!!” But then I went into the offensive myself.

“Kyaahhh!”

“Ah, these stupid love-birds…” Emi sighed at our exchange while Daichi was too busy operating the boat to care, and Chinatsu was too intrigued by the photos she and Emi took.

First ever dive with my C-Card: done!