“It’s not an excuse, but… I was jealous of Saku-senpai.”
I took that to mean she envied her free-spirited way of living.
“Because she has someone like you, Komori-kun, who really understands her.”
But it seemed I was quite a bit off.
“I don’t have anyone like that. Someone who just gets me, who’ll take my side when I’m in trouble. I was so jealous, I wanted some of that too—maybe even steal it from her if I could. I’ve had my eye on you since first year.”
That was a surprisingly heavy confession.
“The way you said that makes it sound like I’m some kind of [Saku-senpai’s exclusive item].”
“Aren’t you? You’re her little bat, right?”
“I’m just a normal, boring guy. Always have been. But… to be honest, I was a little happy. When I found out you had a weird nickname for me. It felt like I was special for once. Like I got a tiny taste of what it’s like to be treated as someone special.”
“…………”
“In the end, you were right. I wasn’t born a Myudent, so I’ll never fully understand those who were. No matter how close I am, I can only imagine their pain. I’ll never know it for real.”
I’m trying to understand, but no matter how hard I try, I’ll never get to 100%.
“…Even that much is enough for me. If it were me, I’d be happy.”
Maihama gave me a lonely smile, like she’d remembered something.
“When I first found out I was a Myudent… well, the doctor probably just wanted to reassure us. He said, [Your daughter’s a mermaid. Congratulations, you got lucky!]—like it was no big deal.”
“That’s an awful doctor.”
“Then my mom said, [Our daughter is normal. Don’t call her a mermaid!]”
“…………”
“I don’t think she’s a bad mom. But… maybe that’s why, ever since then, I’ve been trying so hard to live like a normal person. I guess I finally understand that now.”
Everyone wishes for what they don’t have. Just like some people wish they’d been born normal, others wish they hadn’t—and there’s nothing special about that.
“You and I—we’re both just normal people.”
“You think so…? Yeah, maybe you’re right…………nnnngh!”
With a big stretch, Maihama stood up, raised her arms high, and loosened her body. Then she put her work earpiece back on.
“I’m glad we got to talk like this.”
“Yeah… wait, aren’t you gonna get in trouble for slacking off this long?”
“I’ve been on break for a while now! Didn’t get time to eat, though…………hm?”
Then Maihama’s eyes looked upward. Five meters, seven meters, ten meters—the diving platforms stacked in three levels. I was a bit slow to notice, but there was someone standing at the top.
“Ugh…”
I grimaced because the guy’s body shape looked familiar. Brown hair, big frame. From afar, he looked like the soccer team’s ace—but in reality, he was just some middle-aged creep. For a second, I thought he’d come for revenge and tensed up—but he hadn’t noticed us.
“Yoohooo! I’m jumping from the top—!”
His voice boomed like it was coming through a megaphone. It was the Takizawa wannabe who tried to drag Maihama into a room. His crew was at the poolside below, shouting stuff like “Hurry up and jump!” and “Don’t chicken out!” Their speech was noticeably slurred. No doubt he was drunker than before.
“The pool’s closed right now… What is he doing, seriously…”
Maihama looked fed up. As an employee, she probably had a duty to stop the idiot.
“Ignore him. Let’s go.”
“But… The manual says drunken dives are dangerous…”
“You’re such a goody-goody.”
There wasn’t even time to give a warning. “Fuuuuuuh!” With a bizarre, wild shout, he dove. The man’s body accelerated under gravity, plunging into the pool. With a loud splash, water sprayed everywhere. They say the worse the dive, the more dramatic it looks—and they’re not wrong. After a moment, the man surfaced, and the group around the pool burst into vulgar laughter.
“What’s so fun about that…?”
I didn’t ever want to become an adult like that. I had taken them as a reverse role model, from the bottom of my heart.
“…Hey, doesn’t something seem off?”
Maihama narrowed her eyes. Where she was looking—the man, with just his face above the water, had strange bubbles rising around him. You could see him flailing violently underwater with both arms. His desperate expression made it clear—he was trying to shout something. Before I could fully grasp that his mouth was saying, “My leg cramped!” “Help me!” Maihama was already in motion.
“Float! Calm down! Don’t struggle!”
She called out loudly to the drowning man. She must have memorized some kind of manual—staying calm, she ran to the edge of the pool, grabbed a life ring that was tied up with a rope, and threw it without hesitation.
Her aim was perfect. It arced smoothly through the air— But just as the ring hit the water, the man disappeared beneath the surface. He had sunk. From that moment, there was no splash, no cry for help, not even a ripple. Only the silent pool spread out before us. While I stood there in shock, the hangers-on who had been laughing—“Gyahaha!” “What a loser!”—suddenly turned pale.
“I-I didn’t see anything!” “H-Hey, wait up!”
As one of them bolted, the other hurried after him in a panic.
“One male victim! Diving pool! Please send rescue immediately!”
Maihama shouted urgently into her intercom. But even I, a complete amateur, could tell that waiting for rescue might be too late.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT gadgetizedpanda.net
“Why does it always come to this…”
[Please refrain from wearing anything other than swimwear when entering the pool.]
Following the posted rule written on a nearby sign, I took off my T-shirt.
“What do you think you’re doing, Komori-kun!?”
Maihama rushed up to me with a look of disbelief.
“I’m diving to pull him up.”
“That’s dangerous! What if you drown too?”
“If we leave him, he might die.”
“Even so!”
I didn’t say, We should just let that jerk die.
“You said it yourself. Both you and I—we’re just ordinary people, right!?”
Her eyes looked straight at me, filled with genuine concern.
“We can’t use superpowers. We can’t perform miracles. We could die in an instant. That’s why…”
“That’s exactly why.”
The words she meant to stop me with only pushed me further. I knew she was right—but part of me didn’t want to accept that. I am just an ordinary person. Useless, powerless, always frustrated by my own weakness.
But right now, in this moment, that doesn’t matter. Whether you’re an angel, a demon, a god, or just a regular human—
“The feeling of wanting to save someone doesn’t change!”
Fueled by those words, I dashed and dove into the pool. By then, my head was so overheated I could hardly feel the cold of the water. I was probably blushing furiously too.
—To die right after saying something so dramatic? Over my dead body.
Pushed forward by the instinct to resist embarrassment, my limbs powered through the water. Diving to the five-meter depth was grueling for someone like me from the cultural club. Isn’t sinking harder than this? I thought, as I reached the bottom. He didn’t move a muscle—he was likely unconscious.
I grabbed his wrist, ready to ascend—
—or so I thought, but…
He’s heavy…! I can’t lift him at all!?
Maybe it was all that muscle he trained. I couldn’t pull him up alone.
What now, what now, what now!? While my panicking thoughts robbed me of oxygen—
(…Huh?)
A giant shadow shimmered above. Looking up, something approached from beyond the light streaming in. Its fluid dolphin kick made it look like an actual dolphin in silhouette—but it had two arms paddling powerfully.
(Maihama…!?)
She must have been wearing it under her uniform—a tight competitive swimsuit hugged her body.
Ignoring my stunned amazement, Maihama grabbed his hand and gave a thumbs-up. Not an “All good!”—she meant, Let’s go up. I nodded back. From there, we moved in sync—or rather, she did almost all the work.
Her textbook-perfect kick generated huge propulsion, and in no time we reached the surface.
“Is he okay!?” “Over here, bring him this way!” Voices called out.
Lifeguards? Rescue staff? Professionals, clearly. At some point, several had gathered poolside. So had a crowd of onlookers.
Once out of the pool, we left the rest to them.
Thanks to proper CPR and artificial respiration, he regained consciousness. The bystanders who’d been holding their breath let out a collective “Ooooh!” of relief.
I stood a little apart from the crowd, watching the whole thing, and let out a breath of my own.
Then came a wave of exhaustion. I hadn’t done much, but my right shoulder ached badly. Guess I’ll be sore tomorrow, I thought—and then one question popped into my mind.
“Hey, Maihama… didn’t you said you can’t swim…?”
At that moment, SMACK!
A loud, air-filled sound rang out as pain shot through my left cheek.
Hot wouldn’t even begin to describe it.
Maihama had slapped me full force.
But the one who looked hurt—was her.
She glared at me, eyes brimming with tears.
“Don’t do anything so reckless!”
Along with her shout, a teardrop burst forth. I could feel how genuinely angry she was, so I could only say, “Sorry.”
Without even wiping her wet cheek—whether from water or tears—Maihama placed both hands on my shoulders.
“I feel the same way, but… it’s not just me… it’s not someone like me… it’s more than that…”
She shook her head fiercely, like she was shaking off a thought, and locked eyes with me.
“If you were gone—there’d be someone who’d be really sad, right?”
I knew who she was referring to without being told.
Yeah… I see now. I’m sure Saku senpai was just as mad at me for defending her. She must’ve wanted to smack me too, but…She’s the kind of person who hides her true feelings deep inside. That’s why she chose to quietly disappear from my life.
Only now do I realize such a simple truth. I’m a hopeless idiot.
“…I’m sorry.”
In the end, all I could do was apologize.
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