Marine Blue Confession: Marin Hayama's Great Love and Sea Operation - The Scent of Sahara Fisheries —The Sea Knows Everything—

The rainy season ended, and the color of the sky changed completely. The sea visible from the classroom window sparkled today as well. Third floor of Hekitan High School, second-year Class A, the seat by the window. I propped my chin on my hand and stared at that light. (It's been a week since then, huh) Exactly seven days since I treated Kaito-kun's foot on the beach. The words he said that day—"juvenile Ryukyu red coral"—still lingered deep in my ears. Since then, every day when lunch break came, I went to Hekitan Beach. Thinking maybe I'd run into him again. But I never caught sight of Kaito-kun on that beach. In class, I couldn't talk to him. I knew from his uniform that day that we were in the same class. But in class, he was always either reading a book alone or looking out the window, wrapped in an air that made him hard to approach. If someone like me tried to talk to him, wouldn't it just be a bother? Ten more minutes until the lunch bell. I glanced at the clock above the blackboard and let out a small sigh. "Hey, Hayama-san." Suddenly, the girl at the desk next to mine spoke to me. Miura-san. A girl in the cheerful group in class, someone I'd barely ever talked to. Why now, of all times—my body stiffened. "W-what?" My voice nearly cracked. I couldn't meet her eyes, so I answered while looking at the collar of her uniform. "Say, Sahara-kun has an older sister, right? Shiori-chan was saying so." Shiori-chan. The moment I heard that name, something pricked deep in my chest. Mihama Shiori. A bright, cute girl from the class next door. The other day, I'd seen her talking with Kaito-kun in the hallway. Apparently they're childhood friends. (Shiori-chan even knows about Kaito-kun's older sister) I hadn't even known Kaito-kun had a sister. "...Does he have one?" "He does. She's a university student, in Tokyo." "O-oh, I see." My voice grew so quiet I could tell it myself. Miura-san didn't say anything more—she just tilted her head and said, "Huh, are you and Sahara-kun close, Hayama-san?" "N-no, not at all. Um, that's—" The words wouldn't come together. Sweat seeped into my palms. "Hmm. Well, Sahara-kun doesn't talk much anyway." With that, she went back to chatting with the girl in front of her. I traced the corner of the textbook on my desk with my finger and hung my head slightly. (I don't know anything about Kaito-kun) Before even getting to feelings like "like." What kind of home Kaito-kun grew up in, what kind of family he has, what he's thinking. All I knew was that he's knowledgeable about sea creatures, and that he's quiet but kind. (Shiori-chan must know all sorts of things) The area around my chest felt murky. Naming this feeling was still scary. The lunch bell rang. I left the classroom as if fleeing. Through the school gate, down the slope. The sea breeze swayed my bangs, and the smell of the sea tickled my nose. In Shiosai City, the summer air itself was salty. The road leading to Hekitan Beach. Weeds poked out from the seams in the asphalt, and that green looked strangely vivid. Would I see Kaito-kun today? Holding that faint hope, I immediately grew anxious—but even if I did see him, what would I talk about? (I wish I could talk about the sea, like that day) If it's about the sea, I can talk properly. The sound of waves drew closer. I arrived at the entrance to Hekitan Beach. The white sand reflected the sunlight, dazzling. The beach bustled with summer tourists. Colorful parasols lined up, and I could hear children's excited voices. I avoided the crowd and walked along the seaside promenade. This path continues from Hekitan Beach toward Minatoria Fishing Port. The sea breeze is strong, but you can see the ocean well—it's a path I like. As I walked, the smell of fish grew stronger. The fishing port was close. That's when a signboard jumped into my view. "Sahara Fisheries" An old blue signboard. Written in white letters. My heart gave a jolt. (Sahara Fisheries... the company Mom said was Kaito-kun's family's) My feet had stopped on their own. Beyond the signboard, I could see a large steel-framed building. A seafood processing plant. From inside came a smell like something being boiled, and the sound of metal. (Is this where Kaito-kun works?) The moment I thought that, a figure appeared from behind the building. A black T-shirt, a navy work apron. In his hands, a white styrofoam box. It was Kaito-kun. I reflexively hid in the shadows. I pressed my back flat against the concrete wall and held my breath. (Why am I hiding?) I tsukkomi'd myself in my head. But my body wouldn't move. My heart was too loud. Kaito-kun loaded the box onto a cart and carried it to the plant entrance. His movements were efficient, and he looked a little different from the him I saw at school. (He's working... really, here) Just as Mom said, he was the son of Sahara Fisheries. Kaito-kun disappeared into the plant. I quietly peeled away from the wall and tried to head back the way I came. I hadn't been able to call out to him. Again. That day too, I'd hesitated on the beach and ended up not speaking until the very last moment. (I'm really hopeless) I hung my head and started to step forward—when. "You there." A low, hoarse voice dropped from behind me. My shoulders jumped with a start. When I turned around, an elderly man in work clothes was standing there. Short hair mixed with white, a face carved with deep wrinkles. His eyes were narrow, and I couldn't tell what he was thinking. "You a friend of Kaito's?" That person was Kaito-kun's father. "Um, no, I-I'm not a friend exactly, more like a classmate—" My voice trembled. I couldn't speak well. "I see. ...Well, you came all this way. Want to take a look inside?" "Huh?" "The cannery. It's unusual, right, this kind of thing?" It was a quiet tone that allowed no refusal. Without even finding words to decline, I found myself nodding. The inside of the plant was far larger than I'd imagined. The floor was wet with water, and the soles of my boots squeaked. The air was filled with a smell of fish, steam, and metal mixed together. "Here we can mackerel, horse mackerel, and sardines into cans." Kaito-kun's father explained bit by bit as we walked. "First, wash the fish, remove the heads and guts. Then pack them into cans, season them, seal them, and sterilize with heat." Inside the plant, about ten workers labored silently. All wore white caps and white work clothes. A large machine rumbled with a goun goun sound. "This machine is the one that puts lids on the cans." "Wow..." I followed behind him, looking around curiously at everything. On the prep table, mackerel glistened silver in a row. The moment I saw the pattern of their scales, words slipped smoothly from my mouth. "This is like tree rings... like the growth lines on coral." Oops, I said something weird again. Just as I hurried to cover my mouth— Kaito-kun's father's hand stopped dead. "...The sea, you know." His low voice came through the plant's noise strangely clearly. "Knows everything." In that moment, the center of my chest grew warm. (Ah... he's the same as my dad) My father, Makoto. When I was little and fell on the beach and scraped my knee. While brushing the sand off my knee, Dad said exactly the same thing. "The sea, you know, knows everything." The Sahara family and the Hayama family. Completely different households, yet through the sea, they treasured the same words. "...Coral growth lines, huh. That's a good way of seeing it." Having said only that, he returned to explaining the work. But his voice felt just a little softer than before. In the corner of the plant, Kaito-kun was watching me. He'd stopped working and was staring at me. The moment our eyes met, he immediately looked away and started carrying boxes again. (Kaito-kun was watching...) My face grew hot with a rush. The plant tour ended about thirty minutes later. "Thank you very much." I bowed deeply. Kaito-kun's father gave a small silent nod. "Kaito, walk her out." "...Got it." Kaito-kun approached while removing his apron. My heart began pounding again. The two of us walked along the road by the fishing port. The sky, nearing evening, was beginning to dye orange. Several fishing boats were moored at the port, and the smell of tide mixed with the smell of diesel. Silence. Only the sound of waves and the cries of seagulls passed between us. (I have to say something) But I didn't know what to say. My mind went blank, and I could only stare at the asphalt under my feet. "...Um." I mustered my courage and opened my mouth. "Why do you know so much about the sea, Sahara-kun?" Kaito-kun paused for a moment, then answered quietly. "When I was a first-year, there was a lecture at Hekitan High by Professor Makabe Ryuichi." "Professor Makabe... Ryuichi." "A professor in the marine science graduate program at Ryukai University. He's world-famous for coral reef restoration technology." Ryukai University. A national university in Okinawa. I'd heard its marine science program was top-class in the country and incredibly hard to get into. "After hearing that lecture, I... started wanting to go to Ryukai University." Kaito-kun's voice was quiet, as always. But those words carried a definite heat. (Kaito-kun had a dream) Somewhere I didn't know, Kaito-kun was properly looking at the future. Something tightened deep in my chest. (I don't have anything) I knew a lot of sea creature names. I was good at sketching shells. But I'd never once thought about what I wanted to do with any of it. "...That's amazing." I finally managed to say that. My voice was trembling a little. "Hayama, have you thought about a job related to the sea?" The sudden question made my heart jump. "Huh... ah, um..." The words wouldn't come. "...I still don't know." When I answered honestly, Kaito-kun only said, "I see." Silence again. But the air felt just a little softer than before. "My old man doesn't know everything about the sea." Kaito-kun said, quietly. "But he remembers everything the sea taught him." At those words, I pictured my father's face. My father, silently polishing shellcraft at the front of Hayama Shoten. (Dad's the same) He remembers everything the sea taught him. That's why those words come out. "...The sea knows everything, doesn't it." When I murmured that, Kaito-kun relaxed his mouth just a tiny bit. "Yeah." We arrived at the Hekitan Beach bus stop. "Are you okay here?" "Yeah. Thank you." "...See you at school." With that, Kaito-kun headed back the way we came. I stood still until his back disappeared from view. The setting sun cast long shadows on the surface of the sea. (Kaito-kun has a dream) (I want to work with the sea too) Inside my heart, for the first time, words like that surfaced. But what that would actually be, I still didn't know. Holding that murky feeling, I got on the bus. That night. Second floor of Hayama Shoten, the dining table in the living room. Tonight's dinner was dried horse mackerel, miso soup, and cold tofu. "Marin, what are you planning to do about university?" Dad suddenly said that. My hand holding the chopsticks stopped dead. "...Huh?" "It's already the summer of your second year. If you don't start thinking about it soon, it'll be too late." "Now, now, she's still a second-year." Mom covered for me while ladling out the miso soup. "The son of the Sahara family has already decided, apparently." At Dad's words, my heart went dokin. (Kaito-kun's name...) Kaito-kun's plans were known all over town. Ryukai University. Okinawa. "...Not yet, really." I looked down and brought rice to my mouth. It had no taste. "You like the sea, don't you. If that's the case, there are universities where you can study the sea." Dad's voice was kind. But that kindness felt a l

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Episode 2

Name: Marine Blue Confession: Marin Hayama's Great Love and Sea Operation
Author: Novelia

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