The Loveless Genius and the Scowling Diving Girl – Grand Blue IF – - At the bottom of the sea, my heart told a lie.

After Café Rondo closed, Sakurako polished the counter, her thoughts lingering on yesterday's cafeteria incident. Takanashi Shiho's venomous whisper still clung to the depths of her ears. *"Just you wait, you shameless, pushy bitch."* She squeezed the rag tightly. Her knuckles turned white. "The worst. Unbelievable." The moment she muttered it, a voice came from across the counter. "Your face is scary again, you know." Yuzuki Saya, her chestnut hair loosely tied back as always, swayed gently as she held out a cup. Steaming cocoa. "It's nothing. Same as always." "Is that so?" Saya didn't press further. She simply placed the cup quietly by Sakurako's hands. Sakurako took a sip of cocoa. The sweetness melted away a little of the irritation deep in her chest. But her mood didn't lift. Tomorrow was Seahorse's ocean training. She had to bring Iori along. Just thinking about it made her stomach clench. Weekend morning. The parking lot of Nagisa Beach was filled with the scent of the tide. The sky was a piercing blue, and the early summer sun beat down relentlessly on the asphalt. Sakurako parked her bicycle in the rack and let out a deep sigh. Her black bob, cut at the shoulders, ruffled dryly in the sea breeze. The small scar on her left temple peeked through a gap in her bangs. About ten Seahorse members had already gathered in the parking lot. Some were already starting to change into their wetsuits around the wagon loaded with equipment. "Hey, Hamaoka-san!" A dopey voice. She turned to see Imamura Iori running toward her with a beaming smile. Messy black hair with bedhead, downturned brown eyes. As always, a band-aid was stuck to his right temple. He probably bumped into something again this morning. And then— Sakurako was speechless. Iori was wearing a wetsuit. With the zipper in front, the back zipper was dangling loosely. It was completely backwards. "This thing's a little tight, but it kinda gets you pumped, right?!" "...You, that's..." "Hm? What?" Sakurako wordlessly grabbed Iori's shoulders. She forcefully spun him to face forward. "Wha, huh?" "Shut up." Sakurako quickly unzipped Iori's wetsuit and pulled it down from his shoulders. Iori's bare upper body was exposed. "Eh, Hamaoka-san?! What are you doing?!" "It's on backwards, you idiot!" She forcibly flipped the squawking Iori around and returned the zipper to its correct position on the back. The surrounding club members burst into laughter. "Imamura, you don't even know how to put on a wetsuit?!" "Getting dressed by a first-year!" Jeers flew from the upperclassmen. "Eh, but I couldn't tell which way was the front." "How the hell do you look at this and not know? Are your eyes just for show?!" Sakurako shouted back as she yanked the zipper up forcefully. Iori laughed without a trace of remorse. That defenseless smile, illuminated by the morning sun, was strangely dazzling. Something deep in her chest leaped. —Shut up. Sakurako cursed inwardly. "Thanks, Hamaoka-san!" As Iori thanked her, he pulled out his fins from the equipment bag. And then. He started putting them on the wrong feet. "...You." "Hm? What?" With his fins on backwards, Iori tottered toward the water's edge. He looked exactly like a newborn fawn. One step, two steps, three steps— Thud. He fell. "Ah, but this feels kinda nice! The sand's all fluffy!" Still lying flat, Iori spoke with utterly carefree delight. Sakurako looked up at the heavens. "What the hell did you even come here for, seriously..." She muttered, but her voice was surprisingly weak, even to herself. Because, looking at that stupid grin—she didn't know why, but her anger just drained away. "Imamura-kun's got potential." A senior club member said, laughing. "Where exactly?" Sakurako cursed quietly and reached for her own wetsuit. She shouldered her gear. Bit down on her regulator. Put on her mask. Her body remembered the steps. Once she was in the ocean, she'd be fine. She could return to being herself. The underwater training began. The highly transparent waters of Nagisa were like curtains of swaying light. Slender sunbeams streamed down onto the sandy bottom at a depth of five meters. The third-year acting as instructor sent hand signals to the beginner group. Iori was among them. "Whoa, fish! There are fish!" A muffled voice through the regulator and an explosion of bubbles. Iori flailed his limbs in excitement. The senior hurriedly grabbed his shoulder and urged him to calm down. Meanwhile, Sakurako— The moment she entered the ocean, the tension drained from her shoulders. Her body, freed from the weights, was enveloped in buoyancy. The sensation of water gently caressing her entire body. Sound vanished, gravity vanished, and all the annoyances of land dissolved into the water. Sakurako gave a light kick of her fins. Her body glided forward. Over the sandy bottom, as if flying through the sky. She encountered a school of fish. Countless tiny silver fish swirled around her. Sakurako—smiled. An innocent smile, visible even through her mask. Her sharp, upturned eyes had disappeared somewhere, and her lips naturally relaxed. Sakurako, who always wore armor on land, was a different person underwater. Iori watched her intently. His downturned eyes behind his mask followed Sakurako's every move. The senior signaled, "We're moving." But Iori didn't follow. He drifted unsteadily, swimming toward Sakurako. The school of fish scattered. Sakurako turned around. (*What is this guy doing?*) Iori approached, regulator still in his mouth, bubbling profusely. His eyes were fixed directly on Sakurako. Underwater, their eyes met. Something leaped deep in Sakurako's chest. (*Why is he looking at me—*) At that moment, the senior sent a frantic hand signal. *Don't stray from the group.* Iori panicked. He flailed his limbs, drifting further and further away. Sakurako reluctantly kicked her fins powerfully toward Iori. She caught up in an instant. In the water, Sakurako was far faster. (*Come this way.*) She reached out her hand. She grabbed Iori's wrist. Warmth transmitted through her palm. She felt that temperature before the coldness of the water. Thump. Sakurako hurriedly let go. (*No, what am I thinking—*) Cursing herself inwardly, Sakurako pulled Iori's arm and returned to the group. Iori seemed to be saying "sorry" through his regulator, but Sakurako averted her face. Inside her mask, her ears were burning. The signal to surface was given. Sakurako slowly ascended toward the surface. Watching her depth gauge, observing her decompression stop. Her head broke the surface. The sea breeze caressed her face. She removed her mask and spat out her regulator. The long-missed outside air seeped into her lungs. As she stepped onto the sandy beach, seawater dripped from her wetsuit. It was a little hard to walk, but this weight wasn't so bad. Iori came up soon after. Panting heavily, he stumbled across the sand. Pulling at his wetsuit zipper, he looked at Sakurako standing beside him. "Hey, Sakurako." Suddenly called by her first name, Sakurako's shoulders trembled. "...What." Her voice pitched upward. She could tell herself. Iori stared at Sakurako with direct eyes. His downturned eyes looked more serious than usual. "You, in the ocean... you were incredibly beautiful." Sakurako's thoughts stopped for a moment. "I thought I could watch you forever." Iori's words were pure admiration, containing no calculation whatsoever. Sakurako—froze. It took a few seconds for her mind to comprehend what she had been told. Beautiful. Her. Iori. Those words slowly seeped into the depths of her chest— And the next moment, her heart began racing like an idiot. Thump, thump, thump— An uncontrollable pounding. Her chest felt like it would burst. Heat spread even to her ears. Her entire face burned hot. (*Wh-what is he saying—*) Her thoughts wouldn't coalesce. The feeling she had always told herself was "just palpitations." The thing she had kept a lid on, telling herself it was impossible to feel for her best friend's boyfriend. But it was no use anymore. The lid had come off. She—was in love with Iori. That realization settled into Sakurako's chest, all too clearly, all too decisively. "Sh-shut up! Don't say creepy things!" Sakurako yelled and turned her face away. But her voice was trembling. She noticed it herself, and her agitation grew even greater. "Eh, but I was complimenting you." Iori tilted his head, completely unhurt. At his sheer obliviousness, Sakurako didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "I-I don't need that kind of thing! Don't talk!" "Why are you getting mad? You really were beautiful, so I can't help it." "Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Sakurako covered her ears and crouched down. Her heart was still pounding. Her breathing wouldn't settle. Why, of all times, did he have to say something like that now, that idiot. He was fatally bad at reading the atmosphere. He would never notice someone's romantic feelings. —She had known that about him from the start. Sakurako clenched her fists tightly. She was happy. Even though she was happy— "Good work, you two! You looked like you were having fun!" A bright voice rang out across the sandy beach. She looked up. There was Kotegawa Konan, waving and running toward them. Her fluffy, semi-long brown hair swayed in the sea breeze. The braids on the sides bounced softly. Her large, round brown eyes sparkled brightly. In her hand, she carried a convenience store bag. Inside were three bottles of sports drink. "I slipped away during my break at work! Here, a little treat!" Konan ran up and held out the drinks with an innocent smile. That smile was no different from usual. As gentle and warm as an angel's. Sakurako's most precious best friend's smile. The moment she saw it— Something unbearable shot through Sakurako's entire body. Cold. The sense of liberation she had felt in the ocean just moments ago froze in an instant. (*I'm—in love with Konan's boyfriend.*) The fact she had just realized moments ago pierced her head-on in the face of Konan's smile. Deep in her chest, something tightened painfully. She couldn't breathe. (*I'm the worst. The absolute worst. Unbelievable.*) Sakurako desperately tried to put on her usual face. To act aloof, to radiate a don't-touch-me aura, to solidify her armor with harsh words— But she couldn't. Her expression wouldn't move properly. Her facial muscles were stiff, as if frozen. "Here, Sakurako-chan! You get thirsty moving around underwater, right?" Konan held out a bottle. "...Thanks." Her voice was flat, like a stranger's. Sakurako took the bottle and immediately turned her face away. But— "Sakurako, you look pale. Are you okay?" Konan's voice changed, just slightly. Sakurako turned back with a start. Konan was peering at Sakurako with a slightly more serious expression than usual. "Just swallowed some seawater. It's nothing." Sakurako answered curtly. But. Konan's eyes narrowed, just a tiny bit. She believed her, but something was different. That faint shadow flickered across her large, round eyes. Just for a moment. Truly, just a moment. But Sakurako didn't miss it. Konan immediately returned to her usual smile. "I see! Well, be careful then. Seawater's pretty salty, after all!" Konan said it and laughed. But that single moment from before lingered in Sakurako's chest. (*Did she notice—?*) (*No, but, that was—*) Sakurako looked at her own hands. They were still trembling slightly. After the training ended and the equipment was put away. Sakurako got on her bicycle and pedaled home alone. The road from Nagisa Beach to her apartment in the Minato ward. She rode along the coastal prefectural road, the setting sun at her back. The ocean was dyed orange. It was a beautiful sight. But nothing registered in Sakurako's eyes. As she pedale

日本語

What is Novelia? →

Episode 4

Name: The Loveless Genius and the Scowling Diving Girl – Grand Blue IF –
Author: Novelia

What is Novelia?

Novelia is an AI-powered platform to read original light novels and fan fiction, create your own in just a few taps, and chat with the characters. New, illustrated episodes arrive daily — free to start.

Learn more about Novelia →New sign-ups get 5,000pt