Ember Sunblaze: Happy Holidays! Hope everyone had a wonder Christmas and New Years! Hope you all enjoy this latest chapter ^_^

Chapter 34: The Free Day, Part 6

"Righto Mates! Float ya bums over this way, eh!"

The students of Class 1-A waded over to where Ripper floated, a cluster of sharks lazily swimming circles around him. Despite the class' new found willingness to swim alongside the apex predators of the sea, a hint of apprehension was still present. Most floating in close proximity, their shoulders bumping against each other as they waited for Ripper's Kaminari's relief and surprise, he found himself in the water right next to Jiro.

The thought of greeting her flickered though his mind, but then dissolved as he remembered their last few failed interactions. He shook his head, berating himself. "Come on dude! I am totally overthinking this! I mean, it's just Jiro…" His gaze swept to the side, both his and Jiro's eyes unexpecting meeting.

They both blushed, quickly averting their eyes.

"Oh, uh, my bad!" Kaminari muttered, not even sure why he was even apologizing.

Jiro moved her wet hair aside, also looking embarrassed. "You know…jumping into shark infested waters is pretty dumb. Even for you."

"Yeah…you're probably right." Kaminari replied back, rubbing his neck.

"But…." Jiro added, lips curving into a shy smile. "It was also… pretty cool."

Kaminari paused, eyes widening in surprise. "You think so?!"

"Don't get the wrong idea." Jiro warned, pointing an ear jack at him. "It was still a really stupid idea."

But Kaminari didn't seem to hear. A goofy grin had split upon his face. Relief overcoming him as the unease from before seemed to vanish. As if it was never there to begin with. He nudged closer to her, cheekily replying. "I was pretty cool, wasn't I?"

"You look like you just short circuited yourself." Jiro answered, her cheeks reddening. Her hand pushed against his cheek, furthering the distance between the two. "Shush! Ripper's talking." On Jiro's other side, Asui quietly chuckled to herself over their exchange.

"Kyoka really is shy about these sort of things." The frog girl mused, turning her attention to Ripper. The shark-quirked sidekick was giving out instructions on handling their very unusual aquatic guides.

"Lend an ear, mates! As I said before, these beauties here are going to help lead us along to where we'll be snorkeling today. It's a bit of a swim, but these strong chompers will be there to help with the ride." Ripper said, patting the pack of a hammerhead as it glided past. "Just grab a hold of the top fin here and let the big guys and gals do all the work!"

He demonstrated by easily reaching out and hooking his hand around the dorsal fin of the tiger shark, Baby. Without even stopping, Baby kept swimming, easily pulling Ripper along beside him through the water. The class gasped, a ripple of excitement running through them.

"Woah! Wait till the students hear that we rode a shark on our trip!" Sero joked.

"And you're positive these creatures are willing to assist us?" Iida asked, cautious as always on his fellow student's safety.

"No worries, mate! It's what these guys have been training for!" Ripper answered, waving as a large hammerhead circled the class. "Though a word of advice. If ya can, try to keep all your hands away from the face area. Can't promise ya that these blokes won't take a nip or two out of a few fingers that look like fish if ya know what I mean!"

Iida paled at the notion, looking ready to have the class abandon this excursion. Luckily, the more level-headed Sirius intervened, placing a reassuring hand on the president's shoulder.

"Rest assured, Captain Selkie and I have used these very sharks for missions in the past." Sirius explained. "There's really no need for concern."

"But…missing fingers!" Iida stammered out.

Asui appeared on his other side. "Please Iida, kero. It'll be fun!"

Iida's face burned, the two women teasingly clinging to his arms in an attempt to sway him. "Fine! Fine! I concede!" He yelled in defeat. "But I demand everyone to use the utmost caution to keep your appendages intact!"

"KAY!" The class chorused, eager to get going.

"Knew that was coming." Kaminari murmured, watching Asui and Sirius victoriously high-five each other. "The poor prez didn't stand a chance against them."

"Think you would have wavered any better?" Jiro asked, with a hint of a challenge.

Kaminari puffed his chest confidently. "Pfft! I'm totally made out of tougher material." Jiro eyed him skeptically.

Ripper let go of Baby, wading back to the class. "Right mates! Who wants to be the first to give it a burl?!"

Before anyone could come forward, Jiro gave Kaminari a push from behind, knocking him forward. "Hey!" He complained, glancing over his shoulder.

"Go on, tough guy." Jiro urged, shooting him a playful grin. Any complaints he had were instantly washed away. He gave a half-hearted grumble, raising his hand.

"I guess I'll give it a…burl?" He announced. Ripper beamed in delight.

"Righto, Now we're talking!" The sidekick exclaimed, throwing a friendly arm around Kaminari's shoulders and pulling him close. "No worries! I've got just the mate for ya!" He whacked the water with an open palm, giving out a guttural roar. A large familiar fin burst through the water, circling the two. "Ya remember, this bloke here I reckon?"

"Ahhh! Hey!" Kaminari cried out, the tiger shark's side roughly brushing against his body as it swam to and fro around the two boys. "How can I forget? This guy almost took a bite out of me on the deck!"

Ripper laughed. "Baby here is a bit of a spoiled one. Just needs a strong hand to reel him in. Perfect mate for you, eh?"

"Does that strong hand include all ten fingers or just some?!" Kaminari asked sarcastically, wishing he could change sharks, but with both the class and Jiro's eyes on him, chickening out just wasn't an option. The shark nudged against him, its snout forcefully pushing against his chest. "Dude! Is this….normal!?"

Ripper rubbed his chin, also looking perplexed. "Nah, can't say it is. I reckon he really has taken a fancy to you."

"Looks like you have some competition." Sirius whispered mischievously in Jiro's ear, causing her to blush furiously. Asui giggled beside her.

"Hmm, if you don't mind me asking, what sort of quirk do you have?" Ripper asked, still contemplating the tiger shark's stranger behavior.

"Kaminari is proficient in wielding and emitting high voltages of electricity through his body." Iida studiously answered as even more sharks joined Baby in surrounding Kaminari.

"Ahh, so that explains it then!" Ripper stated, waving off the sharks with a friendly, but forceful shove. "They're attracted to your electricity mate!"

"Huh?"

"Sharks have the ability to detect electrical currents." Sirius expertly explained to Kaminari and the rest of the class, as she moved to join Ripper. "This sense, called electroreception, is a hunting tool used to detect the location of prey. In saltwater, muscular movement of fish and other organisms creates small electrical currents, which sharks are attracted to."

"Which means…" Ripper continued, patting Kaminari on the back. "With your quirk totally buzzing out with electricity, you're a total shark magnet!"

"Lucky me…." Kaminari grumbled, as Baby pushed against him, almost submerging him in the water. He heard a few amused snickers from class, furthering his irritation.

"Too bad it's not a girl magnet!" Sero loudly commented, elbowing Ojiro beside him.

Sirius clapped her hands, getting the class's attention back on Ripper and her. "Okay everyone, Ripper and I will help the rest of you get paired off with a shark so we can be on our way."

"Righto! All you big fellas, come on over to me!" Ripper added, waving Shoji, Sato, and Koda over. "I've got a few hammer and tiger beauties who can handle a bigger load!" The next few minutes were a whirl of excitement as the students practiced hooking on to a shark and gliding through the waters with them. Once everyone seemed situated, Ripper swam to the head of the pack, his dorsal fin easily visible as it poked out from the waves.

"Right on ya, mates!" He called, waving a webbed hand. "Let's catch these waves!"

The class cheered, gleefully clinging to their sharks as they effortlessly glided the students through the ocean waters. They shrieked in unison, their shark companions leading them over the crest of a large wave that sent water spraying down upon them like rain. "Hold on tight to those flippers!" Ripper called back, the class's laughter answering back. He grinned, lingering to swim beside Kaminari who still had his hands full with his rambunctious young shark. "Looks like ya having a ripper of a time! Mind if I join ya?"

"Can't you like…I don't know…Tell him to sit!?" Kaminari demanded, clinging to Baby's fin as the shark dived and reemerged underwater, soaking the teen. Ripper laughed.

"If only it was that easy! Funny thing about these critters who have been around for millions and millions of years…they're a right bit stubborn!" He exclaimed, giving the tiger shark a playful bonk on his snout. "Reckon he'll be right once the bugger tires out a bit."

Kaminari moved aside his drenched bangs, spitting a stream of salt water from his mouth. "Dude I'll drown at that point!"

Ripper drifted closer, his large bulk swimming parallel to Baby, the sidekick's presence quelling some of the young shark's eagerness. "I reckon I never really got to thank you for earlier." The older boy spoke, almost making Kaminari slip off his shark in surprise. "It was a big help. Getting the class on board like that."

"I really didn't do anything." Kaminari replied, feeling a ripple of guilt at his petty behavior from the morning.

Ripper shook his head. "Na, ya did more than you know." His hand pushed his dripping mohawk back against his head. "Ya actually took me by surprise. I would have shot ya for one those larrikin types."

"A what?"

"Oh, uh? A jokester!" Ripper explained. "But, ya actually pretty spot on. Knew exactly what to say to get your mates going." He paused, seeming to hesitate. "I think we may have gotten off on the wrong footing earlier. Can't blame ya, really. I wouldn't take kindly to someone who took a bite out of my classmates either. But I am sorry for it. Truly I am."

A wave of guilt passed through Kaminari. "That…wasn't the reason." He embarrassedly admitted. "Besides, you're not the only one who….wasn't quite themselves yesterday."

"Ah…" Ripper replied, understanding. "That's tough, mate."

"Yeah." Kaminari murmured, patting Baby's side. A pleased rumble came from the shark, making him smile.

"Soooo, if that's the case. Was it sheila trouble then?" Ripper unexpectedly inquired. A surprised Kaminari slipped off his shark with a splash.

His head broke through the water, blinking at Asui's unexpected presence in front of him.

"Shark still giving you trouble, kero?"

"No! I just…Wait, where's your shark?" Kaminari asked, glancing around.

"She didn't want one." Jiro answered, her hammerhead shark gliding over and nuzzling against Kaminari, much to his displeasure. "She wanted to swim instead."

"It's better to stretch out my muscles a bit." Asui explained. But Kaminari wasn't listening, his attention taken by the persistent hammerhead pushing against him.

"Dude! You sharks are killing me here!" Kaminari complained, trying to push it away. The girls laughed.

"Just be glad they aren't REALLY killing you." Jiro pointed out.

Asui nodded in agreement. "If you want I can pull you along with my tongue." She offered, holding out her long tongue towards him. Jiro shot her an incredulous look, clearly not keen on the suggestion.

She wasn't the only one. Kaminari hesitated, unsure if the offer was a joke or not. "Uhhh…

Before he could answer, Jiro and her shark moved between the two. With slightly reddened cheeks, she reached a hand toward him. "Hop on. You can ride on my shark's other side. Unless you're worried you won't be able to handle even that." She added with a teasing note.

Despite the jab, Kaminari grinned, his arm instinctively reaching towards hers. "Uh, thanks Jiro…" But just before their fingers touched, a familiar tiger shark burst from the water, making both teens give startled shrieks.

"AHHHGHHH!"

"DAMN IT BABY SHARK!" Kaminari yelled, annoyed as the affectionate tiger shark bulldozed right into his chest, knocking the wind out of him.

Ripper appeared next to him, grinning ear to ear. "Aye! There ya are! Wondered where ya wiped out at. Got some good news for ya, mate!" He leapt from the water's surface, gaining the class's attention. In a loud voice he bellowed, "ALRIGHT MATEYS! We made it to the snorkeling spot! Right down below, you'll find a treasure trove of aquatic beauties! If you swim towards Sirius here, she'll spot ya all with some goggles and snorkeling mouthpieces." He explained, nodding to Sirius who held up a waterproof bag of equipment. "If ya get tired, there are some rocks over there, just right for resting your bums. The sharks here will patrol around, making sure nothing disturbs us. So go ahead and enjoy yourselves!"

The class gave a cheer, already swimming towards Sirius. Kaminari stayed behind, attempting to push the tiger shark away from him. "Dude, you heard him! Go patrol with your buddies!" The shark snapped his jaws, turning away and giving a Kaminari a passing whack with his tail. "Hey! Not cool!"

"You two seem…chummy." Sero commented, tossing Kaminari a set of goggles. "Grabbed you a set since it seemed your hands were full!"

"Thanks." Kaminari said, slipping them over his head. He glanced towards Sirius, where he could see her, Jiro, and Asui together. The trio of girls were smiling, huddling together to take a quick selfie with snorkeling goggles perched atop their heads. A part of him longed to join them, the need to speak to Jiro growing after his talk with Ripper.

"The dude was nice enough to apologize, even though he didn't really do anything." Kaminari internalized. "I should probably take a page from his book and talk to Jiro." Even if they seemed to be getting back on good terms, a part of him still wanted to explain himself. Though the contents of what he would say to her were still a complete mystery to him. "Maaaan, why are girls so difficult!?"

"Hey! What's the hold up?! Sero exclaimed, throwing an arm around Kaminari and dragging him through the water. "Come on! The guys and I are all hanging with Ripper. He says he knows these waters like the back of his hand!"

"Kay." Kaminari replied, giving in and allowing his friend to steer him away. They met with the boys of the class, who all seemed to be situated around Ripper. The shark-quirked sidekick grinned at their approach, waving a friendly hand at them. "Oi! Just in time! Take a gander at our pal Koda here!"

The two turned to their shy classmate, who looked startled at the sudden attention. "Umm…"

"Go on then! Ya got this!" Ripper urged, giving him a hearty whop on the back. Taking a deep breath, Koda stuck his head under the water. Within seconds, several sea turtles made their way to the surface, much to the delight of the class.

"Whoa! So cool!"

"Look at all of them!"

"I've never seen one up close!"

"Amazing!"

Koda came back up, flushing with delight at the exclamations of his classmates. Ripper patted his shoulder, giving him a friendly squeeze. "Good on ya, mate! Knew ya had it in ya!"

"That's rather impressive. Being able to even communicate with creatures under the water." Ojiro commented, patting a passing sea turtle's shell.

"Truly extraordinary." Tokoyami complimented, giving Koda a respectful nod.

"It was easy once Ripper Sensei showed me the trick." Koda modestly replied, looking at Ripper in admiration.

The sidekick let out a booming laugh. "Hahahah! Sorry! Sorry, mate! I just have never been called Sensei before! Can't say it suits me much!"

"What exactly is the trick?" Sato asked curiously. Koda began to answer, but Ripper pulled him closer, covering his mouth.

"Sorry mates! That's a little secret between us speakers of the sea critter tongue!" Ripper answered, winking at the rest of the class. A disappointed murmur followed this answer.

Sero snapped his goggles over his eyes. "Figures! I love my quirk and all, but wouldn't it be kind of neat to be able to talk to some sort of animal? Like Ripper does with the sharks?"

The question made Kaminari think of the boy he had fought against yesterday. "That Kai dude…didn't he have a similar quirk? But instead of sharks, it was with octopuses?" He faintly remembered Jiro mentioning he had been able to order them to spy on the girls down in the caverns. He glanced at Ripper, who was busying himself with giving Koda more helpful advice. "It's crazy how different those two are. Like night and day."

"I guess it would really depend on the animal." Kaminari answered, turning back to Sero.

"That's true. Couldn't really do much hero work if you had something like a bunny quirk…." Sero paused, reconsidering his words as the image of the terrifying rabbit-quirked pro-hero, Mirko came to mind. "Actually…scratch that thought." Sero glanced at Ripper. "But still, I definitely wouldn't complain about being able to command an army of sharks!"

"Oui! Oui!" Aoyama agreed, overhearing their conversation from a large inflatable lounge float he had somehow packed along. He lifted his sunglasses, sending an infatuated gaze at the sun-soak, musclepacked Ripper. "With a legion of sharks on your side, one wouldn't have to lift a finger in any fight."

Ripper turned their way, chuckling. "Sorry to burst ya bubbles, mates. But sharks like these aren't ever used for combat."

"Why not?" Sero asked. "These sharks seem to listen to you pretty well. Kind of a waste of your quirk…OUCH!" He winced, stinging at a well aimed chop upon his head by Iida.

"Please refrain from using such disrespectful comments towards our host!" Iida chided, turning to repeatedly bow his head towards Ripper. " I apologize sincerely for my classes' insistent questioning!"

The sidekick laughed, not looking bothered one bit. "No wuckas! It's totally cool." He turned to the group, his tone reflective as he explained, "Even though these sharks help me with search and rescue purposes, they aren't my pets. At the end of day, they still need their strength to hunt and keep themselves alive. One injury is all it can take to make that impossible for them." Ripper absently ran his hand over the back of a curious ray that had wandered up the surface. "Truthfully, despite my strengths, fighting is my least favorite part of this hero gig. Using my quirk to train these guys to rescue people, helping them gain a better image in society, that's my main reason for becoming a hero."

He nodded towards the island in the far distance. "It's the reason why I moved here. Back home, there's too much of a stigma around sharks. The fear, it's just too embedded in the culture. But here, it's a bit different, more open-minded." He grinned, showing off his shark teeth as he concluded. "It also helps to have the island's pro-hero eager to back me up!"

"What admirable goals you have!" Iida praised. "I think I speak for the class when I say you have our full support for your future success!"

"Funny hearing say that after he was the one freaking over the sharks." Kaminari thought, stifling an amused smirk. But he could understand the turnabout. It was hard not to see the love Ripper had for the creatures his quirk was based on and the conviction for using his quirk to change societies' views on them. Even leaving his home to do so.

Ripper shrugged. "It's nothing really. Think part of being a hero is finding more than one way to use your quirk to help people."

Kaminari frowned, glancing down at his hands. "Finding other uses for your quirk huh?" Before he could dwell too much on these words, he felt a familiar heavyweight smash onto his shoulders. "Dude!"

"But that's enough about me!" Ripper said, hanging onto Kaminari and ruffling his blonde hair. "Weren't you going to tell me about a sheila problem of yours before you totally wiped out?"

"Sheila problems?" Sero, who was close enough to hear, repeated with interest. "Kaminari's whole life is a sheila problem, hahaha!"

"It's sharks that are my problem!" Kaminari countered, wiggling his way out of Ripper's hold. The sidekick splashed on top of him, with Sero joining into the fray. The tussling led to a splash war in which several of the other boys soon joined in. Their laughter drifted along the pleasant sea breeze, reaching the ears of the girls a few yards away.

Asui rose from the water, turning in their direction. "Looks like the boys are having fun, kero."

Jiro removed her goggles, following her gaze. "Looks like they plan on scaring all the fish away."

Sirius laughed at the remark. "That's boys for you! Glad to see them enjoying themselves. Though with Ripper around that's a given. That guy's always had a way of winning people over. Guess it's the way he wears his heart on his sleeve. Something that isn't quite easy for some." She shot a knowing glance at Jiro at this comment.

But Jiro hadn't heard. Her attention was set on Kaminari tussling with Ripper in the water, both bearing large grins as Baby the tiger shark joined the fray, playfully whacking into Kaminari's chest. Asui had filled the blue-haired sidekick in on the possible drama between Jiro and a male classmate. It didn't take a genius to guess which one. With a cat-like smirk she set her chin on Jiro's shoulder, startling the young teen. "You know, I bet you can always invite him to snorkel with you."

Like a startled cat Jiro swiftly waded to an amused Asui's side. "What are you talking about?!"

"That blonde next to Ripper? You and him are an item, right?" Sirius asked.

Jiro glared at Asui. "Tsuyu…."

"Ah, Ah, Ah." Sirius cut in, wagging her finger. "Not so fast. Froppy just mentioned you were having a boy issue. But she never mentioned which boy." She wiggled her fin shaped ear pieces smugly. "That was pure observation on my part. Also you did make it pretty obvious." She leaned in closer, eyes gleaming mischievously. "So spill it! I'm all ears!"

Jiro grimaced, whispering to Asui. "Your friend is seriously scary."

"I heard that! Good Ear quirk, remember!?"

"I think what Sirius is trying to say is that if something about Kaminari is bothering you then you should take this opportunity to talk with him." Asui patiently explained. "It worked for Ochako and Midoriya."

Jiro reddened, her earjacks clicking together bashfully. "Those two are different. They're practically already a couple." She glanced down at the water, looking unsure. "But for me…I don't really know what Kaminari is…or what I want….or I don't know! It's complicated!" She splashed the two, ducking herself underwater. Asui and Sirius stood together dripping, with identical expressions of exasperation.

"Is love always this complicated?" Asui inquired.

"Only at this age!" Sirius confidently replied, winking at her kohai. "When you're my age, you know what you want and you just go after it! No ifs or buts about it! Speaking of which…" She hugged Asui's arm, pulling her close. "Come on! Let's go have some fun!"

"Kero?" Asui uttered, following her spontaneous senpai Sirius as they dived back below the water.

Jiro released a relieved sigh as her head sprouted from the water. She pushed away her wet bangs, glancing away to make sure Asui and Sirius hadn't attempted to follow her. "Geez, I know they're trying to help but…." A devilish image of Sirius appeared, her fin-shaped ear pieces growing to resemble horns. "...I really just need some space. Especially from that Sirius. She's even sharper than Momo."

She gave a frustrated sigh, letting herself drift lazily along the water's surface. "Why do they even care anyway? There's nothing for me to fix with Kaminari because there ISN'T EVEN A THING between us to fix!" She lifted her hand, blocking the sun away from her face as she mulled over her mixed feelings. "I mean it's Kaminari for crying out loud! Half the time he doesn't even act like a proper hero. Always goofing off in class and flirting around like an idiot. And what was with that attitude of his today?!" She huffed, thinking of his obnoxious comments toward Ripper.

But just as quickly as the anger emerged, it ebbed away with feelings of guilt as she thought about her own aloof behavior towards him from that morning. Her chest tightened uncomfortably, remembering how she had replied to his cheerful morning greeting with a cold shoulder. "I guess…that that was probably because of me."

Jiro groaned aloud, covering her eyes in mortification. "But how the hell does he expect me to react after THAT happened!?" Her ear jacks made frustrated mini splashes in the water as she fretted, cheeks burning at the memory of Kaminari on top of her, the weight of him pinning her down upon the floor. She could still vividly remember his gaze, looking both scared and unsure, roaming her body and making her heart pound. And then being seized by panic as she felt him begin to lean in….

"Arrrgh! What am I thinking!?" Blushing wildly, she snapped her goggles on and dove into the water. Hoping the coolness of the sea would be able to calm her. Blinking through the bubbles, she found herself once again in awe of the beauty of life beneath the waves. The spot they were in was a cluster of colorful coral reefs, blooming with anemones and of fishes of every hue flitting about. Eels, stingrays, and sea turtles were also in abundance. From afar she could see one of Ripper's sharks patrolling, purposely keeping their distance to allow the students to view the local wildlife without fear.

"This really is a nice snorkeling area." Jiro complimented, already startling to feel calmer as she settled into the silence of the ocean. But still, even the picturesque scene couldn't fully drive Kaminari from her thoughts. The most daunting of which was….what would have happened last night if she hadn't said anything? "Would he had kissed me?" She wondered, feeling scared at the mere thought. "Better yet….did I WANT him to?"

The question sprung from her like an air bubble, drifting towards the surface with no answer to come. Leaving only uncertainty behind. Feeling frustrated with her own confusion, Jiro gazed past the reefs, looking out into the darkness of the open ocean.

"It's quiet. Being down here in the ocean. I'm not sure how much I like it." Jiro reflected, picturing being up on stage and playing music with Kaminari during their school festival. "That really was a blast…and it wouldn't had happened if Kaminari hadn't encouraged me to be open with my love of music. I wonder if he ever realized how much those words meant to me."

It was then that memories of the day before emerged, of her torturous battle with Kai who had her entangled in his tentacle. Kaminari had been the one to try to pull her free from Kai's grip, despite the risk and her objections. And then had willingly volunteered to take on Kai alone so the others could escape.

"That was an epic fail." Jiro thought, smiling to herself at the memory. "But….it was still pretty heroic."

Out of the blue she felt a chill run through her. She swirled around, the dark waters suddenly feeling threatening despite the tranquil ambience she had felt just moments ago. "It feels like…I'm being watched?" She knew she was being ridiculous. The reef was filled with life so of course some creature might be observing her. "But this….it feels familiar…."

Then she saw it. A pair of pitch black eyes staring right at her from the crevice of two reefs. An octopus of medium size, watching her from the shadows. She felt herself freeze, irrational fear overwhelming her at its presence. The fear only intensified as two long tentacles unraveled from its body, the creature stealthily moving away from its hiding spot.

"DON'T!" Jiro yelled, but only air bubbles escaped her mouth.

Sensing its escape being compromised, the octopus shot a stream of dark ink, clouding the waters and increasing Jiro's panic. She backed away, knocking into something hard and solid. Turning around, her eyes widened at the sight of Kaminari behind her.

He pointed upwards, grabbing her wrists and guiding her upwards. Seconds later, their heads broke the surface, with Jiro sputtering and gasping for air. In alarm, Kaminari moved beside her, supporting her as she caught her breath. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah…I think so." Jiro replied, voice still sounding shaky.

Despite her assurance, Kaminari noticed her glancing warily down at the water. As if waiting for something below to come up and get her. He frowned, sensing she was holding something back. "What happened down there?"

"It's nothing! I just…." She hesitated, her face beginning to redden. "...saw something. It just took me by surprise, that's all!"

Kaminari gave her a look, not buying it. "Dude, that can't be it! You looked like you were having a full blown panic attack down there."

"Well maybe you should get your eyes checked!" Jiro snapped. She tried to tread backwards, but Kaminari's hands caught both her arms, easily pulling her back towards him. Annoyed, she lifted her ear jacks, ready to give him a zap.

"Jiro, please. I just want to help." Kaminari said, his voice sounding much more gentler than she had ever remembered being. "I promise I won't laugh."

Feeling defeated, Jiro slowly lowered her ear jack. With cheeks red with embarrassment, she quietly whispered, "I….saw an octopus." She visibly winced, realizing how silly it sounded aloud. But she just couldn't shake off her unease. Not after the revelation that those creatures had been spying on her and her friends for Kai was still so fresh in her mind. "I'm being ridiculous…Kai has been apprehended." She reminded herself. "Kaminari probably thinks I'm acting like an idiot. Freaking out like this." But when she opened her eyes again, there wasn't a hint of a smile in Kaminari's expression, only concern.

"Oh that….sucks." Kaminari replied, struggling to come up with more comforting words.

"...Pfffft!" Despite herself, Jiro couldn't help but laugh. "That's it? That's all you've got for me?"

"What!? It does suck!" Kaminari exclaimed, crossing his arms indignantly. "I mean, after having those creepy, crawly tentacles all over you, I can imagine you can get a little freaked out by seeing one up close again. I know I would."

"You don't think…it's embarrassing?" She asked, bashfully tapping her ear jacks together. "Getting freaked out over such a small thing?"

"Dude, it's like you don't even know me!" Kaminari joked, giving her an encouraging grin. "I literally get freaked out over everything! Especially on our training missions!" He scratched the back of his head, shyly admitting. "It's actually a relief knowing someone as cool as you can get jittery too."

Jiro blushed, her heart giving an unexpected skip. "He thinks I'm cool?" She rubbed her arm self-consciously, her skin still feeling prickly from where he had held her. She thought about what happened the night before between her and Kaminari and her cold, rather aloof response. All because she was too scared to be open about her feelings. "I think you have the wrong idea about me."

"Nah! You're totally cool!" Kaminari replied with a thumbs up, completely misinterpreting her meaning. He glanced around, wondering aloud, "Sooo why were you out here by yourself anyway? I thought you and the other girls were snorkeling together?"

"We were but…I wanted to explore." Jiro explained, not wanting to go into details. "What about you? How did you even find me?"

In a deadpan tone, he pointed to a familiar fin swimming in circles behind him. "I'll give you one guess…." On cue, Baby the tiger shark, lifted his head from the water. Dangling from his mouth were Kaminari's snorkeling goggles. Jiro's lips gave an amused twitch.

"You two seem close." She commented, holding back a laugh.

"Arrrgh! It's so annoying!" Kaminari whined dramatically. "Why sharks?! Why couldn't it be kittens or bunnies attracted to me? Something that has less teeth and isn't as snarky!" In response, Baby zoomed by, using his tail to splash Kaminari. "DUDE!"

Jiro laughed, passing Kaminari her goggles. "Here, how about we take turns?"

Kaminari blinked, the sound of Jiro's laughter ringing in his ears like a pleasant melody. "Huh? You and me? Really?"

"If…you want." Jiro answered, starting to second guess her suggestion. But all her doubt vanished at the look of joy that crossed his features. He grabbed her hand, pulling her along excitedly.

"Come on! Let's check out this reef over here—AHHHH!" Kaminari yelled as Baby came between the two, pushing them through the water.

"Guess he wants to join?" Jiro laughed, grabbing Baby's dorsal fin.

"Figures." Kaminari rolled his eyes, grabbing the fin from the other side. Their fingers brushed together, making both teens blush. But neither let go as they glided along, both of them just glad to be in each other's company.

Once everyone was wrinkled, sun-tanned and completely worn out from snorkeling and exploring the reefs, Ripper and his fleet of sharks guided them back to the S.S. Fruit Bowl for a much needed break. Once onboard, Ripper and Sirius explained they would be heading back towards Naha City to have lunch together. Afterwards, they would do some guided sightseeing before ending the day back at Vitamin C's Villa.

Though the ship didn't have a full bathroom facility with showers, it did have a hose where they could quickly give their skin a quick rinse. By the time everyone had cleaned away the salt water and put on their dry clothes, the ship was already getting close to Naha's port.

"Okay, sheilas and bros!" Ripper's voice bellowed out from the wheel. "I say we'll be seeing land in about 15 minutes or so. So just chill till then, eh?"

Sirius came up behind him. "Also make sure all your stuff is together! Don't want to leave anything behind."

"You heard them!" Iida added, "Please be promptly on deck for arrival—Uuugh!" He covered his mouth, turning a shade of green as seasickness once again overcame him. Sirius patted his back, guiding him towards a seat. "Now, now. Let's go ahead and get you a seat over here next to the rails."

"Please…no…down below would be preferable…." Iida pleaded, but the mariner heroine insisted.

"Nonsense! Nothing beats seasickness like a nice sea breeze!" The president gave a weak groan of protest but allowed himself to be let away by the expert.

"Guess the Prez still doesn't have his sea legs?" Jiro commented, watching Sirius supporting Iida to a bench in the back of the boat. Both Asui and her were sitting on the floor of the lower deck, looking through pictures they had taken while snorkeling. The rest of the class were doing similar activities, not having much energy for much else. At this point almost everyone was ready to get back on land and grab a bite to eat.

Asui shook her head in pity. "Poor Iida. It'll be good for him to be back on land, kero."

Across the deck, Sero stood up, waving a deck of cards in his hand as he called out. "Since we have some time to spare, anyone up for a game of cards?"

"Sure, I'm in." Ojiro said, standing up and following Sero up to the upper decks. He was followed by Sato, Koda, and Shoji. Aoyoma remained relaxing in the sun, while stealing peeks at Ripper at the wheel. Tokoyami sat in the shadows, dozing off.

Asui stood up, stretching her stiff shoulder. "That sounds fun." She moved towards the steps, pausing when she noticed Jiro hadn't moved. "Coming, kero?"

Jiro remained seated, lost in thought as she stared down at her phone. Curious, Asui moved closer, peering over her friend's shoulder. The screen showed a selfie of Jiro and Kaminari posing together next to Baby the tiger shark.

In it, Kaminari was making his best shark expression, mouth open wide in an attempted snarl. The effect was more comical than vicious. Especially when next to the real deal. Jiro was in the water on the shark's other side, smiling shyly as her gaze fell not on the camera, but on the boy next to her. Asui noticed a similar smile on Jiro as she gazed down at the picture.

"Looks like you had fun." Asui commented, startling Jiro into almost dropping her phone.

With burning cheeks she quickly hid the phone away, airily answering . "Yeah, I guess it was pretty cool. It's not every day that you get to swim with a tiger shark."

"And Kaminari?" Asui prompted.

Jiro twirled her dangling ear jack with her finger, trying to hide an immersing blush. "He was…not as dorky as usual."

Asui smiled to herself, pleased by the answer. Deciding not to tease her further, she instead asked, "Want to join in for a game of cards?"

"You go on ahead." Jiro answered, standing up and stretching. "Think I'll sit this one out." Asui nodded, waving as she ascended the steps to the upper deck.

Once Asui was gone, Jiro headed to the railings, enjoying the feel of the soft sea breeze. Down below, the waves churned the ship's hull as it sailed back towards Naha. "Guess after this we'll explore more of the city and then head back to the ryokan." She imagined once there, the other girls will be bursting with excitement to exchange stories about their day.

She once again twisted her ear jack around her finger, absently wondering what the others were up to. What things have changed? What new relationships have blossomed? "Has anything changed for me?"

"Geez! Why does shark breath take so long to wash out of your hair?!" Kaminari loudly lamented, toweling his hair off as he came around the corner. He paused, blinking confusedly at the almost empty deck. "Uhhh…what gives? Where did everyone go?"

"They're all up there," Jiro answered, pointing up towards the upper deck. "Playing cards until we port."

"Oh." Kaminari replied, coming to stand next to her. Unlike everyone else, he still wore his swim trunks, not bothering to change. "Hey! You can already see the island!" It was true. Though faint, the coastline was steadily coming into view on the horizon. He glanced curiously at Jiro, who didn't seem to share his excitement. "So, why are you down here alone?"

Jiro shrugged. "No real reason. Just thinking of how our trip is already almost over with. Tomorrow we'll be heading back to school. Back to normality…whatever that is."

"Argh! Don't remind me!" Kaminari groaned, slumping over the rails. "It's not fair. We literally only got like a day of vacation!"

"Yeah. Excluding our volleyball tournament, most of yesterday was us dealing with some deranged psychopath and her minions." Jiro said, agreeing with him. "Not exactly what you would call relaxing."

"The minion agrees." Kaminari replied, teasingly pointing at himself.

Jiro rolled her eyes, fighting back an amused grin. "I guess…in reality. The only reason we were here in the first place was to help out with those abduction cases. Thinking of it that way, it's hard to complain." She looked over her shoulder, to where Ripper and Sirius were happily chatting by the wheel. "After all, it's because of everything we went through that those students and, even Ripper, are all safe."

"Yeah…" Kaminari admitted, perking up. "Guess we did manage to pull off some pretty awesome stuff." He ruffled his still damp hair, embarrassingly admitting. "Well… I said we, but I guess it was mostly you and the other girls who did most of the hard stuff. You all were the real stars of the show!"

Jiro's gaze fell, turning to look back at the sea. "You say that. But in the end there, we were pretty useless." She thought about him coming to her aid back during their battle with Kai, and then again when she got spooked earlier. She reddened, the memories leaving her feeling self-conscious. "I'm just glad everything worked out. If it didn't, we wouldn't all be out here enjoying ourselves."

"Yeah." Kaminari agreed, his golden eyes sparkling happily as they fell on her . "It really has been a blast!"

Jiro blushed, her heart skipping a beat. "You know…I forgot to thank you for before. For being there when I got startled." She paused, remembering their time afterwards. Both of them admiring the beautiful reefs and the aquatic life that made their homes there. "It was fun…hanging out with you."

This time, it was Kaminari's turn to blush. He quickly glanced down at the water, too flustered to look straight at her. "Yeah….it was." He gulped, hesitating before adding. "Ummm….that sort of reminds me. I wanted to apologize for how I acted at the marketplace. That really wasn't cool." He grinned awkwardly, still unable to meet her gaze.

Jiro blinked, surprised at his sudden apology. Without thinking, she reached her hand out, touching his shoulder. "Kaminari…"

Kaminari's eyes widened, his body instinctively turning towards her. It was then that time seemed to slow down. One second she was there. Then, with a startled scream, she fell to the floor of the deck, a long, red tentacle wrapped around her ankle. Before either of them could react, it retreated, dragging her over the edge of the deck.

"JIRO!" Kaminari yelled, leaning over the rails in panic. He stared down in horror at the ring of bubbles rising on the surface of the water. Right where something….or better yet….someone had pulled her down into the dark depths of the ocean below.