The physical education teacher was doing the final headcount on the track, and I approached him to let him know I was back.

  “Welcome back, Hamasaki-kun. Is Samejima-san okay?” he asked as soon as I approached.

  “Yes, sensei, the nurse says she needs to stay a while to clean her wounds.”

  The teacher nodded, clearly relieved.

  “Well done. We're almost done for today, but since you were out of the activity, can you help us pick up the equipment and put it away in the storage room? That way we can make up for the lack of exercise.”

  I nodded without protest. It wasn't the first time I had to pick up the equipment, and to be honest, I preferred picking up balls to exercising.

  When I finally got to the storage room to put things away, I heard a strange noise coming from inside. I thought it was the wind, but when I looked toward the back of the room... I saw her.

  On top of a pile of mats, there was a girl fast asleep. I froze, not knowing whether to wake her up or leave quietly.

  After observing her, I recognized her.

  That long blue hair... It was Kujira Nozomi, a junior. The “sleeping princess” of the high school.

  I had heard stories about her, like how she always fell asleep in the most unusual places. She was so enigmatic that very few people knew anything about her.

  Realizing that I was staring at her too much, I looked away and continued putting things away.

  I made as much noise as possible, hoping she would wake up on her own, but nothing woke her up.

  I wondered if I should leave her there or tell someone. What if a teacher came and found her sleeping in the storage room?

  I slowly approached her.

  “Kujira-senpai... um... are you okay?”

  I swallowed hard, feeling cold sweat running down my forehead. I didn't want to touch her; I had no idea how she might react if I surprised her.

  “Excuse me, Kujira-senpai. The next classes are about to start,” I insisted.

  She didn't wake up.

  Finally, I gathered my courage and touched her shoulder to shake her a little.

  After a couple of seconds, her eyelids fluttered and she slowly opened her eyes, followed by a long, quiet yawn.

  She sat up on the mat and stretched her arms. She didn't seem to have noticed my presence yet, until, after a few moments, she turned her gaze toward me.

  I instantly tensed up.

  “Oh, sorry for waking you up... It's just that the next classes are about to start, and... well, I thought you should probably go back.”

  Kujira stared at me. Then she nodded and got up.

  I was surprised by how tall she was. She brushed some dust off her uniform, stretched again, and then walked toward the exit.

  Suddenly, she stopped at the door and turned to look at me again.

  “What's your name?”

  I was taken aback by her asking my name. I was blank for a second before answering.

  “I'm Hamasaki... Daichi. Second year.”

  “Thanks for waking me up, Hamasaki-kun.”

  After that, she left the room.

  That was... strange.

  I decided not to think about it too much. Between Samejima crashing on the track and the octopus girl in the infirmary, there had already been enough weird things for one day.

  ◇◇◇

  The next morning, I arrived early to class, hoping to enjoy a few minutes of peace before Samejima started up again.

  But I hadn't even finished opening my backpack when the door shook with a brutal bang and Samejima's voice echoed down the hallway.

  “Good morning, Daichi!”

  She stood in the middle of the doorway, and right behind her was Umino-san, peeking out shyly. For a second, I thought that duo was enough to get the attention of the whole classroom... but I was wrong. Next to them, looking sleepy, was Kujira.

  I froze. What was Kujira doing with them?

  The three girls at the door were impossible to ignore. The entire classroom was filled with whispers, and the boys' hostile glances fell directly on me.

  “I have to get out of here,” I thought.

  I got up and quickly left the classroom. I took the girls to the corner under the stairs to talk more privately.

  “Samejima-san, you can't come into the classroom like that. I can almost feel them glaring at me.”

  Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

  She laughed.

  “Come on, Daichi, don't be so dramatic!”

  I sighed.

  Umino greeted me timidly with a slight wave of her hand. It was strange to think that someone like her, who seemed fearful of the world, could be part of this commotion.

  “Hello, Umino-san.”

  Then I turned to Kujira, who was standing to one side.

  “Hello, Kujira-senpai,” I greeted her with a small bow, feeling a little nervous as I remembered our strange encounter yesterday.

  She nodded and, after a long yawn, murmured.

  “Good morning, Hamasaki-kun.”

  Samejima stared at me in surprise.

  “You already knew each other? Since when?”

  “Yesterday, in the sports warehouse,” I explained, scratching the back of my neck.

  Kujira nodded.

  Samejima laughed, genuinely delighted.

  “That makes everything so much easier! Now we can skip the introductions.”

  Then she crossed her arms with a solemn expression, as if she were about to make a big revelation.

  “Daichi, did you know that Nozomi is also a demi-human?”

  “Huh? Kujira-senpai is also...?”

  Kujira nodded.

  Samejima jumped up with excitement and patted me on the shoulder.

  “I told you! I told you there are more demi-humans than you thought!” She winked at me. “Come on, ask her what animal she is. You won't believe it!”

  “What animal are you...?”

  “I'm a whale.”

  For a moment, I stared at her, and when I thought about it, it made perfect sense. That perpetual calm and how she could fall asleep anywhere. She was just like the human incarnation of a whale.

  “That explains... a lot.”

  Samejima leaned forward excitedly.

  “Isn't that great?! A shark, an octopus, and a whale in the same school! I never thought I'd meet so many demi-humans in one place!”

  Umino cringed a little at Samejima's intensity.

  “No... I don't think we should talk about this so loudly... If someone hears us...”

  Samejima raised her fist as if she were leading a revolution.

  “From this day forward, we will be the Ryūshio Marine Trio!” she announced, so loudly that I felt the windows in the hallway vibrate.

  She got so excited that she started listing all the things we could do with her fingers. Suddenly, the bell rang to start class. The whole school sprang into action and we returned to our classrooms.

  When we got back, Samejima went in first and I followed behind her. As soon as I walked through the door, I felt the weight of everyone's gaze on me again.

  I focused on my notebook and tried to pretend that nothing was happening.

  ◇◇◇

  Weeks passed, and it wasn't easy to get used to the new routine.

  I connected with Umino quite quickly, perhaps because we shared the same survival instinct and a desire to go unnoticed. With her, the conversation flowed naturally, and she seemed to really enjoy talking about interesting facts about marine animals.

  Kujira was a different kind of mystery. She didn't talk much, but I think we gradually managed to talk more. Sometimes I wondered if she was really in this world. Once, during lunch, she fell asleep again at the table. It was very difficult to decipher what was going on inside her head.

  Samejima, on the other hand, was impossible to ignore. Her energy was so overwhelming that no matter how many times I tried not to get involved, I always ended up being dragged into her vortex of chaos. But somehow I also began to get used to her. I was always wondering what crazy thing she would come up with next.

  ◇◇◇

  Summer arrived on the island, and with it, vacation and festival season. At night, the streets were filled with lanterns and food stalls. It was everyone's favorite time of year on the island, and that year, at Samejima's insistence, we decided to go together.

  We agreed to meet in the central square. I arrived about ten minutes early and, while I waited, I wondered which one of them would be the first to arrive.

  Then I saw her.

  It was Samejima, walking through the crowd. As she approached, I realized she looked like a completely different person.

  She was wearing a blue yukata with wave patterns. Her hair, which she normally wore loose and wild, was tied up in a bun.

  Samejima, with her explosive personality alone, already attracted a lot of attention, but dressed like that, in the middle of the festival, it was impossible not to look at her.

  The worst part was when she noticed my reaction. She stopped right in front of me and tilted her head with a predatory smile.

  “What's wrong?” she asked, with a mixture of pride and mischief. “Don't you recognize your friend?”

  I swallowed hard.

  “Yes, of course I recognize you. It's just that... I didn't expect to see you in a yukata.”

  Samejima turned around, as if she were on a catwalk.

  “Really?” she insisted, coming so close that I had to take half a step back. “Do I look pretty, Daichi?”

  I felt my face burning, but I tried not to let it intimidate me.

  “It suits you,” I admitted, looking away.

  Samejima-san smiled smugly.

  Shortly after, Umino appeared in the crowd, panting and with flushed cheeks. She was wearing a lavender yukata. She stopped right in front of us, trying to catch her breath.

  “Sorry I'm late,” she said, bowing several times. “There were so many people at the stalls, and I almost got lost...”

  Samejima greeted her with an abrupt hug. Umino could barely stammer out a greeting, and it was clear she wasn't used to so much physical contact.

  As she tried to get Samejima to let go of her, we sensed a silent presence behind us.

  Kujira had also arrived. She was wearing a white yukata and her hair was combed to one side. She greeted us and her expression, as expected, was that of someone who had just woken up from a nap.

  We walked among the stalls. Samejima led the way, her eyes shining brighter than the lanterns. Umino and Kujira followed behind, each lost in their own world.

  The music and lights created a vibrant atmosphere, but it was Samejima's enthusiasm that really lit up the place. She kept jumping from side to side, trying to see everything around her.

  “Look at that!” she shouted, pointing to a stall in the distance. “Let's go see it!”

  Before I could even respond, she had already run off, so I tried to follow her. Looking back, I noticed that Umino and Kujira were stuck in the crowd.

  “Umino-san, Kujira-senpai!” I shouted, trying to make myself heard above the din. “Stay together! I'll go get Samejima-san!”

  They both nodded.

  When I finally caught up with her, I paused to catch my breath.

  “Samejima-san, don't run off like that.”

  I stood beside her and realized she was completely mesmerized in front of a stall selling masks with designs of sea animals. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at each one.

  “Do you like the masks?” I asked her.

  She turned her head toward me and smiled.

  “I love them!”

  The old man who ran the stall approached us.

  “I'm glad to see such a curious young lady. These masks are part of the island's tradition and represent the ancient legend of Ryūshio-jima.”

  Samejima turned to look at me, full of curiosity.

  “The legend of Ryūshio-jima? Daichi, do you know anything about it?”

  “Yes, I know a little. They told me about it when I was little.”

  Samejima, filled with excitement, turned back to the old man.

  “Please, could you tell us the legend?”