The old man smiled and settled into his seat, like someone who has told that story countless times.

  "Thousands of years ago, here on Ryūshio-jima, humans and demi-humans lived together in harmony...

  The demi-humans had human appearances, but inside them flowed an ancient bond with the ocean. That bond manifested itself in gifts inherited from sea creatures: some possessed the strength of a shark; others, the ability to disappear like an octopus. There were also gifts inherited from creatures such as crabs and even the mystical whales. And they all shared the extraordinary ability to withstand long periods underwater without breathing.

  The peace of the island was made possible by the blessing of the Dragon god. Under his protection, Ryūshio became a prosperous sanctuary, free from attacks by mythical sea beasts and other threats lurking in the depths.

  However... his protection was not unconditional.

  The Dragon God demanded a single pact: that humans and demi-humans share the land and live in balance, without breaking the harmony between the two peoples.

  It is said that beneath the island lies a labyrinth of ancient sea caves. Its hidden tunnels lead to the Dragon God Sanctuary, a sacred place where entire generations came to pray and give thanks for the protection that kept Ryūshio safe from the chaos of the ocean.

  When the old man finished, Samejima turned to me with a sparkle in her eyes.

  “Daichi!” she exclaimed, grabbing me by the shoulders and shaking me hard. “What a wonderful story! Don't you think?!”

  My head bobbed back and forth.

  “Y-Yes...” I managed to say, still dazed from the shaking.

  The old man chuckled softly when he saw us.

  Samejima turned to him.

  “I want to buy one of these masks as a thank you!”

  She began rummaging through her bag, but suddenly her smile faded.

  “Oh no...” she muttered. “I think I left my money at home...”

  I stared at her for a moment.

  “Excuse me,” I said to the old man, taking out my wallet. “I want to buy that shark mask.”

  The old man seemed to understand my intentions; he winked at me knowingly and handed it to me.

  I held it for a moment and turned to Samejima.

  “It's for you.”

  Samejima blinked, clearly surprised.

  “Is it really for me?”

  I nodded, pretending it was no big deal. But inside, I was dying of embarrassment.

  She took the mask in her hands and, in that instant, gave me a smile so sincere that I felt a leap in my chest.

  “Thank you, Daichi.”

  I couldn't hold her gaze. I had to turn my head away, my face burning.

  She put on the mask and turned to me, imitating the gesture of a shark.

  “Rawr!” she growled, advancing toward me as if she were going to take a bite.

  I covered my face with my hand to stifle my laughter.

  After walking for a while, we managed to find Umino and Kujira again.

  “There's Takoko and Nozomi!” Samejima said as she ran towards them.

  They were both sitting on a bench. I saw Kujira devouring a huge amount of skewers, while Umino watched her in surprise.

  I sighed with relief that we were reunited.

  Finally, we continued to enjoy the festival together.

  Some time passed as we walked through the stalls when, suddenly, a loud noise echoed in the sky. Looking up, we saw multiple fireworks exploding in colors.

  “Look at that!” Samejima shouted, pointing upward.

  But suddenly I noticed Kujira frown. She seemed to be uneasy about something.

  “Is something wrong, Kujira-senpai?”

  “I have a feeling...”

  A moment later, the ground began to shake beneath our feet.

  Umino clung to my arm with surprising strength, and I saw the lanterns swaying back and forth.

  An earthquake? Right now? I can't remember the last time there was one in Ryūshio.

  People were already running away from the stalls, and parents were carrying their children to an open space.

  “Let's find a safe place.”

  Samejima nodded immediately and took the lead, holding Umino's hand.

  Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work!

  We made our way through the crowd and climbed a small slope until we reached an open area near the temple, where most people were already gathering.

  When we finally stopped, Umino crouched down and covered her head. Samejima stood beside her and rubbed her back, trying to calm her down.

  Shortly after, the tremor stopped.

  “Don't worry, Takoko-chan, the tremor is over,” Samejima told her.

  The people around us were beginning to relax, but I noticed that Kujira had become pensive.

  “Kujira-senpai... You knew there was going to be a tremor, right?”

  She nodded.

  “I think something strange is happening.”

  Samejima turned to her.

  “What do you mean, Nozomi?”

  “I can sense the vibrations with my echolocation... and the source of the tremor came from somewhere deep within the island.”

  “Wait! At one of the festival stalls, an old man told us about a legend that mentioned sea caves under the island. Do you think the tremor could have something to do with that?”

  ”Sea caves?“ Kujira repeated, tilting her head. ”Yes, there are several under Ryūshio. It's possible there's some kind of connection."

  Samejima immediately approached her.

  “Are you serious? You're not joking, right?!”

  “No, I'm not joking.”

  I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Sea caves under the island? Was it possible that the legend was real?

  “C-Caves?” asked Umino. “That sounds... scary.”

  Samejima leaned toward us and smiled.

  “This is an incredible opportunity! What if we go explore them? Imagine what we could discover!”

  I quickly shook my head.

  “No way.”

  “Oh, come on! What if there's a thousand-year-old secret beneath our feet?”

  I turned to Kujira, hoping she would bring some common sense to the conversation.

  “I'm fine with it.”

  Samejima immediately turned to Kujira with a big smile.

  “See, guys? Nozomi wants to go too!”

  I crossed my arms, thinking about how problematic this could be. But it was impossible to stop Samejima's insistent enthusiasm.

  Umino also looked at me with concern, but in the end we agreed.

  ◇◇◇

  The next morning, I walked to the beach at the foot of the cliff at Ryūshio High School, the meeting place Samejima had chosen.

  When I arrived, everyone was already there.

  “Good morning,” I said as I approached them.

  The girls returned my greeting, and then I approached Samejima.

  “Samejima-san... why did you decide to search the school beach?”

  “Because Nozomi said there might be an entrance to the caves around here!”

  “Really?”

  Kujira nodded.

  Samejima started walking toward the rocks.

  “Let's split up and search! Maybe we can find something. If anyone finds anything suspicious, let the others know!”

  We started searching, but after about twenty minutes of walking, I began to wonder if it was all a waste of time.

  Suddenly, I heard Umino's voice calling us in the distance.

  “I-I think I found something!” she shouted, waving her arms from the other end of the beach.

  We ran to where she was.

  As we peered over, we saw an opening between the rocks. It was small, but big enough for a person to crawl inside.

  “Let's go in!” said Samejima, going in first.

  We took turns following her. I was next, and I realized that the opening was narrower than I had imagined, so I had to struggle a bit to get through.

  Umino was next after me, and she seemed nervous.

  “Come on, Takoko-chan!” Samejima encouraged her.

  Umino finally made it through, and I saw her breathe a sigh of relief.

  I peeked out to see how Kujira was doing. She tried to squeeze through, but got stuck at chest level. She tried to struggle a little, and I saw how... well, I decided to look away.

  “Uh, this...” she muttered. “I think I'm going to need a little help. I'm bigger than I remembered,” she said, without a hint of embarrassment.

  “Don't worry, Nozomi!” Samejima came over right away. “I'll help you!”

  Samejima grabbed her by the arms and, with a powerful pull, managed to pull her inside.

  “I did it!” Samejima exclaimed, smiling with satisfaction, as Kujira stood up.

  Once inside, the atmosphere changed dramatically. The cave seemed to have a complex network of paths branching off in different directions.

  “Wow... I never imagined there was something like this under the school,” I murmured.

  Umino walked tremblingly behind me, looking around with a worried expression.

  While inspecting the place, an idea came to mind.

  “Kujira-senpai, could you use your echolocation to find out where these paths lead?”

  “That's an excellent idea! Come on, Nozomi!” said Samejima.

  Kujira nodded, closed her eyes for a moment to concentrate, and after a few seconds, frowned slightly.

  “The cave is very confusing, but... I can make something out... There's a huge chamber at the back, very spacious and supported by large columns.”

  Samejima grabbed my arm and began jumping for joy.

  “That must be the sanctuary from the legend! Come on, Daichi! Come on, Takoko-chan! Nozomi, please guide us!”

  Kujira nodded and started moving in that direction.

  The cave grew larger and larger as we approached, and each of our footsteps echoed along the way.

  When we finally reached the chamber, I was breathless. The immensity of the place was astonishing. The walls were carved with images of sea creatures and mysterious symbols.

  I approached one of the pillars there. The inscriptions engraved on the stone were strange, and I couldn't understand them.

  “Girls, look at this.”

  They quickly came over. Samejima leaned in and tried to decipher the inscriptions.

  “Hmm... I can't understand what it says...” she admitted, frowning.

  Umino joined her, trying to decipher what was written.

  “I can't read it either.”

  At that moment, Kujira began to read the inscriptions aloud with complete naturalness.

  “In the heart of the storm, where the waters meet, the dragon's pact maintains the balance between water and earth...”

  I was surprised.

  “Kujira-senpai, did you already know that language?”

  She nodded.

  “Yes, it's the ancient language of whales.”

  “That means...”

  Samejima began jumping up and down with excitement beside me.

  “That's right! We really have found the sanctuary from the legend!”

  Umino, however, did not seem to share the same excitement; she seemed to be uneasy about something.

  “Guys, I don't know if we should stay here...” she muttered, looking around fearfully. “I have a bad feeling about this.”

  Suddenly, a tremor like yesterday's began to shake the ground. It was so strong that I almost lost my balance.

  “We have to get out of here!”

  But before we could move, a roar came from the back of the cave.

  A creature emerged from the water and stood on the platform.