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DIVE!! (Light Novel) - Book 4 Prologue
Book 4 Prologue
This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml
The thousands of neon lights blurring the darkness of the night were like sprays of sea water rising up from the sea, dampening the harbour streets. Beneath the highly transparent winter sky, the drops of light were clear, vividly dotting the extending blood vessels of the town like a palm opening from Osaka Bay. If the city could breathe, grow, prosper, and decline like a person, these were the lights of revival that had died out once, and then resurrected. While the scars of the tragic earthquake still remained, there was not only the beauty that was once praised, particles of resilience were still alive.
December 28, 1999. On this day, where five years have passed since the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake happened, three divers were gazing at this night view from an observation restaurant on the summit of Mount Rokkou, which commanded a view of the city of Kobe.
“Wow. It’s so pretty. It’s sparkling.”
Sakai Tomoki, age fourteen, was looking out at the scenery with intense concentration. A natural genius—an unknown talent born with the diamond eyes.
“I can’t believe there was such a huge earthquake here. Humans might not be able to beat nature, but even if they had to give up, they aren’t thoroughly defeated either.”
Okitsu Shibuki, age seventeen, murmured, deeply moved. MDC’s secret weapon, who succeeded the blood of his grandfather Okitsu Shiraha, who was called the Phantom Diver.
“For five years, the people here desperately rebuilt their town, and here I only did what I wanted to do, and only focused on diving. No matter what kind of techniques we have chosen, the world won’t have changed one bit.”
Fujitani Youichi, age seventeen, smiled bitterly. The favorite to win who is a thoroughbred born from two former Olympic diving representatives.
“Even so, people want to see the limit of human ability. Even if it doesn’t change the world, even if it doesn’t fill their stomachs.”
Their coach, Ooshima, said as he looked at each of them in turn.
“Even you guys want to see it, right? Someone who runs faster, someone who flies higher, someone who dances more beautifully. Your blood will thrum unconditionally if there was a new record. You’d get excited, and be moved. Even the championship of an eating contest would make your eyes get hot. Challenging your limits is probably incorporated into the human DNA. People want to test other people. Even in the world outside of sports, there are many people who want to test something using special drugs and tools. You guys are healthy. As evangelists of a healthy world, you should dive majestically.”
“Screw that. I’m diving for my own sake,” Youichi shot back promptly. “I’m going to win it all, so that I can do one of those loud laughs, and hug my koala to my chest.”
“‘My koala’?”
“Yep. Did you hear of a secret report that the Australian government seems to be giving all participants in the Sydney Olympics their own koala? As expected of a big animal country, doing these generous things. If that happens, I more and more cannot lose.”
“You’re being tricked by a fake story,” Shibuki retorted, undaunted. “Koalas are extremely delicate animals, so it’s hard to keep them. And, don’t you know that wild koalas are in danger of extinction? It’s not good to send out someone like you, who has no mind for animal rights, as a Japanese representative. The one going to Sydney will be me, who read through the ‘Encyclopedia of Everything You Need to Know about Koalas.’”
“But,” Tomoki cut in between the two who were glaring at each other. “When you look closely at the koalas, they have evil-looking eyes.”
Youichi and Shibuki twitched their eyebrows up at the unexpected voice.
“Eyes?”
“Yeah. Like, that thing they do where they’re just staring at you, like they’re planning something in those eyes.”
“Like what?”
“Like the annihilation of the eucalyptus trees. Compared to them, dolphins are great. Even though they’re clever, they’re also innocent, friendly, and their foreheads are smooth. If I go to Australia, I’m going to visit the Great Barrier Reef to meet the wild dolphins.”
“Great Barrier Reef… Are you actually trying to clearly decide something by yourself?”
“Also, I’d like to go whale-watching.”
“They have whales?”
“Yes, in West Australia’s…”
“Sea that’s near Perth. There are humpback whales that came to the Antarctic Sea to live there.”
“Huh, why do you know that, Okitsu-kun?”
“Before I’m going to Sydney, I read through the ‘Anything and Everything About Australia’ trivia book.”
“Okitsu’s quite the bookworm. But frankly, I think that in the case that the Australian government gives me my koala, the most important thing is going to be unconditional love rather than cramming knowledge into my head.”
“I told you, they aren’t giving you one!”
Before the three of them got off-topic quickly, Ooshima had been holding his head in his hands, resigned. Although they pestered him for “a sweeping view of the town at night,” and “wanting to make an oath for victory at the top of a mountain,” they had already completely forgotten the night view beneath them. He felt weak when he thought about the taxi fare from the streets in Kobe all the way to Mount Rokkou, but on the other hand, when he thought about how the three were joking around like this, he wanted them to look like regular teenage boys as they were right now, at least for today.
The qualifying trials, where the Olympic representation right was betted.
A genuine last chance.
The day before, it was Kayoko who suggested that they be brought to Kobe after morning practice.
Since the competition this time was going to be held at Osaka’s “Namihaya Dome,” they had gone to Osaka five days ago, but they haven’t even had the spare time to eat okonomiyaki (1), much less go sightseeing, since it was practice after practice for them. As the three of them silently went through their overpacked schedules, the composure was disappearing from their expressions day by day. Osaka was different from the private and secured Tokyo, since their rivals were close by at all times, so naturally anyone would get worked up little by little. That would become a huge burden if it piled up even just a bit. Even if they were recommended to at least rest their bodies in their afternoon before the competition, the three of them wouldn’t leave the pool.
So, in a hurry, they took them out in the name of sightseeing, somewhat forcing them refresh themselves.
“I’m giving everyone a half-day sightseeing tour in Kobe as a present.”
To Kayoko’s sudden offer, Tomoki’s eyes were shining with irrepressible, energetic curiosity, Shibuki didn’t even look annoyed, and though Youichi was the only one who was hesitant, in the end he kept silent.
It was a crisp, clear winter afternoon. As they strolled around Ijinkan Street (2), as they ate steamed pork buns and water gyoza in Chinatown (though Youichi stubbornly refused to eat them), as they saw off the ships going away from the harbour, Ooshima watched over them with feelings of relief as he watched the three’s tense expressions easing. On the other hand, as he watched them innocently frolicking about, he couldn’t help but curse their destinies tomorrow.
Tomorrow, they will become rivals. So no matter who won, and who lost, there would be born an invisible gap. Of course, they could overcome it. But that would take time, accompanied by pain. This cheerful afternoon would not come again for at least quite some time.
Ooshima thought that they themselves were probably aware of and resigned to that more than anyone. Even while strolling about Ijinkan Street, even while stuffing their faces with steamed pork buns and water gyoza in Chinatown, even while sending off the ships that were going away at the harbour, they probably hadn’t forgotten their destinies tomorrow for one second. For this reason, they seemed to cherish this time all the more, and desperately trying to have fun. This holiday that very normal boys were supposed to enjoy very normally. Only half a day.
Kayoko had been the first to suggest that they go sightseeing around Kobe, but she suddenly had some business to take care of and went back to Osaka in the middle of it. Was it because she was shedding silent tears at seeing the three of them…
Ooshima, who was getting absorbed into his thoughts, suddenly noticed that all three were looking at him, as though the koala dispute had ended before he knew it.
“What is it?”
“It’s you, Coach Ooshima. You were spacing out.”
“No, I’m sorry. So, what happened?”
“About what?”
“That…koala.”
“We ended that a long time ago,” Youichi responded, astonished. “In the unlikely event that I receive my koala, I decided that I’ll return it to the wild. I’ll feel sorry for it if I gave it to the zoo, and if I keep it at home, I feel like I’ll be spending the rest of my life growing eucalyptus.”
“Oh, eucalyptus…that does seem like a lot of trouble, haha.”
Although he was trying to go along with it, Ooshima’s voice was flat, and his laughter was completely dry.
Bewilderment appeared on the three’s faces.
I have to say something. As a coach, I have to do something to reassure them.
However, the words wouldn’t come out.
“It’s okay, Coach Ooshima,” Tomoki said at that moment. “Because, someone will absolutely win tomorrow. Because one of us will win with more than 600 points. Because we will protect the MDC. That’s why, Coach, you don’t have to worry about being unemployed.”
“…”
When trying to protect something with their own hands, the boy becomes an adult. That dwelled in Tomoki’s eyes, as well as Youichi’s and Shibuki’s, and Ooshima’s chest tightened in a complex tangle of emotions of happiness, pain, and heartbreak.
“Thank you.”
He murmured. When he moved his eyes towards the window, it seemed to be glimmering wetly with drops of light.
_______________________________________________________________
Having finished their half-day in Kobe, the four returned to Osaka past 8 PM. Although Keisuke reminded them to “rest early today,” when they learned that Reiji and Sachiya had arrived at the hotel, they immediately went to visit their room.
Although he was one step late in coming to Osaka, Reiji was also one of the members who would participate in tomorrow’s qualifying trials. In accordance with his family’s policy of studies coming first, he came rushing on the bullet train after finishing his Saturday classes, along with Sachiya, who was a supporter.
“But, when we finally got to Osaka, everyone was in the middle of sightseeing in Kobe. That’s pretty sneaky of you guys, and we got really angry.”
Sachiya said jokingly, and all of them laughed in unison.
But, only Reiji continued without laughing.
“Then, Coach Fujitani felt sorry for us, so he brought us to a high-class restaurant at night. And then, who do you think was there?”
“Who?”
“Coach Asaki.”
They looked at each other.
“Coach Asaki?”
“She came back from Kobe early because she had some business to take care of.”
“She was carefreely eating in the restaurant. She sure has a lot of guts.”
Reiji shook his head at the three who frowned in unison.
“No, I got the feeling that she was talking about something seriously rather than eating. She was talking fluently in English to some unknown foreigner. I didn’t catch most of anything she was saying, but I did only understand one part.”
“What did you get?”
“Well, because I’m studying English seriously, and I’m studying with an American private tutor, and my family went to Guam…”
“Okay, so just tell us what she said!”
Youichi snapped, and Reiji, with a jump, turned his shoulders away and immediately answered.
“She’s going to America.”
“What?”
“She said something like America having a better environment for diving than Japan. I felt like the foreigner persuaded her, and then Coach Asaki finally said, ‘OK…’”
“‘OK?’”
With their mouths half-open on the letter K, they became silent all at once.
Tomoki’s cheeks quickly turned pale.
Shibuki’s gaze lost its focus and was wandering into space.
Youichi bit his lips hard.
―OK?
Before Kayoko’s incomprehensible answer, for just that one moment, Tomoki, Shibuki, Youichi—everyone had completely forgotten about tomorrow’s competition.
_______________________________________________________________
Translation Notes
1. A type of pancake that’s a bit like pizza in that you can put whatever topping you want on it.
2. Ijinkan Street (or Kitano-chou) is a district in Kobe with a large number of Western-style residences from the Meiji and Taisho eras.
Side note: I had an urge to capitalize “my koala” since it was spoken in katakana in text.
