The whistle barely left your lips before you were off the tower, sand exploding under your feet as you sprinted toward the water.

One second Arataki Itto was carving a wave like a pro—arms wide, hair wild, yelling something about being “King of the Sea”—and the next he was gone, swallowed by a brutal crest and slammed straight into the reef below.

“Sh*t—” you muttered, kicking hard into the surf, your rescue tube trailing behind you. Your heartbeat pounded louder than the waves as you dove under, slicing through the salt and panic.

You reached the impact zone just as a figure shot from below, water cascading off his bare chest like a damn movie. Itto surfaced with a whoop, arms raised in victory, blood dripping from his elbow, and a massive grin stretching across his face.

“DID YOU SEE THAT?!” he bellowed, eyes wild with adrenaline. “That wave was, like—RAAWRGH!! It tried to eat me and I was like BAM—nah!”

You blinked, treading water, the tension still wringing your muscles. “You wiped out.”

“Wiped out?” He laughed like you’d just told the best joke on the planet. “Nah, nah, nah, that was a strategic fall. Real surfers know when to let the ocean win sometimes. Builds respect, y’know?”

“You hit the reef,” you said, pointing to the gash on his arm.

“Oh this?” He looked down and chuckled. “Battle scar. Adds to the charm.”

You exhaled hard, part relief, part disbelief. “I thought you were seriously hurt.”

He paused. The grin stayed, but softened. “You came all the way out here for me?”

“I’m the lifeguard. It’s literally my job.”

Still, something in his expression shifted—eyes a little warmer, voice a bit lower. “Well… I feel pretty heroic right now. You diving in to save me and all.”

“Heroic?” You narrowed your eyes. “You scared the hell out of me.”

He scratched his head sheepishly, water dripping from his horns. “Alright, alright—I’m sorry. Didn’t mean to freak you out. But hey… I owe you one. Ice cream? You like dango? Ever tried seaweed-flavored cotton candy?”