Practical Classroom: Kaoru Hanayama's Classroom of Merit

"Thump!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Huashan pushed off the railing on the rear deck and jumped into the sea.

Beneath the sea surface, despite the brilliant sunlight streaming in, there remained a chilling darkness that inspired fear.

Hanayama, who opened his eyes in the water, saw a figure dragging Kamuro's frail body toward the seabed.

A gray back, a pure white belly, and a menacing jaw with rows of countless serrated teeth.

Without a doubt, this is the strongest predator in the ocean, an exceptionally large individual of the great white shark.

The fishing line probably got tangled in its fins or something else.

"Gurgle...gurgle...!"

Kamuro panicked. He tried desperately to free his hands from the fishing rod, but the fishing line was already tangled in his clothes buttons and wrists. He could only struggle while blowing bubbles.

Due to extreme fear and lack of oxygen, her movements gradually became sluggish.

Huashan parted the seawater and sank itself with the force of a torpedo.

With his strong arm, he grabbed Kamuro by the back of her collar, and with his free hand, he easily snapped the fishing rod that was tangled around her.

Taking advantage of the moment, Hanayama embraced the now-free Kamuro and used brute force to kick the seawater, forcing himself to swim upwards.

"Puhaaaaaah!!"

The shrine, its face emerging from the sea, greedily inhales the fresh air.

"Are you alright?"

"Cough cough... cough cough...! Hanayama, I thought I was going to die!"

Kamuro was so terrified that his teeth chattered and he trembled.

Fortunately, they were still conscious, but due to the waves caused by the great white shark, the two of them were already more than ten meters away from the hull of the luxury cruise ship when they surfaced.

"Kamuro-kun!! Hanayama-kun!!"

A very anxious voice came from above.

Looking up, I saw Sakayanagi Arisu leaning over the railing on the passenger ship's deck, shouting.

Although she had already called the crew using the emergency communicator, the ship was too spacious and it would take several minutes to arrive.

For Sakayanagi, who suffers from congenital heart disease, strenuous exercise is a matter of life and death.

Even so, she managed to drag out the incredibly heavy lifebuoy and lifeline hanging on the wall.

"Haa...haa...!! Please grab this!"

Her usual elegant smile had vanished without a trace. Her shoulders heaved as she exhaled heavy breaths and threw the lifebuoy into the sea.

The parasol had long been lost, and she didn't care about the dust on the hem of her dress. Sakayanagi just slumped on the ground, pressing her chest and breathing heavily.

The lifebuoy traced an arc before landing on the water very close to the two people, accompanied by a splash.

Hanayama pulled the lifebuoy over and put it directly over Kamuro's head.

"Hold on tight to the rope. They'll pull you up from above."

"Eh...? Wait, so what are you planning to do?"

Kamuro's voice was fading away, and the enormous black shadow hovering beneath the sea was pushing her mind to its limit.

"That's no ordinary shark! Its size is outrageous!" Tears welled up in Kamuro's eyes, unable to be hidden.

"We can't go back peacefully if we don't get rid of it."

Huashan showed no fear whatsoever, and calmly uttered those words.

"Are you an idiot?! The opponent is a shark, a great white shark! You don't even have a weapon, what are you planning to do...?"

Ignoring Kamuro's tearful protests, Hanayama took a deep breath and plunged back into the sea.

The view in the sea seemed even dimmer than before.

Huashan gazed into the depths of the sea, where a deathly figure, over ten meters tall, was rapidly rising from below.

Seemingly enraged by the loss of its prey, the great white shark, now fully in hunting mode, charged forward, its powerful tail fin thrashing about.

The blood-stained jaws, large enough to swallow a small car whole, opened wide to crush Huashan's torso.

Just as the great white shark's teeth were closing in, Huashan managed to dodge by twisting his waist, causing his body to spin like a top in the water.

But the opponent is a ferocious beast that rules the sea.

Oh!

As they passed each other, the great white shark's teeth, sharp as sandpaper, lightly grazed Huashan's thick right arm.

Crimson blood spread across the azure sea.

However, that pain ignited Kaoru Hanayama's instincts as a fighter.

Despite the bleeding from his wound, Huashan twisted his lips into a smile.

The opportunity to fight hand-to-hand with such a superior enemy is rare on land, and he felt distinctly excited.

The great white shark, smelling the blood, made a sharp turn in the sea and, in an attempt to deal with Huashan, once again swung its tail fin at an extremely fast speed to approach.

Huashan stared intently at the approaching great white shark, adopting a stance to meet it head-on.

Humans are powerless in water where their feet cannot touch the bottom.

Since there is no solid ground to stand on and exert force, punches and kicks will lose their power.

But just as the great white shark approached, Huashan suddenly straightened his legs, which were full of power, and stomped heavily on the shark's face as a foothold.

His right hand gripped the great white shark's nose tightly.

With unimaginable superhuman grip strength, it began to squeeze the great white shark's nose, making it crackle.

Even the great white shark, which has a poor understanding of pain, felt intense pain.

It frantically thrashed its tail fin, pinning the top of Huashan Mountain to its face, and began to rise rapidly toward the surface of the water like a madman.

On the other hand, on the deck at this time.

The crew members, who had heard the alarm, finally arrived beside Sakayanagi, who was panting heavily as he desperately pulled Kamuro aboard.

"Blood is seeping out; Huashan might have been bitten by a shark. Hurry and save him! He'll be killed!"

Completely soaked, Kamishiro slumped on the deck, shouting at the crew in a tearful voice.

"Kamuro-kun, calm down... cough cough... the crew is already..."

Sakayanagi pressed his chest, his face pale, and his voice was hoarse.

For her, this level of physical and mental fatigue was something she had never experienced before.

The elderly crew member who arrived looked out at the sea, and his expression immediately twisted in horror.

"How is that possible... Judging from the size of that dark shape circling on the surface of the sea, it's probably a super-large great white shark over ten meters long! That kind of monster has only been recorded in ancient times!"

"So hurry up and save them!" Kamuro shouted, but the crew shook their heads helplessly.

"It's impossible. The great white shark is arguably the strongest creature on the ocean stage. Those enormous teeth, the bite force of several tons, and the mobility to turn water resistance into weapons—it's absolutely no opponent that humans can defeat in the water. Your classmate is probably already…"

At that moment, the sea surface, just a few meters away from the ship, suddenly exploded.

The upper body of the great white shark was completely exposed in mid-air.

And on the face of that great white shark, there was none other than Kaoru Hanayama, who was being pulled out of the water with one hand, tightly gripping its nose.

"What is that!?"

The crew members screamed in alarm. Kamuro and Sakayanagi all held their breath and stared intently at the strange scene in mid-air.

Huashan immediately released his right hand, which was gripping the great white shark's nose.

He twisted his body in mid-air, using the great white shark's side to propel himself up, aimed at its huge white eyeball, and plunged his hand deep into it.

puff! !

With its amazing grip, the tough shark eyeball was crushed as easily as a balloon.

The great white shark emitted a scream-like vibration from its body that was unlike anything a fish would make, but Huashan's movements did not stop.

His thick arm slid deep into the skull of the great white shark, down into its eye socket.

Then, deep within that hard bone, it gripped the brain of the ocean overlord tightly with its hand.

bang.

A dull thud resounded; it was the merciless final blow from Huashan.

The great white shark, which had been writhing wildly in mid-air just a second before, suddenly froze.

The great white shark, now lifeless, crashed its massive body onto the sea again, along with Huashan.

Crash!

The deck was shrouded in complete silence.

After a short while, the violently churning sea calmed down.

What floated to the surface was the carcass of a great white shark, completely upside down, revealing its white belly.

And there was Huashan, sitting cross-legged on the belly of that great white shark, with a smile on his face.