Chapter 339: There's No Hope
Therefore, among these five anime worlds, although Uchiha Fugaku wanted to visit the first four, the presence of Grand Blue…
The moment Fugaku saw the fifth anime world was Grand Blue, he almost chose it without hesitation.
Ding—
[Grand Blue] confirmed. Please choose your background.
This step was for selecting the general scope of the possessed character, such as profession. Fugaku had to choose student, and under that category, university student.
The protagonist Kitahara Iori was a freshman at Izu University, and the game started at the very beginning of the original storyline. Naturally, Fugaku chose to possess a university student.
In addition to the character's profession, he could also choose the city in which the character was located.
Fugaku directly selected Izu.
In Grand Blue, Kitahara Iori's story begins with his university life. At the start, he enrolls in a university located in the coastal city of Izu.
It was unclear how many universities there were in Izu, but there certainly wouldn't be more than three. Even if he didn't end up at Izu University initially, it wouldn't matter—at worst, he could simply retake the entrance exam.
Even if he chose a different university, it was still fine. He could easily make contact with the main characters.
At that point, he could just go directly to the protagonist's uncle's diving shop.
After selecting the character's profession and region, a prompt appeared:
[Grand Blue] connecting…
After a few seconds, the text changed:
Connection successful. Please wait.
Then came a loading screen.
Uchiha Fugaku was filled with anticipation.
…
On the beach in Izu.
A crowd had gathered in a circle.
An ambulance with wailing sirens approached from the distance.
It stopped not far away, and several emergency medical personnel jumped out, scanned their surroundings, and ran toward the crowd.
Someone in the crowd noticed them and waved urgently.
"Where is the patient?"
One of the paramedics asked solemnly.
According to the dispatcher, the person had been drowning for over fifteen minutes.
The chances were slim, but since someone had called 120, they still had to come and confirm.
Seeing the paramedics arrive, the onlookers quickly made way.
"Doctor, doctor, you're finally here! Please save my friend!"
Two young men—wearing nothing but swim trunks—spoke anxiously.
The paramedics followed them toward the drowning victim.
Another young man was kneeling beside him, desperately performing CPR.
The leading emergency doctor took one look, and his expression changed.
The victim's limbs and skin were waxy pale. His lips, earlobes, and nail beds were cyanotic—bluish-purple.
Years of experience told him the truth.
This person was beyond saving.
The young man was quite handsome, but unfortunately…
Perhaps he shouldn't touch water again in his next life.
The doctor sighed softly.
"I'm sorry. He's already beyond saving. Please notify his family and prepare for the funeral."
The two young men froze, their pupils shrinking sharply, terror filling their faces.
The young man performing CPR also stiffened.
Although he had already sensed that his roommate might not survive, he still hadn't given up. He was waiting for the ambulance—hoping for a miracle.
But now…
The paramedics had confirmed it.
He stared at his roommate's pale face, his heart aching unbearably.
They had just finished their exams today. The four roommates had agreed to go to the beach together to relax.
They never expected such a tragedy.
How could he explain this to Uchida Yuma's uncle and aunt?
He remembered clearly—on the day Yuma reported to school, his parents had personally escorted him to the dormitory and even bought them food.
What would those kind-hearted elders feel upon hearing this news?
All four of them came together.
Yet only three would return.
Uchida Yuma had drowned.
"Hey! Doctor! How can you say my classmate is beyond saving without even trying to rescue him?! Hurry up and save him!"
As Yasumoto Hirotaka stood there in pain, unsure how to face Yuma's parents, his roommate suddenly shouted hysterically.
Sure enough, none of them could accept this outcome.
All three of them were natives of coastal towns and excellent swimmers.
Only Uchida Yuma came from a remote mountain village and had never seen the sea before attending university in Izu.
They had suggested coming to the beach precisely so Yuma could see the ocean.
Their kindness had instead led to disaster.
Guilt crushed them.
Uchida Yuma was always good to them—every holiday, he would bring local specialties back from home.
Thinking about it now, they couldn't help but think—
Why wasn't it me who died instead?
"Classmate, please don't make things difficult for us," the emergency doctor said calmly.
"In this condition, even an immortal would struggle to save him."
"Look at his skin—so pale. His lips, earlobes, nail beds—cyanosis. I heard he was submerged for over fifteen minutes?"
"The survival rate of drowning victims depends heavily on rescue time."
"If rescued within one to two minutes, the success rate exceeds 90%."
"Within five minutes, about 50%."
"After ten minutes, the chances drop sharply."
"But after fifteen minutes…"
The doctor didn't continue. He simply shook his head.
He stepped forward, gently lifted the victim's eyelids, and sighed inwardly.
There was one thing he hadn't said aloud—
The pupils were already dilated.
There was no hope.
Only funeral arrangements remained.
"Uh… who's going to settle the ambulance fee?"
One of the paramedics coughed lightly.
The young man who had shouted earlier asked blankly,
"Isn't calling 120 free?"
"Calling 120 is free," the paramedic replied.
"But dispatching the ambulance isn't."
The young man fell silent.
It was their first time calling emergency services. They had no idea there was a separate charge.
But there was no arguing.
He checked his pockets—empty.
"My wallet is over there. Can one of you come with me?"
"I'll go."
The paramedic who raised the issue followed him, seeing it through.
"Doctor… could you check again?"
Yasumoto Hirotaka asked unwillingly, clinging to the faintest hope.
The leading emergency doctor shook his head again.
"There's no chance. His pupils are already dilated. You should contact his family immediately."
Despair flashed through Yasumoto Hirotaka's eyes.
With a stiff expression, he stood up and walked toward their sun umbrella.
Their phones, wallets, and belongings were all stored there.
He needed to get his phone.
He had to call Uchida Yuma's parents.