August in the Water

Izumi is a bright, impulsive high school student whose diving ambitions draw attention from Mao and Ukiya. After a near-fatal accident, she undergoes a profound shift in perception, developing a heightened awareness of her surroundings and an obsession with the mountains and the ancient petrographs. The story hints at psychic connections to nature, rumors that she can communicate with dolphins and plants. Her ultimate act of action leads to a disappearance, followed by a mysterious return of memory and the lingering question of balance.

Mao is Izumi's friend who shares a growing closeness with her and bravely dives into the pool to rescue her during the diving accident. After Izumi vanishes, he dedicates himself to studying the surrounding phenomena and becomes a researcher investigating special remains, guided by Izumi's diary. Years later, he ends up in the Hazuki Circle, where memory and fate intersect. His arc centers on loyalty, devotion, and the toll of memory.

Ukiya is a fellow student and Izumi's rival in affection who seeks a future with her through a fortune-teller's guidance. He is pragmatic and anxious, quickly turning to Miki's predictions when signs appear. His actions push the plot toward the intersection of fate and catastrophe, and his involvement highlights the human tendency to search for control amid uncertainty.

Yo is Izumi's older sister, a researcher who shares slides and petrographs that hint at a larger cosmic pattern. Her husband’s work and the scientific explanations ground the early part of the mystery, while Yo herself is later struck by petrification illness, underscoring the fragility of life. Her research provides the key link between the past and present events surrounding the meteorites and the stone circle.

Miki is a fortune-teller whose curt readings plant the seeds of prophecy that drive Ukiya and others. She reveals a historical record connecting drought, the stone disease, and the meteorites, hinting at a ceremonial intervention that restored balance in the past. Her role anchors the mythic dimension of the story, linking present events to remembered history.