Haruko tells Natsu that she and Aki will live with her from now on. But not until she gives her mother a piece of her mind. "Even if you don't mean it, you should have come and stopped me from leaving 24 years ago!" Later, Aki informs the Ama-sans of the good news, and they too were delighted. Aki also meets up with Yui. She returns the tickets that Hiroshi had given her since it would be of no use to her. Both of them are confused as to why Hiroshi did that. Aki says it is okay for her to leave Tokyo since she does not have friends there. Yui says she does not have any real friends, either. Then, Aki proceeds to make her stay in Kitasanriku permanent by transferring to a local school where Yui also studies (it's also the same school of her mom). Aki finds out that her mother registered her name NOT as "Kurokawa Aki" but as "Amano Aki", using Haruko's maiden name. Either way, it does not matter to Aki. Meanwhile, at the cafe, Haruko tells her husband Masamune over the phone about her decision to stay. Masamune takes it well, since it benefits Aki as well as Haruko's relationship with her mother. Yet he is still in the dark as to why Haruko wants a divorce since it was not mentioned in the letter that Haruko wrote to him. Daikichi interrupts the call and tells Masamune to marry someone else since "Haru-chan is never going back to Tokyo!" Then, Hiroshi drops by the cafe and learns that Aki and Haruko haven't left. "Then why did I quit my job at the monitoring hut?" (tee-hee) Hiroshi has been jobless since then and has lots of free time lately. And Aki happily goes back to diving but so far she's still not able to grab a single sea urchin yet.
東京に戻るはずだったアキ（能年玲奈）と春子（小泉今日子）が、夏（宮本信子）の家に引き返してきた。２４年前、家出すると分かっていながらも引き止めなかった夏を、春子はいまだに許せないでいた。その思いを春子は夏にぶつけるが、勢いでアキと共に北三陸で暮らすと宣言してしまう。大吉（杉本哲太）をはじめ、町の人々は大喜び。アキは親友・ユイ（橋本愛）と同じ北三陸高校に編入し、新たな生活を始めることになる。
夏休みが終わり、東京に戻る予定だったアキ（能年玲奈）と春子（小泉今日子）だったが、結局、北三陸で暮らすことに。アキは、北三陸高校に編入し、放課後は祖母・夏（宮本信子）の指導で海女修業、という生活。しかし、いまだにウニを一匹も獲ることができずにいた。秋が近づき、このまま海女漁の季節が終わってしまうことに焦るアキは、夏との約束の時間を越えて、海に潜る。しかし、大きな潮の流れにのみこまれ絶体絶命の危機に…。先輩海女の美寿々（美保純）に間一髪助けられたが、夏の逆鱗に触れ、海に潜ることを一切禁じられてしまう。一方、一堂に会した大吉（杉本哲太）ら町のメンバー。過疎が進む町の行く末を案じて町おこしのためのイベントを模索していたが、秋祭りにあわせて「ミス北鉄コンテスト」を開くことを決める。初代ミス北鉄には、アキの親友のユイ（橋本愛）が選ばれた。地元アイドルとして輝くユイに刺激を受けたアキは奮起し、夏にもう一度海に潜らせてくれるよう頼み込む。そこで夏は、漁協組合長の長内（でんでん）と海女のかつ枝（木野花）夫婦を襲った悲劇について語る。海の恐ろしさを知り、肝に銘じたアキは、気持ち新たに海女修業を再開する。
