After the Honki Dori, Anbe immediately leaves Kitasanriku on board the train. Everyone sees her off and wish her the best. Haruko makes it in time to say goodbye, and to apologetically return Anbe's video game. Anbe tearfully confesses to her how she really felt when Haruko left. She says she hated Haruko because she planned on being an Ama only during high school and wanted to go to college, and be an office lady or something. "But you left so it was hard to leave the club. I worked while doing Ama but I couldn't replace you... I put pressure on myself. Now I look back and it all seems stupid. We are nothing alike!" Haruko says sorry, and "Yes, we are nothing alike. I am not kind like you." But Anbe says since she came back bringing her good child Aki, all is forgiven, and the two hug it out. As Anbe leaves, her replacement as clerk at the Fishing Co-op arrives. She's Hanamaki Tamako, a tough-talking single mother. Now that the Ama season has ended, Aki and the rest of the ama-sans have nothing to do but sigh and be bored. So to while away the time, the Amas and amber miner Ben are making misanga* bracelets as a sideline. Tamako comments how they're only noisy during the summer. "You're like cicadas!" Meantime, Aki's video of her catching the uni was uploaded and has garnered a million views, even surpassing Yui's. People are also posting positive comments ("She's cute!" "I wanna go and see her!"). But at the beach, tourists who do come to see her, are disappointed to find out that the Ama tourism is over. Daikichi and the others feel frustrated over this. At the cafe, they analyze why Aki has become popular. Hibiki (Camera boy) says it's because the Japanese people all root for the underdog (Aki is the tortoise in "The tortoise and the hare"; the ant in "The ant and the grasshopper") but as a fan of Yui, he's hoping that Yui would be able to strike back. While this was happening, Yui has gone inside Ben's amber mine. She shouts at the top of her lungs inside
アキ（能年玲奈）は、初めて自分の手でウニを獲（と）ることができ、海女として認められた。先輩の安部（片桐はいり）は「まめぶ」のＰＲ活動のために町を去り、新たに花巻（伊勢志摩）が娘を連れてやってくる。海女漁のシーズンが終わり、アキの心にぽっかりと穴が開いてしまう。新人海女のアキの人気で盛り上がった町おこしも下火になってしまった。大吉（杉本哲太）や菅原（吹越満）は、新たな策を思案して…。
初めてウニを獲ることができ、海女として認められたアキ（能年玲奈）。しかし、同時に海女漁のシーズンが終わり、さらに安部（片桐はいり）も「まめぶ汁」ＰＲのため町を去ってしまって、心にぽっかりと穴が開いてしまう。そんな折、アキ（能年玲奈）はユイ（橋本愛）とともに、北鉄の一日車掌を任される。２人が海女姿で夏（宮本信子）たちの作る「ウニ丼」を車内販売すると、観光客が殺到して町は大盛況。大吉（杉本哲太）ら町の人々は大喜びするが、母の春子（小泉今日子）だけはなぜか不満そう。春子に厳しい言葉を浴びせられ、自分が進むべき道について悩むアキだったが、ユイに連れられて高校の潜水土木科の授業を見に行く。金属製のヘルメットと宇宙服のような装備。伝統的な「南部もぐり」の訓練にすっかり魅了されるアキ。さらに、そこで出会った種市浩一（福士蒼汰）に一目惚れ。春子を説得して普通科から潜水土木科に編入したアキは、同じ学科の卒業生である祖父の忠兵衛（蟹江敬三）の遺影に毎朝手を合わせ勉強に励む。その頃、夏の様子がいつもと違うことに周囲が不審を抱き、長内（でんでん）との不倫疑惑が持ち上がる。そして、アキは思いがけない人物に…。
