just because something isn’t mentioned, doesn’t mean it isn’t there… 
I don’t think I have ever seen sea in Japan without some kind of concrete thingy fending off the waves. 
3 Likes
Sure, that’s very likely. Although the island has been described in some detail, and the inlet is supposed to provide natural shelter, surrounded by those cliffs.
1 Like
It’s also a possibilty that he was sitting on the mainland looking out over the sea towards the island. Since the students don’t live in the city at the sea, the ~てくる would still be correct grammar.
3 Likes
Normally I would agree with you, but with mystery novels my suspicion meter goes up to 200%. You never know what tricks the author intends to pull, so imo omk3’s observation could be important. Might not be in the end, but you never know. 
It’s surprisingly vague where the prologue takes place. We know the sea is nearby, but that’s about it, right?
3 Likes
