Chapter Text
Lara’s eyes flicker to the door as it creaks open. She didn’t realize just how much she was expecting to see Mari until she was surprised not to see Mari, but Yoshiya instead. She watches him lose whatever game he was playing on one of those sleek glass rectangles everyone carries around nowadays, before his eyes finally lock onto Lara’s shadow curled up in the far corner of the room.
“Lara-chan!” He yells. “Did my evil sister leave you in here again?”
Yoshiya swoops down, extending a hand. She takes it with as much grace as she can muster, but her weak ankle buckles on the concrete. Her grip instinctively clamps onto his forearm like a vise. Yoshiya’s reflexes save them both; he catches her instantly, a broad palm coming down warm and steady against her back. Under normal circumstances, Lara supposes she ought to be swooning, or at least a little dazzled, but all she feels is a dull spike of embarrassment.
The moment her feet find their footing, she scrambles back a step to put some air between them.
“Yoshiya-san! How—how did you even find me?”
“I was actually looking for a quiet spot to hide out while I skip my calculus final,” he admits, shooting her a sly, expectant side-eye. He’s clearly expecting the blistering lecture he’d normally get from Mari. When Lara stays silent, a triumphant grin breaks across his face. “Hope you don’t mind sharing.”
Are midterms what Yoshiya calls those awful exams? Probably. Lara doesn’t see anything wrong with skipping them if they’re too hard, but Mari seems to believe they’re more important than her own well-being, so they must be a pretty big deal.
Then again, Mari’s older brother doesn’t look like the kind of guy who cares much about his grades or… well, anything, really. He’s got a one of a kind laid-back charm, reminding Lara of the goofy TV characters she loves so much. Yoshiya certainly fits the bill; he’s cute, funny, and serious when need be. And yet, no matter how appealing he is, Lara constantly finds herself treating him like a big brother rather than a potential husband.
“Not at all, I was getting bored of counting the birds outside. And Mari’s still not finished with class, so...”
“Right. My sister and her grand ambitions,” he says, dragging a gym mat from the pile. He dusts it off with a couple of quick slaps before taking a seat. “Unlike her, I’m perfectly content to grow old and die in Shiga.”
Lara’s smile turns sheepish. During her first week back, she had honestly believed the human world started and ended in Shiga. It wasn't until Himeka showed her pictures of Tokyo and places even farther away, full of people wearing colorful clothes, eating strange food, and dancing to loud music, that she realized how massive the human world actually is.
“What about you?” Yoshiya asks, leaning back on the wall. “Are mermaids allowed to travel?”
“I don’t see why not, but,” She considers the thought, sinking down to sit beside him on the edge of the mat. Technically, there’s no magical boundary keeping her tied to Shiga, no underwater law stopping her from getting on a train and seeing what life could offer.
Her father had been the only merman permitted to cross the open seas. Business trips or not, he always returned with a trinket for Lara tucked into his satchel. That’s how she started getting into collecting rare items, such as funny-shaped seashells or bright pink corals.
There was a time, back when she was very young, when her father’s stories featured the human world. Years later, he would flatly deny it, but Lara remembered well. In fact, her sister Luna used to whisper those forbidden tales to her before bed, long after the lights turned dark. Most were grand, violent legends about their father fighting off human "pirates", ruthless scavengers who roamed the surface, stealing treasure that didn't belong to them. Looking back, it was no wonder he considered humans such vile, disgusting creatures; he had only ever witnessed their worst side.
Eventually, those wild surface tales ceased entirely, and his journeys were strictly confined to neighboring mermaid kingdoms. Not that Lara knew the first thing about those other underwater realms, or whether they held the answers she so desperately needed to solve her current predicament. She had made her choice too soon. She had traded her future away, never giving herself the chance to grow old enough to learn.
“To be honest, I’m not even sure I want to find a prince anymore,” Lara admits, staring down at her shoes. “I know it’s selfish, when so many people depend on me, but I think I’d be a shame if I were to leave Shiga so soon.”
“Certainly,” Yoshiya agrees. “Then who would eat all of our ice cream?”
Unlike her father, she really had fallen in love with this place. Shiga wasn't the grand, mythic surface world of her childhood bedtime stories, full of towering ships and terrifying fights. It was quiet. It was the gentle lap of Lake Biwa against the concrete pier, the hum of cicadas in the afternoon heat, and the sweet, icy taste of melon soda on her tongue. It was the warmth of the Otsu household. Every day brought something new to learn, and Lara hates that she absolutely loves it.
She also hates that her aunt is always right.
“It isn't right, Yoshiya-san. I have a duty that I must fulfill, no matter what.”
Yoshiya sighs mournfully. “You sound just like Mari. Two peas in a pod, that’s what you are.”
After a second, Lara tilts her head. “What do peas have to do with anything?”
“It means you two are the same,” he says, taking her hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze. “When we were little, Mari and I used to race from the house to the pier and back. Since I was older, I’d beat her easily every time, but she’d always demand a rematch.”
The image of a young Mari, even tinier than she is now, flashes in Lara’s mind. Judging by her current personality, she must’ve been a fierce, reckless little thing, completely consumed by her own stubborn determination. Lara could almost picture her throwing punches as a baby; though, from what she’d learned about humans, infants couldn't really do much besides sleep and cry.
“Took her a few years before she could beat me fair and square. You’re just like her, Lara-chan. You’ve got that exact same tunnel vision,” he says softly. “You’re so wrapped up in whatever grand goal you’re chasing that you treat the rest of your life like an obstacle to hurdle over. Working hard for what you care about isn't a bad thing. But you have to learn to enjoy the journey a little, too. Otherwise, what's it all for?”
His expression is striking in its sincerity. Yoshiya has never lied to her, and even if he tried, Lara knows his eyes would give him away in an instant. They are so painfully, unmistakably similar to Mari’s. Two shiny black pearls swimming with raw emotion, even when the rest of his face tries to play it cool.
She finally allows herself to breathe, exhaling a laugh. “Yoshiya-san, I didn’t know you were so wise. I’ve only ever had sisters. Tell me, is this what big brothers are usually like?”
Yoshiya’s ears go pink. “A-A big brother?” he stammers, rubbing the back of his neck. “Hey, don’t relegate me to the family zone just yet. I’ve got enough siblings with Mari around.”
“Family zone?”
Yoshiya pushes himself up from the vinyl mat, standing on slightly unsteady legs and towering over her like a broad shadow in the muted afternoon light. Mari had always dismissed her brother as a useless slacker, but he seems pretty inspiring. At least, his advice was a remarkable improvement from her aunt’s relentless, high-pressure lectures about duty and sacrifice.
“To be honest, Lara-chan, I didn’t come here just to skip my calculus test,” He runs a hand through his blonde locks, taking a deep breath to ground himself. “I saw you and Mari walking toward the gym earlier. I... I actually wanted to tell you that I really like—”
Once again, the heavy metal doors of the gym storage room slam open, rattling the dusty metal shelves.
Himeka bursts into the room with her shirt askew and her hair a tangled mess. She makes Yoshiya practically jump out of his skin, making him almost tumble back down to the floor.
“Lara!” She pants, grabbing the metal doorframe to steady her trembling knees. “Mari’s in trouble.”
🌊❤️🥊
The nurse’s office is freezing. Lara shivers in the metal chair, half from the biting chill in the air and half from sheer, agonizing anxiety. How was anyone supposed to heal in a place like this? Back home, the kingdom’s chief apothecary always prescribed two full weeks of deep hibernation for any severe illness. It was a peaceful slumber spent curled beside the warmest, brightest magical reef to restore lost strength.
A pitiful groan escapes the curtained bed, snapping Lara out of her thoughts. Her heart wrenches as she watches Mari stir weakly under the thin sheets. I don't know what I'm doing, Lara thinks, her hands trembling in her lap. My terrible decisions must have a kill-count by now.
"She's just got the flu," the nurse explains calmly, pulling the thermometer from Mari's mouth and checking the reading. "Her body gave out after pushing through those exams without rest. It's nothing to panic about, Lara-chan."
Himeka, who has been hovering nervously next to the window, shifts her weight from foot to foot. She glances anxiously at the wall clock, then down at the crumpled permit clenched in her fist.
“I… I really have to get back to class before the second period bell,” Himeka says. “Lara, please tell Mari I hope she gets better soon.”
Lara can barely muster the energy to nod, her tongue feeling like lead against the roof of her mouth. Beside her, Yoshiya steps forward, offering Himeka a polite, reassuring smile as he introduces himself as Mari’s older brother and thanks her for taking care of his sister.
While Yoshiya speaks, the nurse efficiently finishes her final checks. She wraps a thick black cuff around Mari’s arm that inflates with a rhythmic hiss. Finally, she administers a small injection to Mari’s shoulder, making Lara choke down a scream.
Setting the syringe down, the nurse turns to Himeka. “You did the right thing bringing her down, Himeka-chan. Go on and take your exam.” She then looks over at Yoshiya and Lara. “I’m heading to the main office right now to print out Mari’s medical release forms. Keep an eye on her for a minute, alright?”
Himeka offers a swift, polite bow while the nurse gathers her clipboard. The two of them exit into the hallway together, sliding the heavy door shut behind them.
The suffocating silence is broken only by the steady rhythm of Mari’s breathing. Yoshiya pulls his phone from his blazer pocket, pushing himself off the wooden stool. “Deep breaths, Lara-chan. It’s okay.”
Lara lifts her head slowly, her eyes wide and glistening with unshed tears. “This is all my fault.”
“No, it isn’t,” Yoshiya says firmly. “You know Mari. She probably hasn’t slept in a week.”
She bites her lip. “Maybe.”
“I’m going to call grandma to pick us up. She’ll bring the car around to the teacher’s parking lot so we don’t have to drag Mari all the way to the entrance.” He starts making swiping motions on the black screen.
“Does Ema-san know how to drive those awful mechanical carriages?”
Yoshiya pauses, staring at her as if she’s grown a second head. “Something like that.”
He moves as far away as possible from the bed the moment Ema answers the line. She sounds furious, demanding Yoshiya tell her every single detail. He does his best to cover up the sound of her scolding, but Lara has already learned that the Otsu family has a strange way of showing affection. It’s nice to see them be so honest about what’s bothering each other. She doesn’t recall ever fighting like that with her father, but it’s likely she would’ve been locked up.
The nurse returns a few minutes later with a sheaf of paper in hand. "Here are the medical release forms," she says, handing a pen and clipboard to Yoshiya. "Sign at the bottom, and you're clear to take her home. Make sure she gets plenty of fluids and stays in bed."
Yoshiya takes the pen and quickly scrawls his signature across the line. "Got it." He hands the clipboard back, throwing Mari's jacket over to Lara. "Alright, let's get her home. Grandma’s probably outside already, that crazy woman.”
Turning his back to the cot, Yoshiya crouches down low and carefully hoists his sleeping sister onto his back, securing her legs firmly in the crook of his arms. Obediently, Lara does exactly as she’s told and slings Mari’s heavy school bag over her shoulder without protest.
Mari’s head lolls limply against Yoshiya's shoulder, but even then, she manages to make a fist and hit him on the back of the head. For what? Lara has no idea. "Hold the door, Lara-chan," Yoshiya winces. He takes careful steps forward so as not to jostle her anymore.
She hurries ahead to slide the infirmary door open for them. She stays right at Yoshiya’s heels as they navigate the school toward the stairwell, taking a detour and finally going through a door marked ‘Emergency Exit’. Luckily enough, there aren’t any students roaming around at this hour, since most of them are packed inside the classrooms for exams. Mari would’ve passed out for a second time if half the school were to see her in such a state.
Slowly but surely, they make it all the way outside, where, just as Yoshiya predicted, Ema-san had already parked the car right in the middle of the gravel lot, blocking at least two cars from moving.
The ride back is also quiet.
It goes by in a blur. Lara feels as though as soon as they set foot in the vehicle, they’re already arriving at the house. She doesn’t even pay attention to the beautiful waves hitting the pier, or her favorite ice-cream stand on the corner across the street. All she can think about is what her next move is going to be. Mari’s delayed reaction to the potion could mean it will take a while to settle until it actually takes control of her body. Her body’s probably fighting it, which is why she got a fever.
If Mari didn’t like her much before, she would certainly hate Lara now. But Lara isn't so prideful that she won't set her pride aside when she clearly needs help. Besides, this is Mari, after all, the same girl who took her in without question and became Lara’s very first human friend (The prince who tried to kill her doesn’t count).
Lara hides in the bathroom while Yoshiya and Ema set Mari on her bed. They make sure she’s nicely tucked under the covers, with a moist towel on her forehead. Not even then does Yoshiya manage to avoid getting a kick to the gut while adjusting Mari’s blankets. Watching him double over in pain, Lara briefly wonders if she should wear protective gear the next time she approaches Mari in this state.
She waits until the heavy thud of Yoshiya’s footsteps fades before slipping to the spot next to Mari’s bedside. Grace’s tank is within her reach. She stills again when she hears Ema-san announce from the kitchen that she’s going to make chicken stew today, but only bland rice porridge for Mari.
Lara tiptoes over and taps her knuckles against the thick glass. Eventually, Grace’s fish form appears from behind a decorative rock, yawning.
“This better be good, child. I was in the middle of a wonderful dream,” Grace grumbles, swimming up higher to rest near the water's edge. But her eyes immediately go past Lara to the bed, her little black fins pausing mid-stroke as she takes in the sight of Mari lying under the covers.
“Lady witch,” Lara whispers. “I messed up. I messed up really bad.”
Grace narrows her eyes. “What did you do?”
“I poisoned Mari!” Lara cries, her carefully maintained composure finally breaking into messy, hiccuping sobs. “I left the potion on the table while I was taking a shower, and when I came back, she’d already drunk all of it!” She lets the tears fall freely from her cheeks to the spot in between her feet.
Grace stares at her through the glass, her mouth hanging open in sheer disbelief..
“You left the potion—” She stammers. “My stupid, stupid niece. If you weren’t the chosen princess, I would make sure Rowan exiled you myself.”
At the mention of her father, Lara continues wailing, scrubbing wildly at her face with her sleeve. “Yes! I’m stupid, I’m terrible, just please help her!”
“Quiet.” Grace cuts in sternly. Lara seals her lips shut immediately. “Putting aside your little slip-up…I assure you, my potion was completely harmless,” The tank gives a subtle purple glow, showing Lara a blurry image of the satchel floating in its place. “It’s a love potion, for heaven’s sake, not poison. If anything, I’m surprised Mari hasn’t tried to elope with you yet.”
“That’s the weirdest part. She seemed normal up until about an hour ago.” She mumbles.
Grace sighs, the water around her fluttering as the purple glow dims back to its original crystal blue.
“I don't know why her body is rejecting the magic so violently,” She admits, tapping a fin against her chin. “Her system must be brimming with unstable magic right now, cooking her from the inside out. But... there might be a way to balance out the effects.”
Lara clutches both hands together in front of her. “Please, I’ll do anything.”
There’s a brief, awkward moment where Grace merely stares at her with a pained expression. Well, as much as a fish can make. She finally mumbles some words under her breath, but it’s barely audible through the wall of the tank.
“Sorry, I must not be hearing right. Come again?”
“A kiss!” Grace yells, splashing water on Lara’s shirt.
Choking down a scream of her own, she covers her face with one of her sleeves. “A—a what?! Why a kiss?!”
“Because you’re a creature born of that exact magic, you airhead.” The witch explains. “If you press your lips to hers, you can draw the excess power right back out of her system and absorb it yourself. But listen to me carefully, Lara.”
Grace shows her another image in the rippling water. A shadow reenactment of Lara’s transformation into a human from a thousand years ago, more specifically, the moment she signed the contract with black ink that burned off the paper the second it was finished.
“You only get one kiss under the terms of your transformation spell. If you kiss Mari and she isn't your true love, that’s it. The magic seals your fate. Your chance to return to the sea is gone, and you’ll be stuck as a helpless human forever. You might never see Rowan, or your sisters, again.”
Lara closes her eyes, letting her mind wander through the bitter reality of her time on land. She hasn’t made a single step of progress in finding the prince, and her one desperate attempt at a shortcut had blown up in her face. For a chosen princess, she couldn’t seem to do anything right; she had only made everything worse.
Maybe her family would never break their curse and return to the sea. Perhaps that was fine, so long as Lara suffered right alongside them. She knew she would never find happiness while her family remained trapped, and resigning herself to a lonely human existence—forever an outsider who never truly belonged anywhere—felt like a fitting punishment for a disobedient princess who had bitten off far more than she could chew.
And then there was Mari. Mari could never love someone like her; the very thought was absurd. Yet Lara cared for her with a fierce, ache-deep intensity that outshone anything she had ever felt for Prince Luca and his sprawling royal court. She wanted Mari to be happy, to live a full life, maybe even find a nice human to marry and leave Shiga behind. Maybe then Lara could leave Shiga, too.
Taking a shuddering breath, Lara faces Grace again. “I’m really sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused you, Aunt Grace. But I have to try. I can’t just let her suffer like this.”
“Eh, I never expected much from you anyway.” Grace scoffs, but she fixes Lara with a sad look as she swims back behind the fake algae.
Thus, for the rest of the day, Lara moves like a ghost around the house, helping carry the dinner tray to Mari’s room and changing the soggy towel on her forehead. She smiles numbly while Mari’s family shares comforting words with each other, waiting out every excruciating minute until the household finally settles.
At around eight p.m., Ema-san turns off the lights. Lara shuffles from her futon to the foot of Mari’s bed, kneeling over her.
In the dark, she can’t properly see the familiar details of Mari’s face. Her long, dark lashes, the tiny slope of her nose, the delicate contour of her chin. In another life, one where Mari didn’t spend her free time willingly engaging in violent sports, she would have made a breathtaking princess. A rich blue dress would suit her well, and Lara knows exactly which ocean-pearl pendant from her old collection would look stunning around her neck.
To her surprise, the idea of kissing Mari doesn't feel unappealing in the slightest. Then again, Lara hadn’t even gotten to kiss Prince Luca before turning into sea foam in her past life, so maybe it is just the nervous thrill of her very first kiss making her heart hammer against her ribs. She catches herself wondering if this will be Mari’s first kiss too, only to mentally slap herself for entertaining such ridiculous thoughts while hovering over a sick, defenseless girl who has no say in the matter.
All that matters is making Mari whole again and bringing back their everyday routine. Lara resolves right then to finally learn how to properly cook and clean around the house, so Mari can come home after grueling school days and simply rest without a single care in the world.
Lara leans forward. She places one hand flat on the cool pillow beside Mari’s head for support, her trembling fingers sinking into the fabric. She holds her breath, every nerve on end as the heat radiating off Mari’s feverish skin brushes against her own cheek. Her gaze lingers on Mari’s parted lips, somewhat pale pink, and she hesitates for a single, agonizing second, before finally closing her eyes and pressing her lips against Mari’s.
Then there is only the soft warmth of Mari’s mouth.
A sharp, icy pulse jolts through Lara’s veins, pulling with an almost violent, physical tug. Beneath her, Mari lets out a sudden, shuddering exhale as a faint, pearlescent glow creeps across their skin, flowing in shimmering tendrils from Mari straight into Lara. She pulls back with a gasp. It’s the first time since her transformation that she’s felt such waves of power surging inside of her.
🌊❤️🥊
Mari suddenly bolts upright in bed, sending the wet towel tumbling off her forehead to land on the futon with a soggy thud. She blinks, touching her face with wide, bewildered eyes. “My head doesn’t hurt.”
On the side of the bed, Lara stirs. Knives of muscle pain itch and slice all up her back; kneeling hunched over Mari’s bedside all night had clearly been a terrible mistake. But she hadn't dared lay down next to her. Sleeping beside an apex predator like a killer whale felt significantly safer than sprawling out beside a sleeping Mari.
Lara pushes herself up slightly, rubbing her stiff neck. “Good morning, Mari... Is your fever down?”
“Fever? What fever?” Mari squints against the morning light cutting through the blinds. “Wait, why are you on the floor? Did you sleep down there all night?”
Before Lara can answer, Mari reaches out, catching Lara’s wrist and firmly pulling her up onto her feet. Lara freezes as she stands, searching every line of Mari's face for a sign, maybe a flicker of hesitation, a shadow of embarrassment, or any hint of memory from hours before.
Instead, she finds nothing.
“I was checking on you,” Lara says quickly, tucking her trembling hands behind her back. “You collapsed at school. The nurse said it was the flu, so Ema-san drove us home early.”
Mari swings her legs over the edge of the bed. It’s too early for Yoshiya to be awake and scold her for standing, and Lara certainly lacks the authority to stop her.
“I must have been exhausted from training,” Mari mutters, stretching her arms overhead. “All I remember is stopping by Himeka’s class to drop off your key. It’s blank after that.”
If only she knew. “Yeah. You were totally out of it,” Lara laughs awkwardly.
“I feel incredible now, though,” Mari says, taking a deep, clear breath. She flashes an uncharacteristically bright grin toward Lara. “It’s like every drop of fatigue was sucked right out of me while I slept.”
Lara’s pulse quickens, her gaze fixing on Mari’s mouth as memories rush behind her eyes. Scrambling backward, her heels catch on the edge of the carpet, and she stumbles, nearly losing her footing before steadying herself against the wall.
“I-I’m glad to hear that, Mari!” She stammers out. “Hey, let’s go get some breakfast. I’m starving, aren’t you? I’ll see you in the kitchen!”
“I guess—"
The door shuts out Mari's bewildered voice mid-sentence as Lara practically flees the room. Her back hits the wooden panels, legs immediately giving out, sending her sliding down to the floor in a heap. Her chest heaves as if she’d just surfaced from a violent dive, her chest burning as though salty water has flooded her lungs.
She checks her own temperature with the back of her hand. Lara burns like a furnace.