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Ever since Shiki met a teenage merman named Neku, her life had changed so much. She discovered that merfolk actually exist near the seaside village she calls home and even got to experience ocean life once she gained the ability to turn into a mermaid. Likewise, her merman friend could also turn human, allowing the two to have adventures both on land and in the sea.
But as time passed, Shiki started to become more curious about her merman friend. Back when they first met, he didn't seem to trust humans all that well. He resented her as she tried to heal his tail injury, only opening up when he mistook the surface of a lake for the night sky. His entire demeanor changed since then, becoming enamored towards the aspiring marine researcher. And in turn, she became more inclined to taking her little hobby seriously. She was learning so much information about aquatic life that was never in her books, especially merfolk biology.
But back on the subject of Neku, why was he initially bitter towards Shiki? That curiosity grew every time he visited the surface world. Then during one particular visit, she finally asked him.
"Why didn't you trust humans when we met?" Shiki blurted out during a casual stroll through 10-4.
Neku stopped in his tracks, which Shiki didn't realize until she was ahead of him. Turning back towards him, she noticed he looked a little hurt. Was he thinking about a horrible memory? One that he had initially repressed? The brunette girl rushed over to his side and gently held his hands.
"Sorry," Shiki apologized. "I-I didn't mean to-"
"It's fine," Neku interrupted. "I just realized I never told you what happened."
"What are you talking about?" Shiki asked as her grasp tightened. "Did you have a bad encounter with humans?"
Neku pulled away from Shiki's grasp and looked around. "I can't really talk about it here," he explained in a hushed voice. "We need to go..." He nudged in a random direction as his sentence trailed off.
"Oh," Shiki gasped, realizing what her merman friend was trying to say. If he was going to explain what happened, they were going to have to move from land to sea.
Converting between human and merfolk forms wasn't an easy process for either teen. For Neku, it took him a while to get used to walking on land. He stumbled a lot at first and he needed a cane. He did eventually overcome his struggles, but it was a lot easier than Shiki, who learned how drastically different merfolk were from humans. They never actively spoke underwater due to a concern of accidental drowning, yet they were able to breathe through small, unseen gills on their necks. Despite this lack of mouth-to-mouth communication, merfolk were able to 'speak' with their hearts. That was something Shiki needed to remember, having resulted in visiting the surface a few times for a much-needed breath of air.
But after so many adventures, much like this particular day, switching between human and merfolk became second nature. And of course, Shiki was always amazed with seeing the underwater world Neku had grown up in. Much like how she served as a guide for navigating Shibuya, he was her guide for navigating the Pacific Ocean (or as the merfolk call it, the underwater realm of Pacifica). But this time, he was swimming into a deeper area, one that was less colorful than the more familiar areas. Where were they going?
Thankfully Neku noticed Shiki's confusion. "Do you need to go back to the surface?" he checked as he pointed upward.
"Oh no, I'm good!" Shiki reassured as she nervously flailed her arms around. She stopped her panicked movements and inhaled through her gills. "I was wondering where you were taking me."
"Remember when I told you a warlock gave me items that allow us to transform at will?" Neku asked.
Shiki peered downward into the darker part of the ocean. "Is this where he lives?" she checked.
Neku nodded in response. "You asked me why I didn't trust humans when we met," he recalled. "The warlock's grotto is where it all began. It will make sense once we get there."
Shiki inhaled once more. "...Okay, Neku," she said, deciding to swallow her fears. "I trust you."
Eventually the two arrived at the deepest part of the ocean. It was devoid of life and energy, casting a somewhat sinister vibe. The only structure in the area was some kind of hollowed entrance to a cave. But instead of entering, Neku swam over to the side, revealing a wall full of various carvings and colored splotches. Was this some kind of paint? How was this possible underwater?
"What is this?" Shiki asked, her fingers hovering close to the wall.
"A mural created by the warlock," Neku answered. He looked at the wall fondly. "Thinking back on it now, it was him. He's the reason why I knew about the warlock. I wouldn't have found his grotto if he hadn't told me about it."
Shiki lowered her hand and looked back at Neku. "What do you mean?" she asked.
"I knew another merman," Neku clarified. "He was my one real friend, the only guy in the ocean I could talk to as an equal. I was fine with that. Just him and me." He inhaled through his gills. "Man, I miss him... Not that I have a right to..." He frowned. "Not after I killed him."
Shiki looked alarmed. "What?!" she yelped. "How did that happen?!"
"It happened five years before we first met," Neku explained. "We were set to meet up at the usual spot. I asked him to come. I was waiting in front of this mural...but he never came. Only later did I hear about his encounter with fishermen." He tightly clenched his fists. "I was so mad. Then I felt awful... I shouldn't have asked him here. If not for me, he'd still be around... It's like I killed him."
Shiki was at a loss for words. She had no idea Neku had such a traumatic event in the past. And it was an event that caused him to lose trust in humans. No wonder he was initially hostile and tried to attack her. There was no way anyone could easily recover from something like that.
And yet...here she was, able to become a mermaid and visit his world beneath the sea.
"You could have gone back to your old life after I healed you," Shiki pointed out. "Why didn't you?"
"I don't really know," Neku admitted. "After returning home, I kept thinking about how different you were from other humans. You actually cared about me and wanted to help me out." His tail gently swished. "Guess I kinda missed you. That's all."
"Is that why you haven't interacted with other humans since you started visiting?" Shiki suddenly realized.
Neku's gaze quickly darted back towards Shiki. "Yeah. So what?" he asked in response. "You're the only human I trust. Everyone else would probably try to kill me."
"That's not true at all!" Shiki loudly disagreed as she grabbed Neku's shoulders. "Everyone in Shibuya loves merfolk! The various myths and stories about your kind are engrained into the village's culture."
Neku looked genuinely surprised at those words. "...Are you sure?" he checked.
"Trust me," Shiki insisted. She then grabbed Neku's wrist and dragged him away from the grotto at high speed. "If you don't believe me, try experiencing it for yourself."
Neku exhaled through his gills as he tried to keep up with his friend. "How am I supposed to do that?!" he asked, his tone indicating he would have been screaming.
"I'll explain when we get back to shore," Shiki answered as she continued to swim.
Upon turning back into humans, Shiki immediately dragged Neku back to 10-4. But this time she brought him to one of the local clothing shops. But as she browsed through the clothes on sale, he was confused.
"Why are we here?" Neku asked.
"I want to get you some new clothes," Shiki explained as she picked up a shirt. "You can't wear those pants if you want to live like a human."
That made Neku panic. "Wait, hold on!" he shouted. "You want me to stay on the surface?!"
"Yeah," Shiki confirmed, trying to figure out what other clothes she could get. "I want you to live here for a couple of days and get used to living among other humans. You can even come with me to school."
That made Neku relax. "What's a school?" he wondered. "Some place for humans to hang out?"
"Not even close," Shiki corrected with a slight laugh. "It's where humans my age go to learn new things."
"Is that why you know so much about fish?" Neku asked.
Shiki nodded in response. "And it's why I want you to look presentable," she revealed, holding up a different shirt. "Unless you want all my classmates to know there's a merman walking around as a human."
"That would be a problem..." Neku reluctantly agreed. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to try and blend in among these humans...
Upon returning to the Misaki residence, it was time to begin Operation Human Incognito. The first step was getting Neku clean, which was easy enough. A bit of shampoo and a lot of conditioner was enough to wash his long hair. It would have been easier to cut it into a more manageable style, but Shiki knew merfolk were prideful of their hair and Neku was no exception.
The hardest part was picking out an outfit the merman actually liked, especially since he always wore just his purple pants. But being a human meant having to wear shoes and a shirt, so some sacrifices had to be made. Thankfully Shiki was able to find a suitable outfit for her friend, which consisted of a Dharma tank top, Inazuma shorts, and Aun sandals, all of which were from a local brand called Jupiter of the Monkey. She tried to pick out threads that weren't too tight or covered a lot of skin. Given how Neku didn't look uncomfortable as he checked his reflection, it seemed like the right pick.
"Well?" Shiki asked. "What do you think?"
Neku gingerly touched his still-exposed neck. "It's not choking me," he stated. "I thought all shirts choke humans."
"It's not really a shirt," Shiki corrected. "It's what we call a tank top. I tried to get one that showed more skin near your neck, so you won't feel like you're choking."
"...Not bad," Neku remarked as he lowered his hand. He glanced at his now-covered feet. "But this might take a while to get used to. They feel kinda tight."
"It's better than walking around barefoot all the time," Shiki insisted. "Trust me on this one."
But Neku clenched his teeth as he inhaled slightly. Given by his hesitance, it seemed the shoe thing was going to be the hardest thing to get used to.
The next day was Neku's first day of school. After a struggle to hide the fact that a merman was sleeping in a bathtub the night before, Shiki showed him the way to school. Despite making a big deal about it, Neku was less than impressed when he got a good look at the school. It was a small, redwood building with a matching sign that read 'Shibuya Schoolhouse'.
"This is a school?" Neku asked. "It looks old."
"Well of course it is," Shiki agreed. "This school has been around for years. It's small, but there's a lot of history behind it."
"There you are, Ms. Misaki."
The one who spoke was a tall blonde woman dressed modestly, wearing a floor-length black and white dress and white heels. This was a human Neku never saw before, yet her prescence invoked a commanding aura. Who was she to take on such a dignified manner?
"Good morning, Ms. Konishi," Shiki greeted.
"Yes, good morning," Ms. Konishi replied. She noticed Neku. "And who might you be?"
"...Neku Sakuraba," the merman answered, trying to avoid his nervousness around an unfamiliar human. "This is my first day here."
"I wasn't expecting a new transfer student," Ms. Konishi spoke. "Where exactly are you from?"
Neku was about to reply, but Shiki beat him to it. "He's from another village," she answered. "One very far from here."
"I see," Ms. Konishi noted. "Then welcome to the Shibuya Schoolhouse, Mr. Sakuraba."
The schoolhouse was just as rustic on the inside. Desks and chairs were lined up in two rows with a blackboard in the very back of the building and a dark brown wooden podium. It was a very simplistic design, yet Neku was all the more amazed with it.
Soon the other students had arrived, two boys and a girl. One boy was a muscular blonde wearing a red sleeveless shirt, dark yellow cargo shorts, and red-and-black sneakers; the other boy was much thinner with longish ash blonde hair and he wore a light grey button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up, dark grey slacks, and white sneakers. The girl had a very striking appearance with long red hair tied up in a ponytail. She wore a dark pink t-shirt, an olive green skirt, and light brown sneakers. Between those three and Shiki, it was a very small class of students.
"Before we begin today's lesson, we have a new student joining us," Ms. Konishi spoke. "Please welcome Neku Sakuraba."
Neku carefully walked to the front of the class and picked up a piece of chalk. Shiki couldn't quite tell what his expression was, but given how he had yet to write his name, it was clear he was very nervous. Then very carefully, he began to write...something. But it wasn't the typical alphabet Shiki was used to. By the time Neku finished writing and turned to face the class, what he had wrote was unrecognizable.
ᚾᛖᚲᚢ ᛊᚨᚲᚢᚱᚨᛒᚨ
Shiki winced upon realizing merfolk have a different writing system than humans, having regret to teach Neku how to write like humans. As for her classmates, the redhead girl and lanky boy were confused, while the muscular blonde looked surprised for an unexplained reason. If that wasn't enough, the merman had an equally embarrassing introduction.
"My name is Neku Sakuraba," he spoke in a stiff tone. "I come from village far away from here. It's nice to meet everyone."
"Thank you, Mr. Sakuraba," Ms. Konishi said. She pointed towards the muscular blonde. "Please take a seat behind Mr. Bito." She noticed Neku's confused expression. "Is something wrong?"
"I wanted to sit closer to Shiki," Neku insisted.
"I don't know what schools were like in your home village, but this is how seating arrangements are handled here," Ms. Konishi explained. "Boys to the left and girls to the right. Now please take a seat so I may begin today's lesson."
With much reluctance, Neku took his seat. As the lesson began, he couldn't help but glance towards Shiki, who was focused on the lesson. He felt so nervous being around a foreign human. What if he was planning on attacking him during the class? His body tensed as he tried to focus on whatever it was Ms. Konishi was speaking about, even as his own panic overtook his thoughts.
He couldn't end up like his friend.
He just couldn't.
The thought of getting captured in a large net and dragged away from the ocean before his lungs could properly develop-
"Mr. Sakuraba?"
The sound of Ms. Konishi's snapped Neku out of his panic. As he calmed down, he noticed Shiki and the other classmates were staring at him, while he was grasping his own throat as if he was choking. What happened while he was zoned out?
"Is something wrong?" Ms. Konishi asked.
Neku cleared his throat and sat up straight in his seat. "...No," he lied. "I'm fine."
"Then you should have no problem answering my question," Ms. Konishi stated.
"Which was...?" Neku asked.
Ms. Konishi sighed. "Who can tell me what kinds of clams live near the village?"
"Lajonkairia lajonkairii," Neku answered without hesitation.
"Correct," Ms. Konishi replied, sounding a bit surprised. "But they are commonly known as the asari clam. Not a lot of people know about its scientific name."
"Thanks...?" Neku muttered, feeling a bit embarrassed.
The remainder of class carried out with very little interruptions. But by the time the students were excused, Neku felt awful. Thankfully Shiki noticed his distress, so she quickly brought him away from the schoolhouse to avoid eavesdroppers. The two carefully leaned closer to one another as they whispered in hushed voices.
"Are you feeling okay?" Shiki checked.
"No," Neku admitted. "I spent the whole time worried the other humans might attack me."
"Is that why you had a panic attack during the clams lecture?" Shiki asked.
That confused Neku. "...I had a panic attack?" he muttered.
"You didn't notice?" Shiki realized.
"Not really," Neku answered. "All I could think about was getting trapped in a net as I-"
"Yo! New guy!"
The muscular blonde from earlier rushed over to the duo. But while Shiki was a mix of confused and surprised, Neku suddenly looked tense. He wasn't sure why this unfamiliar human ran over to him, but he was ready to strike just in case.
"Beat?" Shiki asked. "What is it?"
"That's your name?" Neku blurted out, confused.
"A nickname," Shiki corrected. "It's short for Dai-"
"Bwaaah!" Beat yelped. "Don't tell him that!"
Neku decided to stop questioning the whole name thing. "What do you want?" he asked.
"It's 'bout how you was actin' in class," Beat explained. "I ain't dumb to know merfolk runes." He stared at Neku rather intently. "That's what you are, right? One of those fish folks from the sea?"
"What if I am?" Neku asked in a stern tone.
"'Cause I've gotta show ya somethin'," Beat answered. He slowly reached for the merman's wrist. "So how's about you come with me and I'll- GUH!"
Shiki's eyes widened in alarm. Much like when they first met, Neku had grabbed Beat's throat with one hand. Only this time, she now understood why that was his first reaction if a human got close to him. It was his way of attacking, something that had develop out of raw instinct. She had to get him to calm down.
"Neku, you can trust Beat!" Shiki cried out, attempting to pry Neku's hands away from the blonde's throat. "I've known him for years and he's a good human!"
"Y-You know him, Shiki...?" Beat gasped.
"Yes!" Shiki insisted. She looked back at Neku. "So can we talk this out?!"
Neku saw Shiki's pleading expression. Although reluctantly, he released his grasp on Beat, who exhaled deeply. But unlike that initial encounter, the merman's glare was fiercer. Could you blame him? His trust towards Shiki was her passion for marine life. She knew how to care for him and longed to understand more about the ocean. Beat was an unfamiliar human, one who didn't appear to share that same caring heart. What was he going to do to him?
Beat brought Shiki and Neku over to his house, which was located close to the woods. It seemed pretty standard, with the exception of a backyard covered by a massive canopy. This was where he escorted the two visitors, zipping the canopy close upon entering.
For Shiki, she had always passed by the Bito residence on a daily basis. She only knew about the backyard canopy, wondering why it was so huge and why that family never allowed visitors. But upon entering, realization kicked in when she saw a saltwater pool that took up half the backyard space.
But for Neku, that same realization kicked in when Beat went into his house and came back with a steel bucket of clams.
A certain someone must be living inside that pool.
Beat walked to the edge of the pool and peered inward. "Hey, Rhyme," he greeted as he held out a clam. "I got ya some food."
Suddenly, a human hand covered in pale orange scales emerged from the water, one that was unusually webbed. The hand snatched the clam and disappeared into the pool, only to resurface a few seconds later, wanting more clams.
"Aight then," Beat chuckled. "Guess someone's hungry today."
As Beat repeated the process, both Shiki and Neku walked closer, sharing the same amount of curiosity. Yet once they were close to the pool's edge and peered into the water. They found out who the unusual hand belonged to.
It was a mermaid, one that looked a bit different from typical mermaids. While she did have a familiar shape with long blonde hair, dark blue eyes, and a scaly pale orange tail with white fins, her other traits appeared inhuman. Her scales covered her human half and both of her hands were webbed. She was also eating the clams Beat was giving her in a monstrous way, ripping open the shells and gobbling up the gooey innards. This was a type of mermaid Shiki never saw before, surprising her.
"Is that...a mermaid?" Shiki checked, feeling a bit unease.
"Nah," Beat corrected as he continued to feed this creature. "Rhyme's no different from a human. She was jus' born like this."
"But that's a young mermaid," Neku spoke.
"How do you know?" Shiki asked.
"Because that's how merfolk age," Neku explained. "We're born as fish and become more human-like as we get older."
"Wow, no way!" Shiki gushed. "That's how merfolk reproduce?!"
"What, ya didn't know that?" Beat asked. "It's basic info."
"But how old is she?" Neku asked. "If her scales are still intact, that means her lungs aren't developed."
"She's three years younger than me," Beat explained. "Ma said she was born as an egg. She's been stuck in dis pool since she hatched."
"Your mom..." Shiki muttered. Then her eyes widened in shock. "Why do you have a sister like that?!"
"Ain't it obvious?" Beat asked in response, giving Rhyme the last few clams he had. "Fish blood's been in the family fo' years."
That news was surprising for both Shiki and Neku. Shiki was surprised by how Beat was half-merman this whole time despite looking like a typical human for as long as she knew him. Neku, on the other hand, was surprised by how a human could be born with merfolk genes. For all he knew, Shiki was the first instance of a human gaining the ability to turn into a mermaid. This revelation changed everything he knew about his kind.
"...You have a merman form?" Shiki asked after a bit of stunned silence.
"Well yeah," Beat answered, acting unusually casual about it. "Got it a few years ago. I would've been stuck with it if my folks didn't give me a fish-to-human potion." He looked over at Neku. "Prolly the same potion you drank to look like that."
"I did," Neku confirmed. At this point, he was starting to feel more comfortable around Beat. "It took me a while to adjust on land."
Beat switched his gaze towards Shiki. "So what's yo deal?" he asked. "You act like you know he's a fish boy."
"Because I found him washed up on the beach after a tsunami," Shiki revealed. "He was injured, so I nursed him back to health. A few days after he was patched up, he used a knife to-"
"Turn you into a fish girl?" Beat finished. He noticed Shiki's slow nod. "So that warlock's why you two know each other."
"You know about the warlock?" Neku asked.
"He's why my folks got that potion," Beat explained. "'Course he would get involved with you two."
"Why's that?" Shiki asked.
Before Beat could respond, Rhyme's scaly hands emerged from the pool and proceeded to tap on the concrete surface with her webbed fingers. Beat paid close attention to those tapping sounds, almost as if she was trying to say something. Eventually the tapping stopped, yet Rhyme had a bright expression from deep within the water. Thankfully her brother's smile indicated he knew what she was trying to say.
"Rhyme said she's happy to meet ya two," Beat interpreted.
"Awww!" Shiki gushed. She looked at the not-mermaid. "It's nice to meet you, too."
"...Yeah," Neku agreed with a small smile. "Same."
Although Neku didn't want to outright admit it, Shiki knew he was glad there were two more humans he could trust. She was glad as well, but because her world of merfolk had open even further. Now that she knew there were humans with merfolk blood living in Shibuya, she had more questions about their history. She also knew that from this moment onward, both Beat and Rhyme had enter her growing circle of friends. After all, there was nothing more special than a friendship built around mutual trust and interests.
