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chapter 5
Soft strands of white-silver hair slid down onto Rinka’s shoulder, brushing lightly against her cheek.
For a moment, she felt her whole body stiffen.
The captain usually wore an easy smile and tossed out light jokes, but at times like this, he gave off an overwhelming presence—like being pressed down by something immense. It wasn’t the killing intent she’d felt when they first met, but rather a sheer, heavy pressure.
“Captain.”
“Ah—look at you, you’ve gone pale. Civilians always end up like this, huh?”
The sailors, waving their hands as if to say “who else would we tease if not you,” quickly scurried off, leaving Rinka alone with the captain.
“We won’t be staying long anyway. We don’t have time to linger here.”
“I see… Does this kind of thing happen often?”
“Not really. This isn’t the western sea or the deep ocean, but sometimes the waves just… stop.”
“So it is a bit unusual right now.”
“Well, you could say that.”
Speaking casually, the captain lifted Rinka’s hand and placed it on his forearm, as if escorting a lady. Slowly, he guided her across the deck to the railing. He placed her hand upon the wooden edge, then gently covered it with his own.
Startled by the natural contact, Rinka flinched and looked up at him—only to find his blue eyes signaling toward the sea.
Her vision filled with the boundless horizon, the ocean stretching so far it seemed to touch the sky.
Ah…
It was beautiful.
Though she’d lived her whole life by the harbor, Rinka had never once sailed out to sea. To stand here, as though at the very heart of the horizon, was a first for her.
With the wind stilled and the waves subdued, the ocean’s surface truly seemed like a mirror for the sky.
“Seems you like the sea, Rinka.”
Lost in the sight, she had even forgotten the captain’s presence beside her until his voice jolted her.
“Ah, no… This is actually my first time out on the sea, so I don’t really know.”
Yes—that was right. She didn’t know.
But staring at the slow-moving water made her heart stir strangely.
It was frightening. It felt unwelcoming. And yet—somehow, nostalgic.
“I don’t know… but it’s really beautiful.”
It felt as if the ocean itself were speaking to her.
The waves that looked still but moved endlessly. The air that seemed calm but flowed all the same.
Water and wind—things she had never once thought about while living on land—were now calling out to her.
“Beautiful, you say?”
“Yes… really beautiful.”
“I figured you might like the sea.”
“Me?”
“Yeah. Most people would never think to stow away on a ship this size. They’re too afraid of the open waters.”
He chuckled, saying that those born and raised on land always feared the sea.
His hand pressed softly against the back of hers again.
― Look this way.
A voice brushed past her ear with the breeze.
Rinka’s head whipped around. Had someone just spoken?
“Rinka?”
“Ah.”
Before she could explain—
― Look at the sea.
Oh.
This wasn’t a “sound.”
It was something slipping into her mind, a whisper both like a lullaby and like droplets spreading softly in water. A tender voice, as if from a forgotten cradle song.
Rinka shook her head at the captain’s questioning gaze.
“I must have… misheard.”
No—she was certain she mustn’t tell anyone about this.
Gripping the railing tighter, she leaned forward just slightly, peering down at the ocean. She didn’t feel like she would fall, but it was still precarious.
The captain, thinking she was simply admiring the sea, said nothing—just tugged her back gently by the shoulders.
Rinka gave a quick thank you and returned her gaze downward.
Where is that voice coming from?
The sea still appeared unnaturally still, with no waves.
But…
Something is moving. In the water itself.
― That’s right. We are moving.
― Look at us, little mermaid.
― We came here to see you.
Plip, plip.
Tiny droplets rose from the water’s surface.
And Rinka knew instinctively.
These were water spirits.
They had come up to the very surface of the sea just to meet her—“the little mermaid.”
Droplets… spirits?
And she could recognize them?
Her eyes widened as she stared hard at the water.
The droplets continued to leap and fall—plip, plip. With the air so still, the sound seemed to echo directly in her ears. Yet the captain beside her gave no reaction. It was as if only Rinka could hear them.
How are you hearing me? she asked silently. She couldn’t move her lips, so she whispered in her mind.
This time, the droplets bounced in little circles across the surface.
― Exactly!
― Little mermaid, we felt you. That’s why we came.
― Our friend.
― Little mermaid, we can sense you when you’re in the sea.
― We followed your aura all the way here.
My aura?
And then it hit her. The day she had plunged into the sea to board the pirate ship.
Until then, she had only ever gotten splashed with water on land. But that day—she had truly entered the ocean. That must have been what the spirits were referring to.
Rinka blinked hard, crimson eyes fixed on the water.
Because I entered the sea…?
― Yes, little mermaid.
― Until now, we couldn’t find you. Water flows and circles endlessly until it reaches this sea.
― But now, don’t worry—we’ve found you.
Four? Five?
Several voices whispered at once inside her mind.
They hadn’t been able to find her before—but now they had.
Questions crowded her mind, but one truth was clear: these spirits bore her no hostility. In fact, it felt like they had been waiting for her.
But why?
As if compelled by something beyond her, Rinka slowly stretched her hand toward the water.
“Rin…!”
The captain’s voice rang out—too late. At the same instant, a droplet the size of her thumb leapt high from the sea.
Thud.
Almost simultaneously, the captain’s hand clamped onto her arm while the round droplet landed neatly onto her palm.
It was like a perfect bead of water, rolling smoothly in her hand like a pudding encased in a clear membrane.
“What the…”
Before she could even voice her shock, the captain spun her around.
“You almost fell in.”
“O-oh… I’m sorry.”
Only then did she realize he was right. She had leaned farther than she’d thought. Out here, a single mistake would mean plunging into the deep sea below.
Her face drained of color.
“I didn’t even think…”
“Why’d you do that so suddenly? You usually don’t even come out on deck.”
“Well, I… I saw the sea, and…”
The sea. And what then?
How could she explain? That water droplets had spoken to her?
This was her very first encounter with spirits, and in her hometown, even seeing a wizard was rare. She had no idea how pirates or the captain would react.
And what if only mermaids could see them? That would be dangerous—truly dangerous.
“You saw the sea, and?”
“…The water droplets jumping on the surface looked so strange, I wanted to see them up close.”
In the end, she chose not to tell the truth. She carefully concealed the droplet in her palm so the captain wouldn’t notice.
― Ow…!
The voice whimpered dramatically, but she ignored it.
The captain studied her with unreadable eyes, then finally said slowly:
“Always be careful. If you fall in, I’ll try to save you, but the sea is dangerous.”
“Y-yes. I’ll go back inside.”
“Good. The sea does this sometimes—it’ll clear up soon.”
Ah—that’s right.
She had forgotten, distracted by the droplets.
The real problem wasn’t the water spirits. It was the fact that the ship was trapped here.
She clenched her palm around the soft droplet.
― Little mermaid! You’ll kill me!
The chorus of voices had dwindled to just one now. Loosening her grip slightly, Rinka asked it silently:
“Being stuck motionless on the sea… that’s not a good sign, is it?”
The captain answered aloud, patting her shoulder lightly.
“Usually not. If the currents stop, it means something nearby is strong enough to disturb them.”
He added that sometimes it was said to happen when a great sea monster awoke—but it wasn’t unheard of, even during his years at sea, so she needn’t worry too much.
A great sea monster? A great sea monster!?
Wasn’t that exactly the kind of creature said to swallow up half-blood mermaids?
