Jiangxia Tongzhi's eyes drifted to the mermaid's swishing tail. He couldn't help recalling how it felt to grab her earlier—cold but not slimy, like a freshly washed, iced watermelon.
Summer vibes. Would definitely feel amazing to hold again.
Still, a rare ghost this size would clearly gobble up murderous aura like a vacuum.
But… she was big, pretty, and weirdly shiny. Even if she was a glutton for ghost snacks, he still wanted her. Worst case, he could just chuck her into the tattoo space and let her free-range in there.
The mermaid twitched her ears. She suddenly had the uneasy feeling of being targeted.
And someone who could give her that kind of feeling…
She narrowed her eyes and stared suspiciously at Jiangxia.
Jiangxia snapped out of it and continued where he left off. He absentmindedly patted the mermaid's big tail and said earnestly, "You don't have to worry about that. As long as you agree to my request, I'll help you. But don't make it too obvious—if you're going to deal with someone, it's better to make it look like an 'accident.' For the island's sake."
That night, a bunch of high school students checked into a hotel on Mermaid Island.
The moment Jiangxia lay down, he sensed something outside the window.
He sat up. The mermaid was there, staring at him through the glass.
...So impatient.
Jiangxia got out of bed and pulled out a ghost mint.
The mermaid twitched her nose, sniffed the air, then slithered in through the window like a slippery eel, swimming straight toward him with bright, hungry eyes.
Jiangxia lowered his hand over the lighter and warned cautiously, "Don't eat too much. Just act convincingly, that's enough."
The mermaid locked eyes on the ghost mint. A suspiciously shiny droplet dribbled from the corner of her mouth. She wiped it off like a dainty little lady, then gave Jiangxia a gentle nudge with the tip of her tail, urging him silently but firmly.
Jiangxia stared at the mint one last time, sighed, and lit it.
Please let this one be low-maintenance…
Elsewhere, Shimabukuro Kimie had just seen Kadowaki Saori home. After staying with her for a while, she left.
Kadowaki Saori closed the door, her anxiety finally easing.
Just now, Shimabukuro Kimie had a long talk with her and reluctantly agreed to her request. She said she'd give her a dugong arrow in a few days.
That gave Kadowaki Saori great comfort. With the dugong arrow in hand, she'd be safe from mermaids—or so she believed.
Feeling at ease, she headed back inside, planning to take a relaxing bath.
Unfortunately, as soon as she stepped into the bathroom, she froze. Her heart rocketed into her throat.
There was a mermaid.
Sitting in her bathtub.
Bones draped over the edge.
Grinning ferociously.
Teeth and all.
Kadowaki Saori's brain buzzed like a bee in a blender. It was like falling into an icy pit.
A few seconds later, there was a blood-curdling scream, and someone crashed through the front door, bolting outside like a terrified cartoon character.
The mermaid ghost looked after her retreating back and let out a snort of satisfaction.
Then she scattered the puppet bits Jiangxia had lent her and floated happily off to her next victim.
Despite Jiangxia's earlier concerns, the mermaid didn't gobble up the murderous aura all at once. After floating hungry on this island for three years, this was the tastiest thing she'd ever "eaten." So instead of wolfing it down, she nibbled slowly, savoring the flavor and stretching it out. A frugal ghost. Economical.
The power swelling in her ghostly body felt amazing, and she was in no rush to waste it.
As she recalled that delicious murderous aura, her previous thoughts of "being subdued by a psychic is a shame" quietly evaporated.
Sure, the islanders treated her like a demon god, but if you really thought about it... she was just a ghost. A very new ghost. Not even three years old yet.
So maybe clinging to a powerful psychic's thigh wasn't that shameful after all.
Besides, she'd peeked into Jiangxia's luggage earlier. He'd brought several boxes of those ghost mints. Even if she couldn't eat them all, just sitting next to them was bliss…
Sadly, Kadowaki Saori never made it to the shrine like she hoped.
There was a river between her house and the shrine. When she got to the bridge, the mermaid was already there.
That same ghostly mermaid—out for her life—seemed to have the ability to show up anywhere she pleased.
Panicking, Kadowaki Saori completely lost the ability to think. She bolted, chased by the mermaid, and finally tripped and fell straight into the sea.
She landed on her knees in the shallow water, terrified beyond words.
The sea... the sea is the mermaid's home!
She'd almost died on land. Now she was in the sea. Wasn't this just serving herself up on a silver platter?
But to her surprise, the mermaid didn't come for her.
She just stood there on the shore, coldly watching. Unmoving.
In fact, every time the waves surged toward her, the mermaid would curl the tip of her tail slightly in distaste, avoiding the spray like a fussy cat avoiding a puddle.
Kadowaki Saori blinked, dazed.
A word floated to the front of her mind.
Freshwater fish?
No, that couldn't be it. Mermaids shouldn't be afraid of seawater, right…?
So if it's not the ocean, then—
*Goal #1: Top 200 fanfics published within the last 31 - 90 days by POWER STONES.
Progress: 12/60(approx) for 10 BONUS CHAPTERS
Goal #2: One BONUS CHAPTER per review for the first 10 REVIEWS.
Progress:2/10*