Chapter 5
“If anything, the fact that he’s a sea monster makes him more trustworthy. Wouldn’t a sea monster know more about the ocean than a person?”
“That may be true, but still…”
Phineas shook his head.
“Honestly, I hope I never run into him again. Though I have a bad feeling he’ll show up tomorrow too. I’d better go rub my shoulder—it’s definitely going to bruise…”
Phineas trudged off weakly.
Meanwhile, I couldn’t shake my curiosity for the rest of the day.
Would the waves really reach the spot Sharkrof had pointed out?
It didn’t take long to find out.
That evening, the weather began to change again.
The movement of the clouds looked ominous. The heavy air before rainfall pressed against my skin.
The beach closed earlier than usual.
The boats at the pier were tied tightly together, relying on thin ropes that seemed pitifully fragile compared to the vast ocean.
The storm that began raging late at night was far worse than yesterday’s.
I’d once heard people who lived in the lowest part of town complain.
They said the waves were so high that—exaggerating a bit—the sea might soak all the way up to their rooftops.
But tonight, it didn’t sound like an exaggeration at all.
In the middle of the night, I looked out the window.
The roadside trees came alive like ghostly shadows, pounding against the glass.
The only lights visible in the pitch darkness were the distant city lights, blurred by rain so much that they looked less like illumination and more like melting jewels.
It was a strangely brilliant and dreamlike sight, ill-suited to such gloomy weather.
After tossing and turning to the sound of the wind, I finally opened my eyes at dawn.
I ran straight out to the front yard of the shop.
I wanted to see whether Sharkrof had been right.
The moment I saw the scene before me, I knew his prediction had been correct.
Water had swept through precisely the area where I had originally told him to place the table.
Sand and branches carried in by the waves were scattered everywhere.
It was a sight that made me sigh, but at least thanks to Sharkrof’s warning, we’d avoided worse trouble.
Footsteps sounded behind me. When I turned around, Phineas was there.
“He got it exactly right. He told us not to leave anything in this exact spot because the water would reach here. I guess he’s not some fraud just spouting nonsense.”
Phineas said, looking around.
“I know. I thought this whole ‘sea people’ thing sounded like a dream. But maybe Sharkrof really does have the ability to read the waves. Thanks to him, we’ve got less to clean.”
I said.
“It’s kind of ridiculous. Getting help from a monster like that. He gives us trouble and then gives us medicine. But the truly ridiculous thing is something else. Do you know what it is, Miss Marina?”
“What?”
“That it’s only been a day since a monster like that stormed into our shop—and yet here we are, cleaning and preparing for work like usual. Maybe it’s not ridiculous. Maybe it’s sad.”
“I suppose it is.”
I smiled faintly.
“Well, what can we do? At least the weather cleared up by the time we had to open. It’s hard to believe the sea was in such chaos all night. Better to finish up quickly instead of complaining, right?”
“Right.”
“Then let’s work hard again today, Miss Marina!”
Phineas called out brightly, full of his usual energy.
He was always so lively that I often drew strength from his cheerful presence.
Though he didn’t seem to like his personality all that much.
He once complained that even as an adult, he didn’t give off a reliable or serious impression at all—he just looked like a bright, boyish kid, which probably made him unpopular as a romantic partner.
But I thought that youthful innocence was part of his charm.
As we talked about the storm from last night, we began cleaning up the traces the sea had left behind.
The morning ocean radiated the dreamy, languid atmosphere unique to seaside resorts.
It was hard to believe last night’s storm had even happened.
As I gazed at the white sandy beach, I fell into reminiscence.
Come to think of it, the day I first met Sharkrof on the sand had also been marked by dreadful weather.
It must have been that very storm that washed him ashore and brought him to me.
It had been an unforgettable encounter, though with time, many details had grown hazy.
The translucent form of the baby shark cradled in my arms in the darkness. The damp texture of his fins.
But one thing remained as vivid as yesterday.
The inexplicable stirring in my heart as I wandered the dark beach in a daze.
It had been a special sensation I’d never felt before.
Like the fluttering of foam from endlessly rolling waves.
A baseless yet certain feeling that something mysterious was about to happen.
If there were such a thing as being under a spell, that must have been it.
Almost entranced, I said,
“Phineas, there’s that old story, isn’t there? That sometimes the sea calls out to people. And those who go to the shore on such days always experience something special.”
“Oh, I’ve heard that too.”
“Maybe it wasn’t just an old tale. Isn’t this like magic? A shark I once saved appearing in human form to repay his debt.”
“Magic?”
Phineas puffed out his cheeks like a disgruntled pufferfish.
“Calling it magic to meet such a violent shark monster again? That sounds more like a curse to me…”
His voice cut off awkwardly.
Curious, I turned my head.
Following his gaze, I immediately understood why.
Sharkrof was standing on the sandy beach in front of the shop.
With a calm expression, as if to say yesterday had not been a dream at all.
He had approached without a single sound. Though he’d lamented that Phineas discovered his identity on the first day, Sharkrof could certainly take pride in his ability to erase his presence.
“Sharkrof, you were absolutely right.”
I spoke first.
“The waves really didn’t reach past the spot you pointed out yesterday. Even though the storm was that fierce. How did you know? You saved us a lot of trouble.”
“It’s nothing impressive. Any sea person can do it.”
Though he answered modestly, there was an unmistakable excitement in his demeanor.
It seemed sea people weren’t so different when it came to liking praise.
“Miss Marina, you said that land-dwellers don’t consider how well someone catches fish to be a charming trait. Then I wonder—would the ability to read the movement of waves keenly be considered attractive among land-dwellers?”
He hesitated briefly, then added in an eager tone,
“For example, attractive enough to make someone want to promise eternal love?”
His question was so transparent that I couldn’t help laughing.
“No, I don’t think most land-dwellers would consider that particularly charming.”
Sharkrof looked slightly disappointed.
“But it really helped us. Thank you.”
He wasn’t a complicated person at all. With just one word of thanks, the gloom from moments ago vanished completely, replaced by obvious satisfaction.
“It may not be entirely bad that the waves have become strange. At least it earned me praise from you, Miss Marina. If you praised me, that means you don’t think of me as entirely bad. Even if not enough to want to follow me into the sea.”
“Of course.”
“Since I’ve been praised, I might as well take this opportunity to ask the favor I planned to request today.”
Sharkrof looked at me with solemn determination.
“What kind of favor?”
“Please let me work. I want to become an employee at Miss Marina’s café and help.”
He said it abruptly.
“After returning to the water yesterday, I asked other sea people for advice. I couldn’t understand why you would reject the perfect gift of life in the Sea Kingdom. They told me land-dwellers generally have no interest in the sea.”
“That’s true.”
“So they told me that if I want to win your heart, I should try a different approach. For example, helping you when you’re busy or having a hard time. When I heard that, I thought of a good idea—helping with your shop.”
“With café work?”
“I don’t really know how land-dwellers work. But I’m a shark who learns quickly. I want to help with anything I can. I’ll come every day.”
