Chapter 13
At that moment, the person who had gifted the bouquet walked into the shop through the back door.
And immediately locked eyes with Sharkrof.
The moment they did, both of them looked startled.
Sharkrof shouted.
“It’s that person! The one I saw at the flower shop!”
“Really? What a strange coincidence. I was just about to introduce you, but you two already met. Sharkrof, this is my friend Arthur.”
I said.
“Marina, don’t tell me that person is the new employee?”
Arthur asked in a flustered voice.
“What? Arthur, you saw Sharkrof too?”
“Well… I’m not sure if ‘saw’ is the right word…”
“That person couldn’t have seen me. Stealth is my specialty. At the flower shop that land human showed no sign of noticing my presence.”
Sharkrof cut in.
“No, I didn’t see him at the flower shop…”
Arthur trailed off awkwardly.
“I don’t understand what’s going on. Let’s talk one at a time.”
I seated the two of them at a table.
They both sat down without protest, but the atmosphere was extremely awkward.
Arthur seemed to feel it too.
On top of that, Sharkrof was staring at Arthur with suspicious eyes as if he were wary of him.
Sharkrof slowly examined Arthur’s brand-new navy uniform, his shiny blond hair, and his somewhat innocent-looking face with the gaze of someone watching a suspicious intruder.
Arthur was a man known for his neatly styled shining blond hair and kind-looking eyes.
He was a naval officer stationed at the base next to Fishbone Town, but his gentle smile and extremely youthful face—young enough to resemble a freshman at the naval academy—did not quite suit the stern uniform he wore.
His always gentle tone was nothing like the stereotypical rugged sea men from movies.
But in truth, he was certainly not as soft as he looked.
You could tell by the way he could maintain his composure even in awkward situations.
For example, when facing a mysterious being called a shark-man who was baring razor-sharp teeth and showing open hostility… and still calmly continuing the conversation with a smile.
Arthur, seemingly trying to lighten the mood, spoke cheerfully.
“Hello, Mr. Sharkrof. Marina mentioned that she hired a new employee, but this is my first time meeting you. My name is Arthur Skipper. I’m Marina’s friend. I come to the café often, so we’ll probably see each other quite a bit.”
But Sharkrof didn’t withdraw his displeased gaze.
At first I thought it was simply the natural wariness of a predator toward a stranger.
“You being Marina’s friend? That can’t be true.”
Sharkrof said in a dissatisfied tone.
“What do you mean it can’t be true?”
I asked.
“I clearly heard what you said to the flower shop owner. If what I overheard is correct, that human said he was buying flowers as a gift for a woman he likes. And now the flowers that human bought are here in Marina’s shop. There’s only one possible explanation.”
“Sharkrof, wait…”
“Could it be that the woman you like was actually Marina?”
Only then did I understand the reason for Sharkrof’s suspicion.
He had completely misunderstood the relationship between Arthur and me.
“I didn’t realize someone was eavesdropping.”
Arthur said with an awkward smile.
“Tell me. Was the woman you like actually Marina?”
Sharkrof asked.
“Well… the flowers I bought were indeed meant for Marina. So… I suppose that would make the answer yes?”
Arthur replied hesitantly.
That answer seemed to be the final blow for Sharkrof.
He looked at me with wounded eyes.
“I see… I understand now. Arthur bought those flowers because he likes you, Marina. And you happily accepted them…”
Sharkrof said.
“Sharkrof, I think you’re misunderstanding something.”
“Come to think of it, Marina, you said something like that last time. You said the reason you wouldn’t follow me to the sea was because you liked the people here.”
Sharkrof said, his eyes full of sadness.
“That’s not what I meant by that.”
“So I was mistaken to believe I could win your heart by myself. Your heart had already gone to someone else. I’m sad. I’m in despair. I feel like I’m about to turn into sea foam.”
“That’s not it at all.”
I said, but Sharkrof’s dejected expression hardly changed.
He turned resentful eyes toward Arthur.
“And something else has been bothering me. How exactly did you say you saw me? I observed people very carefully. Most prey— I mean people—never even noticed me even when I got right behind them.”
Sharkrof hurriedly corrected himself before continuing.
“Anyway. Ordinary dull humans have no chance of noticing my presence without a sound. If you had seen me at the flower shop, I would have noticed immediately.”
“But I really did see you. Not at the flower shop—earlier today behind the rocks by the shore.”
“At the sea?”
Sharkrof visibly panicked at those words.
“To be honest, it’s a bit strange to say I saw you normally. It was such an unbelievable sight that I’m not sure you’ll believe me…”
Arthur said with an awkward smile.
At the words unbelievable sight, Sharkrof seemed to realize something.
His pearl-colored cheeks—usually pale already—turned even whiter.
Arthur continued.
“I was walking along the high path overlooking the sea when I saw something like a shark’s fin. I wondered if it was really a shark, so I kept watching.
Then the shadow in the water seemed to change—from that of a fish to that of a human.
And then Mr. Sharkrof came walking out of the water holding a bundle of seaweed.
It looked exactly like a shark transforming into a human.
I never expected to meet you again at Marina’s café. Though I guess it sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it? A shark turning into a human… something like that couldn’t possibly—”
Arthur stopped awkwardly after seeing Sharkrof’s expression.
Sharkrof had that uniquely sad, dazed look he always wore when he was depressed.
It was the kind of pitiful gaze that would make anyone feel awkward.
Sharkrof spoke in a trembling voice.
“I’m truly in despair. I was so excited about making a bouquet of sea flowers that I went into the water. I thought no one would see me. My pride in my stealth has been shattered again. It hasn’t even been that long since Phineas discovered me, and now another land human has seen me too. And on top of that, that same human has taken Marina’s love.”
“That second part is a misunderstanding.”
“I’m going to bury my head in the sandbank and die. I’ll dry my gills in the sun and die.”
“Sharkrof! There’s no need to run to the beach again!”
But just like on the first day, Sharkrof sprang up from his seat and ran out with astonishing speed.
Since I had experienced this before, I already knew exactly where he was going.
Sure enough, it was easy to find Sharkrof lying stiffly on the beach waiting for his gills to dry out.
Someone passing by joked casually.
“I think I saw that guy here before. He’s lying here again. Must really like sunbathing.”
So people on the beach already recognized him.
It seemed the reason Sharkrof’s identity had never been exposed wasn’t because he was especially careful.
The only shield protecting his secret was the fact that people simply didn’t know the ocean kingdom existed and couldn’t even imagine such a concept.
Who in the world would look at Sharkrof lying on the sand and imagine he was a sea person waiting for his gills to dry out?
I dragged Sharkrof back to the shop.
Now he sat gloomily leaning against the white café table.
When Arthur asked what exactly he had seen, Sharkrof seemed to give up and calmly told him everything.
Starting with his true identity as a sea person.
And even the existence of the ocean kingdom.
As Arthur listened, his eyes gradually widened in disbelief.
“A sea person? Honestly, it sounds like something straight out of a fairy tale. But after seeing you transform from a shark into a human with my own eyes… it’s hard not to believe it.”
Arthur said with bright excitement.
His cheerful energy was completely opposite to Sharkrof’s gloomy mood.
“If you tell anyone about the sea people, I won’t let you live. I’ll chase you to the ends of the world and hunt you.”
Sharkrof threatened in a voice so gloomy it almost ruined the intimidation.
“Don’t worry about that. I’m quite good at keeping secrets. And besides, why would I share such an attractive story with others? Interesting information is something you keep to yourself.”
Arthur spoke with an oddly amused tone, which only irritated Sharkrof further.
Sharkrof openly growled and showed clear hostility, but Arthur displayed an astonishing level of friendliness even toward this sulking shark-man.
That was probably because of Arthur’s personal interests.
A kind of curiosity born from a profession that inevitably kept him close to the sea.
