Chapter 19
Arthur said,
“I’ve gotten so used to the scenery around here now. I think I’ve forgotten a lot of what I felt when I first came. Still, sometimes I wish I could look at the sea of Fishbone Town with the same awe as travelers who’ve never seen it before. Miss Marina, have you ever thought about something like that?”
“Of course I have. It’s like you read my mind.”
Smiling, I continued,
“I was just thinking something similar a moment ago. The light of the lantern jellyfish is probably the only sight here that I still don’t take for granted like part of everyday life. I saw it once a long time ago, but even if I saw it again, it feels like the sense of wonder would never fade.”
“Then may I take that as meaning you’ll go with me?”
Arthur asked.
At that moment, I suddenly felt an inexplicable shyness.
Fidgeting with my fingers, I asked awkwardly,
“But Arthur… if the two of us go to a party like that alone, won’t people misunderstand?”
“There will be so many people there that the two of us won’t even stand out. And besides…”
Arthur stepped a little closer as he spoke.
“And what if they do misunderstand?”
Arthur’s voice, almost like a whisper in my ear, gave me a strangely unsettling feeling.
It made me think that Sharkroaf’s misunderstanding wasn’t simply the mistake of a shark’s overly sensitive senses.
Anyone could misunderstand.
We were standing this close to each other, after all.
To anyone watching, we would probably look just like a sweet couple flirting together.
I felt a little flustered. I realized I wasn’t ready to handle this kind of atmosphere yet.
And there was one more person who clearly wasn’t ready to handle it either.
Sharkroaf.
Before I knew it, Sharkroaf was standing in front of us. It seemed he had already finished all his fried fish.
Sharkroaf stared at us with a face as pale as coconut flesh.
His sea-colored eyes were filled with obvious shock.
“Where are you two going alone?”
Sharkroaf shouted at Arthur.
Before Arthur could answer, Sharkroaf jumped in first.
“I’m going too, whatever jellyfish watching thing that is. Do you think I’d leave Miss Marina alone with some land jellyfish of a human?”
“Are you perhaps referring to me as that ‘land jellyfish’?”
Arthur asked, laughing.
But Sharkroaf didn’t look like he was in the mood to laugh. He continued glaring at Arthur with a sulky expression.
“If Mr. Sharkroaf would like to come too, of course you can join us. But there is one small issue that worries me.”
Arthur said.
“An issue?”
“Didn’t you say you dislike ships? That festival is held on a ship decorated like a banquet hall. Even the nearby night market is the same. Ships are lined up along the dock, forming something like a marketplace floating on the water. You’d be surrounded by all kinds of ships all night long. Would that really be okay?”
“That’s nothing I can’t endure. I’m a patient shark.”
Sharkroaf insisted stubbornly.
Now it seemed to be Arthur’s turn to feel troubled.
Even his trainer-like skill at handling situations had reached its limit.
Arthur ran a hand through his shining blond hair awkwardly.
Was a rival’s predicament really something enjoyable to watch?
Sharkroaf clearly looked pleased by the sight of Arthur struggling.
“Even if you refuse, it won’t mean much. I’ll follow you anyway.”
Sharkroaf added proudly, as if hammering in the final nail.
“I figured you might say something like that. Well, it can’t be helped. Mr. Sharkroaf, you can come along too.”
Arthur said, sounding as though he had reluctantly given in.
This time, Arthur had conceded a step.
“It’s not so easy to be alone together, is it?”
Arthur said to me with a troubled smile.
Sharkroaf continued circling around Arthur until he finally left.
He said it was because if the two of us were left alone again, who knew what tricks Arthur might try.
The way he moved was eerily similar to how a shark circles through the water with its fin above the surface after spotting prey.
It was one of Sharkroaf’s habits that appeared frequently—whether he was in a good mood or a bad one.
After Arthur left, my feelings became a little complicated.
I couldn’t tell whether I should be happy or unhappy about Sharkroaf inserting himself into the situation.
Even if I should be happy, I didn’t know exactly which part of this situation I was supposed to like.
Should I like Sharkroaf’s stubbornness for saving me from that awkward moment alone with Arthur?
Or should I like the strange flutter Arthur left behind?
While I was busy thinking about things like that, Sharkroaf seemed completely free of such worries.
He was simply delighted by the fact that he would be going to the festival with me.
“Sharkroaf, are you really that happy?”
I asked, looking at him.
“Of course I am. I’m really happy. Today is a very lucky day.”
“You always say you hate everything that happens on land. Even if it’s about watching sea creatures, I didn’t expect you’d look forward to a festival organized by people on land.”
I said teasingly.
Even as I spoke, I thought it was something Sharkroaf would never admit.
“Looking forward to it? Not at all. A festival like that doesn’t excite me. In the Sea Kingdom you can see the light of lantern jellyfish all year round.”
Just as expected, Sharkroaf denied it. Then he continued,
“What I’m looking forward to is something else. It’s simply the time spent with Miss Marina. I don’t like that Arthur Skipper is tagging along, but compared to being with you, Miss Marina, that’s a price worth paying.”
Sharkroaf spoke with pure joy.
Arthur and Sharkroaf really were complete opposites.
Sharkroaf was the kind of person whose thoughts were as clear and transparent as water.
It was impossible to imagine him wearing a mysterious smile and speaking in vague, cryptic ways like Arthur.
Time passed quickly.
As the day of the festival approached, something naturally began to worry me.
The strange waves that had recently appeared—something even sea people found unfamiliar—still hadn’t stopped.
The weather had been just as unpredictable.
I turned on the radio. It was time for the weather forecast.
As expected, my ominous feeling turned out to be right.
The radio announced that it would be cloudy with rain on the day of the festival as well.
It seemed like bad luck.
I worried the event might be canceled because of the weather.
Lately the weather forecasts in Fishbone Town hadn’t been very accurate…
But this particular forecast seemed determined not to be wrong.
Before I knew it, the festival was only a day away.
I wasn’t the only one curious about tomorrow’s weather.
Sharkroaf kept glancing out the window as well, probably looking toward the sea.
Could someone tell signs of an approaching storm just by looking at the ocean?
Sadly, just as predicted, rain began to fall that afternoon.
And it was much heavier than expected.
It was a torrential tropical downpour, pouring so fiercely that it didn’t seem like it would stop anytime soon.
“I’m worried the festival might be canceled at this rate. I hope it clears up tomorrow.”
I said.
“Yeah… but it doesn’t seem likely. The flow of the air just feels that way.”
Sharkroaf replied.
“If the festival gets canceled like this, I’m not sure whether I should feel happy or sad. If I think about Arthur Skipper’s plan to flirt around with Miss Marina being ruined by the weather, I feel like I should be happy. But at the same time, it means my chance to spend time with you, Miss Marina, disappears too… so maybe I should feel sad.”
“Sharkroaf, you shouldn’t take joy in someone else’s misfortune.”
I laughed lightly at his words.
“No matter what anyone says, a rival’s misfortune is still good news. Anyway, we’ll know how we really feel when the day comes. By the way, it’s unusual that no customers are coming today.”
“Well, look at the weather.”
I said.
Outside the window, rain and wind were raging like water being dumped from buckets.
Hardly anyone could be seen walking around.
On a day like this, it seemed unlikely anyone would brave the storm just to come drink coffee.
“It’s raining so much. If the weather keeps up like this, I’m worried about how we’ll get home. We won’t end up stuck here, will we?”
I said.
“To be honest, I’m worried about not being able to get home too.”
Sharkroaf replied, which surprised me a little.
“You too? I thought since the sea is basically your home, it wouldn’t be difficult for you to return no matter how high the water rises.”
“That’s not exactly true. Even I worry about getting home on a day like this. Quite seriously, actually. The waves are too rough. Swimming through currents like this would be almost impossible.”
Sharkroaf shook his head with a slightly troubled expression.
“We might have to stay here until the water calms down.”
“Really? I guess swimming through waves like that isn’t easy even for a shark…”
Only then did I understand why Sharkroaf looked so worried.
“That’s understandable. Then you should stay here until the waves settle down.”
“Yes. I won’t be a burden for long. I’m a strong adult shark, after all. I won’t get swept away as easily as when I was little.”
Sharkroaf said in a voice that clearly sounded like he was trying to act tough.
And because of that, Sharkroaf ended up staying in the shop with me.
And then the thing I had been worried about finally happened.
