The Little Merman Demands Legs from the Sea Witch - Chapter 17
Iko brushed off her clothes as she stood on the sand, causing small pieces of wood to fall off.
“What’s a crutch?” Kashmir asked.
“It’s something that helps people who can’t walk well to support themselves.”
Iko explained, adding in a tired tone that it’s a device similar to a cane, used under the arms. Kashmir was surprised to learn that the witch had been making something for him.
For the first time, he felt that this witch, whom he had only found annoying, was actually a bit considerate, though her attitude was a little rough.
“Of course, I’m not giving it to you for free,” Iko added.
“Witches really are a greedy lot, demanding payment even between friends,” Kashmir remarked.
“In the witch’s dictionary, there’s no such thing as a free service, no matter the relationship,” Iko retorted.
“Cold-hearted,” Kashmir muttered, though a smile crept onto his face.
Even though she acted cold, the fact that she didn’t deny their friendship pleased him.
“In that case, as a reward for my surprisingly considerate yet annoying friend, I’ll give you a very valuable experience,” Kashmir said, feeling in a better mood.
He cleared his throat dramatically.
“Consider yourself lucky. Not just anyone gets to hear my singing.”
When he offered to sing, Iko pretended not to be interested, but she sat down next to him anyway.
She remembered reading in a book that the merfolk’s voices were so beautiful, they could make a blind person see. Her heart raced as she eagerly awaited his song.
“Ahhh, the beautiful and vast sea that the merman roams…”
…Kashmir’s singing was anything but beautiful.
He was completely tone-deaf.
Iko quickly realized that not everything written in books could be taken at face value.
“Stop! Please, stop!” Iko shouted, covering her ears.
Kashmir, finding her reaction amusing, began to mix laughter into his singing. He continued to sing until the end, then clapped for himself.
“For some reason, whenever I sing, people rush to leave. What did you think? Was it too beautiful to stay and listen to?” Kashmir asked, clearly aware of why people always fled.
“It felt like my ears were going to rot. You should consider yourself lucky they didn’t throw things at you when they left,” Iko harshly criticized.
Kashmir rolled on the sand, laughing.
As she watched him, Iko felt a surge of irritation, realizing she had been making crutches for this man just moments ago.
“I feel like breaking the crutches I was making,” she said, meaning every word.
Kashmir chuckled.
“You won’t do that, though. You’ve already spent time on it, so you won’t waste it by breaking them, nor will you throw them away.”
His smug confidence annoyed Iko, but she couldn’t argue with him. He was right.
“Hit the nail on the head, huh?”
Even though he was correct, Iko didn’t want to admit it out loud, knowing that it would only make him more insufferable.
“It’s not because you’re right. I’m keeping them because they’re necessary,” she said.
“Sure,” Kashmir replied, clearly unconvinced, his tone smug.
“You keep leaning on my shoulders so much that I feel like I’m getting shorter,” Iko muttered to herself. She spoke loudly enough for Kashmir to hear.
Normally, being called ignorant would have sparked his temper, but perhaps because Iko was always so blunt, it didn’t bother him this time.
Instead of getting offended, he found her slightly pouting lips amusing. He knew that if he teased her further, she would start to pout even more.
“Aww, you’re worried that you’re getting even shorter?”
Kashmir asked in a mock-concerned tone.
Iko shot him a glare. If he had laughed, she would have been annoyed. But hearing concern in his voice didn’t make her feel any better.
“Could you shrink so much that you’ll fit in the palm of my hand? Or maybe even my thumb?” he teased, pretending to worry.
That would be the worst.
“That would be a real concern. Especially since you’re already so small, my dear witch friend,” Kashmir added.
“For the record, I’m not small by human standards,” Iko replied.
Kashmir scoffed at her claim. He could easily grab her limbs with one hand, and when they stood side by side, her head barely reached his chest.
“Maybe it’s just that you’re too big,” Iko said firmly, dismissing his doubt.
She was taller than Dalibaya, though that might have been because Dalibaya was older and stooped over. Iko was also roughly the same height as the human women she’d seen in the village, so she was certainly not short.
“Sometimes you seem more like a whale than a merman,” Iko commented.
“Well, that’s to be expected. I’m an orca merman. But even so, I’m smaller than my father. He’s a sperm whale merman.”
