The Little Merman Demands Legs from the Sea Witch - Chapter 30
“…….”
Iko silently glared at Kashmir as he approached with the empty soup bowl. His expression was far from pleasant, clearly upset by her sudden criticism.
“You say merfolk are supremacists, but you—”
Kashmir started to retort, but when he saw her face, he stopped.
Tears weren’t falling from her eyes, but it looked like they could any moment. The words he was about to say—words accusing her of being just as self-righteous as the merfolk she criticized—stuck in his throat.
“What I meant was, there’s a lot more going on in my head than you think, a lot more variety.”
He now spoke in a much softer tone, offering his hand to her.
“If you apologize, I’ll forgive you.”
Kashmir added with a playful smile, trying to lighten the mood.
But the lock on Iko’s heart was too firmly in place to be undone by a simple smile. The thought that she might not see that smile anymore made her choke up.
“Out of all those thoughts, I doubt any of them are of any help to me.”
Iko snapped at him, snatching the empty bowl from his hand instead of taking his offered hand, and she quickly retreated into the house.
Once inside, she began organizing her herbs, a task she hadn’t planned for the day. She felt that if she didn’t keep busy, she wouldn’t be able to bear the emotions swelling inside her.
After a while, the heat in her head cooled down, and Iko started to regret her actions. She glanced out the window, hoping to catch a glimpse of Kashmir. But he was nowhere to be seen on the beach.
Maybe he’s lying in the hammock attached to the palm trees? Iko opened the window and leaned out to check. Just then, a voice came from below.
“This time, I’m not letting it slide.”
Kashmir was sitting under the window, reading the human anatomy book Iko had lent him. He spoke coldly, not even bothering to look up at her.
“If you want to make up, you’d better show some sincerity.”
“…What kind of sincerity?” Iko asked.
“Think about it. Even thinking about it is a form of sincerity.”
After a moment of hesitation, Iko closed the window and retreated inside.
Sincerity. When it came to gifts, the best thing to offer was something the other person needed. What did Kashmir need the most?
Rum? Fire?
After pondering for a while, Iko decided that she should make him a new potion, without asking for a single scale in return.
But when she returned with the potion, Kashmir was no longer sitting under the window. He wasn’t on the beach or lying in the hammock either.
“Kashmir!”
She called out, but there was no response. Still, she felt like she was being watched. When she looked closely at the water’s surface, bubbles began to rise conspicuously. He wasn’t far away.
“I’ve prepared the sincerity, so come out,” Iko said.
But instead of showing himself, the bubbles just rose more vigorously. Frustrated, Iko lit a bonfire on the beach and sat down beside it.
Who knows how long she waited? In the strange standoff, Iko eventually lay down next to the bonfire. She hadn’t been sleeping well the past few days because she’d been so preoccupied with thoughts of Kashmir, and now, sleep was creeping up on her.
“You have no patience for anything else, so why are you being so patient now?” she muttered, glaring at the water.
She loved him, but at this moment, she was angry. Finally, she drifted off to sleep, too exhausted to stay awake.
Who knows how long she slept? Iko felt a few drops of water on her legs in her sleep. She almost dismissed it as a figment of her imagination when a few more drops fell.
Then she heard the sound of someone sitting on her bed.
“Iko.”
Kashmir’s voice snapped Iko out of her sleep. She opened her eyes to find herself indoors, not on the beach. She looked around in confusion, trying to figure out why she had suddenly been brought inside.
“You said I could come in whenever I wanted,” Kashmir said, as if reading her thoughts, his tone almost defensive.
Iko couldn’t remember ever saying such a thing, adding to her confusion. Just as she was about to ask, Kashmir gently kissed her on the lips.
“Thanks for lending me the book.”
Was he referring to the time she told him it was okay to come in when she lent him the book? But she hadn’t meant he could come in anytime.
“Is that what you came to say?” she asked.
“That’s part of it, but I have something to ask.”
“Couldn’t it wait until morning…? Why at this hour…”
Iko’s face hardened as she realized there was only one reason he would come at such a late hour just to say thank you.
“Are you leaving now?” she asked, her voice trembling as she sat up.
The words “don’t go” were on the tip of her tongue, stuck in her throat and unable to come out. Instead of using words, she grabbed his arm as if to stop him.
