The Little Merman Demands Legs from the Sea Witch - Chapter 38
Iko finished getting ready and approached Kashmir. She smiled shyly, intertwining her fingers. Kashmir watched her, suppressing the tickling sensation in his chest.
She took his hand and led him to the bed. Though she didn’t pull him strongly, Kashmir followed her as if he were entranced. When she lay down on the bed, Kashmir lay down beside her.
Even though they had done intimate things every night for the past week, holding hands and lying side by side today felt more embarrassing than anything else. Kashmir turned his head to steal a glance at Iko.
When their eyes met, Iko smiled bashfully. In that moment, Kashmir felt as if someone was pounding on his already tight and tense heart.
“Good night.”
The culprit who had thrown the punches drifted off to sleep, completely unaware, and fell asleep quickly. This time, she wasn’t pretending—she was truly asleep.
“Iko.”
Kashmir softly called her name as she slept.
Iko. Iko.
He called her a few more times, and when she didn’t respond, he gently pulled her closer with one arm, embracing her and pressing a kiss to her forehead.
As he listened to her soft breathing, Kashmir closed his eyes. But now, he could hear the thudding of his own heartbeat. The sound was so loud and insistent that it kept him awake for quite some time.
***
Early the next morning, Iko seemed to be in a good mood. Whether she was packing the cold medicine she had made to sell or putting on her magic fishbowl helmet, or even when they arrived at Kokoya Village’s beach, she was beaming.
“Did you take your medicine?”
Iko’s voice was subtly more tender. It was so subtle that only Kashmir noticed the difference, but it was there nonetheless.
‘Is she really that happy to be with me?’
Kashmir felt oddly proud, his shoulders lifting and his chest puffing out. As she approached him, Iko frowned, noticing his lack of response.
“Now that you have legs, don’t just sit there naked—hurry up and put on some clothes.”
Iko scolded him, and Kashmir grinned with a slightly smug expression. When she looked at him as if asking what was taking him so long, he finally got the hint and started putting on his pants.
“You’re in such a hurry to play with me?”
Kashmir smiled benevolently, saying that he would play with her even without the rush. Suddenly, Iko’s mood soured. In her growing affection for him, she had forgotten how needlessly confident and boastful he could be.
“Why aren’t you putting on a shirt?”
“As long as my private parts are covered, isn’t that enough?”
Kashmir sighed as if it was a hassle and asked if he also needed to cover his chest. He draped one arm over Iko’s shoulder and gave a mischievous smile. When Iko tried to push his arm away, complaining it was heavy, Kashmir instead wrapped his arm around her waist, teasing her.
“You like it when my chest is visible, don’t you?”
“…No?”
Iko hesitated for a moment before denying it, and Kashmir’s smile widened.
She should have answered right away. Watching him chuckle, Iko regretted her delayed reaction.
“I prefer it when your chest is visible. Don’t hide it so much.”
Kashmir grabbed the collar of Iko’s robe and tried to peek inside. Startled, Iko slapped his hand away. Kashmir winced, shaking his stinging hand and squinting with one eye.
“I suppose it is strange to cover everything but leave the most vital area exposed.”
It was like announcing to predators, “Here’s my heart—aim here.” At least in the village, it seemed better to keep everything thoroughly covered.
Having come to this conclusion, Kashmir helped straighten Iko’s clothes, which he had disheveled earlier.
“Shall we go, my witch? Let’s show the humans my perfect stride.”
Was he here to show off his walking, or was it just an excuse to have fun?
Iko thought this foolish prince might have forgotten his original purpose. Still, she didn’t object to him naturally taking her hand and leading her along.
With Iko guiding him, the two arrived at Kokoya Village. As soon as they stepped into the market, Kashmir marveled at the crowd of people.
“It’s like a school of sardines, packed together.”
“There must be a festival tonight. There are more people than usual.”
“Is that so? We came at a good time, then.”
He started pointing out the items displayed at the stalls—this is bacon, this is something I’ve seen before, this is something I don’t recognize. Watching him enjoy even the most trivial things like a child, Iko felt content.
Iko set up her spot and laid out the medicines she had brought to sell. She had the usual cold medicine and burn ointments, as well as a special medicine made from Kashmir’s scales.
“Do you have that medicine again? I’d like to buy it for the same price as last time.”
A well-dressed customer approached Iko and asked. He was the one who had previously paid extra for the medicine with mermaid scales.
Once he made his purchase, Iko’s medicines sold out quickly. Some even recognized her from the previous market and struck up a conversation.
“I was a bit busy last week.”
“She was busy with me.”
Kashmir snickered beside her, making unnecessary comments. Iko, keeping a forced smile, quietly poked him in the side to keep him silent.
