The Little Mermaid Princess (3)
Aqua's beautiful ocean performance came to an end.
[Yup!]
Aqua flung herself toward me from the bow of the boat with a whoosh. I gently caught her as she drifted down slowly.
[Hee hee hee!]
Aqua's face was beaming with joy—she'd had the time of her life. And so had I.
The fish and flower crabs that had joined in her show were scattering off somewhere. Aqua waved to her friends.
[See you next time!]
Then she hugged me tight again.
[That was so much fun!]
"Me too."
[I never expected the fish to come over like that! And the flower crabs too...!]
Aqua chattered on excitedly about what had just happened. I'd watched every moment right beside her, but I had no intention of interrupting her happy voice.
Where else could I have an experience like this? Scuba diving with a spirit and watching the Aqua show.
[Phew! I'll never forget this for the rest of my life!]
I smiled and carefully pocketed my phone. It held precious footage that would be a lifelong memory for us.
"Shall we head back, then?"
It was about time to return, or Park Uncle would start worrying.
[Sure!]
Aqua was just about to manipulate the water when...
[...Huh?]
She turned her head toward something. I looked that way too.
A faint spirit power was emanating from somewhere.
"Looks like someone else is playing around like us."
I figured it was nothing important—until...
[——————!]
A tiny voice connected to that faint spirit power cried out. Whoosh—we locked eyes.
"A scream?"
[Someone's in danger!]
Aqua quickly waved her hands. Our bodies shot forward at a speed incomparable to the turtle ride earlier. She was moving the water around us—and us with it— wholesale.
We plunged deeper into the sea. Darkness closed in from all sides, and the smooth sandy bottom gave way to a crevasse-like canyon.
[——————!]
The scream was coming from below.
I turned on my phone's light. Without hesitation, Aqua dove under the water.
Something lay at the bottom of the shallow canyon. That's where the scream had come from.
It was small, red, and streamlined.
I landed on the bottom and scooped it up into my arms. As soon as it entered the oxygen-filled space, it spat out water and began gasping desperately for breath.
Aqua stared blankly at the red lizard in my arms.
[Isn't that a salamander?]
The one desperately calling for help from the deep sea was a fire spirit—a salamander.
* * *
We hurried straight home.
"Sorry, Uncle. We'll do the fishing next time."
"Got it. You picked up an injured spirit? Go on, then."
Back at the house in a rush, we laid out a soft pillow in the spot where the summer sun blazed hottest and placed the salamander on it.
[Shaaah...]
Under the warm sunlight, the salamander slowly uncurled its huddled body.
It was even smaller than my palm.
[A baby salamander!]
Newly born spirits were called "baby spirits."
"Don't baby spirits stay in the Spirit Realm?"
Like most creatures, spirits were fragile as babies. I'd heard it was forbidden for them to leave the Spirit Realm until they'd fully grown. They didn't even have enough spirit power to cross the gap between realms.
[You're right. I have no idea how this one ended up drifting under the sea.]
Aqua looked serious. As a supreme spirit, she couldn't bear to see baby spirits dying for no reason.
[It was sheer luck we were there. A little later, and it would've been done for.]
Aqua extended her finger toward the baby salamander. Droplets of Healing Water began to form at the tip.
The limp baby sniffed, weakly lifted its head, and started suckling on Aqua's finger with noisy slurps.
Aqua giggled, tickled.
"Ah, alright. Let's keep this nearby too."
I opened the Spirit Shop and scrolled through the list.
"Here it is."
After the purchase, a flame bloomed in midair. A fist-sized fire burned steadily without any fuel.
[Whoa!]
Aqua carefully caught the flame and placed it beside the baby salamander.
[Sissit...]
The baby instinctively curled its body around the flame, even with its eyes closed.
It'll recover in no time.
Salamanders generated energy from sunlight. With Aqua's Healing Water and a salamander flame like the will-o'-the-wisp to bask in, it'd be up and about soon.
The problem was what came after.
"Baby spirits are best off in the Spirit Realm, right?"
[Of course.]
"Can we send this one back?"
[Hmm... Probably not. It wouldn't survive.]
Crossing from the Spirit Realm to the human world meant traversing an entire realm. This little one couldn't handle two such ordeals back-to-back.
[At least until it recovers, it can stay with us... Hot!]
Aqua spoke earnestly, then suddenly jerked her head up. She cleared her throat a few times and placed a hand on her hip.
[No helping it! We'll have to keep it with us!]
She tried to sound resolute, but she couldn't hide the joy and excitement tugging at her lips.
She wants it to stay.
Aqua was thrilled at the prospect of another playmate spirit in the house.
She glanced sideways at me.
[Honestly, what else can we do? We can't just chase away such a young, fragile thing!]
I could clearly see her fidgeting, worried she might not get to play with the salamander.
I chuckled softly.
How could I say no to Aqua making that face?
"Yeah, we should."
Aqua whipped her head around so fast it nearly whistled.
[Hot! Really?!]
"Of course."
Personally, I couldn't ignore a lost, suffering spirit either. That wasn't something a spirit master would do.
And with the Spirit Stones from the Spirit Shop, spirit power won't be an issue.
With a "big sister spirit" like Aqua around, the baby could stay comfortably until it recovered.
"Aqua, you can take good care of it, right?"
[Of course!]
Aqua beamed down at the salamander, looking like she'd just gained a new little sibling.
* * *
It was the next morning.
Dududududu—
I woke to the sensation of something small and light pattering over me.
Ududadada—
Something zipped around me quickly.
"Nngh?"
As I slowly opened my eyes, they met Aqua's—she'd been scampering about energetically.
[You're awake!]
Spotting my open eyes, Aqua quickly bent down and picked something up.
[Say hello! Did you sleep well?]
Aqua's eyes sparkled as she held out both hands to me. In them dangled the baby salamander, tucked under her armpits and hanging limply.
It flicked its tongue at me.
I stared blankly at the salamander for a moment.
It's so cute.
All the salamanders I'd seen before were fully grown. Baby spirits couldn't leave the Spirit Realm, after all.
Adult salamanders really looked like lizards. Sure, plenty of people liked lizards, but I had a hard time warming up to their plump, sullen faces.
Baby salamanders are this cute, huh.
This one looked more like a newt than a lizard—small, sleek, with big eyes and chubby cheeks.
The salamander blinked its innocently clear, childlike eyes at me.
I couldn't help stretching out a finger to tickle its white belly.
[Sissit!]
Ticklish, it wriggled this way and that, then licked my finger with its short tongue. Warm, just like a salamander should be.
Distracted by the sensation, I belatedly greeted them.
"Sleep well, Aqua? Salamander?"
[Did you sleep well?]
[Siiit!]
I slowly sat up.
[Hee hee!]
Aqua clutched the salamander tight and leaped onto my lap, rubbing against me playfully like a spoiled child.
I gently stroked her side.
"Is the salamander all better now?"
[Of course! Spirits recover fast!]
Unlike humans, made of complex organic tissues, spirits were nature itself. They didn't get hurt easily, and when they did, abundant natural energy or spirit power healed them quickly.
[Hot!]
Aqua suddenly gasped as if remembering something, hugging the baby tight.
[No, not yet! It's not fully recovered!]
She looked up at me anxiously, as if worried I'd send the baby back to the Spirit Realm.
"Haha. Don't worry. I won't send it back until it's fully healed and says it wants to go itself."
[Really?]
"Yeah. What matters is what you spirits want."
[Hee hee hee!]
Aqua grinned brightly and shared her joy with the baby salamander.
[Tickle tickle tickle!]
[Sissit!]
Aqua wiggled her short fingers over its belly. The salamander twisted and laughed.
So that's its laughing face.
With its mouth corners curved way up, it looked utterly adorable.
"Here, me too!"
I poked Aqua's side.
[Eek?!]
She yelped in surprise, then curled up laughing.
[Ahahaha! That tickles!]
The salamander slipped from her grasp, climbed onto my head, and started licking my cheek—trying to tickle me back, no doubt.
"Ahahaha!"
I burst out laughing at the ticklish feeling on my chest, not my cheek.
* * *
Before I knew it, playtime with the two spirits had brought us near breakfast.
"Whoops. No morning run today."
[You walked plenty through the sea yesterday instead!]
"True, it was a workout."
I could skip exercise, but not a wash—with guests to greet at the guesthouse.
"So..."
I gave Aqua a meaningful look.
"Aqua... mind helping?"
[Of course!]
Aqua jumped up eagerly. I spread my arms, and she unleashed her spirit power on me.
Whoosh—!
A jet of her water rushed over my entire body in an instant. Quick as it was, the effect was flawlessly clean, as always.
Not a speck of dust or dead skin left behind.
My hands gleamed almost white. I nodded in satisfaction.
Washing by water spirits put awakeners' Cleansing spells to shame—simple and superior.
And best of all, it's refreshing.
The stream turned my humid, tropical-night sweat into cool freshness. Even my clothes got pristine.
No such thing as "wet from water or sweat" around a water spirit who controlled moisture.
I knew no better way to spend summer refreshingly than with a water spirit.
[Hee hee hee!]
Aqua beamed with pride at my satisfaction. As I stroked her soft cheek in thanks...
[Sissit!]
The baby salamander chirped.
Had we triggered some water trauma? I turned, startled.
[Sissit! Sissit sissit!]
[...Oh?]
But the baby wasn't scared. Its eyes sparkled at Aqua, high-pitched chirps begging for a wash too. Its tiny tail wagged like it had a motor.