Finding Nemo
"Ugh…."
I was screwed.
At this rate, am I actually going to lose all dignity…?!
"No, seriously, how am I supposed to sit down…?!"
Every time I tried to settle onto the toilet, that damn shark tail jammed itself against the backrest like a stubborn doorstop.
If I shoved it to the side, it swung right back to center. If I twisted my body, the tail twisted right along with me.
"Why are you so opinionated—?!"
It was attached to my own body, and yet it showed zero interest in cooperating.
After several rounds of trial and error, I finally managed to perch on the edge of the seat with the tail pinned against my side.
The posture was extremely uncomfortable, and my pride took a minor hit—but—
Psssshhh……
"I'm alive…."
Anyway, the immediate crisis was handled. Humans really were creatures of adaptation….
I roughly fixed my clothes and stepped up to the mirror, wanting a proper look at the face that had changed.
"Oh."
Cute.
Black hair, clear crimson eyes. Skin that looked a touch pale, and pointed teeth that peeked out whenever I opened my mouth. Behind me, a massive shark tail stuck out at an angle.
Taken as a whole, I looked like someone had turned a shark into a person.
Well, my class was Baby Shark.
So maybe this form made sense.
I briefly considered grabbing my phone and posting a mirror selfie right then and there.
But there was no way the Gallery folks would take it at face value. They'd either call it AI-generated bait or reverse-engineer my home address from the bathroom layout in the corner of the photo.
"Hmm."
That was when my eyes landed on the fishing rod I'd hastily tossed into the corner earlier.
Can reel something up from any body of water, huh.
In that case—
I glanced sideways.
At the toilet.
"…Absolutely not."
Even I had standards, no matter how unhinged I got.
That was just gross. Even when I played Project Zomboid, no matter how desperate I was for water, I never touched toilet water.
My gaze drifted naturally toward the bathtub.
It's been a while since I had to fill a tub.
I set my hand on the faucet.
But my fingers wouldn't put any strength into it.
The harder I tried to turn the knob, the more I saw that younger version of myself—clinging to a doorknob, trembling. My tail coiled anxiously around my calf. A chill ran needlessly down the back of my neck.
I hesitated for a moment, then twisted the faucet open.
Shhhhhhh—
"…I'll just fish and drain it."
I deliberately ignored the sound of water filling the tub.
About ten minutes later, the tub held a decent amount of water.
I crouched in front of it with the fishing rod in hand.
But for real—with this janky stick?
The description had clearly stated it could reel something up from any body of water.
Then again, waking up as a woman out of nowhere after an Awakening hadn't made any sense either.
My class was Lord of the Deep Sea, subclass Baby Shark. Compared to that, fishing in a bathtub was practically mundane.
Plop—
The bobber settled lightly on the surface of the bathwater.
Alright. Now came the waiting. I'd fished a fair amount as a kid.
Before the tower appeared on Jeju Island, every time I went out on the coastal waters with my father, I'd been right there beside him gripping a rod.
If any of that instinct is still left…
I might catch something. Of course, whether anything catchable even existed in this bathtub was another question entirely.
Maybe my brain had been pickled by too many Shorts. Barely three minutes in, I was already restless.
"…Ugh, this is boring."
I propped the rod against the edge of the tub and went to grab my phone.
Might as well throw a few more questions at the Gallery while I waited.
The Gallery peep who just said they Awakened as Baby Shark.
Whoever posts a question I like gets a Magic Tangerine!
I was snickering my way through a mix of worthless questions and sexual harassment when a couple of more interesting replies showed up.
"Oh."
That was a genuinely useful question. This one deserved a Magic Tangerine gift card.
Ordinarily, dunking your face into water you'd already cast a line into was the equivalent of advertising to the fish that they should run.
But this wasn't the ocean. It was a bathtub.
I hesitated briefly, then submerged my face.
"Blub—!"
Blub blub blub……
A stream of bubbles rose from the corners of my mouth.
Huh?
It was strange. Far from feeling stifled, my head actually felt clearer.
I carefully opened the eyes I'd been holding shut—just a squint at first.
And then—
Wait?
Even with water in them, they didn't sting at all.
My vision didn't blur either. I could make out every little stain left on the bottom of the tub.
I opened my eyes fully.
"Wha…… I can acshully breathe……?"
The words came out mangled, mixed with bubbles.
Blub blub…
Guess talking properly is a no-go.
A moment later, I lifted my head clean out of the water.
"Pwah!"
Droplets pattered down from my soaked hair.
"Oh…?"
My head was clear. The hangover that had been lingering just moments ago had vanished like a lie.
Did going in the water cure my hangover?
Thinking about it carefully, my whole body had relaxed the instant my face hit the water. That fact was a little scary.
Don't tell me I was just dehydrated?
Was I really turning into a full-on sharky shark woman….
That was when it happened.
Tug.
The bobber floating on the tub dipped slightly underwater, then bobbed back up.
Then once more.
Tug, tug.
"Holy—"
I lunged for the fishing rod.
"Did I actually catch something?"
Right then, the clear, transparent bathwater began to slowly stain a deep blue-black—as if the coastal waters of Jeju Island had been transplanted whole into my bathroom.
Even under the bathroom lights, nothing below the surface was visible. The tub that had looked so shallow just moments ago transformed in an instant into a bottomless deep sea.
I gripped the rod tight.
…Not yet.
The moment the bobber thrashed completely and I felt the solid sensation of something taking the bait for real—that was when I'd haul—!!
Twang—!
"Ha! Now—!!"
I seized the rod with both hands and wrenched it up to shoulder height with everything I had.
Pop—!
"Huh?"
There was nothing visible at the end of the line.
"…Did I lose it?"
Flap, flap—! Thwap! Thwap!
I turned my head. On the floor, a tiny orange fish was thrashing desperately for its life.
A small orange body with vivid white stripes.
Isn't that a tropical fish?
Ohhh. Wait. That's the one.
"Your aunt?"
Ah.
"Nemo, of course."
Flap! Flap!
"Whoa, whoa, hang on—you can't die!"
I carefully scooped up the Nemo flopping on the floor. But once I had it, I had no idea where to put it.
"Uh, um…."
In a hurry, I grabbed a cup, scooped up some of the bathwater that had just been deep-sea blue, and gently lowered Nemo into it.
Plop.
The little Nemo drifted weakly inside the cup.
"Whew. One problem solved… is what I'd like to say."
I looked down at Nemo swimming in the cup.
"What am I supposed to do with this now?"
I genuinely hadn't expected to catch anything from a bathtub. And a tropical fish worth selling as an ornamental pet, no less.
Hmm. If the idea was to exploit this ability like a dupe bug for rare fish species and make it big—
FWOOSH—!!
"Aaaagh!"
Thud!
A sudden blast of white smoke erupted from the cup, and I toppled straight over backward in shock.
"Nnngh… my butt."
"…!"
A frantic voice came from beyond the white smoke.
"I-I am so sorry, Your Majesty!"
"…Y-Your Majesty?"
Rubbing my small, precious, and currently aching rear, I peered through the smoke.
"Who are you…?"
The smoke began to slowly clear.
Beyond it, a woman with orange hair came into view.
Ornate decorations resembling coral, and clothing that fluttered like fish fins.
"I-I have committed a grave discourtesy…! I am not yet proficient at polymorphing, and failed to warn you of the precursor symptoms…!"
The woman bowed at the waist again and again. She had an extraordinarily good heart….
Thanks to that, the irritation that had been rising just moments ago quietly subsided.
"No, it's fine."
"As expected of Your Majesty!"
She bowed her head deeply, her face full of emotion.
"I am truly sorry! From this day forward, I shall bury my gills in Your Majesty's service for life!"
"…Don't you mean bones?"
"Yes!"
I'd suddenly acquired a loyal retainer.
No.
That wasn't the important part right now.
"Who are you?"
"I am—"
Nemo immediately corrected her posture. Then, with the fervor of someone ready to offer up her heart on the spot, she dropped to one knee and bowed her head with crisp formality.
"Your Majesty's First Vassal."
A solemn voice rang through the bathroom.
"She who governs the coral of the sea—"
"Governs?"
"Nimorsia Lei."
"…Nemo."
I thought it over for a moment.
1. Press Nemo for more answers.
Boring and pedantic. A flood of words I won't understand might come pouring out.
2. Acknowledge Nemo as the First Vassal.
She seems pretty devoted. I can hear the explanations later.
…Let's go with the second one for now!
"Alright. Nemo, from today on, you're my First Vassal."
"Indeed!"
Somehow, I'd reeled in my first vassal from a bathtub.
…The corner of my mouth twitched without my permission.
"Eheheh."
"…Your Majesty?"