Yeoreum was able to find Jung Yu-na near the pond.

Jung Yu-na was staring down at a flattened sandwich with a gloomy expression, her face devoid of color as if her spirit had left her.

“Yu-na.”

Even when her name was called from right beside her, there was no response.

Had something happened, after all?

Yeoreum gently tapped on Jung Yu-na’s shoulder.

“Yu-na?”

“Ah…!”

Startled, Jung Yu-na trembled.

At the same time, focus began returning to her pupils, like someone just waking up from sleep.

“Yu-na, did you meet Gyeoul earlier?”

“Uh, yes.”

What had happened to make Gyeoul wet and Yu-na seem so spiritless?

Before Yeoreum could even ask, Jung Yu-na began to speak.

“I, I accidentally dropped a child into the water…”

“What…?”

Dropped into the water?

While Yu-na could be prickly, she wasn’t the kind to drop a child into the water.

Yeoreum’s mind was filled with questions, but she kept silent, allowing Jung Yu-na to continue at her own pace.

“We suddenly ran into each other by the pond… The child panicked seeing me and fell into the water…”

“Ah…”

An accidental encounter that led to an unexpected accident.

It was hard to blame Jung Yu-na entirely for the situation.

“I reached out my hand to help, but the child didn’t take it and climbed out on their own.”

“She must still be afraid of people.”

“Yeah. I tried to apologize right away, but when I approached, the child lay down and shivered, covering their ears as if she didn’t even want to hear my voice…”

Jung Yu-na brushed down her forearm.

Her usual confidence was missing, replaced by a pitiable look.

‘The children were especially afraid of Yu-na.’

Maybe Gyeoul was frightened by Yu-na’s sharp appearance.

Puhu.

After a long sigh, Yeoreum looked towards the tent where Gyeoul might be.

“Yu-na, why don’t you try apologizing?”

“But, won’t she just run away again…?”

“Hmm…”

It was a valid point.

Forcing an apology on a terrified child didn’t seem right.

‘What should I do?’

How could she facilitate a meeting between the two?

As Yeoreum pondered, she noticed the minnows swimming around in the pond.

“Ah. Fish.”

“Fish?”

“Yes. Gyeoul really liked fish.”

Since they had decided to introduce various fish to the pond.

Assigning this task to Yu-na could naturally lead to their meeting.

If they met through Gyeoul’s fondness for fish, it might help alleviate some of the fear.

“Are you suggesting to approach with something they like?”

“Yes.”

True to being a mage, her comprehension was quick.

Yeoreum decided to inform Jung Yu-na about the plan to introduce fish to the pond tomorrow.

—

—

I dried my wet hair in front of a campfire, while Shark Girl Sophia helped me by dabbing a towel on my head.

“Doesn’t your ear get heavy with water?”

“Yes, it’s so heavy that I can hardly lift my ears.”

The touch of human hands on my body would usually provoke hostility and fear, but the kind touch, like that of a grandmother, made those feelings disappear.

Feeling peace through human contact was a truly rare experience for me.

Perhaps it was because she wasn’t entirely human.

“Leader! What are you doing?!”

A lizard man approached me as I was drying my hair.

His loud intrusion, once disturbing, now felt familiar.

“I’m drying my hair.”

“Hair?!”

“Yes. I fell into the water earlier.”

“Oh no!”

Thump thump!

The lizard man slammed his large tail onto the grassy ground.

Deep grooves formed in the green grass, revealing the soil underneath.

“Leader! Did you get water in your ears?!”

“Yes. I did earlier, but…”

I was about to say I was fine now, but he suddenly lifted me off the ground.

“Then Argo will get it out for you!”

The lizard man turned me upside down.

Dangling helplessly by my ankles, I swayed in mid-air.

“Wait a mome—”

“Don’t worry! This is the best way to get water out of your ears!”

Shake shake shake!

He shook me vigorously up and down.

It was so rough it felt like I might vomit everything I had eaten.

“Ugh.”

In my topsy-turvy view, I saw Sophia looking resigned.

Instinctively, I reached out towards her.

“Hel, hel, help me…”

“How about it, Leader? The water’s coming out, isn’t it?!”

“Ugh…”

My brain was rattled, making it hard to think clearly.

All I could do was grasp at my sliding shirt while upside down.

Then Sophia, the Shark Girl, raised her cane.

“You brute.”

Crack!

With a light strike, the shaking stopped.

The girl had intervened on my behalf to stop the crazed lizard.

“Elder! Why hit me?”

“Should you be shaking a child like that?”

“It’s fun, isn’t it?! The village kids love it!”

“Not everyone likes rough play. Preferences vary.”

With a sigh, Sophia extended her hand towards me.

I didn’t miss the chance and quickly clung to her body.

This resulted in me being upside down in her embrace.

“Ah.”

A human’s embrace.

It had been years since I’d experienced a hug, and here I was, hanging upside down.

Frozen in the hustle of emotions, I couldn’t move, causing Sophia’s body to start wobbling.

“Ugh!”

Was I too heavy, or was Sophia’s strength lacking?

Her stumbling, struggling to keep her balance, looked precarious.

“I’ll get down now.”

“Just, just hold still for a moment…”

Her trembling arms and wavering stance made me fear we might fall.

Just as I was worried about us toppling over.

Sophia began to fall backward.

“Ah.”

It seemed inevitable.

Bracing for the impact, I was about to close my eyes when Yeoreum appeared from nowhere and supported Sophia’s body.

“What are you two doing…?”

Yeoreum turned my upside-down body upright.

The moment my feet touched the ground, a sigh of relief involuntarily escaped me.

The Shark Girl, seemingly sharing my sentiments, took a deep breath and placed her hand over her chest.

“Tha-thank you. I’m not very strong…”

“Yes. It’s fine to play, but don’t play too dangerously. Both of you are still…”

Yeoreum stopped mid-sentence and clamped her mouth shut.

This caused the Shark Girl’s brow to furrow slightly.

“Don’t treat me like a child.”

“So-sorry. You just look so young.”

“…Judging others by their appearance is a chronic problem among humans. Reflect on it.”

“Yes. I’m sorry.”

Yeoreum bowed her head and approached me, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

“Sorry, I showed an embarrassing side.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I did it again, judging someone by their appearance. I’m really sorry.”

“……?”

Isn’t judging by appearance a natural human instinct?

Confused as to why she was apologizing to me, I could only tilt my head in bewilderment.

“Sigh… When will I ever grow up?”

Yeoreum trudged over and sat by the campfire.

I cautiously chose a spot a little farther away, as my hair was still not completely dry.

“Hey, Gyeoul.”

“Yes?”

“Tomorrow morning, fish are coming in. Could you check on them for me?”

“So soon…?”

I thought it would take longer since both sea and freshwater fish were coming in, but it was happening faster than expected.

My tail flickered with excitement at the thought of the new fishing spot.

“Yes. But I have something else to do in the morning, so you’ll have to work with someone else. Is that okay?”

“Oh…”

“If you really can’t, I’ll do it when I’m free.”

“No, no, it’s fine…”

It was about my precious food supply, the pond.

It was better to start working on it as soon as possible.

“Hmm… You know the person. She’s a bit sharp-looking. The one who uses fire magic.”

Could it be the woman I met earlier?

The woman who laughed happily while I was being chased by a horned rabbit.

Her shocking statement made the blood drain from my face.

“I hope she doesn’t mock me…”

“No, she definitely won’t. She wants to apologize to you.”

“Th-that can’t be true…”

The idea of that fierce woman apologizing to me seemed impossible.

Unless the world was ending, it was an unthinkable scenario.

She was the dangerous woman who could burn a horned rabbit to the bone with her blazing fireballs.

“Maybe it’s a bit too much?”

“Uh…”

I looked Yeoreum up and down.

She was still a woman I couldn’t fully trust, but I decided to believe her at least ‘halfway’.

Relying on the fact that my food supply was at stake, I decided to take a chance on that fifty-fifty probability.

“Yes, I’ll give it a try.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

As I nodded, a flush of color returned to the girl’s face.

“I’ll tell her not to bother you, so don’t worry too much. And if you get too scared, just hit her and run away.”

“Okay…”

Hit her?

That would probably result in getting burned like the horned rabbit.

All I could do was give a non-committal shrug.

‘I guess I have to learn to interact with people if I’m going to survive in the city.’

Still, being scared was something I couldn’t help.

It seemed like today was going to be a day filled with worries.

—

—

That evening.

I wandered near the pond with a cup in hand, parched with thirst.

‘I didn’t ask where to get water.’

Where should I get it from?

Pondering over it, my eyes caught the clean water of the pond.

Thanks to the item, it was as clear and transparent as the stream water from where I lived.

‘Can I drink this…?’

I cautiously scooped up a cup of water.

With my vision now several times better than that of an ordinary person, I examined the water. Not even a speck of dust was visible.

Maybe I could boil this and drink it?

It seemed like I needed to ask the girl.

I quickly ran towards the tent, cup in hand, overwhelmed by the stares of the people around me.

—

5/5 Enjoy the chappy!

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