Unknown

Umi Ikimo was a young adult. Passionate about swimming, photography, and the supernatural, she was trying to find a way to prove that mystical creatures did, in fact, exist. But on all her personal journeys to the bottom of the sea, or into the interior of caves and dense forests, she found nothing but a few wild animals.

Her friend, Karashi, was a fisherman. Tall, muscular, and friendly, he always helped his friends. He knew someone from an island called Micronesia. Ikimo loved islands because she could swim anywhere and find all sorts of exotic ecosystems. Karashi proposed a trip to that island. However, he warned: there were rumors about a sea creature that killed natives from time to time, even tourists.

Ikimo liked the idea, mainly because it seemed dangerous. "It's just a rumor," Karashi said. "Even if there's something dangerous in the water, we're going to stay at my friend's house. Don't stray from me, okay?" She agreed externally, although she had other intentions.

Karashi had rented a boat for himself and his three friends, including Ikimo. He allowed her to invite more people. After all, for him, a friend of a friend was a friend.

One of them was a young man with beige hair and glasses. Quiet and calm, he seemed responsible. He met Ikimo at school. She never stopped contacting him, even though his replies were dry and direct.

The other was a shy girl with glasses and bangs that covered her eyes. Ikimo met her on one of his trips and invited her to see the world, since the girl lived on an isolated island and had never seen the outside. She agreed to follow Ikimo on her journey.

"Ah, there it is!" exclaimed Karashi, pointing to Micronesia. It was a secluded country, and getting there was difficult for anyone. They docked the boat. Karashi's friend was waiting for them on the beach. He had black hair, wore glasses, and a black suit. He smiled at them.

"Long time no see, Karashi."

"How has life been for you, Kuzuki?" He shook his friend's hand and hugged him.

"Great. I've found myself on this island."

"Thank you for having us, really."

"No problem. It's a pleasure to welcome new guests. Come, we'll take your luggage to the hotel."

He guided them to the central hotel, the only one on the island, since there weren't many tourists.

"I'm sure Karashi already told you," he warned, "but I advise you to stay away from the water. There's a rumor going around that a sea creature abducts bathers from the beach and they're never seen again."

"Yes, I'll take that into consideration," Ikimo replied. "As Karashi said before, thank you for having us."

"Don't worry about it, I'm just helping a friend. Now, if you wish, you can explore the island. Oh, and before I forget, I advise you to avoid the locals as well. They don't like strangers."

They changed clothes and went to the beach. Suzuki, the shy girl, wore a bikini, showing off her curves; Kashimo, the quiet guy, wore casual clothes and sat on the sand, watching them from a distance.

"Um... K-Kashimo, right?" she murmured, avoiding eye contact. "Don't you want to swim in the water?"

"I dislike oceans and beaches," he replied expressionlessly. "There are too many undesirable and dangerous creatures there."

"I-Is that so? I'm sorry, then..." Why is he here, then...? I shouldn't ask, it would be very disrespectful...

"I'm not angry or anything, if that's how it seems. I came here because Ikimo invited me and I needed to get out of my room for a while."

Does he like her...? she thought, tilting her head.

"Are you afraid of the sea creature, Kashimo?" asked Karashi, sitting on a bench while fishing with a rod. "Don't worry, it's called a rumor for a reason."

"I know it's not real," he replied. "But that doesn't make marine life any less dangerous."

"Nah, you get used to it after always living near water." He caught a fish. "Don't worry about it too much, I'm here to save you if anything happens."

"What about her...?" He stared intently at Ikimo, who had just poked her head out of the water. Dressed in a swimsuit, she wasted no time trying to find the creature.

"She's good on her own," Karashi assured. "But I'll save her if the so-called creature shows up. Which won't happen, of course. The locals like to blame anything unusual on mysticism."

"Not surprising..."

"W-We still need to be careful..." Suzuki commented, "there have been some disappearances, haven't there?"

"In that case," Karashi said, "don't stray from me. Lock the doors when you're in your rooms and don't go out at night."

After hours of searching, Ikimo found nothing but the usual marine life. They went to sleep, each in a separate room, as they weren't very spacious.

"There's a police station on this island," Kuzuki said. "If any noise bothers you, don't hesitate to call me or the police."

They slept well, although their bodies were not yet adapted to the environment. 

Ikimo woke up and went to Karashi's room, knocked on the door, but there was no answer. The door was unlocked, so she went in. His things were there, but he had left the room.

She asked Kuzuki; he said Karashi had gone to the beach to fish. Strange... she thought, he said he would wait for us to wake up first.

She left the hotel to see how he was. On the sand, there he was, as a corpse. His limbs were severed. She was disgusted by the sight, but she composed herself and ran to the police station, reporting the crime. They went to investigate. She also called her remaining friends and Kuzuki.

After minutes of stomach aches, denials and screaming, mostly from Suzuki, they finally resigned themselves to the situation. The nearby local residents didn't seem surprised.

"The sea creature!" Suzuki screamed. "It's real!"

"If it were real," Kashimo said, "why is his body on the beach? Wasn't the creature supposed to devour him?"

"Some bodies have been seen in this way," Kuzuki replied. "We believe the creature rejects some bodies and spits them out, and the wave carries them to the sand."

"The cuts are too perfect, though," one of the policemen commented. "A fang wouldn't be able to sever limbs like this."

It's a human, Ikimo thought, her expression grim and serious. Someone did this to him, and I'm going to find out who did it. Even though she believed in mysticism, she couldn't deny the obvious fact: her friend had been murdered by someone on that island.

They left the crime scene for the police to investigate. Ikimo questioned her friends, but none of them knew anything about the case. She didn't suspect them, since the disappearances had been happening before they arrived on the island, but she kept a close eye on them anyway.

"Do not leave your room tonight under any circumstances," she said. They agreed. When they went to bed, she pretended to be asleep until she heard someone open a door. She left the room and saw Kuzuki opening Suzuki's bedroom door. He smiled at her in a forced way.

The way he smiles... I should have seen it!

"I'm just checking," he said.

He has the keys... it was so obvious from the start!

Ikimo continued to stare at him, causing him to lock the door and walk away. She lay down again and pretended to be asleep. She heard footsteps outside the door.

He's coming... I need to catch him by surprise.

He opened the door. She glanced quickly with half-closed eyes; he was holding a knife. She waited for him to approach and punched him in the stomach. He swung his knife; she grabbed it by the blade, her hands bleeding, and snatched it from his hands, striking him in the chin and knocking him down. Thanks to her superior training, she overpowered him. She slit his throat, killing him.

I'm not going to call the police. I need to resolve this on my own. 

She wrapped her bloodied hand in some extra clothes and wiped the blood from the floor and Kuzuki's neck. She took him to the beach, avoiding the lights and going unnoticed.

You killed my friend, you will pay with your own life. There may be more serial killers around here. I will eliminate them, until there is no one left on this island, if necessary.

Her eyes were soulless, but deep down, desperate. She saw no other way to redeem herself for letting her friend die.

In the end, she became the sea creature.