Return

"Tch... Where am I?"

Everything hurt. I woke up in a pool of water, at the center of a seemingly large lake. It seems as though I was back at Lake Kawaguchi, with no injuries or anything of the sort. I was breathing normally, and my whole body was soaked, drifting afloat in the middle of the lake. The waves of the water oscillated across  as I moved around within it, generating small ripples across its surface.

Was it all just a dream? The mermaid, her friend's death, and all the fantastical looking things I saw on that island... As well as the close sensation of drowning as I was pulled into the unending depths of that ocean, not to mention the gruesome things I've seen in that place.

Looking around and confirming that I was back at the lake, I let out a breath of relief, as the nightmare of living and roughing it out on that accursed island had ceased from my mind. There was nothing to worry about anymore.

The sun had begun to set, and without a moment's time, the sky had turned dark. I then realized that I was still afloat in the middle of the lake, soaked and drenched beyond comprehension. Spotting the location of where I set up my fishing gear, I readied myself in a swimming position, ready to return to the shore. I must look weird, as I was a person who was out there in the lake without a boat, let alone any swimming gear. Luckily though, there were not many people out and about during this time of the day, so I did not have to worry about explaining myself.

However, As I began to kick the waters, I felt something heavy grappling onto my left leg, and I could not continue to kick further. There was probably something caught up on it, meaning I had to unravel it from my foot.

Thinking it was algae, I dived my head into the lake, and let my body sink, albeit only a little bit. Opening my eyes underneath the water, I was met with pain and surprise. There were tiny swarms of fish swimming around, and a familiar figure with blue hair appeared before me, her eyes wide open, matched with an expression that seems to depict that she was glad to see me.

I raised my head back above the water level, regaining my breath and rationale. Was it just me, or was the mermaid girl from earlier really just here? 

"God... None of this makes any sense," I muttered to myself, as the girl popped her head above the water. She wore a look of surprise. "You, I understand you!"

"Wait, How?" I enquired as she spoke in perfect grammar, as though she had been a resident of Japan for quite a while now.

"I'm not sure... On the island, you were still speaking gibberish... But now it all makes sense to me!" The mermaid expressed, happily clapping her webbed hands together. "Anyways, I must inquire, where are we?" She added, in a somewhat formal tone.

God, I don't know what to make do of my situation anymore. All I wanted to do was go for some bass fishing...

"We're in my home country, Japan." I responded begrudgingly as I was all out of brainpower and energy to comprehend everything that had happened so far. "I'm going to assume, that you don't recognize the landscape here, right Ms. Mermaid girl?" I said, crossing my arms while glancing sideways at her.

"Please, call me Mei. I am indebted to you for saving my life, Mr..."

"It's Noah. Nakamichi Noah." I said, scratching my neck a little.

"Right. Thank you once again, Mr. Noah." Mei bowed, addressing her thankfulness. "And yes you're right, it seems like I am unable to recognize this landscape at all, even though I've technically been in every part of the world."

"I'm pretty sure I was sent to your world. I read about a forum posted by a person named Fargo... Though I still don't really believe in that rubbish."

"Fargo? He's the great hero of our world, a Variant that saved the world from destruction before!" Mei emphasized, detailing Fargo's greatness. "This must mean... I am in your world now, right?"

"I guess so." I remarked, looking around to see if anyone was watching us. "We should probably head to somewhere less conspicuous to discuss this. People in my world don't treat weirdos nicely..." I said, as I grabbed her by the hand again. We then headed back in the direction of where my belongings were left at, and arrived not too long after the sky went completely black. It was thanks to her swimming abilities that got me going in the water faster.

"Great, not bad at all." I nodded to myself, checking the belongings by the docks where I had left them, and noticed that no one had taken anything while I was gone. It seemed like the day had only passed by two or three hours, meaning that time worked slightly differently in the other world.

Underneath the darkening sky, I instructed for Mei to stay in the waters and conceal herself. It was much easier to do so, now that she understood me. She seemed confused as to why she needed to do so, but obliged anyway.

I dug into my backpack, pulling out the tarp I had packed in from yesterday morning. I then laid it out flatly on the shore, and called for Mei. She responded, her head popping out of the waters.

"Did you call, Mr. Noah?" Mei enquired, swimming over to the shore.

"Yeah, I did." Without saying much, I picked her up from the waters, and laid her on the tarp, wrapping it around her mermaid tail. I then sat her up, leaning her nicely against the railway surrounding the vast lake.

"I'm going to need you to wait here, while I go and get us a room at a hotel nearby." I stated, picking up my backpack. "I'm all soaked, and I need to address some things with you— there are many things we need to discuss. I'm sure you have many questions surrounding where you are as well, right? You've been wearing a doubtful expression on your face for a while now."

"Mm." Mei nodded, clutching the tarp wrapped around her tightly. "I'm scared, Mr. Noah."

"Don't worry, I won't be gone for long. You're safe here, since we aren't on that damn island anymore." I reassured her, patting her head gently. I don't usually do stuff like that, but she reminded me of my younger cousin back in Australia. Not to mention the trauma she went through in that corpse filled room.

With that, I went up to a hotel nearby, and checked in for a room. Luckily, despite not having reservations made, there were rooms I could book for the night. There was one slight issue however— I did not have enough money with me for two rooms. I had only around 15 thousand yen on my debit card, and I had not accommodated for staying overnight.

"So do you need two rooms sir?" The clerk asked, with a weary expression on his face, since I do look like I was drenched in water.

"Actually, just get me one room." I said, pulling out my wallet hurriedly.

Getting my keys to my room, I quickly went up and left my belongings there. I then took a quick shower and used the hair dryer they provided to dry up my clothing a bit. Pocketing my keys and my phone, I went back out to where Mei was sitting at. She seemed relieved to see me, as she quickly pulled out a soft smile, suggesting a sense of relief. Leaning against the railing, 

"Alright, Mei. Let's have a chat. First things first, I need to know more about you being a mermaid. Are you an actual mermaid?" I asked, trying to make sense of the situation step by step.

Mei lowered her gaze, her fingers fidgeting with the tarp wrapped around her tail. She seemed hesitant, as if unsure how to answer my question. Her voice trembled softly as she spoke.

"I... I am indeed a mermaid, Mr. Noah. We are a peaceful and rare race that live underwater, near the diverse kingdom of Nardlebarg. Is something of interest to you, Mr. Noah?"

"No, it's just that such creatures don't exist in my world..."

I paused for a moment, taking in Mei's response. It was still difficult for me to fully comprehend the fact that I was conversing with a real-life mermaid. The world I knew was filled with concrete buildings, bustling cities, and mundane routines. But here I was, face to face with a mythical being from some unknown plane beyond my understanding.

"I never thought I'd encounter something like this," I muttered to myself. "But I've been through worse during this, so I guess I shouldn't be too surprised." I said, sighing heavily.

Mei looked at me with a mixture of curiosity and apprehension as I spoke, however her expression quickly dimmed as she and I both recalled the dead mermaid that I failed to save.

"That dreadful place where I found the both of you... Where was I, anyway?" I inquired, in a gentle voice, as I did not want to further shock her.

"I...I'm not sure myself, Mr. Noah." Mei admitted, her gaze dropping as she spoke in a hushed and timid manner.

"Were you captured there or something? The state I found you two in did not seem normal. And the white pearl I used on you... Was it some sort of medicine?" I asked, furrowing my brows in fascination and deep thought.

Mei took a deep breath before answering, her voice filled with a mix of sadness and uncertainty. "Yes, Mr. Noah. We were captured by those who sought to exploit our kind. They used us for their own gain, treating us as mere commodities."

I nodded, my expression growing grim as I listened to Mei's words. 

"We only live near the waters of Nardlebarg, in the city of Atlanta. As mermaids, our scales and fins are known to be very beautiful. I would never have thought we would be poached as though we were animals..."

"I see," I replied, hiding my concern. I abide by my own moral code and ethics, but to think that there would be people out there killing other people for their own selfish desires...

"That island... it was a place of torment and despair. The white pearl you used, it was a sacred object that had the power to heal and restore our strength. I don't know how you came to possess it, but I'm grateful you did." Mei continued, her voice subtle but grateful.

So I really was in another world just now. That forum wasn't fucking around, for sure.

"Let's not dwell on that now. We're safe here, away from that accursed island. We need to figure out our next move." I expressed, turning around to face the ocean. The wind was breezy and reassuring. With that, I calmed down and continued. "Now that I know that I'm not dreaming, I can move on to the next question. Should we return to that island?"

What I said sounded absurd, as moments ago we witnessed nothing but dread on that island. However, seeing that it was an otherworldly island, part of me wanted to find out more— it was thirsting for adventure. Mei looked just as confused as I had expected her to be.

"Mei, I know that you must be anxious and fearful of that island. However, it is still a part of your world, and I need to return you there. It's regrettable, but I do not think staying here on Earth would be a wise choice for a mermaid, a creature regarded as myth in our world." I explained, facing towards her and kneeling down as I spoke. I then took a good look at her; her vivid blue eyes and the shimmering glow of her tail, continued to marvel me.  "Of course, I will do my best to return you to your home of Atlanta, as I cannot afford to just leave you now that I'm involved with everything."

Mei quickly shifted to a glum expression. "Do you... not like me, Mr. Noah? As a human of Earth, do you find me... terrifying?"

"Ah, no it's nothing like that! It's just that I don't think it's suitable for you here... The air is filthier, and..." I responded, in an attempt to fix the misconception. She seems to have received the message.

"Oh... Well, if you don't, then let me stay here with you for a while. I've found this place to be interesting, and I want to know more about it." Mei glanced around as she spoke, noticing the small houses and buildings around the lake. She then looked at me with a curious face.

"Good grief... Alright, as long as you are okay with staying here. I guess it's a good idea to let some worries run loose." I said, stretching my arms.

Mei looked up at me, her eyes reflecting a mixture of trust and satisfaction. "Thank you, Mr. Noah." She nodded gracefully, responding with thanks. "But what should we do now? I have no knowledge of your world, and I fear I may cause trouble or draw unwanted attention."

"Hmm..." I placed my hand towards my chin, getting into a thinking posture. "Well, I'm going to return to the hotel I reserved, to go to sleep."

Mei suddenly looked as though she was planning something, upon hearing the word hotel.

"Are hotels something like Inns, Mr. Noah?"

"Yeah, sort of, I suppose. They don't have a bar on the ground floor though."

"Interesting... I would like to find out more. Would you please take me there?" Mei pleaded, with an innocent expression on her face.

"Sorry, but I did not reserve a room for you, Mei. I don't have the money. Don't fish sleep in the waters?" I enquired, sheepishly from the embarrassment that question held.

Swiftly, Mei crossed her arms, pouting somewhat as she took in my statement. "Mr. Noah, mermaids can sleep on land and in the waters— so don't treat us as though we're fish, okay?"

Smiling at her response, I let out a small chuckle. "Ah, my humble apologies. I don't know how mermaids work, after all."

"It's okay, Mr. Noah. I am indebted to you for saving my life, so I will do my best to explain the norms from my world." Mei smiled, relaxed from the newfound situation we found ourselves in.

"I'll leave you the room then. I don't mind pulling out an all nighter. We'll go back to my hometown tomorrow and take it easy for a bit." I said, as I lifted her up, tarp still wrapped around her body. Her webbed and wet hands held onto me, clutching closely onto my body.

"Gonna need you to get used to this, young lady. You are unable to walk on land as a mermaid, right?"

"I guess you're right, Mr. Noah. I'm sorry if I'm causing you trouble... But thank you again."

Taking her in my arms, I walked back towards the hotel; heading back into the hotel I walked past the empty counter with Mei in my arms, and took the elevator up to our floor. She marveled at the different designs of the lobby, the subtle fragrance of patchouli, and was astonished by how the elevator worked, as she expressed to me about how she felt herself being sent upwards towards the sky. I smiled at her, telling her that this was what our society considered as the norm.

Entering the room, I laid her down across the bed, and noticed that she was still somewhat wet from swimming earlier this afternoon. I grabbed a towel from the bathroom and handed it to her, telling her to dry herself up a little, as otherwise the bedsheets would be soaked. After drying herself up a little, I sat down on the floor, and we chatted for a little bit.

"Mr. Noah! This place seems very luxurious... Did it cost much?" Mei asked, barely containing her excitement.

"Not really. This is about the average standard you get here."

"I'm beyond grateful, Mr. Noah. Thank you for letting me experience the life of a traveling human." Mei regarded, thanking me again.

"No worries. I've only got more to show you after this, so get some rest today, alright? And be sure you hide your tail under the covers."

"I understand. Good night, Mr. Noah." With that, Mei tucked herself in, and she was out cold within a manner of minutes.

The girl was young and sweet. She may be a mermaid, but she was as beautiful as the myths had depicted of her kind. She was also quite reserved, making her an elegant and somewhat shy young lady. However, she was quite naïve, as she really just trusted me with not doing anything to her while she slept. I guess I've earnt her trust through that horrendous ordeal.

Yet, I was still left with questions. How did she suddenly learn to speak my language? How did that white pearl save her, and how did it work? I would like to learn about these phenomena, but for now, I guess I can take it easy and return to a daily life, though I'd have to deal with this bizarre mermaid for the time being.

With that, I locked the door of the hotel bedroom. I was going to pull an all nighter as being in the same room as a sleeping woman was quite unnerving and possibly disrespectful, but I was tired from all the work I did today. Hence, I went into the bathroom made a makeshift pillow out of the spare towels there, and just slept, sitting against the bathroom door.