Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The little mermaid’s delicate tail tip hooked around his fingertip, her tiny hands clinging tightly to him, refusing to let go.

Helunen felt a flicker of surprise. He had intended to set the little mermaid down, but she stubbornly resisted.

Luo Ci tilted her small head to look at him, then turned her face away, burying herself into his palm—though her ear fins twitched upright, unaware he could see them.

…Adorable.

Helunen couldn’t quite articulate his current emotions. It was the first time such a little one had relied on him so completely. The little mermaid was so small, no bigger than his thumb. A gentle curl of his hand could envelop her entire body.

Her cheek pressed against his palm, her skin tender and fragile, like a dawn bubble on water’s surface—one touch and it might burst.

Fearing he might harm the merbaby, he didn’t dare make sudden movements.

Yet the little mermaid coiled her tail tip around his finger, her shimmering, soft fin veil occasionally brushing against his fingertips—a faint tickle, but more than that, an odd, unfamiliar feeling, so subtle it was almost imperceptible.

Like a milk-fed kitten in a new environment, wide-eyed as it observed its owner, testing with velvet paws, gradually lowering the owner’s guard.

Luo Ci hadn't intended to be so needy, but upon opening her eyes, she found herself in an entirely unfamiliar place, surrounded by beings so much larger than her. No bigger than a thumb, her instincts as a newborn drove her to seek protection.

Helunen was the first person she saw after hatching, the first to cradle her in his palm, the first to feed her.

So, without conscious thought, she felt drawn to him, instinctively wanting to stay close for safety and comfort, unwilling to let him leave.

Helunen understood perfectly that the little mermaid didn't want him to go, but that wasn't realistic. He had official duties awaiting, and besides, he wasn't used to having a tiny creature depend on him like this.

"Mmmph..."

Stop petting...

Luo Ci felt the man’s fingertips gently stroke her hair, the rhythmic, soothing strokes gradually lulling her into drowsiness. Her eyelids grew heavy.

Before long, the little mermaid could no longer resist sleep. She nestled into his fingers, her small lips puffing out a tiny bubble before rolling onto her back in his palm, sound asleep.

His steward stood silently nearby, waiting until the little mermaid was soundly asleep before carefully taking her. He asked in a hushed voice, "Why didn’t you bring her with you?"

"Mermaids can’t be away from water, and..." Helunen’s tone was detached. "She’ll have to be sent away eventually."

So letting her rely on him wasn’t a good idea.

To think she’d have to be sent away...

The steward gazed at the little mermaid, who was curled up in sleep, biting her own tail tip, and sighed deeply, his voice heavy with sorrow and pity. "The starry sea is vast. Who knows where her family is? Right now, the only one she can trust... is you."

Helunen said nothing more.

But even as he worked in his study, he couldn’t help recalling the steward’s words.

The image of the little mermaid, wiggling her tiny tail as she threw herself into his palm, surfaced in his mind.

He opened his palm, where the lingering sensation of her soft, delicate touch still remained.

A newly hatched merbaby was so fragile—a small, snow-white bundle curled in his hand. Barely the size of his thumb, she must have felt fear and hesitation when facing him, yet she had still thrown herself into his palm without hesitation, trusting him completely.

The steward was right. This was a rare kind of trust.

A trust that required immense courage...

Was this truly a good thing?

Helunen steadied his thoughts, though the veins at his temples throbbed uncontrollably. He opened a drawer, where a row of deep-blue injectors lay.

The liquid inside was a tranquil shade of blue. One dose would quell the pain he was enduring.

He picked one up, then closed his eyes and put it back.

Lifting his head, he pressed the back of his hand against his face, his brow furrowed as he struggled to calm his psychic turbulence.

After an unknown length of time, he stood and walked to the window, his gaze settling on the colossal ringed structure in the distant sky.

After a long pause, he opened a comm channel and connected to Yivain.

Helunen rarely reached out first. Yivain considered one possibility and took a deep breath, his voice trembling. "Don’t tell me the mermaid egg hatched?"

"...Mm."

Yivain swung between delight and dismay. To think he hadn’t been there when the little mermaid hatched—what a tragedy to miss!

It would haunt him for months!

Helunen’s tone was calm, revealing nothing of the psychic turmoil he had just endured. "You once mentioned which shops the merfolk frequent?"

"Huh?"

Yivain was still caught up in the excitement of the little mermaid’s hatching. When he finally processed Helunen’s question, he looked up at the sky—had hell frozen over?

Flabbergasted, he blurted, "Why are you suddenly asking about that? Didn’t you say you didn’t need it?"

Helunen: "Priorities shifted."

·

No matter how many times he saw it, the little mermaid’s sleeping posture was positively enchanting.

A transparent bubble floated in the water, and inside, the little mermaid curled up peacefully. Her soft, snow-white skin gleamed like ocean pearls under the light, her fin veil undulating like waterborne mist.

It was said that a mermaid’s ear fins could distinguish high and low frequencies, capable of hearing sounds from thousands of miles away if they wished.

But Helunen doubted the little mermaid had such abilities. No matter how many people passed by the mermaid pool, no matter how many robots entered to install or repair equipment, the little mermaid never once awakened.

Only when he brought a plate of cooked fish did she wrinkle her little nose and slowly wake.

This made Helunen wonder—with defenses this poor, how could she survive in the wild?

It seemed she would need training in the future.

This should have fallen to the mermaid who birthed her, but now, as her caretaker, the responsibility fell to him.

Freshly awakened, the little mermaid yawned sleepily, pushing up in her bubble and rubbing her eyes. When she spotted Helunen standing by the pool’s edge, her round eyes widened, and she wagged her tail eagerly, ready to launch toward him.

Plop.

The transparent bubble burst like an illusion, and the little mermaid plunged into the water.

Helunen frowned and stepped closer. The little mermaid undulated her glassy tail, streaming toward him as if swimming through clouds.

After some practice, Luo Ci had become markedly more skilled at controlling her tail. Now, she proudly demonstrated her progress to Helunen.

The little one wobbled in circles around the mermaid pool. Before Helunen could offer praise, he saw the little mermaid swim a bit before sinking back to the bottom again.

"Glub glub~"

A ring of bubbles floated up as the little mermaid wriggled her tail, struggling to resurface. Her cheeks puffed slightly, tiny fists clenched tight, her chubby little tail swaying back and forth—every part of her straining with effort.

Helunen recalled the caregiver's manual he had read the night before: it was important to affirm a youngling’s efforts. He praised sincerely, "Good job!"

Luo Ci blinked, understanding Helunen’s gesture.

A flush of warmth rose to the tips of her ears, her tail twisting shyly as her Fin Veil skimmed the water’s surface, stirring up shimmering ripples.

Luo Ci lowered her face slightly. Watching her fluttering lashes, Helunen suppressed the urge to reach out.

Instead, Luo Ci took his hand and pressed it against her soft little belly—cool and yielding, like a mound of freshly fallen snow.

Her soft, clingy little body leaned into him as she mumbled, "Nom nom." Hungry.

"Hm."

Helunen lifted the little mermaid, feeling as though he were cradling a soft, milky-white mochi.

This batch of fish purée had been cooked, skewered on delicate sticks, shaped like popsicle sticks.

Mermaids relied on their tails for swimming, barely using their arms, so their tails had dense nerve endings while their arms were weaker by nature. Luo Ci couldn’t hold the stick herself—Helunen had to do it for her.

Through observation, Helunen noticed that the little mermaid always unerringly picked out cooked seafood from the selection the butler brought. He surmised that she didn’t dislike fish purée—just raw, uncooked seafood.

But was that even possible?

A mermaid who didn’t like raw food?

Helunen shook his head, utterly baffled by this little mermaid’s unusual palate.

Luo Ci, oblivious to Helunen’s thoughts, nibbled at the fish purée, her ear fins swaying gently.

She didn’t know what had been added to it, but there was a faint fruity aroma—no fishy taste at all, just a refreshing flavor. Meanwhile, her wide, curious eyes were fixed on the robots working nearby.

She had noticed them long ago—square-shaped heads, sleek bodies, their mechanical arms installing seaweed into the mermaid pool.

Seeing her curiosity, Helunen brought her closer for a look.

Half the room had been converted into the mermaid pool. Perhaps considering the little one’s size, the pool had varying depths—deeper on the eastern side, shallower on the west.

But what had once been a plain pool was now being transformed. The robots had brought in corals, rocks, and seaweed.

Colorful pebbles covered the bottom, making it resemble a tiny seabed.

The seaweed swayed like feathery fronds, emitting a faint, pleasant fragrance.

Helunen observed the little mermaid’s reaction.

This was a custom-made marine ecosystem tank, designed after consulting shops frequented by Sea-Dwellers.

The Sea-Dwellers were a major interstellar race, but they kept to themselves, rarely revealing their movements unless purchasing necessities.

This fragrant seaweed was supposedly beloved by their kind, most requested for years.

Many Sea-Dwellers had reportedly commissioned this very seaweed, as its aromatic compounds were said to be soothing—some even let their younglings gnaw on it for teething.

But the little mermaid, mouth full of fish purée, fingers and lips smeared, glanced at the pool and lost interest almost immediately.

...Did she not like it?

Helunen recalled the shopkeeper’s confident assurance: *No Sea-Dweller dislikes fragrant seaweed.*

He didn’t think the issue lay with the little mermaid—just that this shop was full of it.

Time to find another vendor.

Luo Ci’s mouth was full, her soft cheeks puffed out, when she suddenly caught a familiar scent.

Peering around, she saw the robots pouring Black Pearls into the pool.

"Recognize them?" Helunen said. "You used to rest on a bed of these when you were still an egg."

Luo Ci did find the Black Pearls familiar. She swam into the pool eagerly, sniffing here, touching there, occasionally curling her tail around one and tossing it playfully.

Seeing her amuse herself, Helunen prepared to attend to his own tasks—only for the little mermaid to swim back, tilting her head up to hug his finger, nuzzling her soft cheek against it, refusing to let him leave.

She no longer found Helunen’s presence intimidating. His movements were always gentle, his patience endless—even when she splashed water onto his clothes, he never scolded her.

And unlike the butler and others, whose warmth made her uncomfortable, Helunen’s body temperature was just right. Fish liked it.

She didn’t know Helunen deliberately lowered his temperature with mental energy beforehand.

Helunen lightly pinched Luo Ci’s ear fin, causing it to curl inward shyly—but then she deliberately lifted the tip of her tail for him to rub.

Calmly, he asked, "Do you want me to stay, or would you rather play with the Black Pearls?"

"Blub—"

Luo Ci blinked blankly. If she could understand, she’d probably say: *Both. Is that not allowed?*

Helunen had no choice but to sit by the pool, pulling out his data pad to work.

Luo Ci lazily circled the Black Pearls, round and round, searching for the plumpest, most perfect one.

Then she spotted it—one that stood out. Smaller than the rest, with an opaque layer inside.

Instantly intrigued, she coiled her tail around it.

But before she could show Helunen, a faint *crack* sounded—the smooth surface split open.

*What?* She hadn’t squeezed it that hard!

Alarmed, Luo Ci released her tail. The pearl shattered completely, and out tumbled a round little creature.

Nearly transparent, plump like a fluffy little cake, with flower-like suction cups below and big, dark eyes.

Luo Ci tilted her head, studying it curiously before beckoning with a tiny hand.

The creature hesitated, then slowly inched closer on its suction cups.

Unable to resist, Luo Ci reached out—only for it to dart back.

But then it sniffed the water, as if confirming something, before suddenly launching itself at her in delight.

Luo Ci caught it in her arms.

Fortunately, the little one was soft and easy to hold, with a springy feel that felt pleasant to rub against.

But soon, he was lifted by the scruff like a merbaby, pulled away from the little one.

The little one also sensed the pressure, instantly freezing in place, its soft body trembling, with shiny, bead-like eyes welling up.

Seeing the little one shrink into a trembling ball without him, Luo Ci raised her face and nuzzled Helunen's fingers with her soft cheeks, whimpering, "Wuwah—"

Under the gaze of two pairs of watery eyes, Helunen frowned.

He hadn’t expected a little one to be hidden among the black pearls. Some creatures, however, have an innate ability to feign death, temporarily halting their heartbeat and breathing—something even instruments couldn’t detect.

"Eep..."

The little mermaid clung tightly to his finger, her eyes sparkling as she cooed at him, making it impossible for him not to soften.

But since it concerned her safety, he immediately sent the image to Yivain, who soon replied: "Judging by its appearance, it resembles a Miluba—a low-level mollusk. Its juvenile form likes to hide in pearls and poses no threat. Nothing to worry about."

Helunen relaxed slightly. He had been wanting to find a playmate for the little one anyway. Since it was harmless, keeping it as a pet would be fine.

Perhaps frightened by Helunen, the little one, once released, immediately scurried into Luo Ci’s arms, whimpering as it burrowed into her hair, refusing to come down.

Just then, the butler ushered Totsuka in, who had come for a visit.

Bowing deeply to Helunen, Totsuka lifted his head and immediately noticed the hatched little mermaid. His pupils dilated slightly, too stunned to speak.

"The little mermaid... she’s hatched!?"

Totsuka had seen his fair share of storms, and though the mermaid egg had been adorable, he had braced himself for a ferocious mermaid. Never had he imagined the merbaby would be this soft and delicate, like a waterlogged marshmallow.

His heart turned to mush.

During this time, Totsuka had secretly researched extensively. Legends spoke of mermaids being strong and ripped with abs...

But this merbaby...

His gaze drifted to her slightly rounded, doughy-soft belly, and he fell silent once more.

Noticing him staring at her belly, Luo Ci sulked, puffing her cheeks and giving him a milky glare: "Ack—"

The Miluba on her head mimicked her, flaring its suction cups menacingly: "Milu!"