“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 it Sophia’s strength who was lacking?

For my own self-esteem, I sincerely hope it’s the latter.

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, I judged them 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 forgot to ask where I can 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.

‘Is this even drinkable?’

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.