Nate looked at Mermother.
"So, will you help us?"
Mermother immediately smiled.
Her tail swayed left and right happily.
"Aww, of course, sweetie pie."
Nate blinked.
"...That's a new nickname."
Mermother giggled.
"I was the Ningyo Queen before the current royal line."
She puffed her chest proudly.
"My authority still carries weight."
Hailey raised a hand.
"The only problem with that—"
Fumika finished for her.
"—the clan thinks you've been dead since the Feudal Era."
Mermother froze.
"..."
"..."
"Oh."
Nate pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Right."
The former queen had overlooked one tiny detail.
She had been gone for several hundred years.
To the Ningyo Clan she wasn't a retired monarch.
She was a historical figure.
A legend.
A myth.
A textbook entry.
Kunou nodded.
"The equivalent would be Lord Enma casually walking into a classroom."
Everyone imagined it.
Then remembered that Enma had literally shown up at Parent Teacher Day.
The room immediately became awkward.
Emma coughed.
"Bad example."
"Very bad example."
Nate sighed.
"So if we show up and say—"
He pointed at Mermother.
"'This is Mermother.'"
Hailey nodded.
"They'll think we're crazy."
Fumika nodded.
"Or scammers."
Kunou nodded.
"Or illusion users."
Whisper nodded.
"Or cultists."
Wiz nodded.
"Or time travelers."
Everyone looked at Wiz.
Wiz awkwardly looked away.
"Too soon?"
"Too soon."
Mermother crossed her arms.
"Hmph."
"Then I'll just prove it."
Nate immediately looked worried.
"What does that mean?"
Mermother smiled.
The kind of smile that caused experienced Yokai to become nervous.
"I know things only the original royal family would know."
Kunou tilted her head.
"Such as?"
Mermother grinned.
"The location of the First Tide Crown."
Everyone paused.
Nate blinked.
"The what?"
Mermother pointed dramatically.
"The crown used by the first Ningyo monarch."
Silence.
Then—
"THAT'S REAL?"
Mermother looked offended.
"Of course it's real."
She pointed at herself.
"I wore it."
The room exploded into chaos.
---
Ten minutes later.
After everyone calmed down.
Nate sat at the table.
"So let me get this straight."
He pointed at Mermother.
"You're a living historical figure."
"Correct."
"You know where royal treasures are hidden."
"Correct."
"You know the founding history of the clan."
"Correct."
"And you're willing to testify on behalf of the United Yokai Alliance."
"Correct."
Nate looked at Kunou.
Kunou looked at Nate.
They both reached the same conclusion.
"This might actually work."
Mermother smiled proudly.
Then Lily walked into the room.
"What are we talking about?"
Nate answered.
"Mermother is apparently a living historical document."
Lily nodded.
"Ah."
Everyone turned.
"AH?"
Lily looked confused.
"What?"
Yasaka sighed.
"You knew."
Lily took a sip of tea.
"I was friends with her too."
The room became silent.
Nate slowly lowered his head onto the table.
"Of course you were."
Mermother waved happily.
"Hi Lily."
"Hi Mermother."
Nate's eye twitched.
'My mother knows every important supernatural person in Japan.'
'At this point I wouldn't be surprised if she went to school with Amaterasu.'
Lily looked away.
Nate slowly raised his head.
"...Mom."
Lily coughed.
"That's not important right now."
Everyone immediately screamed.
"YOU KNOW AMATERASU TOO?!"
Nate rubbed his forehead.
"I am absolutely asking about Mom's backstory later."
Lily immediately looked away.
That was all the confirmation Nate needed.
"There is definitely a story there."
"There are many stories there."
"Mom."
"We are changing the subject."
Nate narrowed his eyes.
But decided to let it go.
For now.
He turned toward Emma instead.
"My main question is you."
Emma immediately stiffened.
Nate pointed at her.
"Lord Enma—the literal Judge of the Underworld—opened a portal, walked into our house".
He leaned forward.
"...and apparently it was because he just wanted you here, why?"
Emma's face turned red.
She looked away shyly.
"Well..."
"Um..."
"Father told me to get to know the Child of Prophecy better."
The room became silent.
"..."
"..."
"..."
Emma continued.
"For the future."
Everyone stared at her.
Nate stared at her.
Kunou stared at her.
Hailey stared at her.
Fumika stared at her.
Whisper slowly raised a marker.
Nate immediately noticed.
"No."
Whisper ignored him.
The marker squeaked across the whiteboard.
Potential Future Wife List
Emma Daiouji
Nate groaned.
"Whisper."
Whisper nodded seriously.
"Yes, Master Nate?"
"Add her to the list."
Emma blinked.
"The list?"
Whisper dramatically flipped the board around.
The girls immediately tried to stop him.
They were too late.
Emma saw it.
A very long list.
A disturbingly long list.
An alarmingly long list.
Emma stared.
"..."
"..."
"...How long is this?"
Nate groaned.
"A list that has been growing since middle school."
Emma looked closer.
Then closer.
Then even closer.
There were categories.
There were notes.
There were rankings.
There were arrows.
There were question marks.
There was apparently a section labeled:
'It's Complicated'
Emma pointed.
"What does that mean?"
Hailey answered immediately.
"It means Nate accidentally did something."
Nate pointed at her.
"That's not true."
Fumika raised a hand.
"It is usually true."
"Traitor."
Kunou looked at Emma.
"For example, I started there."
Emma blinked.
"You started in 'It's Complicated'?"
"Yes."
Kurumu nodded.
"I did too."
Moka raised a hand.
"I think I'm currently there."
Whisper checked.
"Correct."
Moka immediately regretted asking.
Emma stared at the board.
Then at Nate.
Then at the board.
Then at Nate.
"How are you alive?"
Nate immediately answered.
"Good question."
Nobody had an answer.
Even Nate wanted to know.
Emma looked back at the list.
Then pointed at herself.
"So where am I?"
Whisper wrote.
Emma Daiouji — Maybe Temporary
Emma blinked.
"'Maybe Temporary'?"
Nate sighed.
"Don't ask."
Kunou answered anyway.
"It means there is a chance."
Emma's face immediately turned red.
"There is?!"
The room exploded.
Nate slammed his head against the table.
"WHY DOES EVERY CONVERSATION TURN INTO THIS?!"
Meanwhile, somewhere in the Underworld—
Enma suddenly paused while reviewing souls.
He looked toward Kyoto.
Then slowly smiled.
"Ah."
"My daughter has met him."
A nearby Underworld official felt a chill.
Because that smile usually meant Enma had planned something.
And that was rarely good news for everyone involved.
Nate reached for his Yokai Watch.
A flash of light filled the room.
"Summon! Mirapo!"
A swirling mirror materialized in front of the group.
Mirapo stretched lazily before looking at Nate.
"Where are we off to today, Nate?"
Nate answered without hesitation.
"Fukui Prefecture."
Mirapo nodded.
"Ah, the Sea of Japan."
He smiled knowingly.
"The home of many old stories."
Nate raised an eyebrow.
"You know it?"
Mirapo chuckled.
"I've had mirrors there for centuries."
"The Ningyo have always liked reflective water."
He spun around, and his mirror body began to glow with silver-blue light.
Ripples spread across its surface until it resembled a perfectly calm ocean.
"Destination locked."
"Fukui Prefecture."
"Everyone, please step through carefully."
Whisper floated over first.
"I still say Yokai teleportation is much more stylish than magic circles."
Wiz tilted her head.
"...I have to admit, he's right."
Kunou took Nate's hand.
"Ready?"
Nate smiled.
"As I'll ever be."
One by one, everyone stepped through the shimmering mirror.
The world around them dissolved into light.
For a brief moment, all they could see was an endless corridor of reflections.
Then—
The scent of salt filled the air.
A cool sea breeze brushed against their faces.
The distant cries of seagulls echoed overhead.
The portal opened onto a cliff overlooking the deep blue waters of the Sea of Japan.
Below them, waves crashed rhythmically against the rocks.
Behind them lay a quiet coastal town.
In front of them stretched the ancient sea that had been home to Ningyo legends for centuries.
Mirapo floated out last.
"Welcome to Fukui Prefecture."
He looked toward the horizon.
"The Ningyo Clan's territory lies beyond those waters."
Mermother took a slow breath.
A nostalgic smile appeared on her face.
"...It's been a very long time."
Nate noticed the expression.
"Home?"
Mermother nodded softly.
"Home."
For the first time since they'd met her, the usually cheerful former queen looked genuinely emotional.
Centuries had passed.
Kingdoms had risen and fallen.
Generations had come and gone.
Yet the sea...
The sea was still waiting for her.
The group stood on the cliff overlooking the ocean.
The waves rolled gently beneath them.
Hailey crossed her arms.
"So... two questions."
She held up two fingers.
"First, where exactly is the clan?"
"And second..."
She looked at Mermother.
"What Zodiac do they use as their flag?"
She began counting on her fingers.
"The Oni use the Dragon."
"The Yuki-Onna use the Rabbit."
"The Kitsune use the Dog."
"So what do the Ningyo use?"
Whisper floated forward, delighted to explain.
"The first answer is simple."
He pointed dramatically toward the sea.
"Down there."
Everyone followed his finger.
Nothing.
Just an endless expanse of blue water.
Hailey blinked.
"...That narrows it down exactly zero percent."
Mermother giggled.
"The Ningyo don't build kingdoms on the surface."
"Our cities lie beneath the sea."
"They're protected by powerful barriers, ocean currents, and illusion techniques."
She smiled proudly.
"Even modern submarines can sail directly above our capital and never realize it's there."
Nate nodded.
"Strategically, that's brilliant."
"You can't invade what you can't find."
Mermother nodded.
"Exactly."
Whisper cleared his throat.
"As for the second question..."
He raised one finger dramatically.
"The Ningyo Clan bears the symbol of the—"
He paused for effect.
"...Snake."
Silence.
Fumika blinked.
"...Why?"
Before Whisper could answer, Nate did.
"Snakes can swim."
Everyone slowly turned toward him.
Fumika stared.
"...You have got to be kidding me."
Nate shrugged.
"I'm serious."
"Many snakes are excellent swimmers."
"Sea snakes literally live in the ocean."
Whisper nodded enthusiastically.
"Master Nate is correct!"
He adopted his lecture voice again.
"In ancient symbolism, snakes were associated with water, rivers, transformation, and hidden wisdom. Their ability to shed their skin also made them symbols of renewal."
Mermother smiled.
"The Ningyo saw beauty in that symbolism."
"We live in water."
"We adapt."
"We endure."
"So the Snake became our emblem."
Hailey folded her arms.
"...That's actually a much better explanation than 'snakes can swim.'"
Nate rubbed the back of his head.
"I wasn't wrong."
"No."
Fumika sighed.
"You were just... aggressively oversimplifying it."
Kunou chuckled.
"That's one of Nate's talents."
Whisper nodded.
"He somehow explains ancient mythology in a single sentence."
Nate grinned.
"It saves time."
Mermother laughed.
"It certainly does."
She then turned toward the sea, her cheerful expression becoming calm.
"Come."
"The royal city awaits."
As she stepped toward the shoreline, the ocean in front of the group began to shimmer.
The waves parted silently.
An ancient stone path slowly rose from beneath the water, stretching toward the horizon.
At its end, far below the sea's surface, faint golden lights could be seen glowing through the crystal-blue water.
The entrance...
To the Kingdom of the Ningyo.
Nate stretched his arms over his head.
"Alright."
He looked out across the ocean.
"Let's go visit Japanese Atlantis."
Wiz tilted her head.
"I don't know what Atlantis is..."
Nate smiled.
"I'll explain later."
Wiz nodded before opening the wooden box she had been carrying.
Inside were two neat rows of potions.
Blue bottles.
Black bottles.
She picked up one of each.
"Water Breathing Potion."
"Dark Vision Potion."
She looked around at everyone.
"Everyone, please take one."
One by one, they each grabbed a pair.
Nate.
Hailey.
Fumika.
Emma.
Moka.
Kunou.
Lily.
Aaron accepted one as well.
Mizore and Kurumu weren't with them today, having stayed behind to handle other matters for the Yokai Faction.
Whisper floated beside the box.
"I'll pass."
"I don't exactly breathe."
Mermother laughed.
"And I certainly don't need one."
Being a Ningyo, breathing underwater was as natural to her as breathing air.
Kuroka looked at the potions.
Then at her fluffy ears.
Then at her tail.
"...Nope."
Golden light wrapped around her body.
Her Spirit Bond formed a thin protective layer over her fur.
"There."
She smiled.
"My ears and tail won't get soaked now."
Nate gave her a thumbs-up.
"Smart."
Only then did Kuroka drink both potions.
Wiz smiled as the last empty bottle vanished back into her box.
"That should last several hours."
Almost immediately—
Fumika blinked.
"...Huh?"
She reached up to her neck.
Her skin tingled.
Something shifted beneath her fingertips.
She carefully touched the sides of her neck.
"...Gills?"
She blinked again.
"I have gills."
Hailey looked over.
"Oh!"
She touched her own neck.
"I have them too!"
Emma hurriedly checked herself.
"So do I."
Moka looked fascinated.
"I've never used a potion like this before."
Nate took a deep breath through his nose.
Then experimentally closed his mouth.
He could still breathe.
"...That's a weird feeling."
Wiz smiled proudly.
"The potion temporarily gives your body the organs it needs."
"It doesn't just let you hold your breath."
"It actually adapts your body to an underwater environment."
Hailey looked impressed.
"That's... honestly incredible."
Lily nodded in agreement.
"High-grade alchemy."
"Most potion makers couldn't manage this."
Wiz scratched her cheek shyly.
"Oh..."
"It wasn't that difficult."
Everyone stared at her.
Nate sighed.
"There it is again."
Emma tilted her head.
"What?"
Nate pointed at Wiz.
"She keeps saying things like 'it wasn't that difficult.'"
He gestured toward the potions.
"These potions literally rewrite our biology for several hours."
Wiz blinked innocently.
"...Is that unusual?"
The entire group answered at once.
"YES!"
Wiz shrank back slightly.
"...Oh."
Whisper floated over, examining one of the empty bottles.
"Master Nate..."
"I believe Miss Wiz has an extremely skewed perception of what counts as 'normal.'"
Nate nodded.
"I've noticed."
Mermother laughed softly.
"Well, it's certainly going to make our trip much easier."
She turned toward the sea.
"The barrier begins just ahead."
She smiled warmly.
"Once we pass through..."
"You'll see the Kingdom of the Ningyo for yourselves."
Mermother walked to the edge of the stone path.
She raised one hand.
The ocean answered.
The water in front of them began to glow with a soft turquoise light.
Ancient runes appeared beneath the waves, forming circles that spread farther and farther into the sea.
Nate watched carefully.
'Not magic...'
'This feels older.'
Mermother smiled.
"The Sea Gate recognizes the blood of the royal family."
She gently placed her palm against the shimmering barrier.
"It has been a long time..."
For a moment...
Nothing happened.
Then—
The barrier rippled.
A deep, resonant sound echoed through the ocean.
Almost like a giant bell.
Booooom...
The sea itself parted.
The illusion hiding the underwater kingdom dissolved.
Everyone stared.
"..."
"..."
"..."
Even Nate forgot to speak.
An enormous city stretched beneath the ocean.
Towering white palaces rose from the seabed.
Blue crystal pillars carried streams of glowing water between buildings.
Schools of colorful fish swam freely through streets lined with coral gardens.
Sea serpents lazily coiled around distant towers.
Large sea turtles carried merchants between districts.
Floating pearls illuminated everything with a warm silver light.
The entire city shimmered beneath the sunlight filtering through the ocean above.
Hailey slowly pointed.
"...Okay."
"I officially understand why you called it Japanese Atlantis."
Nate nodded absentmindedly.
"Yeah..."
"I was expecting impressive."
"I wasn't expecting..."
He searched for the right word.
"...this."
Even Emma, whose father ruled the Underworld, looked amazed.
"It's beautiful..."
Moka smiled softly.
"Our castles are grand..."
"But this feels..."
She watched rays of sunlight dance through the water.
"...peaceful."
Mermother's smile grew.
"This is the Royal City of Ryūgū."
"My home."
As she took another step, something changed.
The city's bells rang.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Nate frowned.
"Was... that because of us?"
Mermother's expression became awkward.
"...Maybe."
Before anyone could ask—
Several figures shot upward from the city below.
Fast.
Very fast.
Within seconds, dozens of armored Ningyo surrounded the entrance.
Each carried elegant spears tipped with shimmering blue crystal.
Their armor resembled overlapping fish scales, gleaming like polished sapphire.
The captain pointed his spear.
"Halt!"
His eyes narrowed at the group of surface dwellers.
"No outsiders may enter the Royal City without permission."
Then—
His gaze landed on Mermother.
He froze.
"..."
"..."
His spear slowly lowered.
His mouth opened.
"But..."
"No..."
"That's impossible..."
He rubbed his eyes.
Looked again.
His entire body started shaking.
The other guards looked confused.
"Captain?"
He ignored them.
Still staring.
His voice barely came out.
"...Your Majesty?"
The surrounding guards blinked.
"...Your Majesty?"
The captain suddenly dropped to one knee.
His spear clattered against the stone.
"No..."
"It can't be..."
"The First Queen..."
"...has returned."
Every Ningyo soldier froze.
One by one...
They all knelt.
The bells throughout the underwater city began ringing louder than before.
Their sound echoed through every district.
Across the kingdom.
Announcing something no Ningyo had believed possible.
A queen thought lost to history...
Had come home.
To be continue
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