The next morning.
I cautiously opened my eyes in the box bed.
Yawn
It felt like it had been a long time since I started a day on my own.
Just as I was about to get up, feeling a strange sensation, I noticed something small stirring beside me.
"Huh?"
It was the Shark Grandma, no, the Shark Girl.
Since when had she been sleeping beside me?
Driven by curiosity, I couldn't help but poke her cheek.
"Uuuhhh..."
The Shark Girl mumbled and pulled the blanket over her head.
They say grandmothers have light sleep, but that didn't seem to apply to the beast-kin.
"Hey..."
Poke, poke
I kept pressing on what seemed to be her cheek under the blanket.
"Why… why do you do that..."
"Why are you sleeping here?"
"I'm your educator…. It's only natural that we live together..."
Cough
Is she trying to say that she would live together with me until she's done teaching me?
What a pain in the ass, but I needed to learn about mana, thus, I decided not to overtly express my displeasure.
"Yes. But I have something to do this morning, so I'll step out for a bit."
"Alright... take care..."
With that, she fell asleep again.
I looked at her for a while before stepping out of the tent.
The sun was just rising, and I enjoyed the small rays of sunlight filtering in.
'I did say I'd start early in the morning.'
As I emerged from the bushes, I saw a fierce-looking woman and several cars filled with aquariums in the distance.
Just the sight of her made my heart flutter.
Yet, I slowly took steps towards her.
"Are you putting mackerel and loaches together?"
"Yes. There's an item developed for aquaculture. It's okay to mix them."
The woman was conversing with someone who looked like the driver of the aquarium car.
As I cautiously approached them,
Crunch—!
I accidentally stepped on a twig.
"Huh?"
The loud noise made the driver and the woman turn to look at me.
Startled by their sudden attention, I quickly turned my head away.
"Are.. are the minnows okay...?"
I saw small minnows swimming under the clear pond water.
Pretending to observe the minnows, I turned my back, but she started walking towards me.
"...!"
My ears and tail bristled.
Still, I pretended to watch the minnows calmly.
One minnow, two minnows, and then three.
Counting them with trembling eyes, the woman approached right behind me.
"Um..."
"Yes—!"
I froze in shock, unable to turn around.
What was she going to do, coming so close to me?
As I stood rigid, unable to even breathe, she stopped next to me.
"We know each other, right?"
"Ye–yes—!"
I glanced at her sideways, only moving my eyes to observe her.
She stood beside me, gazing down at the pond.
What was she thinking, looking so melancholy?
As I cautiously stepped aside, she finally spoke.
"I'm sorry about last time."
"What for?"
"For everything I did. I'm truly sorry."
Everything?
I wasn't sure what all that entailed, but I decided to accept her apology.
If I didn't, it might delay filling the pond with fish.
Right now, the fish were more important to me than the woman.
"Okay..."
✧✧✧✧✧
Together with the woman, I checked the fish being introduced into the pond.
Twenty mackerels.
Thirty silver fish.
Four hundred loaches, among others.
The sight of various fish coexisting in the spacious pond was enchanting.
"...The pond is quite large, isn't it?"
"Yes..."
I gazed down at the pond, now teeming with fish.
A pond harmonizing freshwater and seawater fish.
Could this still be called a pond?
Lost in the wonder of the item, I kept staring down at the pond until the Shark Girl approached me.
Even though the sun had risen, she still looked sleepy.
"The harmony of two ecosystems that should never mix. It's quite amazing."
"Yes. There's even a sturgeon over there..."
I stopped mid-sentence and clamped my mouth shut, suddenly realizing the girl in front of me was also a 'shark'.
Was it okay to farm the same kind of shark?
But then, sturgeons aren't real sharks, are they?
Confused, my thoughts raced, but my confidence dwindled.
I just fidgeted with my fingers under the hem of my clothes.
"Why are you so flustered?"
"Sh-shark, do you... eat caviar...?"
"...I've never tried it."
Of course, she hadn't.
From her perspective, it would be no different from cannibalism.
I glanced at her and cautiously whispered in her ear.
"Should I ask them to remove the sturgeon...?"
"...I understand what you're thinking, but it's fine."
"Really?"
"Yes. The difference between beasts and beast-kin is greater than that between humans and monkeys."
Ah, I see.
That makes sense.
Nodding, I turned my gaze back to the fish swimming in the pond.
"Shall we catch one?"
"With no tools, how do you plan to do that?"
"By hand."
I lay down by the edge of the pond, dangling my hand in the water.
A mackerel, attracted by the shadow created by my hand, swam right underneath and began to rest.
'Now!'
Utilizing my quick reflexes, I grabbed the mackerel.
I quickly lifted it out of the water and held it close to prevent it from escaping.
Flap, flap!
The mackerel, with a strength incomparable to the minnows, struggled fiercely, but it was already out of the water.
I stood up, holding the vigorously flapping mackerel in my arms.
"Do you like fish that much?"
"Yes. I never used to like them this much, it's strange."
"Is it really that strange?"
The Shark Girl's gaze shifted upwards to my head.
What's up there?
As I looked up, I found myself locking eyes with the woman looking down at me.
"Oh, my. You've already caught one?"
"Yes, should I let it go?"
"No, why release it when you've caught it?"
"Hehehe."
The woman chuckled awkwardly and waved her hand.
Remembering her laughing crazily while burning a horned rabbit, I quickly hid behind the Shark Girl.
✱✱✱
A post appeared on an internet community forum.
It was about a beast-kin child who had moved near the Daybreak Guild.
───
[Did you guys see the beast-kin kid near Daybreak Guild's HQ yesterday?]
Poster: Saw them living in a tent outside, what's up with that???
───
[LuluNana: I saw them today too, fetching water from the pond behind the guild]
[└HealAddict: Why is the kid fetching water from the pond lmao]
[└LuluNana: Seriously, they were wearing shabby clothes too.]
[RealReal: Heard from a friend, seems like they've got permission from Daybreak Guild to camp there]
[└BeastkinLover: Why is the kid camping there?? Has Daybreak Guild gone mad??]
[RealReal: Beast-kin kids like living in the wild, you know]
[BeastkinLover: Yeah, but it was just a little kid?]
[SilverTigerFan: Huh?]
[└BeastkinLover: Welcome, Harangi.]
───
"Hmm..."
Kang Jinho, the Guild Master of the Daybreak Guild, scrolled through his smartphone.
The famous community site was abuzz with discussions about the beast-kin child occupying the guild's backyard.
The rare sight of a beast-kin child in the guild's backyard was bound to stir up conversation, and his role was to prevent these people from approaching the child.
But how exactly is he going to do that?
Kang Jinho clicked his tongue in frustration, feeling powerless about the situation.
'Is it too difficult to close the backyard?'
It was a park, a resting place for local residents, and if he chose to close it down, even though it was a private property, would surely attract criticism from the public.
He thought about putting up a fence and 'No Trespassing' signs near the child's tent but decided against it.
It would make the child look like a monkey in a zoo.
For now, it seemed best to trust Han Yeoreum and the beast-kin who had come for the child.
Kang Jinho let out a long sigh without realizing.
'At least there have been no issues so far.'
He continued browsing the internet.
Soon, he came across a new post about the child.
───
[Today's update on the beast-kin kid]
Poster: BeastkinLover Just saw them catching and eating fish from the pond
───
[WhatThe: Why are they catching and eating fish from the pond... Isn't that a park...?]
[└BeastkinLover: Idk?? They were putting all sorts of fish like mackerel and saury in the pond??]
[└WhatThe: Why put mackerel and saury in the pond...]
[WhatIDShouldIUse: They're holding a mackerel like it's precious right now]
[└BeastkinLover: You saw it too? lolol Maybe they really love fish because they're a cat beast-kin lolol]
[└WhatIDShouldIUse: So cute lolol]
───
"Hmm..."
Posting it online without the child's consent...
Kang Jinho peered through the window at the backyard.
He saw people sneaking glances at the two beast-kin children*, one of them hugging a mackerel like a treasure.
Fortunately, there was no one taking unauthorized photos of the child.
'Are they worried about the child?'
Well, that's understandable, it must be concerning to see a young child living like a vagrant.
Kang Jinho decided it was best to bring the child inside the building as soon as possible.