For Senga, who possesses eternal life, saying "Long live" is tantamount to shortening her lifespan.
However, Senga didn't pay much attention to such things. After the Neptune family expressed their sincerest gratitude to him, they invited Senga to the head seat.
As the main character of the birthday party, Shirahoshi felt it was only natural. She sat down close to Senga and boldly placed one hand on Senga's thigh.
Senga glanced at Shirahoshi. Although she appeared nonchalant, the two blushes on her face betrayed her inner nervousness.
With a slight smile, Senga didn't point it out until the dishes were placed on the table and the banquet officially began.
Shirahoshi also started busying herself, constantly putting food into Senga's plate while muttering to herself.
"Lord Senga, please try this, it tastes great!"
Her actions made it seem as if it were Senga celebrating her birthday today.
Neptune and Otohime exchanged a glance, and Neptune lowered his voice and said...
"Shirahoshi is already an adult. I think her feelings for the king are quite special. Shouldn't we, as parents, give her a push?"
Otohime thought for a moment and said,
"Of course, but the King's status is far too noble; we are not qualified to bring up such a thing with him. In the end, it depends on Shirahoshi herself."
As she spoke, Otohime glanced at the three Shark Star brothers, who were showing off their food like crazy. Prince Uro, seeing Otohime looking over, handed her a chicken leg and said in a muffled voice,
"Mother, would you like some chicken legs?"
Otohime sighed silently, smiled and waved her hand, then handed him her own dessert, saying softly,
"Eat more, you're still growing!"
"Uh-huh!"
After the banquet, Shirahoshi accompanied Senga to stroll around Fish-Man Island. The two arrived at Fish-Man District, where Hody Jones had previously been. The once dirty and chaotic streets had now been completely transformed.
Jinbe took over the area again, and under his management, no Fish-Man dared to cause trouble. This blue fat man still had a high reputation among the Fish-Man race, especially after Hody Jones and other extremists were eliminated.
Senga even saw humans here, something that would have been absolutely impossible before.
The two finally arrived at Fish-Man Bay, a gathering place for mermaids. Looking around, almost all the mermaids were beautiful, making it a very pleasing sight.
Senga and Shirahoshi's appearance caused a commotion, with a large number of mermaids swarming over them, engulfing Senga in a sea of white waves.
The mermaids were so enthusiastic that Shirahoshi held onto Senga's hand tightly. Helpless, Senga pulled her along and disappeared into the crowd.
The next moment, the two returned to Shirahoshi's room. Shirahoshi patted her chest and said,
"That was terrifying! We were almost separated from the group!"
Senga smiled and pulled Shirahoshi to her big bed. Shirahoshi must have been tired from walking around, because she lay down next to Senga as soon as she got on the bed, truly not treating Senga as an outsider.
She pouted and said,
"Lord Senga is leaving soon, isn't he? Who knows when we'll see each other again!"
Senga reached out and playfully pinched Shirahoshi's nose, saying with a smile,
"If you want to meet, that's easy. Didn't I give you a golden Kunai? You can use that to contact me."
"Hmm... I don't want to be separated from Lord Senga!"
Shirahoshi blinked her big eyes at Senga, becoming increasingly bolder in her own room.
Senga lay down as well, Shirahoshi immediately put her arm around Senga's waist, pressing herself against Senga in a very ambiguous position.
Looking at the huge crystal chandelier on the ceiling, Senga suddenly asked,
"Shirahoshi, you haven't gone out to see the world yet, have you?"
"Yes, I've lived on Fish-Man Island since I was a child, and I've never been anywhere else."
"Would you like to go out and take a look? This sea is quite vast."
"Of course I want to, but my father is worried about me. He says that if I leave here, I'll be targeted by some malicious people!"
"Your father is right, you don't realize how much you can hurt most human men."
"And what about Lord Senga Chiga? Have I... um, been harmful to you?"
Senga turned to face Shirahoshi, and the two stared at each other for a while. Suddenly, Shirahoshi felt an impulse, closed her eyes, and pressed her lips directly against Senga's.
The touch was brief, and Shirahoshi glanced at Senga with a blush on her face before immediately burying her face in the soft sheets, not daring to look into Senga's golden eyes again.
Senga was amused by her behavior. He nudged Shirahoshi and asked,
"Hey, you're trying to ambush me, aren't you? Now you're playing the ostrich again?"
Shirahoshi's muffled voice rang out.
"Um, I'm so sorry, Lord Senga. I don't know what happened to me just now. Please forgive me~"
A wicked smile crept across Senga's lips as he wrapped his arms around Shirahoshi's slender waist and pulled her into his embrace.
Shirahoshi quickly covered her face with her hands, and Senga whispered in her ear.
"It's too late to hide now, I have to pay for this!"
"Lord Senga... Ugh!"
After a while, Shirahoshi, her face flushed, lay on Senga and drew circles on Senga's chest with her finger.
Senga put one arm around her and said,
"I won't be going back with the fleet later."
Upon hearing this, Shirahoshi was overjoyed and propped herself up from Senga, asking,
"Eh? Lord Senga is staying here tonight?!"
Senga nodded and said,
"Staying for one night is fine, but I have to go somewhere else tomorrow. How about it? Want to come with me?"
Shirahoshi was more than willing, nodding vigorously and agreeing without hesitation.
Senga joked,
"I'll sell you then, you mermaid princess! You'll get at least several mountains of gold in return!"
Shirahoshi chuckled, leaned closer to Senga, and whispered...
"I don't believe it! Lord Senga isn't short of money, but the Little Mermaid is one of a kind!"
Senga looked at Shirahoshi with surprise and asked,
"Hey? Who taught you that?"
Shirahoshi regretted her words as soon as they were spoken. She turned away and said weakly,
"That's what the ladies at Mermaid Bay said..."
Because of Senga, Shirahoshi, who was freed from the Hard-Shell Tower ahead of time, naturally had more opportunities to interact with the outside world, and her personality became much braver than when she was originally in Sora.
"That's certainly a good thing," Senga said with a smile, patting Shirahoshi's head twice.
"Alright, go tell your parents. This is your first time traveling so far from home."
"Yes, I'll go tell them right away. I'm really looking forward to it!"