The instant she emerged from the water, the mermaid's dry hair fanned out in the wind, revealing crystal-like scales along her cheeks.
It should have been a breathtaking sight, but Kid caught a glimpse of it with his sharp eyes, and his heart suddenly sank. Instinctively, he sensed that something was wrong.
The next moment, his gaze dropped and landed abruptly on the mermaid's long, slender tail.
Kid: "..."
Kid: "..."
Kid: "!!!"
Before his mind could process it, his hand was already raised, pressing down on the mermaid's shoulder.
The mermaid froze, somewhat surprised. This human was really enthusiastic—he had come right up and put a hand on her shoulder. After dealing with Jiang Xia for so long, she had thought her current appearance did not suit teenagers' tastes.
She was secretly a little pleased, feeling that this Phantom Thief had a good eye for beauty.
The next second, driven by his survival instinct, Kid erupted with tremendous strength. He squeezed his eyes shut and, with a hard shove, forced the mermaid who had just surfaced right back into the river.
With a tremendous splash.
Jiang Xia looked at the mermaid, slapped flat against the water and stripped of all elegance, as well as the surging spray. "..."
Having thrown the fish, Kid swiftly pulled back his hand, shook off the water, and stood there still shaken.
Then he noticed Mist Tengu silently watching him from nearby, and suddenly remembered: he seemed to have thrown down the helper Mist Tengu had invited.
He immediately felt a little awkward. "Um, I didn't do that on purpose. It was just, just..."
Jiang Xia: I don't really mind. After all, I'm not the one who got thrown down that disgracefully.
But...
A parabola suddenly flashed before his eyes.
—The Memory Egg burst