Shirahoshi's Misunderstanding

He seemed completely unprepared for Lin Yan to say such a thing to him.

Shirahoshi was completely stunned.

Then, realizing what had happened, the girl's face suddenly turned blood red.

"Ah... well, isn't this a bit too fast? We only met yesterday..."

Shirahoshi shrank back, her pretty face flushed red, and looked at Lin Yan shyly.

Great opportunity!

Lin Yan immediately noticed that Shirahoshi was hesitant and seemed inclined to agree, so she immediately put on a bright smile.

"I think there's absolutely no problem with that!"

Lin Yan said this in a righteous and righteous tone.

There's a saying in my hometown, "One true friend is worth more than a thousand casual acquaintances." It means that two people who understand each other are far more important than ordinary relationships!

"Although we only met yesterday, I don't think it's a problem at all!"

"So Shirahoshi, come with me!"

Lin Yan looked at Shirahoshi with great interest and said.

From the very beginning, he didn't value Shirahoshi's strength; the Sea King's identity was completely irrelevant to Lin Yan.

Lin Yan simply liked this kind-hearted girl very much.

My heart and my actions are as clear as a mirror.

Everything we do is just!

Or to put it simply...

Lin Yan's old habit of recruiting people has started again...

There's nothing we can do about it.

As is common knowledge, after all.

Stamp collecting...

It's addictive!

Seeing that the people who met her expectations had not yet boarded the ship, Lin Yan felt like ants were crawling all over her body.

"What, what, what?!"

Faced with Lin Yan's incredibly eager gaze, Shirahoshi was completely dumbfounded.

Are people really this direct these days?!

We've only known each other for a day and we're already practically talking about confessing our feelings?!

Ugh... I'm not ready at all!

Shirahoshi's pretty face flushed red as she thought this shyly.

Or should we fast forward to the wedding next?

What's the child's name?

Shirahoshi's mind started to go completely blank, and in just a short while, she even almost came up with a name for the child!

It's not surprising that Shirahoshi misunderstood.

After all, Lin Yan's explanation was somewhat problematic.

Furthermore, it wasn't initially stated that Shirahoshi would join his pirate ship.

To be honest, when a young girl hears "Come with me," nine times out of ten she'll think of that direction, right?

Even a simple Shirahoshi is no exception.

Never eaten pork, but have you never seen a pig run?

Reasonable.

"Um, well... I... I need to think about it!"

Seeing Lin Yan staring straight at her, Shirahoshi was so shy she almost fainted, and could only call out in a panic.

Her mind was in complete turmoil.

Uh... it can't be that bad, can it?

Seeing Shirahoshi's flustered expression, Lin Yan tilted her head in confusion, instinctively feeling that something was off about Shirahoshi's reaction.

But upon further reflection, Lin Yan felt relieved.

You should know that Shirahoshi in front of you has always lived a secluded life, just like a lady from a wealthy family who never leaves her home.

Suddenly, he heard that he was going to go to sea with him and leave his hometown.

It's understandable that you would feel troubled.

Lin Yan expressed her complete understanding.

After all, a girl should sort out her feelings and inform her family before going on a long trip, so it's perfectly normal that Shirahoshi didn't immediately agree.

Thinking of this, Lin Yan smiled and nodded.

"Of course, that's no problem. We should definitely discuss this with Neptune and the others."

Lin Yan said this with an air of seriousness.

Completely oblivious to Shirahoshi's increasingly flushed face.

Lin Yan stroked her chin and pondered for a moment before speaking again.

"How about this, we'll stay here for about a week. Just give me your answer before you leave, Shirahoshi, is that alright?"

"... Um."

God knows how much effort it took to keep from fainting from embarrassment.

Shirahoshi finally managed a reluctant nod.

Hmm...

If you have a week, inform your father and then prepare for the wedding.

It should be just barely enough, right?

Shirahoshi thought to herself, feeling a little dizzy.

Completely unaware that the two were chatting across servers, Lin Yan breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Shirahoshi nod in agreement.

To give the girl some space to think things through carefully.

Lin Yan didn't linger there for long. After exchanging a few words with Shirahoshi, she turned and left.

There's not much to say about what happened after that.

The crisis on Fish-Man Island has been resolved.

The matter concerning Sea King is almost resolved.

The following week on Fish-Man Island was essentially just a nominal bodyguard job; I didn't do any real work.

Now Hody Jones is dead, Vander Decken has been arrested.

There shouldn't be any unexpected problems.

Feeling quite pleased with herself, Lin Yan didn't hesitate much and quickly went back to the accommodation Neptune had prepared for her to rest.

As the saying goes, laziness and slacking off are human nature.

After several busy days, Lin Yan decided to relax a bit.

Of course.

Just an hour later, Lin Yan felt like strangling herself for trying to slack off...

That's a story for another time, so let's leave it at that for now.

For a long time after Lin Yan left, Shirahoshi sat quietly on the rock, lost in thought.

He recalled every little thing that happened after he met Lin Yan.

Shirahoshi showed no disgust whatsoever.

He was her first friend, the one who protected her, and the one who encouraged her to emerge from the shadows and carry on her mother's legacy.

Looking back, it's all memories filled with sweet, tender feelings.

If I were to marry Lin Yan...

I don't dislike it.

This is Shirahoshi's answer.

To put it in more down-to-earth terms...

We're at least friends, or more.

Realizing this, the girl's face flushed slightly again, and she looked around cautiously, as if afraid that someone would discover her secret.

Having become somewhat aware of her own feelings, Shirahoshi quickly became restless and, without much hesitation, swam directly towards the royal palace of Fish-Man Island.

Meanwhile, Neptune was sitting on his throne, holding documents and handling the aftermath.

At one point, as if sensing something, Neptune raised his head, a hint of affection unconsciously appearing on his face.

"Shirahoshi, what brings you here? Oh, what's wrong?"

Neptune looked at Shirahoshi with a kind expression, then quickly realized something was wrong.

Why is your face so red?

For some reason, Neptune suddenly had a bad feeling.

And sure enough, it happened.

Shirahoshi's face was simply flushed.

"Father, my dear father, it seems... I'm getting married."

"..."

Neptune:??????