Shark Teeth

"Don't be so nervous, Miss Mermaid. I'm not a bad human. Can you sit down and chat with me for a bit?"

A cup of coffee, served earlier by the manager, sat on the table. Mobius picked it up and took a sip.

The rich aroma lingered on his tongue and teeth, accompanied by a distinct sweetness. It was quite good.

Mobius didn't like bitter things at all. A smile bloomed on his face, and he was very satisfied with the place.

It seemed this Mermaid Cafe wasn't just a place to satisfy desires; it had genuine culinary skill.

Shyarly's body trembled slightly. Hearing that Mobius wanted to chat with her, she blinked her eyes, and a barely audible voice slipped past her lips.

"If that's what you wish, customer..."

Pulling out a chair, Shyarly sat down properly, placing her hands obediently on her fish tail like an exemplary student.

Seeing that Shyarly was still so reserved, Mobius thought for a moment, placed the menu in front of her, and probed tentatively:

"As a reward for chatting, want some cake? We can eat while we talk."

A light sparked in Shyarly's eyes. A young girl of this age was right in the middle of her sweet-tooth phase, especially since she was currently at...

Normally she could eat until she got sick of it, but now she was restricted by several older sisters. If a customer requested it, though, it should be fine, right?

"Is that okay?"

"Of course."

Watching Shyarly happily begin to order, Mobius let out a breath as well.

Sure enough, the best way to coax a child was to treat them to something good.

"Can I... have this?"

Following Shyarly's finger, Mobius saw a picture of a cake on the menu.

Seaweed Cake.

Mobius was once again reminded of his childhood. Back then, he had been very curious about what grass cake tasted like.

"Bring two portions."

He had to taste what this was all about.

The cake arrived quickly, and an obvious light of anticipation shone in Shyarly's eyes.

Only, when delivering the food, the manager glanced at Shyarly in a subtle way, causing Shyarly to lower her head weakly.

Picking up a spoon, Mobius dug out a piece of cake topped with green cream and garnished with what looked like crushed seaweed, then popped it into his mouth.

It melted the moment it touched the tongue. It was cream, probably plant-based cream, lacking a bit in fragrance, but that special salty-freshness of the seaweed created a unique flavor.

How should he put it? It wasn't bad, just a bit like salted milk tea—those who were used to it would find it delicious, while those who weren't would be quite repulsed.

Mobius was used to eating it, spoon after spoon. The portion of the cake was decent, not running out before he could enjoy it fully.

Seeing Mobius like this, Shyarly also set her mind at ease and began to enjoy the delicious treat.

When Mobius finished eating and looked over at Shyarly, she was being extremely "ladylike," using one hand to cover half her face while the other hand scooped up the cake bite by bite into her mouth.

With curved eyebrows, Shyarly was eating happily, revealing the expression a fourteen-year-old child ought to have.

Mobius cast his gaze over, landing on the half-face Shyarly was covering. Remembering how she hadn't shown her teeth when smiling earlier, a flicker of suspicion arose in his heart.

"Allow me to ask presumptuously, Miss Mermaid, but it seems you don't want people to see your mouth?"

Clack!

Shyarly's happy cake-eating action came to an abrupt halt. Her body stiffened slightly, and she cast a sheepish look at Mobius.

Mobius was purely curious; he noticed other mermaids didn't seem to have this ladylike habit.

"Well, I'm... I'm a shark, so my mouth can be a bit terrifying. It's best not to let people see it."

Shyarly stammered out an explanation. As a Great Blue Shark Mermaid, she had a body structure very similar to a shark's, including her fish tail and teeth.

"Shark teeth..."

Mobius understood. A trait that would be considered a cute moe point in his past life might be viewed as a flaw in reality, or even face discrimination.

"Sorry, it was my lapse in manners."

"Still, this is just an appearance trait. Miss Mermaid, there's no need to hide it. This is just the way you are, isn't it? Everyone has their own unique beauty."

Mobius had never cared about hand fetishes, foot fetishes, shoulder fetishes... because he was into all of them!

"Eh?"

Shyarly tilted her head blankly.

"Really? You don't think it's terrifying?"

"My teeth are like this, you know!"

Saying that, Shyarly directly dropped her hand, parting her mouth toward Mobius to reveal a full set of fangs.

Sharp teeth, densely packed, forming a stark contrast with her mermaid appearance.

"It's not so bad. At least it's very convenient when eating hard things, isn't it?"

"I'm a mermaid. I don't eat meat, nor do I gnaw on bones."

"Um... coral?"

"You're a human. Do you go around gnawing on trees?"

"I don't."

"Then I don't either."

The conversation hit an awkward standstill for a moment. Mobius looked at the triumphant-looking Shyarly and found it inexplicably funny.

Was this a trait of people from the pirate world? They'd say they cared, then forget the next second.

Mobius smiled, and Shyarly reacted as well, immediately blinking her eyes and pulling back her smile.

"You really think it's normal?"

"I can only look after myself. I don't know about others, but I am definitely normal."

Shyarly let out a chuckle. Instead of covering her mouth like before, she openly and generously displayed her fangs.

"You really are an interesting human."

"Right back at you, Miss Mermaid."

"...Shyarly, my name is Shyarly."

"Mobius. Pleased to meet you, Miss Shyarly."

The sense of alienation between the human and the mermaid dissipated. Right now, they could be considered friends.

The manager watched quietly from the side. Seeing this situation, she also set her mind at ease and stepped forward to bring over all the remaining dishes Mobius had ordered, one by one.

Chewing on a piece of chocolate, Mobius once again felt the deliciousness. There was no cheap, gold-coin-or-gold-lingot chocolate taste here; it was a silky and rich flavor.

No wonder Big Mom would build a sweets factory on Fish-Man Island in the future. They really had a master touch here.

Mobius shared the signature dish he had ordered with Shyarly. Shyarly didn't stand on ceremony and took seconds, though she once again avoided the manager's gaze.

"As an employee, doesn't the manager let you eat while working?"

Mobius asked doubtfully. That manager looked quite amiable, after all.

"No, how should I put it..."

Shyarly muttered a few words before honestly coming clean.

"I'm currently changing my teeth. The manager and my sisters won't let me eat sweets."

Ah, sharks changing their teeth, huh? Well... that must be the human side of her acting up. But at fourteen, it seemed a bit too late; it probably had to do with her species.

"Is that so~"

Mobius casually reached out and shifted his hand, leaving the table in front of Shyarly completely empty.

"Huh?"

Shyarly wore a blank expression.

"I've decided to respect your manager's choice. She must care about you a lot."

"You guy..."

Shyarly had been a bit angry, but hearing those words, she immediately deflated.

"What else do you want with me now? Spit it out quickly, I still have to work!"

Now that they were acquainted, she stopped standing on ceremony—very fitting for Mobius's stereotyped impression of people in this world.

"I came here with high expectations. Regarding Miss Shyarly's fortune-telling, would you mind prophesying for me?"

"Oh, that~"

Shyarly casually pulled a crystal ball out from her bosom. Mobius hadn't even clearly seen how she managed to pull it out.

"Put your hand on it, let me try."

Prophecy and divination were just a walk in the park for Shyarly. Since Mobius had asked, she would just work a bit of overtime.

"So casual," Mobius muttered, but still placed his hand on it.

Hum~

As the crystal ball emitted specks of light, Shyarly closed her eyes, beginning to foresee the distant futu...

Huh?

Where was the future?

Shyarly snapped her eyes wide open. Impossible! How could she not see anything at all?!

Could this mean... could this possibly be...

"What's wrong?"

Seeing Shyarly's expression change drastically, Mobius turned solemn as well.

Could it be that he was going to destroy Fish-Man Island too?

"I... I couldn't see your future..."

Shyarly spoke with a tremble, avoiding Mobius's gaze. Her line of sight had nowhere to land, and her heart pounded wildly.

"Nothing?"

Mobius frowned. Was it still because of the time-travel issue, which meant his future couldn't be foreseen?

"I've had this happen before."

"Hm? How so?"

Mobius instinctively grew alert. Could there be another time-traveler here besides him?!

"When I was foreseeing my older brother's future."

"Ah?"

"A fortuneteller cannot foresee her own future, nor can she foresee the future of anyone connected to her. Parents, ancestors, siblings, descendants, and spouses or lovers—none of them can be seen..."

Shyarly's voice grew fainter and fainter, until in the end, it was almost indistinguishable from the buzzing of a mosquito.

"Parents... what else!?"

Mobius snapped to attention. Could it be...

Oh no! He had become Alec!