Fisher Tiger couldn't help nodding as he watched the flames of conviction burn in Barn's unfocused eyes.
"But!"
Barn suddenly turned his face away, looking back up at the night sky that remained nothing but darkness to his eyes.
"Fisher Tiger, I think you'd be better off 'dead.' Of course, I'm not telling you to actually die. I think it's time you disappeared from the Navy's sight for a while."
As Barn said this, he turned back around and faced Fisher Tiger with a solemn expression.
"Why?"
The serious look on Barn's face startled Fisher Tiger. He didn't understand. He had finally come to terms with accepting the human blood flowing through his veins, yet he still had to "die."
"How do you view the relationship between humans and fish-men, Fisher Tiger?"
Barn's seemingly abrupt question sent Fisher Tiger deep into thought.
That's right. How do I really view the relationship between humans and fish-men?
Personally, I won't be able to trust humans again anytime soon.
But Queen Otohime is still working hard on Fish-Man Island to get fish-men to accept humans. I know she's right, but...
These thoughts ran through Fisher Tiger's mind, yet he couldn't make up his mind.
The question left him hopelessly conflicted. He actually wanted to interact with humans, or rather, grow closer to them. But this incident had chilled his heart again, trapping him in a misguided line of thought until he could no longer tell where he stood.
"We only encountered a small group of extremists. Most humans are still kind..."
Fisher Tiger said this, repeating one of Queen Otohime's most frequently used phrases when she urged the islanders of Fish-Man Island to grow closer to humans. But before he could finish, Barn interrupted him.
"Do you really believe that, Fisher Tiger?"
Barn