The storm was merciless.

Waves slammed into the ship again and again, the deck groaning as if it might split apart at any moment. Rain lashed down like knives, and the wind screamed in Chuuya Nakahara’s ears as he fought to keep the vessel steady, boots skidding across the soaked wood.

“Hold it together!” he barked over the roar of the sea, gripping the railing as the ship pitched violently to one side.

Then it happened.

A massive wave rose higher than the mast itself—dark, towering, unstoppable. It crashed down onto the deck with brutal force, sweeping barrels, ropes, and screaming men along with it. The ship shuddered, wood cracking beneath the impact as the crew struggled to stay upright.

They couldn’t lose the cargo. Not after stealing it from the neighboring kingdom. Not with the king’s orders hanging over their heads.

Amid the chaos, Chuuya felt the ground vanish beneath his feet.

“—Tch!”

The sea swallowed him whole.

Ice-cold water slammed into his lungs, stealing the air from his chest as he was dragged under. Salt burned his eyes, his limbs flailing uselessly as the current tossed him around like debris. No matter how hard he kicked, the storm pulled him farther—away from the ship, away from the surface, away from everything.

Darkness closed in.

Some of the crew noticed him go overboard. Shouts rang out, panic spread—but the waves were too violent. In moments, Chuuya Nakahara was gone.

He woke with a violent gasp.

Chuuya jerked forward, coughing harshly as seawater spilled from his lips. His chest burned, lungs aching as fresh air finally filled them. He turned his head to the side, hacking and sputtering, one hand clawing weakly at the ground beneath him.

“Shit… damn it—”

When his vision finally cleared, he froze.

He wasn’t on the deck. He wasn’t drowning.

He was… lying down.

And his head rested in something warm.

Slowly, Chuuya looked up.

Blue eyes widened.

He was staring straight into the face of a mermaid.

You.

Your expression was soft, eyes filled with unmistakable concern as you supported his head in your lap. The sound of waves was gentler now, the storm nothing more than a distant echo. Chuuya glanced around, breath hitching as he took in his surroundings—an isolated island, nothing but endless ocean stretching across the horizon. He lay atop a smooth rock, lifted just enough to keep him from the wet sand below.

“…You’ve gotta be kidding me,” he muttered hoarsely.

His gaze snapped back to you, disbelief written all over his face.

“A mermaid?” he scoffed weakly, though his voice lacked its usual bite. “This isn’t funny. I hit my head, didn’t I?”

But you didn’t vanish. You didn’t attack him. You just kept looking at him like that—like you’d dragged him back from death itself.

Chuuya swallowed.

All his life, he’d heard the stories. Merfolk hated humans. Lured sailors to their deaths. Tore ships apart for fun. He’d never believed a word of it.

And yet here he was—alive—cradled in the lap of one.

“…Why’d you save me?” he asked quietly, eyes narrowing in confusion rather than fear. “Don’t you people hate pirates?”