“Of course!” I squatted by the tub, my eyes gleaming. “This tail alone looks like it’s worth a fortune! If we took it to auction…” Rhys: “…” System: [Host, you truly have a death wish…] I grinned, reaching out to gently touch his tail. It was cool, smooth. The scales felt like exquisite silk, yet with an undeniable, unique luster. Rhys abrup- tly shivered, a soft, muffled groan escaping his throat. Me: “?” I touched it again. His breathing hitched, his long lashes fluttered, and a hazy mist formed in his deep eyes. Me: “???” The System suddenly let out a lewd chuckle. [Hehehe, Host, a merman’s tail is a sensitive spot, you know~ Which means, you just… pleasured him~] Me: “!!!” Rhys clamped onto my wrist, his voice hoarse, utterly unrecognizable. “… Don’t touch it anymore.” I blinked, feigning innocence. “Why? Doesn’t it feel good?” He took a sharp breath, then suddenly yanked me into the tub. Water splashed everywhere. I tumbled into his arms, my soaked nightgown clinging to my skin. His fish tail coiled around my legs, the scales gently brushing my skin, sending a shiver through me. His lips brushed my ear, his voice low and raspy. “… Since you touc- hed it, you’ll have to take responsibility.” “… Wait! I have five babies in my belly!” Rhys chuckled, his tail softly tapping the water. “It’s fine. I asked the doctor. After the first trimester… it’s perfectly safe.” System swiftly logged off: [Host, take care!]
… The next morning, I clutched my aching back, gritting my teeth. The System delivered a joyous report: [Congratulations, Host! Villain’s Darkness Meter has dropped
to 15%! Strange, does human “harmony” in merman form particularly reduce darkness?] Me: “…”
Fourth month of pregnancy. I suddenly remembered the doctor saying we could finally see how many babies were actually in my belly. Before, it had just been a fuzzy blob. So, Rhys and I went back to the hospital. He stood outside the ultrasound room, his expression unreadable, on the verge of speaking. “What is it?” Leyed
him suspiciously. “Is there a problem?” He was silent for two seconds, then murmured, “…Five.” Me: “???” “Five?!” I shot up from the examination table, nearly sendi- ng the ultrasound wand flying. “You merfolk are that fertile?!” Rhys quietly steadied me, his voice tinged with resignation. “… My family line has been single–child for
eighteen generations.” My eyes widened. “Then why did your generation suddenly explode?!” He cleared his throat, his gaze flickering. “… Genetic mutation, perhaps?”
7
clutched my face in despair. “How long do merfolk carry their young?” “Ten months,” he replied instantly, then paused, adding, “…Same as humans.” “Ten months?!”
I grabbed his collar in despair. “Five babies! Ten months! My belly’s going to turn into a giant ball!” Rhys tried to soothe me. “It won’t Merman babies develop slowly
at first, then later they…” “I don’t want to turn into a ball!” I cried, a mix of fury and indignation. “Rhys Blackwood! This is all your fault!” He pressed his lips together,
then suddenly reached out, gently stroking my lower abdomen. He murmured, “…Then… can crying pearls make it better?” I: “…” The System was howling with laugh-
ter in my head. [Host! You’re about to give birth to an entire merman swim team!] I gritted my teeth. “Rhys Blackwood, if I turn into a ball, you’re finished.” He sighed,
nodding in resignation. “Alright. I’m finished.” He paused, then added, “…Want a gold pearl?” I: “…”
After the prenatal check–up, Dr. Finnegan handed me a faded, yellowed old photograph. He smiled. “Don’t worry, Madam. Merman babies are only palm–sized when
they’re born. Very cute.” I looked down. In the photo, tiny Rhys was curled in a seashell, his small blue fish tail as translucent as a gemstone, his round eyes wide and
wet, innocent and bewildered. Completely unlike his adult self! I gasped in shock. “… Is this Rhys Blackwood?!” This soft, adorable little nugget… was he the same
merman as the stone–faced, ‘send–them–to–the–deep‘ boss of The Abyssal Collective now?! The doctor nodded, chuckling. “Indeed, Sir was very well–behaved as a
child, it’s just….” He paused, then, as if realizing he’d said too much, quickly clamped his mouth shut.
I narrowed my eyes, then immediately furiously poked the System in my mind. “What happened? The contrast is insane! What did he go through after coming asho- re?” The System’s voice was low and somber. [I told you to do your mission, but you slacked off. Regretting it now, aren’t you?] “Less talk, more telling!” The System sighed. [The villain’s parents were captured when he was young. His grandfather brought him ashore, trying to find them. But then…] “But then what?” [But then they found his parents had been turned into specimens, displayed in a human museum for years.] My fingers trembled, and the photo almost slipped from my grasp. The System continued. [His grandfather collapsed on the spot, his health failing rapidly. Rhys was only ten then. He wanted to reclaim his parents‘ bodies but had no
way. So, he joined the underworld, and later… through his own efforts, he became the current leader of The Abyssal Collective.]
