The gimbap arrived within thirty minutes, thanks to the power of money earned from a night’s worth of work. Dawn thanked the security guard who came to deliver the delivery on behalf of the delivery personnel. It was one of the special services that set his luxury apartments apart from others. No unauthorised personnel were allowed inside, and only verified security members were allowed to conduct house visits.
“The food is here,” Dawn called out to Aqua, who had her eyes glued onto a children’s show. It wasn’t something a regular eighteen-year-old would be interested in, but it was perfect for Aqua as the mermaid was already starting to use the newly learned vocabulary.“We should order starberry next time,” she peered from behind the sofa.“It’s strawberry. We can order the fruits you want to try, and if you can’t finish them, we can turn them into fruit smoothies.”“What’s a smoothieDawn’s growling stomach woke him up several hours later. The mafia boss went downstairs and found his penthouse in disarray. Aqua was like a fish in water, even without her tail. When he told her to make herself comfortable, the mermaid took the chance to reorganise his furniture in a strategic way so that she could easily access the snacks in his kitchen.“Did you find a way to get to the bathroom?” he asked out of curiosity.From the sofa, Aqua turned and hung her head over the armrest to greet Dawn. She giggled at his messy hair and gave him a victory sign. Aqua definitely fitted in with the human culture faster than he imagined, thanks to the influence of the media.“It was difficult to move the wheel-chair, but it was worth it. Why didn’t you tell me about them? They make perfect legs for moving around, except for going up the stairs!”Honestly, Dawn didn’t even think about it. Aqua was using his office chair like an
As expected, Aqua’s reaction to the giant meatball was as amusing as Dawn thought it would be. The mermaid practically worshipped the lump of meat and refused to cut it into smaller bite-sized chunks to eat it. Instead, the ambitious mermaid attempted to stretch her jaw and swallow it whole, smearing tomato sauce all over her chin. Her failed attempt created a mess, and she eventually conceded when Dawn pointed out how there would be no difference between biting it into smaller pieces and cutting it up.After a messy dinner, Dawn taught Aqua how to do the dishes. The mermaid did her best not to drop the plates even if they were slippery, even though there was one close call. The mafia boss thanked his quick reflexes and placed the dirty dish in the dishwasher. Then, he told Aqua it was time for another bath.“But why?” the mermaid protested. “I just had one not long ago.”According to her logic, showers and baths were unnecessary. After a
After a long shower, Dawn found Aqua in the jacuzzi, watching a movie. She must have gotten bored watching all the cooking shows.“You ready to do some shopping?” Dawn asked, holding a measuring tape in his hand.Aqua looked at the new item in the human’s hand and blinked. What was that?The measuring tape was something similar to a rope. Aqua had no idea why Dawn had to write down something each time he measured a body part. However, the mafia boss paused when it came to her tail. Even though he took measurements of her tail and fins, it wasn’t enough.“We need to take measurements when you have legs in the morning,” he told her. “It’s to find a proper skirt length that will hide your tail when it transforms, especially when we are outside.”Ah, that made sense. The human she saved was very meticulous. He thought about things that she never considered. Without him, Aqua would have been sold and made into sushi. Although Dawn was a nice human, Aqua did not like the ot
Once again, Aqua proved to be a quick learner. Even if she was unfamiliar with the concept of gravity and balance on land, the mermaid soon found a way to walk with her legs. It still looked awkward and highly unnatural, but her independence gave Dawn some reassurance knowing how independent Aqua was.Dawn had a late night, but when he woke, he learned that Aqua had already taken a shower and drained the jacuzzi herself. She even mastered the art of cleaning the bathroom and floors using sponges, brushes, and towels. However, the mermaid was still clumsy around the house, leaving towels strewn all over the floor after she dried it. Dawn didn’t mind. He simply bent down to pick up the wet towels and headed downstairs.At the bottom of the stairs, Dawn spotted more towels. Aqua might have used up his entire towel supply in just one night. If he knew this was going to happen, he would have added more towels to the shopping cart yesterday.The towel was tied to the
Dawn didn’t think there would be a lady in this world who would be unashamed to eat more than a man. While he ate two cups of instant ramen for breakfast, something he didn’t usually do because true mafiosi only drank black coffee, Aqua had three cups of instant noodles. Hence, they were officially out of survival rations after a single meal.To prevent Aqua from panicking, Dawn quickly reassured the mermaid that they wouldn’t die simply because they ran out of survival rations. All they had to do was buy more. However, she grew concerned when Aqua learned what was needed to buy food.“How will we get money?” the mermaid asked.Although she did not know much about the human world, money was the one thing she knew was precious to humans. Many would fight over it, and things often did not end well when money was involved. Was Dawn in trouble because of money as well?“Did you get pushed off the bridge because of a mon
Don Daniels was a man who liked to surround himself with classy and sophisticated women. Dawn had only known the polished and vicious side of women growing up all his life. They might be soft and demure on the outside, but there were also thorns or poisoned barbs behind those pretty smiles. One could never be too careful around women as they have the ability to disarm a man.“Behind every successful man is a successful woman. Without women, men are useless,” Dawn’s father used to say. It was a lesson beaten into him from a young age. No matter how awful a lady was, no true-blooded mafiosi would ever lay their hands on her. Even Ricardo, the slimy bastard, respected this rule. They still followed a code of chivalry in the modern era, and Dawn questioned it.Looking at the mermaid before him, Dawn wondered what his father would say about this imperfect lady. She was very different from the women he knew. Yet, Dawn liked how rough around the edges she was, l
Nervously, Aqua stared at the phone on the table. Dawn told her to put her newly learned etiquette to use and order then lunch. It was the same sushi place that they stopped by in the car, and Aqua’s stomach overpowered her fear of talking to other humans.“I’ll be right here,” Dawn reassured the jittery mermaid. “Just tap me if you need help. The menu is here. We’ve already rehearsed what to say. You’ll be alright.”True. Aqua and Dawn rehearsed what to say when answering the phone. The mafia boss was very thorough with the scenario, and Aqua remembered all the etiquette she needed to use.According to Dawn, there were three stages of ordering food. The first was a greeting, the second was an order placement, and the third was order confirmation. Dawn would handle the payment part when money was transferred, so Aqua only had to tell the dutiful sushi chef what she wanted to eat.As the phone rang, Aqua mental
Geography was a mind-blowing topic. They ended up discussing hypothetical travel plans after Dawn showed Aqua the map of the world. The world was much bigger than Aqua thought it was. She knew that the stars in the skies were endless, like the depths of the ocean. However, she had no idea it would be this huge.“Humans are amazing! How did they draw all the land that they’ve been on? How many people had to draw this? Also, how do they know how vast the ocean is?”That was a fair point. Dawn had never questioned it before, so they ended up searching the internet for answers. The phone assistant, Seeree, answered Aqua’s questions patiently, and after watching Dawn talk to her a few times, Aqua learned how to do it.However, there was one small problem.“We need to set up a voice assistant when your phone arrives so you can talk to it. This phone is mine. It wouldn’t work with your voice.”Nodding, Aqua was about to ask