All Chapters of The Girl Who Smelled Like The Sea: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Regina Villanueva had never been on a bus.She had been on planes — business class to Singapore, to Japan, to US. She had been on yachts — her dad's yacht, bigger than Don Emilio's. But never on a bus to Dagupan, with chickens, with dried fish, with a woman live-selling bangus."MGA BESHIE, KASAMA KO SI PERFUME GIRL! FROM MANILA! MAGIGING FISH GIRL NA!" Aling Delia shouted, pointing her phone at Regina, who was wearing brand new rubber slippers — white, still shiny, still with price tag — and jeans that cost 15,000 pesos but were now covered in fish scales.Regina wanted to cry. But she remembered her dad's deal: "One week in Dagupan, or no allowance for one year."Mara met her at the terminal, with Odessa, Marina, and Victoria."Welcome to Del Mar Port," Mara said, not smiling too much, because she knew Regina was used to being welcomed with red carpet, not fish guts.Odessa looked at Regina's white slippers and laughed — not mean, like home. "Anak, those will be brown in one hour."

In Del Mar Port, there was a rule: No boyfriend can enter without passing Three Mamas.It started with Marco — who had to clean 100 kilos of fish before Odessa said yes.Then Kenji — who had to hold his breath 5 minutes to impress Marina.Then Anton — who failed, because he wouldn't even wear rubber slippers.Now Ren.The interview was set at 6 PM on the pier, with Aling Delia live-selling as host: "MGA BESHIE, BOYFRIEND INTERVIEW NI STORM! THREE MAMAS VS ONE OSAKA BOY! 30K VIEWERS NA!"Audience: All fishermen, Regina in brown slippers with Haru, Bea from Manila on video call, and Mr. Nakamura from Osaka on video call, watching his son.Mama 1: Odessa, 43, cooperative owner, holding a big bangus like a judge's gavel."Ren, question 1," Odessa said, serious. "If Mara says she wants to stay in Dagupan and not go back to Manila Law, what will you do?"Ren, in black shirt, tattoos, holding wasabi, bowed."I will stay too. I will learn to sell fish in Dagupan. My father has many managers i

Mara Del Mar was 20, in her third year at Ateneo Law, and she owned a net that owned it all.Not the fishing net Ren gave her — that one hung on her dorm wall, with three shells.But the new net — a business net, a law net, a sea net — that she made with Ren, Regina, Haru, Bea, and three mamas, that stretched from Dagupan to Manila to Osaka.It started with a problem.Osaka Fish Market had a competitor — Tokyo Fish Corp, owned by Mr. Sato, who hated Mr. Nakamura because Mr. Nakamura's contract with Del Mar Port took all the best tuna.Mr. Sato hired Villanueva Law Firm — Regina's dad's old firm before he quit to become fisherman's lawyer — to break Del Mar's contract."They say," Ren said, reading an email from Osaka at 2 AM in Mara's dorm, "Del Mar Port uses siren magic, not legal fishing, so contract is invalid under Japanese law. They want to sue."Mara, who was studying for Bar exam even though she was only third year, looked at Ren's net on wall."Then we need bigger net," she sa

Regina Villanueva got her net not from a boy from Osaka, but from a boy from Dagupan who made it with tilapia scales. It was Saturday, 4 PM, low tide, with Aling Delia live-selling at 130k viewers: "MGA BESHIE, SECOND NET-GIVING! PERFUME GIRL GETS NET FROM TILAPIA BOY!" Haru was 16, but looked 18 now — tall, brown, with siren voice from Marina and fisherman hands from Kenji, who was now 35 and still called fish. He held a small net — not big like Ren's, but made of real fishing net, with tilapia scales glued one by one, with one shell from Marina, one law book charm from Victoria, and one perfume bottle charm from Regina's old life. "Regina-san," Haru said, Tagalog with Japanese accent, nervous, hands shaking, "In Dagupan, when boy likes girl, he gives net, not ring. My net is small, because I am 16, not 21 like Ren. But I made with tilapia, because tilapia is first fish you sorted. And you sorted 10 kilos an hour on Day 3." Regina was 19 now, in second year at Ateneo Law with Ma

Manila government wanted Del Mar Port to be a resort.Not a fish port, but a 5-star resort with pool, with condo, with foreign investors — 1 billion pesos project, with letter signed by undersecretary who never went to Dagupan.Letter said: "Under national development, Del Mar Port is declared tourism zone. All fishing must stop in 30 days. Compensation: 10M pesos."10M for port now worth 180M a year. And for sea that sang back.Aling Delia live-selling at 200k viewers — biggest ever: "MGA BESHIE, GOVERNMENT GUSTO GAWING RESORT ANG PORT NATIN! 1 BILLION DAW! PERO WALANG ISDA!"Mara stood on pier, 21 now, with four nets on shoulders — fishing, world, law, money — heavy, but she stood.With her: Odessa with 200 tons tuna as evidence, Marina singing 432 Hz, Victoria with mayor stamp and Constitution, Ren with wasabi and Osaka contract, Regina with tilapia net and law books, Haru 16 with bangus net half-made, Mrs. Sy with bank investment papers, Mr. Nakamura and Mr. Sato on video with 80M