(Maguro's POV)
The door to The Fin & Bean creaked open with a gust of wind that smelled like a thunderstorm mixed with cinnamon and sea salt.
I was wiping down the counter, trying to look professional but mostly just humming a tune that might have been from the ocean—or just something I made up.
Then she appeared.
A woman wrapped in a cloak that rippled like the tide, her wide-brimmed hat casting a shadow over her face. She stepped inside with slow, sure footsteps, like a wave rolling in, certain and impossible to ignore.
I straightened up, a little too eagerly.
"Welcome to The Fin & Bean! What can I get you?"
She didn't answer right away. Instead, she said softly, "Memory roast. Black."
"Memory roast?" I blinked. "Is that… like, a coffee that makes you remember things?"
Her lips curved into a small, knowing smile. "Something like that."
I swallowed and nodded, then set to work. Grinding beans, letting the dark aroma fill the air. As I poured hot water over the grounds, the steam began to swirl, and I felt a strange tug in my chest.
The steam twisted into shapes—faint faces, vague memories—flashing images of places I hadn't seen in months but felt like I should. My breath caught.
The woman watched me silently. Her presence made the air heavy, thick with something ancient.
Suddenly, the café faded away. I was no longer behind the counter but underwater, surrounded by coral castles and rolling tides.
The salty water pressed around me, and a deep voice echoed.
"Maguro."
I gasped and stumbled back against the counter, heart pounding.
Chiyo materialized beside me, her ghostly form flickering. "You're seeing the Sea King's call again, aren't you?"
I nodded, clutching the wood. "I thought I left that world behind."
Chiyo gave me a curious look. "Wait—tell me again about this Sea King. I don't remember you explaining before."
I sighed, taking a deep breath as the memories flooded back.
"The Sea King was my ruler when I was still... well, a tuna. Not just any tuna—a retainer, someone who served under him to protect the ocean's balance. He saw something special in me, but I didn't want to be more than a fish, more than a warrior. I wanted to be human, to live on land, to find my own way."
Chiyo floated closer. "So he granted you that wish?"
"Yes. He told me that with power comes responsibility, but I begged for a different life instead. So he let me walk on two legs, taste coffee, and open this café."
The woman with the hat stepped forward, pulling back the brim just enough for me to see her eyes—swirling like galaxies caught in a storm.
"I am the Bean Witch," she said softly. "And your past isn't finished with you, Maguro."
I felt a chill run down my spine.
The café's lights flickered, shadows stretched and writhed like dark waves across the walls.
The espresso machine hissed nervously.
"Your journey is far from over," the Bean Witch said.
She didn't waste time.
"Maguro," she said quietly, "you have one last task for the Sea King."
My heart thudded. "One last…? I thought I was done with all that."
She nodded, her cloak shifting like water.
"The tides are turning, and your choice to become human doesn't erase your bond to the ocean. You must return to help him. But this time, you will be something new."
New? I swallowed hard.
The Bean Witch explained that the Sea King's power was waning. His realm was threatened by forces from the deep — ancient currents of chaos stirring beneath the waves.
Only Maguro, with her unique bridge between sea and land, could save him.
The Bean Witch's tone grew serious. "You must leave the café in trusted hands. Chiyo and Takashi will protect it while you answer the Sea King's call."
I felt a pang. My cozy chaos, the mugs with googly eyes, my strange little customers—I wasn't ready to leave.
But the look in the Bean Witch's eyes told me this wasn't a request.
With a heavy heart, I hugged Chiyo and Takashi.
"Keep the coffee weird," I joked, trying to lighten the mood.
Chiyo rolled her eyes but smiled faintly. "Don't die."
Takashi saluted with a holy water sprayer.
"We got this. Or at least, we'll make it look good on Yelp."
The next moment, the café around us shimmered and rippled like water.
The Bean Witch took my hand, and the world melted into swirling waves.
When I opened my eyes, I was underwater.
But not as I remembered.
My ears tingled. I reached up and felt delicate gills fluttering where my ears once were. My skin shimmered faintly with scales. My eyes caught light like lanterns beneath the waves.
I was no longer just a human, no longer just a tuna.
I was a bridge between two worlds.
And the Sea King awaited.
To be continued…