"Whoa! You scared me!" Merchant A yelped, jolting so hard he nearly fell out of his chair.
"Good heavens! Friend, when did you get behind us? Do you even make a sound when you walk?" Merchant B added, clutching his chest as his heart hammered against his ribs.
It was an understandable reaction. Anyone leisurely enjoying coffee and conversation would be startled if a figure the size of a small mountain suddenly appeared behind them without a single sound. As their racing hearts began to settle, the two merchants finally got a clear look at the newcomer.
His tall and incredibly burly physique, the unique red tint of his skin, and the iconic, shark-like teeth... "A Fishman?" they said in unison.
The moment he heard that word, Fisher Tiger's brow furrowed. His deep-set eyes, which had witnessed all the ugliness and prejudice the world had to offer, instinctively filled with vigilance and a familiar, weary caution.
Here it comes again, he thought. That same look, a mixture of curiosity and scrutiny.
Sighing internally, he suppressed the familiar sting of disappointment and gave the two startled humans a slight bow. "My apologies for disturbing you," he said in his deep voice.
He turned to leave, but before he could take a step, Merchant A, the one who had nearly jumped out of his skin, reached out and gently took his arm.
"Hey, where are you going?" the merchant asked with an embarrassed smile. "It was our fault for being so jumpy, not yours. Since you're here, why don't you sit down and have a drink with us?"
"Yeah, that's right!" Merchant B immediately agreed, enthusiastically pulling over an empty chair. "Pull up a seat! It's fate that brought us together!"
Fisher Tiger froze. He looked down at the two overly enthusiastic humans, and for the first time in a long time, something other than caution flickered in his eyes. "You..." he began hesitantly, "...don't mind?"
"Mind?" The two merchants looked at each other, completely baffled by his question. "Mind what?" Merchant A asked.
Fisher Tiger looked them directly in the eyes. "I... am a Fishman," he stated, enunciating each word. "You... aren't afraid?"
He expected them to offer some insincere excuse or to subtly create more distance between them. Instead, their reaction once again caught him completely off guard. They stared at him with utter confusion, as if he had just said something nonsensical.
"A Fishman?" Merchant B repeated, sounding puzzled. "What's there to be afraid of? We've had a lot of Fishman craftsmen come to Ambri Island lately. Their skills are incredible!"
Fisher Tiger studied their faces intently. He saw the lingering fright from being startled, he saw curiosity, and he saw a genuine, friendly enthusiasm. But the one thing he couldn't find, no matter how hard he looked, was the deep-seated fear and discrimination he knew so well. Their expressions were sincere.
Slowly, he lowered himself onto the chair, which looked comically small beneath his large frame. Even while sitting, he was so tall that the two human merchants had to tilt their heads up slightly to look at him.
"Wow, friend, you're really tall!" Merchant A exclaimed.
"No kidding," Merchant B echoed, his face a mask of envy. "I wish I were a Fishman! With a build like that, nobody would ever dare to bully me!"
Fisher Tiger felt as if he had heard something impossible. "You... you think being a Fishman is a good thing?" he asked, almost blurting out the words. "You even... want to be one?"
"Of course!" Merchant B said, as if it were obvious. "Look at you guys! You're tall, naturally strong, probably several times stronger than us humans, and you can live freely underwater! Your race is amazing!"
"Oh, please," Merchant A scoffed, mercilessly teasing his friend. "I think you're just saying that. Your real reason for wanting to be a Fishman is so you can marry a mermaid, isn't it?"
Caught out, Merchant B wasn't angry at all. He just chuckled and shot them both a look that every man in the world would understand.
Fisher Tiger listened to their unguarded, almost envious banter, and his mind began to drift. He could feel it clearly—these two ordinary humans held absolutely no malice toward him, nor toward his identity as a Fishman. They were treating him as an equal, with a surprising degree of kindness.
While he was lost in thought, Merchant A suddenly turned the conversation back to him.
"Friend, judging by your reaction, I'm guessing this is your first time visiting Ambri Island, right?"
Fisher Tiger collected himself. "What makes you say that?"
The merchant chuckled. "It's a normal reaction. I've seen plenty of people from other races, especially Fishmen like yourself. When they first get here, the look on their face... it's pretty much the same one you had just now."
Fisher Tiger fell silent, wondering if his guard was that obvious.
"By the way, friend, we haven't gotten your name yet. What brings you to the island?" Merchant B asked.
"My name is Tiger. Fisher Tiger," he introduced himself. "I come from Fish-Man Island. I'm an... adventurer."
"Fish-Man Island?!"
Hearing that, both merchants' eyes lit up instantly. Merchant B leaned in closer, his voice filled with excitement. "Brother! Brother! Is it true? Does Fish-Man Island really have... you know... the legendary mermaids? The really, really beautiful ones?!"
Fisher Tiger thought of the girls at the Mermaid Cafe and of Queen Otohime. He finally gave a slow nod. "If... you are judging by human standards of beauty, then yes... that is correct."
"WOOOW! That's incredible!" Merchant B exclaimed. "As soon as I earn enough money, I'm definitely going to Fish-Man Island! I'm going to marry the most beautiful mermaid and make her my wife!"
Merchant A had a similar expression, his face full of longing for the undersea paradise.
Taking a deep breath, Fisher Tiger once again asked the question that weighed heavily on his mind. "You two... you really don't mind?"
They both looked back at him with the same confused expressions as before. "Mind what?"
"After all... they are mermaids," Fisher Tiger said carefully. "And you... are humans. Do you really... want to marry mermaids?"
"Of course we don't mind!"
"If I could marry a mermaid, I'd die a happy man!"
Their answers were immediate, enthusiastic, and perfectly in sync.
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