The sound of the waves came and went steadily, sliding over the still-damp sand. The sky was clear, almost too peaceful for a place like this.
Lying on the beach, Yogiri Takato slowly opened his eyes.
He stared at the sky for a few moments without moving, as if he were simply trying to understand his surroundings. Yet there was no sign of concern on his face. The situation was unfamiliar, but that alone did not seem enough to provoke any kind of reaction from him.
He slowly sat up, letting his gaze drift toward the sea, then toward the village in the distance. Nothing was familiar to him, and yet he showed no surprise or panic, as if this change did not truly matter.
He remained seated in the sand, observing in silence.
A short distance away, Nami suddenly stopped when she noticed him.
She had been returning from the village, her mind already occupied with her own problems, but the presence of a stranger on the beach immediately caught her attention. In a place like this, an outsider never went unnoticed, especially under the current circumstances.
Her eyes quickly scanned the area around them, instinctively checking that no fish-men were nearby. Seeing no one, she hesitated briefly before heading toward him at a quick pace.
"Hey! You!"
Her voice was low, controlled, but urgent.
Yogiri Takato slightly turned his head toward her, without making any effort to stand.
"If you care about your life, you shouldn't stay here. Come on, hurry."
She stopped in front of him, ready to act more directly if needed, but something about his attitude made her hesitate. He was simply looking at her, without the slightest trace of concern, which strongly contrasted with the situation.
"Are you listening to me?" she asked, slightly annoyed.
"Yes."
His answer was simple, spoken in a neutral tone.
"Then move."
"Why?"
Nami let out a quiet sigh, irritated by his obvious lack of reaction.
"Because this place is dangerous, alright? There are people you really don't want to run into."
"Alright."
He finally stood up, without rushing.
She motioned for him to follow and took the lead, preferring to move away from the beach before anyone noticed them. They walked in silence for a short while, until they reached a more secluded spot.
Once she was sure they weren't being watched, she turned to face him and crossed her arms.
"Alright. Who are you?"
"Yogiri."
"Just Yogiri?"
"Yes."
She stared at him, trying to detect hesitation or a lie, but found nothing.
"Where are you from?"
A brief silence passed.
"I don't know."
She frowned slightly.
"Are you messing with me?"
"No."
His answer remained just as flat, without the slightest change in tone, which only made her confusion grow.
Nami observed him more carefully. His behavior was strange, but not in the usual way. He didn't seem nervous, arrogant, or even truly engaged. It was as if he accepted everything that was happening without feeling the need to react.
"Fine… whatever," she finally said, lowering her voice slightly. "What matters is that you need to avoid drawing attention here."
He looked at her the same way as before, attentive without truly being involved.
"Fish-men control this village. If they see you wandering around like this, it won't end well for you."
"Alright."
She clenched her teeth slightly.
"Do you at least understand what I'm saying?"
"Yes."
"And that doesn't bother you?"
"No."
This time, she fell silent for a moment, thrown off by such a simple answer.
"Seriously… you're weird."
"I've been told that before."
The calm returned, disturbed only by the distant sound of the waves.
Nami looked away, thinking. She had no reason to help him, and yet she couldn't just ignore him either. There was something about him that both intrigued and unsettled her.
"You can't just stay here like this," she continued. "If someone sees you, it's going to cause trouble, and not just for you."
She hesitated briefly before adding,
"Stay low. And don't talk to just anyone."
"Alright."
He accepted everything without arguing, without asking questions, as if none of it really mattered to him.
Nami gave him one last look, still unable to truly figure him out.
"Just don't do anything stupid."
"I won't."
She paused for a brief moment, then turned away and walked off.
Behind her, Yogiri simply shifted his attention back to the sea, as if this encounter had been nothing more than a minor detail in a world he had not yet tried to understand.
The sound of the waves continued to spread across the shore, steady and almost soothing, as if nothing could truly disturb this place.
Yogiri Takato remained seated facing the sea, his gaze fixed on the horizon, showing no sign of impatience or questioning. He did not seem to be trying to understand where he was, nor to give any meaning to the situation. Time simply passed, without holding any particular importance.
Not far away, Nami had not truly left. She had stopped after a few steps, unable to completely ignore this stranger who had appeared without explanation. She watched from a distance, caught between caution and a curiosity she did not want to acknowledge.
It was within this fragile calm that another presence eventually appeared. A fish-man emerged from the village and walked toward the beach with a quiet confidence, like someone used to imposing himself without needing to announce it. His gaze quickly settled on Yogiri, and an immediate suspicion crossed his expression.
He approached without rushing, letting the silence stretch until it became almost heavy, before finally stopping a few steps away.
"You."
His voice was deep and steady, yet carried clear authority.
Yogiri Takato slightly turned his head toward him without standing.
"What are you doing here?"
Yogiri took a brief moment before answering, as if the question did not require an immediate response.
"I'm here."
The answer came simply, without provocation.
The fish-man studied his face for a few seconds, likely searching for a trace of mockery or defiance, but found none.
"I asked you a question."
"I know."
His tone remained even, unchanged.
A faint tension settled in the air. The man took another step forward, his gaze growing sharper, as if he were gradually losing patience in the face of such an unnatural lack of reaction.
"You're not from here. People like you don't belong here."
"I don't know where I am."
That answer seemed to exhaust what little patience he had left. He let out an irritated breath and slightly raised his hand, ready to put an end to the conversation.
"Wait!"
Nami's voice cut through the moment with a haste she did not try to hide. She quickly stepped forward and placed herself between them, her gaze briefly flicking toward Yogiri before focusing on the fish-man.
"He's with me."
She forced herself to remain calm, though a slight tension could be felt in her posture.
The man turned his head toward her, surprised by her intervention.
"With you?"
"Yes. He's a traveler. He got lost, that's all. I'll handle it."
She spoke in a composed manner, trying to make the situation sound as simple as possible, as if that alone could make it acceptable.
A silence followed. The man looked at Yogiri, then back at her, seemingly weighing both her words and her presence.
"You know very well that outsiders cause problems."
"I know," she replied immediately. "That's why I'm going to make him leave without drawing attention."
For a brief moment, he did not respond. His gaze shifted between the two of them, as if still evaluating the situation, but something gradually changed in his expression. The hesitation he had shown until then slowly faded, replaced by a colder, more decisive resolve.
"No."
The word was simple, but final.
"I'll take care of it now."
His attention returned entirely to Yogiri, and this time there was no ambiguity left in his intent.
Yogiri Takato slightly raised his eyes toward him without moving any further, as if that alone was enough.
"Death."
The word was spoken calmly, without emphasis, almost like an obvious conclusion.
There was no visible effect, no warning sign. And yet, in the very next instant, the fish-man's body froze abruptly, as if something deep within him had been cut off, before collapsing onto the sand without making a sound.
The waves continued their motion, unchanged.
The wind passed between them as if nothing had happened.
But Nami remained still.
Her gaze first fell on the body, then slowly rose back to Yogiri. She did not seem to understand what she was seeing, nor even accept that it had truly happened. For a few seconds, she did not move, as if her mind was still trying to catch up with something it could not fully grasp.
"…What did you do?"
Her voice was lower now, less steady, marked by a confusion she no longer tried to hide.
Yogiri Takato slightly turned his head toward her.
"Nothing."
She remained silent, her eyes moving back to the body and then to him again, with visible hesitation.
"No… I heard you… you said something…"
She stopped, as if putting it into words would only make it more real.
Her gaze stayed on him a little longer, searching for an explanation, a detail that could make sense of everything, but there was nothing in his expression that matched what she had just witnessed.
She inhaled slowly, as if trying to regain control.
"…That's not possible."
The words came out almost on their own.
A silence followed, heavier than the ones before.
"You could have waited," she finally said, though she did not really know why.
"Why?"
The simplicity of the question unsettled her further. She slightly looked away before answering.
"Because I was trying to avoid this."
She briefly gestured toward the body without approaching it.
"Now it's only going to make things worse."
Yogiri Takato remained silent.
Nami ran a hand through her hair, visibly shaken, then looked around as if she was only now becoming aware of the possible consequences.
When her gaze returned to him, something had changed. There was still suspicion, but it was now mixed with a deeper uncertainty.
"We can't stay here."
Her voice was steadier, but more serious.
"From now on, you stay with me."
She paused slightly, as if still weighing her decision.
"And you don't do anything without telling me first."
Yogiri simply looked at her.
"Okay."
She held his gaze for a moment longer, then finally turned away.
"Come on."
She began to walk, neither rushing nor hesitating.
Behind her, Yogiri stood up and followed.
The body remained behind them, motionless, while the sea continued its endless movement, indifferent to what had just happened.