April 23, 2101
"Mermaid Village", Shirahama Beach, Shimoda City, Shizuoka Prefecture, Izu Peninsula
On this day, Haru Shirakaba, a damselfish mermaid girl, was enthusiastically swimming out of her home in the Mermaid Village. Her mother, Mizuki, noticed her and stopped her.
"Haru... are you going to the spaceport again?"
"Yep! I'll be back by dinner!"
Haru swam south, looking busy. Mizuki let out a small sigh.
"I thought she was going to be depressed for a while, but she's been strangely upbeat since yesterday. I wonder if something happened at the spaceport?"
After being told that mermaids could not go to outer space, Haru had been terribly depressed. However, when she returned from the spaceport the next evening, she was smiling very happily. The reason for this was the promise that Hoshikazu had declared. But Mizuki had no way of knowing that.
. . .
Tokyo Spaceport, Suruga Bay, Shizuoka Prefecture
At that time, students of the Aerospace Academy were conducting their second day of practical training at the spaceport. They were now visiting the dock for space ships, which is attached to a section of the megafloat. In addition to 10 berths for ships to take off and land, the Tokyo Spaceport has three maintenance docks like this one. On top of the artificial floating island, there are warehouses for storing cargo, a glass-walled terminal with a reception desk, departure lobby, lounge, and amusement facilities such as hotels and parks, giving it the appearance of a small city. The scale of this megafloat is the largest in the world.
Among the students looking around the dock is Akira Hoshikazu. He was in the middle of touring the dock with other boys. Soon after, the time turns to noon. The person in charge of the dock who was guiding them called the students to order.
"Alright... we'll take a lunch break and meet back here at one o'clock!"
"Yes, sir!"
The students are allowed to disperse by their supervisor, and they are scattered amongst themselves. One of them, Akira Hoshikazu, spotted a human head in the seawater filling the dock. Hoshikazu rushed up to her.
"...Haru-san!"
"Yoohoo! Akira, I came to play!"
Haru waved her hand with a big smile. However, Hoshikazu's expression was grim.
"It's dangerous here! What if you get caught in the drainage pumps or something!?"
"...S-sorry."
The sluice separating the dock from the sea was open, and Haru had entered through it. But one never knows where she might get hurt swimming through the dock all by herself. Hence, Hoshikazu scolded her.
"What, what's that!?"
"Hoshikazu, what's wrong?"
Hearing his yell, a group of students from the Aerospace Academy gathered around. Then they spotted a dainty mermaid figure peeking out of the dock water.
"Hoshikazu! Is that girl...!?"
"A mermaid!? I've never seen them in person before!"
A crowd of boys and girls gathered around Haru and Hoshikazu, and a crowd quickly formed around them.
"Wait! Calm down! I'll explain!" Hoshikazu reined his fellow classmates.
He then explained his encounter with Haru from the beginning.
"Bahahahahahahaha! Hoshikazu you dolt, jumped into the sea to save a mermaid!?"
"Shut the hell up!"
One of his classmates, Sorata Kodai, laughed hysterically when he learned how Hoshikazu and Haru met. Hoshikazu's face reddened and he tried to cover Kodai's mouth.
"Man, you laughed too much—pffft!"
Renji Amakawa, another one of his classmates, admonished Kodai, who did not stop cackling, but he himself could not suppress his laughter.
"...Hngg!!" Hoshikazu raised his voice.
Leaving him aside, Kodai and Amakawa spoke to Haru, who put her hands on the edge of the dock.
"Nice to meet you. You took care of Hoshikazu, right? My name is Sorata Kodai, I've been friends with this guy since high school."
"I am Renji Amakawa, I've also known Hoshikazu since high school."
They introduced themselves to Haru. Then she also told them her name.
"Hello! I am Haru Shirakaba, an eighth grader and a damselfish mermaid."
"Oho! Nice to meet you!"
Haru, Kodai, and Amakawa shook hands. At this moment, a strange bond was born between a girl destined to live in the sea and a trio chasing an endless dream of going to outer space.
"Damselfish... does that mean each mermaid has a different kind of fish they're based on?" Amakawa asked Haru.
He was curious about the ecology of mermaids, as there are only about 40 of them in Japan, and not much is generally known about the mermaid race.
"That's right. But since the demi-humans originally came from another world, they are only applied to fish similar to those on Earth. And even parents and siblings are different. My brother is a sailfin tuna, my mother is a steephead parrotfish, and my sisters are longfin batfish and fire goby mermaids."
Mermaids are born in a thousand different kinds, regardless of their parents. They have the physique of fish or cephalopods in their lower bodies, and their maximum swimming speed in the water is unmatched by other creatures. Because their lower bodies are fish, they are destined to be unable to adapt to life on land for prolonged periods. Therefore, it is currently impossible for mermaids to travel to outer space, which is a weightless realm.
"Mermaids flying into outer space... huh, well, let me help you with that. We will build a machine that will make it possible."
"...Kodai."
Kodai, who had to give up his dream of going to space at birth, heard Haru's story and felt that such a sad thing was not possible.
"Yes, I'll give it some thought too."
"Really!?"
Amakawa joined in on the conversation. Haru was getting happier and happier.
. . .
Night of the same day
Izu Peninsula Coast
That night, a submarine that had illegally entered Japan reached the southern tip of the Izu Peninsula. They made contact with their fellow agents who were waiting for them at sea on the coast.
"Yuan Baikai, sergeant in the Sun Ningbo Republic army."
"Sergeant, Jin Lianglian. You have crossed the Japanese sea net very well. Please take care of the rest of my mission."
The leaders of the agents who had infiltrated Japan and the newly dispatched agents finished confirming their identities and handover. Jin Lianglian and his team encountered Yuan Baikai, who emerged from the submarine on a rubber boat.
"...I have something to report before I take over. On the way here, we found a silhouette in the sea that appeared to be a demi-human. The upper half of its body was human, and the lower half was fish... its appearance was like a mermaid."
"...Do you really see it!?"
Yuan Baikai told him about the 'humanoid figure' he found on the way to Izu. Jin Lianglian was astonished when he heard the report.
"Mermaids... are definitely here. There is a mermaid settlement on this peninsula."
"Really!?"
When Japan returned to Earth, a total of 200.000 immigrants, both demi-human and human, came to Earth from Terralus. Of these, 60.000, or 30%, were demi-humans, and there are approximately 120.000 demi-humans in Japan today, including the immigrants and their blood relatives. The number of mermaids in Japan is about 40, originally from three immigrant families, which have since grown to 40 through intermarriage with the Japanese.
The sight of the mermaids swimming in the sea was so beautiful and fantastic that many people from Japan and abroad were trying to abduct them. The Japanese government, therefore, acceding to their request for an official living area, built the Mermaid Village as a sanctuary for them.
"Yes, but access to the residential areas is strictly limited. Even Japanese are not allowed to enter without permission."
The place was built to protect the mermaids, and only blood relatives of the mermaids living there, people from related government agencies, and other people with special permission are allowed to enter.
"But we have certainly seen it. This would mean that there is a mermaid who is slipping out of their residence. If we catch this one, it will be a big deal."
"...!"
Their objective is to find out about the demi-humans, of which Japan hides the details. Their superiors considered demi-humans to be a threatening biological weapon and feared that Japan would use its power to expand into mainland China. Yuan Baikai offered to capture one as a sample.
"In order to analyze and eliminate the looming threat to our Republic, it is imperative that we secure demi-humans. And above all, if we offer a beautiful looking mermaid, the President will be pleased with us."
"...Indeed."
Hearing Yuan Baikai's plan, Jin Lianglian smiled wickedly. The mermaids living peacefully on the Izu Peninsula, and Haru, are being threatened by a malevolent spirit from a foreign land.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
April 24
"Mermaid Village", Shirahama Beach, Shimoda City, Shizuoka Prefecture, Izu Peninsula
The next day, at the Mermaid Village, a meeting was held in the morning when the heads of households gathered at the house of the village chief. The village chief's name is Ryoko Shanishiki, a blue shark mermaid. Her appearance and body exude a sense of mystery, but because she is a shark mermaid, her size is nearly three times that of a normal mermaid or human, giving her an intimidating appearance.
"Now, the bulletin is as shown in the document at hand. There's a staff change at the high school in the village branch. And... we have a new family at Asaga-san's house. Please congratulate them."
There is a branch school in this village. The elementary, junior high, and high schools were divided into separate schools, and remote classes were held by teachers from nearby schools. Ryoko announced the change in personnel and the birth of a new life in the village.
"...And we got notified by the government. There was a suspicious response to the newly installed underwater listening device in the waters near here. There is a possibility that a submarine may have entered the area, so we are advised not to leave the village for a while."
"...Submarine!?"
The participants in the meeting were in an uproar. Among them was Mizuki Shirakaba, the head of the Shirakaba family. Her face was pale.
"...Is everything alright?"
Mizuki was concerned about her youngest daughter, who had swum out of the house earlier this morning. Haru has been going to the spaceport every day for the past three days. Ryoko noticed Mizuki's changing complexion and called out to her.
"Mizuki-san, your daughter often goes to the spaceport, but please tell her to restrain herself for a while."
"...Y-yes."
Mizuki quickly mended her expression. She could not say that she had already been to the spaceport today. However, Ryoko had acutely read her agitation.
. . .
Tokyo Spaceport, Suruga Bay, Shizuoka Prefecture
Haru arrived at the spaceport and met with Hoshikazu and his friends. And not only Kodai and Amakawa, but also other Aerospace Academy students have gathered. They were now gathered in the "amusement area" built on the opposite side of the spaceport from where the ship's berths and docks were located. In addition to a hotel for those staying at the spaceport, an artificial beach has been built on the coastal portion of the float. This area was still under development, and construction was underway in preparation for the time when commercial expansion into space would take place.
"Amazing! I didn't know there is a place like this on the sea! It's a bit small, but it's just like the beach in Izu!"
The man-made beach is covered with white sand, and its appearance is comparable to that of a sandy beach on land. Palm trees have been planted on the beach, swaying in the sea breeze.
"Hey, the ball went that way!"
"Whoa! No con!"
One beach ball flew away. The students of the Aerospace Academy were enjoying recreational activities on this sandy beach as their free time before returning to the mainland. Some were playing with beach balls, some were playing in the sand, and some were floating on floats and plastic boards, all enjoying their free time in various ways.
And Haru was playing in the sea with Hoshikazu, Kodai, Amakawa, and other students who had changed into swimsuits.
"Akira!"
"...Hm? What's wrong, Haru-san?"
Haru smiled as he took Hoshikazu's hand. Then he went straight into the sea.
"Aah! Wait a minute! Mmmmnngh!"
Hoshikazu quickly put an ultra-compact oxygen cylinder in his mouth. This is an oxygen mask with a cylinder the size of two AA batteries, which releases concentrated oxygen for up to two hours.
"...!"
Suddenly dragged into the sea, Hoshikazu slowly opened his eyes. Through his goggles, he could see the beautiful sunlight shimmering in the ocean. Even though it was a manmade environment, it seemed like another world, separated from the one on the ground. There was no hustle and bustle of the city, no foreign upheaval to be heard. Hoshikazu was once again admiring the world under the sea. Then, he heard a voice in his ear. Haru's voice, which was pulling his hand, reached him as if it were echoing directly into his head.
"Hey, Akira... This is the world we live in. It's beautiful here with the sun's rays, but at night it's lonely because no light reaches us. So, someday... please take me to the wide sky and beyond."
"...!"
Hoshikazu's cheeks blushed when he saw Haru's smile, and a strong bond was formed between the two that set them apart from the other students at the Aerospace Academy.
Ferry Landing Site, Tokyo Spaceport
The time for fun is passing, and it is time for Hoshikazu and the others to go home. The students of the Aerospace Academy gathered at the dock where the ferry to the mainland docked.
"See you later, Haru-chan!"
"We'll come again so we can see you again!"
"Um! I'm looking forward to it, big sis!"
The girls from the Aerospace Academy waved to Haru from the top of the ramp leading to the ferry, her face out over the sea. Thus, the students bid farewell to Haru and boarded the ship one by one. Then Hoshikazu appeared on the ramp carrying a large bag. At his side were Kodai and Amakawa. Gripping the railing of the ramp, Hoshikazu leaned over and said goodbye to Haru who was at sea.
"Are you going home like this, Haru-san?"
"Yes, I'll be with the others until we reach halfway. I'll say goodbye when we get near the Izu Peninsula. But there we will part ways."
Haru was following them on her way home. So the actual goodbye would have to wait a bit longer, but this would be the last time they would be able to speak to each other from a hearing distance.
"It was a pleasure meeting you, even if it was brief! I will keep my promise. Besides, I'll be back here again in the not-too-distant future, and we'll meet again!"
"...!"
Haru gave him a big smile. Other than Hoshikazu, Kodai, and Amakawa also called out to Haru.
"Yeah! I'll be there too!"
"Me as well! Let's meet again soon here at the spaceport!"
"...Yeah!"
Haru nodded. Saying their goodbyes, the three of them boarded the ship. The ramp leading to the ship is removed, and the countdown to departure begins.
"Oops, I have to get away..."
Haru distanced herself from the ferry before the screws start to move. At the harbor, the staff in charge of their training sent the students off.
"Goodbye, everyone!"
Haru kept waving at them. The students standing on the deck also kept following Haru's figure. She had become completely popular over the past two days. The ship's speed gradually increased. And the Tokyo Spaceport became further and further away, out of sight beyond the horizon.
"Haru-chan lives in Shimoda, so we will say goodbye in about 30 minutes."
"I'm going to miss her after all."
Haru was following the ferry as it picked up speed. Kodai and Amakawa are watching Haru from afar. Haru sometimes dived into the sea and jumped around like a dolphin.
Underwater
However, they did not notice a disturbing shadow following them underwater. About 500 meters to the rear, a shadow followed them in the sea, unseen by humans. It was the submarine of the Sun Warlord Army, which had infiltrated Japan.
"Damn... that mermaid doesn't seem to get away from the ship."
"How troublesome! At this rate, we'll reach the land!"
Under the command of the two leaders, Yuan Baikai and Jin Lianglian, the submersible carrying the operative was approaching Haru. However, Haru was staying close to the ferry on which Hoshikazu and his friends were aboard, and showed no signs of separating. As they waited patiently, however, a change occurred in the image seen through the periscope.
"...The mermaid and the ship began to part ways!"
"What!?"
The ship's destination was Tokyo, and Haru's was Shimoda, and it was certain that they would eventually separate somewhere as the mainland approached. And that meant danger was coming for Haru.
"...Let's go! Close the distance at once!"
"Launch the unmanned submarine!"
"Yes, sir!"
Several unmanned submarines are launched from the submarine's launch tubes. They were dispersing at an alarming rate, covering the perimeter surrounding Haru.
After parting from the ferry, Haru looked away until the ship became smaller. She put down her right arm, which she kept waving, and with a look of satisfaction on her face, she turned back to Shirahama Beach, where her home to return to, and dove into the sea.
"...?"
At that moment, Haru noticed something strange around her. She heard the sound of mysterious objects, not like fish, cutting through the water at high speed. They were remotely controlled and quickly surrounded Haru on all sides, each firing a large net.
"...Eeh!?"
Those nets were assembled together like a fixed net, and by the time Haru realized it, the way out was already cut off. Even if she tried to escape by diving down, the nets were already in place there as well. The unmanned submarines fired another net toward Haru, who was so shocked that she stopped moving.
"...Gah!!"
Haru dodged the nets fired one after another in the nick of time. However, she was disoriented by the nets, one after another, and one of them became entangled in her tail.
"Oh, no..."!
The weight on her tail restricted her movement in the sea. But she managed to struggle and reach the surface, looking for help. And just as her face popped out of the water, she screamed in the direction the ferry had gone.
"HELP!! AKIRA!!"
The ship is already small on the horizon. No matter how hard she strained her throat and lungs, it seemed impossible for her to be heard. But Haru desperately screamed over and over again.
"PLEASE! COME BACK! AKIRA... AKIRA... AKIRA!!"
At that moment, an electric shock was unleashed from the unmanned submarines. The shock traveled through the ropes to the net that had caught Haru's tail and struck her.
"KYAAAAAAAH!!"
A high-pitched scream echoed over the sea. Haru was desperately extending her right hand toward Hoshikazu and the others.
Ferry Deck
After parting with Haru, the students who had gathered on the deck returned to their cabins one after another. One of them, Hoshikazu, is still looking in the direction Haru went.
"Hey, Hoshikazu. Let's go back below."
"Ah, yeah."
Hoshikazu, called out by Kodai, took his hands off the railing on the deck. Then, with a regretful look at the sea, he slowly left the place.
"...!!"
At that moment, however, a faint voice was heard in the sea breeze. Hoshikazu's eyes widened in surprise, and he rushed to the deck railing to look in the direction of the voice. It was the place where Haru had left.
"What's wrong, Hoshikazu-kun?"
"...I thought I heard Haru-san's voice."
"Eh...?"
Amakawa looked bewildered. But Hoshikazu was sure that the voice he heard was Haru's. He pushed Amakawa away and looked through the binoculars fixed on the deck.
"...AAH!"
Beyond the binoculars was the struggling Haru. In addition, he saw a suspicious submersible surfacing in the sea. The submersible was gradually approaching Haru.
"Haru-san is in danger!"
"What did you say!?"
Hoshikazu, unable to stand still, immediately started running toward the lower level of the ferry. Kodai and Amakawa, sensing from his expression that this was something out of the ordinary, also ran after Hoshikazu.