Shining in the Depths

Ah! Nothin' beats bein' in the water♪ Tamin' the rough seas of my home has its merits, but a calm lake like this ain't too bad!

Looks nice.

But be careful not to let yourself get too cold in there.

Hmph! What's the deal! That's pretty cheeky of you to worry about me, Aldo! I'm a mermaid after all! I'm most at home in the water!

I suppose you're right...

You're always so energetic on land too, so I kinda forgot you were a mermaid.

That's because I'm a top-class amphibious mermaid! Don't just stand there gawkin', come play in the water with me!

Uh... Getting myself wet isn't really my thing. I think I'll pass.

Hmph. Turnin' down an invitation from a lady...

Milsha! Forget about borin' ol' Aldo here, let's play in the water together! Whatever you wanna do, I'm up for it!

What a bore... I think I'll just take a dive by myself!

H-Hey, wait! Milsha! Take me with youuu!

Hey, Minchy! You be careful too, you.

What're you talkin' about? I'm a fish, if you didn't realize. I'm basically invincible in the water.

Um, I'm worried exactly because you're a fish... There's a fishing spot over there, so you'd probably do best not to go near it.

I hear you, I hear you! I'll be off, then!

I've got a bad feeling about this... I wonder if they'll both be all right.

Eeeeek!

That voice... Was it Milsha screaming?!

Milsha, are you okay?! Did something happen?

Ah! Aldoooo! Somethin' CRAAAZZZY happened!

What could be that crazy?

You totally won't BELIEVE it... Th-This girl here...

She was like...my first!

P-Please, forgive me... I'm so sorry!

Quit hyperventilating you two and explain... She's your first what?

My first, come on! You get it, my F-I-R-S-T! She...

Caught me!

You mean...caught you like a fish?

Bingo! She's got totally A-MAY-zin' skills!

Hey, you...

Eek! Forgive me...

You're an absolute pro, ain't you?! I'm SO impressed!

Huh? You're not angry with me?

Angry? Why? Why on earth would I get angry? I was just shocked by your fishin' awesomeness! You must've caught like...a billion fish!

You're just the bestess since you caught a scale and blood mermaid like me!

A m-mermaid? Huh?

It's nothing! Don't mind her.

Umm... Haha?

By the way, since you caught me, I've been thinkin' about somethin'...

You've got an awfully worried look on your face. Is somethin' botherin' you?

Really?

She's right. You look a little down. Feel free to tell us if something's troubling you.

Ah... Well, actually... I wasn't exactly trying to catch fish.

What do you mean?

I was looking for a necklace that I dropped in the water. I knew it was pointless to try and fish it out... But there I was, just about to give up hope when you popped out.

I see...

Since I caught a person in the fishing spot, I figure I've used up my luck catching anything other than fish. So I think I'll just give up quietly... Thank you for listening, though.

Huh?! Wait a minute, wait a minute!

Aldo! We can't just let her go after hearin' such a sad story like that, can we?!

You're right. She looked pretty distraught. Maybe we should go after her and ask what happened.

Milshaaaa!

Oh, it's Minchy! Glad to see you're safe.

A exemplary nice-guy like me would never get caught! But get a load of this Milsha! I found somethin' awesometastic at the bottom of the lake!

Awesometastic?

Hehehe... Take a look!

This is... A pearl! And it's a super rare aurora color! It's super beautiful!

Isn't it?! If you like it, it's yours! A...gift of... Hehe... Lo...

Ahh! Hey, look! There's a tiny hole goin' through the pearl!

You're right. Looks like it was strung on something.

Yes, exactly! This pearl... You think it could be from the necklace the girl was lookin' for?

Hmm... It's definitely possible! It may have come apart in the water. She was heading for Acteul. Let's go ask her.

Um? Uh? Someone wanna fill me in?

Great job, Minchy! You're the best!

Huh? Hehe... Hehehe! Well if you put it that way I have no complaints! Let's go to Acteul already!

There she is! Hey!

Huh?

Ah! You're the people from earlier. What's the matter?

Take a look at THIS! Were you lookin' for this pearl?

Oh my...! Yes, this is definitely from my necklace! I'm so happy to see even a piece of it!

Does that mean what I think it does?

Yes. The necklace was made using a bunch of pearls.

I guess its string must have come undone when it fell into the water.

Actually... I'm going to be married soon. I wanted to find the necklace because my little brother gave it to me as a wedding gift. I knew I was grasping at straws when I tried to fish it up, but I had to try.

A gift from your little brother? How sad...

Did you just say your "little brother"?!

Huh?! Y-Yes...

In that case...

We'll definitely find it for you! No matter how long it takes!

Because you see...I also have a sweet little brother who I love like heck!

Milsha, you have a younger brother, too?

That's right! And he's really super-duper cute. He means the world to me!

Things are a tad complicated with the whole him disappearin' thing... But once I find him, I'll definitely introduce you to him!

I'd be glad to help you find him. I want to see what he's like.

Aldo...

Thank you thank you THAAAANNNK YOU! You're the best guy ever! Next to my brother, of course!

Betrayal...! What about me, Milsha?!

We'd better go find that necklace before I get all emotional!

Sounds good. You dropped it near the fishing spot on Lake Tiilen, right?

That's right.

But Milsha! I didn't see any other pearls around there.

Which would mean there's a chance they got caught in the current and ended up around here, right? The water here is connected to the lake, after all. First let's have a look around town.

Oh! Thank you so much. How could I repay your kindness?

Don't worry about it. Can you tell us how many were on your necklace?

There were 23. It's the custom here to match the number on the necklace to the person's age.

Got it! Leave the rest up to us! We've already found one, so that leaves 22 more...

I'm just gettin' fired up! I'll scour every inch of the waters around here!

I'm countin' on you, Minchy! Aldo and I will search the village above ground for any hints!

Got it! I'll do 10 times... No, 100 times better than Aldo! Just you wait and see!

H-Hey! Wait up you two!

Hm... Did something flash in the water just now?

Seriously?! Nice, Aldo!

Let's see...

Yep! Somethin's definitely sparklin'! I'll dive in and check it out! Wait here a sec, won'cha?

Wow, Milsha... She dived in so fast, I can't even see her anymore.

...... Hm... Milsha's taking way too long. Maybe something happened underwater, and she can't come back up.

Ack... Guess I've got to dive in myself.

Wait, hold up Aldo! What if you drowned?!

Milsha! I'm glad you're safe!

Were you worried about me? My bad, my bad!

As long as you're safe. It must've been tough searching down there. Were you able to find a pearl?

Huh? Well... About that...

The fish around here are really lively!

Huh? Lively?

Yeah! They said they'd never seen me around here, so I introduced myself and...

We really hit it off. I even decided to dance for them! It was sooo much fun. When I tried to return, one of them proposed to me!

What?!

But I thought it's a little soon for me to get married, so I said no. And then... Look! Cool, innit?

A pearl! They gave me one to remember them by!

That's amazing, Milsha!

Isn't it?! And I'm just gettin' started!

I was wondering why you'd want us to stop by the tavern...

But we might find something if we get some information from eyewitness accounts above ground!

Ah... I guess that's not a bad idea.

Huh? Not a bad idea?

Ahaha... Well, that's not really the reason I came here...

Hey, mister! Give us two of somethin' good to drink!

Teehee... I've been out of the water for a while now, so I got a little thirsty. Thought I'd take a quick break! C'mon Aldo! No problem, innit?

Fine, fine...

I guess mermaids get thirsty easily when they've been out of the water for a while?

Hm... Everyone's different I guess. But I get super thirsty!

When I get thirsty like this, I'm just kind of drawn to places with water like this...

Aha!

Aldo, look! This is crazy! Look!

Huh? What's the matter?

Ah... There's a pearl at the bottom of this water jug!

It's a total coincidence, but aren't I amazin'?!

Hey, mister!

Huh? What is it?

We found one of the pearls we're lookin' for at the bottom of this water jug... I promise we'll drink our fill, if you don't mind givin' it to us!

A pearl at the bottom of a water jug? It must've got in there when I drew the water this morning.

It's not mine. If you were searchin' for it, go ahead and take it.

Wow! What a generous man! Just as generous as my childhood friend Puffy the puffer fish. I'm at a loss for words!

Hahaha. You're an interesting one, lass! As thanks for that pearl, be sure to come back again sometime.

Fo' sho', you can count on me!

H-Hey, Milsha... What does foe show mean?

Huh? Just a way of sayin' "for sure," Aldo! Duh!

Duh?

Wow... Never thought I'd find a high-quality pearl like this! Must be my lucky day!

Hey! That's...!

Hey, mister!

Huh?

We were just lookin' for that pearl! Thanks for pickin' it up!

Huh?! A-Are you...

You're trying to steal this lucky pearl from me, aren't you?!

Huh?! We're not tryin' to steal anythin'...

I found this pearl! That means it's mine!

Wha, ?! I'm takin' back my thanks! I can't believe you'd say somethin' so greedy!

W-Wait... That's not fair!

That pearl represents very important feelings that can't be replicated. Won't you give it back?

Ngh...

I-If you insist... I have some terms of exchange, though!

Hm? You won't just give it to us no strings attached?!

If you want this pearl...

You must go on a date with me!

A date?!

Wait a second, what are you talking about?!

I know about your kind. You may look like a floosie, but you're the pure type who gets all cute and shy...

Hmph. I don't have a clue what you're talkin' about.

Wha, ?!

Get your head out of the clouds. I can't believe this.

If you really wanted to go on a date with me, you'd need to prove your manliness first.

You won't give back a lost article, and your terms of exchange are lewd. How lame!

Wha, ?!

I-I...

(If he gets angry this might go south fast... I've gotta protect Milsha!)

I'm a sorry excuse of a man!

Huh?

Your harsh words opened my eyes. Could you be a goddess who's come to save me?

Wha? Goddess?

I'll give you back the pearl! And, I'll...

I'll become a man worthy of going on a date with you!

...... That was about as ridiculous as a tuna runnin' on land.

Either way, we got the pearl back! Everythin' a-okay!

Haha... Whew...

Countin' the three we found, and the first one...

That means we still have 19 left to find. Still a long ways to go...

This is bad! It's wild I tell you!

Minchy, welcome back! How many pearls did you find?

Huh? You're askin' how many pearls I found? Well, um...

One, two, three...

18!

Wow Minchy! That IS wild! Look how shiny they all are!

Huh? Hehehehe!

And now we just have one left to find!

Ahhhh!

Wh-What's the matter, Minchy?

It's bad I tell you! About the last one...

There's a chance a monster ate it!

What?!

After I picked up the 18th pearl, I saw somethin' sparkle nearby. When I went to go check it out... A monster came out of nowhere and gulped it up!

Where was the monster headed?!

It was swimmin' upstream!

Towards the Man-eating Marsh...

Aldo! We've gotta chase after it right now and get that pearl back!

Yeah! Foe show!

Minchy. You def remember what kind of monster ate the pearl, don't you?

Fo' to the sho'! I'll know it when I see it...

There! That's it! That's the monster, Milsha!

It's stomach is glowing... That has to be the one!

Hey, doesn't it seem a little angry to you?

Um... I'll go and try to talk to it! Wait here, Aldo!

Huh? Talk to it? Milsha?!

It may be a monster, but it's still a friend of the sea! We've got to at least try to persuade it!

Hey, you! Do you remember that pearl you just swallowed up? It's a very important pearl for a certain girl!

I understand that you must think that everythin' under the water is fair game... But, I'm sure you've got things that are important to you, right? Things you'd be sad to lose. Do you think you could give it back? We live in a different realm than humans, but we're all living beings after all.

Do unto others as you would have them do to you, right?

Were you able to persuade it?

But of course. Take a look! The pearl's right here...

What?!

Eeek!

Milsha!

Ack... You've got somethin' comin' if you think we're gonna let you hurt Milsha!

It's back to the kiddie pool for you!

Minchy...!

Now I'm really mad!

I already said my part, but you shouldn't take things that belong to others! It's just good manners to give back somethin' you found to its owner! Bad little fish get a spankin'! Let's go, Aldo!

Um... Yeah!

Ah! It coughed out something!

It's...!

Huh? It sure has calmed down all the sudden.

Huh? Were you in a frenzy because you swallowed this and were in pain?

I...

I'm so sorry! I'm super duper sorry! Go ahead, you can slap me!

It seems like it's feelin' better now that it's coughed it up. I think it's happy you helped it out.

*sniff* You're such a good li'l fishy!

Let's play together next time, okay? It's a promise!

All's well that ends well, Milsha. We found the pearl, and you made a new friend.

Yeah! Now we just have to get these back to that girl...

Huh?! Is that...

Um... What's wrong?

Aldo, Minchy! This...

This isn't a pearl!

Huh?!

Let me see...

Ah, you're right! It's pretty and sparklin', but...

It's a glass marble shaped like a seashell!

What?! You mean it's something else?!

No way...

What should we do? We've searched all around Acteul, but couldn't find the last one...

I searched every corner of the lake bed, but there were only 18 in total.

If we could just find one more, we'd have all 23 of them... It's a priceless necklace her little brother gave to her...

Milsha... We found 22 of them. Couldn't we at least go back to Acteul and give these to her? We can think of what to do about the last one after that.

Yeah... You're right...

Ahh!

Everyone! I've been looking for you!

Ah...

I...

I'm so sorry!

Huh?

Um, about the pearls... We found 22 of them.

Huh?! You found... 22 of the pearls?!

Yeah... But we couldn't find the very last one. I know it's important to you... I'm so sorry. I told you to leave everythin' to me, but I couldn't do anythin'... I know it can't replace your necklace, but I want you to have one of these!

These are...?

They're pretty things I found in the seas of my home! I always liked gatherin' things like this, ever since I was little... This shell, some stardust, a strange shaped rock and some other stuff! If there's anythin' I have that you want, just say the word and it's yours!

A-Are you sure, Milsha?! Those are your treasures...

Don't say that, Minchy! It'll make it hard for her to pick!

Thank you... You really are a kind woman. But I want you to keep them.

B-But...! Your pearl...

I'm so...sorry!

Huh?

Why are you apologizing?!

I realized there was something I forgot to tell you. That's why I was searching for you. There are 23 pieces on the necklace all together... But, only 22 of them are pearls.

22...?! So that means we found all of them?!

W-Wait a sec! So what's the last piece?

The final piece is...

It was a pendant my little brother made by hand for me. I had forgotten to subtract it from the total number... Please, accept my apology! I've caused you so much trouble...

Don't worry! It's not been any trouble at all! But, the pendant...

What did it look like?

Um... It was a glass marble shaped like a seashell!

You mean...

This?!

Ah...! Yes, that's it!

We did it! We found them all!

You did! Thank you so much!

Don't worry about it! Treat your little brother and your husband with care, and live happily ever after, okay?!

Yes... Of course!

She looked so happy.

I'm glad, too. If I lost somethin' my brother gave me, I think I'd faint from grief.

You were just about to lose your treasures of the sea in all that excitement before!

Treasures of the sea... You mean those things from earlier?

*sniff* Stop it, you two. I'm gettin' embarrassed...

They're the shells and other things my brother and I found when we searched the seas together. I was willin' to risk tail and fin to give somethin' to her... But I can't say I'm not relieved.

Milsha...

Hearing that just makes me want to help you find your brother sooner...

Aldo...

I agree! I mean...

I've gotta get permission from him to marry Milsha!

Marry...?

Nope. No way. Minchy's just spoutin' nonsense.

How cruel, Milsha! My love for you crosses the vast ocean blue!

Yeah, yeah. There you go again... I won't marry anyone unless they're even cooler and cuter than my brother. Get it?

Havin' said that, I'd say Aldo's a lot closer than you...

Wha, ?!

Don't get me wrong! I mean as a brother, of course!

Yeah, I get it...

You know what that means, Aldo?! Once Milsha and I get married, we'll be brothers, too! Let's do our best to get along, Li'l Bro!

Minchy... First off, I'm pretty sure I'd be the big brother here...