Inside what appears to be a bedroom, hues of deep blues and teal washes over the scenery. Corals in various colors decorate the room, as well as other aquatic objects that make the bedroom closely resemble an ecosystem.
On top of a dresser, right in front of a tall mirror, a translucent glass bowl in the shape of a bubble can be seen among the cosmetics littered around it. From a distance, the glass bowl looks rather empty, but upon closer inspection, a tiny human sleeps, wearing nothing except his underwear.
After an uncertain period of time, the human opens his eyes; before even analyzing his surroundings, he stretches every limb of his body. Becoming more cognizant of his current state, the human frantically inspects his body, touching each and every corner he can see.
"My body? I can feel…my body again. I'm still alive somehow, despite everything…"
But why am I half-naked inside a…a bubble? A fish bowl? This looks like a giant's bedroom…no way, did I shrink again?
"Nazz! Did she reactivate her curse? Am I still under the effects of it? I wouldn't put it past her to do such a thing. Although…"
I should focus on the more logical answers first. Firstly, where was I before I ended up here?
While tapping his head, Vex closes his eyes as he concentrates.
"My memory is somewhat fuzzy, but it's slowly coming back to me. I came to an islet known as Alpha's Arcadia–at least among idiotic men…I barely managed to ward off a dragon who I apparently offended in the past…I ran away from a water nymph, only to end up crawling and fainting due to overheating…and now I woke up here."
It still feels like my mind is blanking out a certain detail that irks me…
"!"
With a swift snap of his fingers as if exclaiming "I've got it!", Vex's amethyst eyes inflamed with intensity.
"That bunny girl! I was chasing her since she threatened me, which eventually led to me encountering that water nymph. All because of her, I fell into his predicament. I don't know what her deal is, but once I find her, I'm getting my money guaranteed!"
I've worked with some shady people in the past, so those kinds of characters being Dark Mercenaries doesn't surprise me. But Flenn seemed earnest to me until she strangely just snapped. Well, it's not like I know her that well, so this may be her true personality. Whatever her motives are, she better hope that it was worth making an enemy of me.
"Oh, you're finally awake! Thank goodness."
"?"
Interrupting my train of thought, a giantess emerges within my view, her dark blue eyes looking relieved as though a burden was lifted. She has long light blue hair that trickles down to her feet, and ears that are slightly pointed, sort of fin-like. Her top half would be barren if it weren't for her bra, and her bottom half is "covered" by a ruffle skirt, leaving most of her thighs and feet exposed.
I can't deny that she looks beautiful in an objective sense, but in a more innocent way…no, what am I thinking? She isn't just some innocent giantess, she must be one of those water nymphs! I won't let her curse sway my heart so easily.
"If you planned on eating me like the other chick, then you should have done it while I was unconscious. Or are you the type to make your prey suffer first?"
"Eh?! No no no no no no no, I-I would never do something like that!"
"Why are you trying so hard to deceive me? Just be direct and get it over with!"
"Eeek! I-I'm s-sorry, please don't y-yell at me!"
"?"
The giant water nymph, intimidated by the miniature man's sharp tone, blushes red and buries her face in her hands. Her poor attempt to hide her presence momentarily leaves Vex at a loss for words.
Is she serious? She acts like a bashful child. I'm not sure why any adult would commit this hard to an act…maybe I should be less aggressive. I'll remain on guard regardless.
"Okay, fine. Let's start over from the top. My name is Vex. I am a disgruntled human who wants to get out of this place. Now it's your turn."
Responding to Vex's now softer–albeit only slightly–voice, the giantess slowly uncovers the veil over her face.
"I'm…Perlina. I am a water nymph and the youngest of my sisters. It's nice to meet you, Vex."
"I wish I could say the same, Perlina. Now onto the matter at hand–why do your kind want to eat men so badly? As a man myself, you can imagine that I wouldn't like that very much."
"Eh?! It's n-not l-like that, I-I swear! I–"
"It's obvious once the clues are added together. This is a secluded island informally dubbed 'Alpha's Paradise' and is beloved by men. At the heart of the island, beautiful water nymphs who reside in a mystical garden lure in men, promising them a 'good time' just to eat them. I saw this happen firsthand, so you can't deny it. Lying even further would just confirm my suspicion."
"Y-you think we are…beautiful? Even…e-even me?"
Perlina grips her chest, her pale face blushing cherry red. Notably, this blush's complexion has a similar, but different hue compared to the previous.
"If you are willing to go as far as to trap me in this fishbowl bubble thing and strip me naked, then you might as well finish the job confidently. No need to be shy, just own up to it."
I hate dealing with enemies that pretend to be innocent victims in an attempt to make me feel like I'm a bully. They make me their victim, but still try to keep an air of innocence. Perlina's purposeful use of her delicate voice is no different from the voice the other nymph used in terms of function: manipulation.
"No, you've got it wrong! It's true that most of my other sisters want to eat men like you…actually, they all do, but I don't. I saw that you were dying due to the curse my eldest sister put upon you, so I saved you and secretly brought you to my room…"
"Hmm, so you are really the reason why I'm still alive?"
I knew there had to be a proper explanation; luck is never ever a factor.
"I was so sure that I was as good as dead. How did you manage to save me from the brink of death?"
"Well, it's…i-it's…um…"
Is she blushing again? Constantly doing that and burying her face in her hands is going to get annoying quickly. Scratch that–I am already annoyed.
"Go on, just explain it already."
"You…promise not to get mad at me?"
"Why the heck would you care whether a guy three-fourths the size of your pinky would get mad at you? I'll be more upset if you say nothing."
If she has some sort of healing item or curse, then perhaps she could bestow it upon me somehow. It would be very useful, which goes without saying, though I'd need to find a way to exploit her and get her to do it for me. Even if the power is restricted to just one target per day or something, that would save expensive trips to the infirmary. Regardless of everything, it is absolutely worth pursuing. Gotta make the best of this situation somehow.
I am tempted to yell, "Just tell me already!", but that would undoubtedly make this situation worse.
"O-okay. Please look carefully and don't freak out, okay? Aaah…"
Appearing to do her best to hold back tears, Perlina stretches her mouth wide enough to expose her blue tongue. Saliva drips from her tongue, teeth, and gums into the water, gradually dissipating.
"...?"
Why is she showing me her mouth? Never knew that mouths could be different colors like that, but…!
"Wait, are you implying that you put me inside your mouth?"
"...uh-huh."
Affirming his question with a hesitant nod, Perlina then closes her mouth.
"How did that have the capability to revive me? I'd imagine that a mouth of all things would do the exact opposite."
"A water nymph's mouth is very cool–we can heal any kind of inflammatory or heat curse with our mouths."
"So that other nymph wasn't lying? You nymphs are very skillful in the art of effective deception…"
So this healing power came from her mouth, which I'd have to ask her to put me inside of just to heal heat-based damage…moving on from that plan.
"Yeah, my sisters curse men by making their bodies heat up. Either they feel the heat of lust, or deadly body heat if they resist. Then, they lure them towards their mouths in order to eat them. But…I didn't swallow you, I promise."
"Yeah yeah, I get it. Thanks for that."
"You…you aren't mad? You seem rather fine with this, Vex."
"Eh, I've been through this kind of thing before–arguably worse. The shock value has diminished completely for me."
"That's, uhh…good for you?"
"No, it's not at all–it's just one more thing I've been forced to live with. Anyway, I fail to see how your unique healing method resulted in me being stripped of my clothes."
"Your clothes? Oh, that's not…the reason…"
Good grief, there she goes again, looking away bashfully with skin even redder than before. Come on, how many times will I have to put up with this?
"Perlina…"
"I can't…it's too embarrassing!"
"Perlina."
"I-I…I-I…"
"Perlina!"
"I WAS JUST CURIOUS, OKAY?!"
Releasing all of the tension, Perlina yells so loudly, it causes Vex to stumble backwards.
"Curious? About what?"
"Well, I never got to see a man this closely before, and I wanted to see if my sisters were right about men. I'm…I-I'm so sorry!"
Her sisters sound like terrible influences. They will end up corrupting their little sister for sure.
"Sigh, let's leave that in the past and focus on what matters most; you saved my life, and for that alone I am grateful."
"Oh Vex, you're so understanding!"
"I'm glad you think so, but I would like my clothes back now."
"Right, your clothes are important! Again, I'm sorry!"
"You don't have to apologize so much."
I wonder if she's this way because of the pressure to submit to her older sisters. Reminds me of my childhood to an extent…
"Okay Vex, just give me a second please."
Perlina moves her tongue rapidly inside her mouth. After a few seconds of shuffling, she spits out the clothes into her hands.
"Ptwoo, here they are. I managed to carefully remove your garments with my tongue when you were inside my mouth, but I accidentally managed to get them stuck in my teeth. It feels so good to finally get them out!"
Perlina hands him the clothes, passing them directly through the translucent bowl.
"I expected my clothing to be filthy from your spit and all, but they are even cleaner than before. A free wash is a free wash, I guess."
"Of course, that's only natural! I'm a water nymph after all; our saliva is pure."
"Makes sense. I'm more dumbfounded how my clothes simply fazed through this 'glass', yet it's too solid for me to pass through."
"It's a special kind of air pocket I created. The way it works is a bit too difficult for me to explain, but you can consider it a kind of magic–?!"
Paying no mind to Perlina's presence, Vex starts dressing up–even "adjusting" his underwear. Such a sight would make any maiden heart feel bashful.
"Vex?! Y-you're not going to tell me to look away or get out or…or…?"
"I couldn't care less at this point. I mean you already saw me exposed, right? There's not much privacy I can keep from a giant like you anyway."
"N-no way! I can't…I can't look!"
She blushes red, covering her face with her hands as Vex continues to get dressed. During the process, she occasionally peeks through a small gap in her fingers thinking that Vex wouldn't notice. Of course, he became instantly privy to this.
"And done. Now if you could just get me out of this dumb fish bowl before we continue on…"
"O-okay, Vex! Please promise you won't hurt me!"
"Not this again. Do you have a phobia by chance? I'm much more concerned about what you gigantic water nymphs can do to me, but sure, I promise if that's what you want to hear from me so badly."
"Okay, thank you!"
Perlina, ecstatic upon hearing the confirmation she needed, reaches her hand into the bowl's surface, piercing through it which causes it to burst. Before Vex could float away, she catches him in her open palms. Vex holds his breath, fearing drowning.
"Hmm? What's the matter, Vex?"
"..."
"Oh, I almost forgot! Even this thin level of water within our palace is too much for you. Here, please breathe in these bubbles. Fuuuu…"
A stream of air bubbles flows from Perlina's breath towards Vex, completely covering him. Having no other choice, he lets go of his breath and inhales the bubbles.
"...? I can breathe? That actually worked?"
"Yes, those bubbles you breathed in are supplying you with oxygen. Though it's only a temporary measure."
"Man, you sure are hellbent on keeping me alive for some reason…"
Even assuming that she is as innocent as she portrays herself to be, there must be an ulterior motive behind her actions. Given the fact that she could have easily killed me by now, there is no doubt that something else is driving her.
"I-is that a b-bad thing?"
"For your sake, yes."
"No. Freaking. Way…!"
"?!"
Suddenly a seafoam green, curly harried water nymph barges into Perlina's room, catching both her and her tiny guest off guard. Perlina immediately closes her hands, encasing Vex to hide his presence. She then places her hands behind her back.
"Perlina, what's going on in here?!"
"Sister Nerissa! W-what are you doing in my room so suddenly?!"
"I heard you yelling just a moment ago. You never speak so loudly, so I knew something was up. I care about you, little sis!"
"I'm fine, okay. Thanks, Nerissa."
"Hmm, if you say so–oh…?"
Noticing the abnormal placement of Perlina's hands, Nerissa moves closer to her sister, making Perlina more and more anxious.
"Say sis, what's in your hand?"
"N-nothing! Nothing important at all!"
"Sniff sniff, I smell a man. I think somebody is hiding a secret!"
Realising the potential situation, Nerissa shifts her concerned tone to a playful one, wearing a teasing grin on her face.
"A man? Me with a man? That's ridiculous!"
"Come on Perlina, you've always been a horrible liar."
"...fine, you win."
Surrendering a futile confrontation, Perlina brings her hand out in the open and slowly unravels it finger by finger.
"His name is Vex. I took him from the surface when–"
"Let me see him!"
Snatch!
"?!"
"I can't believe it–Perlina captured her first man! I've got to tell mom about this…! Oh yeah, and our other sisters too!"
Just as suddenly as she came, Nerissa sprints out of the bedroom, leaving a bewildered Perlina behind.
"Sister Nerissa! Give him back!"
Gathering her mind, Perlina chases after her sister.