Was the company really that busy that day? I guess it only makes sense, given that we just opened to the public. While the company was swamped with work, I took advantage of the fact that we didn’t need to hide anymore.
So I went to the market to get some seafood for Aurita. Before the incident, I would have had Jin-yun scavenge for barnacles and other things, but now I could afford to buy Aurita what humans would eat.
As long as I had the money, anyway. Human currency was another thing we needed to learn to use. Jin-yun taught us everything, from minimum wage to inflation. Some of it didn't make sense, but as long as we could use it, we would be fine. We really owe Jin-yun a lot, considering how much she'd done for us…
Some of the humans on my way to the market gave me weird looks, some tried their hardest to look away, and a few of their gazes seemed to say, “I want you dead.” This new world would take some getting used to for both humans and spirits…
Suddenly, I heard a commotion among some humans. They were moving away from something… Something coming my way.
Oh! Hello there. Can I help you, sir?
I wasn't really sure what to say. I'd never met this sylph before in my life.
That smell…
Do I have contraband on me or something?
I smell saltwater and fish on you.
Guess you can’t hide a scent from a sylph…
Dang right. You smell fishy, and in more ways than one.
What?
…I’m with the local ether police. Name’s Kiryu Josho. I’m tracking down a seafood trafficking ring. I guess I must’ve mistaken you for one of them. Unless…?
Oh, no, no, no. I’ve just been fishing, that’s all.
If you say so. You’re lucky I can’t smell lies. Not yet, anyway.
But… Seafood trafficking? Why would that be the ether police’s business? Isn’t that a human affair?
Because our main suspects are spirits.
What? Why would spirits resort to trafficking seafood?
I’ll tell you why.
Kiryu-san hopped on his cloud-made hoverboard and circled around me as he explained himself.
You know what a homunculus is, right?
The moment he said homunculi, this became a personal matter.
I remember when I first met Aurita. I was in the Philippines doing research on homunculi, and I saw a red-skinned girl quivering in fear and confusion. She was a sea slug…turned into a homunculus. The person behind Aurita’s existence clearly didn’t care about what would’ve happened to her, so I adopted her myself and made her my daughter.
Aurita was lucky that someone was there for her, but if I let something like this happen again, if I let more homunculi exist in suffering and loneliness, then…! Or worse, what if these homunculi were used and abused for evil?! I couldn’t let that slide!
I recently learned about this seafood trafficking ring myself. They've been trafficking seafood through means that are pretty much infeasible for humans. We're talking hauling thousands of crabs without boats, hiding their caches from the authorities at the flick of a wrist… You know, light work for a spirit. But that makes you wonder… What business would spirits have trafficking seafood of all things? Are they working alongside humans or something?
Kiryu-san stopped as he hovered in mid-air.
The strange thing is, they haven't been hunting fish, but shellfish and other invertebrates, which are prime candidates for homunculus transmutation. So I'm led to believe…that the end goal isn't to sell seafood, but to
create homunculi.
I've heard enough.
Huh? Oh. I must've rambled a bit. Force of habit.
No, I understand. I want to join you on your mission.
Huh? Well…
The name’s Tali. Tali Mtowa. If it's a fight against the inhumane treatment of homunculi, then it's my fight.
Well then! It must be fate that we crossed paths, Mtowa-san! I’ve heard about your exploits in Africa and Southeast Asia.
Happy to hear that my reputation precedes me. Just call me Tali, though.
Sure thing, Tali.
Let's look for this trafficking ring, Kiryu-san.
Of course. I’ll keep you updated when I can.
