The following morning was an open one. The school board called for an administrative meeting with all schools leaving the students with a free day. Unfortunately, the day was a cloudy one with a good chance of rain. Didn't stop a couple of teenagers from visiting their friend. Since all of the parents were out at work, Shuichi allowed his school buddies to come visit him at his home. He owed them anyway.

Kiyoni arrived wearing a pink, nationally-branded lounge pant suit with white sneakers. In one hand was an opened black umbrella in case it rained during her outing and a reusable taupe-colored bag full of snacks such as Pocky sticks, soda, candies, and gummies in the other. Kuronue was coming from the opposite direction in an oversized black hoodie, faded jeans, and sneakers. It seemed like he had nothing to bring since his hands were in the front pocket of his hoodie.

"Hey, Ikeda," he greeted.

"Eh…aren't you forgetting something?"

"What do you mean?"

"When we said we would stop by, we each agreed to bring something. I held up my end. What about you?"

"Here," Kuronue pulled out a small device from his pocket, "I brought my mom's fire stick. It has Disney Plus and Netflix on it so we can watch movies and anime and stuff."

"Ooh! Can we please watch Wakanda Forever?"

"Eh… I guess…"

"If the two of you have a change of plans, I'm more than happy to join you," Shuichi announced from his bedroom window.

"Aw, shut up, dumbass," Kuronue replied, "We're coming."

Inside the house, Shuichi had already prepared the living room for company. Cups and coasters were placed on the kotatsu table that sat in front of the couch and were joined by an open serving bowl in case popcorn was needed.

Shuichi acknowledged, "Welcome."

"Thanks," Kiyoni commented, "Your house looks nice."

"What's up," Kuronue followed.

"I'm glad you two could come," Shuichi assured, "I figured I'd owe you some sort of apology for yesterday."

"Dude, you had us freaking out," Kuronue said, "We didn't know what to do or say."

"Before we could say anything, your mom made a beeline for you," Kiyoni added.

"I'm sure," Shuichi confirmed, "Don't worry. I told them everything."

"Everything?"

"Everything."

"Including yesterday," Kuronue asked.

"Especially yesterday."

"What did they say?"

Shuichi sighed in apprehension as he led his friends to the living room, "Nothing other than the disbelief they have about me. I think they're asking the same questions about my parents as I am."

"My question is what's with those pants? Dude, did you get those from the girls section?"

Shuichi's pajama pants were made of cotton mixed with polyester, spring green in color, and patterned with baby foxes sleeping all over. A sleeping fox on a white t-shirt covered the torso.

While Kuronue found it funny, Kiyoni approved it, "I have no problem with them. I have a pair like that at home but mine has pearls on it."

Shuichi appreciated the compliment with a slight blush, "Well, then. At least someone appreciates it."

"Meh. So where can I…?"

"Oh! Follow me. This way."

While a few moments were taken to set up the TV and refreshments, Kiyoni insisted the trio watch her choice of movie. Unfortunately, she was the minority in that department.

"I'm not leaving until we decide to watch Wakanda Forever," she demanded.

"Okay, okay," Kuronue relented, "Have you ever seen the movie?"

"Yes! Twice just like Black Panther!"

"Shuichi?"

"I've seen it once but that was just to move the story along. I'm sorry but I'm not really a fan of it."

"Same. Sorry, Ikeda."

"Wait," Kiyoni interfered, "Which movie was better? Black Panther or Wakanda Forever?"

Both boys answered, "Black Panther."

"And where would Wakanda Forever be placed on your list?"

"Definitely not in my top ten," Kuronue admitted.

"Shuichi?"

"Sorry," Shuichi claimed with a shrug.

"Why are you pushing for this movie," Kuronue wondered.

Kiyoni said with conviction, "Remember when you referred to me as a black girl? Yes, that's a part of what I am. Nigerian-American if you want to be technical. And this black girl who happens to be of Nigerian-American descent who was born and raised in Japan happens to enjoy seeing similar representation from the media, be it foreign or (rarely) domestic; unlike the two of you who get to see yourselves represented everyday in just about any form of domestic media. Reason number two, instead of women like Queen Ramonda, Princess Shuri…eh…Nakia…Okoye adjusting themselves to make others feel comfortable around them, they make everyone else adjust to make those women feel comfortable around everyone else. Three, my favorite scene is no doubt the Talokan scene."

"The what scene?"

"Talokan. See? Reason number four. Oh! Because I like the movie. There. Five reasons."

Shuichi attempted to diffuse the situation, "Okay, okay. How about this? We'll each choose a movie or series to watch. We have all day or at least until my parents come home. Obviously, Kiyoni wants to see Wakanda Forever. Fine, we'll watch that. I would like to, surprisingly, watch Mashle. I've heard great things about that series. Kuronue, what are you choosing?"

"Oh, I love that show," Kiyoni gushed, dancing a little jig, "Bling-bang-bang, bling-bang-bang, bling-bang-bang, born. I just started season two. I'd rather watch that than Harry Potter any day."

"Have you lost your minds," Kuronue challenged, "Those choices are straight dumpster fire."

"He asked you a question," Kiyoni said with the rebuttal, "Let me guess. One Piece?"

"Ha-ha. There aren't enough hours in this day alone for that. Though, there is the live action… Honestly, I was thinking either Demon Slayer or Tokyo Revengers but since you two wanna make crappy choices, the first thing we're going to watch is this."

Disney Plus activated. Kuronue's choice: The Little Mermaid. The Japanese subtitled, animated version.

"Should've known," Kiyoni relented as she opened her snack box, "Could've picked the live-action version of that though…"

"At least most of what we want to watch is all on one app," Shuichi reminded as he got comfortable on the recliner.

"Hey, be grateful," Kuronue warned, "We could watch a movie about zombie mermaids or something like that."

Kiyoni rolled her eyes, sucked on her teeth, and sulked in her seat, mumbling, "Whatever…"

"And after this, we can watch…" Kuronue added as he was looking for mermaid-related movies on his phone, "either Luca or an old movie called…Splash?"

"How old are we talking?"

"Eh…it came out in…1984."

"Were streaming services out back then?"

"1984 does sound pretty ancient. Don't care. Let's watch."

The teens commandeered their refreshments as only teenagers could. Shuichi indulged in water, Kiyoni had some too but started with guava juice, and Kuronue enjoyed his grape soda over ice. For snacks, Shuichi had some roasted chicken-flavored chips, Kiyoni took sole possession of the Pocky sticks, and the gummies did a good job in keeping Kuronue's mouth busy. By the time the first feature ended, Shuichi and Kiyoni pleaded with Kuronue about the second. The debate ended when Kiyoni grabbed the remote when it fell on the floor from a testosterone-filled scuffle with Kiyoni slyly playing the role of an instigator, giving her time to find the movie. During the Talokan scene from Wakanda Forever, the boys were reminded why it's Kiyoni's favorite. It did paint a pretty, realistic picture of an underwater world. A world Shuichi could only dream of. At the end of the movie, Kiyoni had to get some air due to emotion.

"Okay, yeah," Kuronue concluded, "That part…yeah."

Meanwhile, Shuichi stood in contemplative silence, "Agreed."

"That makes me think. About you."

"Me?"

"Yeah. Your family. Your…real family. I wonder what they're like."

"I guess we can say that they're sea creatures…just like me."

"Yeah but you're human…just like us."

"Perhaps I'm a hybrid?"

"Mm…I wonder how that came about. Your mom or dad with a…"

Shuichi quickly gave Kuronue a cushioned two-piece combo, "Dumbass!"

"Ow! Ow! Oi! Cut it out, jerk!"

"Take it back, asshole!"

"Can you two please stop fighting for once," Kiyoni commanded from the stairs.

Kuronue blamed Shuichi with a pointed finger, "He started it!"

"You were the one who wanted to paint that despicable image of my parents," Shuichi countered, "It's my parents for crying out loud! How dare you?!"

"Stop it," Kiyoni exclaimed, "You sound like a couple of toddlers. Damn, after everything, can we please have a day of peace? Ugh."

Both boys released their anger in favor of peace. Kiyoni was right. After yesterday, a time of restoration was definitely needed.

"Sorry, Kiyoni," Shuichi said.

"Me too," Kuronue followed, "I'm sorry, too."

"Are you alright?"

"I'm good," Kiyoni replied with a sniffle, "After three times, that ending still gets to me."

"Okay. For the sake of emotion, why don't we watch something completely different? Something that has nothing to do with mermaids, water, swimming, family…none of that."

"Works for me," Kuronue agreed.

Evening creeped in before anyone knew it. By the time Shuichi's parents came home, he was found vacuuming the living room rug, the last of the clean up. The company he had, had gone to their respective homes about an hour earlier.

"Shuichi," Shiori noticed, "What's going on in here?"

"I asked my friends to stop by today so we could talk about yesterday. We ended up watching some movies."

"Is everything alright?"

"Yes. I believe the smoke has been cleared."

"Shuichi, about yesterday…"

"Mom…" Shuichi admitted while storing the vacuum in a closet, "I'm sorry you had to see that. Honestly, I thought it was something I had control over but I guess…"

"Look, Shuichi…" Kazuya disclosed, "neither of us truly knew what we were getting into when we claimed you. When you were brought to the hospital, that blanket was all we had of you. You were just as much of a stranger to us as you were to life itself."

Shuichi nodded, "I can see that. So…what happens now?"

Shiori assured, holding Shuichi's hand, "Until we can find your family, you're still a part of ours. In fact, no matter what, you'll still be a part of this family."

"That's right," Kazuya concurred, "However…we probably should talk about your involvement with the swim team, moving forward."

Shuichi pleaded, "Father, no."

"Sorry, son. We have to. Let's do so over dinner. I got some fresh salmon and I can't wait to put it to use."

Later that night, just before he went to bed, Shuichi came up with an idea. A strange idea but an idea nonetheless. The best time to put it to action, a nighttime bath with a triggering shower. A full body examination produced scaly sightings near the elbows, just below that knees, and around the heels. Seems like everyone who knew about Shuichi's changes had every right to be concerned about his time with the swim team. Whether bathing in it or swimming in it, water is a catalyst for Shuichi's transformation. Despite that, there's no way he's going to walk away from a championship now. Not when the team is so close.

Inspired by a YouTube clip of the movie, Splash, a container of salt was plucked from the kitchen cabinet while fresh, lukewarm bath water filled the bathroom tub. In the meantime, Shuichi did his best to keep things quiet since his parents were going to bed, turning the water faucet down to an inaudible volume. Once the tub was filled, Shuichi slipped in and took some time to relax and see more of his fishy side come out.

Damn…, Shuichi thought after sitting for twenty minutes.

Greenish forearms and lower legs, scaly feet and wrists, Shuichi the fish was on the scene once again. However, if saltwater was what turned the movie's female main character, Madison, into her aquatic self, perhaps…

Salt was relentlessly added to the water and was mixed in nearly simultaneously. For another twenty minutes, Shuichi literally bathed himself in the salty solution, head to toe and in between, leaving nothing to chance. If he nicked himself, there would be little to no blood in the water due to Shuichi's regenerative abilities. He even rinsed his mouth out with the mixture like he used to whenever he lost a baby tooth. By the time he was done, any and everything piscine went away and Shuichi huffed in victory because of it. Fantastic.

The next morning, Shuichi arrived before his friends yet again with a smile on his face and a couple of special items in his bag. Rumors concerning the last swim meet definitely filled the school halls as its subject navigated through them. Is it true? Did Shuichi find a way to cheat? There's no way the captain of the swim team would stoop that low…right?

"Morning, Minamino," Kiyoni greeted.

"Morning, Ikeda."

"Yo…" she whispered, "are you…like are you okay?"

The sight of wagging tongues occupied Shuichi's vision once that question was asked, "Partially…"

"I bet. Online is worse."

"Online?"

Kuronue presented via his phone, "Here you go."

A TikTok video displayed the final moments of the swim meet where Shuichi was caught celebrating in his exposed skin, the captions in Japanese read something to the tunes of, "WTF ? ﾟﾤﾨ" and "What are those ?". For the first time in Shuichi's academic career as a student of Meiou Academy, his face met his desk.

"1.2k views…" said Kuronue the statistician, "61 likes, 26 comments, 5 favorites, reposted twice, and that's all within a timespan of…at least fourteen hours by now."

"Wait, what," Kiyoni questioned as she snatched the phone, "No way…!"

"No worries," Shuichi announced, encased in positivity.

It was something about the way Shuichi looked with his bangs brushed back that caused Kiyoni to do a double take. Perhaps if he made that a habit, Kiyoni may give Shuichi a chance.

Instead, she said, "No worries?"

"1.2k people would disagree," Kuronue argued.

"Yes," Shuichi assured while reaching for his bag, "No worries, I have the solution."

"And that is," Kuronue wondered as he and Kiyoni sat down.

A couple of travel-sized containers were placed on Shuichi's desk, "These."

"Hand cream?" Kiyoni noticed, "I'm all for skincare but what does hand cream have to do with that video?"

"This isn't normal skin cream. I laced it with salt and water."

"Salt and water," Kuronue repeated.

"It turns out watching that movie, Splash, was onto something. Basically, once I put this on, I can swim as freely as I want."

"How? And what's the other thing?"

"Homemade saltwater. In the movie, the mermaid is comfortable in saltwater. Saltwater has the opposite effect on me."

"So you're a freshwater fish? Wait, mermaids swim in saltwater?"

"I swear, Misaki, the slower common sense runs, the harder it is for your intelligence to catch up," Kiyoni clarified rubbing the middle of her forehead, "He's saying that if he puts that on for the next swim meet, he'll be fine. That's the focus."

"Wait, isn't that against the rules?"

"Ah but that's only half the plan," Shuichi continued, "This drink is in charge of the inside while this lotion covers the outside."

"So you're going to put that on before the meet and basically drink saltwater?"

"Yes. It'll be as if nothing happened."

A few students were seen discussing the viral video. A student of their own turning into a fish? He didn't have those fins when he was out of the pool, right? Where did those come from? Were they real or a prop, a ploy to get the team ahead? Is Shuichi a cheater?

Kiyoni's intuition piqued again, prompting her to stand her ground, "Okay, listen up! That video that's going around is nothing but bullshit! With everything AI is doing now, everything you thought you saw in that video was completely fake. The team won fair and square. Minamino isn't a cheater. Never was, never will be. You've seen him in that water. He's a master! Meiou Academy would've never made it this far without him. This school is on its way to its first swimming championship and Minamino is going to lead the way. We have no choice but to support him and the team. Anyone who thinks differently will have to go through me. Got it?"

Kuronue followed, "Yeah! Me too! Let's go, Mei-ou! Come on! Let's go, Mei-ou!"

What started with two, grew to four. Then to six, eight, ten. Soon students in the hallway became a part of the cheering crowd. It got to the point where faculty got involved to quiet the growing riot. Shuichi watched it all and was immediately touched. It was a wonderful sight to see and a welcoming feeling knowing who led the charge.