“How hard can it be to find her?” Emi muttered darkly to herself as she leaned back against the wall opposite the back stairs leading down the hill leading down toward the track field. “How hard can it be to find one single girl dressed the exact same as every other girl amongst the 500 girls going to school here? I mean…” She paused in her musings and a smile spread across her face. “Well, that’s why, I guess. Oh, well, it’s fine. My skills aren’t slipping.” A rather pungent odor reached her nose, and she brought the sleeve of her blazer to her nose reluctantly.

“Blech! I stink like old milk. How can cows stand themselves?” She gagged, snapping her head back and wrinkling her nose. “Disgusting.” Ah, well, she decided. It made no sense to keep trying today. Her clothes stank and she didn’t have to be there anymore, anyway. There was time enough to find her errant mermaid tomorrow.

She turned toward the main door and was delighted when, like the Red Sea, the stream of girls going to and fro parted momentarily, and her target was revealed. Grinning like a Cheshire cat, Emi slipped through the crowd and quickly found herself face to face with the mermaid herself. She was very pretty, Emi decided. Delicate and fragile with long dark hair and a pert nose. Her large eyes widened fearfully as Emi popped up directly in front of her.

“I’ve come for you, Ariel,” Emi said dramatically.

“I-I sorry!” The girl stammered and, much to Emi’s surprise, turned tail and fled out the front door. Emi blinked at the spot her target had been standing on a moment earlier. Her brain gradually recovered from the surprise retreat and Emi quickly followed her out the door and down the stairs.

“Hey!” Emi called to the girl’s fast retreating back. “I just want to talk!” For someone not much taller than she was Emi marveled at the speed with which the girl moved. Emi gritted her teeth and pushed her legs to move faster. Soon she was at a full sprint. The girl turned right and vanished down a path hemmed on both sides by a tall hedgerow, Emi close on her heels.

“S-Stop!” Emi held her hand up as she managed to overtake the girl and get in front of her.

“P-Please! No trouble!” The girl looked like a cornered animal.

“J-Just…” Emi gasped, her lungs burning with exertion. “W-Wait! I h-hate exercise. Side…hurting. Lungs…on fire. O-One second. P-Please don’t run.” Emi grabbed the sleeve of the girl’s blazer to prevent her from leaving while she bent over and put her free hand on her knee, trying to catch her breath. “World…growing dark. Wolves…closing in. I-I’m gonna throw up.” Emi huffed and grimaced as her sides ached.

“No money!” The girl tried to wrench free, but Emi held fast. Finally able to catch her breath well enough to talk, Emi stood upright.

“I don’t want your money! I promise! I just wanted to see if you were ok!” Emi half-lied.

“I f-fine!” The girl struggled for a moment longer before giving up and standing placidly.

“My name is Emi, what’s yours?” Emi smiled her best winsome smile.

“S-Suyin,” the girl replied warily.

“It’s good to meet you, Suyin!” Emi beamed at her. “I was there at lunch with the milk…incident. Remember me?”

“Y-Yes,” Suyin nodded, eyes darting left and right as if trying to find an escape route through the tall hedge. Not exactly the talkative type, I see, Emi thought to herself.

“So! Anyway! How are you?”

“F-Fine,” Suyin replied.

“I hope no milk got on you!” Emi smiled even broader than before. “That stuff stinks after a bit, huh?” Suyin stared at her suspiciously. “Er…probably the…uh…enzymes or…something.” Emi shrugged. “I don’t know milk,” she finally admitted.

“Why here?” Suyin asked after a moment. Ah, straight to business, Emi thought.

“Well, ostensibly I’m here to see how you’re doing, like I said,” Emi shrugged.

“A-Awstensibily?” Suyin gazed at her curiously. Plainly the girl’s Japanese wasn’t the best, Emi deduced.

“Do you speak Korean?” Emi asked, switching to Korean. The girl’s eyes grew wide in surprise.

“You know Korean?” Suyin replied in Korean.

“Ah! You’re Korean, then!” Emi giggled. “There had been some wild speculation. Possibly even rumors of mermaids. Crazy, right?”

“I’m from Taiwan, but I grew up in Korea,” Suyin answered. “My Japanese isn’t that good, yet. It’s a difficult language to learn. Wait. Mermaids? What does that mean?”

“Madness,” Emi waved away her question breezily. “Pure madness. No one talks about such things! Anywho, I wanted to check in on you and see how you were after that lunchtime…thing.”

“I was shaken but I’m ok. That nyeon has had it out for me since the moment I got here. She is a racist pig amkae who thinks she’s so much better than me,” Suyin snarled. “I don’t want trouble. I just want to learn.”

“Wow!” Emi giggled. “You’re a potty mouth!”

“I…” Suyin paused for a moment before giggling herself. “I’m sorry! She just makes me so mad!”

“I get it! Something clearly crawled in her tights and died,” Emi nodded with a chuckle.

“Yes! Exactly!” Suyin grinned. “Very far up her tights!”

“A grim thought!” Emi liked this girl.

“Thank you for helping me,” Suyin finally said. “I…I’m sorry I ran from you. Ever since I got here people have been treating me like I’m a worm. I thought you were the same and was afraid you only stuck up for me so you could bully me yourself.”

“I am a witch of anti-bullying!” Emi declared proudly. “I promise I would never bully anyone.”

“Then you are in the minority,” Suyin sighed. “Ever since I had to leave Sehwa Academy back in Korea and move here for my father’s work it’s been one nightmare after another. Japan certainly isn’t like what the anime made it seem to be.”

“You’re an anime fan, too?” Emi grinned broadly.

“Of course! Who isn’t?” Suyin acted shocked before they both burst into fresh fits of giggling.

“Hey! After school a couple of friends and I are getting together for a strategy meeting at the family restaurant in town, do you want to join us?”

“Hmmm,” Suyin thought for a moment. “Sure! I’d like that!”

“Awesome! Come whenever you get out! Say…just asking for a friend but, uh, are you sure you’re not a mermaid?”