And So the Mermaid Abandoned Its Body

[Fisherman x Mermaid] *The main story is written in third person

----I know I have only myself to blame for everything----

Hello, everyone. I'm Katalina Fisherlin, and I'm a fisherman now.

Every morning, I take my fishing boat out, and by evening it's always piled high with red snapper, wrasse, and mussels.

I'm good at fishing, which has earned me plenty of praise and made me popular with the locals.

Still, I moved away from the bustling town center, choosing to live alone, far from other people.

Because one day, I stopped being able to tell fish from people. In my eyes, fish and people became indistinguishable.

If I butchered someone thinking they were a fish, I'd spend the rest of my life in prison.

I don't want that. I want to be a free Katalina.

So I live alone in a seaside cabin. It's lonely, but at least I rarely have to live in fear.

But my peace was eventually shattered--

At noon that day, a groaning sound woke me from a sound sleep.

I had to get quite close before I realized it was a fish, its eyes turned upward as it kept leaping in the muddy water.

When I got closer, the fish turned into a person in my eyes, lying face-down in the mud, unable to get up no matter how hard she tried. Her fish tail was in the way.

I had a bad feeling. It seemed my condition had gotten worse again.

Just as I was about to leave the fish behind and walk away, a hand grabbed my boot.

"Karin, please. I want to become human again."

I frowned, feeling deeply conflicted.

Because I hadn't been a magician for a long time.

The setting is Western Europe, but in a fictional world.

The historical details may not be accurate. Apologies in advance.

A short story, about fifty chapters.

Theme: Accept reality and embrace the future