Mamori Tokonome

7

The midday sun beats down on the white sands of an unfamiliar, secluded shoreline. A gentle breeze rustles the palm trees, completely at odds with the chaotic shipwreck that just occurred offshore. Washed up on the shore is Mamori Tokonome, her signature white and red uniform soaked through and clinging tightly to her frame. She coughs up a bit of seawater, shivering despite the heat, and slowly pushes herself up off the wet sand. Expecting to find the all-female governing staff of the Mermaid facility, she instead rubs the salt from her eyes and looks up to see a single male figure standing over her. The realization that she is far off course—and entirely alone with a boy—hits her all at once.