MASG chapter 47

After Xiban finished his bath, Mo An was still sitting by the bed, staring blankly at the bead in his hand.

“Aquamarine, right?” Xiban walked over and picked up the troublesome crystal.

Mo An’s bun had fallen apart completely. His silver hair curled down over his shoulders, and the fins in his inner ears uncurled in anger and stuck straight out. By the time he reacted, his palm was already empty.

“Give it back to me!” He quickly stood up and pounced at Xiban.

How could a twin-tail outmatch a siren’s speed? Xiban had no chance. Mo An snatched the bead back. He clutched it as if it were a treasure. His face was pale with anger and his hair was a mess. He sat back on the bed, sulking.

“All right, tell me what’s going on.” Xiban sat down beside him.

Although Mo An hadn’t grown up yet, it was clear that he would be large when he matured. By mermaid standards of age and development, he had passed the juvenile stage but hadn’t reached adulthood yet, so he was in the subadult stage.

“Oh, so now you’ve got something weighing on your mind?” Xiban brushed the ends of his hair, which had grown down to his shoulder blades.

“I quarreled with Xia Yu. He doesn’t want me anymore. He was really mean.” Mo An couldn’t hold back his tears. Every time he thought of Xia Yu’s last words, he felt like crying.

“He wouldn’t abandon you. From what I see, he thinks you’re really important.” Xiban gave a helpless smile, then immediately grew serious. To adults, a quarrel might not be a big deal—just a way to vent or solve problems.

But for Mo An and Xia Yu, who were still young, any quarrel was a devastating blow that made them overthink and deny everything the other had done. They were so young—and yet so precious.

Sure enough, Mo An shook his head stubbornly. “No, that’s not it. He thinks 75,000 points are more important than my gift.”

“What?! This thing costs 75,000 points!” Xiban shot up from his seat. “These things are everywhere on the seabed! I could grab a handful of them anytime—they’re worthless! Who sold it to you? I’ll go with you to settle this!”

“I didn’t know they were so common under the sea. You all see them all the time, but I haven’t. To me, they’re precious.” Mo An felt his heart twist and his head throb with frustration.

Xiban didn’t say anything for a long time, unable to find the right words. He could understand Xia Yu’s stubbornness. Xia Yu was a precocious child—only sixteen, yet he’d been the older brother for years, carefully managing every detail of life, afraid that Mo An’s future wouldn’t be secure. Losing 75,000 all at once—he had every right to be angry or anxious.

But Xiban also understood Mo An’s stubbornness. A landlocked fish had never seen the vast blue crystal mines beneath the sea, yet something in his genes made him long for them.

“I just wanted to give him something from my hometown.” Mo An couldn’t understand the emotions in his chest; his thoughts raced like a wild river. “He said that if I don’t return it, then I shouldn’t see him again. But I really don’t know what I did wrong.”

As he spoke, he looked to Xiban for help. “Did I do something wrong?”

Xiban was at a loss for words. “No…no, it’s just…the timing isn’t right.”

“What timing?” Mo An sniffled.

“The timing means that you and Xia Yu think about things from different angles. You wanted to give him a precious gift, which isn’t wrong. But Xia Yu is worried that you won’t have enough points later, and that’s not wrong either.” Xiban patted his head. “Little merboy, you’ve still got a long way to go before you grow up.”

“But he shouldn’t have said those things to me. After he said them, my heart hurt. I can’t describe it.” Mo An muttered as he carefully put the crystal away. “Xiban, does he think I’m a bother?”

“How could you think that?” Xiban asked back.

Mo An fell silent. Deep inside, there had always been a shadow that he didn’t dare mention. As he grew older, the shadow grew with him, appearing from time to time to remind him of its presence and make his heart ache unbearably.

Or rather, he was afraid.

“Because… I’m always scared that I’m a burden. If Xia Yu didn’t have to take care of me, maybe things would be much easier for him. It’s like I’m always causing him trouble.” Mo An punched the air twice. “I eat a lot, so I use up points and money really fast. If he didn’t have to bring me along, he wouldn’t be so tired.”

Xiban couldn’t help but laugh and sigh again. The child was growing up—his heart was growing heavy too.

“Does he want to kick me out?” Suddenly, Mo An pressed his lips together. “Does he want me to go back to the sea?”

“Stop thinking about it. Go to sleep; the more you think about it, the more upset and confused you’ll get. Xia Yu isn’t that kind of boy. If he could take care of you when he was ten, he wouldn’t abandon you now. Look at you. You’re like a stray puppy, afraid of being thrown away by its owner…” Xiban helped tuck him in. “You know what? You really have a bad temper. You shouldn’t have run to me. You should’ve talked things through.”

“Hmph. Talk about what? He doesn’t want me anymore. He told me to leave.” Mo An rolled onto the bed. “Unless he comes to coax me, I’m not going back. Mermaids should sleep with mermaids. From now on, I’ll stay with you every day!”

“Oh no, please don’t.” Xiban pouted and turned on a little jellyfish-shaped nightlight.

The nightstand with the nightlight was on Mo An’s side of the bed, but sleep never came. His mind kept replaying Xia Yu’s last words and how he’d stepped back and told him to return the gift. Was his sincerity really that unimportant?

Or… did Xia Yu want him to grow up and become independent? To let them both be independent?

Or maybe… Mo An knew he shouldn’t overthink things, but he couldn’t help it. His thoughts spiraled wildly and endlessly. He was angry at Xia Yu, which was definitely wrong, but wasn’t that what anger was?

His mind was racing so fast it almost stalled. Finally, Mo An closed his eyes and stopped looking at the little nightlight. After a moment, though, he opened them again and stared at the wall opposite. This was the first time since hatching that he had slept apart from Xia Yu.

What was he thinking over there? Had he fallen asleep? Mo An wanted to hear a knock on the door. Even after his eyes stung from waiting, though, no one came.

The next morning, Xia Yu took much longer than usual to get out of bed.

Ling Shi: [Good morning, Xia Yu.]

“Yeah.” Xia Yu was so sleepy that he couldn’t open his eyes, and his head drooped down.

Ling Shi: [You didn’t sleep much last night, did you?]

“No.” Xia Yu denied it quickly.

Ling Shi: [Don’t lie to me, Xia Yu. I saw everything clearly. You tossed and turned, got up several times, walked to the door, and then came back. In my system, this behavior is categorized as ‘hesitation.’ It’s an emotion we AIs can’t quite understand—so fascinating.]

“I said I didn’t. I just got up to use the bathroom.” Xia Yu quickly put on his clothes. “When do we leave?”

Ling Shi: [We can go now, or I can give you half an hour to rest. Do you want to sleep a little longer?]

“No need. Let’s go now.” Xia Yu glanced out the window. The sky was still dark. The sooner they left, the sooner they could return. He hoped to finish the mission before nightfall so he could have dinner at home. But his eyes drifted toward the wall and paused for two or three seconds.

Ling Shi: [Should I wake Mo An? Or notify Mi Dou?]

“No, there’s no need. If Mi Dou gets up, then Mi Lian will too. I can’t keep calling them along for everything. Today’s just a simple mission anyway.” Xia Yu felt a strange pang of sourness in his chest—twisted and hard to express. “And Mo An… don’t wake him. He’s still mad at me.”

Ling Shi: [He’s just a kid.]

“Thirteen years old isn’t that young anymore, he should’ve learned to behave. I can’t just let him do whatever he wants.” Xia Yu quickly packed his backpack, washed up, slung it over his shoulders, and opened the metal cabin door.

The corridor was outside the door. As soon as he appeared, the automatic ceiling light above flicked on, illuminating his face. He glanced at Xi Ban’s door once more, hesitated for a long moment, but still didn’t knock. A’Ni must be furious. His tone yesterday had indeed been a bit harsh.

He’s so angry. Might as well let him rest properly. They could talk later tonight. Xia Yu turned around and walked down the left side of the hallway. As he moved forward, the ceiling lights above turned on one after another.

Inside Xi Ban’s room, Mo An was lying awake, his ear fins twitching slightly. He could hear sounds from the corridor. Xia Yu must have come out of his room. Where was he going? Why didn’t he come wake him up? Or did he prefer to go alone instead of calling him along?

Never mind. If he doesn’t call me, then so be it. I’m not going to back down anyway. Mo An rolled over and pulled the blanket over his head.

Xi Ban got up at exactly half past eight. Looking at Mo An, who was still sleeping soundly beside him, Xi Ban sighed again. Still sulking? His inner ear fins were twitching in frustration—this kid really had quite the temper.

Clearly, he’d been upset the whole night. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have kept tossing and turning, preventing Xi Ban from sleeping well, too. Now, the little grumpy fish was sleeping soundly while he had to deal with dark circles under his eyes. Who could he complain to about that? Xi Ban freshened up and went downstairs to buy breakfast.

Yawning as he walked, he ran into Mi Dou, who was chewing cotton candy while buying milk. “Morning, Dou Dou.”

“Shh!” Mi Dou quickly covered his mouth. “Don’t call me that! I’ve already grown up!”

“Hahaha, mini teddy boy. Say that again when you’re taller than me.” Xi Ban pinched his cheek. “Why are you up so early?”

“I wanted to get breakfast for Mom, but too bad. The egg rolls she loves are already sold out.” Mi Dou shrugged. “She’s been in a meeting since early this morning.”

Usually, when the security division held meetings, it wasn’t a good sign. Xi Ban couldn’t help asking, “Are strange species appearing nearby again?”

“There are a few, but they’re all stable. Some even get along fine with humans, like the building over there.” Mi Dou pointed to the high-rise building overtaken by plants. “Mom said there have been a lot of missing person cases lately. She told me not to wander around.”

Missing person cases? Xi Ban grew even more curious. “Any leads yet?”

“No.” Mi Dou stuck out his tongue.

Xi Ban patted his shoulder. “Don’t worry. I’m free these days. I’ll keep you three company.” Oh, right. Xia Yu and Mo An had a fight. If you run into them today, don’t ask anything.”

“What? They fought? Why?” Mi Dou couldn’t imagine what could have caused the argument. “And Xia Yu already left. You guys didn’t know?”

Xi Ban immediately looked at the clock on the wall. It was just past nine in the morning. Why did Xia Yu go out?

“My mom told me. She said there was some finishing work this morning and that she saw Xia Yu’s name on the list.” Mi Dou looked worried. “That’s not like him. He always calls me along, but this time he went alone. When he comes back, I’m definitely going to—”

“I’ll go tell Mo An first. Do you want to come with me?” Xi Ban interrupted. Mi Dou nodded, and the two hurried to the elevator. Inside, Mi Dou whispered, “Why did they fight, anyway?”

“Because of a gift. Mo An secretly bought a crystal yesterday—it cost seventy-five thousand points.” Xi Ban anxiously watched the floor numbers. “Hurry, hurry, faster!”

“Seventy-five thousand? Seventy-five thousand!” Mi Dou screamed inside the elevator, causing Xi Ban’s ears to buzz. Had he heard correctly? That number was terrifying!

“Yeah, they argued about it. Mo An was so mad that he slept in my room last night.” Xi Ban rubbed his ears. As soon as the elevator doors opened, he strode out.

Mo An was still asleep. After all that emotional turmoil, he was out cold. Even in his sleep, though, his body twitched and his head kept slipping off the pillow. When he finally opened his eyes, his tear membrane hadn’t retracted yet, leaving his eyes pitch black.

“Retract it, come on,” Xi Ban said. Xi Ban patted his cheek. Mermaids had two layers of sleep protection: one eyelid and one tear membrane. It looked like Mo An was still in a deep sleep.

“…What are you doing?” Mo An’s tear membrane flicked back instantly, and his eyes returned to normal. “Mi Dou? Ah, it’s so early. Are you guys going downstairs for breakfast? I’m not going. I want to—”

“What breakfast? Don’t sleep anymore.” Xi Ban caught him just as he was about to fall back onto the bed. “Xia Yu’s gone. Get up.”

Mo An froze mid-motion, then suddenly sat up straight like a startled carp. “He really left?”

“Mi Dou said Xia Yu joined the finishing team this morning. They left early.” Xi Ban pointed toward the next room. “Did you hear anything?”

Mo An bit his lip hard and said through clenched teeth, “I did. Why would he go alone? He always called me before. See? I told you. He just doesn’t want to take me anymore. He wants to leave me behind.”

After saying that, Mo An seemed unable to accept the thought. He stubbornly tried to justify it. “He’s just mad at me, that’s all.”

Mi Dou didn’t know the details, but seeing them fight was rare. “Mad about what? Xia Yu wouldn’t! You’re just being petty.”

“No, I’m not petty. He cares more about points than he does about me.” Mo An took the troublesome crystal out of his pocket. “I’m not returning it. If he doesn’t want it, I’ll keep it.”

“All right, stop being so childish. Are you going to find him or not?” Xi Ban cut straight to the point. “If you want to go, I’ll come with you. We can still make it in time.”

“No, I’m not going. He didn’t call me, so I won’t go after him.” Mo An lay back down, though his eyes kept flicking to the digital clock on the wall. “I’m going to sleep.”

Mi Dou sat by the bed and shook him. “Can you really sleep like this? Let’s go together. You can apologize to Xia Yu, and the two of you can make up.”

But Mo An was stubborn. “I didn’t do anything wrong. I’m not apologizing. And I’m not going.”

Ah, what a stubborn temper—completely unreasonable. Xi Ban could protect Mo An, but when it came to his emotional conflicts, there was nothing he could do but hope that Mo An would figure it out soon.

Time ticked away, and the numbers on the wall clock changed second by second. Though Mo An lay there, he couldn’t keep his eyes closed. Every now and then, he’d glance out the window, then back at the clock.

More than two hours passed.

“Why aren’t you asleep yet?” Mi Dou asked. “I just called my mom on my wristband. She said the finishing work is done and they should be on their way back.”

Mo An’s legs twitched slightly, but he quickly lay still again. “Why are you telling me that? I don’t want to know.”

“Fine, don’t listen, then. I’m going downstairs to meet Xia Yu. Don’t follow me, okay? When I meet him, I’ll take him out to eat, and from now on, he’ll sleep at my house.” Mi Dou bet that by then, Mo An would definitely go too. They grew up together—how could they hold a grudge overnight? One good meal together, and everything would be fine.

But another hour passed, and still neither Xia Yu nor his team had returned.

“What’s going on? Mom said they’d be back soon.” Anxiously, Mi Dou stood by the window, peering down, when urgent knocking sounded from the door behind him. “Ah! It’s Xia Yu! It must be him!”

Mo An, who had been lying on the bed, quickly shut his eyes again, pretending to be asleep.

Mi Dou rushed to open the door, but instead of their friend Xia Yu, it was Captain Silver Fang.

“Captain Silver Fang? Why are you here?”
Before Mi Dou could finish, Silver Fang’s urgent and grim voice rang out:
“Xia Yu’s team met with an accident. Preliminary assessment: they were ambushed by an unknown organization!”