I Thought It Was a Fairy Tale but the Genre Is Strange

The Little Mermaid and Captain Hook

“Caw~ Caw~”

The first sound I heard in my dreamy, hazy state was the cry of a seagull. A seagull. Yes, I had boarded the small boat that I believed was a gift from the gods, only to have it sink and throw me into the sea.

“Keek~”

What happened next? Hmm, something. I think I met a mysterious girl. The sight of her beautiful, passionate red hair contrasting with her fair white skin was truly impressive. There was only one such being in fairy tales.

I remembered. The Little Mermaid. The beautiful princess of the sea. The girl who unfolded a tragic love story that ended in sorrow.

Suddenly, with a throbbing headache, I snapped out of my dreamy state and returned to reality. The scene that greeted me as I struggled to open my eyes was…

“Hmm? You’re awake?”

“Uh, uh…”

Were my eyes playing tricks on me? Was it because my mind wasn’t fully clear yet? Strange. I remembered being saved by a girl who I thought was the Little Mermaid, so why was there a bearded man with a bushy mustache? He even had a long mustache!

On his head was a large hat with a skull pattern that exuded presence. The long feather adorning the brim was clean and shiny, as if well-maintained. His hair was long and curly, so curly that it could rival the permed hair of grandmothers in Korea.

I turned my eyes to examine his attire.

A luxurious red coat with gold-embellished buttons, reminiscent of the attire worn by Western nobles of old. The hint of a white shirt peeking out from his wrist. And at the end of it, a hook.

Yes, the strange man with the mustache had a hook instead of one hand.

Moreover, at his waist was a sword with a round guard to protect his hand.

Not the Little Mermaid. No matter how I looked at it, this greasy-looking man was not the Little Mermaid! I was currently lying on his lap.

The man looked at me intently with blue eyes like forget-me-nots and said,

“You’re awake, boy. Did you sleep well?”

“Ahhh!”

I screamed and jumped up from my spot. It was bad enough to be lying on a man’s lap, but for that man to be such a greasy-looking guy! Goosebumps rose all over my body, making me itch.

“Tchahahaha! What an amusing boy!”

“Uh, uh, um. I’m sorry for screaming at our first meeting.”

I saw the eerie knife at his waist and quickly apologized, fearing that my head might be chopped off if I acted rashly. I wasn’t sure what was happening, but looking around, I realized we were on the deck of a large ship. And the person who seemed to be the captain of this ship was the greasy mustached man in front of me.

“Tsuhahaha! It’s okay. It’s natural to scream when you see my handsome face as soon as you open your eyes.”

Seeing the skull mark on his hat gave me a bad feeling. Anyone could tell he was a pirate. I cautiously asked with a nervous heart.

“Where am I? I remember falling into the sea, did you, by any chance, save me?”

“Hmm? Me? Save you? Tsuhahahahaha!!”

Why is he laughing so weirdly? The man, who burst into a strange laugh, touched his mustache and said.

“You must have mistaken me for Ariel. The one who saved you is a shy girl named Ariel.”

Ariel? If it’s Ariel, that’s definitely the name of the Little Mermaid. My memory was right. But if the Little Mermaid saved me, why am I on this ship? And if my guess is correct, there’s only one person in fairy tales with a hook hand.

“Let me formally introduce myself. I am Captain Hook, the master of the Wendy.”

It really was Captain Hook! Why is Captain Hook, the villain from Peter Pan, here? And where is the Little Mermaid? I thought I had come to Wonderland, but now it seems like everything is completely mixed up.

I calmly glanced around. Unlike in the fairy tale, the ship was large but had no crew. It seemed like Captain Hook was alone. But that doesn’t mean Captain Hook, who has a sword that looks real, isn’t dangerous.

Stay calm. If I provoke Captain Hook, I might end up as fish food.

“Haha, I see. Nice to meet you, I’m Siyu.”

“Siyu! What a great name, boy! Your outfit is unique too. But aren’t you curious?”

Captain Hook took slow steps towards me with a sinister smile.

“You were saved by Ariel, so why are you on this ship? And on the infamous Captain Hook’s ship at that! Tsuhahahaha!”

“Ah, well, I am curious, but not that curious.”

I stepped back, trying to maintain a forced smile. Captain Hook’s sharp hook hand glinted in the sunlight. Damn it, why do these things keep happening to me? This is driving me crazy.

Yes, I am curious. But I feel like if I find out, he’ll whisper the terrible ending that awaits me. For example, that Ariel, who saved me, has already been killed and now it’s my turn!

“Hmm~? Are you curious or not?”

“Ah, so, you see…”

Think. How can I escape? Even if I jump off here, I’ll surely be caught soon. Fighting back is also not an option since they have weapons and I’m empty-handed, putting me at a severe disadvantage. My only hope is Alice.

If she comes to rescue me, she could easily defeat Captain Hook, but this is the sea. Unless she performs the miraculous feat of running on water, it’s impossible for her to come to my rescue. And there’s a high chance she doesn’t even know I’m here.

Who would have thought I’d miss Alice’s creepy laughter at a time like this!

“Trailing off at the end of your sentence, how unmanly, Siyu! Tsu-hahaha! Well, it’s fine now. I was going to tell you my plan anyway, even if you weren’t curious!”

Captain Hook grinned widely, showing his gums, then spread his arms and wiggled his fingers, slightly bending his knees as if preparing to pounce on me.

[Stop. What are you doing?]

Suddenly, a familiar yet strange mechanical voice was heard. I turned my head, thinking my savior had appeared. Then, a head popped up from the railing right behind me.

“Ahhh!”

Startled, I let out a short scream and moved away from the railing. Just a head? Is it a ghost? If this situation continues, I wouldn’t be surprised if I die of a heart attack.

The head of a girl with wet red hair stared blankly at my face, then suddenly blushed shyly. And then she started to rise up. Watching her, I let out a sigh of relief.

She wasn’t a ghost, just a girl climbing onto the ship. But the girl’s appearance was familiar. Despite being wet, her red hair was like a rose, and she wore a seashell swimsuit. Her legs, half-covered in fish scales that sparkled like jewels in the sunlight, looked like she was wearing stockings.

It was the same girl who had saved me.

“Ah~ What did I do? I was just being kind. To your prince, Ariel.”

[Hmph. Ridiculous. I heard everything. That was a threat.]

A mechanical voice came from the pink pearl necklace the girl was wearing. I stood there, dumbfounded, trying to grasp the situation. Or rather, I felt entranced. Her beauty, far surpassing that of any celebrity, felt like a work of art, and I couldn’t take my eyes off her.

Noticing my gaze, the girl shyly covered her lips with her clenched fist.

[Prince. Looking at me like that. Embarrassing.]

The mechanical voice, which didn’t match her appearance at all, spoke, and I finally snapped out of it and turned my gaze to Captain Hook. He was whistling with his lips pursed.

“Whiiist! Wow~ Love is already in the air! Tsu-hahaha! Ariel is pretty, isn’t she? Though not as much as my daughter.”

[Laughter. Embarrassment. Kyaa]

Ariel covered her face with both hands and jumped up. Ugh, my face is burning too.

“Ah, no, it’s not like that. Ahem! More importantly, can you explain what exactly is going on here?”

“Tchahaha! Embarrassed, are we? I was just about to explain. You were rescued by Ariel while she was looking for the prince and brought aboard this ship. Ariel and I are in a cooperative relationship.”

[He looks scary. Captain Hook. Just a greasy. Old man. Don’t worry. My prince]

So, contrary to my concerns, Captain Hook and Ariel are somehow in a cooperative relationship, and Ariel brought me to Captain Hook’s ship after rescuing me.

I looked at the embarrassed Ariel and said,

“Thank you for saving me, Ariel.”

[Kyaa! Happiness! Joy! Excitement! Love!]

“Um, but you see… I’m not a prince.”

I asked nervously, fearing that she might go berserk like Alice did. Fortunately, Ariel shook her head with a smile, dispelling my worries.

[No. Siyu is a prince. My prince]

“Tchahahaha! I understand your reaction, boy.”

Captain Hook laughed heartily and put his hook arm around my shoulder as he continued.

“Do you know why she’s so obsessed with finding the prince? Tchahahaha!”

[Warning! Don’t say it! Warning! Requesting you not to utter a word!]

“Tchahahaha! This is my ship, and I am the captain of this ship! That means I can do whatever I want. Siyu, Ariel once saved a real prince before you. A prince with dazzling golden hair. Ariel fell in love with the prince she saved. Oh~ how romantic!”

So far, this is what I know.

[Warning! Warning! Requesting you to stop! Strongly advising you not to say more!]

Ariel clenched her fists and glared at Captain Hook, but he continued speaking without a care.

“So Ariel made a deal with the octopus witch living in the deep sea for love. She traded her beautiful voice for legs that could walk on land. But during the contract, she killed the witch! Very brutally!”

“What?”

I gulped. So that shy Ariel was also a murderer!?