Grayson closed his eyes. He could still taste the alcohol on his lips. The ocean pheromones were desperately clinging to his skin and clothes. The phantom pressure of those soft hands cupping his face, pulling him down into a kiss—

Once, it might have been an accident.

But twice?

"Stupidly pretty," he muttered, echoing Neville’s drunken words. A laugh bubbled up, helpless and bewildered. "Of all the things to say."

Grayson’s hand moved before he could stop it, reaching out to brush a stray lock of hair from Neville’s forehead.

Then paused.

"We’ll talk again when you’re sober."

Then he left, closing the door quietly behind him.

Inside the room, Neville lay sprawled across the bed in an undignified heap, one arm dangling off the edge while the other was flung across his face.

For a moment, since Grayson came out, the room remained in this state of peaceful stillness.

Then Neville groaned.

It started as a low, pitiful sound that emanated from somewhere deep in his throat. His fingers twitched against the bedspread, grasping at nothing. Another groan followed, this one more distressed, as his body began to shift restlessly against the sheets.

Inside the hidden space in the system, Shelly was sleeping contentedly as she peacefully thought of the good deed she had done, saving her host some points by sleeping.

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

An alarm erupted through the system space like a nuclear siren, causing Shelly to jolt so violently that she tumbled right off her cloud perch.

[What the—!]

She flailed in midair before righting herself, shell spinning frantically. Her eyes, now wide as saucers, immediately focused on the flashing red notification that had materialized in front of her.

[URGENT: HOST VITAL SIGNS DETERIORATING

WARNING: HOST ENTERING CRITICAL TRANSFORMATION-DEHYDRATION STATE]

[Oh no. Oh no, no, no, no, NO!]

Shelly’s voice rose in pitch with each repetition as she zoomed toward the observation window that allowed her to see what was happening in the physical world.

Neville was gasping like a fish out of water—which, considering his true nature, was horrifyingly accurate. His skin had taken on a concerning grayish tinge, and his ocean-blue eyes, usually so striking, had rolled back slightly. His lips moved soundlessly, forming what looked like the word "water" over and over again.

His ocean pheromones were beginning to leak out in waves, filling the room. It was a miracle that Grayson had managed to slip out of this room before the chaos erupted.

[Host! HOST!]

Shelly’s voice projected directly into Neville’s consciousness, but his alcohol-soaked brain couldn’t process the input properly. He continued his distressed gasping, one hand clutching weakly at his throat.

Shelly made a decision.

She used a little of Neville’s points and delivered a psychic slap directly to Neville’s consciousness.

SLAP!

Neville’s eyes opened, but they remained unfocused and glassy. A confused sound emerged from his throat.

"Uhhhnnn... wha’..."

[Host! You need to wake up! You’re dehydrating!] Shelly practically screamed in panic.

"Mmm... Shelly?" Neville’s voice was barely above a whisper, slurred and rough. His tongue felt like sandpaper in his mouth. "Why’s... why’s th’ room spinnin’..."

[Host, you’re drunk! But you’re still a MERMAID, remember? Mermaids need WATER!] Shelly was practically screaming now; her body was vibrating with agitation.

"Water..." Neville’s hand reached out blindly toward nothing, grasping at air. "Need... water..."

He tried to sit up, but his body refused to cooperate. His limbs felt like they were made of lead and rubber. The room swam in his vision, colors bleeding together like an overexposed watercolor painting.

Shelly watched in horror as Neville breathed. His chest rose and fell in short, desperate gasps. A thin sheen of sweat had broken out across his forehead.

[Okay, okay, think, Shelly, THINK!] She spun in frantic circles as she materialized in the physical world. [The bathroom! Host, there’s water in the bathroom!] 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Shelly tried to urge Neville to go to the bathroom, but looking at his current state, even standing would be really hard to do.

[This is bad. This is very, very bad.] Shelly’s eyes darted around desperately. [If he starts to shut down because of dehydration, there’s no telling what might happen! His tail could manifest involuntarily! The pheromones already filled up the whole place! He didn’t even buy the emergency kit! Why host?! If only the host’s target could come back—]

Another groan from Neville, this one weaker than before, cut through her spiraling thoughts.

Shelly took what could be described as a deep breath—though she had no actual lungs—and forced herself to think clearly. [The System Mall. I need to check the System Mall.]

She pulled up the interface with a thought, and a translucent screen materialized in front of her, filled with countless items available for purchase. Her eyes immediately went to the top right corner, where Neville’s current point balance was displayed.

[Current Balance:

Reward Points: 2334

Good Points: 623]

What did my host do to spend this much already?

[Okay, that’s... that’s not great. But not that bad.]

Shelly bit her metaphorical lip.

Using them carelessly was not an option. Reward Points were similarly valuable, but Good Points could be earned through completing quests and missions, so they could be spent.

Shelly navigated through the System Mall’s categories with desperate speed.

"Water! I need something water-based!" She filtered the search results, and dozens of items popped up.

[Ocean Essence Elixir (Locked)- 500 Spiritual Points]

[Hydration Restoration Potion (Locked: Not enough Favorability) - 300 Good Points]

[Mermaid Moisturizing Mist (Locked: Not enough Favorability)- 150 Reward Points]

Is there anything that her host unlocked?

Shelly scrolled frantically, her eyes scanning item after item until—

[Emergency Water Balloons (Pack of 10) - 15 Good Points each]

[Description: Standard-grade water balloons filled with purified H2O. Originally designed for system hosts engaged in recreational activities. Contains 500ml of water per balloon.

WARNING: Not intended for medical use. Not intended for consumption. Not intended for—]

[Perfect!] Shelly didn’t bother reading the rest of the warnings. She purchased it without hesitation.

[Purchase confirmed! -150 Good Points]

[10x Emergency Water Balloons added to System Inventory]

A pile of colorful rubber balloons, each filled with clear water and tied neatly at the top, materialized in the system inventory. They looked absurdly cheerful given the dire circumstances.

[Okay, here goes nothing!]