Dragon Raja 3; Chapter 153: Night of Wind and Tide (3)

Dragon Raja 3

The girl was sitting by the hot spring pool. She wasn’t soaking, merely had her lower legs in the water, lazily kicking. The girl who had descended from the sky was beautiful, with a silken, moon-white robe that hugged her body, her curves graceful and long, though Kimura dared not lightly label her as “sexy”—such a word was ill-fitting for someone of her status. She sat beneath the cherry tree, gazing at the sea, her long hair rising and falling with the night breeze, full of dignity.

“My name is Su Enxi, just call me Enxi, and I’ll call you Mr. Kimura,” the girl nodded to him.

So ENXI was simply the pinyin of a Chinese name, while Kimura had spent these years guessing in Hebrew, Latin, and French.

The owner’s smile was very gentle, yet it made Kimura even more cautious. He had served too many powerful people, had witnessed high society, and could easily tell apart an upstart flaunting wealth from a true aristocrat. Those newly in power were always arrogant, eager to show off their achievements to the world. As they grew more experienced, they would become more reserved, speaking little but with an air of authority. But even this was just a halfway point; those at the very top of the power pyramid became gentle, even lazy, as they had held power for so long that they had lost the thrill and pride of wielding it. The most extreme of them often wore an expression of “life is meaningless; maybe it’s time to die.” Yet one should never offend these people—if they felt offended, you would be the one to die.

But how could Su Enxi, so young, have that kind of aristocratic laziness? At her age, even if she were born into a prestigious family, she should still be in the early stages of her career.

“I flew in from Hong Kong to watch the tide. It was a rushed trip, so I didn’t notify you in advance,” Su Enxi said.

“We are always prepared to serve you,” Kimura bowed slightly. “The view of the tide from the Kuroishi Residence is the best, but I’m afraid there won’t be any big tides tonight. The Meteorological Bureau would have raised the red wind flag if there were.”

“The tsunami front will reach Sagami Bay in five minutes,” Su Enxi said confidently, gazing at the horizon. “Fifteen minutes ago, a volcano erupted deep in the Japan Trench, generating a sea shockwave from the Tascarora Deep. The high tide is on its way to Atami. If you don’t believe me, look at the water.”

Su Enxi had stopped kicking the water, but new ripples still appeared on the surface. The stone lantern by the hot spring was lit, and its flame reflected in the water, shattering into countless pieces. Gradually, water droplets began to rise from the center of the pool, one after another, breaking the glassy surface when they fell. The stone table started to tremble, and the green porcelain sake cup on it slid to the side. Kimura’s expression changed—this meant Atami was experiencing a small-scale earthquake. He had learned about tsunamis—usually caused by underwater earthquakes or volcanic eruptions. The shockwave spread along the seafloor, creating towering waves when it reached the continental shelf. But the shockwave also traveled faster through the rock layers, arriving before the sea surge, so a small earthquake always preceded a tsunami. The tremors had reached Atami first.

Suddenly, alarm sirens blared, and searchlights on the breakwater came on, their beams sweeping low across the water. Policemen blew their whistles, guiding tourists on the beach to higher ground.

A small scarlet torii stood on the black reef below the cliff. A few minutes ago, the torii was still fully above water, but now its lower half was submerged. The seawater was rising rapidly, and waves crashed against the black reef, shattering into white spray.

The phone rang, and Kimura stepped back a few steps to answer it.

A few minutes later, he returned to stand behind Su Enxi. “It was the Coast Guard. The tsunami hit Cape Kannonzaki on the Miura Peninsula three minutes ago and will reach Atami in a few minutes. They said the tsunami wouldn’t affect the Kuroishi Residence, so we needn’t worry. But since the residence is at the very front of the coastline, they hope we can keep an eye out and inform them of any unusual situations as soon as possible. Miss Enxi, you can watch the tide tonight.”

“It should be quite spectacular,” Su Enxi said calmly.

A thin, silvery line appeared at the horizon, as if a thin layer of silver had been plated on the sea’s surface. In fact, it was the great tide meeting the sky, its crest bearing rolling white waves.

The temple bell rang out powerfully from the mountain, tolling for Atami’s blessing.

As the tide crest approached, Kimura first looked downward, then gradually raised his gaze higher and higher. The sea in front of him curled upward—millions of tons of seawater building into a giant wall pushing towards him. In that moment, Kimura heard nothing but his own heartbeat.

The black wall of water collided with the black rocky shore, shattering like thunder!

The torii was the first to be destroyed, its scarlet beam lifted high atop the white waves, like a little boat made of red paper. The tide crashed against the cliff, and white water splashed skyward like an inverted waterfall, turning into torrential rain in the air. Cherry blossoms filled the garden, and all that could be seen was white water. The only sound was the wind and rain’s fury.

Kimura quietly opened his umbrella to shield Su Enxi. The butler of the Kuroishi Residence had to remain calm even if Mount Tai collapsed before him. Kimura did not consider himself a servant employed to maintain the house—he saw himself as a samurai serving his lord. Even if the raindrops were arrows blotting out the sky, the samurai would not take a step back so long as the lord did not retreat.

The lord remained motionless. Su Enxi sat beneath the umbrella, drinking sake and gently kicking at the water in the pool.

Looking down at the city below, the buildings floated on the tide like matchboxes. The roaring tide pounded the breakwater that clung to the mountainside, shattering cars, boats, and houses into pieces. There was no spectacle in the world quite like this tempest of sea and sky, reminding humanity of its insignificance.

“Listen closely. Do you hear the crying?” Su Enxi suddenly said.

Kimura focused slightly, suddenly feeling a splitting headache. The sea wind carried the cries of infants to his ears—hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of babies crying in anguish, the sound tearing at his ears like steel knives scraping his eardrums.

Lightning flashed across the sea, illuminating the countless shadows in the great tide. Their long tails entwined, and the scales on their bodies glowed with a metallic green light. One moment, the sea waves tossed them into the sky; the next, they were dragged underwater. They struggled continuously, fighting against the tide with all their might. The unknown creatures resembled intertwined mating serpents but emitted cries like infants, echoing across the vast sea like ghosts singing a dirge from the depths of hell. Kimura trembled violently, almost unable to hold onto the umbrella handle.

Su Enxi grabbed Hiroshi Kimura’s wrist, stopping his trembling. Her voice remained calm, “There’s no need to be nervous. Those aren’t ghosts—they’re what you Japanese call mermaids.”

“Mermaids?” Kimura was stunned.

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