“The taste really is pretty good.”
Aoyama ate three more Small silver fish in a row.
Every time he swallowed, he felt a faint warmth spread from his throat down into his chest.
[Food Record: Small silver fish ×5]
[Current Progress: 5/20]
[Effect Preview: Underwater Breathing (Fish) – Continue consuming the same source ingredient to complete activation.]
“Aoyama-kun.”
Kasumigaoka Utaha sat beside him on the sandy ground, leaning back with both hands behind her as she looked up at the sky.
“You said you would gain an ability after eating twenty of them, but what if you suddenly get full when you reach nineteen?”
“I won’t.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m hungry.”
Utaha turned her head and looked at him.
Her gaze moved between his slightly puffed cheeks and his serious expression before she let out a quiet laugh.
“Is your ability to tell deadpan jokes with such a straight face also something you gained from eating bugs?”
“This one is something I was born with.”
“Mm-hmm.”
Aoyama did not continue the conversation.
He focused on preparing the Small silver fish in his hands one after another.
His knife moved smoothly as he cut open the fish bellies, cleaned them, sliced the meat, and ate.
The entire process flowed without any wasted motion.
The silver-white flesh shimmered under the sunlight like pearls as he placed each slice into his mouth, chewed, and swallowed.
By the time he reached the tenth fish, the warmth inside his chest had become much more noticeable.
He could feel something subtle changing deep within his lungs.
It was as if countless tiny hairs were slowly unfolding along the inner walls of his alveoli.
With every breath, the air he inhaled seemed to be utilized more efficiently.
The exchange of oxygen had improved by more than a single level.
“Aoyama-kun, did your breathing change?”
Utaha suddenly spoke, her voice carrying a hint of curiosity.
“Hm?”
Aoyama had not expected her observation skills to be this sharp.
She turned slightly toward him.
“Your breathing sounds much quieter than before.
I can barely hear you inhale now.”
“Also, your chest movement has become smaller, but it doesn’t look like you’re holding your breath.”
“It’s like your body has become more efficient at using the air around you.”
Aoyama noticed it himself as well.
He took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled.
The entire process felt much smoother than before, without the faint resistance he was used to.
Once the air entered his body, it felt as if it was automatically distributed throughout every corner, providing enough oxygen for his entire body without needing conscious effort.
“Because I’m evolving.
I’ve decided to stop being human.”
“…A monster Aoyama-kun?”
Utaha thought about it for a moment.
If it was Aoyama, she supposed it was not completely impossible to accept.
The thirteenth fish.
The fourteenth.
The fifteenth.
After swallowing the seventeenth Small silver fish, Aoyama suddenly felt his chest tremble.
“Buzz!”
The sensation was like a door quietly opening deep inside his lungs.
The breathing rhythm that once required conscious control became completely unnecessary.
He could feel subtle changes occurring within the walls of his alveoli.
They were adapting to gas exchange, while the oxygen absorption efficiency in his blood continued rising rapidly.
“Why does breathing oxygen feel this good?!”
Aoyama exclaimed in surprise, but he did not stop.
He finished eating the remaining three Small silver fish.
The moment the final piece of fish disappeared down his throat, the virtual panel appeared before his eyes.
[Food Record: Small silver fish ×20]
[Current Progress: 20/20 (Complete)]
[Ability Unlocked: Underwater Breathing (Fish)]
**[Effect: The lungs have gained adaptive enhancement.
The ability to regulate alveolar surface tension has increased, allowing dissolved oxygen in underwater environments to be absorbed through the mouth and nasal passages.
(Breath-holding time extended to 25 minutes.
Oxygen consumption during underwater movement reduced by 37%.
Resistance to seawater salinity significantly increased.)]**
“Success.”
The glowing words appeared line by line on the panel, and Aoyama could feel his body changing at the same time.
“Crack, crack, crack…”
A strange tingling sensation spread through his chest.
It felt as if every bronchial tube was being reorganized, becoming more flexible and resilient.
Aoyama could clearly sense the path that air traveled every time he breathed.
Details he had never noticed before had become incredibly clear.
He took a deep breath and held it.
“…”
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
Thirty seconds passed, yet his lungs felt no discomfort.
A minute passed, and his heartbeat remained steady.
At the two-minute mark, he began to feel the oxygen stored inside his lungs slowly decreasing, but the sensation was completely different from the suffocating feeling of holding his breath normally.
“It feels more like water slowly draining from a bottle, instead of someone squeezing my throat shut.”
He released the breath, then inhaled again.
The entire process was smooth and natural, as if his body had already learned how to use every breath more efficiently.
“Aoyama-kun, did you succeed?”
Utaha’s voice came from beside him.
She had been quietly watching him the entire time, her eyes focused on him.
“Yeah, I succeeded.”
Aoyama turned his head and met her crimson eyes.
He nodded, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
“I can hold my breath underwater for about twenty-five minutes now.”
Utaha’s eyes brightened.
“Twenty-five minutes?
Then that’s more than enough time for you to swim to that shipwreck, right?”
“More than enough.
I could probably make it there and back.”
Aoyama moved his chest slightly, feeling the unfamiliar control over his body.
“And my body’s ability to adapt to seawater has improved too.”
He suspected the Environmental Adaptation ability was also contributing to this.
“Then do you want to try it?”
Aoyama looked at her, then turned his gaze toward the endless blue sea in front of them.
He stood up and walked barefoot across the warm sand toward the water.
The waves washed over his ankles, then his knees, then his waist.
He continued forward until the seawater reached his chest.
“Ha!”
Aoyama took a deep breath and sank beneath the surface.
The ocean surrounded him completely.
He opened his eyes underwater.
He had expected a painful sting, but the seawater felt surprisingly gentle.
“This feeling…”
He lowered his head and looked at his hands.
The underwater visibility was excellent.
He could clearly see the sandy bottom about ten meters away.
Schools of fish swam past him, their scales flashing under the sunlight.
He turned around and looked toward the shore through the clear water.
“Aoyama-kun…”
Kasumigaoka Utaha stood in water that reached her knees.
She had both hands cupped around her mouth as she called out to him, but the sound became indistinct after passing through the water.
Her shadow stretched across the ocean floor beneath the sunlight, swaying gently with the waves.
Aoyama surfaced from the water, droplets sliding down his black hair and cheeks.
He walked back through the waves toward Utaha, seawater pouring from his school uniform.
“How is it?”
Utaha looked him up and down, unable to hide the anticipation in her eyes.
Aoyama wiped the water from his face and smiled slightly.
“It feels…
amazing.”
“Can you see clearly underwater?”
“The visibility is pretty good.
Around ten meters.”
“Did any fish try to bite you?”
“I don’t think so.”
“That’s good.”