The Boy Who Loved a Mermaid — Part 2

 is the twenty-fourth chapter of Natsumi Mukai's +Anima manga.

Synopsis
Husky and Kevin head back to the hut together. Husky trips but Kevin catches him; Husky's face turns red from embarrassment which Kevin mistakes as a symptom of his cold. Husky distances himself from Kevin, so Kevin asks whether it bothers him knowing Kevin is descended from a mermaid; in a panic, Husky denies it. They continue their walk in silence with Husky wondering whether Kevin's ancestor was a +Anima.

At the hut, Cooro, Nana Alba and Senri examine the mermaid's tail, wondering if it is real. Nana hypothesizes that it had belonged to the mermaid that the townspeople told them had once lived in Polly Port. Kevin's friends sneak into the hut and Nana stuns them with her Ultrasonic Screech. Soon after, Kevin and Husky return. Kevin questions what his friends are doing there, and after learning that they were planning to steal the mermaid's tail to use as bait, he chases them away. Nana questions Kevin over whether he plans to skin the mermaid when he finds her, and Senri holds up the tail. Kevin tells them it is not a real tail, but a flag flown at sea. He then tells them the story of his great-grandfather marrying a mermaid, and how he waishes to marry one too.

Kevin's friends discuss their remaining options for catching the mermaid. They think that the mermaid may come to save a drowning young man.

The +Anima children count their money and decide it is best to leave town, however Husky is worried that if they leave now then Kevin may spend his whole life waiting for a mermaid who doesn't exist. Husky walks to a cliff's edge and sees Kevin in a boat rowing toward the open sea. He had been loaned the boat by his friends who convinced him it would help him to see the mermaid however they hadn't told him that the boat was rigged to sink. Kevin waves the flag about before water comes gushing through a hole in the boat and it starts to sink. Kevin's friends stand by just watching; Husky frustratedly wonders why they aren't trying to save Kevin, and Cooro suggests they are waiting for the mermaid, so Husky goes to save Kevin himself.

As Kevin sinks into the depths, Husky grabs him. Kevin is so excited that he tries to speak despite still being underwater. They surface, and not wanting to go near Kevin's friends, he drags Kevin down the shoreline, out of sight. Back on land, Kevin tries to profess his love but Husky stops him. Husky tries to explain that he is a boy, but Kevin misunderstands and thinks his mermaid is already in love with a merman. Husky hits him, and then transforms back into his human form; he leaves after telling Kevin that if another mermaid ever shows up, he should be nice to her and not risk his life.

Marca Brighton writes in her journal that because +Anima are often thought to be legendary creatures, there are a lot of places that don't recognize their human rights.