Chapter 12

When Prati came to our settlement, there was another significant change.

This is something that should be noted.

It’s the toilet.

Humans, when they go in, they must come out.

It’s a physiological fact.

How to deal with excrement is an important issue, second only to clothing, food, and shelter.

I couldn’t take it lightly.

So, to be honest, how did I handle the toilet until now...?

...

...There’s the sea, right, nearby.

I just flushed it directly.

I’ve heard that sailors in the past did the same, and the vast ocean can easily absorb a bit of pollution.

The sea is a swirling mix of all kinds of elements, and these elements nurture plankton and other microorganisms, which are eaten by small fish, which are then eaten by larger fish, and I catch those larger fish to complete the food cycle. Isn’t that a good thing?

...

When I confessed this to Prati, she got extremely angry.

"NO WAY!!"

That’s what she said.

I prostrated myself and apologized.

"I really hate how careless land dwellers can be! The food cycle of the sea is completed by the sea creatures alone! Don’t just dump your pollution into our world!!"

"Yes! You’re absolutely right! I’m sorry...!"

I was already at a point where I couldn’t really go against her.

"...But, land dwellers aren’t as clean as we mermaids, so it can’t be helped. Just wait a moment."

"Huh?"

"I’ll bring something that will surprise you."

And with that, Prati, once again naked from the waist down, dove into the sea.

She returned with something in hand.

"This is the ultimate item to solve the toilet problem!!"

With a flourish, Prati held up a star-shaped something.

It was...

"A starfish?"

"More accurately, it’s a starfish-type monster, similar to the B-Nishin G I caught the other day."

So it’s not a regular starfish.

This world really makes effective use of monsters.

"This starfish is called a Gaki-Hitode. Unlike regular starfish, it’s omnivorous and will eat anything, being quite greedy."

"Is that really okay?"

"Yeah, so be careful when handling it. It might bite your fingers."

It was definitely not okay.

"Put this in a bucket or a box, and fill it with water."

Prati prepared a bucket with a few Gaki-Hitode and some water, as she said.

"This is the toilet."

"Huh!?"

This is the toilet!?

It’s just a bucket of water!?

With a few starfish in it!?

"Let me demonstrate, shall I?"

Prati pressed a small knife-like blade against her arm and drew a straight line.

"Got it!?"

A straight cut appeared on her white skin, and blood dripped down.

"Wh-What!? Oh, oh, wait a minute!?"

"It’s fine, don’t worry. A cut like this, if treated with medicine..."

She applied an ointment, and the wound on her arm disappeared without a trace.

Mermaid medicine is amazing.

Meanwhile, the bucket with the starfish was turning red from the blood that had dripped into it, creating a rather shocking scene.

The bucket of water, now completely red.

It was probably her intention, but what was the point of this?

"Because... I can’t actually use the toilet in front of you, can I?"

"?"

Prati blushing was confusing, but a dramatic change occurred.

The bucket of water, which had turned red with blood, quickly became clear again.

The process took no more than a minute.

Before I knew it, the water in the bucket had completely returned to its original clarity, and I could clearly see the starfish at the bottom.

"This is the effect of the Gaki-Hitode. Surprised, aren’t you?"

Prati looked proud.

"This stubborn starfish absorbs and eats even the microscopic organic matter floating in the water. It does the same with excrement from larger organisms. I used blood this time...!"

I see.

If it can absorb blood and turn it into nutrients, it can do the same with excrement.

In the mermaid kingdom, these Gaki-Hitode are highly valued as 'sea cleaners' and are kept in every household for sewage and waste disposal.

"They absorb the waste and store it as nutrients, then reproduce. If there are too many, you can boil them like the B-Nishin G to make fertilizer, or tear them apart to use as fishing bait."

A dream material that can be used in various ways.

Thus, a clean toilet was added to our settlement.

Since it didn’t seem right to leave it in the makeshift hut where I was sleeping, I built a small, compact hut a bit away and placed the starfish-filled bucket there as a private toilet.

Normally, excrement should be collected and fermented to make fertilizer, but I already have the powerful fish fertilizer from the B-Nishin G.

So, the Gaki-Hitode toilet was immediately adopted, and I rejoiced at another improvement in my life.

Prati, for her part, had fully settled in, and our joint life had become the norm.

Such days continued for a while.