Two

Jurin's eyes widened in shock. The kiss was firm yet oddly gentle, and entirely unexpected. Heat rushed to her cheeks, then her ears, her heart somersaulting in her chest.

Chisa made a sound somewhere between a gasp and a wheeze, but Jurin couldn't focus on her. Her mind had turned to static.

The man pulled away with a pleased hum, licking his lips as he said, in perfect Japanese, "Much better."

Chisa burst into laughter. "Dude, what in the actual hell?!"

Jurin scrambled backwards, her back hitting the coffee table as she put distance between them. Her hand flew to her mouth. "What—why—you can't just do that!"

And yet, I have," he replied, entirely unbothered.

"Did he just—" Chisa managed between wheezes.

Jurin's face was burning. She pressed her fingers to her lips, still feeling the phantom pressure. A total stranger. Unconscious one second, kissing her the next. Her brain was struggling to catch up.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

The man's lips curled into a smirk. "I am Riven."

A beat.

"The fucking Winx Club character?" Chisa arched an eyebrow.

Riven shifted his gaze from Jurin to Chisa, brow furrowing. "I beg your pardon?"

"You know. Winx Club? Fairies? Stylish clothes? Magic transformations?"

He stared at her blankly. "I have not the faintest clue what you're referring to."

"You don't know Winx Club?!" Chisa clutched her chest in mock horror. "What kind of childhood were you living?"

Jurin held up a hand, cutting off the spiral. "Hold on! Rewind and run it back." She turned to Riven, her voice steadier now. "You were speaking a different language before. Hissing. Clicks. Now, all of a sudden, you're fluent. What the hell?"

He tilted his head, studying her like she was a mildly interesting puzzle. "Sirens can only speak the languages of land walkers once a kiss has been exchanged."

Silence.

“In the name of fuck, WHAT?!” Jurin exclaimed.

Chisa snorted. "You're joking."

"This is not a jest," Riven stated.

Jurin stared at him. "So you're telling me you kissed me—without asking—so you could talk to us?"

"Correct."

"That's insane."

"Perhaps to your limited understanding."

Chisa sucked in a breath. "Oh, snap—"

"You arrogant asshole," Jurin said flatly.

Riven's eyes widened, genuinely offended. "Goodness! How do you attract suitors with such vile language?"

Chisa's jaw dropped. Then she cackled. "Damn, Jurin. He just called you single in the fanciest way possible."

"Shut up," Jurin hissed, though her cheeks were flaming.

Riven's silver gaze swept the shop—the surfboards lining the walls, the shelves of swimwear, the salt-warped floorboards. "This place is lacking in refinement.”

Jurin's eye twitched. "This is my parents' shop. What are you, from the 1400s?"

He smirked. "No. I am a prince."

Chisa barked a laugh. "You're the least princely dude we've ever met."

"Then you have never encountered a true prince, land walker."

Jurin pinched the bridge of her nose. "Okay. Let's start over." She took a breath, forcing calm into her voice. "You said you're a siren.”

“Yes, that is what I said. Need I clarify more to satisfy your curiosity?”

“Prove it."

Riven raised an eyebrow. "And how do you expect I do that, little land walker?"

Chisa shrugged. "I dunno. Do a water magic trick or talk to a fish. You know your biology better than we do."

He sighed—a low, rumbling sound that made Jurin's stomach do something she refused to acknowledge. "Very well."

He held out his hand.

Jurin squinted. "What are you—"

A thin line of electricity crackled between his fingertips, casting a faint blue glow across his sharp features. The air hummed, static prickling against Jurin's skin.

Both girls jumped back. 

"What the fuuu—" Chisa breathed.

Jurin's heart slammed against her ribs. The light danced across his knuckles, alive and restless, before he curled his fingers into a fist and the energy vanished.

"Satisfied?" he drawled.

Jurin's mouth was dry. "Okay, what the hell was that?"