"Wow~ This place is huge!"
Ai slowly looked around the aquarium entrance as she spoke, and I, naturally,
"We manage this aquarium. It's probably the largest one in Japan."
I wasn't in charge of the details, but a casual glance was all it took to understand.
"Hmm~? I see! Anyway, let's go in quickly!!"
"Yeah, yeah."
Ai, excited, pulled my arm and dragged me inside.
The date with Ai was a huge success; she enjoyed it so much that calling it anything less would be an understatement.
"Wow~ Yume! This fish is huge!?"
"Ahh~! What's this tiny fish? But the color is so shiny!?"
"A whale!? There's a whale too!? It's not super huge, but it's big enough~!"
"Ahhh~! It's a shark!! Yume, it's a shark!! What do I do? I'm gonna get eaten~!!"
Ai's enthusiasm was refreshing. Well, if she's that satisfied, it makes me feel pretty good.
"Then, shall we go see the penguins next?"
"Penguins!? Yume, can we really touch them?"
"Sure."
We had the whole aquarium to ourselves today. You can do whatever you want.
I wanted to capture today's date with Ai for posterity, so I kept taking pictures of us.
I also took solo shots of Ai on my smartphone.
I planned to make a memory album for just the two of us, and these seemed like perfect photos to start with.
"Yume! Penguins! Let's go see them quickly!!"
"I get it, so stop pestering me. Besides, Ai, you're not a kid anymore..."
"Age doesn't matter in front of cute creatures!"
"Yeah, yeah."
If Ai says so, who am I to argue?
At Ai's urging, we hurried to the penguin area. Fortunately, an employee was feeding them and greeted me as soon as he saw me.
"Hello, Yume."
"Hello. Ah, this is my..."
"My wife, Hoshino Ai! Can I touch the penguins!?"
"...Is that okay?"
I shook my head at Ai's behavior and looked at the employee, who said,
"Yes, it's fine. We're feeding them right now; would you like to try giving them food?"
"Yes~!!"
"Then, first, since your clothes might get wet, you should change. Please follow that female employee over there."
"Okay~! Yume, I'll be back!"
Ai followed the female employee to the back, and I just stood there blankly, watching the penguins.
"Are you okay, Yume?"
"Yeah, well, even if my clothes get wet, it's not a big deal."
After all, I came here for Ai, so it should be fine.
However, I was mistaken. As time passed before Ai returned, penguins gradually approached me.
By the time Ai came back, I was surrounded by penguins.
Strangely, I thought I was the type that animals loved.
"Ahhh~!? Yume became the king of penguins!?"
Ai looked at my situation with envious eyes.
"Wow... I've been a keeper for quite a while, but I've never seen anything like this. I'm quite baffled...?"
The keeper, perhaps seeing this for the first time, watched with an amazed expression.
"Wow... So that's what it means to be loved by animals?"
The voice of the team leader filming outside also sounded very surprised.
"Sigh... I wish they'd just disperse now."
I tried to shoo the penguins away with gestures, but as if my gestures were a signal, they came closer.
"St...stop coming closer... Don't come any closer to meee!!"
In the end, I couldn't take drastic action with so many penguins, so I couldn't stop them from approaching, and soon they were rubbing against my body, so I stopped thinking.
"Yumeeee!?"
"Yume!?"
Additionally, I—
I let out a gasp!
Being pushed by the penguins and falling into the water was an extra.
"Sigh... Ai, you're supposed to be having fun, so why am I the one getting soaked?"
"But I saw a funny sight!"
After changing into spare clothes I brought, I took a shower, but I grimaced at the fishy smell on my body.
Seeing Ai having fun, I thought it wasn't so bad to be satisfied with that.
"So, Yume, what are we seeing next?"
"We're going to see the dolphins now."
With aquariums, dolphins shows are a given, but a show might not be possible, so playing with the dolphins didn't seem like a bad idea.
"Dolphins!? Let's go quickly!"
"Ai!? Not that way, the other way!!!!"
At the mention of dolphins, Ai's eyes lit up and she ran in the opposite direction, so I hurriedly corrected her.
"I'm pretty sure the map shows it's this way... Ah, it's over there."
I grabbed the collar of Ai's shirt as she tried to run off and pulled her along; she followed like a cat being dragged by the scruff.
It looked like it would make for a pretty funny scene.
"Yume, isn't this treatment a bit weird?"
"No, it's not weird at all, so let's go like this."
"Yume!?"
Ah, I can't hear you, I can't hear you~
I didn't let go until we arrived at the dolphin performance area.
"Ah, Yume, we've been waiting for you."
"You've been waiting?"
Upon arrival, an employee was already there waiting, and when I asked how he knew,
"Ah, the penguin area employee gave us a heads-up earlier. He said you'd probably come to the dolphins. So we prepared in advance."
"Ah...."
So that's why I heard phone calls while I was washing up.
"Um, can we see the dolphin show right away!?"
For some reason, Ai looked excited, her face even turning red as she asked the trainer, but unfortunately,
"I'm sorry. Unfortunately, today is mostly a day off, so besides me, there are no other trainers, and the dolphins know it's their day off too..."
"Ah..."
Ai's face darkened with disappointment at the trainer's words.
"But, coincidentally, it's time for me to play with them now. Would you like to join?"
The trainer's attitude, as if taming Ai, surprised me.
"Yes!!"
Ai, with an expression of being truly tamed—no, a happy expression—responded to the trainer.
"Then, let me call the dolphins first."
The trainer took out a whistle hanging around his neck and blew it.
*Peeeeeeep!!!*
"Love~! Happiness~! It's meal time!!"
With those words, two creatures jumped out from the dolphin pool and poked just their heads out in front of the trainer.
Those creatures were the dolphins, probably Love and Happiness that the trainer mentioned.
"Now, Ai, if you do the same actions as me with Happiness over here, that'll be fine, okay?"
"Yes!!"
I stood far away. There was a possibility it might turn into a gathering like with the penguins.
I had no more spare clothes to change into, so if I got wet this time, it would be a disaster...!
"First, let's try giving them food. Can you take a small fish from the bucket behind you?"
"Yes!"
Following the trainer's instructions, Ai took a small fish from the bucket with gloved hands, and anyone who saw her would agree she had the brightest smile.
Thanks to that, I could leisurely watch her face, which was quite satisfying.
"Ah!?"
"Ai!?"
Startled by the sudden scream, I looked towards Ai.
"This guy! Ahaha!"
"Ai!?"
"Ai!?"
Happiness, who had been taking the fish from Ai, splashed water all over her body as a prank. Ai was wearing white clothes, so her underwear showed through, and in that moment—
The camera wasn't pointing at Ai yet, but it would soon.
Time: about 5 seconds.
The distance between me and Ai: 2 seconds was enough.
But the slippery floor was a variable.
No choice.
Resigned to getting wet, I dashed towards Ai, took off my outer jacket, and draped it over her.
"A."
"Ah?"
"Huh?"
"Ha?"
Ending with voices from above: me, Ai, the trainer, the filming team leader.
*Gulp gulp gulp...*
I fell into the pool.
But I don't regret it... Ai's underwear shouldn't be seen by anyone...
By the way, I didn't notice Ai watching me with a red face.
When I got out of the water, Ai looked at me and quietly, with only her mouth,
[I'll show you later, Y.u.m.e ♥]
"....Please spare me."
I had a feeling I'd be squeezed the moment filming ended.
"Sigh... I have no more clothes to change into... Hey, you!?"
The two dolphins that had been in front of Ai and the trainer earlier now approached me and rubbed against my body.
Unable to use force, I had to endure the affection—or lack thereof—from the two dolphins until my whole body smelled fishy from being in the water.
"Sigh..."
After receiving some affection and barely managing to get out, Ai and the trainer saw my appearance.
"Pfft!?"
"Kehe...!?"
"Just laugh..."
"Ahahahahahahahahahaha★"
"Sor...sorry... kehe... ha... kehe... ahahaha..!!"
My appearance was no different from a drowned rat.
"I'm never having an aquarium date again...."
"Aww, don't say that, Yume~... Pfft!?"
...Even if I do, I'm absolutely not coming in next time.
Absolutely.
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