"I'm back."
Natsuki, carrying several bottles of drinks and bringing the bow-wearing Kaguya along, arrived at the Python House.
"Eh, Shinomiya-san?"
Kitagawa Marin let out a surprised cry.
Miko turned to look: "Shinomiya-san came to the zoo too?"
Natsuki first handed a bottle of 100% juice to the elementary schooler, then gave the remaining three girls one bottle each. He said offhandedly:
"When I was buying drinks just now, I saw Shinomiya-san all alone and lost, so I picked her up."
Kaguya glanced over, her voice cool and composed: "I wasn't lost."
"Shinomiya-san, good morning."
Yuri Kawahana waved cheerfully.
"...Good morning."
Kaguya nodded lightly in response.
From just one sentence, Kaguya could tell what kind of personality the short-haired girl before her had—another airhead with an overly-friendly disposition, just like Chika Fujiwara.
"This is the first time I've talked to Shinomiya-san. I'm so excited." The close friend clasped her hands in front of her chest. Under the pressure of her arms, her already ample chest appeared even fuller. "Shinomiya-san's voice is so pretty."
Kaguya felt her gaze being warped by some unknown gravitational force. Her eyes drifted downward slightly, landing on Yuri Kawahana's chest.
And yet another Ōpai alien.
With so much fat piled up on your chest, daily life must be completely inconvenient! Aside from tempting others into depravity, what use could it possibly have?!
"Let's continue touring the Python House." Natsuki walked ahead. "Hurry and finish, then we'll go see the pandas."
"..."
Snakes generally preferred dark, damp environments. The moment the group stepped into the Python House, the lighting suddenly dimmed.
Following the other visitors forward, various kinds of snakes quickly came into view.
"Look, there's a super pretty white snake over there."
Yuri Kawahana pointed.
Natsuki looked at the white snake behind the glass. He could see a black evil spirit crouched beside it, occasionally reaching out to stroke the snake's head.
"What's that evil spirit doing?" Kitagawa Marin asked quietly.
Natsuki pondered:
"Maybe he was Xu Xuan in his previous life?"
"There was no Xu Xian in history." Miko retorted. "It's way more likely he was a zookeeper."
Continuing forward, they soon arrived at the anaconda area.
A massive anaconda was coiled by the edge of a pool, as slothful as Miko—unwilling to spare the visitors outside the window even a glance.
"It's an anaconda." Yuri Kawahana's eyes widened. "The biggest snake in the world."
That wasn't actually true.
Setting aside the ancient Titanoboa, he'd encountered a snake even larger than an anaconda just a month ago.
Natsuki spoke in a low voice:
"I think the Gluttonous Snake was bigger."
"Eh?" Yuri Kawahana turned to look at him. "The Gluttonous Snake is so small—how could it possibly be bigger than an anaconda?"
That's because you've never witnessed the true Gluttonous Snake. Just because you haven't seen it doesn't mean it doesn't exist.
Natsuki looked at Kaguya.
The humiliated miss had a tacit understanding. She raised her eyes to meet his.
Their gazes met.
Everything was understood without words.
Kaguya recalled the Gluttonous Snake game from that night. It had already been a month ago.
"Miko, are you okay?"
Yuri Kawahana's voice suddenly reached Natsuki's ears.
"I-I'm fine..."
Miko's voice trembled slightly.
"It's just a little snake—why are your eyes suddenly all teary?"
Natsuki followed the sound and saw Miko, who'd been walking a few steps ahead of him, standing before a glass display case. Her eyes were misty with tears, her pretty face pale, trembling all over.
Good heavens!
Natsuki stepped forward and immediately saw a massive evil spirit python stretching its body inside the glass exhibit. Coiled up, it was tall enough to reach the ceiling.
At that moment, it was lowering its head, a pair of cold vertical pupils staring icily at Miko:
"You can... see me?"
Natsuki decisively stepped forward and activated his Evil Spirit Repelling aura without a word.
See your sister! Why would a snake be able to talk?!
The aura's power fully unleashed, transparent flames swept through, and the giant serpent spirit immediately roared and writhed.
"Phew..."
Miko breathed a sigh of relief and quickly grabbed Natsuki's hand, speaking in a low voice: "Let's go—quickly."
Yotsuya Miko made a decision.
She would never come to a place like the Python House to play ever again!
Leaving the Python House, the group headed straight for the Panda House.
There were many visitors at the Panda House. Not only did they have to queue, but each person's viewing time was also limited. Even so, it still couldn't dampen the visitors' enthusiasm.
After lining up and entering, they quickly saw two chubby pandas sitting on the ground, going crunch crunch as they ate bamboo.
"It's pandas!"
"Pandas are so cute!"
Seeing the pandas, everyone from the elementary schooler to Kitagawa grew excited—even the perpetually slothful Miko was no exception.
Natsuki looked at Kaguya with curiosity.
The humiliated miss had her hands folded and placed in front of her lower abdomen. She stared unblinkingly at the pandas behind the glass, her eyes clearly sparkling faintly.
As expected—no one in the world could resist pandas. The humiliated miss was no exception.
"If you like them, you can take a few photos." Natsuki spoke quietly.
"Take photos..."
Kaguya pressed her pink lips together and pulled out her phone. "I can't—there are too many people. I can't get a shot."
"There really are quite a few." Natsuki nodded. "You could squeeze in to take photos."
Elementary schoolers, adults, even groups of elderly folks—everyone crowded in front of the glass, packed so tightly not even water could leak through.
"Denied."
Kaguya didn't hesitate. She refused outright.
Squeezing together with other people just to take photos felt uncomfortable.
In fact, throughout all these years growing up, she'd always had a driver pick her up and drop her off wherever she went. Forget riding trains—she'd never even ridden a bicycle.
At that moment, a family of three nearby suddenly drew the attention of both Natsuki and Kaguya.
The little girl was too short to see the pandas and was nearly in tears. Her father simply hoisted her up and let his daughter sit on his shoulders to watch the pandas.
Seeing this scene, Natsuki turned to look at the humiliated miss: "Do you want to..."
"What are you even thinking?!"
Kaguya covered her skirt and couldn't help but step back half a pace.
She wasn't an elementary schooler—how could she possibly sit on his shoulders to take photos... If there were no people around, she might consider it. But with people here? Absolutely not. Did she not care about saving face?!
"Please don't let your imagination run wild." Natsuki put on a grave expression. "I meant—give me your phone, and I'll help you take photos."
Kaguya: "..."
When the viewing time ended, the group followed the passage toward the exit. Behind the Panda House was a souvenir shop selling all kinds of panda merchandise—panda pen holders, panda notepads, panda plushies, panda keychains, and more. Everything imaginable was available.
Visitors to the Panda House almost always stopped here to buy some souvenirs to take home.
Kaguya looked at the panda plushies on the shelves and couldn't help but look a few more times.
In the past, she wouldn't have spared such plushies a second glance—but now, for some reason, they seemed quite adorable.
Still, rather than buying them herself, Kaguya actually wanted gifts from someone else more.
"Pandas are quite cute."
The humiliated miss spoke as though it were nothing.
"They really are cute." Natsuki nodded.
"Why is that person buying so many panda plushies all at once?" Kaguya looked at a visitor in the distance.
Natsuki pondered: "Maybe they're used to spending lavishly?"
Kaguya couldn't help but shoot him a look.
What do you mean spending lavishly—that's clearly not the reason!
Buying so many plushies at once—they're obviously gifts for other people!
Just as the humiliated miss was sulking, Natsuki suddenly had an epiphany. He picked up a plushie and handed it to Kaguya:
"Here—for you."
Seeing Kaguya raise her eyes to look at him, Natsuki spoke with earnest gravity: "Remember to bring money when you go out from now on."
Kaguya: "..."