Chapter 151: A Trip to the Aquarium (Long Chapter)
The trio's destination was the Kasai Rinkai Aquarium Park, located near the border between Tokyo and Chiba Prefecture.
By taking the Keiyo Line and getting off at Kasai Rinkai Park Station, one could tell they had arrived just by seeing the giant Ferris wheel that served as the landmark of the area.
The next stop on this train line was Tokyo Disneyland.
On a Sunday, the coastal trains were quite crowded. Many people were bringing their families and friends for some recreation. Akishin shielded Shizuka, Shizuka stood beside Hotaru, and the three of them sat in the corner of the carriage, watching the blue sea drift by outside the window.
"Auntie Hiratsuka, look! There are seagulls outside. I saw a fish jump out of the sea too~"
Hotaru's small finger pointed out the window, speaking in a soft voice to Shizuka.
"Let me see... looks like those really are seagulls." Shizuka leaned down beside Hotaru, taking in the scenery with her. "Hotaru, your observation skills are truly impressive."
"Hehe, not really. Auntie Hiratsuka, are there really little penguins inside the aquarium?"
"Of course. And not just little penguins. We can watch dolphin shows too... and see big sharks~"
"Really? That's great! Hotaru wants to get there fast..."
"We're almost there. Look, we're about to cross the big bridge. Do you see that huge Ferris wheel? Once Hotaru can see it clearly, it means we've arrived."
Surprisingly, Shizuka—who usually cared deeply about her age—had voluntarily referred to herself as 'Auntie' in front of Hotaru. Akishin had wanted Hotaru to call her 'Big Sister' instead, but Shizuka wouldn't allow it.
Shizuka's reasoning was that while Hikigaya and the others weren't allowed to talk about her age, Hotaru was an exception. Mrs. Miyako was only five years older than her, so it was only natural for her daughter to call her 'Auntie'—though her true motive was wanting to experience the sensation of being an elder or a parent figure.
Akishin sat in his seat, watching their interaction with a gentle gaze.
He, Shizuka, and Hotaru truly looked like a small family of three. When they boarded the train earlier, a passenger had even complimented Shizuka, saying, "Your daughter is so cute," which had turned Shizuka's face bright red.
Since Shizuka herself loved children so much, he wondered how many kids they would have later.
And what names would suit them?
I'll likely be a husband who marries into the wife's family as a mukoyoushi, so will the children take Shizuka's surname? Will they be named Hiratsuka?
Akishin's thoughts drifted far away, irrelevantly pondering various things, even starting to feel conflicted about the names of his future son and daughter.
Shizuka turned to look at him. Seeing Akishin's heavy expression, she asked with concern, "What's wrong? Why is your expression so serious?"
"Did something bad happen?"
Akishin blinked, snapping out of his wandering thoughts, looking slightly startled. "Ah, no, it's nothing. I was just thinking about a very important matter."
We aren't even married yet, why am I already thinking about kids!?
"A matter about what?"
"...A matter regarding the future."
Akishin glanced left and right; no one was paying them any attention. He then looked at Hotaru, who was staring at him with big, curious eyes, and gave her a wink.
Akishin leaned into Shizuka's ear and whispered softly, "I was thinking... what should we name our children?"
After saying that, Akishin blew a soft breath against Shizuka's ear and immediately sat up straight with a stiff posture, staring intently at the back of the seat in front of him.
As for Shizuka...
Σ(っ°Д°;)っ→(⁄⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄⁄)
"You... you... what are you saying again!! Ch-ch-children!?"
It felt as if something had exploded in her head. Especially that warm breath blown against her ear; the ear was an incredibly sensitive spot, causing the base of her ear to flush red instantly.
Shizuka glared at Akishin with a mix of embarrassment and anger, her face appearing incredibly crimson. She lowered her head to hide her shame, twiddling her thumbs nervously.
"What are you thinking, you scoundrel? I haven't even accepted you yet, why are you thinking that far ahead...? But, I wonder what would be a good name? ...Ah! What am I thinking!? Hiratsuka Shizuka, you're thinking nonsense too, this is all that annoying man's fault..."
Akishin acted as if he didn't notice Shizuka's awkwardness. He kept staring at the seat without turning around, as if he had found something fascinating there.
"Uncle Chishima, what were you talking about with Auntie Hiratsuka?"
Hotaru twisted her small body, looking at Akishin and then at Shizuka. Noticing Shizuka's face was extremely red, she asked with concern, "Auntie Hiratsuka, what's wrong? Why is your face so red? Are you sick, Auntie? When Hotaru is sick, my face gets very red too..."
Hotaru reached out her hand, wanting to check Shizuka's forehead—her grandmother and mama always did that when she was sick—but she was too short to reach the forehead and could only touch her nose.
Seeing Hotaru's worried expression and her struggle to climb the seat just to touch her forehead, Shizuka stunned for a moment before smiling. "Thank you for the concern, Hotaru. Auntie isn't sick, so don't worry. Come down quickly, don't fall now..."
What was wrong with her, still acting like a young girl at her age?
She picked Hotaru up and sat her on her lap, stroking Hotaru's small head affectionately. Her expression truly looked like that of a biological mother.
Today, Hotaru wasn't wearing a small kimono; instead, she had changed into a light green dress. Her chubby cheeks and soft body, which carried a faint scent of baby milk, made her very comfortable to hold.
"Then why is Auntie Hiratsuka's face so red?"
Hotaru still hadn't given up. She tilted her body, insisting on reaching out to touch Shizuka's forehead.
This time, because she was sitting on Shizuka's lap, she succeeded.
Hotaru then tried to check her own forehead before saying in a soft, pouting tone, "Auntie Hiratsuka, you're lying. Your forehead is clearly hotter than Hotaru's, and you still say you're not sick?"
"Auntie really isn't sick."
Shizuka shot another glare at Akishin before comforting her. "It's because your Uncle Chishima made Auntie angry. Uncle Chishima is a bad person, so he has to be punished. Let's hit him..."
As she spoke, she raised her fist and gave Akishin a light punch.
"Then what did Uncle Chishima say?"
"...Um, well, Uncle Chishima wouldn't let Auntie eat a hamburger, so Auntie is very angry."
"Auntie Hiratsuka likes eating hamburgers too?"
"Of course I do. Does Hotaru like them as well?"
"I love them!" Hotaru raised her small hands happily, but her expression quickly turned to disappointment. "But Mama doesn't let Hotaru eat that food. She says it's unhealthy."
"Then this time, Auntie will take Hotaru to eat one secretly, so don't tell Mama, okay~"
"Mhm, Hotaru knows. But what Hotaru likes most is still Uncle Chishima's cooking, it's so delicious. Uncle Chishima is the best..."
...
The train eventually crossed a large bridge, moving over the river that marked the border of Chiba Prefecture, and the giant Ferris wheel came into view.
It was recognized as the largest Ferris wheel in Japan.
After getting off the train and passing through the ticket gates, the massive Ferris wheel immediately loomed before their eyes.
It truly lived up to its title. From the fountain plaza in front of the station, the structure could be seen clearly. There were no buildings of comparable height nearby, making it look as if it stood tall on its own between the heavens and the earth.
Its visual impact from up close was beyond words. Under the clear blue sky, the object rotated quietly.
Akishin took out his camera and snapped a photo looking upward, then asked Hotaru and Shizuka to stand together for a picture.
Akishin took Shizuka's hand, Shizuka held Hotaru's, and they walked toward the great Ferris wheel.
Shizuka had been here before, more than once, but mostly she had only passed through for certain errands. The last time she had actually come here to play was years ago.
Shizuka mentioned that many things here had changed; there were many new buildings, but many things remained the same as well. At least the paths were almost identical to how they used to be, so they wouldn't get lost.
After following the main road toward the sea for a while, a giant dome-shaped building finally appeared on the left. The top was made of transparent tempered glass, while the bottom consisted of solid concrete walls.
Below that building was the aquarium entrance hall.
Once they were under the roof, Akishin let go of Shizuka's hand, scanned the surroundings, and went to the ticket counter to queue. Since today was a holiday, there were quite a lot of visitors; he queued for ten minutes before finally getting the tickets.
"Got the tickets, let's head in."
Akishin walked over to Shizuka and Hotaru, waving the tickets in his hand. Today he was dressed all in black—a long-sleeved jacket paired with black cashmere trousers—looking handsome with a serious edge.
The three of them entered the glass dome they had seen from the outside. The sunlight became even more dazzling; the dome, composed of numerous panes of glass, gathered the sunlight, which, combined with the white walls at the edges, made everything look even brighter.
On the other side, as they took the long escalator down toward the aquarium, the atmosphere grew increasingly dim with every step.
The process of slowly moving away from the sunlight on the surface felt like the darkness of a theater before a movie starts, filling the heart with anticipation.
At the end of the long escalator sat a water tank that resembled a giant screen.
Countless sea creatures swam within it. Sharks that were usually only seen on television looked close enough to touch. There were also multi-colored coral reefs, giant seaweed, as well as flounders, clownfish, sardines, and even giant groupers, along with the sturgeons one often sees...
It was truly magnificent.
In both his two previous life-levels and his original life, this was Akishin's first time visiting an aquarium. He didn't hide his admiration for the beauty within.
"Shark!"
Shizuka held Hotaru, pointing toward a Blacktip Reef Shark inside the glass screen. Hotaru felt both excited and a little scared looking at the massive tank.
Once she was sure there was no danger, she pressed her small hands against the glass, happily "petting" the large fish from behind the barrier.
Then Hotaru looked at Akishin, pointed at the tank, and laughed with pure joy. "Shark!"
"Shark!"
Akishin repeated Hotaru's words with a smile, taking out his camera and looking for the right moment. He snapped a photo of Hotaru just as a shark passed by for a group shot.
Akishin showed the photo to Hotaru. "Hotaru, is this a good photo?"
In the picture, Hotaru happened to be turning her head. Behind her was the colorful "underwater world," and a large shark just happened to be swimming past, resulting in a perfect shot with Hotaru.
It was even better than a promotional photo.
"It's very good! Thank you, Uncle Chishima." Hotaru nodded her small head happily.
"Chishima-kun, I want one too." Shizuka felt envious seeing that photo. She set Hotaru down and then struck a peace sign pose in front of the glass screen.
Akishin adjusted the camera, waited for an opening, and took Shizuka's picture. The result was still good, but not as perfect as Hotaru's; Hotaru's photo belonged to that category of rare, once-in-a-lifetime moments.
After that, Akishin continued to photograph the glass screen with enthusiasm.
Just then, a shark with a flat head swam closer.
It was a Hammerhead Shark. Thanks to its unique appearance, people knew its name without even needing to look at the info board.
As a boy, everyone must have liked sharks at some point, or gone through a phase of being obsessed with dinosaurs and ocean encyclopedias.
As a child, Akishin lived in an orphanage. There were a few picture books there, including illustrated ones introducing sea fish and dinosaurs—he still remembered the first time he watched Jurassic Park on a phone during his school days.
Akishin's favorite dinosaur was the Mosasaurus, because the name Mosasaurus sounded the most impressive.
—My name is Akishin. I am five years old. I sleep early and wake up early every day. I never waste food, and I never fight with my friends. My favorite dinosaur is the Mosasaurus. My favorite fish is the whale—if I have to be specific about the species, it's the Blue Whale. (Laughs).
"Chishima-kun, you seem to really like sharks. Let me help you take a photo."
Shizuka reached out her hand for Akishin's camera.
Hotaru chimed in beside them, "Photo, photo! Photo with the big shark..."
"Make sure it's a good one."
Akishin handed the camera to Shizuka, then monitored the situation inside the glass screen, standing there simply as a sign he was ready to pose.
"Wait until the shark passes before taking it. It would be best if we get a side profile of the Hammerhead... unfortunately, the Whale Shark doesn't want to come near..." Akishin felt a bit disappointed.
"Why do you have so many requests?"
Shizuka gritted her teeth slightly, shifted through a few angles, and finally pressed the shutter button. The position of the shark turning its head was captured perfectly right behind Akishin.
After they finished viewing the sea creatures in the giant glass screen, the three of them walked toward another area.
Hotaru bid farewell to the sharks with a sense of reluctance.
The next destination featured several creatures displayed separately: piranhas, arapaimas, pufferfish, seahorses, and several types of beautiful jellyfish.
Inside the dim room, several glowing water tanks emerged. In this theater-like space, everyone naturally lowered their voices.
Akishin and the others did the same. They passed the aquariums one by one, looking at the unique fish inside, reading the descriptions, and feeling their horizons broaden.
They took quite a lot of photos there as well.
...
Once they emerged from the underground scenery, they saw the penguins.
Clad in black and white, the plump penguins stood atop a rock mountain inside a large glass enclosure that isolated the temperature. Occasionally, they preened their feathers with their sharp beaks, looking very innocent.
Perhaps because the light was too bright, most of them hid in the shadows of the rocks and didn't move much—if it were snowing in winter, there wouldn't be a glass cover.
These were Humboldt Penguins. They weren't as large as Emperor Penguins, but they were quite tiny and cute.
It was said that for Humboldt Penguins raised by humans, as long as one of the pair was still alive, they would stay with that partner forever.
For this reason, many couples came here to take photos.
After reading that explanation, Akishin subconsciously looked at Shizuka. Shizuka's face flushed, and she looked away with a small "tch."
Clearly, both of them were thinking the same thing.
After seeing the penguins, they walked toward another spot.
"Auntie Hiratsuka, there are a lot of people over there. What are they looking at?"
Hotaru suddenly pointed ahead. Following the direction of her finger, a group of people had gathered, and the sound of a crowd could be heard.
Akishin said, "Then let's go take a look."
This was the life he yearned for: weightless, no need to worry about the future, having people he cared for and who cared for him. Adventures in various worlds were certainly interesting, but Akishin didn't crave them.
It wasn't because he feared death, but rather because he wanted to be cared for and noticed...
Precisely because life is so short, one must live according to one's own heart—living freely, living honestly. Perhaps he would regret it in the future, but at the very least, he didn't want to start regretting it now!
They walked toward the popular attraction. There, they found a water tank similar to a small swimming pool that stretched horizontally along the outer path.
Unlike the other tanks, this one had no cover; the water surface was directly exposed to the air.
Looking at the explanation board on the wall, it read: "Please touch gently with two fingers."
"It seems this is an experience zone where visitors can interact with sea creatures."
Akishin poked his head toward the water tank to see what kind of sea creatures he could interact with from such a close distance...
It was a shark!
A shark once again!
Small sharks and rays swam leisurely inside the water tank.
The info board listed them as Bamboo Sharks, Catsharks, Red Stingrays, and Starry Rays.
...
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