My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 407

From here, you can clearly see the Humboldt penguins climbing up the rocky hill and gathering together.

I noticed two penguins cuddling together, preening each other's feathers, and occasionally calling out.

I looked at them, a warm feeling welling up inside me, then looked at the explanatory board in front of me. A little while later, Yukinoshita and Yuigahama also curiously came over to take a closer look. I stepped back half a step to make room and continued reading the explanations on the board.

Based on the explanation above, the penguins huddled together appear to be a couple. It is said that captive-bred Humboldt penguins will stay with the same partner as long as one of them is alive.

We looked at the two penguins again. Suddenly, the person standing in front of us, under the snow, shuddered, gasped, and quickly moved away.

"What's wrong?"

Her hurried footsteps caught my attention, so I called out to ask. She turned halfway around and gave a brief reply:

"...I'll wait for you inside."

Then, without looking back, she turned back to the aquarium.

The penguin enclosure is outdoors. Considering the weather conditions, it's about time to go back inside.

I turned around, ready to tell Yui that it was time to leave. However, she still squinted, gazing at the two penguins with gentle eyes.

"...Shouldn't we be heading out soon?"

"Ah, um... let me take another look... oh, I still need to take a picture of the little one! I'll be right there when I'm done."

She pointed in the direction of the little blue penguins, showed me her phone, and then turned back to look at the Humboldt penguins. She didn't use the phone; she just held it tightly.

“…I see.”

Seeing her like this, I didn't dare say anything more. I gave a brief reply and then went inside first.

The calls of two penguins came from behind me, sounding somewhat sad.

× × ×

Perhaps because I had been outside for so long, I immediately breathed a sigh of relief upon entering the building because of the warmth.

I walked along the passageway from the penguin area, down the stairs, and back to the lobby.

There was a much larger tank there. The information board read "Seaweed Forest," and even from a distance, you could see the giant seaweed called *Gnaphalium macrocarpa*, its long leaves swaying gently in the water.

Besides the light brown seaweed, the dimly lit hall also contained red and green anemones and corals, which shone brightly under the light.

A bench was specially prepared in front of the sink, making it look like a small movie theater. However, no one was sitting on the bench now, and the hall was empty.

However, the light shining through from the other side of the sink faintly illuminated the figure in front of the glass.

I couldn't possibly mistake that back view.

It's Yukinoshita Yukino.

She stood quietly in the dim light of the sink, as beautiful as a painting. I couldn't call out to her; my chest was filled with unexpelled breath, and I could only stop in my tracks.

Yukino noticed the footsteps behind her had stopped and turned around. She nodded slightly to me, and I was finally able to take another step.

"Where's Yuigahama-san?"

Yukinoshita's gaze remained fixed on the sink, not on me as I walked up beside her.

"I'm taking pictures of the little blue penguin. She said she'll be here soon, we can just wait for her here."

"yes……"

After that, we stopped talking and just silently stared at the tank. Dim light shone on the huge seaweed, and colorful fish swam around it.

Countless schools of fish dart among the gently swaying seaweed. Small fish with blue scales hide among the seaweed, while large, bright red fish swim freely.

Looking at the fish, Yukinoshita said:

"...It's so free."

"Hmm? Yeah, after all, that fish was so big."

The sound beneath the snow was very soft, more like a soliloquy than a speech to someone else. However, we were probably both looking at the same fish, so that was my natural response.

I heard a faint exhalation sound.

"Without a place to rely on, one cannot find a place to belong... one can only hide, drift with the tide, follow in the footsteps of others... and crash into an invisible wall."

Yukino raised her hand halfway, as if to touch the glass, but then immediately let it fall limply. I secretly glanced at her from the side and noticed that Yukino's eyes weren't fixed on anything; they were just looking straight ahead.

"...Which fish are you referring to?"

I didn't know where she was looking, so I had to ask her that.

Yukino didn't answer immediately, but sighed calmly.

"...I'm talking about myself."

After saying that, she turned her head slightly to one side, revealing a lonely smile, and gently touched the sink.

The way she stretched out her hand was as if she were about to be sucked into a large water tank, but was blocked by the wall and could not return to where she should have gone.

At this moment, she seemed so ethereal and fragile, as if she would turn into bubbles and disappear without a trace in the next second.

There was no other sound in the quiet hall. The sound of bubbles bubbling in the sink was blocked by the glass and couldn't reach the outside.

Snow gazes at the sink, as if longing for that isolated world. As I silently watch her like this, footsteps echo in the hall.

Turning around, I saw Yui Hama gazing calmly at Yukinoshita. Her expression was incredibly gentle, and she seemed on the verge of tears.

"Sorry to keep you waiting!"

Yui noticed my reaction, waved vigorously at the spot, resumed her usual smile, and shouted.

× × ×

After leaving the hall displaying the large-leaved algae, the room immediately regained its brightness.

To allow for natural light, the upper half of the walls were made of glass, and the ceiling was very high. Instead of the previous black cloth, the floor was covered with cream-colored wooden planks.

Therefore, Yuihama's energetic footsteps sounded even lighter.

She seemed to notice something and suddenly stopped.

"Ah, come quick, come quick!"

She waved to me and Yukinoshita.

The place Yuihama wanted us to go to had several cylindrical water tanks.

These tanks are illuminated with pink, purple, and light blue lights, and many jellyfish float inside.

Yui took Yukinoshita's hand, and the two of them looked at the sink side by side. The sink, which resembled a small round window, seemed too small for all three of them to see together, so I took a step back and peered inside.

"It looks like fireworks..."

Yuihama gazed at the gently swaying jellyfish, murmuring softly with a nostalgic tone.

"...Will it?"

To me, a jellyfish is just a jellyfish; there's nothing about it that resembles fireworks. As I looked closer, Yui turned around and pointed to a spot in the tank.

"Can't you tell? Look, like that one, whoosh...bang..."

She pointed to a jellyfish that was constantly contracting and expanding its star-shaped body. Now that she described it, it really did look a bit like fireworks.

"Ah, I see. When the circular opening is open, it does look somewhat like it."

Upon hearing my answer, Yuihama gently shook her head and pressed her finger further against the glass.

"Not that one, it's this one..."

She was referring to a jellyfish with long tentacles located deep in the tank.

The jellyfish first retracted its tentacles, then stretched them out in one breath. Illuminated by the lights, it dragged its shimmering tentacles forward, like a golden waterfall splashing in the water.

I've seen those fireworks before.

It happened in the summer. In a park packed with tourists, several enormous star-shaped fireworks shot into the sky, reflecting off the glass of the buildings. I remember the grand finale was Gullfoss. The fireworks, like golden water, left a lingering glow in the night sky.

As I looked at the sink and recalled the scene, Yuihama leaned her shoulder against the snow.

"...So close."

"hey-hey……"

Even though Yukinoshita squirmed and looked slightly troubled, Yuihama didn't care at all. She pulled Yukinoshita's hand towards herself, took the position in front of the sink, and then checked the reflection in the glass window to make sure I was properly in the back.

Then, she closed her eyes briefly.

"It's so great that the three of us can come together..."

This sounded like a sigh of relief.

I found it incredibly agreeable. Yukinoshita nodded slightly as well.

Although I didn't say it aloud, I couldn't help but imagine that the three of them were probably in similar states of mind at that moment.

× × ×

After passing through a brightly lit corridor, we arrived at a large hall with restaurants and shops. Continuing to the left, we reached the outdoors. It seemed this was the end of the visitor's path. Climbing the stairs would take us back to the main entrance.

I looked into the depths of the hall. If we turned right from where we left off, we would return to the hammerhead shark tank we first saw. In other words, we had completed a full circle.

"Passed!"

Yui jumped up energetically and turned to look at us.

"Let's go around in circles again!"

"No way... What's the point of going around in circles again?"

"Yeah... I'm a little tired..."

Unlike Yuihama, Yukinoshita looked rather tired. After all, we had walked quite a distance, and given that she wasn't in good physical condition to begin with, it was no wonder she felt exhausted.

I looked at Yuihama, signaling with my eyes that she should understand Yukinoshita's state. Yuihama scratched her bun and looked regretfully at the spot we had just passed.

"I see... I think that would be very interesting... and we still have time..."

Yuihama was checking the time as she spoke. Just then, she seemed to notice something.

"what!"

She shouted and pointed to the giant Ferris wheel towering in the distance.

× × ×

As expected of the Ferris wheel that claims to be the largest in China, it is indeed quite enormous.

I took out the ride ticket from my breast pocket. It said that the Ferris wheel was 111 meters in diameter and 117 meters high. Although I couldn't think of a specific metaphor to describe such a height, if I had to describe it in one sentence, it would be "so tall" and "so scary," so scary that I couldn't help but use two sentences to describe it.

On Yuihama's whim, we didn't spend too much time queuing and easily bought tickets to ride the Ferris wheel.

Then, fear immediately gripped my chest.

Come to think of it, it's been over ten years since I last rode a Ferris wheel. I never imagined it could be such an unsafe thing; a chill ran up my spine.

As the carriage continued to ascend, I felt as if I were on a wondrous adventure. Whenever a gust of wind blew, the carriage would sway slightly, making me deeply aware of the danger to my life.

"How terrifying..."

I couldn't help but whisper.

However, the only reason I was able to control myself was because there were two girls in front of me, which allowed me to maintain a semblance of gentlemanly composure. If I were sitting here alone, I'd probably be trembling with fear right now.

As for the two girls, they sat side by side in front of me.

"Wow! It's so high! It's scary! And it's so shaky!"

Yuihama was pressed against the window, so excited she almost stood up, and she was shouting happily. Thanks to this, my whispers were drowned out by her voice.

On the other hand, Yukinoshita was pale and dared not look at the scenery outside, staring at her feet.

That's why I asked you earlier if you wanted to give up.

Seeing Yukinoshita's expression, I couldn't help but smile wryly. Yukinoshita gave me a slight glare.

"No, no problem... Besides, everyone's here."

As soon as she finished speaking, she immediately turned her face away. The next instant, she saw the view below, let out a soft cry, and then, as if pleading for help, reached out to Yuihama who was standing, grabbed her hand, and forcibly pulled her back to her seat.

"Yuihama-san, you can't make noise on the Ferris wheel, didn't you see the instructions?"

"Yukino's eyes are terrifying! I'm sorry, I got too excited..."

"Being happy is fine, but you still need to be mindful of limits."