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Chapter 6 Part 3: A Place of Memories
Translated and Edited by: ynlucca.
Common Honorifics:
-san: A polite suffix, but not excessively formal.
-kun: A common suffix among friends and younger people.
-chan: A common suffix among people you’re close with, mostly used for feminine nicknames and girls, since it’s cutesy and childlike.
Yuki and I went to two different sections of the aquarium. The first one was called “Tidal Scenery”, and was comprised of seven tanks, the first reproducing the coastal scenery—coral reefs, sandy beaches, rocky shores, and tidal waves. She stopped in front of the coral reef’s tank and gazed at the colorful mix of scenery and jewelry-like fish swimming around.
“It’s so beautiful… The fishes are so cute…”
“Agreed. There are lots of little fish, some yellow and stripe… Oh, those are so beautiful.”
“The corals are amazing too. They come in all shapes and sizes… Oh! Look at that fish! It’s peeking from between the corals!”
“Aw, he must be shy. Hm, maybe they all have different personalities, even if a lot of them look the same.”
Enjoying the display, we both continued further into the aquarium until we reached a walkway where you could see adorable penguins. Yuki squealed happily as she looked at them swimming leisurely atop the pool. She waved at them, and couldn’t help but laugh when one of them responded with a cute head-tilt.
After that, we went down the stairs to the main attraction—The big tank.
That sight took my breath away. Countless schools of fish danced happily in their blue-tinted world, each shining brightly with their own hue. Big stingrays and other exotic fish moved around, and I felt transported into a whole different dimension.
Proceeding through the passageway, we went into an arched tunnel. There, we could witness that scenery from below the tank.
The sun permeated the azure water in rays, their blue world filled to the brim with shiny, gorgeous fish. Looking up to that was wonderful, and I was happy to be there with Yuki by my side. I felt as if we were back in time.
I still vividly remember her cerulean eyes sparkling under her old bandages, and they haven’t changed one bit. Stealing a glance, I saw them twinkling like a starry night sky, and my gaze was hooked. Her jewels stole the aquarium’s spectacle.
“It’s beautiful…”
“Ah, Yuki… Yes, it is.”
My eyes were locked on Yuki, her attention solely focused on the spectacular scene unfolding before us. We both squeezed each other’s hands with cherish.
Suddenly, an announcement is made through the intercom, telling us the dolphin show was about to begin.
“Haru-kun, a dolphin show! Let’s go see it!”
“Oh, I haven’t seen one of those in years. Looking forward to it!”
We both kept walking through the archway until we reached the dolphin show venue. We climbed the stairs back to the ground floor and arrived at the so-called Dolphin Stadium.
Many had already gathered. Children excitedly waited for the show to start as their parents smiled at their innocent joy, We walked past the families and sat down on a pair of empty seats.
The show finally began. Dolphins appeared along with their keeper, and the audience cheered. Joyous music started to play and echo throughout the stadium.
The keeper then got on top of a dolphin and waterskied, followed by a number of dolphins jumping up at the same time. They all then swam to the rhythm of the music, bouncing and spinning across the water’s surface and going through a big hoop with finesse. The audience applauded in excitement every time they performed something.
Yuki also enjoyed every moment sitting next to me. She gazed at the swimming dolphins with child-like excitement, and I couldn’t help but smile at the sight of her happiness.
She was so adorable being excited about this show, and I felt like I would never get bored as long as she was by my side. I knew that from the bottom of my heart.
The vivid memories of our past together rush through my mind, and I recall loving every second I spent with her. I loved that more than anything else.
To be frank, the reason why I love aquariums is not because of the gem-like fish, that beautiful blue world, the cute animals, or the dolphins… I loved it because of Yuki. I was more than happy to be with her, to share these good times and feelings with her. That’s why I asked my mother to bring us here so many times in the past.
Coming here reminded me of that.
I kept gazing at Yuki, wishing I could come back here with her again, again, and again.
“H-Haru-kun?”
“Hm? What’s wrong?”
“Oh, um, nothing… It’s just, you’ve been looking at me the entire time and not at the dolphin show, so… Um…”
“Ah! Sorry, sorry…”
Yuki steals glances at me, shades of red appearing on her soft cheeks. The way she shyly twirls her hair with her hands reminds me of some small, cute animal. Honestly, she’s become so mature over the years that seeing her shy like this just kills me. She’s so adorable I felt like patting her head.
Suddenly, the hall is filled with applause. Apparently, the dolphin show was over without any incidents.
“Guess the show’s over, so let’s go to the next one.”
“Oh, it’s almost lunchtime, so why don’t we go out for dinner?”
“Oh yeah, that’s true. I’m hungry too, so I’m looking forward to what dinner you’ll prepare today.”
And after a bit, we were almost finished with looking at the aquarium.
We decided to eat after we move to another location. I had a lot of opportunities today to go out with her to different places.
“Oh, yeah! we have to buy some souvenirs before we go!”
“True, so let’s get some of my mom’s favorite snacks.”
We both walked from the venue to the shop, our hands still intertwined.
After a fun time shopping with her, we finally left the aquarium.