The beginnings of young love are blossoming!

Disclaimer: I do not own Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight.

Chapter 4. Penguins And Lunchtime

That Friday evening, Claudine is a bit miffed that she hadn't gotten to speak to Hikari again or say goodbye to her, but she has to remind herself she's on the job. She knows Hikari wouldn't take offense, but she is a bit of a socially-awkward girl. Claudine just doesn't want to accidentally hurt her feelings.

All throughout the day, Claudine keeps thinking about how cute Hikari had looked while watching the octopus. It had been a bit different from how she typically watched the jellyfish. Instead of spacing out and letting her mind float like the jellyfish themselves, this morning Hikari had been a bit more engaged with what she was seeing, like a puppy seeing another animal for the first time.

Claudine can't stop thinking about her all afternoon and evening.

On Saturday, she almost opts to go to the aquarium as a customer so she might run into Hikari and be able to spend a normal day with her. But she ultimately decides against it.

We've only just met. I don't want to weird her out or anything.

So Claudine goes out shopping with her friends from school and tells them more about her summer job, though she leaves Hikari out of it.

Then on Sunday, Claudine shows up at work as energetic as ever, ready to tackle her first weekend day working.

And it really is a very different scene than any weekday.

At least double or maybe even triple the customers come by, and someone is always asking her something at all times when she isn't giving her tours. She doesn't end up seeing Hikari at all that day. She doesn't even know if she'd come in the first place.

And when she receives next week's schedule that evening before going home, Claudine sees she was given Monday off so she could rest after the hectic day. She almost wishes she could come in tomorrow, because she wants to see Hikari.

But she uses the day to rest and to study, as her second day off this week isn't until Saturday again.

Then finally on Tuesday, after three whole days of missing each other, Claudine and Hikari meet again.

Claudine is just finishing saying good morning to her animals when she hears a soft "Good morning" in return. She whirls around with a smile already blooming on her lips.

"Hikari!"

Hikari is standing there in a sun dress today, with her usual bag on her shoulder and the same pin in her hair. Claudine can't help herself in her excitement. She rushes over to Hikari and throws both arms around her in a typical, affectionate Saijou greeting.

And Hikari had been very excited to see her again too; she just hadn't been expecting something like this. She freezes in place when Claudine suddenly hugs her. Unsure of what to do with her arms, she just holds them out around Claudine's sides, but doesn't actually touch her in return.

But though unexpected, the contact isn't unpleasant at all. In fact, Claudine is really warm…

"Ah, sorry!" Claudine ends up pulling away too soon, before Hikari can fully register the hug or even hope to try reciprocating it. Hikari just shakes her head.

"It's okay. How are you?"

"Tres bien, merci! Et tu?"

"Um…"

"I'm fine. How are you?" Claudine asks, still smiling.

Hikari smiles back.

"I'm okay. It feels like forever since I last saw you."

"I feel the same way. I'm sorry I didn't get to say goodbye to you on Friday, or even see you at all on Sunday!"

"It's okay. You were really busy. I'm sorry I couldn't say anything either. I didn't wanna bother you."

"You could never bother me, Hikari! Like I said, if you ever need anything, you can come to me whenever you'd like! I'll always make time for you." She truly means it, too.

Hikari blushes to hear such kid words. No one outside of her family has ever spoken to her like that before. Maybe perhaps when she'd been a child, but certainly not within the past decade.

"Okay…" She bows her head, trying to hide the blush.

Claudine has to resist hugging her again.

"Well then, would you care to join me for another early-morning date?"

Hikari perks right back up again.

"Sure."

Claudine offers out her hand, and at first Hikari isn't sure what to do. But then she remembers how children hold their parents' hands in crowded places so they don't get lost.

It isn't that crowded yet though…

Even so, Hikari reaches out to hold her hand. Claudine beams, giving her a light, encouraging tug on her wrist to lead her onward. Hikari scurries along at her side. Her face already hurts from smiling so much.

Today, Claudine leads her to the penguin enclosure. Hikari had passed by here a few times before, but it was always busy with people so she never saw much of them.

But this early in the morning with an employee to escort her, it feels like she's getting a special privilege.

The penguins have a large enclosure inside, complete with terrain and water, and they also have a door that leads them to an outside enclosure as well. But right now, all of them are huddled up inside, chirping and squawking in anticipation for breakfast.

"Aren't they the cutest?" Claudine coos. "If you watch them closely enough you can really see their personalities."

"They are really cute," Hikari agrees. She squeezes Claudine's hand a little tighter and stays close to her.

They watch the penguins waddle about, and some of them dive into the water to spin circles. But the moment the door in the back of the wall opens and a handler steps in with a bucket of fish, all of the birds scramble up and start waddling over, flapping their little flippers.

Claudine giggles out loud to see them waddle, and Hikari smiles too, half because of the penguins and half because of her.

As the keeper tosses the fish, Hikari and Claudine watch the penguins run around to gobble them up. Some fish are thrown into the water, and the penguins dive down to fetch them, while other penguins are hand-fed.

Hikari is smitten.

"They look so pudgy and soft…"

Claudine watches her a bit more than the penguins.

"Hikari, there's a lot more of the aquarium you haven't seen yet. Why don't I show you around in the mornings like this? We can see something new each time."

Hikari looks at her, eyes wide.

"Really?"

"Of course! It'd be much more fun than you or I just going alone, wouldn't it?"

Hikari nods.

"Yeah."

"Perfect! I'm excited to show you the rest! But we'll take our time. We'll both be here pretty much all summer after all, right?"

"Yeah."

Claudine squeezes her hand again. Hikari may be a girl of few words, but Claudine can tell she's really happy about this.

"I have my lunch break at noon," Claudine says. "I usually eat in the break room… but if you'd care to join me, maybe we could go to the cafe together. How does that sound?"

Hikari gets a bit of a sparkle in her eyes.

"Okay."

"Wonderful!" Claudine checks her phone with her free hand, then slips it back into her pocket. "I've got to go now. I'll see you around as always!" With a wave and a smile like usual, Claudine lets go of her hand. Hikari's fingers curl subconsciously around the empty space, so she just clings onto her dress instead.

"Okay. See you at noon."

"Enjoy yourself, Hikari!" Claudine hurries off to get back to her post, and Hikari watches her go again before turning back to the penguins. She watches them finish eating and gets to spend a little more time alone with them before the first wave of people come in.

At that point Hikari travels back to see the octopus, who is once again clinging to the glass. A few kids are peering into the tank in search of her, but look right past her just like Hikari had. So she catches one little girl's eye and points to the corner. Once the child sees the octopus she squeals outright.

"I found it, I found it!"

Hikari chuckles and continues on her way.

She ends up back at The Undertow out of habit and joins Claudine's second tour of the morning. Claudine notices her right away and flashes her a grin as she begins talking to everyone about the crabs and shrimp.

Hikari walks with the crowd, and stops in the cool darkness of the jellyfish room to marvel at them. It's nice to hear Claudine's voice in the background, too.

Claudine entertains her tours to the fullest, and then spends her time in between walking around The Undertow with Hikari until the next group comes.

At lunch time, Claudine ensures no one else needs any help with anything before rushing to Hikari's side.

"Just give me a minute!" she says. "I want to change out of my uniform so no one interrupts us."

"Okay."

Claudine hurries off to go get changed in the employee locker room, shedding her blue collared shirt and pants for the cozier blouse and skirt she'd worn today. She packs her uniform away into her locker, then takes her purse with her before hurrying back to Hikari.

Hikari had been staring at the sea horses when she hears Claudine call for her again.

"Hikari! I'm ready!"

When she turns around, Hikari almost doesn't recognize Claudine out of uniform. She's even prettier than usual.

Claudine reaches her, almost breathless with excitement, and offers her hand.

"Well? Shall we?" Hikari can't find words right away, so she just nods and accepts her hand.

They walk to the cafe together and find seats that allow them to eat and still view several of the larger tanks from a distance. They each order a sandwich and some side dishes, and settle down to take the first bites.

It's obvious to Claudine that Hikari would struggle with starting a conversation, so she takes the liberty upon herself.

"So, Hikari," she begins. "You said you moved from London?"

Hikari swallows her bite of sandwich and nods.

"Yeah."

"And yet your Japanese is flawless."

"I was born here," she explains. "I went to London for school."

"I see. May I ask where?"

"The Royal Academy."

Claudine nearly chokes on her water.

"The Royal Academy of Theatre and Arts?!"

"That's the one."

Claudine is baffled.

"My… I didn't know you were into theatre, Hikari."

"Yeah. When I was little my friend and I saw a play here, and we promised we'd become actresses together. So I studied hard and I just came back to Japan this year."

"That's quite something."

"Do you know the Royal Academy?"

"I do," Claudine affirms. "When I lived in France, I toured London briefly and that was one of our destinations. I'm a theatre student myself."

Hikari's eyes widen too.

"You are?"

"Oui! The majority of the year, anyway. This summer I'm an aquarium tour guide as well, but I do still practice regularly on my days off."

"That's really cool." Hikari takes another bite of her sandwich. Claudine does the same before continuing.

"So will you be attending a theatre school for high school in the fall?"

"Yeah. It's called Seishou."

"Mon dieu! That's my school!"

"It is?"

"Yes! I'll be heading into my second year."

"That's the same as me!" Hikari actually raises her voice a little bit in her excitement. "So… we're gonna be in the same school?"

"It would seem so! What luck!"

Hikari is so happy she doesn't speak for a moment. It's a major relief to know she won't have to start high school in another country without knowing anyone. She thought she might only get to see Claudine over the summer here at the aquarium. But now…

"We'll get to see each other all year round!" Claudine says. "All the time! That's great! Oh, I can't wait until you meet everyone. Nana will be so excited to have someone else joining us, and Junna will, too. Tendo Maya will probably show off more than ever, and Kaoruko might try to tease you, but Futaba will keep her in check. And I'm sure Mahiru will just love you. And Karen will probably talk your ear off, but-"

"Huh?" Hikari pauses on her next bite and looks up. "What was that name?"

"Hm? Karen?"

Hikari blinks again, then shakes her head.

"Never mind… It can't be."

Claudine isn't sure what that means, but she continues on talking about Seishou. Hikari listens intently all the while, becoming more and more eager to see her new school and meet all these people.

But more than anything, she can't wait to get to know Claudine better and share classes together with her. And since it's a theatre school, they'll get to dance and act and perform together, too. Just the thought of it is making Hikari feel fuzzy inside.

Eventually, Claudine realizes she's been talking the whole time and invites Hikari to tell about herself. Hikari doesn't have very much to say about herself, but once they start discussing theatre and other related topics, Claudine finds her date becomes much more talkative.

They discuss their favorite plays and scripts, and tell each other about their favorite roles they've portrayed in previous performances. They also discuss actors and performers they admire most, and find they have quite a bit in common.

At one point, Hikari gets really invested in talking about an actress she likes, to the point where she actually rambles a bit. Claudine rests her chin in her palm and listens with a smile, loving the sound of Hikari's voice even more, especially because she's so invested in a topic. Claudine pointedly asks about that actress more so Hikari will keep talking.

But eventually they somehow end up talking about sea life again, considering their surroundings. Claudine tells her a few more things about other types of jellyfish they didn't have at the aquarium, just to see her eyes twinkle.

They chat all through lunch, until Claudine's warning alarm on her phone goes off.

"I've got to get back now," she says, standing. "But I really enjoyed this, Hikari. It was nice getting to talk to you more. We should have these lunch dates more often, too."

Hikari nods several times.

"Yeah. I'd like that a lot."

"Then let's make it a regular thing whenever we can. If I don't see you before closing, then have a good night, Hikari. I had so much fun talking with you today."

Hikari feels a warmth spreading through her whole body.

"Me, too. I had a lot of fun."

"I'm glad." Claudine dips her head and gives a wave before taking her garbage to the trash with her and then hurrying back to the staff room to change again.

Hikari sits there a moment longer, staring across the table to where she'd been, letting everything sink in. She'll be going to school with Claudine. Their friendship doesn't have to end with the summer. They can still see each other almost every day…

Hikari brings her napkin up and hides her face in it, sighing softly. She takes a little while to calm down from her jittery feelings of joy, then proceeds to clean up and head back to the jellyfish.

The rest of the day passes by rather quickly, but she does manage to talk to Claudine again before Hikari has to leave with the rest of the public.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Hikari!" Claudine pulls her into another hug. Hikari whimpers happily, and this time she manages to hug her back.

"See you tomorrow, Saijou-san. Thank you for today."

"Likewise. I had so much fun with you, Hikari."

They ease apart, and Claudine waves to her before heading off.

Hikari is a bit wobbly on her walk back to the bus stop. She's never felt so much happiness all at once before, and her face is still warm.

Claudine is also rather giddy that evening as she helps clean up and says goodbye to her co-workers. She takes the same bus Hikari had taken home, just an hour later.

And like usual, both girls tell their parents about their day at supper, and they even tell about the new friend they'd made.

And all night long, both Claudine and Hikari think about one another.

Claudine falls asleep wondering which animal she should show Hikari tomorrow, and Hikari falls asleep wondering which animal Claudine will show her.

Both of them dream of jellyfish.

A/N: First date, successful!

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