If there's one thing in life that I have very little experience with, it's fish. Eating fish, cooking fish, catching fish, observing fish, just… fish. I hardly know anything about them, somehow. But Japan, as an island nation, consists largely of sea and mountain. Living here now, seeing fish all over the place was inevitable. But still… Why is it that aquariums are so popular? Stranger than that… a date spot? What's so romantic about watching fish all day?
As I pondered these questions, I watched as a starfish walked along the glass containment that separated it and me. The aquarium I walked through was not very extravagant, but the mood of the darkened room next to the blues that all the fish tanks exuded made for a romantic atmosphere. I think. Don't quote me on that, because I still don't get it.
Rumble, rumble…
The whole room started shaking all at once, but there was no panic coming from anyone …An earthquake? Wait…
"Le-Le!" said Yui's mousy voice, nearly drowned out by the frantic stampede of children that cut through the halls of the aquarium. She waved to me as she waded through a crowd of grade-school children to reach the side of the aquarium I was on. She was holding gift bags, awfully considerate of her to get Ui something while we were out. Behind her trailed Mio, who was clinging onto Ritsu's wrist for dear life, so as to not get washed away by the tidal wave of children that had already unfortunately claimed Mugi and Inuko's lives. May they rest in peace.
Ritsu roared one last defiant roar as her eyes blazed a burning yellow-orange, using the remainder of her strength to carry her and Mio out of the crowd in rebellious fury. With one final push, she and Mio fell to the ground as they popped out the crowd like a zit, their backs covered in small foot tracks of children. I didn't laugh at the sorry sight, but I kind of wanted to.
As I helped the two of them off the ground, Yui similarly managed to escape the crowd of children, being no worse for wear. Mugi and Inuko were still lost to us, but I'm sure they'll show up later. That only leaves…
"Alright, everyone's here and accounted for… except for Azusa. Don't tell me she got abducted?"
"I'm right here, senpai."
A familiar, calm voice spoke up from behind me.
"Whoa!" I turned around, the voice having startled me. It was just… Azusa. "Did you get here before us? How?"
Azusa looked at me with a dismayed face, almost as if quietly asking me if I was stupid or something. She then pointed over to the back entrance, where people were pouring in safely and securely. No stampeding children to be found.
"Ah, yeah." I said, faking a knowing look. "I knew about that."
"Sure, you did." Azusa shrugged, deflecting my BS. I can't get anything past her. "Not that I mind coming along, senpai… but why'd we come to the aquarium, again?"
My eyes looked up towards the dark room's lights as I flipped through my memories. When I first received my tickets from Mio for my birthday, I'd only received two. Naturally, I had assumed that these tickets would be used for Yui and I to go on a date, but I made the terrible miscalculation of announcing my desire to go on a date with Yui in front of the rest of our club. And like moths to a flame, everyone else insisted that they join in, too. I never wanna hear anything about not being able to read the room again when they go and pull that.
"Your senpais have trouble communicating is why."
"Hm, I believe it." said Azusa, without even so much as contemplating my words or giving a 'hey, wait a second'.
"Give your senpais just a little bit more credit."
"You'll have to earn it first, Leo-senpai." Azusa said pointedly, crossing her arms. She wore a coy smile, but I couldn't tell if she was messing with me or not. "Like going to the club and having us play real music again!"
"That's why we're here, oh miss Azusa!" said Ritsu, hopping over to me and wrapping her arm around my neck. Mio was dragged along by the wrist, and Yui happily hopped over to us like a rabbit. "We're doing this to train!"
Azusa and I gave her a look of tired disbelief.
"Okay, that's a load of crap even by your standards." I said.
With our little group now fully brought back together and no-longer half-dead from the child stampede, we made our way to a different part of the aquarium that held sharks in their tanks. Despite their jutted, swordlike teeth sticking out and suggesting they were hungry, they swam around rather aimlessly. The pearly white skin of the great white shark and its many counterparts didn't really beget the sort of terror they're depicted with in movies. …Or at least, that's what I would say if Yui wasn't scared out of her mind just looking at them.
She shook and shook and looked like she was on the verge of crying. If she clinged to my arm any tighter, it might threaten to come off entirely.
"Yui, please stop. You're hurting me."
"Buh—but, the shark could attack at any second! Why would they keep these here?!"
"It's not gonna do a thing." I said, turning back towards the shark's positively dopey expression. I'm not even sure it's cognizant enough to know we're even looking at it. Sharks are dangerous, but they're also—well, really stupid. Kind of like…
"Yui-senpai, you can't let movies dictate how you think." said Azusa, taking a picture of the shark. "Jaws is just made up."
Yui cocked her finger as she held it out like a gun, but her defiant stature looked pretty pitiful with her still-shaking body. "S-smile… you son of a—"
I lowered her hand, and she seemed a little calmer. "Okay. That's enough, tough guy."
The sounds of someone gnashing their teeth together could be heard as Ritsu bit near an utterly petrified Mio. She was mimicking the shark you'd see in films like Jaws, I think… She was clearly non-threatening, and actually seemed kind of cute as she did it.
I noticed Mugi and Inuko out from the corner of my eye. They were out of breath and their clothes were covered from head to toe in footprints. It looked like they were gazelle that got run over in a stampede, or something. Well, at least they were still alive. I'm sure not gonna ask for the Why's or How's with those walking plot armor folks, though.
They exchanged wistful, but hopeful looks at each other as they observed what I could not see. I trotted over to their tank to see that they were actually looking at a seahorse… with a million microscopic little things coming out of it. The seahorse didn't seem like it was in pain, but I found the sight to be a little bit distressing.
"Yuck." I said, catching the attention of the Mugi and Inuko. I observed further, but couldn't make heads or tails of what I was looking at. "Don't tell me it's sick or something? Did it throw up?"
"Leo-senpai!" Inuko snorted, a smile across his face as his eyes glimmered passionately. Oh boy, I feel like I've been roped into something long-winded. "It's the miracle of childbirth!"
"Babies!" said Mugi, enthusiastically clapping. As if cheering on the seahorse who was now… apparently a mom? What?
"Wait, huh? Where's the babies then?"
"They're all around 'em!" said Yui, approaching us from behind with Azusa in tow, pointing at all of those tiny little things that the seahorse had released from its stomach moments ago. "Those are the seahorse's babies!"
"...Huh, that's surprisingly astute of you, Yui-senpai." said Azusa.
I looked back at Yui for a moment, then back at the seemingly hundreds of little organisms that surrounded the seahorse. Then back at her and Azusa. Azusa's fascinated look told me that she apparently wasn't just taking me on a ride. That thing just birthed hundreds of children, then?!
"I sure hope that thing's got a big enough house to hold 'em all…" I said jokingly, still somewhat taken aback by the strange and indescribable ways of nature. "...Not to mention, food."
One of the aquarium's staff members ran over to the tank that the seahorse (seahorses?) was being held in. He excitedly yelped, rushing over to the other employees and yelling something or other about how they 'have to see this'.
"So many children at once… what a surprise!" said Inuko, knowingly nodding as if he'd taken in an illuminating facet of life. "With that many children, the seahorse is sure to have a lively household."
"Um, I don't think seahorses operate on the same parental principles as humans do…" said Azusa.
"I'd love something like that… Twins or even triplets! What a bundle of fun that would be!" said Mugi, enraptured in some vision of the future that I could not peer into.
"...And they're both ignoring me…" said Azusa, slouching defeatedly.
"Good for them, I guess." was all I could say as I smirked at the two. It almost looked like they were sending each other images of the future through brainwaves. Their mouths weren't moving, but they were nodding contentedly at each other all the same. "Knowing Mugi, she could afford to have that many kids and then some. Hopefully Inuko can take all the—well, y'know."
"Know what?" said Azusa. For a second, I froze and almost wanted to laugh—barely holding my composure together. How does Know-It-All-Azusa not know how people reproduce, of all things? Oh, I'm going to hold this against her forever.
" Pffft. You—You'll know when you're older…" I said, trying to hide a laugh. All Azusa could do was confusedly tilt her head.
"Yeah, Le-Le, know what? When we have kids one day, I gotta know too!"
"I, uh—" Right, of course Yui wouldn't know a thing about that either. "You'll learn… later, I guess?"
"Hey, we're only a few months apart! Why am I being treated like a baby?!"
I put a finger to her forehead and pushed her cute face away. I think I need an expert to explain that to Yui, otherwise I'd risk traumatizing the poor girl.
…Still, as I understood what happened to the seahorse. I felt kind of envious of it. All of those little things, they'd grow up with siblings and grow up with beings whom they could trust. Beings who would share in their struggles. As I felt that, my whole body grew heavy as I slouched—my eyes growing hazy. I rested my hand upon the aquarium's glass and simply exhaled.
"Well, it's just a long-off memory now."
The baby seahorses gathered around in a way that was a little bit hypnotic. They were so microscopic that I couldn't make out what the little tykes were even supposed to look like.
It's just a long-off memory.
"…en…"
The world around me grew gray for a moment, and the sounds and chatter of the aquarium turned into nothing but static. I started squinting so strongly that I felt like I was on the verge of a headache. My fingers plastered onto the glass looked like roads—roads that were all ones I could never have taken. After all, I was alone for such a long time.
"L...enpa…?"
Ahh… first I felt heavy, now I feel light. What's happening to me?
"Leo-senpai!"
Azusa's voice broke through my trance, and I was met with worried faces as the entire club looked at me. I could hear the aquarium's noises just fine once more, and time seemed to flow again.
"Le-Le, you look sick." said Yui, quick to invade my personal space and pushing up her forehead against mine. I did feel a little bit ill, but I was more distracted by the fact that everyone's looks of concern now into conceited-looking smiles. "You're not too hot… but you look kinda pale."
"What are you, a doctor?"
Azusa lightly elbowed my side, a slightly bitter cadence in her voice. "She's just worried about you, Leo-senpai. You did suddenly grow pretty pale-looking. Do you have a fever or something?"
"I'm fine…"
"Still, you should go sit down for a minute." said Ritsu, arms folded behind her back. She tried to keep a cool look, but she did ultimately seem concerned.
"Yes, we'll keep going, Leo-senpai. You lie down and catch up when you can, okay?" said Inuko, smiling all the while.
Ah, there's that phrase again: 'catch up'.
Catch up. Catch up. Catch up. I've been wanting to catch up to people for my whole life, yet I still feel like I'm constantly falling behind everyone.
"This way," said Azusa, her small fingers wrapped around my hand as she guided me along to a secluded and quiet part of the aquarium.
"Ah, I'll go buy some drinks!" said Yui, enthusiastically bolting off in a loud hurry. I wanted to tell her to keep it down since she was disturbing the others, but then again, I was probably making a bit of a scene too.
Moments later, we sat in a secluded area away from all the noise of chatter and away from the blue hues that dyed most of the aquarium. It was kinda dark, and I could barely make out Azusa's cute smile as she sat next to me.
"You know, Azusa…" I started, unconscious of what I was saying. "I bet you'd make a great little sister."
"Hah?" said Azusa, looking at me confusedly. It was only then that I'd understood the strangeness behind what I said.
"Ah! What I meant to say was… Well…"
Where do I find the words? What even is Azusa, and the rest of the club, to me? Family? Siblings? I… guess I don't really know.
"I guess I meant what I said."
"Thanks, I guess?" said Azusa. "What do you mean by that, though?"
"I mean… you're nice, you're responsible, you take initiative, you're smart, and you know what it is you want in life." I laughed dryly. "You're a lot better than your senpai right here. I know for certain that you're gonna do amazing things when you're older. You and Ui, actually."
"Ui?" said Yui, appearing before us with an armful of drinks. She looked at us with a worried smile, sitting down next to me and handing us both drinks. Of course, she handed me a carbonated drink, and got ramune for herself and Azusa. Not what I had in mind when someone goes out to get drinks for someone they presume to be sick. Judging from Azusa's slightly amused but bewildered face, she thought the same. "Why are you talkin' about Ui?"
"Leo-senpai said I'd make a good little sister, for some reason." said Azusa, skillfully opening up her bottle of ramune. The way she said that made me sound pathetic, and I couldn't help but slouch over and laugh pathetically.
"Le-Le, you'll grow mushrooms out of your hair if you sulk like that." said Yui, raising my upper body up from a slouch. "Come on. Tell me what's bothering you."
I sighed, a crooked smile on my face. I didn't know if I felt happy or sad that I couldn't overcome such ultimately petty and innocuous feelings without the help of others. "Oh, you know me. Just overthinking things… Again."
"That's a bad habit, Leo-senpai." said Azusa, opening Yui's ramune after the latter struggled to get it open. Yui then reciprocates the gesture with a hearty giggle. "But I think I have an idea on where you're going with this…"
"Yeah, like I said, you're smart." I said, hesitating for a moment. "Hm, well… I was thinking about my family, or lack thereof."
Yui's expression darkened at the word, just slightly. She was the first person I chose to ever confide in about this, so it makes sense that she'd be the one to show so much concern.
"When I saw that seahorse give birth to so many kids, I got jealous. I thought—why couldn't I have so many siblings to live alongside with and help me through tough times? What kind of life would I have lived? What'll things be like when we graduate and everyone around me goes their separate ways?"
I thought about that for a moment. If I had just one person to confide in—one person to support me and for me to support, what would have become of me? My life was hard, and I know at this point I have no right to complain, but it's like a shadow looming over me. Always affecting how I think.
"H-Hold up a sec… so you imagined that I was your little sister, Leo-senpai?" said Azusa, her head bobbing confusedly.
"EH?" said Yui, her cheeks brightening red as she smiled. Boy, she sure got over that spat of depression quickly. "Eh? Eh? Eh?" Yui said, inching closer to me with each 'eh', having an almost teasing look. "Le-Le, you wanna adopt Azu-nyan as your little sister?"
"...That's not what I said at all." I avoided both their gazes, too ashamed to really want to look at either of them. "But, the more time we spend together, well—Ah, never mind. It sounds weird now that I think about—Gyah!"
Azusa pressed her cold bottle of ramune against my neck, sending a nasty snap of frost down my backside. Her cheeks were puffed up and her eyebrows were slanted angrily. She was upset at me, but she's so adorable that it's hard to take her seriously at all. Still, if there's anyone in the club I want to respect the wishes of, it'd be her. "I don't care if it sounds weird—say it! We can't move forward if we hide how we feel out of fear."
Ugh, sometimes I wonder if Azusa is too on-point for her own good. But still, she's right. "Alright, alright… To be honest, my way of thinking about people is kinda weird."
I put up two hands blocking out both Yui and Azusa's faces. "Whenever I begin a relationship with someone, I presume there's a barrier between us. No one can come in on either side, and once people are in… well, I don't know how I'm supposed to let them out. With Yui, the answer became obvious and our relationship evolved. But with other people, it's complicated."
I lowered my hand facing Yui, who in turn looked at me with a passive and contented expression. I then lowered my hand facing Azusa.
"But… I can't really do that for other people. The more I spend time with Azusa, the more I think she's more than just a friend of mine. I start thinking of her as family, like the little sister I never had till now."
Azusa's expression softened somewhat at my words. I couldn't tell if she was happy or something, but she was seriously processing what I'd said to her. Looking at her, I felt something said brew within my chest.
"But then I also realize, that's not fair. I can't just… impose those kinds of feelings on other people like that. I'd weird them out, not to mention that they probably don't feel that way… And if I said as much, I'd feel like I was pressuring them into feeling a certain kind of way. I wanna keep those feelings hidden instead, but it's hard to do that. It feels like the more time I spend with people, the barrier I choose to put up becomes harder and harder to see, to a point where I risk stepping right through it."
"Ah—" said Azusa, who was…blushing rather profusely.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to ramble or put you on the spot."
Azusa pressed her finger against my cheek, smiling lightly. "Stop apologizing so much, Leo-senpai! It makes you look uncool."
"S-since when have you cared about that kind of thing?"
"Azu-nyan's right!" said Yui, poking my other cheek. "Boys have to be cool about this kind of thing!"
"Whoa! What's with the sudden gender expectations?!" I said, slightly baffled as I laughed for some reason.
"Boys need guts!" said Yui, rolling up her sleeve and flexing her nonexistent muscles. She got up from her seat, turning dead ahead to me. "They've gotta be all like…" Yui stopped for a second. She looked deep in unserious thought. "Um, how's it go again…?"
"Yui-senpai, I don't think…" said Azusa, looking troubled by her antics.
"Ahhh, shh…Azu-nyan. I'm trying to think!"
"A rare sight!" said Azusa, her reddish-brown eyes almost popping out of their sockets at Yui's words. I can't say I disagreed with her over-reaction.
Yui hopped like a rabbit, an excited look strewn on her face as she came nearer to me in my seat. Her nose exhaled as she hyped herself up, a slight blush on her cheeks. "Le-Le, if you wanna succeed… You have to do this!"
Yui's hand slammed against the wall behind me, and I was essentially locked in place as she blocked my one passage away from her. Azusa spat a baffled laugh and then tried to mind her own business, but was unable to look away from the absurdity before her. This is called kabedon…but someone like her can't really pull that off convincingly.
"You look Azu-nyan in the eyes and go…" Yui's eyes grew serious looking. "...Be my little sister!"
"I can't just do that, Yui." I said, "I don't wanna make Azusa feel weird. I mean, how would you feel if someone suddenly waltzed into your life and declared Ui their little sister too? Wouldn't that make you feel weird?"
"Uh, well…" Yui stepped back, her head bobbing in confusion. "I guess if Ui was okay with it, but then… I'd have to share her, and I definitely couldn't do that. And whoever says that could be a pervert, too!"
"I'm more surprised you'd care about that last part, Yui-senpai." said Azusa. "But Leo-senpai is right, it has to be mutual for the whole 'family' thing to mean much."
"Right, right." I said.
"So if it's mutual," Azusa stood up and walked out of our little corner. "Then that means this whole 'little sister' business is my choice, right?"
"Uh…"
"Well, it's alright if we have to lean on each other when things get hard. I'm young, but I know life is tough for everybody. Everybody has their own problems that they're quiet about, but that's exactly why people need to find others that they can trust themselves to cling to. What kind of little sister would I be if I didn't at least live up to that much?"
"Ah… Azusa?" I said, somewhat dumbfounded at what I just heard. I didn't know how to respond at the news that my family had suddenly grown in size right beneath my nose. She really felt this way the whole time, too? Maybe I should've taken notice of that sooner. "I, ah… dunno what to say."
Azusa turned her head around, clasping her hands together. "No need to say anything. This is more about actions than words, right… 'Big Brother'?"
"Ah… Ahahaha!" I laughed, perhaps uncontrollably. Maybe it was because of relief, or maybe it was because of something else. I was all too happy to be accepted by Azusa, and to be able to accept Azusa myself. It was a familiar sort of feeling, something adjacent to when Yui and I first confessed to each other. It was love. Not a romantic love like I have for Yui, but a familial love—one I didn't really realize I needed before now. The comfort and safety of knowing that I have someone to rely on, someone who can rely on me. More than friendship, but not romance… I wonder, does everyone else feel the same about me? I'll know one day, but for now, this is more than enough.
"Yeah, I'll be sure to live up to your expectations!" I said.
"Ah, wait, that means something important!" said Yui, who shouted as if she stumbled upon a great revelation. "So when Le-Le and me eventually get married, does that mean Azu-nyan's going to be my sister-in-law!?"
"Uh, I dunno how to answer that…"
Yui pounced on Azusa, wrapping her arms around the girl before she could even protest at all. Azusa looked kind of mad, smacking her senpai on the head a few times, but her small stature meant the gesture was completely ineffective.
"Jeez, senpai, way to ruin the moment!" said Azusa.
"It's fine, it's fine." I said. "Makes it easier for me to de-tense, honestly."
"Then are you ready to head back to everyone?" asked Azusa.
"Yeah, let's."
"Let's-a go, then!" said Yui, stringing me along by the arm. "To the dolphins exhibit!"
And so we were off, quickly navigating the aquarium to the outside area, where a large swathe of people sat on stands surrounded by a big, clear pool. The crash of something jumping in and out of the water reverberated around the area, with cheers of many people soon following. The rest of our clubmates sat in the seats closest to the action, looking as hyped up as the rest of the crowd was.
"Hey, guys!" said Mio, waving at us and alerting the rest of the club to our presence. "Over here! The show's just about to start!"
We rushed over to our seats next to them. The stench of chlorine wasn't present like it normally was. A figure stretched and splayed its fins in the pool. The trainer wearing a summer uniform and a cheery disposition lifted her arm while standing on a podium-like platform near the pool. At her gesture, an adorable gray dolphin jumped out of the water to greet everyone, clapping its own fins as if introducing itself to us. Everyone gasped and cheered, noting how adorable the little guy was. I couldn't help but join in, amazed by the big guy's loud personality and beady looking eyes.
The trainer at the stand tapped her earpiece, giving a cue to other staff in attendance and waving at the crowd. The dolphin followed suit, perfectly matching her movement and rhythm, much to our continued bewilderment.
"That's a really clever fella." I said, scratching my chin, still wondering how the dolphin could be moving in such perfect sync with its trainer.
"Indeed, Leo-senpai." said Inuko, scooching towards me. "Dolphins are some of the smartest creatures in the world, after all. Simple instructions like that are child's play for it."
"Wooow, I didn't know fish could be so smart," said Yui, fists balled up and bobbing up and down like she was rhythmically tapping on an invisible drum.
"Dolphins are mammals, actually." said Mio, tapping her head. "It uses the blowhole on its head to breathe in air so it can stay beneath water for longer."
"I see," I nodded. "So the tank doesn't have any chlorine, probably because it'd deteriorate the little guy's eyes after a while. Nice to know this place has ethics, at least."
"Alright," said the trainer instructing the dolphin, who wore big glasses and had an impossibly cheery disposition. Her voice echoed to the audience as she spoke into her earpiece. "We'll get started in a bit. I'm Natsuki," she gestured to the dolphin, who puffed some water out of his blowhole. "And this little guy right here is Haohmaru." she said, the dolphin, named Haohmaru, let out some sounds that sorta resemble clicks or whistling. It was like he was speaking in a weird, fleshy-sounding morse code. "Say hi, everyone!"
"Hi, Haohmaru!" yelled the entire crowd, myself included, in one enthusiastic cheer.
"Today, I'm going to need a little assistance from a member of the audience on how we direct Haohmaru and show off his skills, riiiight?"
At Natsuki's declaration, the entire crowd gasped. Some people preemptively raised their hands, including Yui, Azusa, Ritsu… and even Mio? Huh, that's surprising. Following their lead, I, and the entire rest of the audience raised their hands. If this wasn't such an amicable setting, I imagine several fistfights would have broken out in the absolutely rapturous crowd. We were about two seconds away from turning into fans in an American Football stadium.
"Me! Me! Pick me!" "No, pick me! I'm good with animals!"
"Me! Me! I've never done that before!" "Pick me, Leo 'll just get eaten and give Haohmaru indigestion!" "What the hell's that supposed to mean?!"
"Me!"
"Pick me!"
"Me! Me! Me!"
A cascade, no, an utter torrent of voices all begging to be picked out rolled in and out as many people were beginning to lose their breaths. A chance with the cute critter would be like a ticket to happiness, and everyone wanted to cash that in.
As Natsuki walked over to the stands, she pointed at the crowds and spoke something inaudible amidst all the peoples' screams. Judging by the way her lips moved, I think she was saying… 'eeny-meeny-miny-mo'? What was more telling was that Haohmaru was slowly swimming alongside her every step from within his watery confinement. If nothing else, he seemed to trust her completely.
Natsuki stopped right in front of our group, the Light Music Club. Everyone knows that guests called from the stands Holy crap, that means I have a one in seven chance?! My body bounced and bobbed at this knowledge, and so did the rest of the club. One of us would be picked, and one of us would be the center of gravity where all of our envy and hopes fall upon. Knowing my luck, it won't happen for me. But a guy can dream, right? Right?!
"You, girl with the black hair!"
As my hopes were utterly dashed aside, Mio and Azusa both jumped out of their seats. They couldn't believe it and were jumping in sync, making the same sort of weird call that Haohmaru was.
"Girl with black hair?!"
"Which one?!"
They were now hopping up and down like salted sardines, their eyes looking kind of crazy. I wanted to tell them to relax a bit, but I know I'd be the exact same if I was called upon. Natsuki's finger hovered and stirred anxiety like a maestro to their orchestra, before finally settling as she again spoke into the mic.
"You, pretty girl with the long black hair that's NOT in pigtails."
Mio glossed over the 'pretty' comment as her arms rocketed up in triumph! "Ye-es! Haohmaru, here I come!"
Azusa fell back to her seat, shrugging. "It is what it is, I guess. Maybe next time."
She said that, but her face seemed like she was on the verge of crying, or something. Out of some uncontrolled instinct, I moved my hand to her head and began to stroke it.
"I-It'll be alright, Azusa. Like you said, we can always come back. You'll get your chance then."
Azusa rubbed her eyes, before playing pretend and removing my hand from her head. "Hmph, I don't know what you're talking about, Leo-senpai."
You can say what you will, Azusa. But I know those were probably just tears you wiped away.
"Looks like someone is being dishonest," said Inuko. "Don't worry. I think everyone in the crowd is probably as disappointed as you are, Azusa."
Azusa frowned in a way that left shadows at the edges of her lips. I'm not sure if she was pissed at Inuko for pointing that out, or what. But she was definitely thinking something unpleasant.
"Oh, but Inuko!" Mugi chimed in, holding Azusa's shoulders and rocking her back and forth. That look on her face only began to worsen. I swear, I could make out an insidious aura emanating from her, like her pigtails were about to become talons and kebab everyone around her. "She was so much closer than the rest of us, that's gotta hurt!"
I guess someone as sugary as Mugi isn't aware that she too can rub salt in the wound.
I sighed, "We really have to work on you guys' social awareness. There's a term out there called 'reading the room', maybe look it up sometime."
Azusa pouted, resting her head in her hands and directing her attention back to the pool, her brow furrowed all the whole. "Hmph," she said again, her disposition like that of a small child. Maybe it's best if I just leave her be and not stir that pot.
Mio revved up her legs as Natsuki gestured her to come down from the stands. Before she could run down like a maniac, Ritsu snatched her by the wrist and gave a concerned look.
"Mio, you gonna be alright with so many eyes on you? How's your stage fright?" asked Ritsu.
Mio gave an uncharacteristically confident thumbs up. I suppose the thought of getting to pet an aquatic mammal must alleviate potential stage fright? Seems legit.
We all walked in awe as Mio walked down the aisles to meet Haohmaru, her hair swaying in dramatic fashion. I couldn't see her face, but it looked like she was about to claim her destiny; her birthright.
That dramatic image was quickly shattered as Mio raised and waved her arms like a small child, "Haohmaruu~!" she yelled as she dashed down the steps and right near where Natsuki was. Yeah, I'm totally making fun of her for this later.
As I looked to my side, I saw Ritsu snapping photos of her with an especially evil glint in her eye. I think the Mio Fan Club is about to receive some new material. For now, I suppose she can just enjoy this moment before things come back to bite her.
As Mio took the stairs next to the pool, Haohmaru's head bled out of the water just for a moment. He then went back down, and some water sprouted from his blowhole. He then made that same clicking noise, pressing his fins together as if clapping. Mio was taken aback for a split-second, but even amidst the crowd drowning her voice out, she looked utterly mesmerized.
"I think he likes you, Miss…?" said Natsuki, holding up a microphone and placing it near Mio's face.
"M-Mio…" she replied, her voice now coming out of the loudspeakers that surrounded the stands. Her voice was shaky, and even from her eyes seemed to dart and go haywire. I think it only now dawned on her just how many eyes she was on. Some comments about her especially cute appearance and shy demeanor entered and exited my ears, though I guess I shouldn't be surprised by that. Mio's always been, well, a "hit with audiences" 'cause she's a nice looking gal.
Natsuki patted Mio on the back, repeating herself and gesturing to the audience to get everyone hyped up. "Well, I think he likes you, Mio!"
Haohmaru stationed himself near the pool's rim, his head poking out just high enough for Mio to make contact with him. His head wiggled and teetered, as if he was waiting for her to do just that. I was too far from the stands to really be sure, but I think Mio's hands were twitching, as if she wasn't quite sure what to do in this situation. Go on, pet him already. Everybody knows you want to.
"Can I…?" said Mio, looking over at Natsuki. Natsuki gave a firm nod of approval and a smile.
Mio pumped her fists, seemingly steeling herself for the moments ahead. In a slow but steady motion, her hand hovered over to Haohmaru, stopping just above his head. It stayed like that for a moment, until Haohmaru took to the gesture and placed his hand on her open palm. Mio let out a very high-pitched and elated squee, with the crowd enthusiastically getting hyped up in response.
"So… so cute!" said Mio, her voice shaky, as if she was gonna explode into a mess of rainbows and confetti. "I wanna hug him so bad…"
"Uh, your clothes 'd get wet," said Natsuki. "But don't worry, we've got quite a few tricks to show you instead." she continued, nodding at Haohmaru. Following some kind of que, Haohmaru dove underwater and began to circle the far edges of his pool. His dorsal fin poked out just barely above the water.
"Now, Mio." said Natsuki, quickly jumping with her right arm held high. "Go like this, and say: jump!"
Mio gave a nervous nod. I couldn't see it, but I think she gulped down her fears at that moment, too. Mio did as instructed, jumping as high as she could with her right arm rising like a rocket. "...J-Jump!"
As her shout echoed throughout the venue, Haohmaru responded in kind. His enthusiastic clicking sounds followed as he leapt from the pool's center spectacularly. His back was arched perfectly as he spun with the same grace as a grandfather clock— his form was flawless as the pool's dew spread out everywhere. He dived back in just as gracefully, putting any diving contestant to shame.
"Amazing!" said Azusa, her voice high as her normally reserved reactions were put aside. Her prior jealousy had seemingly faded, a full smile etched on her face as time seemed to slow for everyone.
Yui was pulling at my arm repeatedly, wrangling me around like a doll. But even I was so caught up in the moment that I didn't mind one bit. "Le-Le, did you see that?! Mio made him jump!"
"I saw. I saw." I said.
"Wonderful! Such an amazing creature!" said Mugi, watching as Mio once again ordered Haohmaru to jump. All the while, the flash of Ritsu's camera went off repeatedly. I wasn't sure if she was taking pictures of Mio or Haohmaru. Either way, seeing Mio come out of her shell so spectacularly was a sight to behold in its own right.
And so, the dolphin show continued for a little while longer. All throughout it, the smell of seabreeze was ingrained into my skin and clothing. I'll probably remember this little outing for the rest of my life. Next time, though, I'd like to be the one to pet the dolphin.
The sun was going down as a dusky hue had settled in the sky. We walked out of the aquarium and into the surrounding city. With seven of us, we made for a lively group as we walked across the asphalt and prepared to head our separate ways.
"Well, I think we could say that today's outing was a total success." said Ritsu, folding her arms as if a master plan had gone off without a hitch. "Right, Mio?"
"Yes, absolutely." said Mio, her face having a subtle afterglow to it. "It was a lot of fun!"
"All good things must come to an end, though…" said Inuko.
"There's always next time," I said, patting my dour underclassman on the head. "So cheer up, alright?"
"Don't you sound thoughtful?" said Mio.
"O-oi… I'm always, er, thoughtful."
"I'm just teasing you," said Mio, smirking as she prodded my lips into a smile. Even after she removed her fingers, it remained.
"Le-Le's been kinda moody all day, actually…" Yui spoke.
"The more things change, the more they stay the same." said Mugi, "Yui, why don't you cheer him up?"
"Leave it to me!" said Yui. Promptly, she pirouetted impressively to my side, placing her hand on my shoulder and leaning into me. She was warm and smelled like seabreeze as well. Before I could respond to her, she placed a kiss on my cheek.
"H-Hey! In front of everybody?!" I said, placing my hand on where she kissed me.
Yui giggled contentedly. With her beaming smile, any anger or frustration I had was quashed twice as fast. "G'bye, you guys! See you all tomorrow!"
"Now that's a good note to end on!" said Ritsu, walking away in the same direction as Mio. Mio nodded in agreement. As that happened, Mugi and Inuko walked away in the same direction, looking as lovey-dovey as ever. Yui was already out of sight by the time I looked her way, though my cell phone buzzed then after, probably an email from her talking about how great a day she had.
I groaned, despite my smile still being there. "Even on days like these, they always gotta get one in on me, huh?"
"That's just how they are, Leo-senpai." said Azusa, the only one who still remained. "You, of all people, should know that…"
"Yeah, I guess I shouldn't be surprised at this point. Still, they always find new ways to trip me up…" I said. "Ah, but… Azusa?"
"What is it, Leo-senpai?"
"If you're serious about you being my little sister in spirit, you can drop the 'senpai'. Siblings don't need to be so formal with each other, I think."
Azusa placed her fingers against her mouth, looking just a little surprised. "Ah, well… I dunno, just calling you 'Leo' feels weird. Like I'm in the same grade as you."
"That's true…" I said, reflecting on what she just said. Azusa's perhaps the most mature girl out of our club, but even still I can't say that her calling me that wouldn't bother me for one reason or another.
Azusa stopped for a moment, thinking quite critically about something or other. Before long, she looked at me with a totally casual face as she spoke: "How about… Leo-nii?"
At the sound of that name, I felt an arrow of cuteness pierce my heart and rock my knees. Suddenly nothing in the world seemed to matter as I felt myself grow as light as a balloon. Is this what having a little sister is like?! Why doesn't everyone have one?! I keeled over, my face nearly scraping into the pavement.
"Ah, do you not like it?!" said a panicked Azusa, shuffling over to me. "I can call you something else, if you want!"
I laughed, raising my face to meet hers. "No, no! I love it! Hah. I just… never imagined I'd ever be called that."
Azusa looked at me with a face that was a cross between annoyed and endeared as she helped me off the ground. "Oh, boy… Family can be so troublesome sometimes."
"Sorry, sorry. Why don't you let your big brother make it up to you and walk you home?"
Azusa smiled, a slight spring in her step as she began to walk. "I'd like that, Leo-nii."
Maybe it's because of how much I've grown while I've lived alongside everyone, but I never imagined how important family could be. One day, maybe I could find the strength to look at mom again, too. For now, though, I'll keep looking after the person who's deemed me their big brother, and everyone else that's led me to this point.
Afterword
At long last, the new chapter is here! I wanted to release this one on Azusa's birthday, but I ran into some issues beforehand, so I couldn't quite make that deadline. Thank you for your patience and your support in regards to the continuation of A Nice Cup of Tea. Writer's block for this story has been difficult to overcome, but I'm getting there steadily and hope to one day make more chapters at the rate that I used to. I've additionally been studying and reading so as to improve my own storytelling and narrative abilities.
Until next time, ciao!