Given the amount of time each team needed to practice, the arena will be opened two hours later than normal with the closest school from the homeland Kantō region going in first. Meiou Academy is coming in from the neighboring Chūbu region and was scheduled to go in second, permitted to use the fitness facility until the pool is given the all-clear. That only meant students and the team are given at least a half day to have some fun in Tokyo. The swim team managed to get themselves ready to practice just as the first team, Odate Junior High, was leaving the campus, giving Meiou free reign to do what needed to be done. However, before anyone could do anything, it was time to marvel at what waited for them.
"This is amazing," said a female swimmer, "We made it, guys."
She wasn't wrong. The feeling of entering the Olympic size natatorium was similar to arriving at a baseball championship game for the first time. The cameras during the 2020 games did not do this place justice as the space looked much larger in person. To think, hundreds, maybe a few thousand people will soon be filling those seats to cheer their respective teams to victory in less than twenty-four hours.
The pool itself made the one back home look like a duck pond. It was the real deal. This was where records in the 50m and 200m freestyle, 200m backstroke, 200m breaststroke, 200m individual medley, 100m butterfly, and the 4x100m medley relay were made and broken. This was where Japan managed to walk away with two gold medals in the 200m and 400m women's individual medley that same year. With all that on the minds of a group of middle school teens, it's understandable to be intimidated. Karasu took it the hardest. Yes, he still has Olympic dreams. Yes, he wants to make it to the top and represent his country to the best of his ability. Yes, he wants to be the next Michael Phelps for Japan and yes, he wants the acclamation that comes with it. Be that as it may, it all depends on the team. Emphasis on team. Completely forgetting about his deal with Kaito, Karasu joined his team in practice starting with warmups.
This was nothing to Shuichi. The water was perfect and he was able to keep his fishy self in check. The only difference was that he was swimming in a professional swimming pool. At least there was no need to push himself. This was a post-workout swim. So long as he's able to execute all four styles while in the water, he'll be fine. The plan was this. Swim freestyle and backstroke for a hundred meters each, then finish with the butterfly and breaststroke the same way. By the time practice wrapped up, Shuichi was a bit more winded than usual but felt good about it.
By the time the team made it back to the hotel, Shuichi was informed of Kuronue's whereabouts. Turns out there was an opportunity for a school field trip to the tower that took place during practice. There were multiple opportunities for field trips around town each with a chaperone. Those who decided to sit out on any of them in favor of their own adventure were allowed to do so as long as they explore with at least one person, adhere to the rules, and make it back before curfew. That sucks. Shuichi was looking forward to going to the tower. There were a couple of silver linings though. One, he had a 10pm (22:00) curfew, giving him until then to do whatever he wants. Two, Mei told Kuronue who told Shuichi that Kiyoni was still at the hotel. What a convenient idea. If things go well, Shuichi can explore the city while adhering to trip guidelines. If the offer still stood of course.
[Shuichi] "Kiyoni?"
"Hi"
"Hey. I just settled in from practice. Misaki and Kaguya are already out. Were you still thinking about that date?"
"I never said it was a date"
"You never said it wasn't either."
"Look I have until curfew and I could use some company while I'm out in the city."
"You're welcome to join me"
"Turns out there's an aquarium near here. We can go there since it's your idea"
Kiyoni was just waking up from a nap when her phone went off. Once again she read and reread the last text message received. Instead of leaving Shuichi on read again, she responded.
"Sure"
"Great ( ≧ ▽ ≦ )"
"Give me about ten minutes to freshen up and I'll meet you in the lobby"
Ten minutes was all Kiyoni needed.
The APA Hotel and Resort located within the Shiomi ward of Koto City was just across the Sazanami Bashi bridge from where nationals will take place at the Tokyo Aquatics Center. Unlike most hotels and resorts in the west, the APA Hotel had contactless, automated check-in/check-out service so no receptionists. Just about everything about the lobby screamed "high-end" by some standards especially for a budget hotel. Pairs of plush, black leather chairs occupied every corner of a large, black and white stripe carpet rug. The back wall was decorated in a basket weave pattern with a white base, black stripes, and golden squares. True to any hotel lobby, a 50" flat screen TV hanging from the ceiling corner of the space displayed the hotel's logo and welcome greeting in English and Japanese, the current weather conditions including a three-day weather forecast, and a few ideas on what to do in Tokyo such as dining and shopping.
Kiyoni sat underneath that TV just a few steps away from the elevators she came from. A few of her lingering schoolmates were seen exiting the hotel but neither of them were Shuichi yet. On her phone, Kiyoni mindlessly switched her screen between TikTok and notes concerning the high school entrance exam and the Korean language. If her favorite boy bands, BTS and Stray Kids can study English just to perform around the world, it's only right for their fans to study their language just to enjoy and sing along to their music. On her person was a black travel purse with the Sanrio character, Kuromi, on it. In it was a power bank and charger cord for her phone, her wallet, and a water canister from home that was smaller than western standards. She could've bought a drink from the vending machines on the first floor but it was a soda-only one and Mama Ikeda managed to fill the bottle up with water before her daughter woke up this morning.
Shuichi was feeling great making his way down to the lobby. One, Karasu managed to leave him alone during practice. Two, the school pool back home will never be like an olympic pool in terms of feeling. Three, that soak in the hot tub after practice was everything. And four, he gets to be alone with Kiyoni again. As he walked off the elevator onto the lobby floor, he couldn't help but smirk while keeping his hands in his pockets. By the time he saw Kiyoni, gears were turning in his head. Since Kiyoni was so distracted by her phone, Shuichi decided to greet her from behind.
"...Boo!"
"Aye," Kiyoni jumped, nearly dropping her phone, "Yo, wh–? Oh…Minamino…"
Upon a double take, Kiyoni noticed Shuichi was looking…extra attractive at the moment. Was it the hair? Nah. That mop was always neatly coiffed as required by the school, always split in half and in a ponytail while the rest draped around the base of his neck with fore and side bangs framing the face. Was it the clothing? Couldn't be. The way Shuichi kept his uniform together could rival a marine the way everything was so meticulously pressed and shaped. Was it the stance? Maybe. Usually, Shuichi would always keep himself upright, in the "at-ease" position with his hands in his pockets. Today he had a bit of a cocky slouch to him. Not quite the stereotypical delinquent slouch but more of the fashion model slouch, similar to poses found in Harajuku.
Shuichi continued smirking, "Hello. Sorry if I scared you."
"Yeah, eh…don't…don't worry about that. I'm good."
"You sure? You looked awfully focused."
"Yeah, well the high school entrance exams are coming up."
"Right! I've been in study mode for that as well. Perhaps this is the break we both needed."
"Yeah…"
"So…where to, navigator?"
"Navigator?"
"Originally, it was you who offered me to spend some time with you. So, I'm leaving things in your hands. We can do whatever you want so long as we make it back by curfew. I will say this, considering that I spent the last couple of hours in water, I'd like for any water-related activity to end the day if that's alright with you."
Kiyoni was a little taken aback by that. Shuichi had boundaries and wasn't afraid of expressing them and he wanted to follow Kiyoni's lead since she made the proposal. Kiyoni genuinely thought she was going to do whatever Shuichi wanted to do and follow his lead. This placed a smile on her face.
"Anything?"
"Anything," Shuichi confirmed, "I convinced my parents to get me an all-day transit pass for today."
Kiyoni checked her phone with an idea. Thank you, Google Maps. "So…are you up for a museum?"
"Which museum?"
The answer: teamLab Planets Tokyo, located just west of the APA Hotel and about a thirty-minute transit ride on the Keiyo line. A museum that provides nothing but exhibitions that please the senses of sight and touch. Visitors are expected to see spectacular light shows and out-of-this-world visual effects walking through the Infinite Crystal Universe or the Floating Flower Garden and feel the cooling comfort of the waters walking through the Waterfall of Light Particles and Drawing on the Water Surface exhibits. Since Shuichi wanted to stay away from water for a while, the latter will be seen last. Unfortunately, the Waterfall of Light exhibit had to happen in order to see everything else. That and the museum is unique for barefoot access throughout the facility.
The crystal universe was awe-inspiring. Thousands of LED light stripes come together to project hypnotizing 3D images of shooting stars, exploding supernovas, and waves of warp speed travel. Through the use of an app, the exhibit becomes interactive which Shuichi took advantage of. With Kiyoni walking in front of him, Shuichi gave her a personalized light show. From her vantage point, flashing waves of triangular and rectangular shapes rained down and around her all according to Shuichi's direction. The pointillistic performance ends with an aurora borealis from above in colors similar to the ones seen back in Tsuran City. Kiyoni flashed an affirmative smile of her own back at her personal master of illuminated ceremonies.
The falling universe exhibit became a quick favorite. Waterfalls of light encaptured everyone's attention inspiring those with active social media accounts. Shuichi managed to take a selfie with Kiyoni on a boulder-like platform underneath a multicolored meteor shower that created a pathway similar to the bifrost of the Thor universe. Afterwards, like the multitude of children that shared the space with them, the teens engaged themselves in some more interactive fun, playing a game of hopscotch with a few of the glowing "puddles". Moments later, the room went dark, worrying everyone only to brighten their moods when an increasingly crimson, holographic, floral rainfall showered upon those in attendance. Flowers and petals of the spider plant, poppies, roses, and chrysanthemums fell in countless numbers only to gather into a blossoming tornado of red that transitioned into an explosion of sunflowers and later, lilies. Kiyoni was so entranced by the visual effects that when she looked Shuichi's way, he was nothing but a silhouette, especially when the ruby red flowers framed his stance. The moment ended when she was caught, causing her to blush and nervously look away. Once the lilies took center stage, it was Shuichi's turn to feel bewitched. Clothing in brighter colors seems to fit her skin tone better than something as deep as cranberry red. Walking through the bubble universe exhibit became the place to decompress due to the prismatic lights reflecting on the many mirrors and hanging "bubbles" that made the entire space look like a 3D lava lamp or a really fizzy serving of soda. Fortunately, a warning was posted for those who may have adverse effects to such visual stimulation.
"Sorry about all that…water exposure," Kiyoni apologized, "If I had known ahead of time, we'd probably not be here right now."
"It's fine," Shuichi assured, "I'm wearing my lotion so it's no big deal."
"Yeah but you also said nothing water-related until the end of the day."
"Kiyoni, I'm alright. No need to worry yourself. See? Completely normal and dry. I appreciate the effort though. This is actually a really nice place. I think I'm going to dream in kaleidoscope vision tonight. Haha."
"Yeah…me too…"
"Hm? Is something wrong?"
"Eh–? No. I'm…I'm fine."
"Uh huh. Kiyoni, it's okay. You've been open with me for this long. Why change that now?"
If Kiyoni expects Shuichi to be honest with her, it wouldn't be wrong to assume the same could be said the other way around. So she made her confession, "I'm worried."
"About…?"
"...The future. Heh, the future, starting tomorrow. Nationals. The high school entrance exams. You…leaving…"
"So you have considered my offer."
Kiyoni panned her head down, bunching her lips to one side, "According to Ifá beliefs, balance comes from honoring both logic and emotion within oneself. Given your situation, the logic is your mother's knowledge of her world and the emotions behind her teachings are compassion, tolerance, and a sense of nurturing. I wanna see what comes from that so...I wanna go. I wanna go with you."
"I'm honored but I'd like for you to really think about this. I've made my decision partially based on destiny but definitely out of curiosity. Is yours made out of…genuine, personal interest or out of my request?"
"...Both…but it's more for me than anything. I don't know if I could explain but what we saw, what we did and saw… I think it awakened something in me."
"Awakened? What would that be?"
"I don't know. It's…a sense of identity, I guess?"
"But don't you already have some sort of identity…being what you are? No offense."
"Hmpf. Maybe. Remember when you talked about my little crab friend and the need to be left alone and liked? It's more like I want to be left alone but be fairly treated. Ugh. I'd hate to start high school the same way I started primary and junior high. 'Ooh we have a black girl at our school.' Big deal. 'Wow! You were born in Japan? Ehhhhhh? Your Japanese is so good!' I hope so considering I was born and raised in Japan. 'Which Japanese are you? Your mom or your dad?' Does it matter? I'm still Japanese. I'm not a foreigner. 'The way you wear your hair is nothing special. Anybody can get the same hair you have. Stop making a big deal about it.' Japanese people rocking black hairstyles…and no one bats an eye. The second I do the same thing as nature intended, SOCIETY! Society questions me."
"Like the time you had to visit a doctor just to prove the authenticity of your hair?"
"You knew about that?"
"Word travels fast within those academic halls. I can only assume the levels of embarrassment you went through."
"Embarrassment level Ten million out of ten when my mom showed up at the school wanting to tear it down. At this point, if that's what it takes for someone to learn how to work with textured hair, then so be it. Just don't look at me in disdain or laugh at me should I decide to go from coily to straight and back again as soon as the seasons change or when their hair falls out. Or even this, 'Can you dance or sing like Fatou from BlackPink?' Ha! You're asking someone who can't get more than 250 views every time she makes a TikTok dance video? 'You're so pretty. I can see you being a model like Miss Japan.' 'You'd make a killing over in JK alley.' So says creepy, old foreigners and natives who see me as nothing more than a fetish doll. Like ew."
"I see. You want to figure out who you are as a person, a human and on your own terms. Not just what you are genetically."
"Exactly. I once mentioned to my parents that I had an interest in studying abroad one day and you know what they said? They said…my dad said that the west will chew me up and spit me out faster than I could blink. He said that western men will look at me as something exotic and will have nothing to do with me once I 'served my purpose'. He said since I was born in Japan, I should stay in Japan, work in Japan, get married and start a family in Japan, and ultimately die and be cremated in Japan. My dad doesn't know anything about the west other than my mother's experiences and the media and hates the west because of it. While I understand his fears, I don't share them. I'm not going to shape my life based on the fears of others. My parents say the world outside of Japan is scary, I wanna see how scary it could be. I want to make my own mistakes, learn my own lessons, create my own story. If I have to get a head start by becoming a mermaid, swimming down in the depths of the ocean to do so, so be it. So I wanna go with you, Minamino. Not only that but just thinking about you going out there alone is…worrisome. I just need your help in convincing my parents to let me go."
Shuichi was touched. By returning to Tsuran City, he would be creating his own identity in a way. He already has a fifteen-year head start on his human half. It's time for his merman half to catch up.
Pleased to hear Kiyoni's plea, Shuichi guided her out towards a different exhibit, "Come with me."
"Where to?"
The Drawing on The Water Surface exhibit where a light show displaying dozens of rainbow-colored koi fish, multifaceted shapes, and dancing leaves and lily pads moved around milky-like water that was slightly above the ankle in depth for spectators to admire and reach out to. Given that the space was large enough to host a small convention, people were easily distracted by the fun with a couple of visitors getting removed for swimming. How fitting and what perfect timing for Shuichi. After multiple attempts, he managed to wash the salt off his skin, showing off a patch of greenish scales on his left hand that were highlighted by the lights.
"What are you doing," Kiyoni whispered, "What if you get caught?"
"It's fine. No one's really paying attention. What I'm doing is a demonstration."
"A demonstration for what?"
"You said that you needed visual proof for your parents to let you go, yes? Will this suffice?"
This was the first time Kiyoni got to see Shuichi's scales, up close, personal, and for real. The sensation of that aquatic skin felt similar to the same fish that came from a fisherman relative of hers. Mistakenly, Kiyoni managed to cut herself going against the grain.
"Ah," she winced, "Eh…"
"You okay? Let me see."
"No, no. I'm okay, I think I have a band-aid…in my purse…"
"Don't," away from prying eyes, Shuichi did two seemingly amazing things. One, he caught a drop of Kiyoni's blood just before it touched the water. Two, after tasting that small offering, he grabbed Kiyoni's hand and ingested as much blood as he could from it, healing the wound.
"Ehhhhhhh," Kiyoni marveled, "How did you do that?"
"Ningyo trait. The ability to heal ourselves and others. The second reason is a bit…unusual."
"How unusual?"
"I read somewhere that ningyo are part of the…omnivorous crowd, including human blood and flesh. I've been wanting to test that theory since. In your case…" Shuichi smirked in a flirtatious yet intrigued fashion, "it's not that bad. Apologies."
"Human blood? Oh, crap. Are you gonna eat me now? Should I be scared," asked a flustered Kiyoni as she clutched her hand close to her chest.
"No to everything," Shuichi said in humored confidence, "You can relax. No one is eating–"
Before Shuichi could finish, a text from Mei popped up on Kiyoni's phone, "Oh! Misaki and Kaguya are back at the hotel waiting for us."
"Exceptional timing. I'm getting kinda hungry anyway."
"Sure thing. I'm getting hungry too."
After meeting up with Kuronue and Mei, the quartet of junior high teens convened at a hamburger restaurant down the street from the hotel. Over servings of burgers or omurice, onion rings, fries, and soda, everyone got the chance to hear everyone's stories from different perspectives. By the end of the day, one question remained unanswered. Was that really a date between Shuichi and Kiyoni…or was it just another friendly outing?
