Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/2912051598917319858
A Saturday afternoon.
As I finished getting ready to go out and headed for the front door, Ellis came out of her room—as if she’d timed it just right—to see me off.
“Rintaro, have a good time. You’re going out with Shino today, right?”
“Yeah, she said there’s an aquarium she’s been wanting to check out.”
“Hmm, I see.”
Ellis ’s gaze moved from my feet to the top of my head, as if checking me over.
“You’re dressed the same as always—don’t you want to dress up a little?”
“Nah, we’re just going out to have some fun. It’s not like it’s a date or anything…”
“Oh, right. My bad for butting in.”
Ellis nodded slightly and lowered her gaze to my shoes, which were sitting by the side of the entrance.
Then she parted her lips as if to say something, but in the end, she just smiled without saying a word.
“If you have fun, take me with you next time.”
“If the chance comes up… Well, I’m off.”
“Okay, have fun. Rintaro—”
Waved off by a beaming Ellis, I headed toward the station.
The weather was clear and sunny. The muggy heat clinging to my skin felt like summer, even though it was still only May.
Come to think of it, I’d gotten used to going out just the two of us with Shino.
At first, I was self-conscious and would sometimes arrive at the meeting spot way too early, but that doesn’t happen anymore.
But today was a little different.
Because today, our real purpose was just to have fun.
I’d gone out with Shino a few times before, but back then, there was usually a reason—like discussing course registration or a study group.
I don’t think there’s ever been a time before when I simply asked her to come along just because I wanted to go out and have fun.
That’s why it had been bothering me a little—
“Oh, there you are! Rintaro, over here!!”
Shino, standing in front of the ticket gate where we’d agreed to meet, was her usual self.
In fact, she was dressed even more casually than I usually see her at university.
Comfortable pants and a breezy shirt. Her hair was loosely tied back—a casual look. Even so, it didn’t feel like she’d just thrown on whatever clothes she could find. From the single accent piece to the overall silhouette, the subtleties of her styling shone through, and the simplicity actually highlighted the quality of the materials.
“What? You’re staring at me.”
“No, I just noticed your vibe is different from when we were in college.”
“Well, yeah. I still put a little more effort into my look when I go to college.”
With that, Shino spun around in a full circle right there and struck a sharp pose.
“Go ahead and tell me what you think about having Aizawa Shino all to yourself in ‘off-duty’ mode.”
“That’s not something you should be saying right in the middle of the city.”
“Haa… Rintaro-kun, you just don’t understand a girl’s heart, do you?”
“Then what’s the correct answer?”
“Sorry, I don’t know either. I was just making that up on the spot.”
Saying that, Shino burst out laughing.
She was surprisingly her usual self, and I started to wonder if what had been bothering me was just a misunderstanding after all.
Chatting about trivial things as usual, we started walking.
It was a holiday, so there were a lot of people, but not so many that we couldn’t walk. Amidst the families and couples, Shino walked forward without hesitation.
“So, why did you want to come to this aquarium, Shino?”
“Oh, I saw a video of the dolphin show on Instagram and got curious. Plus, there are so many spots that look great in photos.”
“Typical millennial.”
It was a more ordinary reason than I’d expected—almost to the point of being anticlimactic.
Once we bought our tickets and went inside, the air felt completely different, as if the heat outside had been a lie.
Even though it was daytime, the interior was dim, and the tanks illuminated by blue lighting created a magical atmosphere. The ripples on the water’s surface cast faint reflections on the walls and floor, and the shadows of fish floated everywhere.
I see. No wonder there are so many couples here. With so many photo-worthy spots, it really felt like a “Tokyo aquarium.”
“Look, Rintaro, at that.”
“Hm?”
“I wonder if that guy’s any good.”
“Give me back the mood.”
Shino pointed at a large fish and blurted that out.
“Well, I mean, look at that size. I wonder how many servings of sashimi that would make.”
“Your way of thinking is just like some sports club kid who has no interest in aquariums…”
In this vein, every time Shino saw a fish, she’d say something silly, and I’d end up calling her out on it.
When she saw jellyfish drifting leisurely in the tank, she’d heckle, “Swim with more spirit!”; when she saw penguins playing around, she’d get jealous and say, “They’re cuter than me, aren’t they?”…
How should I put it? There was absolutely no mood to speak of.
It started to seem silly that I’d been bracing myself a little, thinking this might be something like a date.
“It’s about time, isn’t it?”
“Oh, you mean the dolphin show you were talking about earlier?”
“Yeah, yeah—it looks like they really went all out with the music and lighting.”
As Shino led me toward the venue, quite a few people were already seated.
The seats toward the back, where you could see the whole stage, were more popular, while the front rows—where you’d probably get splashed—had quite a few empty seats.
“Rintaro, let’s go to the very front row!”
“Shino, look at the floor. From the looks of it, we’re probably going to get pretty wet, aren’t we?”
“So what? Let’s just call it a memory.”
Shino strode straight ahead and plopped down in the front-row seat.
I gave up and, at Shino’s urging, sat down in the seat next to her.
…I had nothing but a bad feeling about this.
Sure enough, that feeling came true as soon as the show started.
Every time a dolphin leaped out of the water, fine droplets of water flew at us nonstop.
At first, it was just enough to make us laugh, but halfway through, the force became so intense that it seemed like they were clearly trying to get us wet.
Then the show reached its climax. The dolphins swam around the perimeter of the tank, accelerating rapidly.
“Oh no, oh no—they’re definitely going to do a huge jump!”
“That’s great! Bring it on!”
“Why are you so excited about this?!”
The next moment, the dolphin leaped high into the air.
Just as I thought it was tracing a beautiful arc, a wall of spray surged toward the audience.
“Whoa, here it comes!”
Just as Shino let out a cheerful cry, she threw herself into my arms.
“Hey, Shino—bwah!?”
Before I could even finish speaking, I was drenched from head to toe.
The cold water soaked my hair, and my shirt instantly clung to my skin.
“Ahahahaha! Whoa, that was way bigger than I expected!”
“This isn’t something to laugh about… and get off me.”
“Sorry, sorry~! It was just a little act of God, you know?”
Shino laughed without a hint of guilt and swept her wet hair back with one hand.
That gesture looked strangely alluring, and for just a moment, I was at a loss for words.
“……What?”
“Nah, nothing.”
“Hmm?”
Shino narrowed her eyes teasingly.
To cover it up, I shifted my gaze back to the show.
That was close. My vision was a little blurry just now because I was wet.
By the time the show ended, we were in pretty rough shape.
There were other wet audience members around us, but we stood out even among them—having been drenched at full force right in the front row.
Shino was shaking the water out of her hair with a satisfied look on her face.
“Man, that was fun.”
“You were planning this from the start, weren’t you…?”
“Heh heh heh, you caught me.”
Seeing Shino, soaking wet, smile so contentedly took the edge off my irritation. But it’s true—if it weren’t for Shino, I probably wouldn’t be able to let loose like this without caring what anyone else thought.
Just as we were about to get up, someone who looked like a staff member approached us.
“Excuse me. You two seemed to be having such a great time watching the show, so if you don’t mind, could we take a quick photo and get a brief comment for our official social media?”
I reflexively tried to refuse.
Things like this draw attention, and they could lead to trouble later on.
But Shino, sitting next to me, was already up for it.
“Sounds fun.”
“No, but—”
“If showing our faces is a problem, we can just check first. Let’s do it—we’re here anyway.”
When Shino said that, the staff member looked at us—not insisting, but clearly hoping we’d agree.
Refusing now and creating an awkward atmosphere would be a hassle in its own right.
“…Well, if we can check first.”
“Thank you so much!”
After a brief explanation, preparations for the photo began.
The staff member looked at how wet we were and smiled cheerfully.
“Are you two a couple?”
“—Yes!”
Before I could even say “No,” Shino answered immediately with a smile.
“Hey—”
I almost blurted it out, but when I saw the staff member nodding happily and saying, “Ah, so that’s how it is,” I swallowed my words.
If I denied it now, the atmosphere would get awkward.
Since we’d decided to cooperate with the shoot, it was faster to just go along with it for now.
“Alright then, I’ll take a shot from a bit further back. I’ll get everything set up, so please just wait there.”
The staff member moved a little ways away, and I whispered to Shino in a voice only she could hear.
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“Well, I just thought we’d get better footage if we acted like a couple.”
“What do you mean, ‘better footage’? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It’s all about going with the flow in situations like this, right?”
Shino winked at me playfully.
She seemed completely unfazed by my grumbling, as if she didn’t care one bit.
“Okay, we’re going to shoot now.”
The staff’s voice cut our conversation short.
Reluctantly, I lightly smoothed my wet bangs and turned toward the camera.
Next to me, Shino was wearing a natural smile—as if it were a lie that she’d been laughing so hard just a moment ago.
“How did you like today’s performance?”
“It was way more intense than I expected. If you sit in the front rows, you’ll actually get splashed with water, so I’d recommend it to anyone who wants to have fun.”
Shino answered fluently.
I nodded beside her, offering only the bare minimum of agreement.
After that, they took a few photos of us and recorded some brief comments, and finally, the shoot was over.
“Thank you very much for your cooperation. If you’d like, here’s a small token of our appreciation.”
With those words, they handed us two T-shirts that appeared to be venue exclusives.
They were the kind of souvenirs with a dolphin illustration on them.
“Oh, that’s perfect! Why don’t we try these on right away?”
“You’re right… It’s kind of gross to stay like this.”
It was honestly pretty tough to keep walking around the facility in wet clothes.
My pants were somehow still okay thanks to the poncho I’d bought before the show started, but my shirt was so soaked that if I wrung it out, water would probably gush out.
Shino was already raring to change, so I gave in and decided to change into a T-shirt in a nearby restroom.
A few minutes later.
I met up with Shino again after she’d finished changing.
“This is great—this carefree, festive vibe isn’t bad at all!”
Wearing a T-shirt with a bold dolphin illustration printed on it, Shino seemed to be in a really good mood.
“Rintaro looks good in it, too!”
“I don’t know… I’m just worried about what people think.”
“It’s fine! It just proves we’re enjoying this place more than anyone else… right?”
Shino smiled happily as she tugged at the hem of her T-shirt.
We’re just wearing the same T-shirt.
Even though that’s all there is to it, I feel like people are looking at us differently than they did a moment ago.
Wet hair. Matching outfits. The aquarium.
No matter how you look at it, just like Shino said a moment ago…
“Man, right now… we kind of look like a couple, don’t we?”
“‘Couple’? That’s an outdated term, isn’t it?”
“In modern terms, a ‘couple’?”
“That’s true, but still…”
Most of the glances directed at us from those around us were lukewarm and friendly.
That made me feel even more uncomfortable…
“Since we’re here, let’s play along—why don’t we hold hands?”
Shino slipped right up next to me and tapped the back of my hand with hers.
—Don’t tease me.
I tried to say that, but the words got stuck in the back of my throat and wouldn’t come out.
It was just those eyes, peering up at me from below, that seemed to carry a intensity that made me wonder if I could just brush it off as a joke.
I blinked once.
When I looked at Shino again, she had her usual mischievous smile playing on her lips. She almost always has this expression when she’s trying to enjoy watching my reaction.
Yes, just as usual.
But her hair—still damp and not quite dry—fell across her cheek, and the back of her hand, which had just brushed against mine, felt strangely warm.
Was there a hint of sincerity mixed in with the joke?
That baseless thought popped into my head.
“…Rintaro?”
Her voice, waiting for a reply, sounded closer than usual.
The back of her hand brushed against mine lightly once more.
That’s right—it must just be because I’m getting caught up in the mood of the moment.
She’s Shino—just a regular female friend.
I etched that thought deep into the center of my mind and exhaled lightly to blow away those distracting thoughts.
“…Let’s go. There are still places we haven’t seen yet, right?”
Saying that, I stepped one step ahead of Shino.
For some reason, I didn’t want her to see the expression on my face right now.
“Ah, you ran away. You coward~”
“……I’m not running away.”
Over my shoulder, I could sense Shino laughing cheerfully.
Without turning around, I picked up my pace just a little.
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