In mid-July, accompanied by the unique cicada songs of summer, the students of Sobu High School finished the last exam of the semester.
The next step was to go home, and then return to school a few days later to pick up their report cards.
Although it was called the final exam, it was really just a regular exam.
The Japanese school system is very different from China's.
Take the school terms, for example.
China typically has two semesters, but Japan has three, and correspondingly, they have an additional spring break.
What Japanese high schools call mid-term exams are held in the second semester, while the final exams are naturally placed in the last semester.
A true final exam.
Of course, this did not mean that this exam's results were unimportant.
Because the results of these regular exams are also recorded in one's permanent file, they still need to be taken seriously.
At the school gate, Yuigahama Yui ran, taking three steps at a time, to catch up to Yukinoshita.
"Yukino-chan, wait..."
Yukinoshita stopped and turned to look at Yuigahama, tilting her head slightly, as if wondering why Yuigahama was calling her.
"Do you have any plans for the next few days?" Yuigahama asked.
Hearing Yuigahama's words, Yukinoshita didn't answer immediately.
She thought for a moment before replying, "I'm busy on the 21st, but I should be free other than that."
The 21st was the day she had agreed to go see the giant panda 'Xiang Xiang' with Mori Shinra.
She had been preparing for it for a long time, even making several different itineraries.
So, even if it was an invitation from Yuigahama, she would not change her mind under any circumstances.
"Hmm... in that case, let me see..." Yuigahama pursed her lips, as if mentally arranging the dates.
"I've decided on this time! Yukino-chan, if it's convenient, could you free up the afternoon on the 25th?"
"I can, but what is it...?" Yukinoshita asked, puzzled.
Yuigahama scratched her head, a silly smile on her face, "It's all thanks to Yukino-chan and everyone else's help that I didn't mess up this exam. So I wanted to treat everyone to karaoke as a thank you."
"Karaoke..."
To be honest, Yukinoshita Yukino hadn't really sung karaoke much.
The reason she said "hadn't really sung" instead of "had never sung" was, naturally, because Yukinoshita Haruno had dragged her to karaoke once.
Frankly, that memory was not very pleasant, to the point that Yukino still wasn't very interested in karaoke.
However, since it was an invitation from Yuigahama, it wasn't impossible to go.
Although Yukinoshita felt that a "thank you" was completely unnecessary.
"So, who else will be there?" Yukinoshita asked.
If it's 'everyone', then the few people from the study group should all be going, right?
"Right now, the people confirmed to be going are Hikki, Sai-chan, and Mori-kun. I'm not sure if Saki will be free that day, but if she is, she'll probably come too. Oh, right, I also had Hikki bring Komachi-chan along. I feel like I haven't seen her in so long." Yuigahama counted the attendees for the day on her fingers.
After hearing that it was all familiar people, Yukinoshita had no other concerns.
It wasn't that she was afraid of strangers, but rather that she was worried she might ruin the party Yuigahama had worked so hard to prepare.
To give the simplest example, if Miura Yumiko was at the party, Yukinoshita felt that she would definitely pick a fight with her.
Then, she would fight back, Miura would cry, and the party would be ruined.
She could imagine this sequence of events with her eyes closed.
Fortunately, Yuigahama was clearly aware that Yukinoshita Yukino and Miura Yumiko did not get along, so she didn't have the crazy idea of putting them together.
Mhm, when you like one person, you should say it out loud. When you like two people, you have to hide it well. The value of this sentence continues to increase.
After setting the time, the two said their goodbyes.
Not long after they separated, Yuigahama was surprised to find that Yukinoshita Yukino's schedule was just like Mori Shinra's—both were busy on the 21st, but free the rest of the time.
Maybe it's just a coincidence?
...
July 21st, clear skies.
Auspicious: Marriage, travel, worship, visiting friends and family.
Inauspicious: Digging wells, logging, raising livestock, making coffins.
Because he was going to the municipal zoo with Yukinoshita today, Mori Shinra, in a rare move, did not sleep in on his vacation, but instead woke up bright and early.
By the time he had washed up, changed, and finished all his preparations for the outing, a message from Yukinoshita arrived right on time.
Yukinoshita Yukino: Are you awake? (Read)
Just as Mori Shinra was about to type back a reply of 'I'm awake', he heard a knock on his door.
OK, no need to reply to the message, because the person is already at the door.
Mori Shinra casually put his phone in his pocket and opened the door.
Sure enough, Yukinoshita Yukino was already standing there.
"Good morning," the girl greeted him politely.
Her gaze then went past Mori Shinra, looking behind him.
"There's no one home."
"I know that."
"So what are you looking at?"
"You probably haven't eaten breakfast yet, right?"
"I was just about to go down and buy some."
As he spoke, Mori Shinra noticed the food container Yukinoshita was holding.
He couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
Could this be...
"No need to buy it. I made some for you." Yukinoshita lifted the food container in her hand.
It was just as Mori Shinra had thought: inside was breakfast that Yukinoshita had made for him.
Her gaze past him just now was actually to see if breakfast was on the dining table, to confirm if Mori Shinra had eaten.
But to have breakfast ready at this hour, what time did she wake up?
Don't girls take at least an hour to do their makeup before going out?
By that calculation, did she get up before the sun was even out?
Considering Yukinoshita Yukino cannot be compared to an ordinary woman, one thing is certain: Yukinoshita definitely woke up much earlier than Mori Shinra.
Because today's Yukinoshita clearly showed traces of makeup, which made her, already cute, even cuter, to the point of being a bit dazzling.
Her usual shoulder-length hair was tied up into a high ponytail.
She wore a brown short-knit top, paired with high-waisted jeans.
This classic 'short + high' outfit formula was not only practical for moving around but also accentuated her already tall figure.
In addition, she wore a single-strap crossbody bag, which contained tissues, her phone, a wallet, her train pass, and a small digital camera.
It could be said that today's Yukinoshita was armed to the teeth.
Even when she was playing tennis with Mori Shinra, she wasn't this serious.
Entering the apartment, Yukinoshita placed the food container on the dining table and told Mori Shinra to eat first, while she herself sat down in the living room.
"Have you eaten breakfast?" Mori Shinra asked.
"I have," Yukinoshita replied.
She had considered the possibility that Mori Shinra might have already eaten before she came over. To save time, she ate breakfast before coming.
This way, if Mori Shinra had already eaten, they could leave immediately.
If he hadn't, they would just wait for him to finish eating before leaving.
"Take your time. We have plenty of time," Yukinoshita added.
Although she really wanted to leave right now, it didn't mean she would rush Mori Shinra through his meal.
In her opinion, breakfast was the most important meal of the day.
And what constituted a good breakfast, besides the taste, was the dining experience.
Just imagine, if someone is rushing you while you're eating, can you eat well?
So Yukinoshita would not rush Mori Shinra. On the contrary, she proactively sat in the living room, lowered her head, and started reading a paperback book, proving with her actions that she really was not in a hurry.
Saint Yukino.
Opening the food container, along with the rising white steam, what came into view was tamagoyaki, sliced ham, nori-wrapped onigiri, and a serving of miso soup.
This was a classic Japanese breakfast combination.
Although it looked simple, it tasted quite good.
It was just that Mori Shinra wasn't used to chowing down on rice so early in the morning.
If possible, he preferred a combination of soy milk and meat buns.
Or for a Western style, milk and bread.
Devouring the breakfast like a whirlwind, Mori Shinra was exactly seventy percent full.
She even considered the portion size? Yukinoshita, you are a bit too much of a virtuous wife.
If I can live like this every day, Mori Shinra is willing to take Yukinoshita to see the giant panda every day.
Maybe I should consider getting a cat. I could deliberately not feed the kitten in the mornings so Yukinoshita can feed it. That way, she could feed me too.
A win-win!
"Let's go."
The journey took about half an hour, and Mori Shinra and Yukinoshita Yukino arrived at the Chiba City Zoo.
Because summer vacation had already begun, and coupled with the presence of the giant panda, there was a long line of people waiting to get in, even on a weekday.
Fortunately, the tickets Haruno had given Mori Shinra were VIP tickets, which came with a dedicated fast-track lane.
In addition, they could also receive a free panda-related souvenir with the ticket.
It could be said that aside from being expensive, the VIP tickets really had no other drawbacks.
Arriving at the park, Yukinoshita Yukino expertly led Mori Shinra to the park's shuttle bus.
According to the itinerary Yukinoshita had planned, their first stop was not the Giant Panda Pavilion, but the neighboring Red Panda Pavilion.
The reason was simple: for the physical and mental health of the giant panda, the Giant Panda Pavilion didn't open to the public until 9 AM.
Not only that, but the park also had strict requirements on the duration of each viewing session and the number of visitors, which applied even to VIP customers.
Therefore, to avoid missing the chance to meet the giant panda 'Xiang Xiang', Yukinoshita chose the Red Panda Pavilion, the closest one to the Giant Panda Pavilion, as the first stop for the day.
At the same time, the Red Panda Pavilion also had a red-panda-themed cafe.
For the price of a single coffee, you not only got your drink but also a prime viewing spot for the red pandas.
You could sip your coffee while admiring the red pandas' magnificent beauty.
It was a very business-savvy move.
And wasn't Yukinoshita Yukino completely hooked by it?
Seeing Yukinoshita so engrossed, teasing the red panda through the glass with her slender white fingers, Mori Shinra subconsciously put his coffee aside, took out his phone, and started taking pictures.
As the saying goes, "you learn from your mistakes."
Having been tricked once, how could Yukinoshita make the same mistake again?
When the young woman's peripheral vision caught Mori Shinra's actions, she immediately turned her head.
Her grayish-blue eyes stared straight at Mori Shinra's phone.
As if she had expected it, she lowered her head, opened her crossbody bag, and took out the small digital camera.
"If you want to take pictures, use this," Yukinoshita said, handing the camera to Mori Shinra.
"Is that okay?" Mori Shinra was very surprised, not expecting Yukinoshita to give him the camera.
"Besides me, you have to take pictures of the small animals too," Yukinoshita said, pointing to the red panda inside the enclosure.
As the saying goes, it's better to channel than to block.
Since Mori Shinra wanted to take pictures, she would let him. The only requirement was that he couldn't only take pictures of her; the small animals had to be in the shot too.
She was clearly treating Mori Shinra as her personal photographer.
A personal photographer is great. I must learn photography.
Yukinoshita was also well aware that Mori Shinra wasn't actually that interested in the zoo.
The reason he had used his victory in the match to ask for this was, in fact, to accommodate her.
As a reward, or perhaps to give Mori Shinra something to do so he wouldn't be so bored, Yukinoshita transferred full photography rights to him.
Yukinoshita watches the red pandas. Mori Shinra takes pictures of Yukinoshita. Everyone has a bright future.
"Speaking of which, I saw on the sign at the entrance that they seem to offer a close-contact service with the red pandas. You like them so much, do you want to try it?" Mori Shinra asked.
Yukinoshita shook her head upon hearing this. "Let's not. Red pandas are naturally timid and get stressed very easily. Close contact wouldn't be good for me or for them. Just looking through the glass is fine."
"Is that so?" Mori Shinra was a bit surprised.
If that's the case, why does the park still allow visitors to have close contact with the red pandas?
"It's probably to attract tourists," Yukinoshita replied after a thought.
A very realistic answer.
After all, it is a commercial zoo. Its primary purpose is to serve, which dictates that the park will sacrifice some of the animals' rights to attract more tourists.
For a cute animal like the red panda, which isn't very aggressive, being able to get close to it is the best selling point.
"Day after day of meticulous care, isn't it all because the red panda can attract more tourists for the zoo? As for the red panda's true feelings... who cares?" Yukinoshita's voice was a bit low, her expression dark, as if she had been reminded of some unpleasant memories.
Wait, sis?
Are you talking about the red panda?
Why does it feel... like you're talking about yourself?
At this moment, Mori Shinra wished he could slap himself in the mouth.
I just had to open my big mouth. Now look, I've made her depressed!
"Ahem, it's about time. Shouldn't we be heading over to see the giant panda?"
Mori Shinra cleared his throat and quickly changed the subject.
Upon hearing "giant panda," Yukinoshita Yukino's spirits immediately lifted.
The empathy she felt for the red panda was temporarily thrown to the back of her mind.