Judging by the crowd, the dolphin show was without question the most popular attraction in the entire aquarium—the stands were packed.
But strangely, the entire front row was empty. Everyone clustered toward the back instead.
"Why doesn't anyone want to sit in front? Isn't the view better there?" Watanabe Tetsu asked Kiyono Rin.
In his mind, Kiyono Rin was basically synonymous with "human encyclopedia."
Kiyono Rin looked at the dolphins poking their round heads out of the pool. Before she could answer, Tamamo Emi cut in:
"Sitting in the front row means you need to buy a rain poncho! I recommend the fourth row. It's close, but still safe from splash zones."
She finished and shot a provocative look past Tetsu at Kiyono Rin.
Kiyono Rin nodded politely. "I see. Thank you, Tamamo-san."
"You didn't know either?" Tetsu asked, surprised.
"It's my first time at an aquarium, but you can guess stuff like this after one look," Kiyono Rin said, her eyes glittering as she watched the dolphins. "Come on."
A literary girl like Kiyono Rin showing this much excitement was rare—proof that girls really were powerless before cute animals.
Tamamo Emi, however, wasn't happy.
"Tetsu, praise me."
Tetsu pointed at the staff approaching the pool's edge. "It's starting soon. Let's find seats."
Tamamo Emi stayed rooted in place, blocking him. "Praise me~~"
"…You're amazing," Tetsu said helplessly—intentionally double-meaning.
Tamamo Emi smirked triumphantly at Kiyono Rin, but Kiyono Rin was already walking toward her chosen seats.
"Tch." Losing her fun, Tamamo Emi loosened her grip on Tetsu's arm.
Tetsu immediately pulled his arm free and hurried after Kiyono Rin.
She had found seats in the fourth row beside the aisle. Next to her sat a young mother holding a small child.
As Kiyono Rin sat down, she waved sweetly at the child, then immediately fixed her attention back on the dolphins.
When the mother saw Tetsu also approaching, she probably assumed he and Kiyono were a couple. She quickly lifted her child onto her lap to free up space.
"Thank you." Tetsu smiled at the child and happily took the seat.
Just when he thought he had successfully escaped from Tamamo Emi, she forced herself into the seat beside him, making the row cramped.
The young mother's expression changed instantly as she looked at the three of them squeezed together.
Her child, still mesmerized by Tetsu's earlier smile, reached out a chubby little hand toward him.
The mother immediately pulled the child back and turned his head away.
If he had been a bit older, she probably would've begun a heartfelt lecture:
"That big brother is a bad example. Don't learn from him."
Meanwhile, Ikeda Noriko and Kosugi Kazuki weren't as lucky—they had ended up in the very back row. Not that it made much difference.
The performance was dazzling. The dolphins leaped and spun through the water, interacting with the sleek trainers like dancers. Sparkling water and rhythmic movements filled the entire stage with energy.
Dolphins were healthy creatures—which meant the splashes were huge.
For some reason, fate hated Watanabe Tetsu. Of all the people in the fourth row, only he got splashed by a rogue wave.
"You said the fourth row is safe," he muttered, wiping his face.
Tamamo Emi burst into laughter, holding her stomach.
"Tetsu, you're SO unlucky! Ahahaha! I've been here so many times, and this is the FIRST time I've seen someone in the fourth row get splashed~!"
She pulled a beautifully decorated pack of tissues from her bag.
"Here, wipe."
"Thanks."
Another dolphin jumped, and Kiyono Rin tilted her head back with sparkling eyes, completely absorbed.
After the jump, the show paused for a short intermission. The dolphins swam to the pool's edge, receiving head pats from the trainers.
Kiyono Rin almost stood up—instinctively wanting a closer look—but immediately sat back down with a small gasp.
"Tetsu."
"What?" He was still drying his face.
"You're sitting on my skirt."
"Oh—sorry." Tetsu looked down. Her white high-waisted skirt was indeed partially trapped under him.
Tamamo Emi clicked her tongue. "Tetsu, why don't YOU sit on my skirt?"
"…Huh?" He genuinely didn't understand.
"You sitting on her skirt means you subconsciously see her as someone close. You don't care about distance. You not sitting on my skirt means you still feel distance between us, right?"
"Weren't YOU the one who shoved yourself into the seat and pushed me over?"
"Excuses! Even if I pushed you, you'd keep distance from a girl you aren't close with. Boys always make sure not to touch a girl they aren't intimate with!"
"…That makes… weirdly good sense. But I'm not a gentleman."
He wanted to say I'm not a gentleman—I'm a Tokyo Handsome, but he wasn't confident enough today.
Tamamo Emi stared at him, speechless.
Kiyono Rin finished checking that her skirt wasn't wrinkled and smiled.
"Tetsu, does this mean you've fallen for me?"
"I like dolphins more than I like you. Don't worry."
"You… don't like dolphins?" Kiyono Rin's face went cold.
That's the part you focused on?
Tamamo Emi puffed her chest. "Tetsu definitely prefers penguins! Hold on—I'll show you the pictures I took earlier!"
"Penguins?" Kiyono Rin's eyes sparkled. "There are penguins here?"
"Of course." Tamamo Emi answered irritably.
She opened her phone—covered in sparkly stickers—and showed Tetsu photos of penguins fighting over food in the water.
"See? Aren't penguins SO cute? They wobble their little hands like this!"
Kiyono Rin stared at the screen. "Tamamo-san… those are flippers."
"This is OBVIOUSLY a hand! They're on the sides of the body!"
"Tamamo-san. If you like something, you should at least learn a little about it."
Tamamo Emi glared at Tetsu.
Why glare at me?
Yes, I "studied" marine biology, but I know nothing about penguins…
Still, Tetsu chose to trust Kiyono Rin.
"…They're flippers," he said.
Tamamo Emi's sweet perfume suddenly intensified—her frustration flaring.
Tetsu instinctively leaned away, only to catch the faint, elegant scent from Kiyono Rin's side.
"Tetsu," Tamamo demanded with the tone of a jealous girlfriend, "penguins or dolphins—which do you like more?"
Kiyono Rin rested her chin on her hand. "A difficult choice. But dolphins are more humanlike. I find them cuter."
"I wasn't asking YOU!"
Tetsu glanced at the pool. "Does it matter?"
"It matters," Kiyono Rin said with the patient smile of a judge giving a criminal one last chance at repentance. "Your taste is on trial, Tetsu."
These two women are insane.
"Fine," he said. "I don't like dolphins or penguins. I like the wild animals you see in the countryside. And cows that chew grass by the fields."
"Country bumpkin taste," Tamamo muttered.
"As expected," Kiyono Rin said coldly, as if announcing: Hopeless. Death sentence.
"You two—enough," Tetsu said. "Especially you, Kiyono. You've read The Great Gatsby, right? The opening line—'Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone, just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had'—didn't teach you anything?"
"But Tetsu," Kiyono said calmly, "the world is unfair. The only thing you can do is improve yourself. Not demand others surrender the advantages they were born with."
"…I can't beat you in an argument."
Kiyono Rin smiled faintly. "Having the will to challenge me at all already makes you impressive."
"Winning or losing doesn't matter," Tetsu said, straightening. "But I won't allow you two to call cows 'not cute.' Cows are diligent, hardworking, and you can milk them. You can even eat their meat!"
"…Eh?" Tamamo Emi stared at him. "That's your definition of cute?"
"And not only that—they help with homework."
"…Homework?" Both girls echoed.
"There was this old cow in my hometown," Tetsu explained. "One day on the road it left behind a… massive pile. It inspired me so much that during summer break in junior high, when I couldn't think of anything for my assignment, I wrote a whole report titled: 'A Study on Cattle Diet, Farm Work, and Dung Production.'"
Tetsu spread his hands. "See? Cows are adorable."
Tamamo Emi was completely speechless.
She now feared Tetsu's rural hometown on a spiritual level.
Kiyono Rin rubbed her temples.
"Tetsu, cuteness is not the same as utilitarian value. And you can't just make up research reports."
Before Tetsu could defend himself, the dolphins leaped again, drawing everyone's attention. His aesthetic lecture had ended.
After the dolphin show—which Tetsu found far less interesting than watching cows graze—Tamamo Emi suggested they visit the gift shop. Tetsu claimed he had a part-time job and immediately escaped.
Once out of sight, he headed for a DVD rental shop near Shinagawa Station to rent English-language discs.
Spanish was another matter—he wasn't ready for immersion learning yet.
He wandered the store, clueless about American shows, and ended up not finding anything suitable. Instead, because he had a bit of money on hand, he impulsively bought the Blu-ray for Sword Art Online Season 1.
Should've asked Kiyono Rin first…
He didn't mind asking someone he disliked, as long as they were genuinely more knowledgeable.
Just as he pulled out his phone to search online, a familiar voice spoke:
"Tetsu, weren't you going to your part-time job?"
Kiyono Rin walked in, now carrying dolphin and penguin plushies.
At this point, even her sarcasm couldn't faze him.
He glanced at the plushies. "Thanks for not exposing me earlier."
"I hate lying," she said. "But if you're not lying to me, I won't call you out."
"I see." Tetsu nodded. "Actually, since you're here—could you recommend a few American shows that'd help me practice listening and speaking?"
"If you try, any show can help. But if you want my picks… Downton Abbey and Doctor Who."
"Thanks."
He was about to search for them when Kiyono added:
"These are all DVDs with subtitles. If you need unsubbed versions, I can lend you mine."
"Really?"
Kiyono Rin smiled smugly. "One moment you insult me, the next I lend you my personal discs. That's method number six for making you fall in love with me."
What happened to methods two, three, and five?
Whatever. Asking would only lead to insults.
"Then… can you lend them to me now? I want to start today."
Kiyono considered, then nodded. "Wait here."
She browsed the store and bought several Blu-rays.
At checkout, he noticed the covers—documentaries about dolphins and penguins.
She lived in an apartment near school—the same building he could see from his rundown rental window.
They lived closer than he'd thought. Maybe they'd even bought barley tea from the same supermarket.
After a few minutes, Kiyono returned with two discs: Downton Abbey and Doctor Who, Blu-ray and unsubbed.
"You lent me books before, now Blu-rays… I don't know how to repay you. I'll treat you to dinner sometime—somewhere nice is fine."
Kiyono shook her head, her glossy hair swaying.
"No need. Just don't say 'I'm broke' next time I want a drink."
Tetsu laughed.
"Kiyono, you're actually pretty nice. I might not like you romantically, but I'd love to be friends with someone like you."
"No."
She rejected him instantly.
"…."
Seeing the dark lines spread across his face, Kiyono Rin laughed brightly.
"I told you at the yakiniku restaurant, didn't I? I won't be friends with a liar—unless you admit you're not human."
"…I'm leaving."
Tetsu turned and walked away.
Since his apartment wasn't far, he walked home and ended up sweating through his shirt.
After showering, he poured himself a glass of iced barley tea, sat beside his fan, and started Downton Abbey.
"There can be too much truth in any relationship."
He repeated the line in the same elegant tone, then translated aloud:
"Between people… too much honesty can backfire."
"I agree completely!"
Tetsu raised his glass toward the characters on-screen.
He replayed the line three times until he memorized the exact wording and cadence.
Next time he argued with Kiyono Rin, he would use this line to make her "taste her own medicine."
At that thought, the barley tea in his hand suddenly felt like it carried the fragrance of black tea.