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Chapter 176: I want to see more of Miyagi — 176

Translated by KaiesV

Edited by KaiesV

I was surprised.

Miyagi is too unexpected.

I didn’t think she would bring up who I liked just now.

I walk slowly, breathing in and out, trying to calm my heart, which is about to stop.

I didn’t want to lie, so I answered, “I have,” which was probably a mistake. I thought I could play the same old me, but Miyagi seemed unconvinced by my answer, and I could feel her eyes on my back painfully. I pointed a little further ahead for the time being.

「Miyagi, they said it was the jellyfish corner.」

I don’t want to expand on the people I like, so I want her to be more interested in what’s in the tank than in me right now.

I go to the front of the tank, which is dimly lit, with glowing jellyfish drifting in front of it.

There are more jellyfish than I expected, and they are fluffy and swaying. The blue space we are in and the inside of the tank seem to blend together in a fantastic atmosphere, and I even feel as if my body is floating.

「Jellyfish are painful when they sting you, but they are beautiful when you see them like this. It’s soothing.」

As I looked at the jellyfish and spoke to Miyagi, she came next to me and said in a small voice,

「Yeah. I could look at them forever.」

I looked from the tank next to me and saw Miyagi staring at the drifting jellyfish.

Earlier.

.

If only I had said,「It was you, Miyagi,」instead of saying that my favorite person is Mike-chan.

If I had said,「It would be you, Miyagi,」even now.

I can’t say I want to give up the status quo, but I can’t help but imagine it.

If I tell Miyagi that I love her, will she love me back?

I know that she doesn’t hate me, and I can see that she would like me, but I don’t even know where those feelings would be classified.

I wish she felt the same way.

We do some things that someone could say we are dating. Usually I am satisfied with that, but sometimes I want Miyagi’s heart as well. But I won’t dare to say the words that might cause me to lose everything I have now in order to get that heart.

No matter how many times I think about it, the conclusion is the same.

It may change in the future, but for now I want to look at her with a pleasant feeling.

「Miyagi. There’s a seal up there, are you still looking at the jellyfish?」

I make a cheerful sound as if to change my mind.

「Let’s go above.」

I could hear bouncy voices coming from next door, and I was glad to be at the aquarium.

I thought about going to the zoo because Miyagi seemed to like animals, but the zoo wasn’t an option for me because of the heat. I thought about going to see platypus and crocodiles because of those tissue covers, but I heard that platypus aren’t in Japan to begin with, and crocodiles didn’t seem like something I would bother to see. In the end, I chose an aquarium because of the connection to creatures that live where there is water, and it was probably the right choice.

…It was hard to say, because it was like asking someone out on a date.

「It looks like some kind of jungle. Are there seals here?」

Up the stairs, Miyagi blurts out.

This area is supposed to be tropical, and it doesn’t look like it has seals. I pull out a pamphlet from my bag to see where the seals are.

「I think they are a little further in. Do you want to go see the seals first?」

「It’s fine. We’ll go through them in order.」

We walk leisurely, looking at big fish and little fish. There were turtles and iguanas, too, which was interesting. Miyagi’s face lights up as we move slowly and come to the seal we are looking for. Although they don’t make a lot of noise, she seemed to prefer mammals to fish, as she approached the tank as if she was about to bump her head when a seal comes toward her.

I rarely see Miyagi enjoying herself, so my gaze turns to her rather than to the seals.

There are sea lions and otters on the rooftop.

Perhaps I will see a more fun-loving Miyagi.

The thought of it makes me feel excited.

I look at Miyagi, who looks at the seal without being noticed by her. I wish it were just the two of us, but the aquarium is crowded during summer vacation.

I would like to visit the aquarium again when it is more open.

While I was thinking about this, Miyagi looked at me.

「Sendai-san, are you hungry?」

「…I am.」

I didn’t realize it until you mentioned it, but apparently I am hungry. I look at my phone and see that it’s already past the time that we would’ve eaten lunch, so we decide to say goodbye to the seals and satisfy my appetite, even though it’s too late.

「There’s a café on the roof, let’s get something to eat there.」

I say yes, and the person next to me replies,「Okay.」We continue on, looking at the clownfish and river fish hiding in the anemones, and go out onto the rooftop. Leaving the sea lions and otters for later, we entered the café and order a hot dog and an iced tea, and while I’m at it, I also order a pancake to eat half and half.

We say「Itadakimasu,」in unison and take a bite of the hot dog. I was so hungry that the hot dog in front of me and the one in front of Miyagi quickly disappeared into my stomach. Miyagi gulps down her iced tea and stares at the pancakes, which they said are only available here.

「This is adorable.」

Miyagi, who is in a good mood and talks more often than usual, if not more eloquently, says in a soft voice.

I know I want to say something.

The pancakes have cute otter faces painted on them. But in order to eat it, the otter must be sacrificed.

「I’m going to cut it up, okay?」

I ask Miyagi and she replies,「Okay.」I put a knife in the otter’s face and cut it in half. I heard Miyagi say,「Oh,」but I didn’t care, just put the knife in further and cut it into bite-sized pieces.

「Sendai-san, you cut it out without blood or tears.」

Miyagi made a single sigh and then took a bite of the pancake I had cut up.

「And even if I show mercy, it’s still doomed to be eaten. If you feel sorry for them, why don’t you eat it anymore, Miyagi?」

「…I’ll eat.」

「Good. Since we’re here, why don’t I feed you?」

「I’ll eat it myself.」

「Unfortunate.」

We leave the café, having also flattened our pancakes.

Unlike inside the museum, it’s hot on the rooftop.

Still, Miyagi is full of energy.

She walked a little ahead of me with light steps.

I see sea lions, I see Miyagi, I see the otter, I see Miyagi.

She didn’t get excited, but she seems to be enjoying herself, just like when she was watching the seals.

Seeing Miyagi like that makes me happy too.

But I also wonder if she and Utsunomiya had come to the aquarium, if they would talk a lot more than we do when she was with me, and move around, going this way and that way, saying that a seal came this way or that a sea lion was lying around and was cute.

I let out a small exhale and press my temple firmly.

Envying others will only depress me.

I know that, so I quickly expel Utsunomiya from my mind.

Miyagi does not move from in front of the otter, perhaps preferring the otter to the seals and sea lions.

「Doesn’t the knotted otter look a little bit like the platypus?」

I ask Miyagi as I look at the snuggling, sleeping otter.

「It totally doesn’t look like one.」

「Really?」

「If you see the resemblance between a knotted otter and a platypus, you need to see an ophthalmologist.」

Miyagi said something rude and started walking away. As we proceeded in order, a louder-than-usual voice was heard from next door.

「Sendai-san, there’s so many penguins here!」

Miyagi points to an aquarium that looks like a meadow.

Indeed, there are a number of penguins there.

「I heard that if you go a little further, you can see penguins from below.」

I tell her that I have done my research before coming here.

「From below?」

「I heard that penguins swim above our heads.」

「I want to see it. Where?」

I checked the pamphlet and pointed over there, and Miyagi pulled my arm, saying,「Let’s go.」

We didn’t hold hands, but I walk with my arm pulled by hers.

Miyagi flips her skirt and moves forward.

Soon I see penguins swimming in the sky.

Of course, they are not really swimming in the sky. There is an overhanging tank that allows visitors to look up at the penguins swimming in the water when they enter under the overhanging tank.

「Wow. It looks like penguins are flying in the sky.」

Miyagi releases my arm from her grip and says as she looks up at the aquarium.

Because of its location on the rooftop, the penguins seem to be flying in the sky.

But I can’t take my eyes off Miyagi.

That’s because I have something in front of me that is hundreds of times rarer than flying penguins.

Smiling.

Miyagi was.

Looking very happy.

Miyagi had smiled at school even when we were high school students, and she also smiled when Utsunomiya came to visit. But when she is alone with me, she doesn’t smile. On the contrary, she often looks grumpy.

Such Miyagi is smiling in front of me.

I don’t see any penguins.

I want to look only at Miyagi all the time.

It’s unfortunate that the smile wasn’t directed at me, but I am glad to see Miyagi smiling when we were alone together.

「Do you like penguins?」

I ask Miyagi looking up at the tank.

「Not that I like them, but they’re cute.」

A bouncy voice comes back to me, which I can only assume is because I like penguins.

She continues to watch the penguins flying in the sky with a smirk on her face, not realizing she is smiling.

「Miyagi.」

「What is it?」

「Totally adorable.」

「The penguins?」

Miyagi asks, looking up at the tank.

「Yeah.」

The penguins are cute.

But Miyagi is much more cuter than them.

I want to say so, but I don’t want to say it out loud because if I do, Miyagi’s smile will disappear.

Under the blue sky, the white belly of a penguin passes by repeatedly.

I pretend to look at the penguins and see Miyagi.

She has a sparkling smile that she doesn’t show me at home.

It’s hotter outside than before.

But I wanted to keep looking at Miyagi the whole time.