I watched the aquatic animals, grateful to Alina for keeping a close watch on me while I continued to eat. There were a wide variety of interesting creatures, from brightly colored fish to long, slender creatures quietly staring at me from inside their holes. I'll still go there when I'm in high school.

'Hey, Alina. This one looks like you.

I pointed to a fish named Suihougan. It looks like a goldfish, but its cheeks are puffed up like balloons. It looks dumb.

'What does this one look like me?
'You look like an angry man to me.
'Oh, my. But you're cute, so I forgive you. You're this one.

Alina points at the glass. But there are no fish or crustaceans in that direction. I look around to see if an octopus is mimicking her, but there's nothing there. There is only a shrimp walking on the sand.

"Where can I find a creature that looks like me?
'It's this water plant.'

I see. No wonder you don't know. Grass. I can't react, Alina.



The Makoto Ryuta couple looks like they're in a giant aquarium.

Hey you! They're holding hands! It's so funny!''

Alina is laughing next to me as I am overwhelmed by the power of the giant aquarium.

'Let's see what it's all about.

I took back the monocular telescope Alina had lent me and looked through it. The two of them are really holding each other's fingers intertwined. I let out an involuntary 'huh'.
It was such a hot connection that it was embarrassing to watch. If they're this happy, God will just blow the bad stuff out of the water.
I thought our presence would be a distraction to them. Even if we weren't in their line of sight. To use a heavy-handed analogy, we're a virus trespassing in their world.

'Alina. Come here.
'Hey, hey, hey, you're not allowed to grab my hand unless you have a state license.
'Your hands may be valuable in the future, but right now they're just a piece of meat. Here we go.

He was biting the slime and wouldn't move, so I backed off.
I decided to retreat to the food corner and take a rest for the time being. Partly because I was tired from the excitement of being a little girl again, but also for the couple's sake. If they call, I'll come running.
I ordered Neapolitan and Alina ordered a pile of cream pancakes.
After a while, a heaping pile of cream pancakes came out, and I wondered where I was going to store them in my thin body. Alina started eating them with a knife and fork.

Amazing. Is there such an outrageous sweet in the world?
'I eat a lot. Delicious food.
'After watching you for a day, I realized that Alina Hinoha is a gluttonous, tongue-tied girl.
'Girls who eat a lot are popular with the ladies.
'This is a good opportunity for me to tell you a story about you that will make you popular.
'Sounds interesting. I'd love to hear the sordid tale.'

In my class, as in other classes, Alina's popularity is cult-like. Alina's tongue and her iceberg-like harsh and cruel personality combine to give her an aura of unapproachability, but everyone is intoxicated by her good looks and staggers to get close to her. This is the basic process of falling in love among boys.
There is no end to the number of boys who declare their love to her. We often see the whole story of such people. Here is the story.

How many times have you been confessed your love recently?
'You say that in a way that makes me sound like a cheap woman.
'Don't worry, I don't think you're cheesy.
'Hmm. Well, it must have been about seven times.
'Wow, that's a different level. Let's talk. We had just started our sophomore year of high school. By the time we got used to high school life and became middle-class high schoolers, there was already a lot of talk about Alina. "There's a beautiful girl!" "Too cute!" What idol do you belong to? One of the boys in my class was also crazy about you. By the way, that's not Makoto.
'Hmmm. Munching.
'Wait, wait, wait. Things are about to get interesting. So he finally decides to confess. We patted him on the back and cheered him on like a family sending off a soldier to battle. I got curious and decided to peek into his battlefield. With a few friends. The battlefield was a bench in the courtyard. The place where you were often seen before the founding of the rose garden. By the way, the monocular telescope that I brought with me was also in use then. Even with the telescope I couldn't understand what you guys were saying, but since everyone was sure before the confession that the result would be a sinking, I decided to encourage you as usual'.
''I don't remember.''

The pancakes were getting smaller by the minute. I thought to myself, "Wow, he's eating so much," and continued speaking.

We greeted him warmly when he came back, and the first thing he said was something we hadn't expected.
'You want to die, or something?
' 'It was so beautiful I couldn't say anything,' he said. He said you were talking to him one way and the other, but he couldn't hear you. He said he was just in a state of absentmindedness, entranced by Hinoha-kun. I don't know if he was stupid or enlightened.
The curious drama that unfolded in that courtyard. One of you was yelling and the other one had his eye lids up over his ears and was entranced by you. I laughed myself to death. We were like, "What's wrong with that guy, he looks so serious! I felt like an idiot for worrying from afar. I feel sick to my stomach just remembering it. What do you think happened to him after that?


'Pancakes are delicious!
'I wanted to paint. I wanted to be exposed to art. He started drawing a lot, so I asked him to show me his work. After that, he joined the art club.
'What, maybe when you went to the art club before and used me as a model, that person was also ......'?
'Of course there was. I almost laughed because he was so good. It's amazing. Unknowingly, Alina Nippa changed a man's life.

Alina raised her eyebrows and stuck out her tongue. It was a very unpleasant reaction.
I finished my Neapolitan and Alina was about to take another bite when she started talking.

I'll tell you a funny story next.
'Go ahead, go ahead.
'I wonder if this will be another story about my popularity. It was freshman year. After some class, there was a short break before the next class started. Before I knew it, there was a boy by my side. Probably from another class. I ignored him because he was bothering me, but he suddenly grabbed me by the wrist.
'You're a pervert of rare behavior.'
I stuttered and stared at the guy's face because his grip was pretty strong. Then he said, 'Will you go out with me on the premise of marriage? Even I was stunned by this unprecedented pattern. I immediately paid his hand and told him to go away, but he didn't walk away. I really wanted to socially erase him. But one of the boys came up to me and chased me away. I was impressed that there are good people out there.
'Oh. You're a hero.
Later, the hero confessed his love to me, too. I won't tell you the result in his honor.
'What the hell is that ...... not saving me.'
'Yes, it is. You can't save yourself with me. Hmm. I hope you're all unhappy.

He snaps the rest of the bite into his mouth and makes a smile. I'm sure his big eyes, hidden by his sunglasses, are smiling too.
Alina and I get up again and decide to look for the couple. They probably haven't left the aquarium yet. We wander around, not really desperate. Alina walks around chewing gum. I guess she's one of those creatures that needs to eat something. I've given up trying to make fun of her.
We walk for a while and don't find her, and I start to get impatient. If I keep going like this, I'll be in trouble.

We've completely lost him.
I guess so. I'm starting to wonder if he's at the aquarium. This is bad.
'Why don't you call them?'
'It's too unnatural. Besides, you'll lose credibility.'
You sound like a salesman.

Then I got a text.

'I got an email from Makoto.
'Wow. You guys are telepathic.
'If I'm on the same wavelength as a more beautiful woman than that guy, all the better. ...... "Help"?
'Are you going to die?'
No, you're not going to die. I'll get the exact location while replying.

A few seconds later, a reply came back.

'Oh, I see, that way.
'So, what kind of rescue request?
'Take my picture,' he said.
'I lost hope. Yes, death penalty.'

I thought I could have just asked a passerby, but I guess it's hard to ask a passerby since most of the customers are families or couples.

Then let's go. And you take the picture. They won't know you're wearing sunglasses and that outfit.
'That's a pain in the ass. Well, it's cheap if you consider that it costs 300 yen an hour.
'I'll never pay you.

I had a bad feeling about the word "help," but I'm glad it was something cute. I don't want any trouble either.