That surprised me.

         I hadn’t expected that from Miyagi at all.

         I never thought she’d bring up the topic of crushes now of all times.

         As we walked, I took slow, careful breaths, trying to calm my heart that felt like it might stop any second.

         I hadn’t wanted to lie to her, so I answered honestly, but that was probably a mistake. I thought I’d managed to sound like my usual self, but from the way she was glaring daggers into my back, it was clear she didn’t buy it.

         Afraid she’d say something if I turned around, I pointed ahead instead.

         「Oh look, we’re in the jellyfish section now.」

         I didn’t want her continuing the conversation about crushes, so I tried to steer her attention toward the glowing tanks instead.

         In the dim light, I walked up to a tank filled with softly glowing jellyfish.

         There were more jellyfish than I’d expected, drifting through the water. The air felt almost enchanted. The deep blue around us blended so seamlessly with the glow of the tanks that it almost felt like I was floating right there with them.

         「I know getting stung by a jellyfish would hurt a lot, but they’re so pretty to look at. It’s kind of soothing.」

         I said, staring at the tank filled with jellyfish. Miyagi walked up beside me and murmured,

         「Yeah. I feel like I could watch them forever.」

         I shifted my gaze from the tank to Miyagi and saw she was staring intently at the jellyfish.

         Earlier…

         If I’d told her that she was the one I liked instead of Cali, what would’ve happened?

         What if I said it right now?

         I knew I could never actually say something like that. Someone like me, who didn’t want to risk losing what we already had, couldn’t possibly do it.

         Still, I couldn’t stop imagining it.

         If I told Miyagi I liked her, would she say she liked me too?

         I knew she didn’t hate me. I could tell she felt something for me, but I didn’t know what kind of feeling it was, or how deep it went.

         I wished she felt the same way I did.

         We’d done things that would make anyone think we were already dating. Most of the time, that was enough for me.

         But sometimes, I found myself wanting Miyagi’s heart, too.

         Even so, I didn’t have the courage to say something that might destroy what we already had, just for the chance to get closer.

         No matter how many times I thought about it, I always reached the same conclusion.

         Maybe things would change someday, but for now, I just wanted to keep looking at her like this—with this quiet, happy feeling.

         「Hey, Miyagi. They’ve got seals upstairs. Or do you want to keep looking at the jellyfish?」

         I said in a cheerful voice, hoping to shake off my own thoughts.

         「Let’s go upstairs.」

         I’d thought about taking Miyagi to the zoo since she seemed to like animals, but with how sensitive I was to heat, that was out of the question. I’d wanted to take her somewhere she could see platypuses or crocodiles—like the ones on our tissue box covers—but apparently there weren’t any platypuses in Japan, and I didn’t think crocodiles alone were worth going out of our way to see. In the end, I’d chosen the aquarium because both of those animals were aquatic anyway, and it seemed like that had been the right decision.

         … But since aquariums were usually date spots, I’d found it hard to invite her directly.

          「It kind of looks like a jungle up here. Are you sure the seals are here?」

         Miyagi mumbled as we climbed the stairs.

         The area we’d entered looked like it was modeled after the tropics, and there didn’t seem to be any sign of seals around. I pulled the pamphlet out of my bag to check where they were.

         「Looks like they’re a little further in. Want to go see them first?」

         「No, it’s fine. Let’s just keep following the route.」

         We walked at a relaxed pace, stopping to look at both the big and small fish along the way. There were turtles and iguanas too, which I thought were pretty interesting.

         When we finally reached the seal enclosure, Miyagi’s face lit up. She wasn’t squealing with excitement or anything, but when a seal swam up to the glass, she leaned in so close her head nearly bumped it. It was obvious she preferred mammals to fish.

         Since it wasn’t often that I got to see her look genuinely happy, I found my gaze drawn more to Miyagi than the seals themselves.

         There were sea lions and small-clawed otters on the rooftop too. Maybe I’d get to see her even happier when we went up there. The thought alone made me a little excited.

         Without letting her notice, I watched Miyagi as she stared at the seals. It made me wish we were alone, but unfortunately, the aquarium was packed since it was summer break.

         Next time, I wanted to come again when it was quieter. Just the two of us.

         As I was thinking that, Miyagi turned to me.

         「Are you getting hungry, Sendai-san?」

         「… Yeah, I am.」

         I hadn’t realized it until she mentioned it, but I really was starting to feel hungry. When I glanced at my phone, I saw it was already past lunchtime. We reluctantly left the seals and went to find something to eat.

         「Looks like there’s a café on the rooftop. Want to grab a bite there?」

         「Sure.」

         We passed tanks of clownfish and river fish hiding among the sea anemones before heading up to the rooftop café. Deciding to check out the sea lions and otters later, we ordered hot dogs, iced tea, and one pancake to share.

         「Let’s eat.」

         We said in unison before digging in.

         We were both so hungry that our hot dogs disappeared almost instantly. As Miyagi sipped her iced tea, she stared intently at the pancake that couldn’t be found anywhere else.

         「It looks so cute.」

         She said quietly, her voice lighter than usual. She wasn’t exactly chatty, but she’d been talking more than usual today.

         I knew what she meant.

         The pancake had an otter drawn on it, and it really was adorable. But in order to eat it, that meant we’d have to sacrifice the otter.

         「Can I cut it up?」

         I asked, and Miyagi replied, “Sure.”

         So I plunged the knife right into the otter’s face and began slicing it in half. Miyagi made a sound of protest, but I ignored it and kept cutting the pancake into bite-sized pieces.

         「You’re cutting it so heartlessly, Sendai-san.」

         She sighed as I took a bite of what I’d just cut.

         「Well, even if you feel sorry for it, it’s still meant to be eaten. If you pity it that much, does that mean you’re not going to have any?」

         「… No, I will.」

         「That’s good. While we’re at it, want me to feed it to you?」

         「I can eat it by myself just fine.」

         「Aw, what a shame.」

         After finishing the pancake, we left the café.

         Unlike inside the building, it was hot out on the rooftop.

         But despite that, Miyagi still seemed to be in high spirits. Her steps were light as she walked ahead of me.

         I glanced between her and the sea lions and small-clawed otters nearby. She wasn’t exactly brimming with excitement, but she looked like she was enjoying herself, just like she had when we saw the seals earlier. Seeing her like that made me feel happy, too.

         Still, I couldn’t help but wonder—if she’d come to the aquarium with Utsunomiya instead, would she have been more excited? Maybe she’d be pointing things out, gushing about the seals swimming up to the glass, saying how cute the sea lions were, and running from one tank to the next.

         I let out a small sigh and pressed my temples.

         Thinking about her any more would just make me miserable, so I pushed Utsunomiya out of my mind.

         Miyagi seemed to prefer the small-clawed otters to the seals and sea lions. She looked like she didn’t want to leave them.

         「Small-clawed otters look a lot like platypuses, don’t they?」

         I asked, watching her stare at a few otters sleeping side by side.

         「Not at all.」

         「Really?」

         「If you think otters and platypuses look alike, you should get your eyes checked.」

         Miyagi retorted with a rude remark before walking away.

         As we continued along the route, a voice louder than usual came from beside me.

         「Sendai-san, look! There are so many penguins here!」

         Miyagi said, pointing toward a tank designed to look like a grassy plain.

         Sure enough, there were several penguins waddling around inside.

         「If we go a little further ahead, we can see them from below.」

         I said, repeating something I’d read before coming here.

         「From below?」

         「Yeah. Apparently you can watch them swim right above your head.」

         「I want to see. Where is it?」

         After checking the pamphlet, I pointed in the direction we needed to go, and Miyagi grabbed my arm.

         「Let’s go.」

         She said, pulling me along.

         We weren’t holding hands, but she kept tugging at my arm as we walked. Her skirt swayed as she moved ahead of me, and before long, I could see penguins flying above us.

         Of course, they weren’t really flying. There was a tank built above the walkway, and when we stepped underneath it, we could look up and see the penguins swimming through the water overhead.

         「Wow. It really looks like they’re flying through the sky.」

         Miyagi said, letting go of my arm and looking up.

         Since the exhibit was on the rooftop, the penguins really did look like they were soaring through the air.

         But I couldn’t take my eyes off Miyagi.

         What I was seeing was far rarer than penguins that looked like they were flying through the sky.

         She was smiling.

         Miyagi was actually smiling—and she looked genuinely happy.

         She used to smile with her friends during high school, and I’d seen her smile when Utsunomiya came over too. But when it was just the two of us, she rarely smiled. In fact, she usually looked grumpy.

         And yet, here she was, smiling in front of me.

         I barely even looked at the penguins.

         All I wanted to do was keep looking at her.

         It was a little disappointing that her smile wasn’t directed at me, but still, just seeing her smile while we were together made me happy.

         「Do you like penguins?」

         I asked as she continued gazing up at the tank.

         「I wouldn’t say I like them or anything, but they’re cute.」

         She replied cheerfully, in a voice that made it seem like she actually did like them.

         She didn’t even seem to realize she was smiling as she kept watching the penguins swim overhead.

         「Miyagi.」

         「What?」

         「Cute, right?」

         「The penguins?」

         She asked, still looking up.

         「Yeah.」

         The penguins were cute.

         But Miyagi was even cuter.

         I wanted to tell her that, but I was afraid saying it would wipe the smile off her face.

         Under the blue sky, the penguins’ white bellies passed overhead again and again.

         Pretending to watch them, I kept my eyes on Miyagi instead.

         The smile she never showed at home glimmered in the sunlight.

         It was even hotter outside now than before.

         But all I wanted was to keep looking at her like this forever.

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