The café had grown quieter. Afternoon light filtered softly through the windows, scattering golden patches across the table where their cocoa mugs sat half-empty and a plate held the remains of a shared pancake—split exactly down the middle.
Yuki poked at the crumbs with his fork, cheeks still faintly pink.
Shin leaned back in his seat, arms crossed, studying Yuki with a thoughtful smile. He looked almost… pleased.
"You're quieter now," Shin said.
"I'm digesting," Yuki muttered, staring at his fork. "And… mentally recovering."
Shin chuckled under his breath. "Recovering from what?"
Yuki looked up with a pout. "From you! You keep saying weird things and doing… that smirky thing."
Shin tilted his head, feigning innocence. "What smirky thing?"
"That one! You're doing it again!" Yuki stabbed his fork down with a soft thud.
Shin rested his chin on one hand, smile still there but gentler now. "Okay, okay… want to go somewhere else?"
Yuki blinked. "Somewhere else?"
Shin reached into his jacket pocket and slid something across the table—two glossy tickets with a sparkling blue wave across the top.
"Aquarium?" Shin offered, voice casual, but his eyes watched Yuki closely.
Yuki stared at the tickets, mouth slightly open. "You… had this planned?"
Shin shrugged. "I mean… I might have hoped you'd say yes. But I was ready to go alone if you'd bolted after the cocoa incident."
Yuki frowned. "I don't bolt."
"You flinch. Same energy."
Yuki narrowed his eyes, but the corners of his lips twitched upward. He glanced down at the tickets again.
"Aquarium, huh…"
Shin leaned forward. "It's okay if you don't want to. Just say the word and we can—"
"I didn't say no!" Yuki cut in quickly. "I… like aquariums. The big glass walls. The weird fish. It's… calming."
Shin smiled. "Then let's go."
Yuki stood and tugged his hoodie sleeves down nervously. "But this isn't a date."
"Right," Shin said as he stood, holding the door open for Yuki. "Just two very close friends going to a place famous for being romantic. Totally not a date."
Yuki walked through the door, his voice barely audible. "You're the worst."
"I try."
Behind them, Ai and Aiko peeked over the edge of a booth again, jaws dropped.
"A-Aquarium?!" Ai whispered dramatically.
"Is he trying to propose or what?" Aiko gasped.
They looked at each other, then scrambled to gather their things.
"No way we're missing this," they said in unison.
---
Outside the aquarium gates, the building shimmered like a blue crystal under the afternoon sun. The glass walls reflected clouds like waves, and inside, faint silhouettes of fish drifted past like phantoms. Yuki stood just outside the entrance, staring up with wide, sparkling eyes.
"It's so pretty…" he mumbled, clasping his hands in front of his chest.
Shin tilted his head, watching Yuki's entire body light up like a child entering a candy store. "You sure this isn't a date?"
"Shut up," Yuki said automatically, hugging his arms over his chest. "I just like fish. And jellyfish. And penguins."
Shin smirked. "You know, I've come here a lot. With Ai. And with Haa-chan too."
Yuki's eye twitched.
"Haa-chan?" he asked in a dangerously sweet tone.
"Yeah," Shin replied with the smoothness of someone who knew exactly what he was doing. "She loves sea lions. We even shared squid karaage here once."
Yuki narrowed his eyes. "Squid is gross. I hope you both got indigestion."
Shin laughed. "You're jealous."
"I am not!" Yuki huffed, cheeks puffing like a pufferfish. "This isn't a date. So I can't even be jealous."
"Mhm. You're just glaring at the aquarium now because…?"
"Because squids are ugly!"
Behind them, half-hidden behind a vending machine and a tall hedge, Ai crouched, fiddling with her tiny coin purse and frowning. "Ugh… I forgot I spent my allowance on that limited edition Onii-chan mug..."
Next to her, Aiko sighed and pulled out her wallet with a flick. "I'll cover you."
Ai blinked. "Really? You're not gonna ask for anything weird in return, are you, Haa-onee-chan?"
Aiko winked. "Only your undying admiration."
Ai snorted but took the offered ticket. "You'll regret it. I win at everything anyway."
They followed inside, careful not to draw attention, trailing behind Shin and Yuki like cartoon spies.
Inside, the darkened halls of the aquarium glowed with blue light. Yuki pressed close to the glass of the jellyfish tank, eyes wide, his hands pressed together like a schoolgirl on her first magical girl transformation. "So floaty… they're like glowing mochi…"
Shin stood behind him, hands in his pockets, leaning down just enough to whisper, "You're glowing more."
"W-What?! Shut up!" Yuki backed away and bumped into Shin's chest.
"See? Told you this was like a date."
"Stop saying that!"
A little further down the hall, Ai and Aiko leaned against opposite columns, both sipping soda cans and not-so-subtly throwing shade.
"Shin always enjoys coming here with me," Ai said with a smug little smile. "He calls it a date, you know. Holds hands, buys me snacks… real romantic stuff."
Aiko didn't flinch. "That's cute. But, you know… Shin and I shared our first kiss here. By the penguin exhibit. He tasted like lemon candy that day."
Ai's eyes narrowed.
Aiko smiled sweetly. "You've never been kissed on the lips, right, Ai-chan?"
Ai's gaze didn't waver. She calmly sipped her soda. "You're right."
Aiko's smirk grew.
Ai finished her sip, then grinned—too sweetly. "But you know… last night, Onii-chan and I did it."
Aiko choked. "Wh—"
"And then again. And again after brushing our teeth. Even this morning—" she giggled, "—he kissed me good morning. On the lips. On the cheek. And on my tummy."
Aiko dropped her soda can.
Ai beamed, hands behind her back. "You got one kiss. I got every other kind."
Aiko stared, her soul briefly leaving her body.
Ai twirled around, skipping after Shin and Yuki, who were now bickering over which fish looked more like the other.
"Look, that one has your eyes!" Yuki pointed at a pufferfish.
"Then that flat one with the dumb face is definitely you."
"I—WHAT?!"
Meanwhile, Ai and Aiko continued their silent competition behind the tanks, shadows dancing across their amused and dangerous expressions.
This wasn't over.
Not by a long shot.
---
The penguin area smelled faintly of saltwater and fish, but Yuki didn't seem to notice. He was practically glued to the glass, eyes sparkling with glee as the penguins waddled and flopped dramatically into the water.
"They're so round," he whispered. "Like... marshmallow potatoes with flippers."
Shin leaned close behind him, resting his chin lightly on Yuki's shoulder. "You say that like you aren't shaped exactly like that."
"Shut up! I am not a penguin!"
"You kinda waddle like one when you're mad," Shin chuckled.
Yuki shoved him half-heartedly, cheeks pink. "I'm gonna throw you in with them."
Behind a giant coral tank, Ai and Aiko leaned on opposite sides of a "Penguin Facts" sign.
"Look at them," Aiko sighed. "So close already. Yuki might really win at this rate."
Ai, unbothered, popped a gummy into her mouth. "You're panicking because you don't know how Onii-chan works."
Aiko frowned. "Oh?"
Ai smiled smugly. "He lets people close. But the one he stays with… That's me."
"Oh really? You sure about that?"
"Of course." Ai leaned closer. "We eat breakfast together. Sleep together. Watch TV with our legs tangled. We even shared a bubble bath two nights ago."
Aiko bristled. "You're siblings."
"Exactly. Which means I'm always home. Always beside him. Always—" she stepped out dramatically, arms open "—the one he comes back to."
Aiko's eye twitched. "He still kissed me first, Ai-chan."
"And he kissed me last." Ai winked. "And longer."
Aiko turned away with a forced laugh. "God, you're a menace."
Ai giggled. "You're just mad because Onii-chan prefers cute girls with pigtails and oversized hoodies."
Aiko looked her up and down. "You're literally a Bro-con."
"And you're still behind."
Back near the otter tunnel, Shin and Yuki had moved on. Yuki was crouched down, nose practically pressed to the glass as a curious otter floated upside down in front of him. "He's staring right at me! Shin—he's smiling!"
"That's a reflection. That's just your dumb grin."
"HEY!"
Shin squatted beside him, letting their shoulders touch. "You really like this stuff, huh?"
"…I didn't get to go to places like this growing up," Yuki admitted softly, tracing a circle on the glass. "My parents were always too busy."
Shin was quiet for a beat. Then he nudged Yuki with his knee. "Well. Now you can go as much as you want. Just say the word."
Yuki looked over, eyes wide.
"…You offering to take me again?"
Shin gave him a look. "Only if you stop pouting like a sad goldfish."
Yuki flushed and looked away. "I wasn't pouting…"
"You were."
"I wasn't!"
From the shadows, Ai and Aiko watched.
"…Okay, that was kinda smooth," Aiko admitted under her breath.
Ai crossed her arms, not looking away. "He's just being kind."
Aiko narrowed her eyes. "Are you… jealous?"
Ai blinked, genuinely surprised. "Me? Of Yuki?"
Aiko smirked. "Thought you weren't competing."
Ai smiled sweetly. "I'm not. I already won."
Aiko flinched again.
Further ahead, Shin casually took Yuki's wrist. "Come on. The sea lion show's about to start."
Yuki blinked. "You… wanna sit together?"
"No," Shin said flatly. "I want to sit in your lap."
"WHAT—?!"
Shin burst into laughter, dragging a red-faced Yuki by the wrist as they disappeared toward the amphitheater.
Ai and Aiko followed, silent and close.
This so-called non-date was far from over.
And the real game?
It had only just begun.
---
END OF CHAPTER : 36 : GLASS WALLSAND HEARTBEATS!
---