Ch.125Episode 26. Aquarium Date (3)

The walls were adorned with paintings of grass and natural landscapes, and the ceiling was decorated with grass-like ornaments, giving the feeling of being on a safari.

Beyond the glass embedded in the walls, there were aquariums designed to blend well with the surroundings, filled with numerous fish swimming about. Watching the vibrantly colored fish energetically moving around in the tank, I couldn’t help but take out my phone.

“Oppa.”

“Hmm?”

I crouched down, preparing to take photos.

“You seem excited?”

“Yeah. Since we’re here, we should enjoy it properly.”

The sight of aquatic plants and multicolored fish intermingling was breathtaking enough to involuntarily elicit exclamations of admiration. The harmony created by green trees and plants with autumn-like colors made it even more beautiful.

“These fish seem to be called discus.”

“Really?”

I took pictures and observed a bit more before moving on.

“There’s a crocodile too. But it’s barely moving.”

“What a lazy one. I wish I could live like that, doing nothing.”

“You could if you went in there.”

“I don’t like that idea. People would stare at me like I’m some primitive human.”

“Then you’d be a primitive human who’s had too much of modern water. Since you know how to use a phone.”

“Shut up.”

“Hehe.”

“There are a lot of reptiles here. Is this an iguana?”

It was a green-skinned lizard with black markings on its tail. The description said it was a Chinese Water Dragon.

“That guy looks majestic. Though it’s hard to see.”

Camouflaged by its protective coloration, you had to get close to see it properly.

“Hmm~”

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“If you have something to say, don’t hold back. If you bottle it up and explode later, I won’t comfort you.”

I said as I walked. Past the lizard, we saw other fish and turtles. There were piranhas in another section.

“That’s too harsh.”

Following me, her eyebrows slightly furrowed, showing a hint of annoyance.

“So what’s wrong? Are you bored already?”

“No. I also enjoy watching living creatures move around. It’s just…”

“Just what?”

“Somehow you’re so focused on the exhibits… it feels a bit off.”

Ah, in other words, she’s jealous of the marine life?

This is supposed to be our date, after all.

“Then what would you like me to do? Match your pace?”

“Not that…”

I continued taking pictures while talking. These would be nice to look at again when I get home.

“It’s… a date, so…”

“Yes. It’s a date, so?”

I watched her as she hesitated, dragging out her words. Her eyes showed she was contemplating how to get closer to me.

With my phone in one hand, I grabbed her fidgeting hand with my free one.

“Then this should work.”

“Oh…”

When our hands joined, she cleared her throat awkwardly to hide her shyness.

“Still, there are a lot of people here, so understand if I suddenly let go. There might be people interested in me since my hero rank has gone up.”

It wasn’t just Jung Iyeon who could be a fan.

There might be people who admire me from afar and nurture dreams of becoming heroes themselves.

Of course, that’s not something I particularly want.

“Shall we continue looking around?”

I grinned and led her along.

“Yes. Well… ahem. Let’s do that.”

Trying to act cool, huh.

“This is the ocean tunnel.”

Since it was our first visit, we followed the viewing order diligently and came upon a tunnel where water flowed above our heads, giving the impression of being inside the sea.

“Wow…!”

I lifted my head and genuinely exclaimed in admiration at the fish swimming above us.

“I’ll have to keep taking pictures until the end of the tour.”

While I was taking photos, Jung Iyeon was quietly looking at her phone.

“Jin oppa.”

“Yes?”

“Instead of just taking pictures of fish, let’s take one together?”

“Sure? Come closer.”

With my back to the cylindrical tank, I switched to selfie mode and framed both our faces in the camera. The ocean tunnel was particularly bright, so our faces showed up well.

“Ah, wait. If we’re going to take a picture, we should get the angle right…!”

“Just take it casually. You’ll look pretty no matter how it’s taken.”

“Well… if you say so…”

When you think about it, she’s quite easy to please.

I inwardly smiled as I adjusted the camera to ensure it wasn’t blurry.

“…Look at the camera. Not at me.”

I said to Jung Iyeon, who was glancing at me sideways, seemingly unaware that she was being captured on camera.

“Eep! But we’re so close…”

“Think of it as fan service.”

“F-fan service… I see. So I should think of it as fan service.”

“Oh, did you think it was something other than fan service?”

“Not particularly!”

“Really? Because I didn’t.”

“What…! What do you—”

Click!

I cut off her words by taking the photo.

As a result, the picture captured her with her mouth open, looking at me, while I was smiling naturally.

“W-what is this!”

She exclaimed upon seeing the result. This drew the attention of other visitors around us.

Jung Iyeon quickly bowed her head, apologizing, then glared at me.

“I told you to look at the camera. You didn’t.”

“Ah, let’s take it again!”

“Nope~ Don’t want to.”

“Argh! Are you really going to act like a child?!”

“If you keep raising your voice, people might recognize who we are, and I might have to let go of your hand.”

The interior of the aquarium was rather dark; otherwise, someone might have recognized me already.

“Ugh!”

She finally closed her mouth tightly and allowed herself to be led by my hand. She really doesn’t want to let go, it seems.

Past the ocean tunnel, we saw seals with thick bodies and otters swimming along the water’s edge, holding something in their tiny hands.

“Jin oppa, did you know?”

“What?”

“Otters look cute, but they have really nasty personalities.”

“Really? Like you?”

“Hmm… Am I cute? Isn’t that compliment a bit too direct?”

Look at her, only taking in the positive part.

“No, I meant you have a nasty personality.”

Feeling a bit annoyed, I clarified it so she couldn’t misunderstand.

“Argh! What are you saying! I don’t have a nasty personality!”

“It seems to be getting nastier. I can hear all the cursing you do during training, you know?”

“That can’t be helped. Do you know how hard your training is? It’s only because it’s me that I can keep up.”

“Are you complaining?”

“No. It’s just perfect, really great!”

“Good. I’ll keep it that way.”

“…You’re really mean.”

Jung Iyeon replied curtly.

“Alright, alright.”

Feeling I shouldn’t tease her anymore, I tried to appease her.

When joking with someone, knowing the appropriate limit is most important. If a joke makes someone feel bad, it’s no longer a joke.

“…Actually, if you’re just thinking about becoming a hero, you don’t have to go that far. Using your ability to its limit makes your stamina grow faster and more, but using your ability at all will still help it grow.”

“But the fact that you make us do it means you have expectations for us.”

“Yes. I don’t want you to be ordinary heroes; I want you to be the best heroes.”

I said, squeezing the hand I was holding.

If nothing else, this was sincere.

“The best hero… Can I become that?”

“You can.”

I said with conviction.

Jung Iyeon is one of the two people who survived a direct confrontation with Yujin.

Having read and imagined that scene myself, I could speak with certainty.

At the same time, I also wonder:

Is Jung Iyeon’s potential on par with Yujin’s?

If the author hadn’t gone on hiatus and had continued the series to the end, would Jung Iyeon have eventually surpassed Yujin?

If Jung Iyeon is truly the protagonist of this world, wouldn’t Yujin’s defeat be the natural course?

…These are thoughts I’ve had.

Of course, this might just be my personal expectation.

“The best hero following the best hero… It’s something that makes my heart race.”

“Right?”

She clenched her fist and smiled pleasantly as she spoke.

“Then shall we go look at other places?”

“Sure. But… before that, take back what you said about me having a bad personality.”

…So you were holding onto that?

* * *

“This is called The Ocean Zone.”

We went down one floor.

As soon as we descended, a vast aquarium greeted us. It was on a larger scale than any tank we had seen so far.

The sight of numerous marine creatures swimming in a tank that seemed to recreate the sea was truly spectacular. Just standing and watching gave me chills.

“Amazing.”

Unable to resist, I took pictures again. It was truly a shame that I couldn’t capture the dynamic movements of the marine life in photos, but they would be perfect for reminiscing about the memories.

After staring at the tank for a while, we moved on. It was where the beluga was.

We could see it from the upper floor too, but viewing from the lower floor was better for observing the beluga’s movements.

“It looks much freer from here, which makes it nicer to watch.”

“But I heard almost all the belugas have died, and only one remains.”

“Really? That’s… a bit lonely.”

“Yes.”

We felt sorry for the beluga left alone in the huge tank, but the beluga itself seemed not at all lonely, actively swimming around.

“But with people visiting like this, maybe it’s less lonely.”

“Isn’t it stressful for it?”

“You really have no romance. I won’t take back what I said about your bad personality.”

“That was a joke!”

“Don’t lie. It was obviously sincere.”

“No, it wasn’t. How would you know what I’m thinking?”

I snorted at Jung Iyeon’s audacity to turn the tables.

“I know everything.”

“Like what?”

“You like me.”

“What…!”

She flinched at my bold statement. Reflexively squeezing my hand tightly, she opened and closed her mouth.

“As a fan, of course.”

At my follow-up, she let out a deflated laugh.

“…Huh. I don’t think you’re in a position to say I have a bad personality.”

“You’re right. I am a bit bad.”

Because I’m openly using your emotions.

But I still treat you sincerely so I’m not completely trash.

“Silly oppa. Let’s go see the next place.”

As she led me with determined steps, her white hair became disheveled. And between the strands of scattered hair, her reddened ears were revealed.

If you’re going to hide it, hide it properly.

I inwardly chuckled as I matched my pace with hers, walking side by side.