Auntie smiled proudly as she held up the six tickets in front of us.
"Ja-jyan!"
The colorful tickets fluttered slightly in the breeze coming from the automatic doors behind her.
A free pass to the aquarium.
Apparently, one of the bakery's regular customers worked there and had given Auntie several complimentary tickets as thanks for her years of service. Since there were exactly six tickets, she decided to hand them to us.
And that was how we ended up standing in front of the largest aquarium in the prefecture on a bright Saturday morning.
"Thank you, Kanon-chan, for inviting me."
Miyu smiled while adjusting the strap of her shoulder bag.
Just like I remembered.
Back when Kanon and I were still in junior high school, Miyu had transferred into our school from another city. Toyooka was unfamiliar to her back then, and Kanon had practically become her personal guide. The two of them quickly grew close after that.
Looking at them now, chatting naturally while standing together, it was easy to see that their friendship had lasted through the years.
Meanwhile, Shiori was different.
She was the transfer student of our current story.
The transfer student who had appeared only a few months ago after we entered high school.
Life really had a strange way of repeating itself.
First Miyu during junior high.
Now Shiori during high school.
Beside Miyu stood Kiyoyama.
As always, his appearance gave people the wrong impression.
The glasses.
The neat hairstyle.
The calm expression.
Everything about him screamed "honor student."
Unfortunately, reality was much harsher.
This guy spent most of his free time watching anime and collecting merchandise.
"Thanks for inviting me, buds."
He grinned.
"I even skipped a limited-time livestream for this."
"Nobody asked you to make that sacrifice."
"I know."
"Then stop acting like a tragic hero."
"It's called dedication."
"It's called having too much free time."
Our exchange immediately earned a laugh from the others.
Even Amane shook his head.
"You two started before we even entered."
"Because he gives me material."
"You should be grateful."
"I'm not."
Shiori giggled softly.
Honestly, seeing her laugh so naturally now felt refreshing.
When she first transferred to our school, she had been reserved and hesitant around everyone.
Now she was able to join conversations without feeling awkward.
Little by little, she had become part of our group.
"Should we go inside already?" Kanon asked.
"Good idea."
"Agreed."
"Let's go."
The moment we entered, cool air greeted us.
The aquarium was far larger than I expected.
Sunlight filtered through the glass ceiling overhead, creating shimmering patterns across the polished floor.
Families walked around carrying maps.
Children ran excitedly toward the exhibits.
The atmosphere felt lively without becoming overwhelming.
For a moment, everyone simply looked around.
"Whoa..."
Shiori's eyes sparkled.
"It's huge."
"This is your first time here?" I asked.
She nodded.
"Yes."
"Then prepare yourself."
"Hm?"
"The shark tunnel."
"What about it?"
"You'll see."
A dangerous grin appeared on my face.
Shiori narrowed her eyes.
"Why do I feel nervous?"
"Because you should."
"You are definitely planning something."
"I would never."
"You absolutely are."
Kanon sighed.
"Yuuma."
"What?"
"Stop bullying Shiori."
"I'm not bullying her."
"You have that face."
"What face?"
"The face you make when you're about to cause trouble."
Even Miyu nodded.
"I know exactly what she means."
"Why is everyone against me?"
"Because we know you."
The betrayal hurt.
Deeply.
Five minutes later, we reached the first large tank.
Countless fish swam peacefully through the blue water.
Silver scales reflected the light beautifully.
The entire tank looked like a living painting.
For a while, nobody spoke.
There was something calming about watching fish swim.
The constant movement.
The gentle flow of water.
The soft lighting.
Everything worked together to create a peaceful atmosphere.
Shiori stepped closer to the glass.
"Beautiful..."
Her voice was barely above a whisper.
The fish continued moving in synchronized patterns.
"They look like they're dancing."
For some reason, hearing her say that made me smile.
It was such a Shiori-like observation.
Kanon crossed her arms.
"You always notice things like that."
"Huh?"
"The rest of us say 'wow, fish.'"
Miyu nodded.
"Accurate."
"And then Shiori says something poetic."
Shiori immediately turned red.
"I-I'm not being poetic."
"You absolutely are."
"I just said what I thought."
"Which happened to sound poetic."
The poor girl looked ready to hide inside the aquarium tank.
The resistance had completely collapsed.
That was the only conclusion I could reach as Kanon confidently led our group deeper into the souvenir shop, ignoring every complaint directed toward her.
The shop was much larger than it had appeared from the outside. Rows of shelves displayed every type of aquarium merchandise imaginable. Plush dolphins sat beside stacks of marine-themed notebooks. Glass ornaments shaped like jellyfish reflected the overhead lights. Small music boxes decorated with sea creatures occupied an entire corner of the store.
Children excitedly ran between the aisles while their parents struggled to keep up. The constant chatter of customers blended with the soft music playing through the speakers, creating a lively atmosphere that felt completely different from the quiet exhibits inside the aquarium.
Kanon stopped in front of a shelf filled with keychains.
"These are cute."
I looked at the display before immediately shaking my head.
"No."
Kanon turned toward me.
"You haven't even looked properly."
"I already know."
"Know what?"
"You are going to buy something that looks cute but is completely impractical."
"They're keychains. They're not supposed to be practical."
"That's not the point."
"It absolutely is."
Without hesitation, she picked up a dolphin-shaped keychain and held it in front of me.
The dolphin wore a strangely confident expression.
I narrowed my eyes.
"Why does it look like that?"
"It looks normal."
"It looks like it's judging me."
Kanon stared at the dolphin.
Then at me.
Then back at the dolphin.
After several seconds, she sighed.
"Sometimes I genuinely wonder how your brain works."
"My concern is completely valid."
"It isn't."
"It is."
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
The argument continued for another minute before Kanon finally gave up trying to convince me.
While she continued examining the shelf, I noticed that the others had gradually wandered away.
Shiori had become interested in a collection of glass accessories.
Amane was reading the descriptions on several postcards.
Kiyoyama had somehow discovered a section dedicated to mascot characters.
Miyu was nowhere in sight.
For the first time since arriving at the aquarium, Kanon and I found ourselves standing alone.
The realization felt oddly noticeable.
Not because there was anything unusual about standing beside Kanon.
Quite the opposite.
For most of my life, standing beside Kanon had been the most natural thing in the world.
We had known each other since childhood.
Growing up in Toyooka had naturally placed us together countless times.
Walking to school.
Walking home.
Playing in the neighborhood.
Helping each other with homework.
Getting dragged into trouble.
Getting scolded by adults afterward.
Many of my childhood memories included Kanon standing somewhere nearby.
As a result, spending time with her should have felt ordinary.
And yet...
Somehow, lately, it didn't feel quite as simple as before.
"Hey."
Kanon's voice interrupted my thoughts.
"Hm?"
She was holding a small sea otter charm.
The design looked familiar.
At first, I couldn't remember why.
Then the memory suddenly resurfaced.
"Oh."
A laugh escaped me.
"I know that mascot."
Kanon smiled immediately.
"I knew you'd remember."
The memory became clearer.
It had happened years ago during a summer festival.
A local event held near the shopping district.
One of the game stalls had displayed a giant sea otter plush as the grand prize.
At the time, I had confidently declared that winning it would be easy.
Unfortunately, reality had different plans.
I failed.
Repeatedly.
Despite spending nearly all of my allowance trying.
Kanon covered her mouth as she laughed.
"You looked so confident back then."
"Please don't remind me."
"You kept saying 'one more time' after every miss."
"I was seven."
"You spent almost everything you had."
"I was determined."
"You were stubborn."
"There is a difference."
"There really isn't."
The laughter in her voice felt warm.
The kind that only appeared when someone was recalling a happy memory.
As she continued smiling, I realized something. She remembered the details surprisingly well. The event itself had happened years ago. Most people would have forgotten about it. Yet Kanon remembered everything. Even the things I had said.
"You remember a lot."
The words left my mouth before I could stop them.
Kanon blinked, "Hm?"
"That happened a long time ago."
A slightly puzzled expression appeared on her face.
Then she answered as though the explanation were obvious, "Of course I remember."
The confidence in her response caught me off guard.
For a brief moment, she looked away from the shelf and met my eyes directly.
"We've known each other for a long time."
Her voice was softer than before.
"So remembering things like that isn't strange."
For some reason, my chest tightened slightly.
The feeling wasn't unpleasant.
It was simply difficult to describe.
Kanon wasn't saying anything special.
She was simply stating a fact.
The noise of the souvenir shop seemed distant.
The conversations of other customers faded into the background.
For several seconds, neither of us spoke.
Kanon was the first to look away.
"A-Anyway."
The sudden change in her tone was noticeable.
She returned her attention to the display.
"We should probably pick something."
"Yeah."
"We'll end up spending thirty minutes here otherwise."
"Probably."
Another brief silence followed.
This one felt different.
Like both of us had become aware of something and were pretending not to notice it.
Kanon reached toward a shelf.
At the same moment, I extended my hand toward the same keychain.
Our fingers touched.
The contact lasted less than a second.
Yet both of us immediately froze.
The small keychain remained suspended between our hands.
Neither of us moved.
The realization of what had happened arrived simultaneously.
Kanon's eyes widened.
I quickly pulled my hand back.
"S-Sorry."
"N-No, it's okay."
Kanon withdrew her hand as well.
The confident attitude she normally carried had completely disappeared.
A faint red tint gradually spread across her cheeks.
My own reaction wasn't much better.
The situation wasn't even a big deal.
People accidentally touched hands all the time.
Yet somehow neither of us seemed capable of acting normal.
The awkwardness only grew as the silence continued.
Kanon focused very intensely on the keychains.
I suddenly became interested in literally anything except looking at Kanon.
Several seconds passed.
Then disaster arrived.
"YUUMAAAAAA!"
The shout exploded through the souvenir shop like an emergency alarm.
Half the customers turned toward the source.
My soul nearly left my body.
I already knew who it was before turning around.
Kiyoyama charged through the aisle at full speed.
His glasses were slightly crooked.
His expression radiated excitement.
The fact that he had absolutely no awareness of his surroundings made the entire scene even worse.
"Kiyoyama!"
"What?"
"Why are you shouting?"
"Because this is important."
"It definitely isn't."
"It absolutely is!!"
Without waiting for permission, he shoved a plush shark directly into my face.
The shark looked ridiculous.
Its mouth hung open permanently.
Its eyes pointed in slightly different directions.
Its entire existence seemed dedicated to looking stupid.
"Look."
"I am looking."
"It looks exactly like Amane."
I stared at the plush shark.
Then I looked toward Amane.
Then back at the shark.
Unfortunately...
Kiyoyama wasn't entirely wrong.
The resemblance was unsettling.
I immediately regretted reaching that conclusion.
"Right? RIGHT?!!"
His excitement doubled.
Across the store, Amane noticed us staring at him.
His expression immediately became suspicious.
"What are they doing?" Amane said.
"I don't know," Shiori replied.
Meanwhile, beside me, Kanon lowered her head.
Her shoulders began trembling.
At first, I thought something was wrong.
Then I realized she was trying not to laugh.
"You two are impossible."
"I'm right though." Kiyoyama said.
"Nope."
The argument instantly shifted away from whatever strange atmosphere had existed moments earlier.
The timing was almost miraculous.
Or tragic.
Depending on how someone chose to interpret it.
A few moments later, another familiar figure approached.
Miyu.
Unlike Kiyoyama, Miyu wasn't running.
She calmly walked toward us while carrying a shopping basket.
The moment she arrived, her eyes moved between Kanon and me.
Then she paused.
A very dangerous smile appeared.
My instincts immediately sounded an alarm.
Miyu wasn't someone who missed details.
Back in junior high, she had been the type of person who noticed things before everyone else.
Unfortunately, that meant she was currently observing us with the expression of someone who had already reached a conclusion.
A conclusion I was fairly certain I didn't want to hear.
"Hm."
That single sound was enough to make me nervous.
"What?"
Miyu's smile widened.
"Nothing."
"There is definitely something."
"Nope."
"Sigh"
Miyu looked between us again.
Then a small, amused laugh escaped her.
At that moment, I knew she had noticed something.
Whether it was the awkward silence.
The fact that both Kanon and I were acting strange.
I had no idea, but she knew.
The worst part was that Kiyoyama remained completely oblivious.
"Hey, Miyu."
"Hm?"
"Look at this shark."
Miyu examined the plushie.
Then she nodded.
"It really does look like Amane."
"THANK YOU."
The conversation immediately shifted.
Kiyoyama proudly continued presenting evidence supporting his argument.
Meanwhile, Miyu quietly stepped beside Kanon.
Then she leaned forward and whispered something into her ear.
The result was immediate.
Kanon's face turned bright red.
"M-Miyu!"
The reaction was so sudden that even Shiori looked surprised.
Miyu maintained an innocent smile.
The exchange continued while Miyu struggled to suppress her laughter.
Meanwhile, Kanon looked as though she wanted the floor to open beneath her and swallow her whole.
At that moment, I became very grateful that I couldn't hear what Miyu had said.
Because judging by Kanon's reaction, ignorance was absolutely the better option.
"Can I have at least one normal day?" I said while sighing.