My Childhood Friend, Who I Made a Promise To Spend the Future With, Dumped Me... But Ever Since I Started Dating a Beautiful Girl From School, My Childhood Friend Has Been Acting Strange - Episode 43

Weekends always bring a sense of relief.

On this Saturday, as planned, Toma Suzuki had come to the aquarium with Suzuha Kamiya.

The two of them walked through the aquarium’s corridors.

Beyond the glass, fish swam freely. Though they couldn’t be touched, they could be seen up close, allowing Toma to enjoy a fun time with Suzuha.

“That fish is beautiful, and so is that one over there,” Suzuha said.

It seemed that Suzuha had always liked aquariums. Watching the fish, she was fully immersed in the moment.

“It’s been a while since I last visited an aquarium, but it’s really nice. Coming to places like this helps me feel at ease. By the way, Toma, do you have a favorite fish?”

“I like looking at all the fish in the aquarium, so I don’t think I have a particular favorite. I guess I just like the overall atmosphere of the aquarium.”

“Oh, the atmosphere? That makes sense. The whole place is bathed in a beautiful blue glow.”

“Exactly. I’m really glad we came today.”

“Yeah, me too.”

“It looks like it’s not too crowded today. It almost feels like we have the place to ourselves.”

Even though it was a Saturday, there didn’t seem to be many families around.

Instead of the usual dolphin show, a different event was being held today.

Apparently, visitor numbers tend to drop when there aren’t visually entertaining events like dolphin shows.

“So, Suzuha, where do you want to go next?”

“Hmm… I’d love to see the penguins.”

“Penguins, huh?”

Toma took out the pamphlet they had received upon entry and checked the aquarium map.

The penguin exhibit was a bit of a walk from their current location.

They were currently near the tunnel tank, located close to the entrance.

Following the path ahead would lead them to the penguin area.

“We finally made it to the penguin exhibit! Look, there are so many penguins over there!”

Suzuha pointed excitedly and rushed forward.

She was fully enjoying the aquarium experience.

“Wow, there are so many different kinds of penguins. That one is a Cape penguin, and over there is a Rockhopper penguin. And there’s even an Emperor penguin!”

“I can’t really tell them apart…”

Toma stood next to Suzuha in front of the penguin exhibit.

“Cape penguins are black and white, Rockhopper penguins have yellow feathers sticking out from their heads, and Emperor penguins have a yellowish tint around their necks. If you look closely, you can tell the difference.”

“Well, I guess if I take my time, I’ll start to see it.”

Inside the exhibit, Cape, Rockhopper, and Emperor penguins were waddling across the rocky terrain.

Some of them dove into the water for a swim.

“There are only three species here, but did you know there are actually 18 different kinds of penguins?”

“That many?”

“If there were more, it’d be even harder to tell them apart.”

“Yeah, I struggled to recognize just these three…”

Toma walked over to a nearby information board.

It had clear pictures and detailed descriptions of each species’ natural habitat.

“Would you like to participate in the penguin feeding experience?”

A female staff member from the aquarium approached them.

Suzuha’s eyes sparkled with excitement as she eagerly agreed.

“You can feed them over here,” the staff member said.

“Thank you! I love penguins, and I’ve done this before when I was younger.”

“Oh, really? Then you must be pretty good at it.”

“Yeah! Penguins are just amazing.”

“I think so too!”

Suzuha quickly bonded with the staff member.

Using the tongs provided, she picked up fish and held them out to the penguins.

As she called out to them, the penguins waddled over to the fence.

She skillfully fed them one by one, but soon, more and more penguins gathered, making the scene quite lively.

“There’s plenty of food, so no need to rush.”

Suzuha handled the feeding process smoothly, almost like a professional.

“It’s been a while since I last did this, but it was just as fun as I remembered!”

“Do you have a favorite penguin?” the staff member asked.

“I love them all, so it’s hard to choose… but if I had to, I’d say the Emperor penguin. It might be a common choice, but after seeing so many penguins, I think they’re the best. Also, the first penguin I ever drew as a kid was an Emperor penguin.”

“Really? I like Emperor penguins too! By the way, our gift shop has some Emperor penguin merchandise. I actually helped pick them out. They’re all really high-quality and super cute! You should check them out later.”

“I will!”

After finishing the feeding session, Suzuha waved happily to the staff member as they left the penguin area.

Toma gave a small nod to the staff before following Suzuha down the corridor.

“That was so much fun! Toma, didn’t you want to try feeding them too?”

“Just watching was enough for me. I still really enjoyed it.”

“That’s good to hear! Seeing the penguins made me feel refreshed. Let’s go to the next exhibit!”

“It’s about lunchtime. Do you want to eat now?”

“But the pizza place is far from here, right? If we leave the aquarium, we’ll have to buy another ticket to get back in.”

“That’s true.”

“Then let’s just have pizza later, as a snack before heading home.”

“Alright, sounds good.”

As they walked through the aquarium, they noticed a room where a small group was gathered.

Inside, a drawing event was taking place, and it was open to anyone.

“Toma, do you want to join?”

“Yeah, sounds interesting. Let’s do it.”

Since there was no dolphin show today, the aquarium was hosting a fish illustration event instead.

The two of them entered the room.

Sitting side by side, they followed the staff’s instructions and began drawing on the sheets of paper they were given.

They could draw anything as long as it was fish-related.

Toma decided to draw an anthropomorphized penguin.

Since Suzuha loved Emperor penguins, he based the design on one.

But as he worked, he realized that the design looked a bit too much like Suzuha’s old VTuber avatar.

That felt like copying.

So, he erased it and started over, thinking hard about a unique design while carefully sketching a rough draft in pencil.

“Wow, you’re really good!”

“Well, I’ve drawn a lot of illustrations for Tsubaki. That might be why I’ve improved so much.”

Toma had always enjoyed drawing.

This event reminded him of that.

“…I’ve decided on my future. I’m going to pursue a career in illustration.”

“I think that’s a great idea. You should go for it! I’ll be cheering you on.”

Seeing Suzuha’s supportive reaction, Toma felt at ease.

With a newfound sense of purpose, he focused on completing his illustration.

“Today was so much fun! I got some adorable penguin merch, so I’m really happy. How about you, Toma?”

“I had a great time too.”

By 3 PM, they had left the aquarium.

Toma’s anthropomorphized Emperor penguin illustration had caught the attention of the event organizers.

It was selected to be displayed in the aquarium for six months.

It was just a small step, but for Toma, it was a significant achievement.

Spending a fun day at the aquarium with Suzuha made him feel truly fulfilled.

No matter what the future held, he wanted to cherish the moments he shared with Suzuha.

“Want me to carry that bag for you?”

Suzuha was holding shopping bags in both hands.

“That’d be great. But just take one, okay?”

Toma took the bag with the snacks, while Suzuha kept the one with her penguin merchandise.

“Now that I have a free hand… let’s hold hands.”

She smiled naturally and reached out.

Toma accepted her gesture, gently grasping her hand.

Determined to live a life without regrets, he walked forward with Suzuha, happily chatting along the way.

The End!