I Managed to Bring Down the Entire Family of That Impossible-To-Conquer S-Class Beauty, Completely Filling in Her Outer Moat
โNext up isโฆ Oh, penguins!โ
After watching the orca and dolphin show, we bought matching T-shirts at the souvenir shop and followed the path through the facility.
โWhat? Penguins?! Heh heh heh, I see.โ
โNabatame san, do you like penguins?โ
โMm. I started fishing because I wanted to feed penguins until they were stuffed, and it became a hobby!โ
โDon’t you love them a bit too much?โ
His excited gestures, waving both hands up and down, reminded me of China-san earlier.
Is this what blood ties feel like? Thinking such things as we walked, we arrived at the penguin zone.
Emperor penguins, king penguins, and a diverse array of others like gentoos and rockhoppers filled the space.
โHeavensโฆ I could live here foreverโฆโ
โGrandpa, that’d bother the keepers, you know!โ
โI know that well enough! Ah, I want to take one homeโฆโ
โNabatame san, that’d cause trouble too, so no way.โ
I hear some people keep penguins as pets these days, but I haven’t gotten around to it yet.
It’s on my list of animals I’d like to keep someday, though.
โOkay, everyone! It’s feeding time for the penguins!!โ
The moment that voice echoed over the facility’s PA system, people came rushing in like an avalanche, crowding the area.
I managed to escape the crush, but seeing anything through this wall of people seemed impossible.
โOh no, I lost my grandpaโฆโ
โAh, China san. We can’t see a thing like this.โ
China seemed to have escaped the crowd too, but only Nabatame was up front, actually seeing the show.
โWhat should we do, China san? Wait here for Nabatame san?โ
โHmmโฆ but Grandpa probably won’t move from the penguin zone for at least an hour. Should we just go around by ourselves?โ
โHis love for penguins is immenseโฆ Oh, but doesn’t Nabatame -san have a smartphone?โ
โIt’s fine! I made sure he has something that lets him call with just one button!โ
โOh! โฆHuh? Isn’t that a kids’ phoneโฆ?โ
From his actions so far, I kinda figured out he is technologically challenged.
Well, if he can call with just one button, it’s probably good since we won’t have to worry about lost child announcements.
โSo then, China-san, shall we go?โ
โYeah! Let’s go!!โ
And so, the exploration of this blue world begins with just China-san and me.
If we ever mentioned this at school, we’d probably get ostracized.
โLooks like a coral reef zone here.โ
โIt’s beautiful. I kinda wanna dive into the sea!โ
We looked at the section with beautiful tropical fish swimming around.
โWatarai-kun! There’s a garden eel!โ
โOver here, it’s a spider crab! It’s huge!!โ
โReally?! Looks deliciousโฆ mmmโฆโ
โCh-China-san?โ
We saw rare creatures.
โIt’s dark here, so be careful not to trip.โ
โYeah, thanks. But really, jellyfish are just amazing, aren’t they?โ
โYeah. And cute too.โ
โRight?! Jellyfish are my absolute favorite!!โ
She enjoyed looking at the jellyfishโฆ
We followed the path slowly, like a fresh, new couple.
Walking in step, we reached the large central tank in the building once more.
As ever, the sight of the whale shark swimming majestically was truly mystical. Now, with no one else around, it seemed they could fully enjoy the view.
Just then, China suddenly spoke up.
โWatarai-kun, you kinda remind me of a romance comedy protagonist, don’t you?โ
โHuh? What’s with that all of a sudden?โ
โWell, you know, you helped me when I was in trouble, and you even have this destiny-like power to get along with my family without even trying!โ
โHmm. Is thatโฆ so?โ
But I’m the kind of guy who’d just abandon someone if it seemed like too much trouble.
Feels like something a protagonist shouldn’t do, but what do you think?
If we’re talking looks and destiny power, Fumihiko would fit the bill, but that guy’s true nature is messed up, so he’s outโฆ
โWell, putting aside whether I’m the protagonist or not, China-san definitely has the aura of a romance comedy heroine.โ
โEhehe, really? Thank you.โ
Everyone in school knows her, and she’s a beautiful girl who’s kind to everyone.
She even has a nickname. She’s really in that quintessential romance comedy position.
โBut you know, I don’t think I could ever be the heroine.โ
โWhy’s that?โ
โBecause I absolutely refuse to date anyone.โ
โโฆTrue. I can’t think of many heroines who never end up with anyone.โ
It might be a new kind of romance comedy, but in my mind, a romance comedy only works if the heroine and protagonist end up together.
Even so, China seems incredibly determined not to get a boyfriend.
She approached the aquarium, watching the fish as she confessed.
โEven if he’s super handsome, or an oil tycoon, or a model, or even Watarai-kun who has the universe as his hobby, I might not fall for him? Because Iโโ
China turned on her heel and faced me.
In that instant, a whale shark swam up close to the tank, plunging the space behind China into darkness.
โโฆBecause I’m an Invincible S-Class beauty.โ
In that darkness, her sharp, blue eyes pierced me.
I felt sweat slowly seeping out.
For a moment, I forgot to breathe.
โโฆHaha. So, China-san says it herself, huh? S-Class beauty?โ
“Ehehe, I was just trying to be cool!ใWell, the nickname’s been rumored all over and reached my ears tooโฆ But seriously, that’s just plain embarrassing!?”
โTruly an S-Class Beauty. So cool!โ
โUwaa! Stop itโI’m getting super embarrassed!!โ
She returned to her usual self, China, and flushed shyly as always.
โฆMaybe I’d been given a warning.
โEven though I’ve managed to bring down the entire family of the S-Class Beauty and completely filled in her outer moatโฆโ Does that mean she absolutely won’t fall?
โSorry for saying weird stuff, okay? Come on, let’s head to the next corner!โ
โโฆYeah, you’re right. Oh, looks like the next one’s the Touch Zone!โ
โWow! This is gonna be fun!โ
China said that, and we started walking again, following the path.
(โฆStill, China just now had some serious presence.)
Was I just caught up in the atmosphere?
If I were the protagonist of a romance comedy, and China was the heroineโฆ That image of her I saw when I had that fantasy.
Those blue eyes glowing in the darkness, that cold pressure. I described it with one word.
(That China was likeโฆ a final boss.)
An aura powerful enough to make me shiver involuntarily. Yet at the same time, I felt a surge within my heart.
Because I finally felt I’d glimpsed the essence beneath the mask of the S-Class Cutie.
Until now, she was simply the embodiment of cuteness on another level. Nothing more, nothing less.
But that pressure revealed something far greater lurking within her heart.
Surely, only those who unravel that โsomethingโ could conquer her impregnable fortress.
(Well, even so, I won’t pry, nor will I try to be the protagonist. โฆI’d never want to be the protagonist again.)
I’m just a character who finds the ever-changing universe amusing. Since I get along well with China’s family, I want to be a reader watching from the best seats.
I only move when something looks interesting or when I need to brush off sparks that might fall on me.
Surely, someone else besides me will genuinely care for China, form a bond with her, and bring her down.
I’ll probably be watching that unfold, popcorn in hand.
โAt that moment, that’s all I could think.
Until the moment I resolved to seriously conquer her โfortressโ using the outer moat I’d meticulously dug and my own view of the universe.
And of course, the fact that the conquest of China-san was already underway without my knowing itโฆ even she herself didn’t know that at this pointโฆ
Maiasa