第68話 カップル?
「ペンギンさん、とても可愛かったですね」
「でも、口の中はめちゃくちゃ怖かったな」
「ギャップがあっていいじゃないですか」
「いやいや、普通に怖いだろ」
「怖くないです、可愛いです」
ペンギンコーナーで癒された後、朝陽と冬華は数分前を振り返って会話を弾ませた。
「怖い」
「可愛い」
「何ですかそれ」
「なるほど......でもやっぱり可愛いです」
ペンギンの全てを可愛いと主張する冬華は頑として譲らない姿勢だ。
仕方なく朝陽が折れると、満足そうに笑顔を浮かべる。
そうして覗く白い歯は綺麗に並び、こちらは文句なしで可愛いものだった。
ペンギンも見習ってほしい。
そんな意味の分からない感想が朝陽の頭を過る。
「毛並みがふさふさのペンギンさん、お魚への食い付きが凄かったですね」
「あれは千昭っぽかったな。ガツガツいくタイプ」
「では、はしゃぎまわってた小さい子は相葉さんですね」
「間違いない。氷の上で転んでたあたり完璧だ」
他にも暫く話題は尽きず、
腹滑りを初めて見ただとか。
よちよち歩きが可愛らしいだとか。
やっぱり泳ぐのが早いだとか。
そうした話で一通り盛り上がって......沈黙が訪れる。
愛らしいペンギンや弾む会話に意識が向いている間は良かったが、静寂の中ではどうしても一点に集中してしまう。
すなわちそれは、二人を繋ぐ手と手の温もり。
迷子防止の為――そう頭では冷静に分かっていても、身体は否応もなく熱くなる。
(やべえ、汗かいてきた......気持ち悪がられないかこれ......)
軽く触れ合う手のひらを意識すればするほど沼にハマっていく。
そう、二人の思考が重なった時だった。
「一階、屋外スペースにて、イルカショーが間もなく始まります」
優雅で優美な空間に、館内アナウンスが静かに響く。
これだ、と朝陽が思い至る前に。
「朝陽くん、見に行きましょう!」
目をキラキラと輝かせ、急にテンションが高くなった少女の声が届いた。
「混んでますね......」
「そうだな......空いてる席が見当たらん」
千昭からイルカショーは目玉のイベントで人気があるとは聞いていたが、まさかここまでとは思わなかった。
春休みとあって、用意された席は家族連れや恋人で埋め尽くされ、チラホラと見られる空席は一人分しかない。
色々なことが起こり、ショーの存在が抜け落ちていた為、始まるギリギリで駆け付けたのも一つの要因だろう。
「......立って見るか」
「そうしましょう。ここからでも普通に見えますしね」
座れないなら、立つしかない。
当たり前で仕方のない選択だが、やはり座れるに越したことはない。
ここまで歩きっぱなしである事もあって、男で体力のある朝陽はともかく、冬華のような華奢でか細い女性にとってはそろそろ休憩を挟みたい時間だ。
どうにかして、席を確保できないか。
そう考えていた朝陽の肩に、軽く手が触れる。
驚いて振り返ると、そこにはスタッフの制服を着た女性が立っていた。
「お客様、どうぞこちらへ」
案内されるがままスタッフの背中を追うと、一番前の席が丁度二つ分空いている。
「ショーの間、水飛沫が飛んできますので、こちらのレインコートを着用ください」
「あ、ありがとうございます」
「ありがとうございます、助かりました」
席だけではなく、レインコートまで用意をしてくれたスタッフに二人でお礼を言う。
対する女性のスタッフは、素晴らしい笑顔で口を開いた。
「どういたしまして。カップルさんは是非、特等席でお楽しみください」
きょとん、とする朝陽と冬華を見て、女性スタッフはニコリと笑みを崩さない。
「カップルさんは是非、特等席でお楽しみくださいと」
「あっ、いえ、聞こえてはいるんですけど......」
「俺たち、カップルじゃなくて普通に友達です」
誤解を解くために朝陽が事実を伝えると、今度は女性スタッフがきょとん、と目を丸くした。
ついでに言えば、何故か冬華は少しだけ残念そうな顔をしている。
「し、失礼しました......その、手を繋がれているので勘違いを......」
「それでは、ショーをお楽しみください」
丁寧に頭を下げたスタッフさんが、そそくさと持ち場に戻っていく。
残された朝陽と冬華は二人して顔を赤くしていた。
「......レインコート着ようぜ」
「そ、そうですね......」
スタッフから渡されたビニール製のレインコートに袖を通し、水飛沫の対策を行う。
当然、その間は二人の手が離れ離れに。
(傍から見て、カップルに見えるのか......)
男女が手を繋いで水族館に来ていたら、それはもちろん恋人関係だと誰でも思うだろう。
それでも勘違いされた事実がとても嬉しくて、まだ手のひらに残る温もりを朝陽は名残惜しく思った。
イルカショーを見ている間は動かないので、迷子防止に手を繋ぐ必要がない。
フリーになった右手の行き場は虚しく膝の上に落ち着いた。
「それではこれより、イルカショーを始めたいと思います!」
ステージの中央に登場した元気なお姉さんが両手を上げて、笛を吹く。
そして早速、可愛らしいイルカたちが水の内外で呼応した。
舞って、踊って、時々歌う。
その華麗な美しい光景を見ているうちに、右手にほのかな熱と柔らかな感触が加わった。
それらの正体が、冬華の小さな手のひらだと理解するより早く。
イルカの歌声に負けず劣らず透き通った声が届いた。
何が一応なのか、朝陽の茹で上がった頭では問い質す余裕がない。
今はただ、再び繋がれた手に意識が注がれる。
「それでは、イルカちゃーん! みんなでせーのっ! 大ジャーンプっ!」
観客の目には種族の壁を超えた、最高のショータイムが映っていることだろう。
満面の笑みを浮かべたスタッフの呼びかけに応じ、楽しそうなイルカたちが天高く飛び上がる。
ばっしゃーんと盛大な水飛沫が跳ね上がり、観客は歓声を上げて身を守った。
一方、最前列の朝陽と冬華はと言うと。
重なる手のひらに五感が奪われ、何の準備もしていなかった。
時すでに遅しとはまさにこの事。
二人が目の前に迫る大量の水を確認した瞬間。
レインコートを飲み込む勢いで、滝のような水飛沫が二人を襲った。
Ch 68
"The penguins were so cute."
"But the inside of their mouth was pretty scary."
"Isn't it nice to have a bit of gap?"
"No, no, no. That's just plain scary."
"It's not scary. It's cute."
After being soothed at the penguin corner, Asahi and Fuyuka looked back at the past few minutes and struck up a conversation.
"Scary."
"Cute."
"What do you mean?"
"I see... But it's still cute."
Fuyuka, who insisted that all penguins were cute, was adamant in her stance.
Asahi gave in, but he smiled in satisfaction.
The white teeth that peeked out from her smile were nicely aligned and cute.
'I wish penguins would learn from this.'
Such an incomprehensible thought passed through his mind.
"The penguin with the fluffy fur biting the fish very hard was pretty amazing."
"Like Chiaki. He's the type to bite with all his strength."
"So, the little one who was frolicking around should be Aiba-san, right?"
"No doubt about it. The way it fell on the ice, it was perfect."
The conversation continued for a while like,
She had never seen a penguin belly-slide before.
She heard that their waddling was adorable.
She heard that they were fast swimmers after all.
After all that talk...silence fell.
It was fine as he was focused on the adorable penguins and the conversation, but when silence descended, he couldn't help but focus on one thing.
That one thing was the warmth he felt from holding hands.
Asahi knew that this was only to prevent them from getting seperated, however he couldn't help but become conscious about it.
'C**p, I'm sweating...does she think it's disgusting?'
The more he became aware of their palms lightly touching each other, the more swamped he became.
Their thoughts overlapped.
[The dolphin show will start soon in the outdoor space area on the first floor.] 
The announcement echoed quietly in the elegant and graceful space.
Before Asahi could think of anything else, he realized that this was it.
"Let's go see it, Asahi-kun!"
A girl's voice arrived with her eyes sparkling and her tension suddenly high.
"It's crowded..."
"Yeah... I don't see any empty seats."
Asahi had heard from Chiaki that the dolphin show was a highlight of the event and very popular, but he didn't expect it to be this big.
As it was spring break, the seats available were filled with families and lovers, and the few empty seats he could see were only for one person.
A lot of things happened and the show had slipped out of his mind.
"...I guess we'll just have to stand and watch."
"Let's do that. We can see it from here just fine."
If you couldn't sit, you had to stand.
It was an obvious and unavoidable choice, but it was still good to be able to sit down.
Asahi was one thing, but a thin and slender girl like Fuyuka might be tired from all the walking.
'Is there any way we can get a seat?'
As he was thinking about this, a hand lightly touched his shoulder.
Surprised, he turned around and saw a woman in a staff uniform standing there.
"Sir, please come this way."
Asahi followed the back of the staff as they led him to the front, where there were exactly two seats available.
"Please wear this raincoat during the show as there will be water splashes."
"Ah, thank you very much."
"Thank you, it was very helpful."
They both thanked the staff for not only providing them with seats, but also raincoats.
The female staff member, on the other hand, opened her mouth with a wonderful smile.
"You're welcome. Couples are welcome to enjoy the special seats."
The female staff looked at both of them, who were puzzled, and kept smiling.
"Couples are welcome to enjoy the special seats."
"Oh, no, I can hear you, but..."
"We're not a couple, we're just friends."
When Asahi told her the truth to clear up the misunderstanding, the female staff member looked very puzzled.
On a side note, for some reason Fuyuka looked a little disappointed.
"E-excuse me...you're holding hands and so I mistakenly..."
"Well then, please enjoy the show."
The staff member bowed politely and returned to her post.
Asahi and Fuyuka, who were left behind, were both blushing.
"...Let's put our raincoats on."
"R-right..."
They sleeved up the plastic raincoats given to them by the staff to protect themselves from water splashes.
Naturally, during this time, their hands were separated.
'From the side, do we look like a couple...?'
If a man and a woman were to come to an aquarium holding hands, everyone would think that they were lovers, of course.
Still, the fact that they misunderstood made him very happy, and Asahi regretted leaving the warmth that still lingered in his palm.
They didn't have to hold hands to prevent them from getting lost because they were not moving while watching the dolphin show.
His free right hand settled on the knee in vain.
"In which case, we would like to start the dolphin show!"
An energetic young lady appeared in the center of the stage, raised her hands, and blew her whistle.
And immediately, the lovely dolphins responded in and out of the water.
There were swirls, dance, and sometimes singing.
As he watched the gorgeous and beautiful scene, he felt a hint of heat and softness in his right hand.
It wasn't long before he realized that they were the palms of Fuyuka's tiny hands.
The voice arrived, as clear as the voice singing.
Asahi's boiling head didn't have time to ask what she meant.
For now, he focused on their reconnected hands.
"Well then, Iruka-chan~! Everyone, count to three! Big jump~!"
In the eyes of the audience, they were observing the best showtime, transcending the barriers of race.
The joyful dolphins jumped high into the sky in response to the call of the staff with big smiles on their faces.
There was a huge splash of water, and the crowd cheered and defended themselves.
Meanwhile, Asahi and Fuyuka who were in the front row.
The overlapping palms robbed them of their senses, and they were not prepared.
It was already too late.
The moment the two of them saw the large amount of water looming in front of them.
A waterfall-like splash hit them, swallowing their raincoats.
How To Melt the Ice Lady
【コミカライズ連載中】氷の令嬢の溶かし方　～クールで素っ気ないお隣さんがデレるとめちゃくちゃ可愛い件～
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/how-to-melt-the-ice-lady/
Comedy Romance School Life Slice of Life
Adapted to Manga Beautiful Female Lead Caring Protagonist Cooking Cute Story Famous Parents Kind Love Interests Kuudere Male Protagonist Modern Day Popular Love Interests
https://ncode.syosetu.com/n2567fv/
高峰 翔