“Is Ichikawa-san meeting us at the Aquarium?” Markus asked.

“Yes. She said she was going to meet a friend of hers for breakfast first, and she would meet us when we got there.” Akane replied.

“Ah. So you didn’t want to have breakfast, or do you usually get up later than Ichikawa-san?” Markus inquired.

Akane turned bright red. “Well… I was rather nervous about today. The plan was for all of us to have breakfast, but I overslept. I didn’t have nearly enough time to make myself presentable. I apologize,” she said.

Markus laughed to himself. “No apology needed. We can eat something near the Aquarium,” he said, relaxing into the seat as much as he could.

Akane nodded and relaxed a little, herself. Markus was easy for her to talk to, and his Japanese was getting better. She wondered just how much he knew.

“How did you learn Japanese? I’m curious. Yours isn’t bad, but it sounds a little formal and stiff,” she commented.

It was Markus’ turn to blush, now. “Well, I learned by” -he pulled out his phone and brought up his language app folder, which had several Japanese language apps in it- “using these, plus watching various Japanese TV shows with subtitles. It’s almost all I did for three months. Did I do okay?” he asked, showing Akane the folder.

She took his phone, inspecting the various apps. Some weren’t bad, one was complete trash, and thankfully, he didn’t seem to have invested much time into it, and one was a rather good one for most foreigners to use. She nodded to herself. “These are mostly good, Barton-san. You said you watched several shows. Which ones?”

“Um, well… It was, ah… mostly anime,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

Akane got excited and said, “Which ones!? I love those!”

Markus smiled and listed some of his favorites, “Well, let’s see… Wolf’s Rain, Trigun, One Piece, Hajime no Ippo, Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple; but I think my two favorites were Everyday Life with Monster Girls and Fullmetal Alchemist,” he said, coloring at the last two.

Akane looked shocked. Markus worried that he might have offended her, somehow. Just before he opened his mouth to apologize, she cut him off.

“I’ve seen all of those except Wolf’s Rain. Well, most of One Piece. It seems like it will last forever. Was there anything you liked most about Fullmetal?” she asked hopefully.

Markus sighed and smiled. FMA was definitely one of his favorites. “I could talk about that one for days. There was so much in there that just blew me away. In fact…”

They chatted about anime for the rest of the bus ride. Akane smiled inwardly, knowing that Markus was a fan of her favorite show. She was so engrossed in the conversation that they missed their stop, and had to walk the rest of the way to the Aquarium.

“I’m so sorry, Barton-san! I should have been paying closer attention to where we were,” she said, annoyed at herself.

“Bah! Don’t worry about it. Time flies when you’re having a good conversation with the right people. I barely even knew that time had passed. One minute we were at the bus stop by the market, and the next, we were here!” Markus said with a smile.

Akane grinned at him, happy that he felt this way. She shivered in the cold, under her coat. Looking at him, in just a t-shirt and that odd skirt-like garment he wore, she shook her head in wonder.

“How are you not cold, Barton-san? It has to be eight degrees out here!” she exclaimed.

Markus did some dirty math, and look at her quizzically. “Really? It’s not so bad to me. It’s kind of like it is back home. I also tend to be warm all the time. Here,” -he extended his right arm to her- “see how warm my arm is,” he said.

Akane tentatively reached out and placed her cold left hand on the inside of his forearm. “How are you this warm? Are your hands” -she reached out and took his warm, almost hot hand- “this- They are! That’s crazy. I’ve never met someone who was this warm all the time,” she said in amazement.

Markus smiled and covered her small, cold hand in both of his. “I’m almost always like this. At home, I keep a fan running all day, every day. I have to replace it yearly, but it’s worth it for my comfort,” he said, opening his hands, which caused Akane to shiver again.

She quickly stuffed her hands in her pockets, realizing that she had basically held his hand in public. Not for the last time, did her face turn red again. Markus chuckled softly.

In the distance, the Aquarium came into view, and with it, the promise of warmth for Akane. They walked in silence for the rest of the trip, save for the chattering of Akane’s teeth, and were soon at the front doors of the aquarium.

Akane hurried up to the kiosk and paid for her entry. Markus did the same a moment later. Once inside, Akane sighed gratefully in the warm atrium. She pulled out her phone, and began typing. Markus assumed she was texting Ichikawa-san, trying to find her. He pulled out his own phone and noted that it was 9:45.

So how was your trip alone with your ‘Kuma-kun’, kouhai?

HE’S SO WARM! Where are you?

( ᗒᗨᗕ ) We are not far from the atrium, by the turtles.

“This way, Barton-san. Senpai is by the turtles!” Akane said, grabbing his hand and taking off. Markus had no choice but to hurry along after her.

After a moment, they arrived at the location, and Akane waved at Hanako. Markus raised a hand in greeting, smiling all the while. It seemed that he was the only person not wearing a coat.

“Hello, Barton-san! My kouhai says you’re quite warm,” she said mischievously.

“Ichikawa-san!” Akane said, mortified.

Markus laughed and looked at the pair. “Well, she’s right. I am rather warm. Even now, I’m almost uncomfortably warm,” he said with a shrug.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

“Seriously?” asked a man Markus had yet to meet.

“Ah. Barton-san, this is my childhood friend Yamato-kun. Yamato-kun, this is the man I was telling you about,” Hanako said by way of introduction.

Markus gave a bow to the other gentleman. “Pleased to meet you, Yamato-san,”

“Likewise. You weren’t kidding, Ichikawa-chan. He’s a big man,” Yamato-san said, eyeing Markus up and down. “I can see why Ikeda-san likes him so much,” he continued smiling toward Akane, who covered her face in her coat.

Markus smiled warmly at Akane. “We probably shouldn’t tease her too much. Don’t want her running away in embarrassment, do we?” he asked quietly.

Yamato-san and Hanako smiled and laughed softly. “No. I suppose we do not. Ikeda-kun? Would you like to see the jellyfish?” Hanako asked sweetly.

Ikeda nodded from within her coat.

Together, the four of them walked to the jellyfish exhibit. Markus looked around happily. He had always loved the sea and all its myriad inhabitants ever since his aunt had taken him to St. Augustine for a vacation when he was thirteen. They had visited the aquarium there, and he was hooked for life. He smiled, remembering the warmth of the Florida sun, and the squeaking of the white sand under his feet.

As they walked, he happened to catch a glimpse of someone standing near one of the tanks. He was tall, gaunt, well-dressed and appeared sullen. And staring straight at him. When Markus looked back, the man was gone. That eerie feeling of being watched remained, however.

Putting the odd man to the rear of his mind, Markus focused on his companions, trying to catch the conversations that were flowing past him as they walked, almost too fast for him to comprehend.

“...and then I said that she had to be crazy, because no woman in her right mind would ever own a hedgehog. Who wants to cuddle something so prickly and spiny?” Hanako said to Yamato.

“No way! You actually said that to her?” Yamato retorted.

“Of course! It’s insane. Now, rabbits? Rabbits are where it’s at, right Barton-san?” Hanako asked, a grin on her countenance. Akane turned red and her eyes widened.

“Absolutely. I adore rabbits. Always so soft, with the cutest noses and once they trust you, they just open up and let you pet them all over. Some of my favorite animals,” he said with a broad smile.

“Sounds like you like soft and sweet things, Barton-san. I think Ikeda-kun prefers larger animals, though. Right, Ikeda-kun?” Hanako asked her younger friend.

Akane nodded slowly from within her coat, which had just been pulled up around her head, hiding her reddening cheeks. “Y-yeah… I like bears. They always look so warm and strong. Their ears are really cute, too,” she mumbled, almost too quiet to be heard.

Hanako laughed at Akane’s embarrassment and draped an arm around the younger woman’s shoulders. “You are too cute, kouhai. Look, here we are at the jellyfish,”

Akane stood by the glass of the tank, and watched as the translucent creatures lazily bobbed through the water. After a moment, she rested one hand against the glass and sighed. Markus silently stood beside her, a smile on his face.

As they stood there, one of the jellyfish bobbed into the glass, getting stuck for a moment before turning itself towards the bottom of the tank and swimming down into the depths. When Markus looked up, he saw, directly behind him, the warped reflection of the man he had seen earlier in the glass of the tank.

Spinning around abruptly with a short gasp, he saw the area behind him absolutely clear of people. Indeed, there weren’t many people at the aquarium to begin with, so how could someone show up and disappear so quickly?

Akane looked over at Markus, concern evident in her face. “Barton-san? Are you okay? What’s wrong?”

Markus scanned the immediate area as he answered. “Nothing, Ikeda-san. I just thought I saw someone. That’s all,” he replied, giving her his best smile.

Akane looked around, seeing only the four of them. She laid a hand on his arm, giving him a gentle squeeze. “If you’re sure. Is there anything else you want to see?” she asked shyly.

Markus nodded. “Yeah. Is there a hands-on pool? When I went to an Aquarium in the states, there was an area where you could actually touch different creatures,” he said hopefully.

“Oh, you want to be more hands-on here? Go ahead. We don’t mind, do we, Yamato-kun?” Hanako interjected.

Yamato shook his head. “Not at all. We think life should be lived and enjoyed. Go ahead! Hold his hand, Ikeda-kun!” he said.

Akane turned even redder and spun to address the unruly pair. “Would you please stop? I don’t know him well enough to hold his hand, yet. That’s something for when I decide to make it serious, anyway!” she said, then clapped her hands to her mouth as she realized what she said.

Slowly she looked above and behind her, only to see a soft smile playing about Markus’ mouth. “Uh… hi?” she said nervously.

Markus leaned down and whispered into her ear. “Hello, Ikeda-san. Take your time. There is no rush. I’m a patient man, and above all else, I want you to be comfortable around me. We have all the time in the world to become that comfortable and for you to call me your Kuma-kun, should you wish to. I found it very sweet and I truly liked it. So please, take your time and be comfortable with me, okay?”

“O-okay, Barton-san. I…um… Thank you. Ichikawa-san can be mean sometimes. I’m glad you understand,” she whispered gratefully in return.

Markus looked up at the unruly duo. “You know just how to push her buttons, don’t you, Ichikawa-san?” he said with a smile.

“Of course! I’ve known and loved her since she was a tiny brat. She has done the same to me these past two days over your silver-tongued friend. A little payback, is all. Speaking of whom, where is he and his brother, the okama?” Hanako replied.

Markus’ face turned stormy. “I’ll thank you for not using that word to refer to him. He is simply gay.” He sighed, closing his eyes as he calmed himself. “Anyway, they are both visiting their mother in Okinawa,” he said more cordially.

“A pity. Yamato-kun here was hoping to meet him. And okama is just what he is, isn’t he?” she asked in confusion.

Markus pinched the bridge of his nose and explained the situation. Hanako and Yamato-san nodded thoughtfully throughout.

“I see. I do apologize for causing offense. I’ll try to change what I say and think in the future,” Hanako said.

“And me. I’ve just always been called ‘okama’, so I thought it was normal. Gay sounds like more of a point of pride, anyhow. Thank you, Barton-san,” Yamato-san added.

“Offense wasn’t the intent, so I can be okay with it. I’ve a lot of gay friends in the states, is all. I care for them deeply. That’s why I get so bothered by it,” Markus replied sheepishly.

Akane watched the exchange with clear admiration. That was likely the first time she had ever seen anyone not back down from Ichikawa-san before. And that he had done it politely, to boot! “This way, Barton-san. The open pool is over here,” she said, taking his arm and leading him from the pair.

Hanako and Yamato-san stared after them. “It’s working, Yamato-kun. She would never have been so bold a year ago,” Hanako said softly.

“I agree. I’m so glad this man came into her life. Let’s not keep them waiting, yeah?” he replied.

Hanako smiled, taking Yamato-san by the arm the same way Akane had Markus, and the pair followed them.