Kaguya put her phone down, her face a mask of calm that barely concealed her inner turmoil. "Ai, we're going to the zoo to see the pandas."
Ai glanced at Kaguya's phone screen, quickly grasping the situation. "I'll have the driver prepare the car," she said, turning to leave the room.
As she walked out, Ai bit down hard on her lollipop, shattering it between her teeth. Just two days ago, Kaguya had vanished from the villa without a trace. As her personal maid, Ai felt this was an inexcusable lapse in her duties.
"Natsuki," Ai thought to herself, her eyes narrowing. "I need to investigate that boy thoroughly, inside and out."
......…
Meanwhile, at the zoo...
Natsuki felt a sudden chill run down his spine. He looked around, confused by the sensation.
"What's wrong?" Umi asked, noticing his discomfort.
"Nothing," Natsuki replied, shaking off the feeling. "Just thought I felt something weird for a second."
Umi shrugged and went back to taking selfies with the others. Natsuki found himself glancing at his phone, wondering if he should message Kaguya. He'd been meaning to, but wasn't sure how to start the conversation.
Little did he know, Kaguya was already on her way, her thoughts a whirlwind of emotions she wasn't quite ready to confront.
As their car sped towards the zoo, Kaguya stared out the window, her reflection betraying a mix of anticipation and anxiety. Ai watched her carefully, wondering just how this unexpected zoo trip would unfold.
Half an hour later, at the zoo entrance, Kaguya received an unexpected notification on her phone.
[Congratulations! You've discovered the large-scale dungeon 'Zoo Tales']
[This quest is about to begin. Please prepare yourself]
"Huh?" Kaguya paused, surprised.
It had only been a few days since she left Snowstorm Villa, and here she was, stumbling upon another dungeon. And not just any dungeon - a 'large-scale' one she'd never encountered before. She suddenly recalled the horoscope app she'd checked that morning: Today is not a good day to go out.
"What's wrong?" Ai asked, noticing Kaguya's hesitation.
"It's nothing," Kaguya replied, her face a mask of calm. "Let's go see the pandas."
As they entered the zoo, Kaguya found herself overwhelmed by the bustling crowd. How was she supposed to find Natsuki in this sea of people?
"Natsuki is at the monkey house," Ai said, as if reading Kaguya's mind. "You can head there directly."
"How do you know?" Kaguya asked, surprised.
Ai casually waved her phone. "Umi and I are classmates. It's normal for me to know her whereabouts, right?"
Kaguya remained silent, unsure how to respond.
......…..
Meanwhile, at the monkey house...
"I know those! They're gibbons," Umi exclaimed, gripping the railing. "Look at those long arms - definitely gibbons."
"Monkeys are monkeys, and apes are apes," Natsuki corrected her. "They're not the same creature at all."
"Eh?" Hana looked over, surprised. "They're not the same? But they look so similar. I always thought monkeys were apes."
Natsuki sighed internally. The difference was so huge to him, it was hard to believe others couldn't see it.
"Monkeys have tails, but apes don't," Miko chimed in, explaining the distinction.
"Wow, Miko, you're so smart!" her friend exclaimed.
Miko shook her head. "It's just common knowledge..."
"This reminds me of Luffy, the Pirate King," Umi said, snapping photos with her phone. "The inspiration for Luffy's rubber fruit must have been these gibbons, right?"
"Actually, it wasn't," Natsuki replied, adjusting his glasses. "The rubber fruit was clearly inspired by Reed Richards from the Fantastic Four, who can stretch any part of his body like rubber."
He continued, "The first Fantastic Four comic came out in 1961, before Oda was even born. You could say he grew up reading about the Fantastic Four!"
As the group continued their lively discussion, they remained unaware of Kaguya's impending arrival, setting the stage for an unexpected encounter at the zoo.
Natsuki went on, "Let's not talk about the Rubber Fruit anymore."
"Why not?" Umi asked, curious.
"In yesterday's latest episode, the Rubber Fruit awakened. It's now the Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Type, Model: Nika."
"That's amazing!" Umi exclaimed, her eyes sparkling. "I haven't read the latest chapter yet. I'll buy it as soon as we're done at the zoo!"
"I want to read it too," Hana chimed in, turning to her best friend. "Luffy's fruit finally awakened. Miko, want to go buy comics together?"
Miko turned away slightly. "...I've already seen it."
Hana blinked, quickly putting two and two together. "The comics you read at Natsuki's place?"
"Mm," Miko nodded, remembering how they'd watched the latest episodes side by side.
As the group moved on from the monkey house, the midday sun began to beat down, raising the temperature in the zoo.
Feeling thirsty, Natsuki offered, "I'll go grab some drinks. What does everyone want?"
After taking their orders, Natsuki left the others in line and went off in search of a vending machine. Just as he finished buying the drinks, he felt an eerily familiar gaze fall upon him.
Looking up, he spotted a girl in a black dress standing nearby. Her hair was tied with a red ribbon, forming a large bow at the back of her head. Her beauty was such that nearby tourists couldn't help but stare.
"Kaguya?" Natsuki said, surprised.
Kaguya's eyes darted away for a moment, realizing Ai had vanished, leaving her alone. She'd planned to observe secretly, but was caught right away. Her luck today really was terrible!
Too late to hide. Stay calm. Don't panic.
Taking a deep breath, Kaguya collected herself and approached Natsuki with a casual air. "Natsuki, what brings you to the zoo?"
By asking first, she hoped to gain the upper hand in the conversation.
"Miko's younger brother Kyousuke wanted to come, and I had nothing else to do, so I tagged along," Natsuki replied honestly, not a hint of guilt in his voice.
"I heard there were pandas, so I came to see them," Kaguya said briefly before changing the subject. "When I entered the zoo, I got a game notification about 'Zoo Ghost Talk.' Did you get it too?"
"Yeah, I did," Natsuki nodded. "Not sure when it'll start exactly. We'll have to wait and see... Are you here alone?"
"Mm," Kaguya nodded.
"Want to join us then?"
"Sure," Kaguya agreed, her heart racing despite her outward calm.
As they began walking back to the others, both Natsuki and Kaguya found themselves wondering how this unexpected meeting might change the course of their zoo adventure.