Chapter Text
“Gotoh-san? Are you…okay?”
Kita stared at the panting Bocchi, her hands on her knees as she tried her best not to fall over. Her skin had turned pale from the ten minute run she did to get here from the train station, and sweat was dripping down her hair like a waterfall. She looked like she was about to get a heat stroke. Trying her best to act normal, she tilted her head upwards as she attempted to catch her breath.
“I’m…pant ...fine. I just…didn’t want to be late…pant…”
Bocchi stuttered, her words occasionally breaking through the barrage of panting. She’d rather die than embarrass herself, huh? Kita felt an odd sense of respect for her loyalty, although she had to admit it was her guilty pleasure to watch her go to such great lengths.
“There, there…I know you live far away, Gotoh-san, it’s okay. Sunny day today, hm?”
She glanced at the sky, covering her eyes with her hand. It was an especially sunny day today, and she could barely catch a glimpse of the clouds before the rays of the burning sun almost blinded her.
It wasn’t much of a problem, though. Kita liked the sun. Because despite having to endure the tortuous heat it brought with it, she liked the feeling of warmth, graciously glistening across every inch of her body. It was like a lighthouse for her, a star that guided her towards her dreams.
“Y-yeah…it is. I feel like I'm going to faint under this temperature…”
Bocchi muttered, as she tried her best to balance herself. She grabbed onto Kita’s shoulder before pulling herself up. After a few minutes of calming herself down, she stared at the structure in front of them.
“Ah…s-so, this is where you wanted to take me?”
“Mmhm! This aquarium just opened up, and I figured we might as well take a look at it! I’ve seen a ton of ads for it on social media.”
Despite being bandmates for so long, Kita has never really hung out with Bocchi alone. Most of the time, they were accompanied by either Nijika or Ryo, and while she has been having one-on -one guitar lessons with her, she has never taken her out to visit a place like this.
Bocchi shuddered a bit at the thought. Going to a packed venue with even more people compared to usual with her friend was basically peak extrovert activity. She wanted to move away from her social anxiety, sure, but she felt like she wasn’t ready for this stage yet.
“Don’t look so down, Gotoh-san. There’s air conditioning inside.”
“Oh…then, let’s go in, Kita-san!”
She instantly 180’d and pointed excitedly towards the entrance. Kita observes with a soft smile, as she accompanies her friend towards the door. A massive manta ray model loomed above them as they entered the lobby, the air-conditioned winds instantly giving the two of them a feeling of relaxation, as they felt their sweat and heat evaporate into the air. It was hard to deny such a reprieve from the sauna that was the outdoor weather.
Kita tried her best to get Bocchi to loosen up, as she paid for both of their tickets. They walked down a glass hallway as they entered the first area of the aquarium. Different fishes and sharks swam below them as the two walked, with schools of fish dancing along.
“Come on, Gotoh-san! Have you ever been to an aquarium before? It’s a lot of fun, you know?”
“A-ah, uhm…maybe once or twice. I’ve been to one on a school tour back in primary school…i-i remember getting lost and being too scared to ask for directions…so I hid in the bathroom for the entire time…and then I never went to another aquarium ever again…”
She mumbled, recollecting her traumatic experience. Kita awkwardly laughed as she patted her on the back. Bocchi always had these weird stories from being a socially anxious introvert.
“Ahaha…uhm, well, no worries, Gotoh-san! I’ll make sure to keep an extra eye on you today then! And I’m sure we can wash down all of your trauma with the fun we’ll have!”
Bocchi had to shield her eyes from the optimism Kita was spreading with her aura. Truly, the blinding light of an extrovert was akin to the shining sun outside.
“Really…I’ll make sure of it, okay? I’m sure we’ll see many wonderful things together.”
Kita grabbed her hand, as she tried her best to genuinely encourage her. All it took was the feeling of her timid yet confident hand and her overly optimistic yet genuine words to lighten her up, and Bocchi felt a wave of enthusiasm rush through her body.
She replied with a simple nod, but deep down, she felt like the fishes that swam besides her. Fast, excited, and eager to dive deeper.