Sleepwalking through Paradise · Part One

At six thirty the next morning, the two met at the agreed-upon station right on time.

Yuki Tsukumo wore a plain white cotton maxi dress that day, its loose cut still lending it a distinct structure.

She had tied her usually loose blonde hair into a neat ponytail. A few wisps fell beside her ears, revealing the graceful lines of her pale nape.

Already tall and blessed with striking bone structure, she looked all the more radiant in such a simple outfit, like a lily unfurling in the morning light.

By contrast, Dio's outfit was refined and layered.

He wore a structured, color-blocked white and gray long trench coat over a fitted black vest that precisely outlined his lean waist.

Beneath the vest, one button at the collar of his white shirt was casually undone, lending him a little less formality and a little more ease.

At his waist, a wide reddish-brown belt fastened with a square silver buckle provided a splash of color against the otherwise cool palette, the perfect finishing touch.

He wore tall brown leather boots and fitted, solid-black trousers that followed the contours of his legs perfectly.

Matching leather straps adorned the trouser cuffs, echoing his belt.

The moment they boarded the Shinkansen side by side, they became the carriage's unspoken center of attention.

Their sharply contrasting airs and outstanding looks drew admiring, curious glances from quite a few passengers.

Yuki chose an unreserved seat by the window and sat down with Dio, then lowered her head slightly, her fingertips swiping quickly and intently across her phone screen.

Her expression was serious, as though she were studying some important document, but her screen displayed detailed maps and visitor guides for Tokyo DisneySea and Tokyo Disneyland.

She kept at it for a full thirty minutes.

Finally, she tapped the deep-blue icon representing the sea and looked up at Dio, the light streaming past the train window reflected in her eyes.

"Let's go here first~"

"Sure. Your call." Dio nodded without objection.

And so their first stop was this "sea" full of exotic charm.

From the vintage atmosphere of Mediterranean Harbor to the volcanic wonders of Mysterious Island, then the futuristic feel of Port Discovery, the leisurely charm of American Waterfront, the adventurous atmosphere of Lost River Delta, the exotic allure of Arabian Coast, the dreamlike Mermaid Lagoon, and finally the tranquility of Fantasy Springs...

They visited almost every themed area.

Long queues snaked in front of every popular attraction, the hubbub of voices mingling with cheerful music in a bubbling backdrop of sound.

In the end, both gravitated toward the somewhat deserted aquarium tucked away in a corner.

A faded sign hung over its entrance, though the words "Marine Life Pavilion" were still legible.

Compared with the attractions not far away, filled with screams and laughter, this place was so quiet it seemed forgotten in a crack between moments in time.

Looking at the deserted entrance, Yuki was not disappointed. Instead, she nodded in satisfaction and said:

"This looks good. At least we won't have to queue. I've had enough of standing in line everywhere we go."

"Wait." Dio frowned slightly, leafing through his detailed Tokyo DisneySea guidebook, his fingertip passing over cartoonish attraction icons and maps of the different areas.

"Why... can't I find this 'aquarium' on the map?"

Then he opened both guidebooks at once, one for DisneySea and one for Disneyland, as though conducting some rigorous cross-check.

"Oh, come on, we're already here!" Yuki had already set off eagerly, her voice carrying the excitement of a child embarking on an adventure.

"If it's not on the map, maybe it's some hidden Easter egg, or a 'secret base'? Let's go in and take a look!"

She glanced back and gave Dio a little wink with her left eye. Without waiting for his reply, she turned and stepped lightly through the somewhat dim entrance.

Dio looked at her unhesitating retreating figure, then lowered his head to check the guidebooks carefully once more. There really was no indication of the place.

In the end, he set that small misgiving aside for the time being, put away the guidebooks, and followed her inside.

The moment they entered the aquarium, distinctly cool air carrying a faint saltwater tang gently enveloped them.

Behind them, the entrance, hazy with light, took on an unreal glow like a "gateway to another world" in a Hayao Miyazaki animated film.

Dio scanned his surroundings-no strange rules posted on the walls, no staff in black uniforms, and certainly no white elephants.

This wasn't a zoo, after all. I must have been overthinking it.

A long underwater tunnel surrounded them, deep-blue seawater flowing slowly beyond the glass.

An enormous ray glided leisurely past like a gray flying carpet, its broad pectoral fins spread wide, trailing delicate ripples in its wake.

Yuki reached out, her fingertips loosely tracing the ray's path across the cold glass.

Small handprints left by some unknown child marked the glass.

Her fingers deftly skirted those tiny palm prints.

Dio moved half a step forward to stand beside Yuki, looking in the same direction as her.

A polite distance separated them, yet it was close enough for each to sense the other's warmth.

The lighting in the tunnel was an even, faintly dreamlike pale blue.

The shimmering reflections of the water played over Yuki's intent profile, casting drifting patches of light like fish scales.

"What's that?" she asked, pointing at a blurry black shape moving slowly in the distance.

"Probably a sea turtle," Dio said, looking in the direction she indicated and making out its shape.

"Oh." Yuki watched for a while, then added, "It looks just like you."

Dio turned to look at her.

Yuki's expression seemed perfectly serious, her eyes still fixed on the turtle paddling leisurely along, but the smile at the corner of her mouth betrayed her intentions.

"How so?" he asked, playing along.

"That unhurried way it moves," she said. Then, without waiting for his reply, she turned and headed straight down the tunnel.

Her ponytail swept through the air, leaving a faint trace of fruity, floral shampoo.

"Ah..." Dio paused, standing there for two seconds to savor the teasing remark, then chuckled and followed her.

The aquarium was far larger than they had imagined, and far quieter.

As they moved from the colorful tropical fish section teeming with shoals to the dimly lit cold-water section with its sparse fish, Yuki stopped before every tank, large or small.

Sometimes she watched for a long time, her gaze following a particular fish that went its own way; sometimes she looked for only a few seconds, giving it a cursory glance.

Dio followed behind her, sometimes looking at the fish, sometimes at her.

Yuki suddenly turned, resting her back lightly against a tank displaying various glowing jellyfish.

Colorful, dreamlike light drifted behind her, as though draping her in a flowing, nebula-like veil.

"I'm getting a little bored. Want to take turns telling a story?"

She started them off, her voice carrying a slight echo through the empty tunnel:

"In the deepest part of the sea lived a little blue fish.

"It had scales as brilliant as fragments of the sun, and a nimble tail that seemed woven from moonlight.

"There was little light in its world, so it had to find food by itself and play all alone.

"One day, it made a wish to the moon above the water.

"It wanted to see the true, boundless ocean, to join a lively shoal, to have... a happy, joyful life."

She paused and looked encouragingly at Dio, signaling for him to continue.

Dio considered for a moment, then picked up the story:

"The moon heard its wish and gently granted it.

"The little fish finally found a new shoal, and everyone liked it very much."

"But the sea was a beautiful place, and a dangerous one too.

"A terrifying tsunami came roaring from afar, struck the shoal, and swept everyone apart!

"The little fish was knocked unconscious amid the violent battering...

"When it finally woke, all its familiar companions were gone. Even many of its beautiful scales, which it treasured most, had fallen off."

Dio continued, "But it was all right! Because the little fish was a very strong little fish, and its shoal was a very capable shoal.

"The strong little fish would muster every ounce of courage, break free to confront the shadows left by the disaster, and search for every missing companion.

"There would be moments of danger along the way, and lonely journeys, but in the end, everyone would reunite. They would weather this crisis together, then live together even more happily, cherishing one another all the more."