Chapter Text
Denji couldn't believe his eyes.
"A penguin!"
Nearby visitors glared at him, even positioning their children behind them. Some even left the dimly lit room.
Well, who wouldn't react the same if a high schooler was pressing his entire body against an aquarium glass? It would make one question who truly belonged in an enclosure.
Anyway, Denji couldn't care less ; penguins came first !
"Wow, they look so sleek," he managed to say, steam appearing and disappearing on the glass. "I want to touch!"
Before him behind the glass, was a group of penguins in an enclosure mimicking their natural habitat. None of them were doing much, not even swimming.
"Aw man, this shit boring! Come on, swim or do something!"
He gazed expectantly at the penguins, but nothing changed. They were not listening!
He scanned the group. Next to the blue sky painted wall stood a particularly tall penguin, very tall indeed, with large feet - or whatever they're called for penguins. Denji only knew one thing : it was different from the rest. Excited, he attempted to catch its attention.
"Hey tall penguin! I'm a penguin too, look!"
He proceeded to lie on the visitor bench, on his stomach, and waved his arms and feet around, poorly imitating a sliding penguin. When he got up and checked the specific penguin, his expression soured. It was still staring at the wall.
Having had enough, Denji banged hysterically on the glass. That seemed to catch the fluffy penguin's attention. But just as it turned its head towards Denji, all the penguins' heads turned towards the animal keeper entering the enclosure from the top.
Standing atop the fake ice hill, holding a trap full of struggling fish, the penguins regarded him like a god, which infuriated Denji - he deserved their attention too!
The keeper threw the fish into their awaiting mouths.
"I can't watch this no more," Denji sighed and left the aquarium.
He planned on returning, but he really wanted to grab the penguins' attention, especially the fluffy one. Maybe he would need to go the extra mile.
"I need to get myself into that damn enclosure, for sure."
Walking home, ignoring the few texts he got from Nayuta, he continued reading articles about the types of fish penguins liked.
"That would do!"