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"Chu two are keeping your eyes cwosed, wiiiight?"
Hinata hears Usami stop, turning to face him. He grits his teeth. He'd roll his eyes if they weren't closed.
"Yeah. Are you gonna explain what the hell you're doing with us, yet?" he replies.
"Language!" she scolds. "And we're awmost there, I pinky pwomise!"
"You don't even have pinkies."
"Oh. Um…" Hinata resists the urge to smirk as he hears the rabbit fumble her words, "Uhhh…I…I pawsie pwomise!"
"That's stupid."
"Be nice to your teacher, Hinata-kun!" she huffs at him. "Anyway, I pwomise you're gonna wuv what I show chu!"
"Am I really…" Hinata mutters, squeezing Komaeda's hand. He hears Komaeda chuckle next to him, then the light pressure of his hand being squeezed in return. Though he isn't entirely sure of his surroundings anymore, he can at least be sure that Komaeda is next to him. For now, that'll do.
"Do you think we'll actually like what she's got planned?" Hinata whispers to Komaeda. "I mean, it's not like we can trust her."
"Eh…" Hinata hears the shrug in Komaeda's words. "It's not like she's done anything to hurt us. If anything, without her, we'd probably be in much worse shape. Dehydrated, starving…maybe even dead."
"I-I don't think we'd be in that bad of shape."
"Hm. Who's to say?"
Hinata's brows furrow as his eyes squeeze tighter shut. "Yet again, you're way too easygoing about this."
"Haha…so you've said…"
"We're here!" Usami speaks over them both. "Chu can open your eyes now!"
"Finally." Hinata opens his eyes, being greeted by…a building. In all honesty, it was a pretty plain-looking building: white walls, big windows, decent size. However, it's a pretty shocking sight when, just yesterday, this building did not exist. The realization makes Hinata jump. "Ah! What the hell is this?!"
"Suwpwise!" Usami puts both arms up. "It's an aquawium!"
"An aquarium?" Komaeda repeats, then looks around. "On…the third island?"
"Wait, we're on the third island?" Hinata looks around, and in the distance, he can see the hospital loom. He didn't even realize they had been walking this far. His gaze snaps back to Usami. "But, I don't remember this ever being here." His eyes focus back on the building. Undeniably, the exterior is spotless. Even the windows lack a smudge. "Did you…build this? How did you do that? This would've taken longer than a night. Not to mention all the materials…"
Just as his vision starts to swim, he hears Komaeda say, "Ah, well…this is a pretty secluded spot on a pretty big island. We could've just missed it."
He's pretty sure he's been in this area before, and there hasn't been any sign of construction. No roars of machines, no clanking of metal, no humming of drills or saws—nothing. But, he clings on to the semblance of logic Komaeda offers, saying, "Yeah. You're…you're probably right." Besides, it's not like he goes to the third island often, anyway. He could've just walked right by it. He nods to himself, his heartrate becoming even.
"Do chu wike it?" Usami pipes up, her paws on her sides and her chest puffed out. "I wemember chu saying to Tanaka-kun and Komaeda-kun that chu took care of a crab in school, and chu once said to Komaeda-kun that chu like many kinds of sea cweatures! I thought this would be perfect!"
"I…do like crabs and fish and stuff," Hinata starts to respond, then stops, squinting. "Hey, wait…how do you know that? I never told you that."
"A good teacher always keeps an eye on her students!"
"A better teacher doesn't stalk them!"
"Ah, Hinata-kun?" Komaeda speaks up. When Hinata looks at him, he continues, "Maybe we shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth."
"….what the fuck are you talking about?"
"Language!" Usami glares at Hinata, who doesn't even spare her a glance.
Komaeda touches his own face, laughing sheepishly. "Ah, sorry, Hinata-kun…it's an expression. Of course someone like me would use an expression you've never heard of…" He shakes his head. "What I mean to say is, uh…maybe we shouldn't question this so much. It's a pretty wonderful gift from Usami, don't you think? Maybe we should just…make the most of it."
"Plus, as a special bonus fow the happy couple, chu both get a free trip ticket to come here!" Usami adds on, and Komaeda smiles at Hinata. As usual, he feels his knees go a little weak in response.
"See? Besides, it's not like you should be too surprised that Usami knows these things…there are cameras everywhere." Raising his free hand, Komaeda waves around the island.
"That—" Hinata's voice cracks, "that doesn't mean it's okay."
"Well, what can we do about it?"
Hinata's next exhale is a sigh that makes his entire body slouch for a moment. It's times like these that he suddenly remembers he's not on a stress-free, tropical getaway, and is instead an amnesiac hostage in a cozy prison. But, Komaeda's right: what can he do about it? Damn it.
"…I guess," he concedes. "So…is it…open, or whatever?"
"Yep, yep!" The bunny nods. "Chu can go in whenever chu like! Have fun!"
"We will," Komaeda's quick to assure with a smile. Unlike the one he usually directs to Hinata, though, it's vapid. "Thanks, Usami."
Once she leaves, Hinata immediately feels a weight disappear off of his back. He sighs again.
"Um…all things considered," Komaeda starts, "an aquarium isn't too bad of a place to hang out, right? Everything's in tanks, so it's unlikely for it to jump out and get you. It's also pretty calm and quiet…really, uh, the only risk is if you fall into one of the tanks and it breaks."
"The tanks are usually built to pretty durable," he's quick to assure.
"Knowing my luck, I'm, uh, not sure it'll be enough, haha." Komaeda touches his face thoughtfully. "Ah, also, if you hit your head on the tank, that'd be pretty bad too…"
"Well, then…I'll just keep you from falling." Saying this, Hinata momentarily lets go of the other's hand. Then, he links their arms together, grabbing his hand again. "See? If you fall toward the tank, I can pull you away."
Hinata delights in the way that Komaeda's cheeks flush pink, and how his eyes go wide as the gears in his head start to turn faster. There's always a moment after Hinata does something like this where Komaeda inches away, and Hinata almost regrets doing it. Then, he melts into the contact, and he grins so wide that it makes his eyes crinkle. Even if Usami's watching them do this through her creepy cameras, Hinata would never even think about giving it up. "So…to the aquarium?" he prompts.
"U-Um. Yeah." Komaeda quickly nods. "Let's go."
With their arms still interlocked, Hinata makes his way inside. It's a bit harder to do so with Komaeda so close, but if it soothes him, then it's worth it. He winces as he's seemingly plunged into darkness, his eyes rapidly blinking as they adjust to the sudden change in lighting. When he's able to open his eyes again, he's greeted by deep blue interior. Tanks line the walls, various sea creatures swimming and bobbing about. When he glances at Komaeda, he sees caustics from the water wavering over him. It makes Hinata almost feel like he's underwater.
"This place is pretty cool, right?" he remarks to Komaeda.
"Oh, I agree," Komaeda replies. "The lighting in places like these is always beautiful…not to mention, there's a lot you can learn in aquariums." As he speaks, he walks forward, pulling Hinata with him. They walk along the path, and as Hinata looks down, he sees various fish printed on the rug. "Hey, isn't it kind of exhiliarating to know that we've only discovered a fraction of what the ocean has to offer us? Like, who knows what else could be lurking down there?"
"Exhiliarting is…one word for it." Hinata glanced at one of the tanks full of surgeonfish. "A lot of people would say it's scary."
"Is that not the same thing? Not knowing what creatures lurk deep in the water…not knowing how your day is going to go…" With one arm occupied, Komaeda's only able to wrap one around himself. "Ah…! It's so terrifying, it's exciting!"
"I…guess so. I guess it's why people watch scary movies, or go in haunted houses," Hinata surmises. "Personally, I just like to focus on what's here, like these guys." He jabs his thumb in the direction of a another tank. Various tuna fish swim around.
"Ah…wise words, Hinata-kun!" Though Hinata couldn't tell if Komaeda was joking or not, he blushes anyway.
"Y-Yeah…uh, anyway, do you have a favorite fish, Komaeda?"
"A favorite?" Komaeda repeats, then giggles. "Haha, no one's ever even asked me what my favorite animal is…it's hard to fathom you'd want the opinions of such worthless garbage like me."
Hinata deadpans. "Well, I do. So, tell me."
"Ahaha, how forward…um," he pauses, tilts his head a bit while touching his chin, "while technically not a fish, I do like sea stars."
"Sea stars?" Hinata leans back a bit as he takes that in. "…you know, I think that makes sense for you."
"Oh, really? How so?"
"Well…they're pretty resilient creatures. In that way, you two are similar."
As the statement leaves Hinata's mouth, Komaeda starts to laugh. It makes his face burn as he averts his gaze, looking at the most interesting tank of tangs in the world. "H-Hey…what's so funny?" he grumbles.
"Oh, please don't be mistaken, Hinata-kun!" he starts, his laughter tapering off. "I'm not laughing at you. It's more, uh, the idea of someone like me being compared to a sea star. I'm nowhere near as resilient as them! Honestly, it's an insult to compare such magnificent beings to an insignificant piece of garbage like me!" He shakes his head, chuckling. "It'd be more accurate to say I'm a shred of plastic floating in the ocean, ruining the water and choking out the local life."
Hinata couldn't frown any deeper if he tried. "Don't say that. That's not true at all."
"You're very kind, Hinata-kun, but—"
"I mean it," he cuts him off, his grip on his hand unconsciously tightening. "I just…you're not that bad. I mean," he looks down at the ground, his voice getting a bit quieter, "do you really think I'd wanna date someone as bad as you describe?"
That gets Komaeda to stop. "Ah, well, uh," he stammers, smile wavering, "n-no! Of course not. Hinata-kun has wonderful judgement, it's just, well…" He trails off into a sigh. "Oh, nevermind. Let's change the topic. I'd like to know what Hinata-kun's favorite sea creature is."
For now, Hinata accepts the pivot. He raises an eyebrow. "Are we broadening the scope, now?"
"Well, if your favorite is a fish, then you can just say that. But, if your favorite isn't, I don't want you to feel like you have to stifle your answer," Komaeda explains. Hinata almost wants to laugh. It really isn't that deep…
"Okay. Well…I do really like a lot of fish—sharks are pretty cool, but if I had to pick one creature above the others…" Hinata trails off as he takes in his surroundings. During the course of their conversation, they had been walking aimlessly, following the fishy rug to who knows where. Now, though, his eyes lock on to a tank filled with beady eyes, little claws, and round shells. A "holy shit!" explodes out of him as he runs to the tank, yanking Komaeda along with him.
"A-Ah—what is it, Hinata-kun?!"
"They have my favorite animal!" Hinata skids to a stop, pointing at one of the hermit crabs crawling along the bottom of the tank. "Look!"
"Oh, um…" Komaeda unlinks himself from Hinata to put both hands on his own thighs, leaning forward as he does so. Hinata successfully bites back a disappointed sigh. "They're…crabs, right? Hermit crabs specifically?"
"Yeah! I also like horseshoe crabs—although, they technically aren't actually crabs."
"That's kind of misleading, isn't it?"
"A lot of animal names are like that. For example, some people call sea stars starfish, even though they aren't actually fish. Sometimes, they aren't even shaped like stars." Hinata shrugs. "I guess someone comes up with a name that fits at the time, and it just sticks even when we find out it's not technically correct." He focuses back on the hermit crabs, unconsciously smiling. "Anyway, I know these guys look kinda stupid, but I can't help but also think they look cute. Maybe it's because I took care of one in school, and I got a bit attached…they're also really cool, too. They're more crabs than horseshoe crabs, but even these ones aren't true crabs—"
Suddenly, Hinata hears a voice in the back of his head. Someone like you really shouldn't be this interested in fish. Wouldn't you rather learn to cook them? His jaw audibly clacks shut, cheeks going a bit red. With the motion, his flame is stamped out. "Uh, so…yeah. They're kind of cool."
When he looks back at Komaeda, he notices the other's looking right at him with big, shining eyes. It's the same look he gets when they're exploring a new island, or when he's at a particularly interesting spot in a book. It makes Hinata's face burn. There's no way Komaeda could be thinking of him as that intriguing, though. Being around the other and his poor self-esteem is turning him conceited.
"…well?" The quiet prompt breaks through his thoughts.
Hinata raises an eyebrow. "Well…what?"
"Well, why aren't they considered "true crabs"?" Komaeda raises his hands, doing air quotes with his fingers as he speaks. "I'd like you to finish that explanation."
The words are an arrow right through Hinata's chest. "O-Oh. Really?"
As he stands up straight, Komaeda's smile grows, albeit lopsided. "Um…yeah? To be honest, I don't get to hear you passionate about many things, and…I like hearing you be this excited." He crosses his arms. "Plus, um, you're always listening to me talk, and the things I talk about aren't even as half as interesting as what you have to say. The least I can do for subjecting you to my useless rambling is listen in return!"
"I don't think it's useless," a counter is grumbled. Regardless, the words swim around Hinata's mind. "…but, thanks."
"No need to thank me." Komaeda waves a hand dismissively. "So, anyway, about the crabs…?"
"Right. So…hermit crabs are still considered crustaceans, but they aren't true crabs because they can't grow their own shells, and their exoskeleton isn't hard," Hinata explains. He glances at Komaeda, who's nodding along with every word. The voice in his head tries to talk again, but he speaks over it. "They have to take the shells that other guys abandon to use for themselves. They'll usually take something like a snail's shell and make it their home until they grow too big for it, or something."
"I see!" The other claps his hands together, smile lighting up his face. "That's very fascinating! Hermit crabs seem like a very resourceful animal."
"Oh, yeah. You know," he glances back at the tank, lips quirking up when he notices a crab watching him, "when they molt, they'll eat the shed exoskeleton to regain some of its nutrients. It's so cool."
Komaeda follows his gaze, shoulders tensing a bit. "Ahh…I couldn't imagine having to do something like that."
"Well, you don't have to, since you're definitely not a crab."
That pulls such a sharp giggle from Komaeda that it makes Hinata jump. "I guess that's true! Anyway," he waves over to where the carpeted path continues, "should we keep going this way? Perhaps we could find more crabs along the way."
Upon the thought of there being more crabs, he perks up, wasting no time in re-linking arms with Komaeda, who gasps quietly. "Yeah, you're right, let's go."
Then, he pulls Komaeda along, proceeding to spout any other crab facts that come to mind on their walk. He's a broken faucet, unable to stop the words from pouring from his mouth. However, Komaeda easily drinks in every syllable, never taking his eyes off the other. Somewhere else on the island, a white rabbit giggles to herself, paws on her own cheeks as she admires the ever-growing bond.