The first place they visited upon entering the facility was the ‘petting zoo’ section.
As the name indicated, this was a place where visitors could interact with animals, mostly small animals.
And, as one might guess from the fact that the names were written in Hiragana, it was more for children.
“I heard you can touch chicks and guinea pigs here!”
“Chicks and guinea pigs, huh…” (Hmm, kinda hard to get in there…)
Yuzuru muttered inwardly as he gazed into the distance at the place swarming with children.
The age range was mainly from kindergarteners to elementary school students.
Of course, there were also children of junior high school age and above, as well as some adults…, but the atmosphere was that of young siblings and chaperones to their children.
Yuzuru and Arisa, who are over 20 years old, might stand out.
Of course, they would not be looked at with scorn.
“…Arisa. It’s a little crowded, can we maybe do this later?”
Yuzuru spoke to Arisa, who was supposed to be standing next to him.
But Arisa didn’t give any reply.
“…Arisa?”
“Yuzuru-san! Please come quickly!”
By the time Yuzuru realized it, Arisa had already entered the ” petting zoo” and was waiting for her turn with the children at the petting zoo for chicks.
Yuzuru, with a wry smile on his face, hurried after her.
Their turn came soon.
Inside a large box, many chicks were moving around, squeaking and chirping.
Visitors could choose their favorite chick from among them and hold it in their arms.
After enjoying it, they return it to the box…
“Umm…”
Arisa had been excited just a few minutes ago, but when she saw the chick in front of her, a troubled look appeared on her face.
She reached for the chick, hesitated, glanced around, and then returned her gaze to the chick again… repeating the gesture.
“What’s wrong, Arisa.”
“How do I hold it?”
“You’ve never done it before?”
“It’s my first time. Do you have any experience…?”
“Well, when I was little.”
As a child, Yuzuru had had some experience with chicks at the zoo – not here, of course – but he had touched them.
He had not experienced much difficulty, but he did remember a few things to keep in mind.
“You should wrap them up from underneath… like this,”
Yuzuru said, wrapping both hands around the chick and scooping it up.
Only the chick’s legs should be out of the gap between the two hands.
This would prevent the chick from moving its legs and flailing about, causing it to fall out of both hands.
“I see.”
“Here, try it.”
Yuzuru released the chick he had just held and then urged Arisa to do so.
Arisa nervously reached for the chick.
She picked up the chick as if she was handling a fragile cultural asset.
“Oh… it’s so warm. It’s so fluffy.”
Arisa smiled happily as she said so.
Dexterously handling her thumb, she gently stroked the chick’s head.
The chick, on the other hand, began to doze off, opening and closing its eyelids, whether due to its easy going nature or the warmth in Arisa’s hands…
“Arisa. The chick is starting to sleep.”
“Ah, indeed. Fufu, it’s so cute.”
Arisa said and narrowed her eyes.
Arisa (and the chick, by the way) was so cute.
It was a shame not to preserve it.
“Arisa. Keep smiling, please.”
“What?”
Yuzuru turned on the camera function of his cell phone and held it up.
At first, Arisa looked a little surprised, but soon she had a big smile on her face.
He took three pictures without using the flash to take care of the chick.
“Now, Arisa…, isn’t it about time we moved on?”
Yuzuru said after glancing at the child waiting his turn behind him.
Although it wouldn’t be against the rules to stay here a little longer…
He decided that it would be better to end the session sooner for the adults who are over twenty years old.
“Right. Next, let’s go touch the guinea pigs.”
Arisa put the chick back in the box, though she was reluctant to leave it behind.
The chick was sleeping until she was put back in the box, but as soon as her feet hit the ground, her eyelids fluttered as if she had come to her senses.
“…it looks like Yuzuru-san when you just woke up from sleep.”
“I wouldn’t be this cute.”
“That’s true too.”
“…”
“I’m just kidding.”
Arisa laughed merrily.
“Well, it’s adorable, but…”
“It’s too delicate for a walk.”
Yuzuru and Arisa laughed as they looked at the rabbit grazing in front of them.
After leaving the petting zoo, the two decided to try out the animal walking service.
The animal that Arisa chose was a rabbit.
The rabbit was attached with a collar and a leash.
In the zoo’s park, they could freely interact and walk with the rabbit they rented…
“The rabbit is eating all the time and not moving at all.”
Arisa chuckled as she stroked the rabbit’s head.
The two of them imagined they would be walking it like a dog, but the rabbit did not walk as actively as the dog did.
Apparently, it does not like walking that much.
They were eating grass growing in the park for a long time.
However, it was not as if they could take it easy, because they sometimes started to run suddenly, so they could not relax.
“Well, they’re animals. It can’t be helped.”
Each animal had its own unique ecology.
It would be wrong to ask a rabbit to move like a dog.
“But I think it might be a little boring for kids. The goat might be more interesting.”
“That one looks like a lot of effort…”
They chuckled as they watched someone being pulled by a goat in the distance.
The goat was the other animal of choice besides the rabbit.
The goat seemed to be more active and interesting, although the rabbit was probably more appreciated for its cuteness (in general).
The goat, however, was much more powerful than the rabbit.
This was not as child-friendly as it sounds.
“This one makes me hungry when I look at him.”
Arisa suddenly said something like that.
“As one would expect, I don’t think they sell rabbit meat…”
“That’s not what I meant!”
“I know, I know.”
Seeing the rabbit grazing deliciously made her want to have lunch herself.
Yuzuru knew very well that that was what she meant.
“If you understand, please don’t make fun of me… I’ll skip lunch, okay?”
“I’m sorry.”
“Can’t be helped.”
There was still some time before the service ended, but they decided to return the rabbit and have lunch.
TN: it’s been a long time since a consecutive release…
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Impatient MTL Reader 
Thanks for the chapter 😆😆
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thanks for the translation!
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