In a Different World with a Smartphone

A single dolphin leaped from the water’s surface, tracing a beautiful arc before diving back into the water. It was followed by a second, then a third, leaping in quick succession. Each time, seawater splashed onto the spectator seats. This stadium doesn’t have an acrylic barrier, so the spray comes directly at you. Since a cautionary line reading “Seawater may splash beyond this point” was indicated on the seats, we decided to sit right on the edge of the safe zone. Even so, small droplets would occasionally fly over, conveying the intensity of the dolphins’ movements. This time, three dolphins jumped simultaneously from the right side of the water, followed by three more jumping from the left, delivering continuous splashes. It was very impressive.

“Amazing! So cool!”

“I wonder if my children can do that.”

Steph was excited watching the dolphins, but Allis seemed to be deep in thought. Is Allis’s “my children” referring to those four shark-type Phrases…? I don’t think it’s impossible, but I doubt it would be as entertaining a show as the one here…

“Those must be bottlenose dolphins… You know, shows like this might not be around much longer…”

“Huh? Really?”

I was surprised by the words Dad, who was holding the excited Fuyuka, muttered softly.

“It’s due to the spirit of animal welfare. They are being phased out one after another overseas, and Japan is following suit, apparently…”

Is that so… Considering that, maybe it was good we got to see it before it stops. …Well, I’m not really fond of dolphins, though. The reason is that dolphins are animals that engage in bullying, just like humans… When they are stressed, they reportedly gang up and bully weaker individuals. It seems to be common behavior in animals that form pods, like chickens and monkeys. Apparently, if there are weak individuals, they drag down the pod, and if those weak individuals increase, the pod itself becomes weak, so the idea is to eliminate them before that happens. When told that this is an instinct for survival in the wild, I feel a gloomy, complicated emotion. I won’t let such thoughts show in front of everyone who is enjoying the dolphin show right now. Well, for now, let’s just enjoy it. As the dolphins departed for the pools on either side, a sea lion arrived. On the stage at the back of the pool, it bowed comically and waved its hands (flippers?) in greeting to the audience, following the trainer’s movements. The sea lion then plunged into the pool. When the trainer tossed a basketball-sized hoop over the pool, the sea lion, sticking its neck out of the water, perfectly caught the flying hoop with its neck. The sea lion collected all the subsequently thrown hoops around its neck without dropping any. How skillful. The sea lion, having collected all the hoops, came up to the trainer and clapped its hands (flippers?) together as if to say, ‘Wasn’t that amazing?’ Next, it caught a lightly tossed ball with the tip of its nose. It moved while keeping the ball balanced perfectly on its nose.

“It’s balancing using its whiskers, isn’t it?”

“I think it’s predicting the ball’s movement with the whiskers that are held horizontal, rather than standing them up.”

Yumina seems to be able to see the sea lion’s whiskers clearly from here. For wild animals, whiskers function as acute sensory organs. In humans, they apparently serve to protect the skin, but cutting a cat’s whiskers is said to make them lose their sense of balance and bump into things frequently. …Did Kohaku have whiskers? I feel like she did in her Great Tiger form… wait, did she? …Well, Kohaku is a female, too… she probably hates whiskers… While I was thinking about such irrelevant things, the sea lion bounced the ball up and down like it was juggling, and then rotated its body horizontally while balancing the ball on its nose. It then arched its back and raised its tail straight up. “”Oooooh,”” voices of admiration leaked from the audience. It might be obvious, but its body is so flexible! The sea lion smoothly returned the ball to the trainer, stepped onto a circular platform on the stage at the back of the pool, and music began to play. The sea lion started swaying left and right to the bouncy, pleasant rhythm of the bass and tambourine. When the trainer asked for clapping, the audience also started clapping their hands in the same way. This song is a soul music masterpiece created in the 1960s. Grandpa loved it and used to play it often. Mom, who must have heard it just as much, was also swaying left and right with the rhythm. Sakura, who heard it from me, and Yoshino, who probably heard it from Sakura, were also swaying while clapping along to the rhythm. However, the sight of the sea lion shaking its neck from side to side and flapping its hands (flippers?) to the song, which advises, ‘Love should not be rushed. You have to wait patiently‘, was comical and heartwarming. Following the trainer’s instructions, the sea lion slid and spun on the stage while lying down. It looked almost like watching breakdancing.

“Wow!”

While I was admiring the sea lion’s movements, the trainer suddenly jumped into the pool without any warning. They beckoned the sea lion, who also jumped into the pool, and they started circling underwater together. The sea lion swam smoothly over to the poolside near the audience and waved its hand (flipper?) as if saying, ‘Thank you!’ Then, turning around, it beckoned the trainer as if to say, ‘You come here too!’ The trainer hurriedly climbed out of the pool and bowed to the audience. Their roles have reversed. Receiving the applause of the audience, the sea lion and the trainer departed behind the stage. It seems the dolphin and sea lion show is over.

“That was fun!”

“I want to keep a sea lion…”

Linne shouted excitedly, and Elna uttered an ominous desire. Well, if you ask for that when we return to the future… wait, I’m the one who’ll have to deal with it after all…!

“Daddy! Stuffed animal! There’s a stuffed animal!”

Steph pointed toward a souvenir shop selling stuffed animals on the way from the stadium to the second-floor exhibit entrance. All the children, except for Kuon, were ecstatic. However, buying them now would be cumbersome, and since the pamphlet shows there’s a gift shop at the end of the route, I managed to convince the children to buy them there. There’s no way one per child will be enough… Tugging the children, who were reluctant to leave the stuffed animals behind, we finally entered the second floor of the building.

“The Seas of the World, huh.”

The first floor covered the seas of Japan, and the second floor is divided into the seas of the world. First up is… Oceania. Oceania refers to Australia, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and that area.

“Wow…!”

The children rushed toward the large tank in front of them. Inside, vividly colored fish were swimming gracefully. Fish of red, blue, yellow, and orange colored the blue tank. Ah, there’s a Napoleon wrasse and clownfish too. Were they from Oceania? No, I recall the Napoleon wrasse was also found in Okinawa? Does that mean they have a wide distribution?

“I’ve seen that fish in a movie.”

Frei was staring intently at the ocellaris clownfish. Well, it is famous. But there was also talk that the fish in that movie was actually a different species. Well, let’s not get into such boring details. I noticed Kuon was intently looking at a fish in a different tank, so I went over, and a long, thin, shark-like fish was clinging tightly to the wall. Another one was clinging to the bottom, almost upside down.

“A remora.”

“A remora?”

“It has a suction cup-like organ on its head that resembles an old Japanese coin… a koban, so it was named that, but it’s actually completely unrelated to sharks and seems to be a type of sea bass,”

Dad’s commentary, with Fuyuka in his arms, flew over our heads. Huh, this guy isn’t a shark? I remember remoras stick to large sharks or sea turtles and eat their leftovers, right? Misrepresenting its name to get leftovers… it suddenly looks like a very sly fish… Well, the name isn’t its fault though… Glancing past the remora, we move to the next corner. Europe, huh.

“Oh, there’s a seal.”

Inside the large tank on the left, a single Baikal seal was swimming leisurely. The only seal in the world that lives exclusively in freshwater… This one doesn’t live in the sea? It’s called a Baikal seal because it lives in Russia’s Lake Baikal. …Wait, isn’t Russia not entirely in Europe? …Well, let’s not get into the details… It’s plump and has an old man-like face, but it swims gracefully. It glides smoothly right and left, crawling along the bottom or swimming on its back.

“It swims skillfully. There are no wasted movements.”

Yakumo was captivated by the seal’s movements. It would glide smoothly, turn around along the wall, and then come back facing upwards. Indeed, there are no wasted movements. It feels like it’s swimming with minimal effort. However, it’s always underwater; is its breathing okay? I thought, and then the explanation plate said it’s good at diving and can easily stay submerged for about fifteen minutes. No wonder.

“It’s a huge shrimp!”

“A lobster, huh.”

In the small adjacent tank that Lu and Arcia were peering into, there was a lobster. The one also called American lobster. Since its claws are huge, it looks more like a big crayfish than a shrimp. Well, I guess crayfish are technically related to shrimp, so maybe there’s not much difference. Waved off by the Baikal seal, we proceed to the next area, Africa. There’s a large tank in front, built to separate the land and water like a riverbank inside. At first glance, it looks empty… Is something there? I approach and look at the explanation plate on the tank. Clawless otter? Is there an otter? Where is it? Looking closely inside the tank, there was a black object curled up on the wooden board built near the water’s edge. Is that it? It had its back completely turned towards us and wasn’t moving at all. I was tempted to tap the tank to make it face us, but that’s a breach of aquarium etiquette. I made sure to teach the children that on the bus. …Tapping might even crack the tank… Having no choice, I watched the nearby monitor explaining the clawless otter for a while, when the curled-up otter (sir/madam?) raised its face. It then lay sideways and rolled around on the board, stretched, and rubbed its face with both paws.

“It’s cute.”

“Cute…”

Elze and Elna were watching the otter with sparkling eyes. It is indeed cute. It moves just like a cat. It got up, stretched its neck toward the water’s edge, and slurped the water. It turned its neck towards us for a moment but immediately started drinking water again, unconcerned. It’s quite laid-back… Well, I guess it can’t worry about every spectator. Leading Elze and Elna, who still seemed to have lingering affection for the otter, we moved to the next corner. America, next.

“Dolphin! Black and white!”

Linne ran toward the large tank in front. Hey, don’t run! Inside the tank, two dolphins colored white and black were swimming. Commerson’s dolphin, huh. Their head, pectoral fins, dorsal fin, and tail fin are black, and the rest is white. This is what’s commonly called the ‘Panda Dolphin’, right? It is smaller than the bottlenose dolphin we saw earlier. The two Commerson’s dolphins swimming in the tank include a large one and a small one. Are they parent and child? Siblings? Or perhaps a mated pair. They must be as popular as the pandas at the zoo, as many visitors are taking pictures. I also take a picture of the children with the Commerson’s dolphins in the background as a souvenir. Flash photography is prohibited, so it’s a bit dim, but combined with the blue background, it created a fantastic photo. The next corner also seems to be America, but the atmosphere changed completely. Passing through the automatic door, we heard bird calls and the sound of wind, as if we were in a jungle. It’s probably just background music, not actual animals, but there are potted plants everywhere in the corner, giving it a jungle-like atmosphere. Is this supposed to be South America?

“There’s a lizard, indeed.”

“It’s not a fish, is it?”

Yae and Hilda were looking at a green iguana behind an acrylic barrier. In a small tank-like container next to it were frogs and other creatures. Is this about creatures of the water’s edge? I recall this one can swim. Yae is staring intently at the iguana… Well, I heard that one is edible. I saw on TV that it tastes like chicken. Not a frog caught by a snake’s stare, but I look at the tank opposite the completely motionless iguana. Long, large fish were swimming inside. Arapaima, Arowana… fish I’ve even heard of. I think the arapaima is the world’s largest freshwater fish, right? It’s called a ‘living fossil’ because its appearance hasn’t changed for about a hundred million years. According to the explanation plate, the arapaima can grow to over three meters in length. Hmm… there are fish larger than that all over the place in the other world… So the ‘amazing’ part doesn’t quite hit home for me. Since I still have my Earth sensibilities, I know this fish is large, but I wonder if everyone else feels anything special about it. Everyone is heading toward the crocodile over there… wait, a crocodile? A spectacled caiman. A small crocodile.

“It’s not moving.”

“Is it sleeping?”

Even when stared at intently by the children, the spectacled caiman kept its eyes closed and didn’t move a muscle. Is it sleeping, as Frei suggested? Or is this its natural behavior? The children, having lost interest in the motionless crocodile, moved to the next tank, and this time their eyes sparkled. Unlike the motionless crocodile just now, dozens of small fish were swimming around freely. Red, blue, and yellow—colorful colors decorated the water. Tropical fish. Guppy, Neon Tetra, Platy, Molly… illuminated by the lights, their scales sparkled and shimmered. These are fun fish to observe. I can see why people get hooked on tropical fish. Looking at the sparkling tank makes me feel like I’m looking into a kaleidoscope. The America corner seems to end here, but a skeleton specimen of the arapaima was placed at the exit. It’s all bones… as expected. There are bones all the way to the tip of the tail and fins. Looks difficult to eat… Whoops, I’m thinking the same things as Yae and the others. Next is Asia, huh. Two sea turtles were swimming in the tank immediately to the left after passing through the automatic door. They are about a meter long. A person could ride on one. Did Urashima Taro ride this?

“It’s a little different from Sango.”

“Sango is more of a land turtle, after all.”

As Linze said, there is a slight difference between sea turtles and Sango. Sango, who is a summoned beast, has four thick legs, but the sea turtle doesn’t; it has four large, flat flippers. As their name suggests, sea turtles fundamentally live in the sea and only come ashore for things like laying eggs.

“Zaratan also has legs, but he lives in the sea.”

“Zaratan is… a bit unique…”

The Zaratan Allis is referring to is the behemoth Zaratan. He is indeed a land turtle but lives in the sea, or rather, on the seabed. In his case, his body must be lighter in the sea due to his enormous size. He shouldn’t be able to swim like a sea turtle.

“What is this? There are lots of things like earthworms here?”

In the tank Sue was looking at on the opposite side, a row of spotted garden eels had their faces poking out from the sandy bottom. Their long bodies stood in a gentle curve, staying still on the sand. They almost look like seaweed. Their English name is ‘spotted garden eel’… Spotted garden eel? Is it because they look like grass when lined up? Since they are called chin-anago (spotted conger eel), they must be related to conger eels… There’s no sense of revulsion as they aren’t slithering around. Just as I thought that, Dad throws in some unnecessary information.

“The spotted garden eel’s body is buried in the sand and you can’t see it, but it’s incredibly long. I think they go over thirty centimeters down into the sand, wriggling.”

…Thinking about that makes me recoil a bit… So many slithering things under the sand… Mmm… As if escaping from the spotted garden eels, we passed through the Asia corner, and the large tank we saw when we first entered came into view on the left. It’s open from the first floor. Oh, I see. It can be seen from the second floor here too. The awe-inspiring school of Japanese sardines was still circling in the water, their silver scales glittering. We immersed ourselves once again in the fantastic blue world with the children. It might be interesting to build an aquarium in Brunhild. If we connect the sea and the tank with [Gate] and make it a fish passageway, we wouldn’t even have to take care of them. No, it might be a problem if strange demon beasts intrude. It’s probably better to manage it properly with a sealed tank…

“Touya?”

“Oops.”

Spoken to by Lu, I return from the sea of thought. Everyone had started walking toward the next corner. Next is… “Healing Jellyfish“? Round, circular tanks are mounted on the wall of the dimly lit corner. They look like the instruments of a retro space battleship. Peering into them, several small jellyfish were swimming bobbing around in the water. Healing jellyfish… Is it healing? While there were giant, highly venomous jellyfish demon beasts in the other world, these are cute by comparison. Some of my wives are making sour faces, maybe reminded of the Slimes, but are they being healed? Urged by them, we left the jellyfish zone and went through a slightly long corridor listing sponsoring companies, reaching another automatic door leading outside.

“Kaiju Plaza?”

I tilted my head slightly at the characters written on the wall in front of the automatic door. Monster (Kaiju)? Ah, marine animal (Kaiju). Beyond the automatic door, there was a rocky area enclosed by an acrylic barrier about waist height, and small black and white marine animals were welcoming us on top of it.

“Penguins!”