E-Book Exclusive Short Story: One Day with Yua

On a Sunday in the city, I sat on a bench in the nature park, watching people pass by. A man walked with earphones, listening to music. Two women giggled, holding drinks as they strolled side by side. A child struggled to keep up with a dog pulling its leash. A young couple held hands with their kid, while an elderly couple walked arm in arm. There was even a couple exuding happiness, their arms linked.

I felt a flicker of murderous intent toward that last one, but… whatever.

“Pretty peaceful scene, huh?” I muttered to myself.

It’s an ordinary slice of life, but that very normalcy feels like proof of peace. I love diving into dungeons and feeling myself grow stronger, but I don’t mind moments like this either—just zoning out, not thinking about anything.

Lost in those thoughts, I glanced up at the sky.

“…Hm?” I murmured.

A shadow fell over my face, and standing before me was a girl wearing sunglasses.

“Hey, Onii-san♪ If you’re free, wanna hang out with me?” she said, her dazzling smile visible even through her thin sunglasses.

I recognized her face immediately.

“…Yua?” I asked, tilting my head.

The girl was Sakura Yua, also known as the PoutTuber “Rieshe,” affiliated with the major agency Astral. Today, she wasn’t in her explorer gear but wore a cute white short-sleeved blouse with frills and a navy long skirt.

“Yep! You got it!” Yua exclaimed, beaming and flashing a V-sign. “Hehe♪ So, what do you think? Does it suit me?”

“Yeah, it looks great on you,” I said, nodding.

Her face lit up with an even brighter smile.

“So, why’re you here?” I asked. “No Gargoyle-kun as your cameraman, so you’re not filming, right?”

“Well…” Yua said, tilting her head. “Even I take days off, you know. Gar-kun’s off too since there’s no filming. I was just wandering around town and happened to spot you, Kaede-san, so I thought I’d say hi!”

“Makes sense,” I said, nodding.

She’s right—we don’t spend all our time in dungeons. A girl her age probably wants to have fun, so it’s not weird she’d spot me while roaming around.

“That’s the deal,” Yua said, grinning, then plopped down next to me on the bench. “But what about you, Kaede-san? What’re you doing in a place like this?”

“As you can see,” I said, shrugging.

“You say that, but it just looks like you’re zoning out,” Yua teased, tilting her head.

“Yeah, pretty much,” I admitted. “Just killing time.”

“Hmm…” Yua hummed, resting her chin in her hand as if deep in thought.

Then, out of nowhere, she stood up, planted herself in front of me with her arms crossed, and declared with a smug grin, “In that case, I’ll make sure you have fun, Kaede-san!”

“…Huh?” I said, blinking.

＊＊＊

“So… why are we here?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Wow! So cute!” Yua squealed, her eyes sparkling as she crouched in front of the small animal section.

Yep, somehow, I ended up at the zoo with Yua. Just the two of us.

“Uh, Yua-san?” I said cautiously.

“Yes, what’s up?” she replied, turning to me with a bright smile.

“Why exactly am I at the zoo?” I asked, scratching my head.

“Huh?” Yua said, pouting. “I told you, didn’t I? I’m gonna make sure you have fun!”

“Yeah, I heard that part,” I said, “but I thought you meant something like shopping or whatever.”

“Oh, come on, don’t sweat the details!” Yua said, waving it off. “We’re here now, so let’s enjoy it, okay?”

With that, she stood, grabbed my hand, and pulled me toward a corner of an open area. Well, fine. If she’s having fun, who am I to ruin it? I like animals well enough—I watch videos of them all the time. Following Yua’s lead, we arrived at a spot with a cheerful sign reading “Petting Zone.”

Following the male staff member’s instructions, we entered and found several rabbits hopping around freely.

“Oh! Bunnies!” Yua squealed, her excitement spiking as she stepped into the enclosure and reached out.

“Kaede-san, come on, hurry!” she urged, waving me over.

“Alright, alright,” I said, chuckling as I followed her slowly.

At my feet, a small brown rabbit looked up at me with big, round eyes. The moment our eyes met, an overwhelming sense of adorableness washed over me. I crouched down and gently extended my hand. The rabbit, clearly used to people in the petting zone, let me pet it without fuss.

“Whoa…” I said, letting out a sigh of awe.

The fluffy texture was so soothing, I could get addicted to this. I lost myself in petting the rabbit, and then Yua, who was next to me, spoke up.

“Kaede-san… you’re really getting into this, huh?” she said, giggling.

“Well, yeah,” I replied. “You brought me here, so I’d be missing out if I didn’t enjoy it, right?”

Honestly, resisting these fluffy critters was impossible. Petting them felt amazing and relaxing. Is this what they call animal therapy?

As I thought that, I kept enjoying the rabbits for a while. Then I glanced at Yua.

“Yua… you’re kinda stealing the show here,” I said, raising an eyebrow.

“Huh? Really?” she asked, tilting her head.

“Yeah,” I said. “I’ve never seen anyone get that popular with rabbits.”

“Haha, I guess animals just like me!” Yua said, laughing.

“‘Like’ doesn’t even cover it,” I muttered, shaking my head. “But whatever.”

In front of me, Yua was surrounded by a swarm of rabbits. While I and other visitors had one or two, Yua was mobbed. They gathered around her as she sat, like they were playing a game of push-and-shove. One hopped onto her lap to be petted, while another… climbed onto her head?

“…Hold up, Yua, what’s with the rabbit on your head?” I asked, doing a double-take.

I’d been distracted by the rabbit swarm, but now I noticed how wild this was.

“Oh, this?” Yua said casually. “I bent down, and it just hopped right up!”

“Is that… okay?” I asked, skeptical.

I glanced at the staff for confirmation, and the guy gave a confident thumbs-up. …Alright, staff, if you say so.

“Hehe, looks like it’s fine!” Yua said, giggling as she petted the rabbits enthusiastically. “There, there, good bunnies!”

“Guess so,” I said, shrugging.

My worries were apparently unnecessary. Yua kept petting the rabbits with gusto. She got so popular that she nearly couldn’t leave the petting zone, but… honestly, I was a bit jealous.

“Haha, I got a bit too popular there!” Yua said with a wry smile, sitting on a bench after the staff helped her escape the rabbit mob.

“Can’t blame them,” I said, chuckling. “I was jealous too.”

“Really?” Yua asked, her eyes sparkling. “Jealous of petting the rabbits… or being petted by me?”

“Obviously petting the rabbits,” I said without hesitation.

What is this girl even saying? If I said “being petted by Yua” in broad daylight with people around, I’d sound like a total creep.

“Hmph, answering so quickly makes me feel kinda complicated,” Yua said, puffing out her cheeks in mock annoyance.

“Then don’t ask,” I shot back, smirking.

“Ugh… fair enough,” Yua said, then perked up. “Anyway, there are tons more animals here! Where should we go next?”

She flipped open a pamphlet, scanning it eagerly. She’s clearly having fun, and I’m enjoying myself too, so I don’t mind.

＊＊＊

We toured various animal exhibits after that. The small animal section was heartwarming, but in the reptile house, Yua screamed at the sight of a snake.

“Eek! Snakes, no way!” she shrieked, clutching my arm.

“Whoa, Yua?!” I said, startled.

During the giraffe feeding, she hid behind me the whole time, clinging tightly as we offered vegetable sticks.

“Wow, they eat so fast…” Yua said, peeking out. “They’re really chowing down!”

“Yeah, but stop using me as a shield,” I grumbled.

Next, we visited the cages of the classic predators—lions, cheetahs, and white tigers.

“ROAR!” a lion bellowed.

“Grr…” a cheetah growled.

“Rawr!” a white tiger snarled.

“Wow…” Yua said, unfazed.

“…” I stood silently, equally unimpressed.

“Grr…” the lion muttered, deflating.

“Woof…” the cheetah whimpered.

They roared intimidatingly at first, but when Yua and I didn’t react, they seemed to lose their spirit.

“Come on, at least act a little scared,” I said, sighing.

“But compared to dungeon monsters, they’re not scary at all…” Yua said, shrugging.

“Fair, but you’re still scared of snakes?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Snakes are different!” she insisted loudly.

For lunch, I got a hot dog, and Yua got a sandwich from a food truck. My hot dog was simple—bun, lettuce, sausage, ketchup, plus some spicy red sauce. The flavor was straightforward but delicious. The slightly firm yet soft bun, freshly grilled sausage, and crisp lettuce were perfect. The sauce combined ketchup’s tang with the spicy kick, creating a deep, satisfying taste. Biting into it, the sausage’s juices mixed with the sauce’s spice and the lettuce’s crunch for an exquisite flavor.

Yua’s sandwich was simple too—ham, lettuce, egg, and katsu—but in the happy atmosphere and warm sunlight, it looked incredibly appetizing.

“Delicious…” I said, savoring a bite.

“This place is a rare treat,” Yua said, smiling. “But… now that I think about it, maybe I could ask my manager to grab some of this for after my streams?”

“Maybe,” I said, chuckling. “If you’re streaming in a dungeon, they might pick it up for you.”

“Would they really come all the way to the zoo for it?” Yua asked, skeptical.

“Get a yearly pass or something,” I suggested.

“Would they go that far?” she wondered.

“Hope it counts as a business expense,” I said with a grin.

Who knows if they’d actually do it, though.

We also saw elephants, gorillas, a troop of monkeys, and rare birds.

“Man, that was fun!” Yua said, beaming.

“Yeah, it was a nice break,” I agreed.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it, Kaede-san!” Yua said happily.

“Thanks,” I said sincerely.

I owe Yua for this. If I hadn’t run into her, I’d probably have spent my day off just zoning out on that park bench.

“No problem!” Yua said, waving it off. “By the way, Kaede-san, there’s one more place I want to visit. Cool with that?”

“Sure, sounds good,” I said, nodding.

“Thanks!” Yua said, grinning.

I followed her, and a few minutes later, we arrived at a giant Ferris wheel in the amusement park attached to the zoo.

…A Ferris wheel?

“It’s so tall!” Yua exclaimed, her eyes sparkling. “This is the perfect way to wrap things up!”

“Dunno if it’s the ‘classic’ closer,” I said, chuckling, “but yeah, it’s worth a ride.”

It was evening, and the crowd, especially families, had thinned out, so we boarded a gondola without much wait. As our gondola slowly rose, leaving the ground behind, Yua and I talked alone, watching the scenery.

“So, why the Ferris wheel?” I asked, glancing at her.

“No deep reason,” Yua said, smiling softly. “I just wanted to share my favorite view with you, Kaede-san.”

“Got it,” I said, looking out. “It is a great view.”

“Right?” Yua said, her eyes narrowing happily.

The city below was bathed in the glow of the setting sun. The last rays of daylight sank behind the mountains, casting a beautiful scene.

“I really love my life right now,” Yua said suddenly.

I couldn’t see her face, but her voice sounded like she was smiling.

“Being an explorer and a PoutTuber… It’s hard to make friends my age,” she continued. “Girls in the industry can be so catty, and guys get all sleazy once you’re a bit famous. It’s exhausting.”

“Yeah,” I said, listening quietly.

“So, getting to hang out with someone like you, Kaede-san, and being with kind, normal people like Rin-chan and the others… it makes me really happy,” she said.

“That’s great to hear,” I said warmly. “I’m glad you feel that way.”

We met in a dungeon while she was filming as Rieshe, so I’ll admit I initially thought she was a bit much. But now…

“So… thank you, Kaede-san!” Yua said earnestly. “For going along with my idea back then and introducing me to Rin-chan and the others.”

The setting sun streamed through the gondola’s window, illuminating Yua’s face. “Thank you so much!” she said, her smile more beautiful than I’d ever seen, leaving me momentarily captivated.