Chapter 104

There was a food truck selling fast food and drinks beside a playground. The pizza caught Yushiro's attention as he ran to the food truck, leaving his three friends behind.

The angel looked at the map, speculating where they will be heading over to next.

"Hey slow down! You're making a mess!" Chachamaru yelled.

"We don't have time to stand around here." Yushiro replied, wolfing down the pizza in his possession. The giant feline watched the bits and pieces of Yushiro's pizza fall to the floor, leaving stains.

Chachamaru was taken aback by Yushiro's response. "What are you talking about? We've got plenty of time!"

"The zip line isn't too far away but it's a long walk," Douma said for everyone to hear. "And then there's the eco lab and escape room."

"We're going to the zip line, after that, the Shizu Art Gallery." Yushiro stuffed the pizza into his mouth.

Shinobu paid for her smoothie and watched Douma and Yushiro deciding on where to go next. Chachamaru stared back at the couple who was gaping at him. It was annoying at first but after a while he found it amusing.

"Since it's a long a walk let's take the tramp." Douma suggested.

"I'm kinda worried about Chachamaru, everyone keeps staring at him."

"Well he is a talking cat..."

"But he's a friend! They should know that by now."

"They don't know him personally. The most you can do is ignore them."

Chachamaru stomped towards Douma and Yushiro with a grin and slammed his paws into their shoulders, starling them. "I thought we were planning our route? Why do I hear Chachamaru here and Chachamaru there? Am I missing something here?"

A tramp was parked by the side of the walkway waiting for passengers.

"There's a tramp over there." Shinobu pointed at the vehicle.

"Finally now we can just sit back and enjoy the view." Yushiro said.

When they got on the tramp, Douma and Shinobu quickly occupied the seats in front, Chachamaru was already taking up two seats, leaving Yushiro clinging to his fur for dear life.

After Douma told the driver where they were going, the tramp moved off and passed by the restaurants, stores and exhibitions. Yushiro noticed there were promotions and merchandise revolving around the bird migration show happening in the island nearby. It piqued his curiosity, maybe it really was a lifetime event that he shouldn't miss out on during his time here.

~~~

Yushiro held on tightly to the gear as it took him across the greenery below him and to the other end in less than ten seconds. He stood up and grinned knowing that he wasn't afraid like the people before him.

Next was Chachamaru's turn. The feline was dragged along the wires until he came to an abrupt stop to the center.

Both Douma and Shinobu panicked as Chachamaru was stuck there and they see the wire bending. It seems Chachamaru's weight was making it difficult for the gear to support him, this was a problem.

"At this rate we're gonna be standing here forever." Douma said getting ready to do something about this.

"Wait Chachamaru's moving again." Shinobu told him, keeping her eyes on Chachamaru who was slowly moving away from where he stopped.

"What? Really?"

"Yeah look."

Yushiro who already got down from the platform glanced at Chachamaru who was still dangling up there. Well this is concerning... He thought, Douma, Shinobu, and the other people waiting for their turn were getting anxious.

And then Chachamaru started moving again, he steered towards the platform but not at the same speed as Yushiro did.

"Just very slowly." Shinobu remarked.

After the zip line, the team went to Shizu Art Gallery which was beside Juniper Town. Both Yushiro and Shinobu were the most excited for this visit, some of the most unique and dazzling pieces of art were displayed here.

"Shizu Art Gallery is one of Dice and Roll Valley's most famous attractions." Shinobu told Douma and Chachamaru.

"Wait you've been here too?" Douma asked.

"Yep there's still a lot to explore at Dice and Roll Valley. Sometimes there are exhibitions at Shizu Art Gallery. The best exhibition in my opinion was the one about the future, they had the upcoming tech inventions on display at that time. It was really informative."

"Can't believe I missed it." Douma responded sadly.

"Me too." Chachamaru added, his ears dropping.

One of the first few art displays they came across were old paintings and a cluster of mirrors that caught Yushiro's attention.

Moving on, there was a painting of Tokyo Tower closely resembling the photograph beside it. Douma and the others found it fascinating, the artist must have been really skilled with watercolor to be able to paint such an accurate work of art.

The team took a walk around the displays of kanji writing and items related to Japan's history; origami, ceramics, and fans were placed on the table dating back to the Sengoku and Taisho eras.

"Hey guys check this out!"

Yushiro was standing beside a photo of the Atakebune ship with a display of the ship's model on the table below it.

"That's one big ship." Chachamaru spoke.

"The Atakebune was one of the first ironclad warships that came to be," Douma added.

Shinobu took a step forward to get a closer look at the photo and model of the ship. "And it's one of Japan's most iconic vessels too."

"I remember seeing a painting of this ship somewhere in the Hasu Mountains. The man who kept those paintings was really fond of vehicles and ships. He had a whole collection of them." Douma took in the details of the wooden ship in the glass display that was painted with precision.

Along the halls there were also videos talking about Japan's history with a mini layout of a cherry blossom tree and a bridge over the river. The background music and lights gave the impression of being surrounded by nature while the river was flowing. The sounds of birds chirping and frogs croaking could be heard too.

While Douma and Yushiro were admiring the displays and reading the information about some of the artworks on the boards, Shinobu sat down and picked up the brochure from the stack. "Whoever sketches out the lavender accurately will win a prize..." The violette looked up and saw a picture of a lavender flower. She decided to give it a try and sketch it out.

"So you're taking part in the competition huh? Wish I had drawing skills like yours." Chachamaru watched Shinobu sketching the flower with color pencils sprawled beside her.

"With patience, you can create the most stunning artworks." Shinobu hoped he will take that as a form of encouragement, Chachamaru could try drawing something since they had ample time.

"Look at that graffiti over there!" Yushiro and Douma raced to the wall covered in vibrant paintings and drawings.

At the table, Chachamaru was still deciding if he should draw something. Shinobu was almost done with her sketch, doing a few touch ups to the color before picking it up with a look of approval.

"That kitchen is upside down!" Minutes later, Douma and Yushiro were now looking at a different artwork. It was only a matter of time before they move on to another one with the same level of enthusiasm.

After running back and forth, both Douma and Yushiro found themselves in the middle of a hallway surrounded by mirrors. But these weren't ordinary mirrors and Douma and Yushiro were about to find out.

"Is that us?" Yushiro was startled when he saw both he and Douma's reflections on the mirror beside them. They were bizarre.

Douma began laughing when he saw Yushiro's reflection in the mirror to which Yushiro grumbled and clenched his fists in fury. "It's not funny!" He cried.

While Douma was still laughing, Yushiro squinted his eyes at Douma's reflection and nearly fell to the floor in a fit of laughter. "And look at you! What a strange-looking twig!"

Shinobu placed the sketch in the box on the table and waited for Chachamaru who was drawing random shapes on his paper. It seems like he really didn't know what to draw but at least he was making progress with the skill he wanted to attain.

"Says the stubby chicken. You look like you just had a bad day."

"Grrrrrr!"

Both Douma and Yushiro continued looking at the surreal reflections on the mirrors of the silvery glittering hallway.

"Is that a whole stack of musical instruments?" Yushiro glimpsed at the decoration beside one of the screens.

"Seems like it." Douma responded.

"Let's check it out." Both Douma and Yushiro sprinted to the aesthetic art decoration that towered most of the artworks on display.