...is what happened.

So, Shiho and I are gonna be going to the zoo to shadow as zookeepers!

Oh, you and Shii?

No fair!
Taking care of animals at the zoo sounds like so much fun!

Have you already heard specifically what you'll be doing?

They're gonna give us all the details when we get there... But I do know that we'll at least be cleaning where the animals live and feeding them!

Oh, that's wonderful!
I'd love to try feeding some large animals.

Large animals...?
Working with giraffes and elephants could be very fun!

Hmm... It's an indoor zoo, so I'm not sure they have any animals that big...

But I did see on TV the other day that they have tapirs and emus there.

Wow, that's pretty cool!

You should make the most of this opportunity since you don't normally get many chances to directly interact with those kinds of animals.

I will! I'm super excited because Samo and the rabbits at school are the only animals that I usually get to interact with♪

You said you'll be going the Saturday after next?

Yeah, that's right!
Everything we had planned for that day got cancelled, so I decided to jump at the opportunity!

Okay... I see...

Haruka?

Hehe. I'll be looking forward to hearing how it went.

Hehe. You won't just hear how it went. I'll even bring back souvenirs!

We'll definitely be looking forward to those!

Have fun, Minori!

Okay, I believe everyone's here.

Thank you all again for coming to shadow with us today. I'll begin by explaining your schedule for today. I hope you're all ready to have a wonderful experience.

Thank you for having us!

I-I-I-I-It's really happening!

Calm down.
Also, I didn't realize so many students from other schools would be here.

I bet this is really popular because you get to take care of real animals! I mean, how lucky are we?!

Alright, we've already assigned each school to a specific area of the zoo. Please turn to page two of your shadowing manuals.

Oh, the names of all the schools are listed here...

In alphabetical order!
Alright, Miyamasuzaka Girls Academy starts with an “M” so...

Found it! We're in the “Grassland Area” with the shoebill and chipmunks!

Chipmunks...?

Today's program is split into two halves. For the first half, you'll be taking care of the animals in the areas you've been assigned to.

Then, you'll all take a break. After that, for the second half, we'll have you all come take a look at what happens behind the scenes. Depending on how things go, we may end a little early or a little late.

Cool...!

Now, you'll all be heading over to be with the animals soon, but let me explain a little more before you do.

Taking care of the animals will involve both feeding them and cleaning up after them.

Feeding and cleaning...?

Before you feed them, you'll be measuring out a precise amount based on their prescribed diets.

Depending on the animal, you may need to cut slices of meat.

Wow, that's pretty hands-on.
We really get to be zookeepers in that sense.

I'm guessing the chipmunks get nuts and berries...but what about the shoebills?

They're big birds, so fish?
Then again, I've seen ostriches eat all sorts of things...

I'm sure we'll find out soon.

Once you've prepared their food, you'll feed them yourselves and proceed to clean up their habitats. When you've finished, the first half of your day will end.

Food prep, feeding, cleaning...
They're having us do more than I was expecting.

Yeah, since just cleaning the rabbit cage always takes a pretty long time...

That concludes this brief explanation of what you'll all be doing today.

The caretakers at each of the areas will give you all further instructions. Please feel free to start making your way over now.

Alright, we finally get to take our first big step as animal caretakers...!

Hang on, chipmunks, shoebill! We'll be right over to give you all the love you need!!

W-Wait, if you shout like that...

Hehe. That girl sure sounds excited.

Wait a minute. She looks really familiar for some reason...

Uh oh...

See? It might be a good idea to keep your voice down. What if people start figuring out who you are...?

Y-Yeah, good call...
Thanks for the heads up, Shiho!