Pardon me!
I'm here to clean your habitat!

...

*Wince*
(His gaze feels so cold... But I can't give up!)

(Anyway, I'm used to cleaning on the animal caretaking committee. I'm gonna surprise Schubert by making this place spotless!)

Starting with his pool.
He drinks from it, so I need to make it really clean!

Let's see... I have to drain it first, by pulling this plug...

...

Oh, and I can use this water to make everything nice and clean! Two birds with one stone!

Or two Schuberts with one stone!
Just kidding!

...

Oh, he's still staring at me.

Actually, I think he's been slowly walking towards me...

...

I'm sure I'm just imagining things!
Anyway, I need to work on making this place spotless.

...

Huh?!?!
He's so close! Does this mean we're friends now?!

Y-Y-Y-Yes, how can I help you?!
Why are you poking me with your beak?!?!

<Oh, this bird's so big.>

Huh?
That sounded like...

<And it has a lovely beak.
It's so cute how it's poking you, Minori. I'm really jealous♪>

Luka?!
What are you doing here...?

<After you told us you'd be going to a zoo today, I was curious what animals they have.>

<So...
I decided to drop in♪>

O-Oh, okay...!

Still, you really startled me!
Thank goodness Shiho and Mr. Nakazawa aren't here.

<I made sure to wait until they were both gone, so don't worry♪ I'll hide when they return.>

<Also...
This shoebill's name is Schubert, yes?>

<He looks so big and powerful. I feel like he could gobble me up whole.>

He probably does look really big right now because of how little you are on my phone.

I'm sure you heard earlier, but he's really docile! He did start poking me with his beak just now for some reason... But he was as still as a statue when I was feeding him!

<Yes, you're right.
Even when I popped out, he didn't seem bothered at all.>

<He may have what it takes to become an idol.>

Wait, what do you mean?!

<Even the most experienced idols feel a little nervous when they take the stage, no?>

<But nothing seems to faze Schubert. His poise is really remarkable.>

Y-Yeah...!
I could learn a lot from him...!

<Hehe. At the same time, he'll need to learn how to smile a little more before he can become one.>

...

Is it just me or does it seem like he wants to say something to us?

<Oh, where are my manners?>

<How inconsiderate of me. I completely forgot to introduce myself before evaluating you like that.>

<My name is Megurine Luka. Pleased to meet you, Schubert.>

...
...

Huh...?!

D-Did you see that...?
I think Schubert just bowed to you.

<Yes...
It certainly looked like a bow.>

It just looked like one...right?
Although, he—

Ah, Ms. Hanasato, it seems that you and Schubert have worked things out!

H-Huh...? We have...?

Shoebills bow as a display of affection! So if someone he considers a friend bows, he'll return the gesture.

R-Really...?!
I didn't know shoebills did that...!

Hehe. Fascinating, aren't they?
There are actually some other things they do to show their affection.

I'll bet he was trying to thank you for cleaning his habitat!

H-Hehe...
But I'm not sure that bow was meant for me...

No?

Oh, uhh... I think it just happened to look like a bow...!

I mean, he didn't eat any of the fish I offered him!

Yes, I gave that some thought...
Shoebills are very careful and deliberate by nature.

Which makes me believe that he was mulling over whether or not he could or would eat your fish, whether he was allowed to eat it yet and so on.

Y-You think so...?

Yes. When you waved that fish in front of him, I'm guessing he was thinking about how he was actually going to eat it.

(Yeah... Come to think of it, I think Shiho kept her hand completely still when she offered him that fish.)

In any case, he probably feels grateful that you cleaned his habitat for him.

Try bowing to him now. I'm sure he'll bow back when you do.

He'll bow back...?

(I sure hope so...
But I still think that other bow was meant for Luka...)

(Still!
If there's a chance, even a tiny one, I should give it a try!)

W-Would you like for us to be friends?!

Hehe. That wasn't quite a bow, but I'm sure he understands.

...

(Oh... I guess I can't inspire Schubert...)

...

...
...

*Gasp*

Minori's taking pretty long...

(To be fair, Schubert's habitat is a lot bigger...
I kinda feel bad about making her clean it.)

(And he didn't seem too fond of her.
What if he pecked her with that big beak and—)

Shiiihooo!!!

What happened?
You seem really happy...

Hehehe. Schubert and I are super duper good friends now!

No, more than friends...
We're totally a crew now!

A crew...? Not a word you hear much lately...

But hey, I'm happy you're both friends now.

Me too!
That was so amazing!

Anyway, Shiho, how'd things go on your end? Are you all done cleaning?

Yeah.
It was pretty easy since they were so friendly.

And...they were really cute.

Hehe. That's great to hear!

Thank you two very much for all your hard work! Both habitats look completely spotless now!

Oh, Mr. Nakazawa!

Thank you for teaching us everything.
I think we both learned quite a lot.

Actually, I was very impressed by how the animals took to you two so quickly. I think you both have what it takes to become zookeepers.

Anyway, this concludes the part where you work with the animals. Please come again to help if you ever get the chance!

Yes, thank you!

Alright, let's take our break here.
After that, you'll need to head over to the room where you were given the rundown of today's program.

Oh, the second half mostly involves seeing what goes on behind the scenes in the back offices, so you can change back into your normal clothes.

Okay.

Mr. Nakazawa, thank you again!