What Nagi saw was a naive giant panda leisurely chewing bamboo in the dense bamboo forest.
Beside it appeared a small white-tailed monkey.
The small monkey was agile and active. At times, it curiously touched the giant panda's fur, and at other times, it climbed onto the back of the giant panda playfully.
It seemed like the giant panda was its playmate.
The giant panda didn't seem to mind the mischief of the small monkey, but rather appeared very friendly.
The small monkey even offered a piece of pineapple bun, clearly wanting to share it with the giant panda.
As the giant panda leaned its nose forward with curiosity, the ringing of a phone broke the tranquility.
It was Mahiru's ringtone, and the small monkey looked alertly, revealing its innocent face.
It quickly jumped onto a nearby large tree and stared at them cautiously.
It swiftly leaped onto the tree. Then it agilely traversed the forest and quickly disappeared from Nagi and the others' sight.
"It's over. The commotion is getting bigger." Nagi said excitedly.
Or perhaps this strange situation made him happier. If he searched for it clearly and found it easily, it would be too boring.
"They can't reach him by phone, how is he doing?" Mahiru asked both of them.
"He's heading towards the lion's den. We should hurry before he gets eaten." Nagi said and started running, gesturing for them to follow him.
After hearing his words, Mahiru and Yukino didn't hesitate and immediately followed Nagi towards the lion's den.
Their steps were hurried, as if each step raced against time.
They walked through paths covered with dense forest, stepping on fallen leaves beneath their feet.
The rustling of leaves sounded in their ears.
From time to time, some unknown birds flew overhead, leaving a series of sharp bird chirps.
Mahiru felt her heartbeat quickening, and each breath she took was accompanied by tense breaths.
She knew that the small monkey they were tracking was in danger, and time was of the essence.
After running across the slope, they finally saw the lion enclosure fence. In the middle of the grass in the fence, several lions were lazily lying down, occasionally emitting low roars.
Yukino and Mahiru exchanged glances, anxiety evident in their eyes.
Nagi, on the other hand, still smiled calmly, his smile even more touching than usual.
"Hah, this went by very quickly. I'll have to scold Meguro-san later." He said.
They approached the fence cautiously, trying not to make any noise.
Yukino gently stretched her head, trying to find traces of the small monkey. However, the small monkey was not seen inside the enclosure.
As they were about to continue their search, faint screams caught their attention.
The sound came from a big tree inside the fence, and they saw the small monkey hanging from the tree out of fear, with no tree around to stand on.
There were several lions under the tree, staring at it eagerly, as if assessing this sudden prey.
"Look over there, it seems there's a small monkey trapped in the tree!" Someone shouted while pointing at the monkey.
Everyone quickly gathered around and took out their phones to take photos or videos. Some people started shouting, while others frowned in worry.
"It's too dangerous! The lionesses are trying to climb!" Someone exclaimed nervously.
"Hurry, save the monkey!" Someone else cried out.
"There's no other way. Let's go find the administrator." Yukino suggested, looking at Mahiru and Nagi simultaneously. "We need to act fast."
At this point, they could no longer risk their lives to save the small monkey, it was something they couldn't handle.
Nagi didn't object, besides the situation had become serious.
He thought to himself: (Meguro-san, looks like you're going to be fired)
They quickly found the administrator, and Mahiru anxiously explained the situation to the administrator.
"We found a small monkey trapped in a tree in the Lion's Den. Go and save him."
"What? A small monkey trapped in the lion's den? How is that possible?" The administrator looked surprised, understandably so, as this was extraordinary.
"Yes, we saw it with our own eyes." Nagi added.
The administrator realized the seriousness of the situation.
He picked up the radio and called for other staff.
"Emergency situation. There's a small monkey trapped in a tree in the lion's den and needs to be rescued immediately." His voice showed determination.
He was also risking his life, instead of going to the lion's den to see if the situation was true, he chose to trust what Nagi and the others said.
If these three teenagers were lying, his year-end bonus would be gone this year.
At the same time, he turned to Nagi and the others, his eyes filled with gratitude.
"Thank you for informing me of this situation in a timely manner. Don't worry about the safety of the small monkey. It will be fine."
The wait wasn't long, the zoo rescue team quickly rushed to the scene.
Wearing uniforms and carrying professional rescue equipment, they were clearly fully prepared.
They carefully drove away the lionesses and then approached the monkey, taking every step very cautiously.
After intense and systematic efforts, the rescue team successfully freed the small monkey from the tree.
The monkey was safely placed in a rescue basket and then smoothly lowered to the ground.
Overall, it didn't take long, but it made everyone present nervous and sweaty.
Seeing the small monkey successfully rescued, both Mahiru and Yukino breathed a sigh of relief.
They felt extremely relieved, as if they had personally saved this little life.
"Thank you, you're really kind!" The zoo staff thanked them. "If you didn't know and inform us in time, the consequences would have been disastrous."
"What happened?" An uncle came along with Satania and the others.
"Director, these kids found a small monkey trapped in a tree in the lion's den. Fortunately, they informed us in time and we were able to save the small monkey." The administrator explained to him.
The uncle turned to Meguro, "Shiromeguri, you've caused a lot of trouble. It seems like this place will be a hot search topic tomorrow."
Videos of the incident at the scene were quickly uploaded to the internet by tourists, and the uncle showed comments from netizens.
[This is an extreme disregard for animal rights! We cannot tolerate such behavior, and the zoo must pay the appropriate price. They should be held fully accountable!]
[This is not only irresponsible towards animals, but also towards all zoo visitors!!!]
[Hahaha, this monkey is really smart, running into the lion's den! But luckily it was saved in time, otherwise it would have been Lion King!]
[This zoo is trending again, but this time not because the lions are out, but because the monkeys are running in! Hahaha, I'm laughing out loud!]
[It seems like the zoo needs to install an 'anti-monkey invasion system', otherwise, more monkeys will run into the lion's den next time!]
[Lion: Next time you dare to come into my territory, I'll treat you as dinner!]
[Monkey: I was just passing by...]
After reading the discussions among netizens, Meguro felt a little embarrassed, "Sorry Dad, I should have told you from the beginning."
Everyone: "😐"
Then, after they found Hachiman and Yuigahama, they decided to play together in the West District to relieve the tension earlier.
As time passed, the remnants of the setting sun filled the sky, coloring the whole world with layers of golden hues.
They arrived at the final stop, the sea lion show area.
Sea lions had strong postures and moved freely in the water, displaying remarkable flexibility and skills.
They leaped into the air, somersaulted, and slid in the water, as if performing a beautiful water dance.
Hachiman watched the sea lions at work and couldn't help but complain.
"This sea lion show is really exaggerated. Someone who doesn't know would think they came from a circus!"
His blunt words made the people around him laugh.
Indeed, the performances of the sea lions were full of excitement, their actions were too exaggerated, causing drama.
Yuigahama responded with a smile, "Haha, your metaphor is spot on. However, I find their performances very amusing. Look at that sea lion, its eyes seem to say, 'Look at me, I'm so great'!"
Watching their performance, Yuigahama couldn't help but recall going to the aquarium when she was little.
Back then, she was always fascinated by marine creatures.
Hitori timidly hid behind Satania and whispered, "This sea lion is like me..."
Mahiru gently comforted her but froze in the middle of her sentence. "Don't be afraid, um..."
She suddenly realized that she seemed to have misunderstood and said the wrong thing, and fell silent for a moment.
She thought Hutori would be afraid of the sea lions.
Satania lay on the fence and exclaimed enthusiastically, "Wow! I want to adopt a sea lion. Vigne will surely be jealous."
When she rides the sea lion to school, she will definitely attract a lot of attention!
After a series of experiences, Yukino felt a little tired.
She sighed softly and said, "The performance was truly amazing, but I always feel that compared to sea lions in the wild, they are less wild and free."
Nagi interjected by pulling, "Yukinoshita, you must not let the sea lions hear this. They work hard for this performance."
Yukino nodded slightly and didn't continue the topic of conversation.
She knew Nagi was joking, and she also understood that her words might have been too harsh.
Amid laughter, they continued to watch the sea lion performance.
The rays of the setting sun illuminated the water, the sea lions soared, as if they were performing a dreamlike dance.
***
When the show ended, they exchanged words and went home together.
On the way home, Nagi and Mahiru walked side by side.
"The trip to the zoo today was very interesting!" Nagi sighed.
"Yes, especially when I saw that little monkey, I was really worried that he would get hurt." Said Mahiru, still feeling a bit scared.
She pulled the hem of her shirt, looked at him, and said with a smile, "But I had fun on the trip to the zoo today."
"I'm also glad to be here with you."
"Here, this is your gift for today's affair, thank you." Mahiru said, taking out a tiger doll from her bag and handing it to Nagi.
Nagi was momentarily stunned, he took the gift and looked at the tiger doll carefully, looking so naive that one couldn't help but want to pinch his face.
Its big round eyes emitted an innocent and cute aura, and the corner of its mouth lifted slightly, as if smiling or yawning.
This smile was so kind and warm, as if all worries had disappeared because of it.
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