So this is the Rain Vortex…
Hm? Is this your first time seeing it? I thought you’d already been to Singapore.
I think I passed through the airport too quickly last time, so this is my first time actually taking a look at it. I really missed out on it.
…The Rain Vortex. A large, 40 meter waterfall built inside the airport. It’s the tallest waterfall of its kind in the world.
It’s surrounded by a tropical botanical garden, which makes it a popular tourist attraction. There should be a skytrain running between the terminals in here as well…
Oh, there it is.
I see. It makes sense why this airport is so popular.
Alright, we can’t just stand here and admire it forever. Let’s start eating our lunch. I got some laksa.1 What about you?
I bought Hainanese chicken rice.2 You can really taste the stock it was cooked in. It’s delicious.
Oh, I see. Could I try some?
Mm, it has a different type of appeal compared to the rice dishes we have in JPN.
How’s the laksa?
Here, try some.
Ohh… It’s spicy, but it also tastes creamy at the same time. Interesting…
Yeah. The soup is made from shrimp stock and a few different spices, but the added coconut milk is what makes it stand out. The noodles really heighten the flavor too.
I see. I’ll keep that in mind. Maybe I could use it as inspiration for some new shumai.
Laksa-flavored shumai would be… Hm?
?
Behind you. I think that’s one of your fans.
Excuse me… You’re Kamina Yukikaze, right? I’m a big fan! Could I please get a handshake?!
Thank you. I really appreciate the support.
Yukikaze? Like, the figure skater?!
Who else could it be?! I’m gonna ask for a handshake too.
(Uh-oh, looks like people are starting to head towards us. Maybe we should move…)
Yukikaze, let’s head out.
Sounds good.
I’m sorry, I have to get going. I hope you’ll be at my next competition.
Phew. Looks like we got out of there before things got out of hand.
Sorry for the trouble. But it looks like we can finally look around and—
Someone help!
Heheheh…
That looks like…
It’s of the students we saw at the airport earlier.
*running*
Aaaahhhhh!
Heheheh…
That doesn’t look good… Let’s go after them, Yukikaze.
Alright.
Hey, don’t be rough! He’s just a kid! I’m sure you can just talk it o—
Do you have any interest in preserving our otters?!
Otters?
Oh, their shirts have a drawing of an otter on them… Your Japanese is pretty good, by the way.
Otters are endangered in Singapore.3 We want to protect them and ensure that they can coexist with humans!
I see…
We ask that the students visiting us from JPN refrain from taking pictures of the otters with their flash on!
So that’s what’s going on. I thought that they were about to attack him…
Well, that helps clear things up. Is it alright if you keep your flash off next time?
O-Oh, that makes… I’m sorry, we were just kind of surprised… We’ll keep our flash off!
We’re very sorry too… Our love for otters blinded us. Make sure to follow the rules, and we hope you enjoy Singapore!
U-Um, thank you so much for helping us…!
Maybe we should give them something as thanks… Like a tip? Since we’re overseas…
Yeah, but we don’t have much money on us right now…
Hmm, I have an idea. Could you tell us about what you usually do on field trips?
We’re on a field trip do-over right now.
Oh, sure… You could always take funny pictures and stuff!
Funny pictures?
As in, making funny faces? I haven’t done that since Nayuki was a baby.
No, not that! Like, doing funny poses in front of a tourist attraction. We can give you some ideas!
You could have a pillow fight too. They can get pretty heated.
Or you could talk about your crushes at night!
I’ve heard about pillow fights before. It’s kind of like playing a game of dodgeball, isn’t it?
So it’s a sport! That would be great for your health.
Um…? Well, I think there is a championship for it…
Oh, crap! We gotta go meet up with the others.
Alright. Thanks for the information. It’ll really help.
Thank you!
I’m glad we were able to ask actual high school students for ideas. Let’s try everything they suggested.
Good idea. But talking about our crushes sounds difficult… I’m not sure what that would entail.
Haha, I agree.
Footnotes
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Laksa is a spicy noodle soup popular in a few different Southeast Asian countries. Its main ingredients are typically coconut milk, various spices, and seafood, which lends to its rich and creamy taste. ↩
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Hainanese chicken rice is a dish of poached chicken and rice with various sides, usually chili sauce and cucumbers. It has variants in several Southeast Asian countries, but is most commonly associated with Singaporean cuisine. ↩
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Singapore is known for its population of river otters. Although the otter population was very low in the 1970s, it has started to grow since the city started to maintain its rivers in the 1980s. Some families of otters are so well-known that they are given names, and people keep track of the “gang wars” that certain otter families have with each other. ↩