Unicorns Are Indeed Real
Although we had come to the zoo to keep my promise to Rion, to be honest, I hadn't expected to enjoy myself. It wasn't that I disliked animals—I actually quite liked them—but in my mind, a zoo was just a place where you stared at depressed creatures lying around with the vacant, world-weary eyes of soldiers days away from discharge.
Since I had only been to one once when I was very young, it might have been a bit of a prejudice. Still, I had always believed that if you wanted to see animals, watching a nature documentary was far more vivid and exciting. Besides, I'd already seen most creatures on YouTube anyway, so I doubted looking at them in person would spark any real sense of wonder. Yes, that was what I used to think.
"What in the world..."
"Is this your first time at a zoo, big sister?"
"...It's my first time seeing anything like this."
The moment we stepped inside, my jaw dropped at the spectacular sight before us. Towering rainforests, vast sandy deserts, ice-covered polar regions, and countless other biomes unfolded just a few paces apart from one another every time I turned my head.
As I stared wide-eyed at this literal wonderland, Yoon Siwoo spoke up, as if to explain the phenomenon to me.
"I heard this zoo was built by the grand mage who originally cast the Barrier over the city. Since the Magi was destroying the natural habitats where these creatures lived, they used magic to recreate entire ecosystems. The goal was to preserve as many species as possible. Thanks to that, we can still see what kinds of animals used to live in those environments."
Recreating entire ecosystems... Leave it to a world with magic to operate on such an absurdly grand scale. No wonder an entire district of the city was designated as the zoo. If Noah's Ark actually existed, it would probably look exactly like this.
Wondering how on earth visitors were supposed to view the animals in these massive biomes, I flipped through the brochure we'd been handed. It explained that there were designated viewing areas for those who wanted to see the animals up close. Furthermore, for those who wanted to observe how the animals behaved in their natural habitats, holographic screens floated in the air, broadcasting live feeds like observation cameras.
Spotting a crowd of children gathered around one of the screens, I looked over, gasped, and pointed a finger.
"Look at that! That horse has a horn on its head!"
"Uh, Scarlet. That's not a horse. It's a unicorn."
A unicorn! The legendary creature itself! Come to think of it, this was a world where magic and elves existed, so it shouldn't be surprising to see any kind of mythical beast. I suddenly recalled a modern advertisement I had once mocked—the one that kept shouting, 'Unicorns are real!'—and offered a silent apology. I'm sorry. Unicorns really are real.
Having confirmed the existence of unicorns with my own eyes, I began scanning the screens intently, wondering if there might also be an Invisible Dragon—the kind that had deeply traumatized my childhood imagination. But then I realized that even if an Invisible Dragon were there, it would be invisible, so I wouldn't be able to see it anyway. I couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment. What a shame. I really wanted to see if it actually roared like "Kwahhhhh!"
But my disappointment quickly evaporated as more bizarre and wondrous creatures appeared on the screen. Bubbling with excitement, I grabbed Yoon Siwoo and shook him back and forth.
"Look over there! That horse has wings this time!"
"That's a pegasus, not a horse."
"A pegasus! The actual pegasus!"
I stared open-mouthed in awe at the pegasus soaring gracefully through the sky.
"That one! It's an eagle, but it has four legs!"
"That's a griffin."
"So that's a griffin!"
I cheered at the sight of a real-life griffin—something I'd only ever seen in Harry Potter—as it circled threateningly nearby.
"Whoa! That cat has whiskers!"
"...Scarlet, cats always have whiskers."
"Ahaha! Oh, right!"
I was so swept up in the excitement that I was just shouting whatever came to mind, even at a perfectly ordinary cat. Though this habitat was artificially constructed, seeing the animals living so vibrantly and energetically made me feel energized as well.
Just then, I noticed some people watching the screens let out sharp, startled squeals while staring at a corner of the display. Curious, I looked over and saw two crimson lizards breathing fierce torrents of fire at each other, looking for all the world like a high-stakes Pokémon battle to determine who was stronger.
"Whoa, look at those lizards! Is that how they fight?"
"Uh, well... those are salamanders, and they aren't actually fighting..."
As Yoon Siwoo hesitated, trailing off mid-explanation, Director Maria—who had been watching us and the children with a warm, motherly smile—chuckled and took over.
"Fufu, Miss Scarlet, they aren't fighting. They're mating. Salamanders are genderless creatures, so they compare their flames like that. The one with the weaker flame ends up carrying the stronger one's offspring. Since they are mystical creatures said to be born from fire, absorbing the other's flame into their body is how they conceive."
No sooner had the director finished speaking than one of the salamanders stopped breathing fire, seemingly acknowledging its partner's superiority, and absorbed the other's flames directly into its body. Watching the two salamanders gaze at each other with incredibly tender, affectionate eyes—as if they hadn't just been in a fiery duel a moment ago—I suffered a massive cultural shock. I nudged Yoon Siwoo with my elbow and whispered.
"Whoa, so they just mated and made a baby right there? That is so bizarre..."
"Y-yeah... indeed..."
Leaving aside a strangely quiet Yoon Siwoo, I continued to watch the mystical beasts with wide, sparkling eyes alongside the children. Perhaps he was surprised to see me expressing my emotions so openly, given how long it had been since I'd felt this genuinely happy. Yoon Siwoo stared at me quietly before asking in a soft voice:
"...Scarlet, you really love animals, don't you? You look incredibly happy."
"Yeah, it's my first time at a place like this, and it's so much fun. I'm really glad we came."
After replying, I looked at him for a moment and murmured, "Though, if I had come here alone without you, I might not have enjoyed it nearly as much..."
The only reason I could relax and enjoy looking at the animals like this was because Yoon Siwoo was by my side. I had absolute faith that even if something went wrong, he would protect me and handle it.
"If you weren't here, I wouldn't have been able to feel this happy. Thank you so much for coming with me."
I offered him a warm smile, pouring all my gratitude into those words.
"...If there's anywhere else you want to go in the future, just let me know. I'll go with you."
Yoon Siwoo replied, looking thoroughly embarrassed.
After spending a good while watching the screens, we moved along with the children to the close-up viewing course, where we could see the animals in person. This area felt much closer to the zoos I was familiar with. Still, my excitement didn't wane in the slightest, especially after hearing that we could feed some of the animals directly or even ride them.
"Is there any animal you want to see up close?"
"Hmm... let me think..."
There were so many animals I wanted to see that I hesitated to answer. But just then, a loud snort echoed from nearby. The moment I looked toward the sound, my destination was decided.
"I want to see that one up close."
"Which one? Ah... the unicorn?"
Screaming 'Unicorns are real!' in my head, I nodded and slowly approached the enclosure. A large crowd had gathered around the pen of a pristine, pure-white unicorn. However, the beast seemed utterly uninterested in the spectators, keeping its back turned to them while snorting irritably. As we drew closer, I noticed the zookeeper inside the fence looking thoroughly distressed.
"Sigh, you really are something... Everyone, I'm terribly sorry. This fellow is incredibly sensitive. I'm afraid the feeding experience won't be possible today... Huh? Hey, what's gotten into you all of a sudden?"
Hearing the keeper's words, I felt a pang of disappointment, wishing I could have fed it. But right at that moment, the unicorn suddenly spun around, and I felt as if our eyes locked. As I tilted my head, wondering if it was just my imagination, the unicorn began walking briskly toward us. I flinched instinctively.
In that instant, Yoon Siwoo stepped forward, blocking me from the creature's path. Wondering what he was doing, I stared at the back of his head. The unicorn reached the edge of the enclosure, poked its head over the fence, and glared intensely at Yoon Siwoo, letting out a sharp, aggressive snort.
A brief silence fell over the crowd. Yoon Siwoo turned to the bewildered zookeeper.
"...Excuse me, why is it doing this?"
"Uh... well, it seems like he's taken a liking to the young lady next to you? He's normally never like this... If you don't mind, miss, would you be willing to try feeding him?"
"...Can't I just feed him instead?"
At Yoon Siwoo's suggestion, the unicorn glared at him with eyes of absolute contempt and let out a sharp whinny.
...Pretty sure that translates to 'stop talking nonsense.'
I wasn't the only one who felt that way; Yoon Siwoo's shoulders were visibly trembling. I felt a bit sorry for him getting disrespected by an animal, but that was his problem. I had been dying to feed a unicorn anyway.
Pushing aside Yoon Siwoo—who had tried to rob me of this precious opportunity—I stepped forward, picked up some feed from the stand, and offered it to the unicorn. The beast gently took the food from my palm, let out a soft, satisfied nicker, and began nuzzling its head against my hand.
As I marveled at the smooth, silky texture of its coat, the unicorn stopped nuzzling, lifted its head, and shot a meaningful look at the zookeeper.
"Wait, seriously? You're not that kind of guy. You wouldn't even let me touch you."
The keeper spoke to the unicorn as if they were actually communicating, looking utterly dumbfounded. But the unicorn merely snorted again, giving the keeper an incredibly pleading look. Sighing in defeat, the keeper turned to me.
"Um, excuse me, miss... would you perhaps like to try riding him?"
"Huh? Me? Ride him?"
"I know it's a strange request, but he seems to want it so desperately. He has never allowed anyone on his back in his entire life, so this is a first. Of course, you don't have to if you're uncomfortable... but could you please consider it, just this once?"
The keeper bowed deeply, pleading as if his entire career depended on it. I was utterly bewildered by his attitude. Why was I the one being begged to take a ride? Normally, I'd be the one begging for a turn!
My answer, of course, was a resounding yes. When I nodded, the unicorn snorted happily. Yoon Siwoo, however, scanned the gathering crowd and frowned slightly in disapproval.
"Hey, Scarlet. Maybe it's better if you don't..."
"Why? I really want to ride it..."
"...Sigh, alright. Just be careful."
I wasn't sure why I needed his permission in the first place, but having secured it, I stepped over the fence. The unicorn immediately knelt on its front legs, waiting for me to mount. Since I had never ridden an animal before, I was a bit tense. The female keeper gently took my hand to steady me.
"Don't worry too much. Unicorns are true gentlemen; they never run wildly."
Trusting her words, I climbed onto its back, and the unicorn slowly stood up. The sudden height made me flinch slightly, but at the unicorn's low, soothing nicker—as if telling me to relax—I opened my eyes and couldn't help but let out a giddy laugh.
Whoa, this is awesome! It's so high!
Even though my field of vision was only about twice as high as usual, it felt as if I had become a giant. Furthermore, just as the keeper said, despite moving at a decent pace, there was barely any shaking. I'd never ridden a carousel before, but I imagined it would feel something like this.
Once I relaxed, I noticed the crowd outside the fence staring up at me in blank amazement. Feeling my spirits soar, I smiled and waved at them. Before I knew it, our single lap around the enclosure was over.
Having finished my horseback—or rather, unicorn-back—ride, I stepped back outside the fence, immediately feeling the weight of everyone's gazes on me. Are they jealous? Of course they are. I was beaming, still riding the high of such an unforgettable experience, when a man suddenly approached me.
"Excuse me, miss. If you have a moment—"
Wondering what he wanted, I was about to listen when someone suddenly stepped right in front of me, blocking my view. It was Yoon Siwoo. He glared coldly at the man for a brief second, then grabbed my wrist and dragged me away from the unicorn enclosure.
"...Let's go somewhere else."
"W-wait a second. I think that guy had something to say to me..."
"You don't need to pay attention to people like him. Let's go."
"Oh...? Okay..."
Yoon Siwoo's attitude was unusually firm today, so in the end, I had to leave without even getting to say a proper goodbye to the unicorn.
Thanks for the ride, Mr. Unicorn.