PPC a la Chii - Track 4

(We finally made it to Nanki Shirahama’s Adventure World! I just can’t wait to meet the pandas!)

Nanki Shirahama seemed quite far away on the map, but it was pretty easy to get to, given that it has an airport.

Right! The airport’s also close to a bunch of tourist spots, and there are lots of flights going to and from!

(…But if there’s anything I’m worried about… It’s that I’ve been working with Chihiro-kun on his photo project lately, and… He didn’t seem that cheerful lately.)

Oooh! We can put our faces in the hole and become pandas here! Kinyari, c’mere! Let’s snap a few pics~!

Understood. Commencing dazzable photoshoot.

(But he seems to be in pretty high spirits today. It’d be nice if he stayed that way…)

Chief, allow me to introduce you to Handa-san. He will be in charge of our ambassador project this time. Let’s gather everyone here and greet him.

Hellooo, members of Ev3ns! I am Handa… I love pandas, I adore pandas, I’m drunk on panda passion! I’m on a quest to master all things panda… a true disciple of the Ways of the Panda ☆…!

Nyaaah?!

Oh– Drunk on… panda passion…?

Hm. I suppose it’s something like my love for ramen?

(U-Um… It seems we’re going to have another… colorful personality in charge…?)

Everyone! Before you take on your job as ambassadors, you must take on my Panda Rapid-Fire Quiz!!!

Please wait. I didn’t hear anything about this in our prior meeting…

Are you telling me you’ll neglect the effort to truly grasp the full cuteness, greatness, and nobility of pandas!?

Oop, the pressure’s on…~

Urk… Could I ask you to tell us its contents first?

I’ve prepared three tablets for you. Inside, you’ll find information on the very basics of pandas.

Hmmm… It’s a report of approximately 300 pages, so it’s about the size of an academic book. Looks like it includes data from the latest reports.

(Wh-What happened to basic knowledge!? This is the stuff for panda maniacs!)

You’ll be taking the quiz in pairs tomorrow. If every pair gets at least 80% right, or if one pair gets everything right, you’ll get your ambassador status and start working!

Until you meet those requirements, the quiz will go on forever…! Like a panda toppling over itself…!

U-Uhhh… This is a crazy condition…

Now, please get into pairs. I, Handa, have been secretly waiting for this fated moment!

Each group needs to have 80% correct… In that case, there’s a group that’d need my strength too…

Alright, you all should pair up. Well, you may be in pairs, but if one of you who’s good at memorizing studies hard, you’ll be able to answer the quiz.

Okies! Chii and Tao will team up, then! We’re both hosts, so I’ll lock in, do my homework, and handle it myself!

I can study with you too, y’know?

Pairs, huh? This could be a good opportunity to help us deepen our relationships. So, how about it, Kuguri? We should work together from time to⁠—

Plüss, work with me.

Kuguri, Raito seemed like he wanted to work with you.

And you’d be perfectly fine with me leaving when he puts me in a bad mood? Nyuszi might end up crying, you know.

……

My apologies, Raito. I cannot allow Chihiro to cry.

So I’ve been turned down. I’m not so sure how I feel about this… Well, I’ll have a chance to mingle with Kuguri some other time.

…Have you made getting on my nerves a full time hobby?

Th-Then, Raito-san can be with me and Nayuki-kun.

…Chief. I apologize, I’ll pair up with Raito, so could you provide overall support?

Sure, no problem…

(Raito-san’s calmed down from declaring he adores everyone, but does Nayuki-kun expect him to start dropping some other insane statement…?)

You told me you were worried about Natsuyaki-kun earlier. I kept an eye on him as you told me and I think you’re right.

Ah, you think so too, don’t you? Tao-kun actually also came to me for advice.

(Tao-kun and I were worried Chihiro-kun might push himself, so we were discussing ways to cheer him on…)

It’s rather difficult to move around while fulfilling ambassador duties, but you shouldn’t be restricted as much, Chief. So, please watch over Natsuyaki-kun.

And… I believe once Raito is done reading the paper, his research will take him to a completely different direction… If we lose this ambassador job because of him, all my efforts will be for naught.

I can’t let you clean up his mess. I’ll pair up with him.

Ahaha… Got it. I’ll leave him to you, then.

You’ll pair up with me, Nayuki? Let’s deepen our knowledge on pandas together!

……

So, please decide which member of your pairs will be memorizing the information in your tablets. Food will be brought to your rooms, so you don’t have to worry about that.

Let’s do this, Nayuki! This paper about pandas seems interesting, too.

I’ll be going into focus mode now, so I’ll lock our room. Do not let anyone, ever, under no circumstances come inside.

Hm? What should I do, then?

Heeey, Nayuki?

……

Kuguriiiin, Kinyariiii! Can I come in~? Let’s study together!

Nyuszi. You can come in, but did you leave maci back in your room?

Yep! I told him I was gonna study solo, but he wasn’t having it and he said he wanted to study with me. Soooo, I took the tablet and came here. Now, Taotao’s forced to take a break!

Ufufu. You managed to keep it a secret from maci? If he follows you, then he might just grab a hold of your cute little bunny ears and drag you back.

I never told him I was coming to your room. All I said on PeChat was “Take a break! Chii’s orders!” so it’s all fine-ppi!

I’ve got a lot on my plate just doing what I want, but Taotao’s the one quietly doing all the background work, so…

Welcome, Chihiro. Please sit wherever you’d like.

Yippee~! I’m crashin’ the party!

Did you two start studying already?

…Holdup! Kugurin, you’re just drinking wine!

Quit it! If you don’t answer the questions right, you’re gonna fail!

Ever the naive one, aren’t you, nyuszi? Take a look at plüss.

Establishing connection with tablet… Installing local data…

Data collection complete. Output priority level: MAX. I am prepared to complete the quiz at any time.

Huh…?

Nyuszi, try asking plüss a question.

Ummm… Here’s one! “When twins are born, what’s the method the panda center came up with so both survive?” Well?!

Childcare swap.

Under typical conditions, panda mothers can only raise one cub due to the large burden for care. However, at the facility, the caretakers measured the time between nursing sessions for each cub, comparing the results before and after⁠—

Wooooaaah! You got it, you got it! Stop there!

Excellent job, plüss ♪

Huuuh! Wait, Kinyari! You already got it all down perf?!

Yes. If the information had been documented on paper, it would have taken a longer period of time to scan, but I have already stored the information in my memory since I obtained it digitally.

The quiz is set up so that even if one person answers, we can still pass. Picim said he was going to memorize everything, but I think putting in that much effort is pointless.

If we’re all on the same page, then why don’t you join me for a drink, nyuszi? I’ll even share a bit of wine, just for you.

Ohhhh~ So that’s why you wanted to pair up with Kinyariiii…

…I’m gonna study anyways. I’m the main host, and I wanna add a bunch of panda stuff to our collabs!

If you encounter any kanji you’re unable to read, Chihiro, I’ll assist you.

Oh? How sweet. Well, do whatever you want.

Raising pandas, huh… Speaking of, most of the pandas here were born and raised by the same mama panda, right?

Currently, almost 90% of the pandas in captivity are under Shiramama’s care.

Search results show that she’s renowned for being a skilled panda nurturer.

Really? Ooh, here’s something interesting. Kinyari, answer me this! Why does a baby panda’s fur turn pink?!

Because of the components in their mother’s saliva. She licks her offspring’s fur as part of the caregiving process.

A panda’s fur turning pink is evidence of the mother providing attentive care.

Ding ding ding! Woah, Kinyari! You’ve got this in the bag!

I didn’t know that was the reason… I thought pandas were pink ‘cuz you could see their skin peeking through their fur~

……

So are Mitsuki and I just clickbait to you? You’d use your own family to get more views?!

(I didn’t mean it like that… Maybe it came out the wrong way…)

If Chii were a baby panda, he’d probably be all white from how much his mom neglected him.

Chihiro…

……!

Oop, don’t mind meee! That was kinda criiinge~!

……

Why don’t you think about it differently, nyuszi?

Differently…?

If you’d been licked obsessively instead, then your fur would’ve turned more than just pink. It would’ve turned blood red.

You’d end up dying under the pressure of your mother’s tongue, wouldn’t you?

S-Stop trying to freak me out, Kugurin…

Ufufu.

OK… It’s time to lock in and keep studying.

……

(I’m not a kid anymore, but…)

(Being a pink baby sounds kinda nice… If only my mom was like the mama pandas here…)

(I used to be pink once too… a long time ago…)