[He gives the lion another cautious glance before he comes a little closer. It didn't seem at all bothered by being stood on or approached by a stranger, so maybe it wasn't going to turn him into lunch.]

Not too many kids get to go to space for reasons like this, huh? It's like something out of a comic book I read years ago.

My name is Shingo, by the way. Shingo Izumi. How about yours?