No kisses here.

Frogs are considered a sign of good fortune in Japan, since the Japanese word for frog, kaeru, is a homonym for the word for “return,” implying a safe return home at the end of excursions and a payoff for effort and investment. So at first glance, you might think the above glimpse into the home of Japanese Twitter user @PIYO_KAERU shows two frog figurine good-luck charms.

That glossy appearance isn’t from a ceramic glaze, though, but from the natural luster of the skin of a pair of Australian green tree frogs that @PIYO_KAERU keeps as pets. They only get more adorable when they turn towards one another and gaze into each other’s eyes, like two amorous amphibians who are falling in love as we watch.

The romantic tension only builds as their throats rhythmically bulge, lending an atmosphere of nervous energy to the scene. Surely they’ll kiss at any moment, right?

Well…

https://twitter.com/PIYO_KAERU/status/1353208869275635713

…not exactly, as the gray frog suddenly spoils the mood by lifting up its right foreleg and unceremoniously slapping the green one.

▼ “They looked like they were getting along so well, so why the slap?” asks @PIYO_KAERU with a laugh.

Making the whole thing extra weird is that neither the frog delivering the slap nor the one on the receiving end of it goes through any change in expression. After the slap, though, they doggedly avoid eye contact, which makes sense, since that’s got to be a socially awkward situation.

▼ The frogs in less slappy times

@PIYO_KAERU’s theory is that the gray frog just wanted a bit more personal space, which would explain why there’s not much force behind the blow. Actually, the whole thing had a lot of commenters thinking of Japan’s two-person comedy routines called manzai, in which the straight man often punctuates his partner’s wacky hijinks with a stage-smack while saying “What the heck are you doing/talking about?”

▼ The tsukkomi (straight man) smacking the boke (funny guy) is one of Japanese comedy’s longest-running traditions.

And don’t worry, the green frog, named Ruri-chan, seems to be doing just fine.

https://twitter.com/PIYO_KAERU/status/1353516781667721217

With frogs’ good luck power based on a pun, we’re not sure how much stock we can put in it, but when we need a good laugh, we know @PIYO_KAERU’s pets can deliver.

Source: Twitter/@PIYO_KAERU via IT Media
Images: Twitter/@PIYO_KAERU
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