My Childhood Friend, a Cool, Beautiful Girl With a Pure Face, Is a Monopolising Yandere
After the completion ceremony, the classroom was filled with a sense of liberation from the final exam.
As soon as the homeroom teacher concluded, “Well, have a nice summer vacation, everyone!” and then disappeared, the classmates started to move like bubbles of carbonated water.
“Hey, do you want to go to karaoke?”
“I’d love to! It’s been a while since I’ve sung.”
“Yeah, Yuto, what about you?”
I stop putting my notebook away when I hear my name called.
The boys in my classmates invited me to join them with happy smiles on their faces. The mood in the classroom was somewhat cheerful. It’s been a while since I’ve been completely free, and karaoke might be a good idea.
But hey, ……, what should I sing?
“Oh, well, I’m …….”
“Yuto can’t. He has an appointment with me today”
Ran interjected, sliding in from the seat next to me. Her usual black hair sways freely, attracting the attention of those around her.
“Eh? A prior appointment?”
I open my mouth in shock.
The classmates look a little puzzled.
“I see, well, it can’t be helped. I’ll see you next time!”
Surprisingly, they pulled out easily. The people around me have gotten used to our relationship, or maybe they don’t bother me anymore. It was as if it was a matter of course.
On the one hand, I feel a slight sense of guilt, but on the other hand, I am also relieved …… to be honest.
“Wait a minute, Ran. What’s a prior engagement?”
“Of course it’s obvious. We’re making plans for the summer vacation. The final exam is over, and I don’t have time to spend inefficient time on it.”
Ran said casually. I have not agreed to anything, but it seems that I already “have” a plan.
I left the classroom with Ran, half-heartedly.
As we leave the school building, the summer sun is gradually burning my skin. The sound of cicadas is beginning to echo in the distance.
Ah, it must be summer vacation.
“It’s so hot.”
“It is. But where are we going to make plans?”
“Let’s go to a family restaurant. It’s air-conditioned, and there’s a wide selection on the menu. It’s more efficient to eat and drink while gathering information.”
We walked through the shopping district and entered our usual family restaurant. The nearby high schools had all held their closing ceremony at the same time, so the restaurant was relatively crowded, but the tables were empty.
The cool air felt good against my sweaty skin.
“Is this okay here?”
“Yes, it’s fine.”
We took a seat at a sofa table for four.
Ran sat opposite me and looked down at the menu. She ordered a light drink bar and some sweets, and then she was going to take her time to gather information on her phone.
“First of all, the beach, an amusement park, or even a fireworks display would be nice”
Ran pulls out her phone and starts to open a tourist information website.
“It looks like summer. They all sound fun, but can we go to …… that many?”
“There is no point in narrowing down the possibilities from the start. I’m going to start with the broadest possible list.”
Ran is like a researcher. With a calm expression on her face and cheekbones, she checks maps, crowd information, and accessibility.
I sip my sweet iced coffee (with a lot of sugar) and listen leisurely. After all, spending time together like this is not a bad thing. In fact, it even makes me a little happy, which is simple-minded of me.
“….hey”
Ran suddenly raised her head and looked at me.
“W-What is it?”
“The screen is too small to see when you are face to face with me. The angle is bad because of the reflection. It’s inefficient.”
She said calmly, “Come sit next to me” patting the seat right next to her.
“Yeah, …… here?”
“Look at all the other customers, they’re all sitting where they want. Why don’t we just do as we please?”
I don’t think that’s the problem, there’s no reason to deny it. It would be strange to say no, so I guess I’ll just have to go along with it.
I get up from my seat and sit down next to Ran, realizing that we are closer than I had imagined.
Even though it was a sofa, it was quite small.
It is not so close that our shoulders almost touch, but it is close enough that if I move a little more, we might hit each other. Ran puts her phone in front of me with a cool look on her face.
“Look, this beach. I’ve always wanted to go there, but it’s a place famous for its scenery, so it’s going to be crowded. …… This beach is also within a train ride, but it’s a bit far away, so it’s going to be hard to get there.”
“H-hee …….”
Every time Ran leans in, there’s a faint scent of shampoo.
My cheeks were burning from the heat, and I felt like I was getting so hot that it was ruining the coolness of the air conditioner.
This is a perfect date plan, isn’t it?
Think about it. If there were a high school boy and girl making plans for summer fun at a family restaurant in such close proximity, they would definitely be in a relationship by now.
Even I would ask, “Are they dating?”
But Ran, with a straight face, makes excuses such as “inefficiency” and “rationality,” and takes it for granted that we make plans
“Speaking of other holiday destinations, …… amusement parks? It would be crowded during long vacations, and the ticket prices would be high, so it wouldn’t be efficient.”
“I-I agree. But if you say that, isn’t it crowded everywhere?”
“If you choose the right place, it won’t be. Wait …….”
Ran deftly switches the screen of her phone.
The moment I tried to look into the screen, my shoulder slightly touched Ran’s.
“I-I’m sorry, ……!
When I panicked and tried to pull back, Ran didn’t really care and said in a soft voice, “It’s okay.”
The tone of her voice seemed to soften the calm logic of a moment ago. A little sweet, a gentle sound to my ears.
I take a sip of my iced coffee, feeling embarrassed.
But it’s subtly sweet and unsettling. I’m in trouble.
“I’m going to skip the major tourist spots and pick up some uncrowded spots. It’s more efficient for the two of us.”
Ran begins to write the date and location in her note-taking app.
…..I’m going to ask
“Hey, do I have the option of going with a classmate or something like that?”
“Of course not.”
This woman’s answer was immediate. “What are you talking about?” She was about to say that
“Every time somebody else comes into the mix, it messes up the schedule. I won’t be able to achieve the efficiency I was aiming for. We can move smoothly if we go together.”
“I see. …… So, let’s make a plan for the two of us to go together.”
Ran blinked in surprise as I accepted her so easily.
“…yeah. let’s do that”
But it’s not just my imagination that makes her look slightly excited.
Ran looks at her smartphone screen and takes a small breath, and the air comfortably touches my cheek.
The air conditioner inside the family restaurant is supposed to be cool, but it feels as if the air around us is filled with the warm smell of summer.
“It really is almost summer vacation, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is. It’s summer.”
Summer vacation is coming.
The two of us will decide where to go and spend the summer vacation together.
I looked at the screen of Ran’s phone while holding the excitement that was slowly rising in my heart.