My Childhood Friend, a Cool, Beautiful Girl With a Pure Face, Is a Monopolising Yandere
“Yuto. Look at that.”
Ran pointed to the starry sky above us.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it? How many stars do you think there are in the universe?”
The number of stars?
I’ve never thought about that.
No, it’s not like that.
There’s even a word for astronomical numbers, so you can be more daring.
“Ten billion ……. How’s that?”
“Boo-boo, incorrect. It depends on how you calculate it, but one theory says 700 billion.”
S-Seven hundred trillion?
What’s that
“One, ten, a hundred, a thousand, a million, a billion, a trillion …… ?”
“where 700 billion is seven times ten to the 22nd power.”
“Two …… and twenty-two trillion …….”
It is a tremendous number.
I can’t even imagine.
Looking up at the night sky, it doesn’t seem like there are that many stars, but beyond the darkness, which mankind has never seen, there must be many stars sleeping.
“So, if you counted all the cells of every living thing on this planet, how many do you think the number would be?”
“Would that be at this very moment? Does a Tyrannosaurus count?”
“No. This very moment.”
I see. This is another conundrum.
From the way the story goes, it seems like this one is pretty big too, but it’s only at this very moment.
“I understand. About ten trillion in all.”
“Yes, incorrect again.”
‘Boo-boo,’ Ran said cutely.
“It also depends on how you calculate it, but the estimated number is “100 Jo”. The number is the next unit after the hundred trillion, which is the next unit after the hundred million.In multiples, it’s 10 to the 30th power.”
“…………”
I don’t understand what you mean by this.
“It’s just a rough estimate, so it’s not a scientifically meaningful number. But it would seem that the Earth, in terms of depth, is as good as the universe.”
Ran’s gaze was fixed on the starry sky.
Her eyes were sharp as if she was glaring
“Don’t you think we were born in a boring time? From the Amazon jungle to Antarctica, the whole world has been explored.
Then, if we want to go into space, it’s hard to even get to neighbouring Mars, let alone leave the solar system – no 2001: A Space Odyssey, no Star Wars, no Forbidden Planet. It’s boring and nauseating.”
“Do you hate space, …… Ran?”
“Yes, I might hate it. It’s so glitzy and shiny, and in the end it’s out of reach.”
‘But,’ she continued, pointing with her white-fish finger at the sea in front of her
“The sea is right there. It’s said that of the 2.2 million species living in the oceans, 91% of them are unknown. Can you believe it? We only know 10% of the oceans.
The oceans are humanity’s remaining frontier, the last mystery of the Earth. That’s why I love the ocean.”
Seeing Ran’s passionate profile, I remembered the aquarium we played in before the summer holidays.
I thought she looked lively and happy then, too, but Ran doesn’t just love the sea, she’s very passionate about it.
“I intend to become a marine biology researcher in the future. I want to specialise in fisheries science at a university in Hokkaido for that purpose. I’ve heard that there is a well-developed specialisation programme and that you can go on a research vessel while you are still an undergraduate student. But my parents are against it.”
“Yeah, why?”
“My parents want me to apply to an old Kansai Imperial University. I know they want to go back because their hometown is over there, but I’m not familiar with it at all and I don’t want to go to university over there.”
Come to think of it, Ran’s parents are from Kansai.
Ran has been over here since she was born, so there must be a gap in sensibilities between her and her parents.
“Oh, so that’s why you said you travelled the other day?”
“That’s right. I went to the open campus of a university over there.”
I see.
Participating in an open campus from the first year of high school is a very conscious thing to do.
Both of them were not bad parents, but I remember that they were very enthusiastic about their daughters’ education, or rather, they were the type to take care of things this way and that.
This reminds me. Speaking of education,
‘Come to think of it, Ran, when you entered junior high school, you also ………”
“Yes. I also did a lot of the entrance examinations for junior high school. I was a complete failure. I was so shocked because I was really into it at the time.”
That’s right.
Ran took the junior high school entrance exam.
She also took the entrance exam for a public school in Osaka, so she was pretty busy in the sixth year of primary school.
But in the end, she failed all the schools she wanted to go to, so she went to the same local junior high school as me.
Perhaps because of this, after entering the school, Ran put up walls against others and became an outcast in class.
It wasn’t that we became estranged, but we didn’t do everything together like we did in primary school.
I was naturally lonely, but I thought Ran was probably thinking about a lot of things, so I didn’t take any action.
That’s why I was surprised when our relationship went back to the old days after we entered high school.
“I don’t want to fail the university entrance exams. Hokkaido is far away and living on your own is expensive. The reality is that it’s hard in many ways. It might be easier to go to Kansai with my parents.”
“I think Ran should do what she wants. She looks like she’s having a lot of fun talking about sea creatures.”
That’s what I tried to say, but Ran seemed to have a complicated expression on her face.
“It’s true that there are things I want to do, but if I do it out of admiration, I end up failing…and causing trouble for my parents. I don’t want to do that. To be honest, I don’t know what to do.”
Ran is unusually weak.
Her appearance was far from cool, and I felt my heart tighten.
The usual Ran would have made a quick decision, but because she has always been ‘efficient’, her conflict must be deep and great.
Small streetlights dimly illuminate the surroundings, and the chirping of insects can be heard in the distance.
Is there anything I can do?
Ran is always looking out for me. She drags me out of the house and takes me to cafés and aquariums, helps me with my studies before tests, and even planned this trip.
How could I ever repay her for all she’s done for me?
I slowly reach out and gently touch her hand near the one on the embankment.
” ……, I’ll follow you too, Hokkaido.”
“Eh?”
For a moment, silence falls, as if the sound of the waves has stopped.
Ran rolled her eyes and her lips trembled. In the darkness, she stares at my face.
I repeat my words as if to go further.
“To be honest, I hadn’t thought about my future career path yet. …… But on the other hand, it doesn’t matter where I go, then I’ll go to the Faculty of Fisheries in Hokkaido with Ran. Yeah, that’s good. I’ve just decided that.”
“Wait, wait a minute. Why did you suddenly decide to go ……?”
“It’s not out of the blue.”
It’s not out of the blue.
Ran and I have been together forever.
I know we’ve been apart for a while, but that’s how I know.
“I should be with Ran”
It’s not about liking or disliking, good or bad.
It is natural to do so.
It’s as natural as the sun rising in the east and the apple falling from the tree.
Then Ran raises her eyebrows as if she is troubled, and raises her voice as if she is a little angry.
“Don’t say it so easily. You say things like ‘I’m going too’ with your mouth, but in reality it’s difficult in many ways. How can you study for a specialisation if you’re not interested in it?
What about the entrance exams? Don’t you have anything in mind? You know I hate jokes like that the most.”
“If Ran is going, I’m going too. If Ran stays, I’ll stay. That’s all.”
“Aaa mouu, ……! So Yuto will do anything I tell him to do? Do you run when I tell you to run and sit when I tell you to sit? If I tell you to imitate a dog, do you bark?
If I tell you to jump, do you jump?”
Ran glares at me sharply. Apparently, my comments have hit a nerve more than I thought.
I’m in trouble. How can I make her understand that I’m serious?
I quickly got up from the concrete quay where I was sitting and jumped towards the surface of the sea in front of me.
There was a splash of water.
The water was deeper than I had expected, and I was submerged below the waist. The cold seawater is entering the inside of my clothes.
“Whoa…”
When I jumped in, I found that the summer sea was really dark.
It’s dark every inch of the way. It feels more like being swallowed by black slime than water.
“W…… what are you doing!”
A voice rained down from overhead
Ran is looking at me with a face of shock.
“What do you mean, I jumped off. I’m afraid of the dark. Should I do the dog impersonation too?”
“No, it’s not that, it’s dangerous! What if you get hurt by drif! Drift, glass bottles, fishhooks, you never know what’s out there.”
“Well, I’m wearing shoes, so I think I’ll be fine.”
“That’s ……”
My sudden eccentricity (it would appear so, wouldn’t it?) left Ran speechless and motionless for a while.
No streetlights could reach its profile, and only the moonlight reflected its shape subtly.
“Hey, Ran. I respect you for being efficient, cautious, always on your toes and taking life seriously, but sometimes you have to take the plunge, don’t you?”
I say as if I’m talking to her, and hold out my hand.
“I know you’re worried, but look, I’m here too.”
“…………”
Ran exhales one big breath, trying to regulate her disordered breathing.
“…… you’ll take it, won’t you?”
“Sure.”
Ran’s body left the shore.
I hold it up as I soak in the seawater.
My face is close to Ran’s neck, and She smells softly and pleasantly.
But for a short time, the weight of my upper body began to fall. Slowly lowering Ran’s body while pushing hard so as not to fall.
And so we were both immersed in the night sea.
Ran is completely snug in my arms.
“Hey, what the hell, right?”
“Well, …… I suppose it is.”
The sound of the waves crashing on the rocks, the sound of the waves breaking on the rocks.
The sound of the waves crashing on the rocks is again silently striking my ears.
I once again look out at the sea at night.
As far as the eye can see, the water is dark and there are no lights, but I am not afraid at all in the face of this endless darkness.
Because I am not alone.
Even when she jumped into the sea, Ran was still as beautiful as ever. Her clothes and hair spread softly on the surface of the water, like a mermaid princess.
Her figure was so fragile that it seemed to melt away in the darkness, so I redoubled my arm strength.
Then, Ran also moved closer to me.
“…I won’t give up and will consider a university in Hokkaido. My parents will definitely oppose it, but I’ll try my best to convince them. Even if they say no, if you say so, maybe something will work out, I’m starting to think that…”
“Yes.”
I answered shortly.
There was no need to say any more words.
In the cold sea water, only Ran’s skin was warm.
Under the starry sky, we were alone, and we stayed that way forever.
Even after we returned to the quay from the sea, we kept talking. We talked about old memories, school life from the autumn term, and our future.
Our clothes were soaking wet, but after a while they dried up enough that we didn’t mind. Thank goodness it was summer.
Ran wants to study fish in the Antarctic. I couldn’t understand about 80% of what she was saying, but she seemed to be enjoying it anyway.
We finally returned to the station at the time when the darkness had faded. We were told that the broken track had been repaired last night, and we both boarded the first train of the morning.
In the empty local train, I sat down on a seat alongside Ran. I put my luggage at my feet and rested my heavy head against the backrest, and my eyelids instantly felt as if they were about to close.
As expected, sleepiness was at its limit.
The sun was peeking over the horizon on the route along the coast.
Normally, I would have been impressed by the spectacular view, but I was too sleepy for that.
My eyelids were too heavy to bear and my consciousness was falling asleep.
Just before that.
“Yuto. Stay with me forever.”
I thought I heard a voice from next door, but I let go of my consciousness before I could reply.