My Childhood Friend, a Cool, Beautiful Girl With a Pure Face, Is a Monopolising Yandere
The morning bustle through the school is much stronger than usual, and I can feel the enthusiasm of the students.
Today is the first day of the festival. A large banner is displayed at the main entrance, with information about the many booths and exhibits.
The sky is clear and cloudless, and just looking at it from the outside makes my heart skip a beat.
As soon as I entered the classroom, I saw my classmates scurrying about.
Someone was re-posting papers on the wall, and someone was wandering around looking for a power strip.
Although we had prepared for the event in advance, the morning of the event is always a bit of a scramble.
Let’s get Group C ready as well.
The poster we made for “Marine Life in Tokyo Bay” will be displayed on the wall.
The picture book we borrowed from the library the other day is also ready and will be placed on the table for the exhibition.
As I was moving them around, I heard Ran’s cool voice coming from next door.
“Move it down a little. If you block the aisle, it will be difficult to see the exhibition.”
“Oh, yes. Like this?”
“A little more …… okay, that’s good right there.”
She puts the posters up on the wall as I adjust the desk.
The illustrations and diagrams already drawn are so perfect that it is hard to believe they were made by a high school student.
“…..amazing, once again.”
“Well, it’s the result of not compromising. You helped me, too, and I’m sure it’s perfect”
“Yeah, I’m glad we did it.”
I was mostly just a chore.
Ran muttered, “Of course,” as she continued to work nonchalantly.
I am acutely aware of how much work went into this poster because I watched beside her as she studied the materials and thought about the layout more intently than anyone else.
The content, which included colorful illustrations of fish, a topographic map of the seafloor around Tokyo Bay, and even an illustration of a specialized ecosystem, was frankly too specialized and detailed.
Soon after, an announcement is made over the school’s public address system, “The festival will begin now,” and the classmates hurry to complete their final checks.
Soon, the sound of footsteps could be heard coming from the hallways and stairs.
Finally, the festival was about to begin.
In our class, as a part of our program, we have a shift for each period of the day, and we assign who will be the guides for the poster exhibition.
Of course my name was on that shift list, and for some reason Ran was in the same time slot.
…… Yeah, why?
There are only two people in Group C, me and Ran.
I don’t think it would be possible to run the shift if those two were in the same time slot. ……
Well, it must be a mistake by the festival committee.
It can’t be helped.
Right after the festival started, there weren’t many people coming to the festival because they were drawn to the more obvious and fun exhibits, such as the haunted house and maid café.
But as time went by, the number of visitors who came for the poster exhibition gradually increased.
I stood at the back of the classroom and occasionally asked the occasional visitor who had taken a glance at the posters
“If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to ask.”
I stand at the back of the classroom and occasionally talk to people who glance at the posters.
However, Ran is the main person who answers the actual questions. I play a supporting role, handing out cookies and other materials.
Then, an elderly man with a somewhat intellectual look and feel walks into the classroom.
He had short gray hair and was wearing an expensive-looking suit. Is this what you call a “nice middle man”?
Next to him was a girl of elementary school age, who looked a little bored.
“Is this …… an exhibit about marine life in Tokyo Bay?”
“Yes, it is. It summarizes the underwater topography around Tokyo Bay and the flow of the ecosystem.”
Ran turns around and steps forward to the man.
She grabbed a pointer she had prepared for explanation and began to explain precisely, pointing to the poster’s headings.
“The environment in Tokyo Bay differs greatly between the inner bay and the open ocean side, and this results in a bias in the types of organisms that inhabit the bay. For example, in the inner part of the bay, there are more salt-tolerant shellfish and benthic organisms, while in areas closer to the open sea, there are more migratory fish—“
“Oh, I see. If there were rich tidal flats around brackish water areas, the diversity might increase. There has been a lot of landfill in recent years, but do you have any comparative data on that?”
The man looked at the poster with serious eyes and seemed to be very interested.
I wonder. He looked like a university professor, or perhaps an expert on the ocean.
Ran took out a document, “Yes, I have a list of references here ……,” and started to talk more in depth.
I felt that Ran’s way of answering his questions without hesitation and even presenting additional information was beyond the scope of a high school student.
Before I knew it, the two were engaged in an academic discussion as if they had hit it off.
The man was flippantly nodding his head and nodding “hmmm, hmmm” as they deepened their conversation, and Ran was methodically laying out the technical terms.
Her cool expression seemed to have a hint of heat in it.
I just stood there blankly by her side.
Hmmm. I was completely left out.
The theme was supposed to be a poster that the students had researched on their own, but I couldn’t keep up with the in-depth discussion.
I’m not that good at studying to begin with, and the content was left entirely up to Ran, so I had no choice.
At that moment, I suddenly saw a small movement at the edge of my vision.
A girl who had been brought along by a man was looking around with a bored look on her face.
I see, it’s hard for elementary school-aged children to understand such a technical talk, even if it’s being talked about endlessly. ……
“Hey, are you bored? Would you like to take a look at this picture book?”
“Ah, …….”
When I asked the girl, she looked a little puzzled, but her eyes lit up when I showed her the picture book “The Mystery of the Deep Sea,” which was on the table.