My Childhood Friend, a Cool, Beautiful Girl With a Pure Face, Is a Monopolising Yandere
The picture book I borrowed had illustrations of a large anglerfish and a cute, deformed deep-sea shark.
This would be easy for even a child to understand.
“Would you like to read this picture book? There are many fish that don’t live in Tokyo Bay, but they are interesting.”
“Yeah…… It’s cute.”
The girl took the picture book and began to turn the pages. But her expression was still stiff.
I sat down next to her and looked at the pages together.
“This one is called a Chaetodon auratus, and it has a glowing part on its head. It can lure in prey even at the bottom of the dark sea.”
“….. Wow, they have lights, don’t they?”
She seemed curious. I tried to talk about it in a way that was as easy to understand as possible for a child.
It’s a good thing I read the book beforehand.
Deep-sea fish are unique in appearance, so if she can get familiar with them, she might find them interesting.
“Look, on this page, there is a shark species called Rabuka. It has many teeth like this and looks like a deep-sea fossil, but it is actually a living species. It lives in Tokyo Bay, Ran…… said the lady over there.”
“……It looks really strong. It’s cool.”
Seeing the girl’s smiling face, I felt a little relieved.
Of course it would be boring for a child to have to listen to Ran’s highly technical lectures all the time.
…… Yes, that’s right.
I picked up a clear bag of cookies on the desk.
The cookie team had been working like mad the day before to pack the cookies in the bag.
“Would you like to try some of these? We made these cookies in our class.
They come in a variety of flavors, and there are still some left. You don’t have to be afraid.”
“You don’t mind?”
“Sure.”
The girl tore open the bag. She was still reserved.
But the moment she took a bite, she smiled. I was relieved to see her moving her mouth happily while making a crunching sound.
“Sorry, our group does a lot of specialized exhibits. If you want, I can’t give you a picture book, but you can read freely.”
“Yes, thank you ……onii san, you are so kind.”
These words make me feel a little embarrassed.
No, no. I’m not that kind of person, young lady.
….. hmm?
There’s some kind of chilly feeling behind me.
“You can’t be so careless and open …… to bait a girl while I’m explaining the contents of the poster, can you Yuto ……?”
An icy-eyed Ran stood there.
“W-WWWhat?! I’m not slacking off! I’m just trying to get this girl a picture book.”
“I’m just kidding. I know you’ve been taking care of the kid while the discussion has been going on. Thank you.”
It wasn’t a joking look. ……
The man who had just been having a lively discussion with Ran also came up to us.
“Thanks for taking care of this girl. Is this picture book yours?”
“Oh, um, …… I borrowed it from the library.”
“I see. I didn’t think that there were materials that were also considerate to children. It’s great that a wide range of people can enjoy it, not just adults.”
The man gently patted the head of the girl he was taking with him as he said this.
The girl, who was eating a cookie, looked a little embarrassed. Parent and child? Or a relative?
“Look. You should thank onii san”
“Yes, I saw a lot of interesting fish. Thank you….., Onii san”
I was so happy that I smiled back and said, “You’re welcome,” and Ran came over to me before I knew it and said in her usual calm tone of voice
“You can take some more cookies with you. We still have some left in stock.”
“Wow, is that okay?”
“Yes.”
Her voice was soft and gentle, and I was inwardly surprised.
She is usually a cool person, but maybe she is just a little bit sweeter with kids.
The man and the girl leave the classroom. I watched their backs as they left.
I’m glad I was able to respond to them properly.
Ran seemed relieved.
“I’m glad you’re here, Yuto.”
“Hmm? I didn’t do much. It’s only because you can have difficult discussions with adults that I’m in charge of the kids.”
“You have a keen eye for things like preparing picture books and being considerate to kids who look bored. It’s not like I can’t do it, but… there are people who are in the right place for the right person, aren’t there?”
After Ran said that, she nodded slightly and looked at me.
It was a rare compliment so straightforward that I couldn’t help but blush.
It was a rare occasion for me to be praised so directly, so I couldn’t help but feel embarrassed.
“Eh, I guess so… Well, I guess it’s my turn. I have to do my best too.”
“Fufu. I suppose so. Let’s both carry on for a little longer.”
With that, Ran went back to the poster and prepared for the next customer.
I look at the table and arrange the cookie bags and put the picture books in a place where the children can easily pick them up.
Looking out the window, I see a line of people waiting in line for the booth on the playground and what looks like a performance stage in the courtyard.
The whole school is filled with the atmosphere of a festival, lively and bustling.
Come to think of it, I haven’t eaten cookies.
I wonder what they taste like.
I tried one of the tasting ones they have in the back.
……Yeah, it’s good.
It’s a simple taste, but it’s crunchy and quite good.
“Do you want to try one too?”
“…… Well, I’ll have one.”
The cookie was accepted and placed in the mouth.
Ran chewed it for a while and then said quietly,
“Well, I guess it’s not bad at all.”
“Right? It’s great.”
“But I think the flavor would be better with a little more butter. The baking process is not consistent in size, and the dough needs to be …… adjusted.”
Ah, here we go.
Her perfectionism seems to show in these things as well.
She knows that the classmate who made the cookies doesn’t mean any harm, so she just mutters about it, but she still doesn’t seem satisfied with the cookies.
“The thing I’m most unhappy about is that they’re not sweet enough. There isn’t enough sugar. The cookie team must have been careless and missed out on adding any.”
“Is that so?”
“Yuuto, when making sweets you have to add so much sugar that normal people are shocked. You can’t let the sugar overwhelm you.”
“I see. ……”
It was the first day of the festival. In the bustling classrooms, our exhibition was quietly but steadily gaining momentum as we each played our respective roles.