My Childhood Friend, a Cool, Beautiful Girl With a Pure Face, Is a Monopolising Yandere
The moment I passed through the entrance gate of the aquarium, I involuntarily gasped.
This is an urban aquarium built inside a high-rise building.
Looking up from the lobby, I saw a glass wall leading to the upper floors, and a transparent tube-shaped aquarium tank crawling through the air.
Schools of small tropical fish swim in the three-dimensional space, passing over our heads as if we were enjoying an underwater stroll.
Every element is futuristic, and the facility is so refined that it is hard to believe it is just an aquarium.
“Wow. ……amazing.”
I let out an honest exclamation of admiration. Even though we are in the middle of Tokyo, this space is like a tropical beach.
“It’s not that surprising, is it? It’s a pretty famous aquarium.”
Ran says nonchalantly next to me.
But her expression is slightly softer than usual. Or rather, she looks smug.
“How are we going to get around today, Ran? Are you still focusing on efficiency?”
“We’re going to see the coral reef tank on the third floor first. Then we will go to the second floor to the limited-time-only exhibit area where you can see rare stingrays, followed by the sea lion show on the first floor. I’ve calculated that if we take the shortest route, we can make it to the show in time.”
I thought it was her usual efficient explanation, but her tone of voice was a little bouncy. This is unusual for the usually cool Ran.
Come to think of it, I used to visit the aquarium with Ran a lot. The Hasegawa family and I are close as a family, so we used to go to aquariums a bit far away together in the same car.
I remember that Ran used to leave me alone and sit in front of the aquarium tank first.
Since we went to junior high school, we didn’t have many chances to play together like this, and I had completely forgotten about it.
“It’s been a long time since we came to the aquarium together. Don’t leave me behind today.”
When I teased her, she rolled her eyes in surprise.
“Did you remember?”
“Yes. Ran loved sea creatures in general, didn’t she? She was so engrossed in the fish book she had borrowed from the library that she skipped our appointment to play ……”
Ran’s cheeks blushed slightly.
“T-that’s because I was just a kid. ……”
“Do you still like sea creatures and such?”
“Yeah. It feels wide and shallow.”
“It’s nice! Ran is amazing.
I respect you.”
I really mean it.
I don’t have much time to devote to anything. I don’t have much energy and stamina, so I have my hands full with my daily life in high school.
“….Well, I used to immerse myself in whatever I wanted to do without thinking about it. But today, I plan ahead. I’ve planned my route in advance so that I don’t waste time.”
“Well, let’s go to the coral reef tank on the third floor first, shall we? Let’s go there.”
“Let’s do that.”
We bought our tickets at the entrance and went up the escalator.
On the third floor, there is a large dome-shaped tank in which colorful tropical fish swim in schools. It was like a colorful tapestry spread out under the sea. Mirrors placed underwater reflect the light at perfect angles, creating shimmering patterns on the floor and walls. It is as if one is invited to take a walk under the sea.
“It’s really amazing…”
“It’s a magnificent display.”
Ran’s face was lit up fantastically by the blue aquarium. I was surprised to see her profile. Ran is a beautiful woman after all. She is mature, cool……
She was pretty in the past, but she is even more beautiful now.
Ran is carefully observing a small shrimp behind a rock. I took out my phone and quietly took a picture of her profile.
Next, we moved to the second floor to an area where rare stingrays are displayed.
Here, the tank stretches long horizontally, and the rays swim as if they were gracefully flapping their wings.
The rays moving near the surface of the water look like birds flying in the sky, and the quiet background music creates a relaxing atmosphere.
“Yuto, can you tell the difference between the rays at the bottom of the tank and the ones swimming over there?”
“I thought all stingrays were stingrays. What’s the difference?”
“They are totally different. The ecology of pelagic rays is different from that of coastal rays. Coastal rays such as stingrays are often displayed in aquariums, but pelagic rays, such as manta rays, are difficult to keep in an artificial environment. They require a large space, and the cost of a system to reproduce the water currents is–”
Ran explains about rays in a rapid speech. Earlier, she modestly said, “It’s kind of broad and shallow,” but I think she’s at the level of an expert now.
To be honest, I only understood about half of what she was saying.
I chuckled at that, but inwardly I was happy. I guess Ran is helping me to enjoy the aquarium in her own way.
Besides, just looking at her happy face makes me happy too. I was satisfied even if I could not identify the stingrays.
Now it was time to go to the sea lion show on the first floor. Since Ran did not want to leave the stingray exhibit, there was not much time left before the show started. We hurried down the escalator.
“The entrance to the show is over there.”
“…… Hey Orchid, isn’t there a huge line of people waiting in line?”
There was a long line near the entrance of the show area. I went to the ticket booth with a bad feeling.
“Sorry, sir, we are sold out for today”
“Eh, ……? Sold out?”
“There are some group visitors …… we apologize for the inconvenience. If you have a pre-reserved ticket, we can let you in.”
That’s …….
I had no choice but to take Ran with me and leave the sales floor.
“ …… unexpected. I didn’t think it was sold out.”
Ran stared blankly into the air. Normally, she would have immediately switched to an alternative plan or another route, but she was silent.
Her expressionless face may look the same as usual to others, but to me, who have known her for a long time, I can tell.
Ran was depressed. quite firmly so.
“I should have bought a ticket when I entered the museum. No, I should have made an advance reservation online because I knew the show would be crowded. It was such a risk I could have understood. ……”
She frowned and bit her lip hard. This is Ran’s habit when she’s angry. I guess it’s because she’s so rational that she can’t forgive her own mistakes.
I have no qualification to blame Ran. To begin with, today’s plan was all up to her… That’s why I want to follow her in situations like this. Is there anything I can do?