My Childhood Friend, a Cool, Beautiful Girl With a Pure Face, Is a Monopolising Yandere
On the afternoon of the final day of the final examinations, when the supervisor collects the answers and leaves the classroom, the shoulders of the classmates lighten all at once, as if all the internally compressed air has been released at once.
“It’s over!”
“Oh no, I might be dead for real.”
“You always say that.”
I sat down, put away the used mechanical pencil lead, and took a deep breath.
I filled out all the questions in Mathematics, English, and Chemistry, but to be honest, I didn’t have much of a response. Still, I can’t help but think about it.
The test is over.
Yes,! It’s over!
“Good work.”
I look up at the voice and see Ran approaching my seat. People around me are glancing at us, but I don’t care.
Apparently, my classmates are no longer surprised when Ran talks to me these days,
“Well, it’s done ……. Did you get it done Ran?”
“I don’t think I made any major mistakes.
I’m looking forward to the grading.”
She says it smoothly, as if it’s nothing. I’m not being sarcastic when I say this (and it even suits her), which is the beauty of beautiful women.
“And you?”
“Doubtful, to be honest.
But there’s nothing I can do about it.”
When I shrug my shoulders, Ran responds with a slightly softer look in her eyes “I guess so.”
Perhaps it’s the feeling of freedom after finishing the final exam, but I feel that there’s a bit of warmth mixed in with the usual calm atmosphere.
“Now that the test is over, let’s do something relaxing. We can play games or eat sweets at home. …… I’d like to relax a bit.”
You want to relax?
It’s unusual for Ran to suggest this. Usually, she’s so fussy about efficiency and planning.
“…… what? What is that face?”
“Oh, no, no, nothing.
I’m all for it!”
Oh, no. She is perceptive.
“Why don’t we play games at home……? My family’s out at the moment, so I can use the living room.”
“That’s good.
It’s nice then, we don’t have to worry about being seen.”
The classmates have already decided what to do after school, and some of them are rushing out of the classroom and gathering their friends to start chatting. As soon as Ran and I left the school building and stepped outside, the summer sunlight hit our eyes.
“It’s so hot ……”
“Really, I didn’t realise how hot it was outside.
I’d been indoors studying for a test, so I’d forgotten about it.”
We take a short cut through the shopping arcade and head for home.
With summer approaching, the cicadas are beginning to sing. The city air seems to be telling us that summer holidays are already around the corner.
We open the front door and enter the living room, which, despite being unoccupied, is heavenly cool with the air-conditioner on (I had turned it on with an app on my phone). Ran takes a small breath and says, ‘Thank goodness’
“‘Now, what game do you want to play? The sports kind? The racing kind? Puzzle? I have everything.”
I furtively rummage through the shelves of game cassettes.
I like games a lot. I’ve been holding back recently because I’ve been studying for a test, so I’m surprisingly excited myself.
“It’s my first time, so I’d like to play an easy-going party game”
I take a cassette from the shelf.
This game is the type where a mini-game starts every time you stop on a square, and luck and light technique are the key points.
“How about this one? There’s a lot of luck involved, so brains alone won’t help.”
“Okay, let’s try that one.”
The TV is switched on and two controllers are set. In the character selection, Ran immediately chose a character.
“Why did you choose that character?’”
“Because the cursor’s initial position was here.”
“I see. ……”
Game start. Early on, my dice luck is good and I take a steady lead. Ran, who was quiet at first, gradually became more serious as her losses spread.
She clutches the controller in frustration.
A mini-game interrupts the game when it reaches the halfway point. It is a type of game where you press the buttons at the right moment to get a perfect score, and you get a lot of points if you get a Perfect score.
In short, it is a simple sound game.
“If you want to win this match, you have to earn points here. ……”
Ran grips the controller and stares at the screen.
The bonus for Perfect is huge in this game, so you have to aim with split-second concentration.
“Here!”
When the timing is close, Ran concentrates as if she is gasping for air.
……, but she’s not doing well at all because she’s straining too much. The timing is blurred because there’s extra strength in her fingertips.
In the end, the points don’t increase, and Ran clutches the controller in frustration.
I’m surprised. Was she bad at this kind of thing?
Ran makes excuses quickly.
“T-the timing on that one was irregular! Besides, the light reflections were subtly making it hard to see the screen. Also, I heard some noise outside the house, which distracted me from concentrating, and also ……”
Ran desperately tries to come up with reasons. I can’t help but laugh, but I’ll just keep quiet and listen. It must be frustrating in her own way.
“I see, then why don’t we get it back in the next mini-game?”
I cower my shoulders lightly and say, Ran sniffs, ‘Of course’. It seems that her competitive spirit has been ignited. I can’t let my guard down.
Oops. My mini-game is also a sound game.
Ran didn’t seem to be good at it earlier, but I’m rather good at timing games.
I don’t have to think about anything difficult (on the other hand, I’m totally useless at puzzle games).
According to the rules, if you press the buttons in time with a specific sound and get a perfect score in a row, you get a perfect score. A perfect score is rarely achieved, but if you do, you’ll get a big jump in points.
Notes play on the screen and the rhythm picks up. I concentrate and prepare to press the button just before the note is played.
I judge the notes in perfect rhythm. Ran, who at first watches with a sullen straight face, leans forward slightly to watch as the number of combos on the screen increases.
If I press the last few notes with perfect timing, I will get a perfect score. I concentrate my nerves on my hand and decide to hit….
“……!”
At that moment, Ran, perhaps unconsciously, puts her hand on my shoulder. Without time to be surprised, I pressed the button at the right moment and got a perfect score.
The letters ‘Perfect!’ shine continuously on the screen. It’s a full score.
“Yay ……!”
Ran smiles happily, as if it were her own. Her hand immediately left, but the feeling of her hand remained strangely clear.
Fireworks go off on the screen announcing the results and my character does a gut-punch.
“Phew …… that went well. Now I’ve earned a whole bunch of points.”
I gasp, and Ran murmurs, ‘That’s great …….’
“Earlier you said the timing was difficult, but you get used to it.”
“Damn …… you good”
Ran smiles a frustrated smile, but I can see the competitive spirit burning in her eyes
I, on the other hand, pretend to be calm, but I’m a little nervous because of the body touch I just received.
I take a break here and get a bottle of drink out of the fridge. I come back with a bottle of tea and soda in my hand.
“Ran, I have tea and cider, which do you want?”
“Tea, please. I don’t want to waste my time with soda. I won’t take what I don’t need.”
“Oh, I remember you don’t like soda. I’ll have a cider.”
“I think it’s inefficient to go to the trouble of injecting carbon dioxide into a drink. There is plenty of it in the air. “
Yeah. I don’t think that’s what I’m talking about.
I pour the tea and give it to Ran, while I pour the soda into my own cup. I put the sweets out on the table and we both nibble. The sweet smell wafts through the room, and the combination of the game and the sweets makes the room seem like a small party venue.
“You got lucky with that mini-game earlier. Let’s see what happens in the next match.”
“This game is won or lost on the total points from multiple matches. You can’t let your guard down yet.”
Ran has not given up, it seems. The game is resumed.
The game resumes. As the game progressed, Ran became more and more adept at this game. With some luck with items, Ran gradually accumulated more and more points.
I, on the contrary, failed to gamble, incurred a painful debt and ultimately lost to Ran
“See, I told you. I win in the end.”
Ran, who had achieved an upset victory, put down the controller with a proud expression on her face.
I can only laugh.I never thought she would be this serious.
“Ran, you’re strong.”
“Of course I am. If you find the best means, the results will follow.”
After a few moments to catch our breath, we turn off the TV and lightly clear the table.
The bag of sweets is almost empty and the drinks are half gone.
The test is over and now it’s time for summer holidays.
Ran casually mentions.
“We’ll have more freedom during the summer holidays, won’t we?Where shall we go? Last time we went to the aquarium was fun, wasn’t it?”
That picture of Ran is still the wallpaper of my phone.
The reason is that Ran sometimes checks it unannounced, so I can’t change it.
“It’s not just the aquarium, there’s so much more.It is inefficient to move without a plan.
We should schedule things in advance and get maximum satisfaction in minimum time.”
Her voice is full of expectation, though her logic is typical of her. I was pleased by her enthusiasm and nodded my head.
“Well, let’s go over it together later when we have time.”
“Together? Well, it would be easier if I decide on my own.”
“Because we’re going together, aren’t we? It would be bad if I let Ran alone look into it, wouldn’t it?”
“……! That’s true! We’re going together, so we should check it out together! That’s right!”
I said it very naturally, but Ran was surprisingly quick to bite.
“I’m leaving today, but we’ll meet again. We have to make a decision as soon as possible, and we’re going together. Understand?”
“Y-yes. ……”
I don’t know what happened.
I wonder if Ran is looking forward to it too. I’d be happy if that were the case.