My Childhood Friend, a Cool, Beautiful Girl With a Pure Face, Is a Monopolising Yandere
On the first evening of the summer holidays, when the sky was still a light orange, I was waiting for Ran in a corner of the designated park.
On my phone was a message from Ran, as logical as ever, saying ‘I’m going to preview the festival site and you should come’.
She has always dismissed the invitations of her classmates as ‘inefficient’, but it has become familiar for her to call me up in this way.
…… I mean, what’s a preview of the festival?
I’ve never heard of such a thing.
I know what a festival is. It’s probably the festival that she mentioned as a candidate when we had our meeting at the previous family restaurant.
It’s a local festival, and it’s on a reasonably large scale, with fireworks, but it’s on the same date as a big fireworks display in the city centre, so not many people come to this one.
Ran and I had been to the festival a long time ago, and the fireworks were beautiful then too.
However, what is this thing called a preview?
…… Well, it’s okay.
If Ran says she’s going, I’m going too.
That’s all.
The park is filled with steaming air, and the wind that shakes the leaves is never cool.
As I waited, sweating, Ran appeared.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.”
I look up at her voice, which comes to me casually.
Ran is dressed in light casual clothes, her black hair is tied up a little and shines faintly in the evening sun. Her appearance is slightly rough and summery, different from her usual school uniform. But her expression is cool, and her eyes glance down at her phone screen.
“Eh, no, I haven’t waited that long. So, what’s previewing?”
‘A preview is a preview. It’s the same if you call it a preliminary inspection. The festival is tomorrow, but to avoid crowds, you should get the terrain and stall layout right on the first day.”
Yes, it really was a preliminary inspection.
I almost laugh at the familiar efficiency argument.
However, going out with Ran under such a strange name is not bad in itself. In fact, it feels kind of comfortable.
“I’ll go then.”
I leave the park.
The road to the shrine is sparsely populated.
Perhaps because it was under preparation, it was far from a huge crowd. Lanterns were swaying along the street, but no lights were on. I can hear the choppy festival music, but maybe they’re practicing? The stall is still being set up.
Even so, there is a distinctive atmosphere, and it is clear that the festival is slowly taking shape.
“It looks like the stalls will be clustered around here.”
Ran checks the map on her smartphone and traces the screen with her fingertips. The profile is like an analyst doing preliminary research for a tourist guide.
“On the day of the main fireworks display, this area will probably be packed with people. So we can avoid the crowds by taking a side road and approaching the venue from the rear. Efficient, right?’
That’s how far you calculate it. ……
Ran is still the same.
Thirsty from walking around, I find a vending machine and buy a juice. I open the can with a snap and take a sip, the carbonation stimulating my tongue and bringing a modest feeling of coolness.
“Do you want a cup of tea too, Ran? I’ll buy you a drink.”
“I don’t need it. If I need it later, I’ll buy it myself.”
A curt reply.
Well, that’s the way it always is.
When I passed through the shrine’s torii gate, there were several wind chimes hanging in the precincts of the shrine.
Whenever the wind rustles, the sound through the small glass windows tickles your ears in a cool way. Ran stops and listens to the sound in silence for a while.
It was refreshing to see her enjoying something like ‘emotion’ in this way, without saying a word, as she is usually so mechanically focused on planning.
The soft evening light tints Ran’s cheeks slightly, exposing the slightly sweaty nape of her neck.
I was thrilled.
“That’s a beautiful tone, isn’t it?”
When I say that, Ran turns around and smiles slightly, saying, “That’s right.” There was something sexy about the way she brushed her bangs from her cheeks with her fingertips.
In the muggy air, I am keenly aware of the presence of the cold can.
The juice I bought earlier is still half-full, but it’s getting a little lukewarm because I’m wrapping my hands around it.
As if to diffuse the awkwardness, I mischievously placed the can gently against Ran’s neck.
“Hyah ……!”
Ran unintentionally raises a cute voice.
Immediately, she glared at me, but her cheeks turned red, and her confusion seemed to outweigh her anger.
“W-what are you doing!?”
“Sorry, sorry, I thought I’d share some coolness with you ……”
When I made a lighthearted comment, Ran looked a little annoyed and turned away, saying, “That’s an inefficient prank.’’
But her earlobes are bright red. At times like this, she deliberately becomes reasonable.
She should have been angry, but she wasn’t scared at all.
The peaceful dusk deepens.
Ran slowly makes her way around the shrine grounds, carefully observing the assortment of stalls, the width of the approach roads and the presence or absence of side roads. She runs her finger over and over on the notes app on her phone, recording her location, and she’s serious about it.
“Now I can make full use of today’s information on the last day of the fireworks display.”
After a quick preview, Ran says this with satisfaction and turns around.
“Well, yes. if Ran says so much, then it looks very promising.”
It is certainly better to be able to watch the fireworks in a little comfort than to be at a loss on a very crowded day.
And if that’s the plan to maximise the time we spend together, I don’t feel bad either.
“…… We’ll definitely move efficiently on the show, Yuto.”
“Yes, yes.”
“That’s enough for today. Let’s go home.”
Ran starts walking and I follow.
Ran’s surprised voice when he put that cold can on her neck, the way she shyly looked away, the slightly reddened cheeks…
Those feelings had calmed down a little and left a sweet aftertaste in my heart.