Volume 7 Chapter 11 Worried That No One Has Forgotten Him
Everyone is worried he has not been forgotten. The day after they suddenly started the prototype lookbook, Randy rubbed his sleepy eyes and headed to school.
The photos modeled after Harrison and Rita ended quickly, but then Randy went back to his room and got lost in ideas for the finished product.
In the end, Randy reluctantly crawled into bed at Rita's request to sleep early, but the toll of being absorbed is that sleepiness now hits him.
With sleepy eyes, Randy walks down the street, but he no longer even tries to pretend to be normal.
When Randy steps onto the main street, students going to school glance at him from afar.
Everyone looks at him as if they are judging his worth.
Randy suppresses a yawn and rubs his eyes while murmuring "so sleepy," but he feels the glances directed at him. He doesn't understand why, but it is not the first time he has felt that way. Still, he stretches widely without worrying about it.
"About yesterday's prototype, though..."
Liz and Ellie both look up at Randy when he speaks.
"Ideally, I want to make the photos bigger, like in a photo book."
"Big, huh?"
"I want at least a notebook size."
When Randy, still fighting a yawn, asks about "notebook," Liz and Ellie tilt their heads simultaneously.
"Wouldn't big photos, like in a notebook, make everything look larger?"
Liz explains that if they include space for captions, the lookbook itself might get too big. Randy says he will write in the margins, in the empty space next to enlarged photos──like scenery parts.
"The model and caption become one... Everything from font to color is something to think about, but..."
Even so, the impact of pages filled entirely with photos is irreplaceable.
"That Photo Studio, I think they can take big photos, right?"
Ellie, seeming to remember, asks, "That's true, but..." and Randy nods. Yes, they can take large photos, but only in the studio. After yesterday's shoot, Randy thought scenes capturing various daily moments really make the lookbook shine.
But if that happens, they need to enlarge and copy the photo.
"Yeah, we also need a copy machine."
Even if they cannot mass-produce, at least they want to enlarge the photos. When Randy said that, they approached the school gate. The front yard was lively again, same as yesterday. Many students gathered there.
"It's no different from yesterday."
Randy sighed at the students crowding the signboard, but Ellie sighed back.
"Your name is now on it, isn't it?"
Randy clapped his hands and said, "Oh, I see," to Ellie, who looked stern.
"Did you forget?"
Randy shook his head at Liz, looking stern. But his words carried no convincing weight.
"That forgetful bird can't remember."
"We're busy with the prototype."
While the two headed toward the school with stern looks, Randy chased after them saying, "No, just a little." The sad sight drew the attention of students gathered in the front yard.
"...Are they really coming out?"
"Why now?"
"It's impossible."
Whisperings spread that Randy could not even compete with Dario. He could not hear it, but the quiet rumors definitely boosted Dario's momentum.
* * *
"So? What exactly are you doing?"
Luke frowning on the terrace seat, Randy kept looking at the drawings with his head in his hands.
To shape the prototype, Randy started designing the copier, causing Luke to sigh.
"What about the student council election?"
Luke sighed, frowning at the gazes from around him. He noticed after meeting up with Randy, that the type of gaze had changed. Now it was more like provocation──"If you can do it, try it"──that kind of look.
Luke, who glared at those giving him the stare, was stopped by an unexpected person. Julius placed a hand on Luke's shoulder and smiled. He shook his head, saying there's nothing to do even if they worry.
"Once he decides something, he tends to go all out."
"Yeah, that's true..."
Luke sighed and looked at Randy with a dissatisfied face, worried about expulsion.
Luke worries because Dario has already started election activities.
Dario visits various clubs to gather issues, shows active efforts in classes, and holds meetings during lunch and afternoons.
The meetings are especially popular among former Central Nobility, and they expect strong organizational votes. Because of that, the gaze toward Randy is strict, but Randy does not care and is studying a blueprint now.
"At this rate, he's guaranteed to lose badly..."
"He's a tall guy, after all. Starting at a disadvantage from the beginning."
Catherine, sitting next to Randy and sipping fruit water, looks at Randy, Liz, and Ellie with a tired face. Both Liz and Ellie, like Randy, do not care about the surrounding eyes and are absorbed in their prototypes.
"It's not typical behavior for someone a week before voting..."
"Well, if you say he's tall, he's tall."
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