Intersection of Pranks 7

Kaoru: I’m baaack—huh? All the lights are off; is no one here?

I heard that Ran-kun had some work in the evening, but maybe Yuuta-kun isn’t back yet, either.

Now that I think abut it, he was supposed to be filming for that prank show, right? Maybe that ran late...

Oh, well. If no one’s here, then I’ll just chill out all by myself.

Yuuta: ......

Kaoru: Whoa! You scared me! If you were here, you should’ve said something, Yuuta-kun.

Yuuta: ......

Kaoru: ...Uh, hello? What’s wrong? Say something.

You’re just lying face-down on your bed without even moving, so I’m kinda getting worried, y’know...

Yuuta: Urgh...

Kaoru: Oh, thank god. You’re still alive.

So what’s up? What’s with the moaning and groaning? Something go wrong while you were doing that prank?

Yuuta: ......

Kaoru: ...Wait, did you actually mess it up?

Yuuta: ...Yep, big time. I can’t even try to defend myself.

Ugh, it pisses me off in every single way...

Kaoru: Ahaha, you’re pretty upset, huh? You seem pretty down in the dumps.

Yuuta: ...I really thought I’d done everything right.

But the VP snatched the whole plan from right under my nose and made it blow up in my face.

I knew he’d be a tough opponent and that I couldn’t make light of him...

But I never imagined he’d turn the tides so easily.

Kaoru: I get it. That sounds like Saegusa-kun really gave you the what-for.

Well, you know what they say: curses, like chickens, come home to roost. If you’re gonna go around pulling pranks, you’ve got to be ready for some serious payback.

Yuuta: ...I guess you’re right about that. But I can’t let it end like this.

Kaoru: Hm? What do you mean by that?

Yuuta: I can’t stand being the guy who always gets kicked back down. So I’m getting my revenge on the VP.

Kaoru: Revenge? Can you even do that?

Yuuta: ...Honestly, I don’t want to owe anyone for it, but I did decide to get Rinne-senpai’s help.

Apparently, he also wanted to prank the VP, like me...

Kaoru: ...Hm, I see. I never thought you’d ask Amagi-san for help.

Guess it shows just how frustrated it all made you. You were even ready to team up with someone you don’t like.

Ahaha, when you put your mind to something, you can be pretty terrifying.

Yuuta: Terrifying? That’s an exaggeration...

Kaoru: No way, not at all. That kind of tenacity and vindictiveness reminds me of the SS Qualifiers, somehow.^[1]

Thinking about it still makes my blood run cold.

Yuuta: ...Are you really digging that up? You can be pretty cutthroat, Hakaze-senpai.

Kaoru: No, don’t get me wrong. I don’t hold a grudge or anything.

What I’m saying is that when you resolve to pull one over on someone, you show no mercy.

Yuuta: Yeah, that doesn’t exactly sound any better.

Kaoru: Really? But back then, I was actually scared of you two.

You pushed the limits of what twins can accomplish, all to put us out. I could tell how serious you were.

So to be honest, I think you can plot and scheme just as well as Saegusa-kun.

Yuuta: ...Really, Hakaze-senpai? Are you trying to encourage me by saying that?

Kaoru: More or less. Ahaha, I might not be the best at that, though.

Yuuta: ......

(I keep telling him that meddling like that makes it seem like he’s babying me no matter what I do. It’s so irritating.)

Kaoru: Fufu. You’re thinking about how much I irritate you, aren’t you?

Yuuta: ...And what if I am?

Kaoru: ...I knew you’d think of it that way. It’s why I try not to stick my nose too much into things.

But when I see my cute kouhai having a hard time, it’s hard to resist offering a hand.

I can’t help that I want you two in 2wink to live happy lives ♪

Yuuta: ...Sigh. It’s amazing that you can say stuff like that without getting even a little embarrassed.

Save those kinds of pick-up lines for Anzu-san, please.

Kaoru: Wh–why are you bringing Anzu-chan up now? What does she have to do with this?

Yuuta: Ahaha, that part of you is just like Aniki. You’re both so easy to mess around with ♪

Anyway, thanks for trying to cheer me up. It worked a little bit.

Kaoru: Really? Well, I’m glad to hear it.

Yuuta: Yep. I hope you’ll look forward to my prank on the show.

Kaoru: I will be. I’m a bit worried too, though.

Yuuta: Worried? Why?

Kaoru: You know, just if things keep going the way they are, I feel like you’ll just end up doing whatever Amagi-san tells you to do.

Yuuta: I mean...

(...Yeah, I feel the same way. It’s what’s been bugging me this whole time.)

Kaoru: Well, if it’s Amagi-san’s prank, then it’s the natural course of things...

But if you’re calling it revenge, then I’d want you to leave your own mark on it, you know?

Pranks need that element of surprise. It’s fine if you need to go a little crazy.

Yuuta: (...Oh, right, yeah. That was my whole reason for being on the show.)

...Thanks, Hakaze-senpai. You helped me figure out what I want to do.

Stay tuned, okay? I’ll show you what a bad kid really looks like ♪

At the CosPro office

Ibara: —Hmm. So Amagi Rinne-shi is also targeting me for his prank?

I did notice him observing the prank at the café, so I had a hunch something like this would happen...

What a pain. I didn’t think they would choose me as their target...

Sigh... Well, there’s no way around it. This is the result of my own negligence.

I’ll have to thoroughly discipline them, to the extent that they wouldn’t even consider engaging in mischief.

But I never thought the one to inform me would be you.

Very well; I’ll go along with your plan this time, Yuuta-kun.