"I'm bored..."
Kaito sighed dramatically, letting his head loll to the side as he looked at the peaceful, sunny day unfolding before him. The birds were singing. The farmers were working. The village was... too peaceful.
It was the perfect day to stir up some chaos.
"Ahhh... What can I do for some fun today?" Kaito muttered, tapping his finger against his cheek like a master villain plotting his next great scheme. His friends had all gone off to the rice paddies to help their parents, but Kaito had no intention of working. No, no, no! He was a free spirit! A wild child! And his main goal in life? To prank everyone around him until they knew his name.
He grinned wickedly.
"Time for a little fun!"
With a burst of energy, he sprinted off into the village, eyes gleaming with mischievousness. It didn't take long before he spotted his first target—the blacksmith's apprentice, an easy mark who was always too serious.
"Perfect," Kaito whispered to himself. "Now for the fun part!"
Without further hesitation, he snuck up behind the young apprentice, ready to pull the prank of the century—he'd steal his wooden sandals and bury them in the dirt.
But as Kaito began to crouch down, a voice rang out from behind him.
"Hey, Kaito, stop bothering the apprentice!"
He froze. A chill ran down his spine, and he turned to see the last person he wanted to run into.
Rika.
The older girl from the village. She was three years older than him, but she had always been the one to keep him in line. And worse, she knew how to get back at him. Kaito grimaced, though a part of him couldn't help but feel a little flustered around her. She was strong, independent, and—unfortunately—one of the few people who could out-prank him.
"Rika! Don't ruin my fun!" he whined.
"Oh, I'll ruin your fun alright," she said with a sly smile, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow. "You're always causing trouble for everyone else. What about my dog, huh?"
Kaito's stomach dropped. The dog.
That innocent little pup she had raised since it was a tiny ball of fur.
"Ah, come on! I only tied its tail to the fence for a minute! It's harmless!" Kaito tried to defend himself, his eyes darting nervously.
"Harmless? You were pulling it around like a ragdoll!" she scoffed, rolling her eyes. "That poor dog almost got dragged through the mud!"
Kaito gulped. "I-I didn't mean it like that..."
"You never mean it," Rika said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "But you always go too far."
Kaito opened his mouth to argue, but before he could, Rika stepped forward with an evil glint in her eyes.
"I think you owe my dog an apology. And I'm going to make sure you learn your lesson," she declared, grinning widely.
"What are you going to do, Rika?" Kaito asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.
"Oh, I have the perfect punishment in mind," she said, almost too cheerfully.
Kaito blinked in confusion. "Punishment? You mean...?"
Before he could finish his sentence, Rika pushed him forward with surprising strength, sending him tumbling face-first into a large puddle of mud that had formed near the edge of the road. SPLAT!
"W-WHAT THE—?!"
Kaito emerged from the muck, covered head to toe in filthy, stinking mud. He sputtered, wiping his face and glaring at her in shock.
"Rika!!" he shouted. "You—YOU DID THIS ON PURPOSE!"
She smirked and crossed her arms. "Oh, I did. It's your sweet punishment for tormenting my dog. Now, do you think you can behave for once?"
"Y-You're the worst!" Kaito grumbled, standing up and shaking off some of the mud.
But despite the annoyance bubbling inside him, his heart was racing. His face flushed as he looked at Rika, who stood there, smiling down at him with a mixture of triumph and amusement.
She had done it. She had pranked him good. He couldn't help it—he was impressed.
"...I-I'll get you back for this!" Kaito sputtered, still half-covered in mud.
"Sure, sure, I'm shaking in my sandals," Rika teased, laughing lightly as she started to walk away. "But you'll have to try harder than that. You are a little more fun when you're covered in mud."
Kaito glared at her retreating figure, but even through the irritation, he couldn't help but feel a strange warmth inside. He had a crush on her. There, he'd admit it.
But no way was he going to let her know! Not yet, anyway. He had his pride.
"Just you wait, Rika!" he yelled. "I'll prank you so badly, you won't know what hit you!"
She turned her head and winked at him. "We'll see, Kaito. We'll see."
As Kaito stood there, drenched in mud, a small, foolish smile crept onto his face. Maybe he wasn't just annoyed. Maybe he was looking forward to the next prank war.
(Next time: Will Kaito get his revenge? Or will Rika's pranks get even more... creative? And maybe, just maybe... Kaito might start realizing something more than just his usual frustration for her. Stay tuned!)