Hugging the pillow Misha had thrown at his face, Dereck stared at the small bulge on the bed, pondering what he had done to offend his friend. When he entered the bedroom, did he do something to annoy him? Even if he did, he probably wouldn’t be able to figure out how and why it had offended his friend. Misha was as petty as could be, and his way of thinking wasn’t something an ordinary boy like him could understand. Sometimes, even breathing was enough to annoy the hell out of him.

But what could he do? Misha was a princess, and he was but a mere peasant.

Deciding not to overthink, Dereck chose the most straightforward approach and asked in a soft voice, “Why are you in a bad mood? Did something happen?”

Misha didn’t answer, but his disheveled head still popped out from under the blanket. He glanced at the chubby boy, narrowing his eyes, which made a faint smile appear on Dereck’s lips. Thank goodness, his friend was willing to interact with him! It was a pretty good start, compared to other times…

Silence stretched as Dereck patiently waited for his friend to speak, knowing that rushing him wouldn’t lead to anything good—Misha still had a few pillows left that he could throw, and his aim was frighteningly accurate. Better not court death.

“Masha brought back home her boyfriend,” Misha eventually consented to say, spitting out the last word in disdain. “I don’t like him. He doesn’t deserve my sister!”

Dereck nodded to let him know that he was listening. Misha had always shown a strong possessiveness when it came down to his sister, and it wasn’t surprising that the appearance of a boyfriend put him in a bad mood. The other way around would have been weird. Dereck couldn’t imagine his friend smiling happily with the arrival of a man in his sister’s life. Just thinking about it sent shivers down his spine; if he were to smile, it’d be because he was planning to backstab the man when no one was looking.

“I want to drive him out, but I don’t know how! Even if I complain about him, Masha just brushes it off. He’s not a good guy, but she doesn’t listen to me. She doesn’t believe me! In her eyes, he’s the perfect man.”

Technically, Misha wasn’t lying. Although he hadn’t tried to talk some sense into his sister this time around, he knew it’d be utterly useless even if he did. Like in his past life, she would dismiss his words, thinking they were nothing more than a child’s tantrum. But how could Misha blame her? Even he fell for Gabriel’s smile along the way and only discovered his true colors when it was too late.

Regardless, he still had to convince his sister and his mother that the teenager was evil down to the core. But how could he do it when Gabriel hadn’t done anything to betray his image in front of them? Even if Misha told them about his crude swearing while riding the Carousel Tower, this reaction was somewhat understandable when his fear of heights was taken into account. Moreover, they would probably think that he was exaggerating a little. He wouldn’t be taken seriously, again.

“I want to get rid of him immediately, but I can’t figure out how! I mean, he seems like a good guy, and no one would think he’s the devil! And I don’t want Masha to hate me, so I can’t do anything too extreme, like kicking his crotch a bunch of times!”

Without knowing it, Misha spilled everything that was eating him up. Of course, he didn’t talk about the golden watch and how he traveled back in time, but he shared some of his worries and how Gabriel appeared in his eyes.

Dereck’s presence was reassuring, and even if Misha was still a little upset from his betrayal in the bar, he couldn’t help but feel at ease with him by his side and confide in the boy. The fever also didn’t help, making him unable to reason correctly, and as time went on, he criticized Gabriel more and more.

When Misha could no longer find fault with the teenager, he stopped talking, out of breath. His throat and tongue felt dry as if he had run a marathon. ‘...Fuck, did I say too much?’ he thought, having forgotten some of what he had said.

His tongue had moved faster than his mind, and with the heat, Misha couldn’t keep track of everything he blurted out. In theory, he had only known Gabriel for a few days, not even a week, and he shouldn’t know so much about him. But he couldn’t help it! Dereck had always been there to listen to his bitching. So, he unconsciously picked up his bad habit and said whatever was on his mind.

However, did he complain that much when he was at this age? How would Dereck react after hearing him rant on and on and on? Biting his lips, Misha lifted his eyes with apprehension. But then, he saw his friend’s calm expression. Ah. It seemed like he had loved to complain from a very young age.

“…”

Misha didn’t know how to feel about this.

“Well, adults never listen to us, kids,” Dereck shrugged. “My dad always said we’re too young to understand grown-up matters. Apparently, we’ll understand them in a few years. For now, they’re “smarter” than us, they said.”

Dereck showed a helpless smile before continuing, “But if you find it necessary to get rid of Gabriel, why don’t you play a few tricks on him to wear out his patience? You already do it with Camille, so why not do it with him too? Your pranks just have to be a bit nastier.”

Misha blinked, then cursed in his heart. Why didn’t he think of such a simple method?! Right. He had been too busy throwing tantrums and sulking in his past life. The child that he was pouted and screamed but never thought of playing pranks. Well, since he had always loved tricking others, he did prank Gabriel once in a while. But it was nothing unbearable, like the bucket of cold water.

Anyway, nasty pranks were the perfect idea in this situation! Seriously, why did he never think of this?

His sister loved pranks, and she certainly wouldn’t get mad at him for imitating her. Knowing her, she might even encourage him! Of course, if he overdid it a little, she might scold him a bit, but it was still worth it. No matter who it was, if they were subject to pranks every time they visited their lover, their patience would run out one day. There was even a chance they would fall out with said lover or their family.

A wide grin stretched the boy’s lips, and mirth filled his eyes. Now, he finally had a plan in mind, a plan which wasn’t too complicated to put into action and wouldn’t put him in a tight spot. It suited his character perfectly! Didn’t Camille say that he put a bunch of worms in her purse not too long ago? It meant he could be as unrestrained as he wanted regarding pranks, and it wouldn’t arouse anyone’s suspicion!

Of course, Misha completely disregarded that this plan was childish and, again, full of loopholes.

“You’re a genius!” Misha giggled, having forgotten all of his previous dissatisfaction with his friend.

“You think?” Dereck shyly muttered, scratching his flustered cheek in embarrassment.

“Yeah! You’re the best!”

A smart partner in crime was indeed what he needed. Misha only talked for a moment with his friend, and he had already found a practical idea without any flaws—or so he thought. Now, he only needed to rack his brain over what kind of pranks he should do.

“If you want, I can ask my cousin for some ideas when I see him. My mom said he's been unbearable lately, and my uncle almost went bald within a month,” Dereck proposed.

Although he didn’t know Gabriel, Dereck still wanted to help his friend get rid of him as a gesture of solidarity. It also seemed fun. At any rate, it wasn’t the first time that he went along with his friend’s fucked-up plans, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last time.

“Well, the two of us are enough right now. After a good brainstorming, we’ll surely have a few pranks in store for Gabriel,” Misha gently refused.

He knew which cousin Dereck was talking about, and frankly, he didn’t want to have anything to do with him. Misha wasn’t a saint, but that guy couldn’t compare, and he wanted nothing to do with him. Little Dereck was easily influenced, and others weren’t allowed to mess with him in this lifetime. Only Misha had the right to!

“But the brainstorming will have to wait until tomorrow,” Misha yawned. “I’m sleepy.”

The fever was acting up, and his eyelids felt heavy. He just wanted to close his eyes and sleep, even though he was still fearful of the upcoming nightmares. But maybe they wouldn’t come today. Now, he knew what to do to drive Gabriel away from their life, putting him at ease. It felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders, and his whole body seemed to relax.

“Sure,” Dereck nodded, giving back the pillow before jumping off the bed. “See you tomorrow!”

“See you tomorrow,” Misha repeated as Dereck closed the door behind him.

Mini theater

ML: Author… What kind of pranks are you planning to make me go through?

Author: Frankly, I’m still thinking about it.

MC: What!? Then what am I supposed to do!?  (╬⁽⁽ ⁰ ⁾⁾ Д ⁽⁽ ⁰ ⁾⁾)

Author: Don’t worry, don’t worry! I’ll just search on the internet and ask my brother and my lovely readers if they have any ideas! ♥

ML: You don’t have to ask, you know, and dear readers, you don’t have to suggest any pranks either. Seriously, don’t.

MC: Suggest! Suggest!

ML: …

Author: Ahem. So, if you know any good pranks, don’t be shy and share them with us in the comments! I’ll probably pick some to torment Gabriel a little ~