I was swaying in a car driven by the Secret Service.
In the window, I could faintly see my reflection with a scarf wrapped around my neckâ¦
ãIsn't it a bit early for this~?ã
ãCough, cough!? N-no, it's not! I'm⦠that's right! I'm sensitive to the cold!ã
The Secret Service woman said with a smirk.
Ugh, she definitely knows.
She's teasing me, knowing full well that I'm hiding a hickey under my scarf.
I don't know how much she saw or heard last night.
ãBy the way, Iroha-chan, have you seen that article yet?ã
ãThat article? Oh, you mean about my sister's "nude livestream"?ã
ãWhat, nude!?⦠I don't want to judge people's hobbies, but you're underage, Iroha-chan, and it's not good for you to watch that kind of thing.ã
ãN-no, it's not my hobby!?ã
ãJust kidding. I meant the prank from yesterday.ã
ãPrank?ã
No, no good. When I hear "prank", I can only think about the kiss we shared.
But that's probably not what the Secret Service woman is talking about.
ãHere, look at thisã
As I tilted my head, she handed me a tablet.
When I took it, a page from some online news site was displayed on the screen.
ãUmâ¦ã
It showed a house that had been heavily pranked on Halloween.
Wow, thatâs rough. The owner must not have given out treats to the kids.
There were insults written in dozens of languages, turning it into something that looked like modern art.
The article even described it as "like a museum of global insults".
ãOh, so other houses besides ours got pranked too.ã
ãThere's no other house like this! This is the house you pranked, Iroha-chan!ã
ãR-right!? Um, do you think our fans might have found out about this?ã
ãNah, we just stumbled upon it by chance. Itâs a small article. Don't worry.ã
I let out a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, it didnât become a big topic.
ãIf it comes to it, we can cover it upã
ãOh, that's what you meant by "don't worry".ã
ãBut that doesnât mean you can do whatever you want. Covering things up isnât free either. By the way, why did you choose such distinctive graffiti?ã
ãI-Iâm sorry. I thought having a variety of insults would convey our anger better. And using foreign languages wouldnât overlap with other kids' pranks.ã
ãIf they can't read it, it won't convey anything.ã
ãâ¦Ah!? No, but unreadable characters are spookier!ã
ãWell, letâs go with that. Actually⦠look here. The homeowner's interview is included, and it seems your prank really scared him. He said he felt "cursed".ã
ãI didn't write any curses, though. Well, Latin does look âcurse-like,â I guess.ã
ãHe said, "It must have been a devil in the shape of a dwarf who wrote this!"ã
ãThatâs just because I couldnât reach higher!ã
But reading the article, it seemed the man had deeply reflected on his actions.
Halloween is for kids, but he was single and alone.
He got jealous seeing happy people and wanted to hurt them.
Or maybe he was just being mean to get attention from the kids.
In the interview, he said he plans to properly host kids from now on.
Thatâs how the interview concluded.
ãHas he reflected? Or hasn't he? Thereâs no way Iâll forgive this jerk. To my oshiâ¦ã
ãIroha-chan, Iroha-chan!? Itâs over now, okay? Calm down-!ã
ãS-sorry. I lost my cool.ãn/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
ãWow, you really change when VTubers are involved. You need to stay calm.ã
ãNo! Itâs the people who donât change for VTubers that are strange!ã
ãâ¦I see.ã
The Secret Service woman nodded with a distant look.
Hey, what's with that "this is too troublesome, so Iâll pretend I didnât hear it" reaction?
ãBut really, be careful. What you did is technically illegal.ã
ãUgh!? R-right. Graffiti is vandalism in both Japan and the US.ã
ãNo, not that. Dressing up and getting candy on Halloween has age restrictions.ã
ãâ¦Huh!?ã
ã12 or 14 years old, fines, imprisonmentâit varies by region.ã
ãImprisonment!?ã
Why didnât you tell me beforehand!?
Both I and the other one are overage.
And I didnât know there were such severe penalties!?
This could land us in jail!?
ãJust kidding!ã
ãHuh?ã
ãHaha, surprised? Some states indeed have such laws, but no oneâs actually been imprisoned for it.ã
ãS-stop scaring me!ã
ãBut be careful. About last night, we âdidn't see anything.âã
ãâ¦Thank you.ã
ãOh, and we also didn't see or hear anything about the other thing.ã
ãThat last comment was definitely unnecessary!?ã
So she did see!
I need to be more cautious.
Whatâs normal for me might not be normal here.
One day, that difference could be fatal⦠or understanding it could save a life.
ãWeâre here. The bus is just arriving too. Good luck~ã
ãI-Iâll do my best.ã
The Secret Service woman pointed at her neck and saw me off.
Now, how much can I keep hidden? That's the question.
***
ã!?!?!? C-could this mark beâ¦!?ã
Gah!? Whyâ!?
Time from sitting down in the school bus seat: 5 seconds.