NOVEL NEXT Chapter 305: [Aftermath RTA]
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 neck…
《Isn't it a bit early for this~?》
《Cough, cough!? N-no, it's not! I'm… that's right! I'm sensitive to the cold!》
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.
《By the way, Iroha-chan, have you seen that article yet?》
《That article? Oh, you mean about my sister's "nude livestream"?》《What, 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.》
《N-no, it's not my hobby!?》
《Just kidding. I meant the prank from yesterday.》
《Prank?》
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.
《Here, look at this》
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.
《Um…》
It showed a house that had been heavily pranked on Halloween.
Wow, that’s 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".
《Oh, so other houses besides ours got pranked too.》
《There's no other house like this! This is the house you pranked, Iroha-chan!》
《R-right!? Um, do you think our fans might have found out about this?》
《Nah, we just stumbled upon it by chance. It’s a small article. Don't worry.》
I let out a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, it didn’t become a big topic.
《If it comes to it, we can cover it up》
《Oh, that's what you meant by "don't worry".》
《But that doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want. Covering things up isn’t free either. By the way, why did you choose such distinctive graffiti?》
《I-I’m sorry. I thought having a variety of insults would convey our anger better. And using foreign languages wouldn’t overlap with other kids' pranks.》
《If they can't read it, it won't convey anything.》
《…Ah!? No, but unreadable characters are spookier!》
《Well, let’s 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".》
《I didn't write any curses, though. Well, Latin does look “curse-like,” I guess.》
《He said, "It must have been a devil in the shape of a dwarf who wrote this!"》
《That’s just because I couldn’t reach higher!》
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.
That’s how the interview concluded.
《Has he reflected? Or hasn't he? There’s no way I’ll forgive this jerk. To my oshi…》
《Iroha-chan, Iroha-chan!? It’s over now, okay? Calm down-!》
《S-sorry. I lost my cool.》
《Wow, you really change when VTubers are involved. You need to stay calm.》
《No! It’s the people who don’t change for VTubers that are strange!》
《…I see.》
The Secret Service woman nodded with a distant look.
Hey, what's with that "this is too troublesome, so I’ll pretend I didn’t hear it" reaction?
《But really, be careful. What you did is technically illegal.》
《Ugh!? R-right. Graffiti is vandalism in both Japan and the US.》
《No, not that. Dressing up and getting candy on Halloween has age restrictions.》
《…Huh!?》
《12 or 14 years old, fines, imprisonment—it varies by region.》
《Imprisonment!?》
Why didn’t you tell me beforehand!?
Both I and the other one are overage.
And I didn’t know there were such severe penalties!?
This could land us in jail!?
《Just kidding!》
《Huh?》
《Haha, surprised? Some states indeed have such laws, but no one’s actually been imprisoned for it.》
《S-stop scaring me!》
《But be careful. About last night, we ‘didn't see anything.’》
《…Thank you.》
《Oh, and we also didn't see or hear anything about the other thing.》
《That last comment was definitely unnecessary!?》
So she did see!
I need to be more cautious.
What’s normal for me might not be normal here.
One day, that difference could be fatal… or understanding it could save a life.
《We’re here. The bus is just arriving too. Good luck~》
《I-I’ll do my best.》
The Secret Service woman pointed at her neck and saw me off.
Now, how much can I keep hidden? That's the question.
***
《!?!?!? C-could this mark be…!?》
Gah!? Why—!?
Time from sitting down in the school bus seat: 5 seconds.