CHAPTER 289: THE PRANK

Anyway, after our short conversation, Professor Lena decided to drag me off somewhere.

Fortunately, it wasn’t some dark, shady room or anything like that.

...Do I sound disappointed? Must be your imagination.

She led me to an open area where a few seniors were busy making preparations. They looked relaxed but had a certain air of mischief about them, the kind that made you instinctively suspicious.

One of them looked up as we approached. "Oh, he’s here. Perfect timing."

I blinked. "What do you mean?"

The senior gave me a smile that was far too bright to be innocent. "We need your help. Want to be our spy?"

"...A spy?" I tilted my head.

"Well, it sounds a bit dramatic when you put it that way," another senior said with a chuckle. "But yeah, something like that."

They exchanged a glance, then explained. "Actually, we need at least one freshman in on things. Just to make sure nothing gets out of hand. We don’t want accidents."

Ah, so that was it.

"I was planning to tell you anyway," the first senior added, his tone almost apologetic. "Since, well, you’re not exactly the most... physically sturdy."

...Wow. Thanks for the reminder.

"But I figured you might feel left out if you were the only one who didn’t know," he continued. "So, I thought I’d ask. What do you think? Does it feel like you’re betraying your friends?"

I thought about it for a moment, then shook my head. "No, it’s fine. I’ll do it. Actually, it sounds kind of fun."

Their smiles widened.

The offer was simple enough: participate in the hidden camera prank they had planned for the rest of the freshmen.

It wasn’t like there would be consequences if I refused, but being the only one excluded from this kind of event would’ve been... awkward.

Besides, it wasn’t something that existed in the original story, but really—how dangerous could a harmless prank be?

Hopefully.

"Good, junior. Then I’ll explain your role," he said, his voice lowering conspiratorially. "When the kids come back, you’ll look nervous—trembling a little, acting worried—and then you’ll tell Ryen that we’re fighting. Can you do that?"

He grinned like a mischievous fox and pointed at the empty icebox sitting beside him.

"The meat we brought has vanished. I’ll accuse him of embezzling the funds. Understand? Then we’ll act like we’re having a serious argument. The kids will panic, Ryen will scramble to mediate, and just when the tension’s about to break—bam. We reveal it was a prank, and the professor and the inspector will show up with the meat."

...Really? That was so ridiculously old-fashioned.

But old tricks stick around for a reason.

"Sounds good," I said, suppressing a smile.

As the saying goes, old but gold. And honestly, it did sound fun.

Ryen was always good at smoothing over small disputes, but when it came to his seniors, he’d be hesitant, walking that tightrope between respect and responsibility. Watching that play out would be priceless.

More importantly, it’d make for a memory the kids wouldn’t forget.

"But—can you promise me a few things first?" I asked, giving him a wary look.

He raised an eyebrow. "Such as?"

"Nothing that’ll actually hurt anyone, and nothing that’ll get too out of hand. If it starts to go sideways, we cut it short immediately. Deal?"

He chuckled and nodded without hesitation. "Deal. We’re not trying to traumatize them, just mess with them a little."

"Good."

After confirming a few more details with the seniors, I headed toward the entrance of the lodging, rehearsing my expression in my head. A nervous frown, maybe a slight twitch in my hands. Nothing too dramatic, but just enough to sell it.

Time to play my part.

I practiced the nervous look a couple of times while walking—furrowed brows, lips pressed tight, hands twitching like I wasn’t sure what to do.

Honestly? It felt a little silly. But if I overthought it, I’d end up looking like a bad actor, so I forced myself to relax. Just enough to look worried without being theatrical.

By the time I reached the entrance, I spotted the others returning. Ryen was in front, carrying a box with way too much energy, while the rest trailed behind chatting and laughing.

Perfect timing.

"Hey!" Ryen called out when he saw me. "Why do you look like you’ve seen a ghost?"

Good, he noticed. That saved me the trouble of overacting.

I shifted awkwardly, lowering my gaze. "Um... Ryen, we... we have a problem."

His smile faltered, replaced with immediate concern. "What kind of problem?"

The others stopped mid-step, their laughter fading as they turned toward me. Now everyone’s attention was on me.

I swallowed hard and glanced toward the lodging, as if hesitant to speak. "The seniors... they’re arguing. Really badly."

"...Huh?" Ryen blinked, confused. "Arguing about what?"

This was my cue. I lowered my voice, letting just enough unease creep in. "The meat. They said it’s gone. One of them accused you of... misusing the money."

Dead silence.

For a split second, the freshmen all stood frozen, processing my words. Then came the explosion.

"What?!"

"Are you serious?"

"That’s ridiculous! Ryen wouldn’t—"

Ryen himself looked stunned, his expression shifting between outrage and disbelief. "Wait—what?! They think I—? Why would I steal meat money?!"

The others crowded around him, muttering indignantly. Someone whispered, "What do we do? If they’re really fighting—"

Good. Hooked. Every single one of them.

I kept my expression tight, pretending to hesitate. "I... I don’t know, but it looks serious. They told me to bring you inside..."

That did it. Ryen straightened his back, his face grim, and marched toward the lodging like a soldier heading into battle.

On the way, he turned his face back and looked towards me and said, "Leon and Keira look after Rin for moment. I’ll go and see what is happening inside."

Both of them nodded while stepping closer to me and at same time I was trying to surpass my grin.

Pranking is more then I had thought....!

---

Ryen stepped into the lodging first, shoulders squared, ready to defend his honor—or at least demand an explanation.

The scene that greeted him was almost convincing. Almost.

Two seniors stood on opposite sides of the room, voices raised, faces twisted in mock anger. Another leaned back against the wall, arms crossed, looking like he’d been dragged into the world’s most awkward courtroom.

But Ryen’s sharp eyes narrowed almost immediately.

"...Really?" he muttered under his breath.

It wasn’t that the setup was bad. The meatless icebox, the accusatory tones, the fake tension—it all looked pretty solid. If someone like him had stumbled into it unprepared, they might’ve panicked.

But there were three problems.

First: their acting. Rin had sold his role so naturally that Ryen actually felt worried for a second outside. But these seniors? They were trying too hard. Their voices cracked with suppressed laughter, their angry scowls slipped every other second. To anyone paying attention, it looked less like a fight and more like a rehearsal for a school play.

Second: the icebox itself. Ryen’s practical side kicked in. He’d carried that heavy thing here earlier and remembered exactly where they had put the meat. It was impossible for it to have just "vanished," especially when the lock was still intact.

And third—perhaps most damning—was the glint in Professor Lena’s eyes as she stood discreetly in the corner, watching with her arms folded.

Yeah. No teacher looked that entertained during a real fight.

The realization hit him like a hammer: he’d been set up.

The corner of Ryen’s mouth twitched. He wanted to sigh, maybe even call them out right away, but his pride wouldn’t let him.

Instead, he smoothed his expression into one of exaggerated seriousness, stepped forward, and bowed his head slightly to the seniors.

"...I understand," he said, voice low and respectful. "If you really believe I misused the funds, then please—tell me how I can make this right."

The seniors blinked at him, caught off guard by his calm submission. One of them—clearly the ringleader—cleared his throat and jabbed a finger toward the empty icebox.

"Make it right? Hah! Then explain this! The money was entrusted to you, Ryen. And now the meat’s gone!"

Ryen lowered his head further, shoulders stiff with contrived shame. His voice dropped almost to a whisper.

"...Then I must’ve failed everyone."

The room went utterly still. Even the seniors momentarily forgot their lines, exchanging panicked glances. Was he really... taking it that seriously?

Outside the doorway, Rin bit the inside of his cheek so hard it hurt.

Oh, this was gold.

He had expected Ryen to flail around, try to explain, maybe even crack under the pressure—but this? This performance was flawless. If Rin didn’t know better, even he would’ve believed it.

"W-wait a second," one senior stammered, dropping his furious façade. "We didn’t say you failed—we’re just saying maybe you... misplaced it?"

"Misplaced?" Ryen raised his head slowly, his expression a picture of wounded honor.

"That would mean I was careless with everyone’s trust. Is that not failure enough?"

This was spiraling beautifully.

The seniors tried to salvage it, fumbling through their act.

"N-no, we just want you to admit that—uh—that..."

One of them cracked a laugh mid-sentence and had to cough to cover it.

Ryen let out a long, weary sigh, shoulders slumping dramatically. "If that is what you want... then I’ll take responsibility. I’ll use my own allowance to repay the funds. Even if it takes months."

At that, one senior’s eyes bulged.

"Months?!"

Rin nearly doubled over. This was supposed to be their prank, but Ryen had hijacked it completely. Instead of the juniors panicking, it was the seniors floundering, scrambling to keep up with Ryen’s dead-serious act.

And the best part? He wasn’t even smiling.

His poker face was so smooth that even Professor Lena looked briefly unsure if he had flipped the prank back on them.

Finally, unable to hold it in any longer, one of the seniors burst out laughing, clutching his stomach.

"Alright, alright, stop! Damn it, kid—you win! We were trying to prank you, not the other way around!"

The others broke down too, their fake fury dissolving into wheezing laughter. The "angry accuser" had tears streaming down his face from laughing so hard.

Ryen straightened his posture, folding his arms with an air of quiet triumph.

"So it was a prank."

Of course, Ryen was saying for sake of saying it.

He already figured out everything from the start.