MTLNOVEL Chapter 27
Chapter 27: Get Ready [Side: Rena Kashii]
'I'll do it too!' I said to Tachibana-kun, and he looked troubled.
You never know what might happen. If I'm there, I can stop things before Tachibana-kun gets hurt, or stop it if Aoi-kun gets seriously injured, right?
(Ah, I clearly want to be on Tachibana-kun's side.)
Until now, I've tried to stay pretty neutral, not taking sides with anyone.
I warned Tachibana-kun that it's dangerous. He might get violent, and if Kashii-san sides with Tachibana, it could compromise my neutrality and put me in a bad position, right?
The thought of violence is scary, so I thought,
'If it gets dangerous, will you protect me?'
'Of course, I'll protect you!'
(Ehh?! Nice! This is nice!!)
Feeling a bit carried away, I said,
'But if the plan goes wrong and someone tries to hit me...'
'I'll definitely shield you and keep you safe.'
(!!! A voice I can't even voice)
One more.
'What if, just hypothetically, I get captured...?'
'If you're that worried, Kashii-san, you shouldn't do it! It's scary, right? It's okay!'
I almost got refused participation. Reflecting on that.
After that, I met up with Kousuke-kun and moved to his room to finalize the plan.
When I consulted Obata-chan, she immediately came to Kousuke-kun's house and decided to join too.
The outline of the plan is like this.
On Monday or Tuesday, between 4 and 5 PM, Aoi-kun and Tachibana-kun will "accidentally" meet near the riverside park, and while running away, lure him to the park and into the deepest part under the overpass. Drop him into a prepared pitfall and subdue him. Everyone except Tachibana-kun will hide their identities, and since the sports festival is coming up, we'll tell our families it's for preparations and stay out until 9 PM to finalize things.
Halloween disguise gear has already been prepared. There are three sets, so Kousuke-kun, me, and Obata-chan will wear them. It's a set of loose black robes with glowing ghost masks.
The timid trio also seems to have prepared a different set of disguises.
With six people besides Tachibana-kun, we'll let it be known that there are this many allies as a deterrent.
Also, by not making any sound, the collaborators remain unknown, which prevents narrowing down targets for revenge. Since Kousuke-kun and the trio can be guessed, it's mainly to protect us, they said.
Especially for me, since I'm not supposed to take sides, keeping my identity hidden is an absolute condition. If possible, it's better if the timid trio doesn't speak or get recognized either, since you never know where information might leak from. I was impressed, thinking there's a reason he always talks about warlords.
The west area near the riverside park is where my house is, and Aoi-kun also lives in the west area, so if we have a near-miss there, there should be fewer people around Aoi-kun compared to near the school, as friends would have parted ways by then.
The biggest concern was if Aoi-kun brought friends along. Probably, Aoi-kun would chase Tachibana-kun, and his companions either wouldn't follow or would start chasing late, so either me or Obata-chan would find a reason to stop his companions somewhere before the riverside park.
Regarding the riverside park, I was worried about whether we could subdue Aoi-kun, but apparently, they're digging three pitfalls.
'He'll definitely fall in!'
Tachibana-kun was full of confidence.
Obata-chan asked a few questions, but answers came immediately, and I thought they really had been preparing for a while.
It's Friday today, and there's no rain for a while, so the boys will dig the pitfalls on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Apparently, the pitfall used today was dug by Kousuke-kun and two others.
'I wanted to see him fall in.'
Kousuke-kun muttered quietly.
The next day, I woke up early and made sandwiches to bring as a treat. I wonder if they'll be happy? Will Tachibana-kun eat a lot like he did at Christmas?
When I headed to the planned spot at 7 AM, five people were digging holes with exhausted faces.
'Good work, everyone♪ Feel free to eat if you'd like!'
Everyone swarmed to the park's faucet to wash their hands, wiped them with the wet tissues I brought, and happily dug in, but Tachibana-kun looked troubled.
'Does he not like sandwiches?'
'I like them! They look super tasty! No, it's just that I wanted to keep Kashii-san's participation a secret.'
The timid trio happily approached me and started talking, and I responded with a smile, but if these three betray us...?
Well, it can't be helped, right? I'll do a favor here and make sure they don't turn on us.
They started early in the morning, but it's still not enough, and Kousuke-kun isn't satisfied with the finish, so they'll withdraw by 8 AM when more people come and finish the rest tomorrow.
They were working hard, covered in mud, so they didn't react to my casual clothes.
The next day, Obata-chan and I made rice balls together and brought them as a treat.
Tachibana-kun was happy, but the timid trio got even more attached.
Ugh, it's not for your sake, you know.
Conveniently, construction cones were messily piled up under the overpass, so we restricted access until the day of. This way, once it's done, we can refill the holes and return the cones, and the site can be restored quickly, right?
As for positioning, around the time Aoi-kun is heading home, Tachibana-kun will wait in the west area.
Obata-chan and I will stand by at a distance along the main road. If Aoi-kun has companions, we'll stop them; if not, we'll film the chase.
Two of the trio will also hide in the west area to film. Kousuke-kun will head to the site under the overpass first to remove the cones, check the pitfalls, repair if needed, and decide to cancel if necessary. Tanaka-kun, one of the trio, will assist Kousuke-kun, help out, manage the overall LINE group, and be on the front line to help Tachibana-kun if it's not just Aoi-kun.
If we film it, we can use the excuse that we were being chased and almost attacked, so it was excessive self-defense! Excessive is not okay, though.
Then, when Kousuke-kun calls us, we'll each put on disguise gear near the park and gather silently at the site.
There, we were told to bring whatever intimidating weapon we could think of (something that won't get us arrested). Do I have anything?
Huh? I'm starting to feel like this might actually work.
So, we decided to make a group on LINE to share information quickly!
The timid trio was excited, saying it's their first time being invited to a group!
I also thought,
(Got Tachibana-kun's LINE!)
But then,
'...I don't have a smartphone, sorry.'
It was a false joy!
In the end, everyone except Tachibana-kun had a smartphone, so the only one not in the group was Tachibana-kun.
Anyway, since Tachibana-kun will be chased, we decided to share as much as possible through the group LINE. I wonder how it'll turn out? I hope it goes well.
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I asked Obata-san why she decided to join so quickly after Kashii-san explained the plan.
'Why did you decide to join so fast? Are you worried about me? (LOL)'
'Reina is cute, so of course I'm worried!! If you go to a place with a bunch of boys at night, you'll definitely end up in some 18+ game-like situation!'
'Obata-chan would be fine if it weren't for this...'
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Next time, it's the clash with Aoi-kun.
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