A Destructive Prank (An Oumeno Story)

Chapter IV

Foul impermissibility of sesquipedal peregrinations prevented me in my endeavour to recruit this story's progression - for how can the so sensitive matter of potential lemonful recreations be drawn towards fulfilment without remitting either excess or exiguousness; - without engendering either disapprobation or frustration on the part of the reader - without losing their interest altogether... The quandary, however, will follow its own path - while we undertake that of the two miens so haplessly bound - and thrown - together into further deliveries of fate. 

'T-Tilt your h-head back... please...' 

'Nyeh...' 

Himiko impatiently and with astounding laziness - considering the cruor crimsoning her face -, permitted Mikan to do her nursing tricks in stopping the nose bleed. 

'Y-You d-d-don't have t-to stand here K-Kokichi... I-I can t-tak-ke c-care of Him-Himiko without-' 

'Y-You want to g-get rid of me because you t-think I hurt Himiko on purpose...?' Shuffling near her, with pouted lips - and perhaps lower eyelids -, he teared up indignation but his eyes glowed with malice. 'M-M-Mikan... You're soooo meeeeaaaannn!!!' And he wept. 

'K-K-Kokichi--- no, no, n-no-,:!' The momentary stammers, pauses, gesticulations, and gasps that gathered in this short response made it difficult to decide what sort of punctuation would best express it - so we have something unintelligible. 'I-I-I-' 

'This is horrible!' Yelped Kokichi and collapsed on the floor, thrashing with his arms. 

Mikan screamed and ran out of the room, whispering something to herself in a low, squeaky voice. 

'That's the last time...' Kokichi stood up, massaging his aching back. 'She just wouldn't leave... she's so stubborn.' 

'You did all that because you wanted her to leave...? You could've just asked-' 

'That would make her ask even more questions and I'm not in the mood for that,' he said, avoiding looking directly at Himiko. Although he could still see her, meeting eyes with her or looking at the blood left him with an unpleasant sensation whenever it happened; the same sensation that came before every disastrous prank. But this was much more frustrating since he was convinced that the worst had already happened. 'Let's forget about Mikan...' 

'You think that this drains me of mana?' 

'What?' 

'You're probably still scheming something... Even after hitting me in the nose...' 

'Look, I'm sorry - alright?' Kokichi gasped, undoubtedly from shame of apologising. 'I didn't like you, but now I see that you aren't that bad... I guess my intuition had to be wrong at least once.'

'You don't sound very sorry,' Himiko said and turned away from him. 'But I can't hate you for what you did... hating takes too much time and is very tiring... so you're forgiven.' 

'Himiko, what's gotten into you?' Kokichi closed on the nursing bed and leaned forward to take a peek of Himiko's face, but she turned herself even further. 'Was that a blush?'

'Not at all... it's blood - the blood that you spilled!' 

'Too soon, Himiko, too soon...' He stumbled back, holding onto his chest and sighing excessively. 

Himiko threw a swift side-eye glimpse before focusing back on the wall. 

'So you do care about me, Himiko!' 

'Y-You don't know that... Besides, I just don't want you to cause Mikan more trouble by doing something stupid.' 

'At least that something will be stupid and fun,' he put on the surgeon mask, taking some wads of cotton and a pair of scissors. 'Show me your injury...' 

'Go away...' 

'I can make you look better!' 

'Nyeh...' 

'It will take just a moment' 

Himiko faced him and that unpleasant sensation became unbearable. He gently wiped off the remaining dried blood. 

'What do you need those scissors for?' 

Kokichi showed by cutting up cotton with them. 

'And I think you will agree that they make me look more professional.' 

'That's silly,' she said and smiled. 

'Then look at that...' Kokichi took a mirror and showed Himiko her reflection. 'You're brand new' 

'But you damaged me...' 

'Forgiveness isn't about reminding someone what they did every five minutes, y'know, Himiko?' 

'I was teasing'

'Learning from the best, aren't we-?' 

Mikan rushed back into the infirmary. 

'H-Himiko-?! K-Kokichi-?!' 

'Mikan!' Kokichi called and approached her, cutting through the air with the pair of scissors he was still holding. 

'D-D-Don't k-killll m-meee!' 

'Where have you been?' 

'I-I?' She gathered her strength and glanced at the bag she was hugging onto rather tightly. 'Ice-packs... J-Just some i-ice-packs that I-I was gettin...' 

'Then I can entrust Himiko under your care,' he grinned and marched out - full of himself, no less than in instances when he had scored a fortune. And then there was the letter.