“So, yep, that didn’t work out,” I said to my stream once more in the present.
: huh?
: sorry, what?
: lol
: you...poured the can of fake beer all over yourself? why?
“Why? To protect Dagger-chan’s smile, of course.”
: you had other options!
: that's the least questionable part of the story...
: your tone irks me, Awayuki
: So? What happens when you drench yourself in beer?
: What happens when Awayuki drenches herself in beer? (The proof is left as an exercise for the reader.)
: It becomes StroZero, duhhh ￥5,000
“Yeah, yeah, I had to improvise, okay?! Dagger-chan was happy, that’s all that matters.”
: †-chan, why on Earth did that make you happy?
: What Shuwa-chan did was already bad enough but the fact that Dagger-chan was fooled by it...
: Dagger-chan, if you're watching, the white unmarked van does not have candy in it
: I don't see what's cool about the illustration at all. I just see an idiot drenched in beer.
: I'm with stupid
“Ahh, forget it! You’re all annoying! You didn’t hear what I heard. That noise she made was lethal! Next! Oh, but before we move on, I just have to say I cleaned up the floor after the prank was revealed to Dagger-chan. Okay! Next target!”
Also, I left this out of my stream for obvious reasons, but after I’d come clean to Dagger-chan, we still had some time before her session. So I asked her about her thoughts on the situation with Tadasu-chan. She said that she wanted her genmate to remain in Live-On—obviously—but that was easier said than done. After Tadasu-chan broke down in front of her, it’d been difficult to bring up the topic again. Instead, she’d been keeping things light—chatting with her about random stuff, dragging her out to have fun, just giving her some mental care, basically.
As we talked, I could see her expression slowly drop, the weight of helplessness showing through. But honestly, I thought she was managing the situation really well. When I told her that, a bit of confidence returned to her face. And yes, for the record, I was still completely soaked during all of this.
Okay, enough about Tadasu-chan. Back to the stream.
“My next target was none other than...drumroll, please...Ehrai-chan!”
: the don?!
: the absolute balls on this madlady
: does she not know fear...
: we all love a prank gone wrong but ya don't gotta risk your life for it...
: at least she lived to tell the tale, clearly
“How did it all go down? Let’s find out!”
There I was, ready for round two. You’d think, having done this once already, I’d be more comfortable, but no. The nerves, they jangled.
One major difference this time compared to pranking Dagger-chan was the sheer level of danger. Would I be okay? Would I make it out of this lobby alive? Maybe I should’ve gone with that bulletproof vest after all. What if she walked in flanked by a gorilla bodyguard dressed in black with matching sunglasses? My worries were endless.
It was then, when I began to regret the poor life choices that had led me to this moment, that the text arrived. Ehrai-chan was here! Uh-oh! Panic! I clutched my fake beer tight.
The door opened, and this time the sound reverberated with a weight that rattled me to my core, causing a shiver to run down my spine.
Don’t forget how you flubbed it with Dagger-chan! I reminded myself. You only get one shot at pranking your fellow streamers for the first time!
I stomped out my fear, burying it deep inside. I closed my eyes, and as I heard footsteps approach—!
*GULP GULP GULP*
I’m drinking! Actually drinking! Hah. You see this, Ehrai-chan? Whaddya got for me? A handgun, a gorilla, a Godfather? Shoot me with your best shot!
“Oh, hello, Awayuki-chan.”
*GULP GULP GULP... GULP?*
She... She said hi? Like nothing happened? Just greeted me professionally like one does when seeing a coworker at the office? Huh?
I slowly peeked my eyes open and glanced toward the door. But Ehrai-chan wasn’t there. Where had she gone? I looked around frantically and spotted her—past the lobby, already in front of the door that led deeper into the studio.
In other words, I had been masterfully ignored.
Hurriedly, I rushed after her. “Hold it right there, missy!”
“Wh-What is it?” she replied, confused. “Indoor voices, Awayuki-chan~.”
“Don’t ‘what is it?’ me! You know exactly what this is! How dare you walk right on by like you didn’t notice? Did you not see the can? This can! Right here! What does it say?!”
“Says it’s beer. I saw it the first time, don’t worry~.”
“Oh, thank goodness. For a second I was thinking I would need to put on a keg backpack and drink straight from it like the cute vendors at ball games do.”
“I’m pretty sure those vendors, as the name suggests, sell the beer, not drink it~.”
Whew, I was worried for a second the beer can wasn’t quite visible enough.
But wait, that just raises further questions!!!
“You saw it the first time?! Then what did you think? What was your reaction?!”
“Um. ‘Oh, Awayuki-chan’s drinking beer.’”
“Yeah! Exactly! I! Awayuki-chan! Am drinking! Beer!”
“What’s wrong with that? We’re all adults, free to enjoy a beer or two.”
“But I’ve never drunk anything other than StroZero before!”
“I know. A concerning habit~.”
“I— Hm? You’re making a lot of sense, aren’t you, Ehrai-chan?”
“As I always do. Now, if you’ll excuse me~...”
“Oh, sorry, right. Good luck on your recording session!”
“Thanks~.”
“You’re welc— Hey, wait a second!”
“Tsk. Just what is it this time~?”
Ehrai-chan had rolled a darn nat twenty on persuasion; I was just about to let her through when I caught myself.
“Do you hate me, Ehrai-chan?”
“Hate is a strong word, Awayuki-chan~.”
“Then why the nonreaction to me drinking beer? It doesn’t make sense.”
“People are complicated, always changing~. Who am I to call you out for not aligning to my expectations? It’s not like you’re hurting anyone. It’s common decency not to judge, no~?”
“...”
“Is that all? Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have work to do.”
With that, Ehrai-chan opened the interior door and vanished down the studio halls. I just stood there, staring after her.
“She’s so cool...” I muttered.
“So yeah, that didn’t work out either,” I said to my stream.
: oh-for-two, huh?
: Ehrai-chan really said uno reverse card
: the master had the same reaction as her apprentice
: the zookeepers pretty fuckin suave tho cant lie
: swagger so large you can skateboard in it
: I died when Shuwa-chan had that epiphany she was making no sense halfway through
“Then when I told her it was a prank later, she said, ‘I oughta smack you upside the— I mean, do better next time, Awayuki-chan~.’”
: bro LOL she was upset
: hahahaha at least she stopped herself before she could finish the sentence
: Wait, she didn't realize it was a prank? So she meant everything she said?
: she's so cool. gonna go drop her a super real quick
: I want her as my boss
: you've heard of parasocials, now get ready for the paramafioso
: oh god the parasocials are evolving
Ehrai-chan stocks were rocketing to the moon. She’d perfectly shrugged off my plan to prank her and even raised her own reputation in the process. But hey, that’s what makes Candid Camera candid, isn’t it? You never know what you’re gonna get.
“Now, this next target is the last and final target of my first-ever prank show. Drumroll, please! Ta-da! It’s Hareru-senpai! Time to finally get one over on her!”
: haha, no.
: i can smell the disaster already
: oh-for-three
: Getting One Over On Her with Bennett Foddy
: If this were a ballpark this is when the people start filing out to beat the traffic
“I told you all I couldn’t be picky with my targets, okay? Her schedule happened to line up! Don’t give up before we’ve even started! If you want to bail early, fine—but don’t come crying to me if you miss the comeback of the century! Roll the tape!”
My chat seemed to think my failure was a foregone conclusion. But was that truly the case? Let’s find out.