This is my Junior's Plan

“How can you say that so confidently? You really don’t see it?”

“You want to see his response?” She asked, not understanding what I said and so blissfully unaware of any possible implications. She rummaged in her blue book bag for a moment then produced her cell phone. “Look!”

What she showed me was just shocking. I didn’t care to read all of what she wrote but on her screen was paragraph after paragraph sent by her. Only replied with a simple cat giving a thumbs up from Takechi. From the quick skim I did, the messages from her didn't look important at all, either. It was just meaningless small talk. Only it wasn’t “small”, it was more words than I usually write in a day.

I pushed up my glasses and cleared my throat. “Hm yeah, weird. Must really like showering.”

“Right!?”

“Yoshi-chan, I think he actually isn—— H-hey!” A train of sorts cut her off—a long column of Geisha quickly filled the street we walked on and pushed Kaoru around in their mass. “H-h-hey! W-wait! Makoto!” Her voice dissipated and was droned out as the wooden-clacks of the Geisha's Geta enveloped the street.

Yoshika and I stood idly as we watched maybe a hundred? Geisha carry Kaoru off around a street corner.

“Is she okay?” Yoshika asked.

“Should be fine.” I pinched my glasses by the end piece and pushed them up again.

“Anyway, senpai, I figured out the plan.” She had stars in her eyes and a devious smirk growing on her face. The correct route is to ask her about that plan, right? I can’t go silent? What if I tried? I did just that, but to little surprise Yoshika went right on with her explanation of “the plan”. “I got a copy of this weekend’s schedule for the camping trip from Sato-senpai—”

“You mean the schedule I forwarded from Sato to the writing club’s group chat? The chat you shouldn’t be a part of because you aren’t in the writing club?”

My kouhai gave me an uneasy side eye. It’s not my fault! What did I do! Is that not just the truth!

“That’s beside the point. The point is the plan.” She cleared her throat. “Phase one: According to the schedule blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah —”

You get the point, no? Her masterful scheme basically boiled down to, unknowingly, wedge herself between Sato and Takechi. Ruining their weekend while still getting rejected by the end.

“And then the finale! Which I guess only takes place on Friday… leaving the rest of the weekend… But the finale!” Yoshika cleared her throat again. “During Friday night’s fireworks I will turn to him, like the fair maiden I am, hands to my chest, and confess my feelings. It’s such a simple yet elegant plan. It can’t fail.”

We’re doing the firework festival arc this early!? It’s so sudden!? No wait… calm down… It’s not August, the real one will come. “S-sounds great, Yoshika-san… It can’t fail.”

“Actually, there is one way…” Her aura darkened and her gaze suddenly hailed a barrage of knives at me. “The fireworks part relies on you… Kiyotaka-senpai.”

“M-me!? Why me?”

“I just told you my plan, were you not listening??” She jabbed me in the side.

“Ow! Ow! Yes—yes I was listening…” I skipped a beat and sighed. “I… I uh… I… I wasn’t listening.”

We stopped at a crosswalk—the little man across from us was flashing red, but after a short moment blinked green. We, along with about two dozen office-workers and students, streamed across the intersection.

“Grrr… Senpai… What you do— is sneak off with the big fireworks display from the nearby wedding procession being hosted in the main lodge and bring it over. Set it off, then I confess just like it’s a real fireworks festival.”

“No-no-no-no-no! No! No stealing! In fact none of this “scheming” stuff! I don’t want any part in it! O-okay!?” I frantically waved my arms in front of me.

“I have three friends preloaded with rumors about you abusing Kaoru-senpai that can be spread with speed you’ve known could be possible.”

“W-wha—?”

“With one text message I can make it so you’ll never be able to step foot in school again without being attacked or arrested.” Yoshika turned her phone-screen towards me and opened to LINE with a message pre-written: Do it.

I pushed up my glasses. I’m playing the only card I have left in my hand. “You know, this blackmail of your relies on the me believing there really are three friends preloaded with rumors—”

“Aaand sent.” The notification noise of three quick replies beeped from her cell phone.

“Okay I’ll do the plan.”

“Wonderful!” She had starry-glints in her eyes. How can you feel genuine joy after blackmailing your senior!