June 17th, 2020

Everything was prepared with exacting, excruciating care. Thousands of gallons of blood –and other fluids, mostly sticky ink and glue– had been shed, but all that ended now.

Crouched inside a locker and contorted slightly painfully, Keiichi cackled like a demon from hell, rubbing his hands together somewhat awkwardly inside the tight space. Oh, Satoko would rue the day she had greeted him with a trap to the face!

…which was pretty much every day, but still. She would rue them!

He had gotten up at the crack of dawn and dragged himself and his array of devices and materials to the school, and had spent hours setting them all up. Sure, Satoko came in early some days (most days) to set up those infernal traps of her own, but no way she could've beaten Keiichi to it today! He had blanketed the area with countless traps, some of which he had even learned from her, and there was simply no possible way that the devil in little girl's clothing would avoid falling prey to at least one of them!

A beat of sweat slid down his jaw.

Please.

His heart began to pound faster as he heard scuffling footsteps outside and the happy shrieks of children. The rest of the class was coming in! This was it! This was totally it!

"Geez, that Keiichi-san-" Satoko was saying as she slid open the door and stepped into the room. This was great! The others would all be behind her, because no one wanted to enter the classroom before she did! Vengeance was nigh!

"Gyah!"

Whoop!

Clang!

Twong!

Splotch!

"At last!" Keiichi cried, bursting somewhat clumsily out from the locker as he removed himself from the space he had been wedged inside. "Vengeance is mine, Satoko!"

"Mew, not so much, Keiichi." Rika said from underneath the bedpan that had hit her, sending an arrow straight through Keiichi's heart as she pitifully rubbed her bruised forehead.

"THIS WAS WHY YOU DIDN'T SHOW UP THIS MORNING?!" Mion roared, thrashing and kicking in midair from amongst her tangle of jump-ropes and cords

"Um, Keiichi-kun, I understand you wanting to get revenge on Satoko-chan, but maybe you could've told the rest of us?" Rena asked demurely, heaving herself up from the sticky patch of ink, which was spreading slowly over the front her school blouse.

"Oh-ho-ho~!" Satoko laughed from the doorway, completely untouched. "It seems you have quite a ways to go before you get on my level, Keiichi-san. Oh-ho-ho~!"

"SATOKOOOOO!" Keiichi roared, eyes gleaming red as he lunged for her, hands upraised. "Prepare yourself to face the full fury of my forehead flick, feared throughout the land of Japan!"

"Guh!" Satoko flinched back, raising a hand to protectively shield her tender forehead, which had more than once felt the sting of Keiichi's flick. "Y-you say that now, but-"

Twong.

Whump.

Keiichi yelped as he tripped over one of his own cords, and a thick blanket came flying out of nowhere, wrapping him up into a burrito that slowly rolled to a stop at Satoko's feet, tangled and tied up in the cords and pinning his arms to his sides.

Satoko's fearful expression immediately transformed into her signature sly grin.

"-you'll need to get out of your trap first. Oh-ho-ho~!"

Keiichi was too busy bucking futilely and frothing at the mouth to properly respond.

11.24 AM, USA Central Time