Chapter 18 - Dereck is a genius!

Hugging the pillow that Misha had thrown at his face, his chin resting on it, Dereck stared at the small bulge on the bed, pondering on what he had done to offend his friend. When he entered the bedroom, did he do something that annoyed him? Well, even if he did, he probably wouldn't figure out why it had offended his friend. That guy was too petty, and his way of thinking wasn't something a normal boy like him could understand. Misha was a princess, and he was a mere peasant.

So, Dereck didn't overthink and chose the most straightforward approach. He directly asked, his voice gentle, "Why are you in a bad mood? Something happened?"

Misha didn't answer immediately, but his head still popped from under the blanket, and he glanced at the chubby boy, narrowing his eyes, which made a faint smile appear on Dereck's lips. At least, his friend was willing to interact with him. It was a pretty good start.

A few minutes passed in which Dereck patiently waited for his answer without hurrying him. Finally, Misha mumbled, "Masha brought back home her boyfriend." The child spat out the last word, frowning in disdain. "I don't like him. He doesn't deserve my sister's love."

Dereck nodded to let him know that he understood. Misha had always shown a strong possessiveness when it came down to his sister, and it wasn't surprising that the appearance of a boyfriend put him in a bad mood. The other way around would have been weird. Dereck couldn't imagine his friend smiling happily with the arrival of a man in his sister's life. Just thinking about it sent shivers down his spine.

"I want to drive him out, but I don't know how! Even if I complain about him, Masha just brushes it off. He's not a good guy, yet she doesn't listen to me. She doesn't believe me. In her eyes, he is the perfect man, if not a god."

Technically, the boy wasn't lying. If in this timeline, Misha hadn't tried to talk some sense into his sister and mother, it was because he knew perfectly well that it would be utterly useless. Like in his past life, they would dismiss his words, thinking it was only the tantrum of a child and nothing more. Even he fell for Gabriel's smile along the way and only discovered his true face when it was too late.

So, how could he convince them when the teenager still hadn't done anything to betray his image in front of them? Even if Misha told them about his swearing while they were riding the rollercoaster, this reaction was somewhat understandable when his fear of heights was taken into account – and Masha and his mother would probably think that he was exaggerating a little. Misha had no proof to condemn the bastard, and he could only grit his teeth while the teenage boy smoothly made his way to the heart of his family.

"I want to get rid of him immediately, but I really don't know how. I mean, he seems like a good guy, but he is not. He's the devil! And I don't want Masha to hate me, so I can't do anything too extreme, like kicking his crotch a bunch of times!"

Without knowing it, Misha spilling everything that was eating him up. Of course, he didn't talk about the golden watch and how he traveled back in time, but he shared some of his worries and how Gabriel appeared in his eyes.

Dereck's presence was reassuring, and even if Misha was still a little upset from his betrayal in the bar, he couldn't help but feel at ease with him by his side and confide in. The fever also didn't help, making him unable to reason correctly, and as time went on, he criticized Gabriel more and more.

When Misha couldn't find any more fault with the teenager, he stopped talking, out of breath. His throat and tongue felt dry as if he had run a marathon. His head was also dizzy, and the sudden silence assailed his ears.

'F.u.c.k, did I say too much?' He thought in the corner of his mind, having forgotten some of what he had said. His tongue had moved faster than his mind, and with the heat, he wasn't able to keep track of everything he blurted out. In theory, he had only known the man for a few days, not even a week, and he shouldn't know so much about him. But he couldn't help it! Dereck had always been the friend who listened to him whenever he felt like bitching. So, unconsciously, he picked up his bad habit and said whatever was on his mind.

However, did he complain that much when he was at this age? How would Dereck react after hearing all that? Biting his lips, Misha lifted his eyes with apprehension, staring into Dereck's. Seeing his calm expression, it seemed like he indeed liked to complain from a young age. Misha, "…" He didn't know how to feel about this.

Oblivious to his dilemma, the chubby child opened his mouth and said, "Well, a.d.u.l.ts never listen to us, kids. My dad always said we are too young to understand grown-up matters. Apparently, we will understand them in a few years. They are 'smarter' than us, they said." Dereck shrugged, showing a helpless smile before adding, "But if you find it necessary to get rid of Gabriel, why don't you play a few tricks on him to wear out his patience? I mean, you already do it with Camille, why not doing it with him? Your pranks simply have to be a bit nastier, no?"

Misha blinked, then cursed in his heart. Why didn't he think about such a simple solution!? In his past life, he was too busy throwing tantrums when he wasn't sulking in a corner. He pouted, screamed, but never thought of playing pranks. Well, since he liked tricking others – it was an activity he often did with his sister –, he did prank him once in a while. For example, he poured a bucket of cold water on Gabriel's face whenever he was snoring loudly while sleeping on the couch, but it was nothing unbearable. Yet nasty pranks were the perfect idea in his situation! Seriously, why did he never think of this?

A wide grin stretched the little boy's lips as excitation filled him. Now, he finally had a plan in his mind, a plan that wasn't too complicated to put into action and wouldn't put him in a tight spot. It suited his character perfectly! Didn't Camille say that he put a bunch of worms in her purse a few days ago? It meant that he could be as unrestrained as he wanted regarding pranks, and it wouldn't arouse anyone suspicion! Of course, he completely disregarded the fact that this plan was childish and again full of loopholes. It was only a small detail.

"You're such a genius!" complimented Misha, having forgotten all of his previous dissatisfaction with his friend. His eyes even seemed to shine.

"You think?" shyly said Dereck, scratching his fl.u.s.tered cheek.

"Yeah!" nodded the boy, thinking that a smart partner in crime was indeed what he needed. He only talked for a moment with his friend and he already found a practical idea without any flaws – or so he thought. He only needed to rack his brain over what kind of pranks he should do.

"If you want, I can ask my cousin for some ideas when I see him. My mom said he's unbearable lately, and my uncle almost went bald within a month," proposed Dereck. Although he didn't know Gabriel, he still wanted to help his friend to get rid of him as a gesture of solidarity. It also seemed fun. Anyways, it wasn't the first time that he went along with his friend's f.u.c.k.e.d-up plans.

"Well, the two of us are enough right now. After a good brainstorming, we will surely have many pranks in store for Gabriel," gently refused Misha. He knew which cousin Dereck was talking about, and frankly, he didn't want anything to do with him. Misha wasn't a saint, but that guy was way worse than him. Misha wished to avoid Dereck's cousin's bad influence on his friend – little Dereck was easily influenced, and others weren't allowed to mess with him in this lifetime.

"Ok," Dereck shrugged his shoulders. It was just a suggestion among others.

"But it will have to wait until tomorrow, I'm sleepy," admitted Misha. The fever was acting up, and his eyelids suddenly felt heavy. He just wanted to close his eyes and sleep, even though he was still scared of the upcoming nightmares. But maybe they wouldn't come today; he had an idea on how to chase away the teenage boy from their life, which made him feel at ease. It seemed like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

"Sure, see you tomorrow," said Dereck as he gave back the pillow before jumping off the bed.

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Author's note

ML: Author… What kind of pranks are you planning to make me go through?

Author: Frankly, I have no idea.

MC: What!? Then what am I supposed to do!? (╬⁽⁽ ⁰ ⁾⁾ Д ⁽⁽ ⁰ ⁾⁾)

Author: Don't worry, don't worry! I will just search on the internet and ask my brother and my lovely readers if they have any idea ♥

ML: You don't have to ask, you know, and dear readers, you don't have to suggest any pranks either. Seriously, don't.

MC: Suggest! Suggest!

ML: …