Safari Dreams - A Bright Calamity Side Story
Ryota checked his reflection in the academy bathroom mirror for the fifth time. Hair? Good. Breath? Minty. Confidence? ...Working on it.
"Today's the day," he muttered, practicing his smile. "Just be cool. Be yourself. But like, a cooler version of yourself."
The bathroom door swung open. "Talking to yourself again?" his classmate Kenji asked.
"Shut up. I'm manifesting."
"Is this about Yuki?"
Ryota's face went red. "Maybe."
For three weeks now, Yuki had been different. She'd started sitting near him in history, asking to borrow notes she definitely didn't need. Yesterday she'd grabbed his arm during a "scary" part of a puppet show – it was literally about vegetable farming.
"Just don't overthink it," Kenji said, washing his hands. "Girls can smell desperation."
"I'm not desperate! I'm... eager. There's a difference."
Twenty minutes later, Ryota stood outside the safari park entrance, flowers in hand (too much?), watching families stream inside. Then he saw her.
Yuki waved, sundress fluttering in the breeze. "Ryota! Sorry I'm late!"
"No, you're perfect – I mean, your timing! Your timing is perfect."
She giggled, linking her arm through his. "These flowers are sweet. Oh, I hope you don't mind—I brought some friends! They really wanted to see the elephants."
Ryota's stomach dropped as two guys appeared behind her. Tall. Handsome. Definitely not here for elephants.
"This is Dai and Sho," Yuki chirped. "Guys, this is Ryota! The one I told you about."
"The funny one," Dai said, in a tone that suggested 'funny' meant 'amusing to have around.'
The safari tour became torture. Yuki sat between Dai and Sho, leaning into them the same way she'd leaned into Ryota. Using the same laugh. The same light touches.
Then, by the lion enclosure, it happened.
She kissed Dai.
Not a friendly peck. A real kiss. Right there, while Ryota held her purse.
"Oh!" She pulled back, noticing Ryota staring. "Did you want to take a group photo with the lions?"
The ride back was silent. Yuki and her "friends" chatted about some party next week. Ryota stared out the window, flowers wilting in his lap.
When they finally dropped him off, Yuki waved cheerfully. "Thanks for organizing this! You're such a good friend!"
Friend.
Ryota stood on the sidewalk until the car disappeared. Then, without really thinking about it, his feet started moving. Not home. Somewhere else.
Past the market district. Through the noble quarter. Up to gates most people couldn't pass.
The guards knew him. "Evening, Master Ryota. Prince Roy is in the study."
Ryota found him surrounded by books and charts, because of course he was.
"Roy," Ryota said, using the name only close friends knew. "I need your help destroying someone."
Prince Roy looked up, immediately interested. "Sure. What’s up?"
While explaining the heartbreaking betrayal to his childhood friend, the young prince seemed to overflow with ideas.
"So yeah," Ryota finished, slumping in his chair. "That's how my day went."
Roy leaned back, tapping his fingers on the desk. "She played you."
"Thanks. Really needed that reminder."
"No, I mean she played you. Like...strategically." Roy grabbed a blank paper. "Look, she brought backup guys to something you planned. That's not random. She knew exactly what she was doing."
"Yeah, I figured that out when she ate his face."
"Right, but here's the thing—" Roy started sketching out names and connections. "Girls like that don't just want attention. They want to at getting attention. It's like a game to them."
"Cool. So how do I make her lose?"
Roy grinned. Not his polite prince smile, but the one Ryota recognized from when they used to sneak out of formal dinners.
"Easy. We remove all her game pieces at once.”
"What, like... k-kill them?"
"What? No. Just make them busy." Roy pulled out his official seal. "There's this noble obligation thing—young lords have to attend certain gatherings when the crown calls. Super boring, but mandatory."
"You're gonna throw a party?"
"Not a party. A 'Young Noble's Strategic Summit.' Three hours of discussing trade routes." Roy was already writing the summons. "Every guy at the academy with any status has to come. Including all her backups."
Ryota sat up straighter. "When?"
"Thursday at two. Right when she holds court in the academy gardens."
"That's...evil. She'll show up expecting her usual crowd and—"
"And find nobody. Well, nobody male." Roy set down his quill. "Here's the brutal part though. Know who won't be at a noble summit? The girls whose boyfriends she's stolen."
"Oh."
"Yeah. They'll be around. And probably not happy." Roy shrugged. "I mean, I'm not telling them to do anything. Just...making sure they have free time."
Ryota stared at his friend. "When did you get so good at this?"
"I read a lot." Roy started addressing envelopes with practiced efficiency. "Plus, remember when Lord Tanaka's son tried to frame me for cheating? Had to learn how to fight back without throwing punches."
"That was you? I thought he just got caught naturally!"
"Nothing's natural when you plan it right." Roy handed him a stack of sealed summons. "These need to go out tonight. Use the royal messengers."
"Wait, aren't you worried about...I dunno, consequences?"
Roy actually laughed. "What's she gonna do? Complain that the prince ruined her manipulation scheme? 'Excuse me, Your Majesty, your son prevented me from emotionally destroying multiple people at once.'"
"Good point."
"Besides," Roy added, getting up to raid the kitchen for stress snacks, "it's not like we're doing anything wrong. Just scheduling conflicts."
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
Ryota followed him, feeling lighter than he had in hours. "You know she's gonna know it was me."
"Probably." Roy found leftover cake and cut two pieces. "But what's she gonna say? 'Ryota was upset I used him'? That just makes her look worse."
They ate in comfortable silence for a minute before Ryota spoke again. "Thanks. For not making this weird."
"Weird how?"
"I dunno. Asking why I cared so much about some girl who obviously sucks."
Roy shrugged. "Everyone gets fooled sometimes. Last month I spent three days thinking the new guard actually wanted to learn chess. Turns out he just wanted a promotion."
"That's different."
"Is it though? Someone pretended to care about something you care about. Used it against you." Roy pushed the bigger piece of cake toward Ryota. "At least your thing involves fewer pawns. The chess ones, I mean."
"What about the human pawns?"
"Thursday's gonna be rough for them." Roy's expression darkened just slightly. "Two hours of trade route discussions."
"That's... that's the punishment?"
"You'd be surprised how effective boredom is."
Phase One: The Summit
Thursday arrived like a perfectly timed disaster.
Roy stood at his balcony railing, watching carriages pull up to the palace's east wing. Every young noble in the city, arriving for the most boring summit in history.
"You actually got them all to come," Ryota said, walking up to the same overview, slightly awed.
"Royal summons are royal summons." Roy adjusted his formal jacket. "I even made an agenda. Look – one hour on 'Northern Trade Route Optimization.' I'm not a monster, but I am thorough."
"She's gonna freak.” Ryota smiles.
"That's the idea."
Down in the academy gardens, Yuki was already preparing. For what event? Who knows. All she cared about was looking the best in the school. They could see her from Roy's window – checking her reflection in her compact mirror, arranging herself on the best bench, the one under the cherry blossoms where lighting was perfect.
"There's Dai," Ryota pointed across the palace. "And Sho. And... wait, who's the third guy?"
"Betting that's Gift Guy. Watch – he’s carrying something." Roy squinted. "Jewelry box. Called it."
One by one, her targets approached the garden, heading straight for Yuki. Then, they stopped. Royal guards stood at the academy gates, checking names against a list.
"Lord Dai? Your presence is required at the summit. This way please."
"But I have—"
"This way. Please."
Yuki watched her first target get redirected. No big deal. She had backups.
Then Sho got pulled aside. Then Gift Guy. Then every single male with any status whatsoever.
"Look at her face," Ryota whispered, gleeful.
Yuki stood up, confused. The garden was filling with people, just not the right people. Girls. Lots of girls. All the ones who usually avoided the garden during her holding court sessions.
"Is that...are they surrounding her?" Ryota questions.
"They're not surrounding her," Roy corrected. "They're just all happening to have lunch in the garden today. At the same bench. What a coincidence."
The girls weren't being openly hostile. That would be too obvious. Instead, they were being aggressively friendly.
"Yuki! So nice to see you alone for once!"
"We never get to talk anymore! You're always so...busy."
"Isn't it nice when we can have girl time without distractions?"
From the window, they could see Yuki's smile getting more and more strained.
"She's trying to leave," Ryota noticed.
"Watch this," Roy said.
Every time Yuki tried to excuse herself, another girl would appear with a "quick question" or "just wanted to catch up!" They moved in shifts, like they'd coordinated it.
"Did you—"
"I didn't tell them to do anything," Roy said innocently. "I just maybe mentioned to Lady Akane that certain people would be busy today. Akane's very organized. She must have spread the word."
Yuki was now fully trapped in a circle of polite conversation. Every escape route had someone ready with small talk. Her phone kept buzzing—probably her targets texting apologies—but she couldn't check it without being rude.
"This is beautiful," Ryota breathed. "She can't even complain because they're being nice."
"The worst kind of revenge," Roy agreed. "The kind where you look crazy if you get upset about it."
They watched for another few minutes. Yuki's perfect composure was cracking. Her targets were all trapped discussing trade routes. The girls had her cornered with aggressive friendliness.
"So your summit is really two hours? What did you even plan to talk about during all that time?"
"Well, I scheduled breaks." Roy smiled. "Fifteen minutes each. Just enough time for them to text her back but not enough to actually meet up."
“You're terrifying sometimes.”
As if on cue, Yuki finally snapped. They couldn't hear what she said, but her body language was clear – pushing through the circle, storming off toward the main building.
"Where's she going?"
"Probably to complain to someone," Roy mused. "Good luck explaining that the prince's completely legitimate educational summit ruined your manipulation schedule."
Ryota was quiet for a moment. "I thought I'd feel better."
"Do you?"
"I mean...yeah? But also kind of empty. Like, she's not worth all this effort."
Roy clapped him on the shoulder. "That's the best revenge realization. When you realize they were never worth your time in the first place."
"Says the guy who orchestrated a two-hour summit."
"I was bored. Military treaties only reorganize themselves so many times." Roy headed for the door. "Come on, I should actually run this thing. Can't have people saying I shirk royal duties."
"You're seriously gonna discuss trade routes for two hours?"
"One hour. The last hour is 'Practical Economic Theory.'" Roy's grin turned evil. "I'm making them do math."
As they walked toward the summit, Ryota felt lighter. Not because Yuki got humiliated—honestly, that already felt kind of petty. But because Roy had dropped everything to help him. No questions, no judgment, just immediate and overcomplicated support.
"Hey Roy?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks. For being absolutely insane on my behalf."
"What are friends for? Besides, this was fun. We should do this more often."
"Let's not make it a habit."
"Fair. But if this happens again..."
"You'll summon every noble in the country?"
"I'll summon every noble on the continent."
They laughed, heading into the summit where dozens of bored young lords waited. In the distance, they could hear Yuki's frustrated voice echoing from some administrator's office, trying to explain her ridiculous complaint.
It was, Ryota realized, a pretty perfect revenge. Not because it was cruel, but because it was so utterly
– precise, overthought, and way more effort than necessary.
Phase Two: The Slow Burn
A week later, Yuki thought she'd recovered. New strategy: one-on-one dates, no more group dynamics.
"She's adapting," Ryota reported, watching her flirt with some merchant's son. "Making dinner plans for tomorrow."
Roy didn't even look up from his book. "Blue Moon Restaurant, 7 PM?"
"How did you—"
"Because that's where everyone goes. Also, my cousin owns it."
"You didn't."
"I mentioned I might host a private family dinner there tomorrow. Very last minute. So sorry for the inconvenience." Roy turned a page. "Oh, and the backup places too. The garden restaurant? Wine tasting. The riverside spot? Poetry reading."
"Poetry reading?"
"My aunt's very cultural."
Sure enough, Ryota got the play-by-play via text the next night. Yuki and her date turned away from five different restaurants. They ended up at a noodle stand, her perfect hair wilting in the steam.
"That's just petty," Ryota said, but he was grinning.
"Wait for phase three."
Phase Three: The Information Network
"What's phase three?"
Roy pulled out a different notebook. This one had names, dates, and...relationship histories?
"Remember Lady Akane? Very organized, very connected. She started a small warning network." Roy showed him the pages. "Girls share information about...problematic dating behaviors."
"You turned them into spies?"
"I suggested they might benefit from communication. They ran with it."
The network was terrifyingly efficient. Within two weeks, every girl at the academy knew about Yuki's four-target system. More importantly, guys started finding out too.
"Lord Kenji asked me if it was true," Ryota reported. "Said Yuki approached him but he'd heard...things."
"Things?"
"Direct quote: 'I don't want to be part of someone's collection.'"
Yuki's dating pool evaporated. Not through Roy's direct action—just people talking. Natural consequences with a little organizational help.
It happened in the academy courtyard. Yuki, now constantly alone, finally confronted Ryota.
"This is you, isn't it?" Her perfect composure cracked. "You and your princely friend?"
"I have no idea what you mean."
"Every restaurant, every event, every guy who suddenly won't talk to me—"
"Maybe people just realized what you're actually like?"
She stepped closer, voice dropping. "You were so easy to play. So desperate for attention. One smile and you'd do anything."
Ryota felt the old hurt flare up, then... nothing. It just felt sad.
"Yeah," he agreed. "I was. But at least I was honest about liking you."
"Honest doesn't get you anywhere—"
"Really? Because I'm not the one eating lunch alone."
She actually flinched. Behind her, a group of girls walked by, chatting happily. One waved at Ryota—genuinely friendly, no ulterior motives.
Yuki left without another word.
That evening, Roy and Ryota sat on the palace roof, watching sunset paint the city gold.
"She transferred schools," Ryota said. "Heard from Kenji."
"Hm." Roy passed him some stolen kitchen cookies. "Feel bad?"
"Honestly? A little. It was kind of overkill."
"Definitely overkill. But she made you hold her purse while she kissed another guy. At the safari
planned."
"True."
They sat in comfortable silence. Then Roy spoke again, unusually serious.
"People like that don't learn from small consequences. They just get better at manipulation. Sometimes you need to be thorough."
"Speaking from experience?"
"Court's full of people like that. Just better dressed." Roy stretched out on the tiles. "At least your thing's done. Tomorrow we can go back to normal stupid stuff."
"What's normal for us?"
"I don't know. Wanna sneak into the restricted library section? I heard they have books on theoretical mathematics."
"That's your idea of normal kid stuff?"
"You got better ideas?"
"...actually no, the math books sound fun."
They laughed, staying on the roof until guards came looking. Two friends who'd just orchestrated someone's complete social destruction, now planning to commit mild academic crimes.
It was, Ryota realized, probably the most normal thing about their friendship. Roy's casual willingness to go absolutely nuclear on his behalf.
He wondered briefly what would happen when Roy got older, had real power. Then decided not to think about it too hard.
Some futures were better left unimagined.
