(Obstinate and hard-working Shinsegumi member OC-chan x Okita-kun who thinks OC-chan is just too cute!
I would be really happy if you read this (*^o^*)

The Prankster
Part 01: Prank pulled at me today again by the The Prankster Captain

Shinsengumi.
In this foul man-smelling headquarters, one small girl flutters across the corridor.

"Coming through~!"
She ridiculously carries a pile of washings that is sadly bigger than herself, which is actually such a funny sight to watch.

Oh how I wish for her to trip herself up and show that teary face so I can laugh at her...

"...hey! Okita-taichou!" (Captain Okita)

"What?"
The sun is blindingly warm, and today is slightly high in humidity considering that it's winter.
Under such sky, I hear unbelievable suggestions voiced by taichou sitting on the porch.
It seems that he had been making fun of me running around doing my errands.

Him saying "what?" in monotone irritates me.
I shove the washings I held to him.

"Stop making fun of people! Be considerate and help me!"

Jeez, this person is just unbelievable...
He should been on patrol today...
So why is he lazily sitting down enjoying the warm sunlight!

"He-y, where's our breakfast?" I hear a member of the squad call from far away as I ball my fists at the sight of this unbelievable person who always gets on my nerves.

Oh, no! I hadn't set breakfast on the tables yet!

"Y-Yes! I'll be right there!" I call back in a rush and I hear Okita-taichou chuckle.
I turn around back to him at that.

"They're calling you. You should go."
I glare at him who smirks at me as if he had just claimed victory of something.
Okita-taichou then suddenly raises his brows up to his hairline.

"Wow, you're glaring at the captain? Now is that really an appropriate thing to do?"

He is the worst.

He puts use to his rank "Captain" (Taichou) only at times like this.
And I would very much like to shout back, "you're not my taichou!"
But unfortunately my personality is weak and I am really bad at talking back when it comes to arguments.

"...I am sorry."
Watching me slump in defeat and apologise sadly, Okita-taichou starts chuckling again.
I slightly glare towards his direction once more before I pick up the pile of washings again and start heading towards the other members of the squad.

I am the only girl in the Shinsengumi headquarters.
I was slightly nervous when I first came here to take this job, surrounded by men...

But now I am so used to this environment.
Everybody is so nice to me and kyokuchou (Commander) Kondou-san is very caring.

...but there is only one slight problems I have here, and that is "Okita-taichou".

He is the one with the chestnut coloured hair and a cute up front... but his personality is a total sadist.
He especially plays around with me as if I'm his favourite toy to pull pranks at and laugh at me, making my errands more straining than it already was.

Such pranks he pulls are like giving me curry with only carrots in it...
Or when I was walking along the corridor he stuck out his foot, making me stumble...
Or when I wake up, a white cloth is placed on my face and a smell of incense burning beside me... (*something you do in Japan when a person dies)
Or my birthday present being frogs which I hate the most!

...and these are only just minor pranks he pulls.
He has been pulling pranks on me for more than I can remember.
It seems that he can only see me as a toy and every time we see each other in the corridors, he smirks at me.

So this is how my daily life is...full of pranks.
And today I am being played by taichou once again...

"Wow, finally, I finished!" I sigh as I look at the washings that I finally had hung up.
My morning errands are done.
I have to make lunch for the members of the squad for when they come back...
But for now, I'm going to take a small rest.

Unfolding the kimono I had up to move more freely, I sit on the porch.
Today is such a nice weather and it feels so good.

"Ah~, I wanna go somewhere-!" I cry to myself as I lower my back down to the ground and look up at the sky where birds freely swim around the ocean sky.

"Then do you wanna go?"

"Hmm, that would be nice~..." I answer to the voice I hear after I had closed my eyes.

...huh?

"...what?"

The voice sounds so familiar...

I snap my eyes open in surprise to see Okita-taichou standing right beside my head, staring down at me with a smirk. I immediately wake myself up.

"Ta-taichou..! What're you doing here! What about your work!" I shout at ther person in front of me in shock.

Jeez, this person! Just like I thought, he's flagging his work...AGAIN!

"I made Yamazaki go instead, so it's okay," he says somewhat tiredly as he seats himself beside me.

Jeez, this person! Using Yamazaki-san like a puppet of his make him do whatever he wants...

"If you keep doing that, Yamazaki-san's going to faint from fatigue!"

He even has other spy works to do!I add in my thought as I growl at Okita-taichou.

He then stares at me with a slightly pouting look for some reason.

"U...Um, you're a mature adult now, please don't make that kind of face..." I stammer at Okita-taichou who keeps glaring at me.
For a second, I think that his face expression is rather cute... is there something wrong with me?
...but it's an expression just like a little child being told of by his mother.

"So... you like Yamazaki that much, huh?" he suddenly then says.

"What?" I ask but he averts his gaze from me.

"Yamazaki, that bastard..."
Even if I ask what he had meant by that, he won't tell me and he keeps mumbling to himself.

I really can't understand him...
I think it's going to take a large amount of time to fully understand this person.
I really can understand the vice-commander's suffers.

And so glaring at Okita-taichou who doesn't answer me, I suddenly remember that I have to go out to do grocery shopping for tonight's meal.

"I totally forgot! There's absolutely nothing today!" I gasp as I stand up in a rush.
To that, Okita-taichou snaps his head this way.

"Where are you going?"

"Eh? Ah, I need to go grocery shopping!"

That's right... these people eat so much that there's absolutely nothing in the fridge at the moment.
Let's see... what shall I make tonight?
Just as these thoughts run across my mind, Okita-taichou stands up as well.
Wondering what's up, I stare up at him who stands right beside me and when he's standing right beside me, I can see our height difference very much.
If I look up at taichou who is obviously much taller than me, his silky chestnut hair wavers amongst the wind.

"...midget."

"Wha..! What the hell!" I shout at his sudden remark.

Midget... well of course I am rather small compared to Okita-taichou, but it's not something you randomly say out of the blue!

I glare at taichou who starts chuckling.

"Well, I'm off then," I growl and start to leave but...

...for some reason, taichou grabs my hand in a slightly panic-rushed movement.

"...what is it?" I ask, still slightly mad at him.
As if taichou just realised what he had just done, he immediately lets go of my arm.

"...are you alright going alone?" he mumbles as if it's a complaint and I cross my arms and stare up at him.

"I'm not a child!"

I've been thinking for awhile now... but I think he treats me too much like a child!
If I try to go out by myself, he always worries- no, teases me if I'm okay going alone.
If I try out a slightly mature kimono, he says I look ridiculous like a child wearing a hand-me-down too early.
Whatever I do, he's never seen me as an adult before. Ever.

"I've always been wondering...What exactly do you feel about me,Okita-taichou?"
I glare up strongly at Okita-taichou who always teases me and finally ask him straightout.

I want to be recognised as a proper woman just like the other members of the squad, but I feel that he's always looking at me as if I'm just a child or a toy.
I really want to be seen as a proper woman that everyone can rely on...

As I downcast my eyes and think of such thoughts, I suddenly realise that Okita-taichou's not answering.

"Okita-taichou, were you listenin-...?" I start off saying as I look up at him, but my voice cuts off at the sight and makes my mouth gape.

This is probably the first time I have ever seen Okita-taichou like this.
A fully blushed face.
Greatly widened eyes.
He stares down me mutely, making me stare back up in mute as well.

"...Okita-taichou?"

"..."
Tilting his head to the side, he averts his gaze from me.
He looks a little unstable emotionally and I furrow my brows.

I wonder what's wrong. He... doesn't seem like his usual self, I worry, but when his eyes lock upon mine, Okita-taichou, for some reason...is glaringat me.

"I only feel that you're just a midget to me."

That was the first huge bomb thrown at me as the war began between us.
And just like that, I was always teased...
And such daily life wasn't about to change any time soon... or so I thought.

"I'm not a midget!"

"You're a midget no matter how I look at you."

Not even in a whim... did I ever think that I would ever fall in love with this person at this point.
It was a situation I couldn't even imagine myself being in...
Not at this point...

New series has now startedヾ(＠^▽^＠)ﾉ
A hard working but a little bit grumpy girl and Sougo who thinks that she is so adorable that he wants to make fun of her.

Just like "The Bastard" series, I hope everyone enjoyed reading this＾＾
Thank you very much for reading