The morning after, Viora was still in her bed, blissfully unaware that she was on the verge of being late for school.
Her bed was adorned with pink, and stickers were scattered randomly around the room. But her moment of peace was abruptly interrupted by a loud bang.
"Viora! Wake up! You'll be late for school. Do you want to spend more time on your punishment!?"
It was her foster parent. Viora had gotten into trouble for not only skipping school the entire day but also coming home very late at night.
Still in her pajamas, Viora picked up her cousin and shoved it in her face, saying,
"Leave me alone, old tree! Don't you know that fighting the forces of evil can be tiring!"
Then her door busted open. A woman in her middle years, though her hair still had streaks of white, screamed, "Who the hell are you calling an old tree, you ungrateful brat!"
Then it was Viora's turn to scream. She pushed her cousin toward the woman, who caught it and moved it out of the way.
"Who do you think I'm calling an old tree? You're the only one in this house who fits the description!"
The woman let out a scream of outrage at the young girl's statement, then took a deep breath, counting to ten multiple times to calm herself. After a moment, she walked to the door, and before closing it, she said,
"You have ten minutes to get ready, young girl. If you're not ready by then…"
But before she could finish her threat, she slammed the door shut in anger.
Viora stared blankly at nothing for a moment, then sighed, her hands tugging at her messy hair in frustration.
"Ugh! Why does my life have to be like this?" she muttered.
It seemed even a hero who fought against the forces of evil had to go to school. And that's exactly what she would do…..
***
Walking to school felt a bit strange this time, as it seemed like two high schoolers and one outsider were heading there together...
"Umeboshi, where do you think you're going?"
The voice came from the petite girl gliding smoothly on her roller skates.
The manchild thug responded with a nonchalant shrug.
"To school..."
Umeboshi could see nothing but disgust plastered across the young girl's face. He let out a frustrated scream and shouted,
"What's your problem this time?!"
Viora's expression shifted into an arrogant smirk as she crossed her arms, completely oblivious to how dangerous it was to do so while roller skating.
"How silly of you! It's been at least 33 years since you last stepped into that hellhole called school. But knowing your background, I bet you didn't go all that much in the first place," she said with a teasing tone.
But right after that statement, as if karma itself had heard the irony in Viora's words, her roller skate hit a rock. She lost her balance instantly, her body tilting forward as she hurtled toward the unforgiving concrete. Just as she was about to faceplant, Umeboshi grabbed the back of her school uniform hoodie, effortlessly lifting her off the ground and saving her from the fall.
Umeboshi then hoisted the girl closer to his face, her expression frozen in a comical mix of shock and embarrassment. The spirit, with his trademark afro, narrowed his eyes as his features twisted into a demonic glare.
"Oh, really? Because of my background,you think I've never gone to school?" he growled, his voice low and menacing. His face seemed to darken, taking on a sinister aura, as Viora dangled helplessly in the air, her feet kicking slightly above the ground.
Viora, dangling midair, rummaged through her jacket pocket with a dramatic huff. She pulled out a small orange juice carton, stabbed a straw into it, and took a long sip. Without missing a beat, she spat the juice right at Umeboshi's face.
Of course, the liquid passed right through him, splattering harmlessly on the ground below. He wasn't corporeal, after all.
Umeboshi's eye twitched as he stared at her, visibly unimpressed. "Seriously?"
Viora smirked, taking another exaggerated sip from her juice box. "What? It's not my fault you're basically a glorified hologram."
Cyrus, who had been silently observing the entire absurd scene, let out a heavy sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose as if the weight of the situation was physically painful.
"Didn't I specifically tell you I'd visit you when the field trip starts, Umeboshi?" he said, his tone a mix of exasperation and exhaustion. "And since when do the two of you know each other?"
As Umeboshi opened his mouth to respond to the pale boy's question, Viora, still dangling in the air by her hoodie, cut him off.
"Why should we tell you?!" she snapped, sticking her tongue out at Cyrus with defiance, her arms crossed in mock rebellion.
Cyrus turned his attention away from Viora, who was still suspended mid-air, to notice a woman nearby gasping loudly. She fumbled with her phone, clearly preparing to take a picture of the bizarre sight.
Viora, oblivious to the situation, tilted her head and wore a dumbfounded expression. "What's her problem?" she asked, her tone laced with confusion.
Cyrus let out a deep, exasperated sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose as if trying to summon patience. "It's probably because, from her perspective, you're literally floating in the air right now," he explained, his voice heavy with disbelief at Viora's lack of awareness.
Cyrus glanced at Umeboshi with an expression that teetered between annoyance and exhaustion. "Just put her on the ground already," he muttered.
Umeboshi shrugged nonchalantly, as if it were no big deal. "Fine, fine," he replied, lowering Viora by the back of her hoodie and placing her gently on the ground.
Once her feet were firmly planted, Viora dusted herself off, glaring up at Umeboshi. "You could've been a little more graceful about it!"
Umeboshi rolled his eyes. "I didn't drop you on your face. That's about as graceful as it gets."
Viora skated backward, her arms dramatically crossed as she faced the tall spirit. She tilted her head with a smug grin, clearly enjoying herself.
"A hero who combats the forces of evil should always receive the most graceful treatment! Don't you know that, Umeboshi?" she declared, her voice filled with exaggerated importance. "Silly you!"
Umeboshi raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "Graceful? You're the one skating backward without looking where you're going."
Just as he said that, Viora narrowly missed colliding with a streetlight, wobbling on her skates before regaining balance. She glanced back quickly, her cheeks reddening in embarrassment.
"I knew that was there!" she insisted, trying to play it off.
Cyrus, walking a few steps behind, let out another sigh, shaking his head. "This morning gets better and better," he muttered under his breath.
After some time, they finally reached the school gates. Umeboshi stopped in his tracks, staring at the building with an unusually intense expression. His towering figure seemed almost out of place among the streams of students bustling through the entrance.
"It's been a long time since I've been in one of those…" he said, his voice carrying a mix of nostalgia and unease.
Viora rolled her eyes, skating a small circle around him before stopping. "You're acting like it's some ancient temple or something," she teased. "It's just a school, not a shrine to your glory days."
Umeboshi shot a glare at Viora, his face twisting in mock indignation. "Shrine? Glory days? I'm not that old!" he snapped, his voice laced with annoyance as he followed them through the entrance.
Cyrus, without missing a beat, pushed the school doorbell, waited a moment, and then casually opened the door. As he stepped inside, he glanced back over his shoulder, a smirk playing at the corner of his lips. "You are old…"
Viora, still skating behind Cyrus, shot a defiant look over her shoulder and snapped, "We don't need your opinion, Cyrus!"
But before anyone could respond, Umeboshi, in typical fashion, phased right through the wall, his figure momentarily disappearing as he passed effortlessly through the concrete. Just as he was about to vanish completely, he called out with a smirk, "I also don't need your opinion, brat…"
iora skated down the hallway, her voice carrying through the quiet corridors. "How rude!" she huffed, clearly frustrated by Umeboshi's words. She zipped past other students, completely unaware that her loud, impulsive actions were only setting her up for another potential disaster—one much like the incident that had landed her in trouble the day before.
As she skated, she didn't notice the teacher walking toward her, eyes widening in disbelief at the sight of her speeding down the hall. "Hey! You!" the teacher shouted, already raising a hand to stop her.
But it was too late. Viora, distracted by her internal monologue about Umeboshi's behavior, didn't see the teacher until she nearly collided with them.
Just as she was about to crash into the teacher, a hand shot out, grabbing her by the collar of her uniform hoodie and yanking her back with surprising strength.
"Seriously? Again?" the teacher scolded, a mix of frustration and amusement in their voice.
Viora blinked, wide-eyed, still trying to grasp the situation. "U-uh... sorry," she mumbled, trying to act casual despite the awkwardness.
The teacher sighed, shaking their head. "You're a disaster waiting to happen."
Viora glanced over at Cyrus, who had witnessed the whole scene with his usual unimpressed expression. "This wasn't my fault, okay?" she grumbled, rolling her eyes and adjusting her hoodie. "I was just... skating!"
The teacher's eyes widened as they finally recognized Cyrus. "Oh, in fact, it's great that you're here, too, Cyrus Miravine," they said, a hint of a smirk creeping up their face.
Cyrus, who had been trying to avoid the situation entirely, was caught off guard. He sighed heavily, muttering under his breath, "How so?" His voice was low, almost resigned to the idea of another complication in his day.
The teacher paused for a moment, clearly enjoying the situation a little too much. Then, with a slow, deliberate smile, they said, "Both of you are in detention. And for quite a while, too."
Viora blinked in disbelief, her earlier confidence quickly draining away. "Wait, what?!" she exclaimed, the realization slowly sinking in. "How is this my fault?!"
The teacher let out a smirk, clearly enjoying the turn of events. "What do you expect?" he said with an almost gleeful tone. "You've been skipping school non-stop, both of you! Don't get surprised when you get detention now!"
Viora scowled, clearly offended. "I wasn't skipping!" she protested, but the teacher only raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed by her argument.
"Sure, sure," the teacher said dismissively, grabbing Viora by the hand and leading her toward detention. Viora's face twisted in frustration, but she didn't resist; she was too used to being dragged around like this.
Cyrus followed behind them with his hands casually tucked into his pockets, his expression one of quiet resignation. He didn't really feel like arguing or making a scene—it was just another day in his chaotic life.
Umeboshi, watching the whole scene unfold with an amused yet distant look, couldn't help but think to himself, "How nostalgic."
chapter ten end