It had only been ten minutes since detention began, yet Viora was acting as though decades had passed.
"Injustice! An offense to my human rights! I fight the forces of evil that crawl through this city, and this is how I'm thanked?!"
Viora declared dramatically, slamming her fists repeatedly on the desk, her fiery gaze fixed on the detention supervisor. Each thud echoed through the quiet room, punctuating her outrage.
Cyrus, seated at the desk to her right, observed the spectacle with a mix of exasperation and resignation, his chin resting on his hand. Meanwhile, Umeboshi, seated to her left, was thoroughly entertained, his broad grin making it clear he found her theatrics amusing.
The supervisor raised his eyes from his notes, his gaze sharp and unwavering as he looked directly at Viora. The sudden attention made her stiffen slightly, a flicker of nervousness breaking through her bravado.
"Miss Viora," he began, his tone measured but firm, "you've only been at this school for approximately a month, and yet you've managed to become infamous among the staff as one of the most troublesome students we've ever had. Even among the worst of the worst..." He paused, as if reflecting on past miscreants. "And believe me, I've dealt with some truly naughty ones in my time."
He leaned forward slightly, his pen tapping rhythmically on the desk as he continued. "Perhaps two hours of detention after school will address this little problem of yours? What do you think?"
Viora gulped but quickly masked her unease with a defiant scowl, though the room seemed to grow a touch quieter as she pondered how best to respond.
"Uh... uh, no, no!" Viora stammered, waving her hands in a frantic gesture. "I can stay in detention for the entire period! No need to take it that far... right?"
Her voice wavered slightly, betraying the nervousness she was trying so hard to hide. She forced an awkward grin, her eyes darting between the supervisor and her desk as if hoping he might suddenly change his mind.
the supervisor looked at her for a moment, letting the awkward silence linger before finally speaking.
"See? You can be reasonable when you want to be," he said with a faint smirk. "That's the right path to academic success…"
His tone was laced with a hint of sarcasm, though it was clear he was trying to sound encouraging.
Viora let out a sigh, resting her head on the table. She turned her gaze to the right, where Cyrus sat, staring blankly at his desk.
Cyrus, feeling the weight of her gaze, dared to look back for just a second, hoping against hope that the girl wouldn't try to annoy him further.
To his relief—or so he thought—Viora quietly lifted her head and started writing something on a piece of paper.
But instead of keeping it to herself, she casually slid the paper onto Cyrus's desk.
He sighed, his shoulders slumping as he reluctantly picked up the note.
Scrawled across the paper in messy handwriting were the words:
"Want to do something fun?"
At the bottom, there was a hastily drawn smiley face, its mischievous grin reflecting Viora's own expression as she watched him out of the corner of her eye.
Cyrus grabbed his pen and scribbled something on the paper before sliding it back to Viora's desk without a word.
The young girl, brimming with curiosity and already stifling a laugh, picked up the note. Her smirk grew wider as she unfolded it.
Her face fell almost instantly.
The message was simple. One word.
"No."
For a moment, Viora just stared at the paper, her eyes narrowing. She clutched it tightly, her knuckles whitening as a mix of frustration and amusement played across her face.
Finally, she muttered under her breath, "How can someone be this boring?"
Viora let out a long sigh, leaning back in her chair with an exaggerated pout. She turned her gaze to her left, where Umeboshi was lounging with his feet propped up on the desk, arms crossed, and head tilted slightly to the side.
He looked...asleep?
Her brows furrowed as she observed him more closely, noticing the slow, rhythmic rise and fall of his chest—something she hadn't paid much attention to before.
"Spirits can sleep?" she muttered under her breath, her curiosity momentarily distracting her from her frustration.
Leaning slightly toward him, she waved her hand in front of his face. "Hey, Umeboshi...are you actually napping, or is this some kind of spirit meditation thing?"
No response. He didn't even flinch.
Viora let out a sly smirk, followed by a couple of mischievous giggles. "Well, it doesn't matter if spirits sleep or not. I need you to do something for me, so wake up!" she said with a playful determination.
Without a second thought, she leaned over toward Cyrus's bag, her hand rummaging through it like a thief in broad daylight.
Cyrus immediately noticed, his brow furrowing in disbelief. In a low, annoyed voice, he hissed, "Hey, what the hell do you think you're doing?"
Ignoring him completely, Viora's hand emerged from the bag holding his wooden sword. She quickly gave it a swing, aiming it directly at Umeboshi's stomach.
Thunk!
The blade made contact, and though Umeboshi was a spirit, the sword passed through him with enough force to jolt him awake. His eyes snapped open, and he clutched his midsection, a bewildered expression spreading across his face.
"What the—?!" Umeboshi growled, looking around in confusion.
Viora, not wanting to be caught red-handed, hurriedly shoved the sword back into Cyrus's bag, stashing it beneath the table as if nothing had happened. She crossed her arms and gave Umeboshi an innocent smile, as if she weren't the cause of his abrupt wake-up call.
Completely oblivious to the tension in the room, Umeboshi let out a long, lazy sigh. "Isn't the damn detention over already? I almost forgot how annoying this nonsense used to be. Even 33 years later, it's still as boring as ever."
Viora, clearly scheming something, gestured for Umeboshi to come closer. The spirit raised an eyebrow but shrugged and took a few casual steps toward her.
She then motioned for him to lower himself down. Leaning in close, she whispered something into his ear—something Cyrus couldn't quite make out.
Whatever she said, it was enough to make both Viora and Umeboshi break into matching demonic smirks, the kind that sent a shiver down Cyrus's spine.
Umeboshi took a few steps toward the front of the room, then, with a casual swagger, turned to face the detention supervisor directly. Without missing a beat, he simply walked through him, passing right through the supervisor's body as if he was nothing more than a shadow.
The supervisor, clearly startled, froze for a moment, standing completely still as Umeboshi lingered directly in front of him. The two couldn't come into physical contact, of course, as Umeboshi was incorporeal. The supervisor blinked a few times, his expression flickering between confusion and disbelief as he tried to comprehend what had just happened.
Despite being 51 years old in age, Umeboshi's mentality was that of an 18-year-old—spirits, after all, didn't age mentally after their death. This left Umeboshi with the carefree, somewhat immature attitude of a teenager, even though his true age far surpassed that of the average student.
"It suddenly got cold, didn't it? Like I just got dumped into a bathtub filled with ice cubes," the supervisor muttered, shivering uncontrollably. He looked around the room, completely unaware that the source of his discomfort was none other than Umeboshi, the manchild thug spirit, who was enjoying every moment of the confusion he was causing.
Cyrus rolled his eyes in exasperation, glancing at the clock on the wall. He was counting down the minutes, wishing more than ever that detention would end already.
Meanwhile, Viora had her head down on the table, her shoulders shaking with laughter as she clearly found Umeboshi's antics hilarious. Even the spirit himself was laughing, thoroughly enjoying the chaos he was creating.
Just as the tension reached its peak, a sharp knock echoed from the door of the detention room. Everyone paused for a moment.
The supervisor turned toward the door, his face showing a mix of confusion and annoyance. "Who could that be?" he muttered under his breath, moving to open the door.
The atmosphere in the room shifted. Viora's laughter died down, and even Umeboshi straightened up slightly, curious about the unexpected interruption.
as the door swung open, Viora and Cyrus immediately recognized the figure standing in the doorway— their math teacher. She stood there with an expression of mild exasperation but also amusement, as if the chaos of the situation had already become a part of her routine.
"Well, well, and I wonder where you two were this time…" she said, shaking her head in disbelief. "Seriously, managing to get detention on the day of our field trip? That's some serious work! Well, it doesn't matter. John, I'll take these two now. The bus for the field trip is ready to depart. You two take your backpacks and get ready for the hell ride to the amusement park!"
Her words hung in the air for a moment.
Cyrus, Viora, and even Umeboshi's faces suddenly became tense. The atmosphere shifted, like the calm before a storm. Cyrus was gripping the table so tightly that the metal began to bend under his strength, his knuckles white. His heart raced, and he muttered to himself, "It's time…"
Viora shot a glance at Cyrus, the mischief in her eyes replaced by something darker, while Umeboshi just stared, clearly not as concerned as the two living students. It was evident that whatever was coming next, the field trip to the hellish amusement park would be anything but normal.
The math teacher, oblivious to the growing tension, waved them forward, excited about the impending chaos. But for Cyrus, Viora, and even Umeboshi, it felt like they were on the edge of something much more sinister. The real ride was just about to begin.