Ethan and Trevor knelt before Miss Carmen, trembling in fear as they tried to plead their case. The scene, comedic as it was with their exaggerated terror, was a display of their desperate survival instincts.
"Miss Ra— I mean Miss Carmen, please, it was all Ethan's idea!" Trevor said, his voice quivering.
"Crap! Screw you, Trevor!" Ethan shot back, his voice rising with indignation. "Miss Carmen, you know I'm your best, most devoted student, right? You wouldn't kill me. I'm your favorite, aren't I?"
"Ethan, stop trying to sweet-talk Miss Carmen! I'm her one and only loving student. Isn't that right, Miss Carmen?" Trevor said, trying to inch closer to winning her favor.
"Trevor, I swear, if I die, I will haunt you forever as a sexy, ugly banshee!" Ethan threatened, shaking his fist.
"You wouldn't dare!"
Both boys were fully committed to begging for their lives, their knees planted firmly on the floor, as if seeking some sort of divine intervention. Trevor even resorted to letting a few tears fall, hoping his dramatic display of repentance would invoke some sympathy in Miss Carmen. They knew death was looming over them, and the concept of dying for their sins was far too terrifying to entertain.
Meanwhile, Lamair, Clara, and Emily watched the spectacle unfold like a curious audience in a comedy theater, trying to make sense of the bizarre scene before them.
Miss Carmen, unable to contain herself, burst into laughter. "Hahahaha! You two never cease to amaze me. Always amusing, never a dull moment with you two." Her laughter rang through the room, her slightly large chest bouncing with each laugh.
"Oh, no. We're doomed," Trevor whispered.
"Of course, you're dead," Miss Carmen said, her laughter subsiding into a chilling grin. "Any last words?"
Ethan, determined to face his fate like a gentleman, rose to his feet. He brushed off his clothes, adjusted his glasses, and squared his shoulders. With as much dignity as he could muster, he spoke. "Miss Carmen, I'm deeply sorry for all my misdeeds. I've been a pervert, and I always knew this day would come. But before I die, I have one last thing to say." He turned to Clara, his expression solemn. "Clara, I admire you. Remember me on this day, the 6th of April, 3047." His voice quivered as he knelt down again, arms spread wide, ready for his supposed martyrdom.
Clara, speechless and stunned, looked at him in disbelief. She had no words for the absurdity of his confession.
Trevor, not to be outdone by Ethan's dramatic display, stood up as well. "Same here, Miss Carmen, but I don't admire Clara. My heart belongs to Emily." He turned to Emily, his eyes filled with emotion. "Emily, take a picture of me and place it close to your heart, right in the middle of those mountains of yours, so my legacy will live on." His words were delivered with such conviction that it made everyone else uncomfortable.
Suddenly, a loud slap echoed through the room. Trevor's body flew across the room and crashed into a wooden chair, his face throbbing from the impact. He groaned in pain, clutching his jaw. The slap had come from a seemingly delicate hand, yet the force of it was enough to break Trevor's jaw and knock out a few teeth.
"How dare you!" Emily shouted, her voice shaking with rage. Her chest, which Trevor had so shamelessly commented on, heaved with her anger. Trevor, however, only saw the movement as validation that his suffering had been worth it. Despite the pain, he thought, *It was nice. No pain, no gain.*
Emily raised her hand to slap Trevor again, but Clara intervened, grabbing her arm. "Stop! He won't dare repeat it. Right, Trevor?"
"N... no pleashe, I won'tch..." Trevor mumbled through his swollen mouth, his speech distorted from the slap. Ethan, unable to hold back his laughter, burst out in giggles, but quickly stopped when he remembered where they were and the situation they were in.
Miss Carmen's voice cut through the tension. "It's time," she said with a dark finality that caused the air in the room to shift. A black cat materialized on her shoulder, its glowing obsidian eyes fixating on the two boys.
The cat jumped down from Miss Carmen's shoulder and gracefully padded towards Ethan and Trevor, growing larger with each step. By the time it reached them, it had morphed into the size of a calf, its sleek black fur adorned with dark golden spots. The Hell Raiksha, Miss Carmen's Spirit Beast, radiated an aura of death and power.
The beast's obsidian eyes glowed an ominous red, and as it locked gazes with Ethan and Trevor, the two boys felt the grip of fear tighten around their hearts. The room seemed to darken, and they could feel the chilling embrace of death closing in on them. For the first time, the boys truly believed they were staring death in the face.
The Hell Raiksha slowly extended its tongue and licked Trevor's face, sending shivers down his spine. Then, it turned its attention to Ethan. Without warning, it roared and swiped at him, leaving a claw mark on his cheek. Ethan fell to the floor, clutching his face in pain.
"You're both forgiven," Miss Carmen said. "Trevor, you're free. Ethan, you're also free, but my little friend here doesn't fully trust you. Hence, the scratch."
She dropped a high-level healing pill into each of their mouths, instantly healing their injuries. Ethan and Trevor were restored to their original, unscathed selves within seconds.
"Now," Miss Carmen added, her voice calm but commanding, "you will have to compensate me for those healing pills. They weren't free. Don't worry; I'll let you think about how you'll repay me."
"We swear, we won't be perverts again!" the boys cried out in unison, still kneeling in front of her. They might have promised not to ogle Miss Carmen anymore, but in their minds, they hadn't fully committed to changing their ways regarding other girls.
Miss Carmen's smile remained. "Better. That went smoother than I thought. Now, let's move on to the real reason for this meeting."