*Chapter 18: Detention, Demons & Drama Queens*
It was supposed to be a *normal* afterlife school day… until the fire alarms went off.
Kaito sat in class, already on his third "Warning Scroll" of the week for "Involuntary Summoning." His uniform was still slightly damp from the slime incident in the morning—*don't ask*.
Across the room, Jin Lee sneezed.
*BOOM.*
A chandelier exploded.
"I SWEAR I JUST SNEEZED!" Jin yelled, holding his nose as sparks flew from the ceiling.
White Louise scoffed. "This class is cursed."
Alexander, sitting in the back, flipped a page in his book without reacting. "Correction: those two are cursed."
David cackled. "I love when school gets weird."
**—
Earlier That Morning – 7:00 AM**
"Kaito, you idiot!" Jin screamed, ducking as a rogue toothbrush flew across their dorm room.
"It was supposed to be a cleaning spell!" Kaito wailed, being chased by floating brooms and a mop that somehow had *teeth*.
"Your spell turned our room into a haunted janitor closet!"
*Cut to: ten minutes later*
A nun ghost burst through the door. "BOYS! DO I SMELL *UNSANCTIONED MAGIC*?!"
Both Kaito and Jin screamed. "NO MA'AM!!"
**—
Back to Present**
Class was chaos.
The teacher—a floating skull in a robe—sighed. "Nakamura. Lee. Out. Detention. Again."
Kaito stood up, knocking over his chair and tripping over his cape. Jin tried to catch him… and tripped with him.
They both landed on the floor, faces mashed together.
Everyone gasped.
White looked scandalized. Alexander clenched his pen. David stood up slowly.
Kaito and Jin scrambled up like their butts were on fire.
"It's not what it looked like!" Kaito yelled.
"Totally NOT a kiss!" Jin added.
"But your lips *did* touch," someone in the back said helpfully.
David growled. "If anyone repeats this, I'll summon a frog demon into their beds."
Alexander didn't say a word, but his aura dropped ten degrees colder.
**—
Detention Dungeon: One Hour Later**
Jin and Kaito sat in the weird, echoey dungeon filled with whispering chains and magical snakes that judged you silently.
"This place gives me anxiety," Kaito muttered.
"You ARE anxiety," Jin replied.
Suddenly, one of the chains on the wall began glowing purple.
"Um… that's new," Jin said.
Then it *spoke*.
"You two... awakened the seal."
"The what now?"
Before they could react, the wall cracked open—releasing a massive shadow demon with eight glowing eyes and a twisted grin.
"WHO DISTURBED MY SLUMBER?!"
Kaito fainted.
Jin screamed like a banshee and threw a paperweight at it.
"Not today, Satan!" David yelled, suddenly appearing with an enchanted mop.
Alexander appeared behind him, deadpan. "You left your aura open again, didn't you?"
Kaito groaned from the floor. "I can't even survive *detention*..."
**—
Later That Night, Nurse's Office**
Kaito sat on the bed with a bandage on his forehead. Jin had ice on his ankle.
Alexander leaned against the wall, arms crossed, glaring at both of them.
David was eating pudding and looking smug.
"I swear," Kaito whispered, "this school is going to kill me again."
"Same," Jin sighed.
White Louise peeked through the window and rolled her eyes. "Idiots. All of them."
But behind her, in the hallway… another cursed symbol flickered to life on the wall.
And it whispered Kaito's names
Aether High was never quiet—not with spirits, curses, and hormonal undead teens running around. But tonight, it buzzed louder than ever, and for once, it had nothing to do with a demon breach or exploding cauldrons.
It had everything to do with *Kaito Nakamura* and his now-legendary misstep… or rather, *lip-step*.
Let's recap:
A pit.
A stumble.
A glowing trap rune.
One confused leap.
Two very startled boys.
*And boom—Kaito landed on Alexander's face. Lips first.*
Cue screaming. Chaos. And every single student whispering about it by breakfast.
---
*Kaito's Morning of Doom*
Kaito tried sneaking into class with his hood up, trench coat zipped, and his face hidden behind a suspiciously large scroll. But Aether High was built on drama and pettiness.
"IT'S HIM!" a banshee shrieked.
"THE CURSED KISSER!" someone else shouted.
Even the school ghosts were whispering.
"I haven't seen that much lip action since the 14th-century vampire prom," moaned a locker ghost.
Kaito groaned. "It wasn't a kiss! It was a—collision! A tragic gravitational betrayal!"
From the hallway, David shouted, "*Kiss-cident!*"
"DAVID!"
---
*Meanwhile, in Jin and David's Dorm*
Jin sat hugging his pillow, looking like he hadn't blinked since yesterday.
David lounged dramatically upside down on his bed.
"So…" he said slowly, twirling a pen. "About yesterday."
Jin groaned. "David, please—"
"No, no. I'm just wondering if you cried *because* you thought Kaito and Alexander kissed, or because you *wish it was you*."
Jin turned red. "I—I didn't cry! I was startled!"
"You sobbed into my hoodie."
"You didn't have to hold me the *entire* night!"
David shrugged. "But I wanted to."
Pause. Silence.
Jin blinked. "Did you just—"
David looked away. "Forget it."
---
*White Louise's Dorm of Doom*
White stared into her mirror, fingers drumming on her desk.
Kaito's face shimmered on the surface.
But this time… there was something else behind him. A shadowy figure. Eyes glowing faintly.
"Clare. Mara," White said sharply.
The Gold twins looked up.
"The seal is cracking," White muttered.
Clare adjusted her glasses. "The cursed one?"
Mara grinned. "Delicious."
"We could warn the school..."
"Or?" Clare smirked.
"Let it unravel and ruin Kaito's popularity."
The twins grinned. "We love Option Two."
---
*Courtyard: Kaito's Emotional Spiral*
Kaito sat under the Soul Tree, scribbling in his journal.
> "Day 173 of being dead: accidentally kissed someone. Again. Might be cursed. Also, someone replaced my shampoo with glitter."
Alexander's voice cut through the silence. "You attract chaos like a cursed magnet."
Kaito flinched. "GHOSTS, do you *always* sneak up on people?!"
Alexander smirked. "Only the interesting ones."
Kaito groaned. "It wasn't a kiss. It was accidental CPR... with lip contact."
Alexander stepped closer. "You're not… traumatized?"
"You care?!"
"No."
"You totally do!"
"Shut up."
A beat of silence.
"Sorry if I made things weird," Kaito mumbled.
Alexander rolled his eyes. "Just… don't fall lips-first on anyone else."
Kaito teased, "Are you saying you're jealous?"
Alexander turned. "I'm saying you're annoying."
But his ears were red.
---
*Below the School*
Deep under Aether High, the ancient seal pulsed. A crack spread through the center, glowing red.
A whisper echoed:
> *"He has returned…"*
Up in the library tower, a cursed book burst open on its own, shaking violently.
The seal had awakened.
And it wasn't happy.
---
*TO BE CONTINUED IN CHAPTER 19