*Chapter 7: Chaos on Stage*
The Phantom Hall shimmered under a kaleidoscope of spectral spotlights. Aether High's annual *Porferrit Talent Fest* was in full swing, the entire afterlife student body crammed into the glowing auditorium, buzzing with excitement. Enchanted microphones floated mid-air like curious bees, and the stage itself pulsed with shifting runes—an otherworldly arena for the school's supernatural talents.
Behind the thick velvet curtain, Kaito Nakamura was a trembling mess.
"Okay, Kaito, focus," he muttered to himself, fingers twitching nervously. "Don't fall. Don't summon a demon. Just... survive."
David Louise appeared beside him, grinning mischievously. "Relax, drama queen. It's just *every single ghost, ghoul, and ghast* in the afterlife watching you."
Kaito groaned. "Thanks, David. That's super comforting."
Across the room, Jin Lee fidgeted under the overenthusiastic gaze of Luna, the vampire cheerleader infamous for her zero-filter flirting. Luna's crimson lips curled into a wicked smile as she traced a slow finger down Jin's arm.
"You're sooo mysterious," Luna purred. "Are you single? Because I've got a fang-tastic night planned just for you."
Jin blinked, caught off guard. "Uh, I'm... taken?"
From the other side of the hall, David's jaw clenched visibly. He stormed over like a thundercloud, grabbed Jin's sleeve, and pulled him away. "Back off, bat-girl. He's allergic to garlic—and drama."
Luna hissed. "Rude much?"
Onstage, Claude Darkblood, the school's resident necromancer and master of sarcastic commentary, raised his skeletal mic, voice echoing with eerie amusement. "Next up... the one, the only, Kaito Nakamura—the newly risen sweetheart who's already melting hearts and maybe faces."
The crowd whooped, whistles piercing the air. White Louise, sitting front row, rolled her eyes so hard it was a miracle they didn't pop out.
Kaito stepped out, his legs wobbling like a newborn deer's. He took a deep breath and conjured a glowing microphone with trembling hands.
"Uh—hi. I'm Kaito. And today, I'll be... entertaining you with... a spirit illusion."
He flicked his wrist and tossed glitter into the air, expecting a graceful dove to appear. Instead, a monstrous, smoky ghoul exploded onto the stage, flapping grotesque wings and shrieking at an ear-splitting pitch.
The crowd erupted—but not in awe. Laughter rolled through the hall like a thunderstorm.
"OH NO—NOT AGAIN!" Kaito yelled, panic flooding his voice.
He stumbled backward, tripped on a rune-inscribed cable, and tumbled off the stage, landing face-first in Luna's giant blood punch bowl. The thick, sticky red liquid splashed everywhere, drenching his uniform.
The auditorium fell into stunned silence—then White Louise smirked. "Tragic."
Backstage, Claude patted Kaito's soaking head, eyes glowing a mischievous purple. "Well, you did your best... loser."
David and Jin stood side by side, watching the chaos unfold. Jin nudged David with a teasing smile. "You were jealous."
David's voice was cold, but his cheeks betrayed him with a faint pink flush. "I don't get jealous."
Jin raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Uh-huh. Sure you don't. You just don't like vampires flirting with what's *yours.*"
David's glare could have burned holes in the floor. "Exactly."
As Kaito scrambled to his feet, dripping and embarrassed beyond belief, he realized one thing—this afterlife school was going to be a lot more chaotic than he ever imagined. And he was right in the middle of the storm.
---
The blood punch incident was just the beginning.
Kaito wiped the sticky liquid off his face, feeling the weight of every eye in the Phantom Hall burning into him. Whispers and snickers rippled through the crowd like ghostly giggles.
David folded his arms, trying to hide his amusement but failing miserably. "You know, most people *fail* their first illusion," he said, smirking. "But *this*? This was a whole new level."
Jin snickered. "Maybe next time try a kitten instead of a ghoul?"
Kaito groaned. "Thanks for the support, guys."
From the back, White Louise rose dramatically, tossing her hair. "Honestly, Kaito, you're lucky Alexander didn't storm the stage and humiliate you himself."
That name—Alexander Brown—sent a shiver down Kaito's spine. The school's hottest, most feared student, known for his icy demeanor and mysterious secrets. And apparently, his protective streak over Kaito wasn't just rumor.
Alexander appeared beside White Louise, cold eyes narrowing at Kaito. "Try not to embarrass me again," he said, voice low but deadly.
Kaito swallowed hard, trying to stand tall. "I—I'm doing my best."
Suddenly, Mara Gold and Clare Gold—White Louise's inseparable twin besties—stormed forward, glaring daggers at Jin.
"You better keep that shy, sexy boy *away* from our girl," Clare hissed.
"Yeah, Jin," Mara added, "Don't even think about making White jealous."
Jin raised his hands in mock surrender, grinning. "Relax, twins. I'm just here for the free blood punch."
The crowd burst into laughter again.
Kaito, soaked, humiliated, but strangely energized, realized this was only the beginning of his wild ride at Aether High.
---
The auditorium finally emptied, the echo of laughter lingering like a bad ghost. Kaito shuffled backstage, soaked and sticky, trying to avoid the snide glances.
"Ready for training?" David asked with a grin, clearly enjoying Kaito's misery.
Kaito groaned. "Do we have to? I think I just died of embarrassment. Twice."
Jin stretched lazily, smirking. "Come on, newbie. If you survive training, you might just survive Aether High."
They made their way to the training grounds—a sprawling arena floating above the clouds, surrounded by floating orbs of light and crackling magic.
Alexander was already there, arms crossed, watching coldly.
"Let's see if you can actually *do* something besides embarrass yourself," Alexander said, voice dripping with challenge.
Kaito's cheeks burned, but he nodded. "Bring it on."
The first exercise was simple—summon a protective shield. Easy, right?
Wrong.
Kaito's hands glowed... and then sputtered. Instead of a strong shield, a tiny, flickering bubble appeared around him. It popped immediately.
David snorted. "Congrats, you made a soap bubble. Magical skill level: toddler."
Jin doubled over laughing. Even Alexander smirked, though he tried to hide it.
Kaito clenched his fists. "Okay, next."
The next trial: levitation.
Kaito focused, willing himself to rise. His feet lifted... but then he wobbled uncontrollably and crashed face-first into the ground.
White Louise appeared suddenly, arms on hips. "Are you trying to kill yourself, or just make a spectacle?"
Kaito blinked up at her. "I'm trying to *not* die, thank you."
Everyone burst out laughing again.
Alexander sighed, stepping forward. "Here, let me help."
He reached out, placed his hand over Kaito's, and suddenly Kaito felt a warm power flow through him. Slowly, he hovered an inch off the ground, trembling but alive.
"Don't get used to this," Alexander muttered, walking away.
Kaito's heart raced. Maybe Aether High wasn't just a nightmare—it was a challenge he could *maybe* survive.
---
Alexander's cold help was just the beginning. As training continued, things went from bad to *hilariously* worse.
First, Kaito tried a simple fireball spell. Instead of a neat orb of flame, he accidentally set his own shoe on fire. Panicked, he stomped around like a maniac, making the whole training ground smell like burnt toast.
"Nice going, pyro," Jin teased, dodging Kaito's wild stomps.
Then came the "team coordination" exercise. Kaito was paired with David and Jin, but instead of working together, they ended up bumping into each other, accidentally casting spells that sent colorful sparks flying every which way.
White Louise watched from the sidelines, arms folded, shooting daggers at Jin whenever he laughed too loud. Rumors had it she had a crush on Alexander—and Alexander's growing closeness to Kaito wasn't helping.
Meanwhile, Jin was clearly jealous whenever David paid attention to anyone else, especially White Louise. At one point, Jin dramatically shoved a floating book at David and hissed, "Back off, she's *mine*."
David just laughed, clearly enjoying the chaos but secretly amused by Jin's flustered antics.
As the sun set on the training grounds, Kaito collapsed on the soft cloud floor, exhausted but oddly exhilarated.
Maybe surviving Aether High wouldn't be so impossible after all... or maybe it would just be a never-ending mess of fire, jealousy, and embarrassment.
Either way, Kaito was *all in*.
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