Kairos walked back toward the tutorial hall, the night air still cool but quieter now. His mind kept replaying moments from his walk with Ares...her laugh, the Miku duet, the way she had opened up just a little. But he pushed those thoughts aside. His friends were waiting, and they wouldn't let him ghost on them.
When he stepped into the hall, Robin, Sam, and Drake were sprawled in their usual spots, books scattered, half-empty water bottles littering the tables. Their faces lit up when they saw him.
"There he is!" Robin called, smirking. "We thought you got kidnapped by the princess."
Kairos rolled his eyes. "Not kidnapped. Just walking. You guys wouldn't understand."
Sam leaned forward, grinning. "Try us. Did she steal your soul yet?"
Kairos laughed, shaking his head. "Not stolen. But… it was different. Easy. Weirdly normal, you know?"
Drake raised an eyebrow. "Normal? You? The guy who nearly strangled someone earlier over Bleach?"
Kairos groaned, rubbing his temple. "That was a tactical reaction. Let's focus on the walk, not the Bleach incident."
Robin chuckled. "Fine. Details. Now."
Kairos leaned against a desk, crossing his arms. "Okay, so we walked. Talked about random stuff—classes, music, whatever. She listens to Miku, by the way. And she actually knows her stuff. We sang one of her songs together."
Sam whistled. "Wait. Vocaloid Miku? That's rare. Who even knows those songs anymore?"
"Exactly," Kairos said, smirking. "And no, I didn't fangirl out loud… much."
Drake snorted. "Much? You were definitely melting inside."
Kairos shook his head. "Whatever. Point is, she's cool. Not what everyone thinks. And I didn't expect to feel… comfortable around her like that."
Robin leaned back, smirking. "So, Miku-guy meets princess, has a duet, comes back all zen. Noted. I approve."
Sam laughed. "Bro wth!. And now you're telling us she's normal? Man, you're really lowering our expectations."
Kairos shrugged, grinning. "I don't care what anyone thinks. She's fine. That's all that matters."
The group kept laughing, joking about Kairos' "legendary Miku duet" and debating random class topics. The energy was easy, carefree.
Then Robin's smirk faded as his eyes landed on a stack of papers. "Uh… guys. Tomorrow."
Sam's grin vanished. "Oh no. The test."
Drake groaned. " Ughhhh"
Kairos blinked. "No way. Already?!!"
Instantly, the mood shifted. The playful chatter died, replaced by a heavy silence.
Robin rubbed his temples. "I don't think I'm ready."
Sam groaned. "Me neither. I barely looked at the past questions."
Drake stared at the ceiling. "Premium face slapping"
Kairos sighed, sinking into a chair. "Perfect timing. Just when we were having a normal night."
The others nodded grimly. The only sound was the faint hum of the ceiling fan.
Kairos rubbed his eyes. "Alright. Books open. No distractions. Tomorrow isn't waiting for us."
Sam muttered, "Do or die I guess"
And just like that, the hall went silent, filled only with the dread of a looming test.
---
Kairos hunched over his desk, past questions spread out like a battlefield. His pen hovered over the second question.
"Why is this even a thing?" he muttered. "This isn't math. This is torture disguised as math."
Robin glanced over. "Bro, that's question two. You didn't even see question one yet."
Kairos groaned. "Hell nah!! That first question was a death sentence in disguise too."
Sam flipped through his notebook frantically. "I think I lost a page."
Drake, ever chaotic, leaned back and knocked over a cup of water. It spilled across the desk, soaking Kairos' notes.
"Bruh!" Kairos lunged for the papers, but some slipped into the puddle. "No TF noooo!"
Meanwhile, Sam groaned. "I brought the wrong calculator. It's missing functions."
Drake waved it off. "Who needs functions?"
Kairos tried to focus, but a breeze from the window scattered his papers across the floor. "Universe, seriously?" he muttered, crawling to retrieve them.
Robin shook his head. "You're cursed with luck, huh?"
"Cursed, yes. Gifted, no," Kairos grumbled, stacking his soaked notes only to realize he'd mixed them with Drake's suya paper.
"Why is this happening to me?" he groaned, slumping into his chair.
The next hour was a blur of frantic scribbling, muttered curses, spilled drinks, and misplaced notes. By dawn, Kairos' desk looked like a warzone papers crumpled, pens dead, sleeves soaked.
Robin gave him a tired look. "You're… still alive. Somehow."
Kairos rubbed his eyes. "Barely. But tomorrow, I either pass or the universe wins."
Sam groaned. "I just want to sleep."
Drake, tilting his chair dangerously, almost toppled over. "We all do, man."
Then Kairos froze. "Wait. I forgot to double-check the formulas." His eyes widened. "Oh no. No no no."
Robin patted his shoulder. "Welcome to our life."
And with that, the night continued in chaotic misery but Kairos was determined. Somehow, he'd survive this test. No matter how absurdly unlucky he was.