The morning started quietly—too quietly. Bella had just begun wiping down the counter, Nyx was arranging Pokémon cards with her usual obsessive glee, and Feria floated through the aisles, clipboard in hand, muttering about proper shelf alignment.
Then, a sudden, guttural groan echoed from the snack aisle.
Vario, the Demon King, staggered forward, his usually imposing posture reduced to a shuddering, green-tinged mess. The rotten cup noodles had done their work.
"Ugh… the… noodles… betray me…" he muttered, clutching his stomach.
Nyx squealed and leapt back. "Oh nooo! He's sick! He's actually sick! This is amazing!"
Bella groaned. "Amazing? He's going to infect everyone. I can feel it."
Vario coughed violently, a spray of green mist wafting into the air. Within moments, the putrid cloud seemed to latch onto everything in the aisle. Nyx stumbled backward, sniffed, and immediately gagged. "Ack! It's… it's contagious!"
Feria waved her hand delicately in front of her nose. "This… is a new level of chaos. Mortals and heroes alike… retreat!"
Bella clutched her stomach preemptively. "Oh no. Not again. I can already feel the nausea creeping in."
Vario groaned again, staggering into the freezer section. "I… am… weakness itself… infection… spreads… must… rest…"
By mid-morning, the entire store had descended into chaos.
Nyx clutched a trash can, laughing and crying simultaneously. "I'm… I'm sick! I… but it's hilarious!"
Bella slumped against the counter, pale. "I'm… not laughing…"
The Demon King lay across the candy aisle, groaning. "Retreat… from… existence…"
Feria floated above the group, clipboard shaking slightly in her hands. "This is unprecedented. Never have I faced… a biological hazard caused by expired food combined with demonic physiology. Order… is impossible."
Drogan, still hovering nearby, held his stomach dramatically. "We… we shall all perish together! The cursed noodles! The toxic cloud! The horror!"
Varkos muttered, crouched in the corner. "I… I didn't even eat that much. Why do I feel awful?"
Even Arthos, still half-drunk from last night's cleaning fiasco, groaned. "This… this is why mortals sanitize everything. Everything!"
Nyx peeked over the counter, waving a weak arm. "At least… at least I'm sharing the experience! Sick day… together!"
Bella glared at her. "Sharing is not helping."
Feria sighed, hovering near the ceiling. "Perhaps… a temporary closure is required. None of you are fit to continue work under these… circumstances."
Vario moaned from the candy aisle, green-tinged mist curling lazily above him. "The… noodles… have… conquered… us…"
And so, the heroes, generals, and Nyx were all laid low, coughing, gagging, and shivering as the store descended into an unplanned sick day.
Nyx, between sneezes, still managed a grin. "I… this is… kind of… fun?"
Bella groaned, pressing a hand to her forehead. "We're all doomed… and somehow, I almost respect the cup noodles for it."
Feria shook her head, flipping a page on her clipboard. "Retail… truly is a battlefield of unimaginable horrors."
Even the lone cup noodle on the top shelf seemed to shiver in triumph.