*Chapter 23: *
It started with glitter.
Not the pretty, fairy-kind that sparkled under moonlight.
No. It was cursed glitter.
And of course, Kaito Nakamura was at the center of it.
***
The day had begun like any other in Aether High—loud, magical, and slightly dangerous. The school was preparing for its Annual Spirit Fusion Showcase, where students demonstrated their supernatural skills combined with artistic performance. Think haunted Broadway, but with more explosions.
Kaito, despite *numerous* protests, was accidentally (or rather, tragically) signed up to lead the opening act.
"Why am *I* doing the fusion performance?" he groaned, clutching the glittery costume he was forced into. "I can't even fuse tea and sugar properly!"
"Because you're cute when you panic," David said with a smirk, lounging nearby.
Alexander, leaning against a pillar, glared. "It's tradition. New souls start the show."
"Tradition is dumb," Kaito muttered, struggling with his cape that kept slapping him in the face.
Jin tried to help, only to get tangled in the cape too. The two spun like cocooned caterpillars until they tripped and landed—face first into the school's enchanted fountain, now dyed neon blue thanks to a previous prank by the Gold Twins.
The lights dimmed. The crowd hushed. A floating announcer (literally just a disembodied head with a top hat) boomed: "And now... the *fusion masterpiece* by KAITO NAKAMURA!"
Cue horror.
Kaito stepped onstage, his knees knocking.
He attempted a dance-spell combo, tossing enchanted glitter that was supposed to summon calming spirits.
Instead—it summoned *miniature poltergeists*.
Gremlin-like ghosts popped into the air, shrieking and zooming through the audience. One stole a wig. Another bit the principal's floating monocle. Chaos. Screams. Applause?
And then—Kaito tripped on his own spell circle.
He flew forward.
Right into Jin.
And their lips crashed. *Again.*
A beat.
Then screaming. Jin. Kaito. The audience. Mostly Kaito.
"WHY DOES THIS KEEP HAPPENING TO ME?!" Kaito wailed, trying to crawl off Jin, who was too stunned to move.
White Louise fainted. The Gold Twins screamed. David combusted into jealous sparkles. Alexander turned away, muttering, "Of course."
***
Hours later, in the infirmary (because of course Kaito fainted from shame), Jin sat by his bedside.
"You really are a chaos magnet," Jin whispered, smiling gently.
"I don't mean to be," Kaito mumbled, hiding under the blanket. "I just wanted to… not destroy everything for once."
"Why does this always happen to *us*?" Jin asked, blinking water out of his eyes.
"Because fate is a shady ghost with a twisted sense of humor," Kaito groaned.
***
Backstage, chaos brewed.
White Louise was preparing her own performance—a dark siren solo with shadow familiars. Her glare never left Kaito. "He better flop," she muttered, curling her lashes magically. "No way he outshines me."
Clare and Mara Gold stood by her, cackling.
Meanwhile, David stared as Jin—dressed in a soft silver outfit—was approached by yet another admirer, this time a transfer student from the cursed dimension exchange program.
"Hi, I'm Soren," the boy smiled at Jin. "You're glowing. Literally."
Jin blushed. "It's my costume…"
David stepped between them like a storm cloud. "It's his *boyfriend's* fault," he snapped.
"I'm—?" Jin started.
"You're—*busy*," David huffed, dragging him away.
Alexander, standing alone near the edge of the stage, quietly watched Kaito—his expression unreadable. His jaw clenched as he noticed how nervous Kaito looked, pacing and muttering spells under his breath.
"You better not blow up the auditorium again," he said as Kaito passed.
"I only exploded *part* of it!" Kaito snapped.
***
Showtime.
Jin touched his hand lightly. "Hey… You didn't destroy everything."
A knock at the door.
Alexander. David.
"I brought ghost-tea," David muttered.
Alexander placed a protection charm on Kaito's bed. "So you don't fall into another magical pit. Again."
Kaito blinked. "Wait… are you two… being… nice?"
Both looked away.
"No."
"Shut up."
Jin laughed.
Outside, White Louise stared at her cracked mirror. The cursed seal had reacted again.
But this time—it wasn't showing Kaito.
It was showing *her*.
And it was glowing.
[02/12, 7:24 pm] ChatGPT: Here's *Chapter 23 – Part 2: Curses, Crushes & Catastrophes* continued from where we left off:
Curses, Crushes & Catastrophes*
The infirmary was unusually quiet—except for Kaito's dramatic groaning.
"I can't ever show my face again," he mumbled from under three blankets. "Maybe I should transfer to the afterlife's janitorial department. Or join a ghost monastery."
Jin sat beside him, patting his shoulder. "It wasn't *that* bad…"
"You *accidentally kissed me*. On stage. In front of the school. During a live broadcast!" Kaito shot up, then slumped back. "My afterlife is ruined."
Jin's cheeks turned red. "You *tripped*. It's not like you planned it…"
David appeared at the door with a ghostly smoothie. "I still think it was a distraction tactic. Bold move."
"Shut up, David!" Kaito and Jin said in unison.
Alexander leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "You two are so emotionally unstable it's actually contagious."
White Louise entered just then, her eyes sharp. "And yet somehow they're more entertaining than you, Alexander."
He narrowed his eyes. "You want to test me, princess?"
"Gladly," she smiled sweetly. "After I finish watching *these two spiraling into chaos*."
Clare and Mara Gold burst in behind her with enchanted popcorn. "Did we miss anything?"
Suddenly—BOOM.
The school trembled.
Kaito sat up straight. "Please tell me *I* didn't cause that!"
A teacher ran past the open door, yelling, "THE ARTIFACT ROOM JUST EXPLODED!"
White Louise's expression changed instantly. "No. No. No, no—"
Kaito looked panicked. "Why are *you* nervous?"
She grabbed his collar. "Because *your name* is carved into the cursed seal that broke last night!"
"WHAT?!"
Everyone froze.
Jin blinked. "I thought you said it was your toothbrush."
Kaito screamed
White Louise strutted past, sipping cursed bubble tea. "If you three are done growling over our favorite disaster boy, the Principal wants to see you."
"What? Why?" Kaito peeked from behind a column.
White smiled sweetly. "Because you broke three ancient laws of magical conduct. *With your face.*"
***
Principal Gravemoor, a sentient cloak of shadows with a booming voice, looked down at them with glowing eyes.
"Kaito Nakamura," he boomed, "you have violated multiple spirit-event protocols, accidentally summoned rogue ghosts, and caused an interdimensional romance scandal."
Kaito whimpered. "I swear the kiss wasn't planned—"
"And yet… the student body loved it."
"…Huh?"
A rustling of parchment. Gravemoor summoned a report. "You've single-handedly raised school morale by 42%. Congratulations. You're now the official Spirit Festival Ambassador."
Jin choked on his ghost water. David actually fell out of his chair.
Alexander walked out.
"Wait—what does that mean?" Kaito asked weakly.
"It means," Gravemoor intoned, "you'll represent Aether High at the next Interdimensional School Exchange Gala… as our shining face of hope."
***
Back in their dorm room, Kaito sat in stunned silence while Jin read through the schedule.
By the next morning, Aether High was still buzzing. Word of "The Accidental Kiss of Chaos™" had spread like wildfire. Even the ghost pigeons were cooing about it.
Kaito didn't leave his dorm. At all.
He tried to fake a haunting to get out of class, but unfortunately, the teachers were very experienced in detecting fake hauntings—and terrible acting.
"Kaito, the spectral moaning doesn't match your aura frequency," Professor Belladonna had sighed. "Nice try, though. Detention."
Meanwhile, Jin was facing his own disaster: an entire fan club had spawned overnight. *The Spirit of Love Society*. Posters of Jin and Kaito (awkwardly mid-fall) were now plastered all over the halls. Someone even started printing custom mugs: "K&J: Fated or Flustered?"
David had ripped three down before breakfast. Alexander had frozen one in ghost-ice and thrown it into the Nether Bin.
"I will burn this school down," David muttered as another fangirl shoved a letter into Jin's hands.
"He's not yours," he snapped.
Jin blinked. "Wait… what?"
Alexander, leaning against his locker, added with a smirk, "Not yours either, flame-boy."
"Oh yeah? And what he's yours?"
"I didn't say that."
"You're *thinking* it!"
You have to lead three dances, two speeches, and one group duet with me," Jin said.
"I am not duet material!" Kaito cried. "I am solo-disaster energy!"
"That's why they picked you," Jin grinned.
David barged in. "You're NOT doing a duet with him!"
Alexander followed. "Neither of you are doing anything without supervision."
Kaito held up his hands. "Can we just pretend none of this happened?"
Jin shrugged. "Too late. I already bought matching outfits."
David: "You did WHAT?!"
Alexander: "Oh, you're *dead*."
***
Meanwhile… in the shadows of the school's east wing, a cracked mirror hummed.
White Louise stood in front of it again.
The cursed symbol was glowing stronger than ever.
But this time—it pulsed in rhythm with *Kaito's* heartbeat.
And behind her reflection… another figure moved.
Laughing.
*To be continued…