Chapter 27 - Smoking

<Oh, you're finally moving. But I don't think they sell cigarettes in a school setting.>

The fish told Joren before he stood up and walked up to Sir Jack and asked.

"Mister Jack, where can I get a cigarette?"

"..."

The unicorn stared at Joren for a few moments before saying.

"Ah, you want a stick, get it from my back pocket."

"Oh, thank you."

Joren politely said before taking it. He didn't think much about it since this unicorn didn't have the flexibility to get it himself. However, that begs the question, why is it in the back pocket in the first place.

"Oh my."

Jack shivered when Joren slid his hand onto the back pocket (don't imagine it).

"Where is it?"

Joren frowned which Jack replied in ecstasy.

"It's there, reached it deeper."

"Shouldn't there be a box? Actually..."

Joren gave up. If it's a single stick without inside its box, he would rather not smoke it. Furthermore, it's indirectly touching someone's butt.

"You don't want a stick?"

Jack asked with a questioning look. After the questionable face he showed to the class, he returned to his 'teacher face'

"I want to but..."

"But?"

"Butt..."

"But what?"

"I lose the interest, that's all."

Joren just said as an excuse. Jack smiled towards this as if he's proud.

"Now, you have learned. Smoking is forbidden in this school."

"Boo~"

The class of ghosts immediately said.

Joren glanced at them. He didn't think they would react. To his knowledge, they literally have no brains so he treated them as nothing.

"Ignore them, that's their natural language. They are not booing my logic."

Jack shook his head until he saw the minotaur booing him loudly.

"Is that his language too?" Joren asked.

"Y-yeah..."

Jack propped up his glasses.

"No, I'm booing you. Boo~!"

Minos said with an innocent expression. He was booing from the hallway since he broke another wall.

Jack shivered, now not with orgasm (do not imagine), but with shame and anger.

"Alright, it's about time I give my class some assignments to do."

"Boo~"

"Aww..."

Minos lowered his head in sadness while the class of ghosts did the same.

"They actually understand how bothersome an assignment is. Beyond that, they understand nothing. Humans are really lazy."

Jack whispered at Joren which the latter found oddly close.

"Uh-huh..."

"But regarding earlier, I will let this go. However, if I see you smoking, I will have to bring you to the principal's office. You don't want to be there."

"..."

After the day, Joren was now sitting beside Ness as they play.

"Are you human now?"

Virena mockingly asked.

"Ugh... no."

"Then why are you here?"

"Listen to this, Virena! Joren is smoking. Don't you know that smoking is bad? Jack found him about to try one."

Ness said with a disagreeing face.

"I didn't know you are that kind of person."

Virena sighed as she shook her head.

"What's the deal with smoking? Why is it bad?"

Joren asked but initially, he didn't really like smoking. However, he's on the smoker's side now since he needs to. He has to defend his side.

"... it's annoying."

Ness said with a deadpan face as if her words stemmed from experience.

"They are just annoying people. What if I smoke in a smoking area where I don't bother other people?"

"You're human so-... I rest my case." Virena gave up, remembering that Joren is no longer a human.

"So is it acceptable now?"

"... can I smoke too?"

Ness looked at Virena with a curious face after Joren's question.

"Umm... I thought you hate it?"

"It sounds interesting now."

Virena frowned as she stared at Ness' eyes. That's when she realized what this girl is up to.

"You want to get back at Jack?"

"Revenge story! I mean, revenge plot! Jack has skin as thick as the universe whenever he smokes. Was he rebelling because he was put in the First Level? I hate it!"

Ness stood up and stomped.

"Give me a suit and call Jack right now."

...

"So... why am I called?"

Jack suspiciously asked as he saw Ness with a smug face as she was wearing a suit rather than her usual tracksuit.

"You're here to... huu..."

Ness blew the smoke that she just sipped straight to Jack's face. The unicorn's face twitched.

"give opinion towards... sip... huu~!"

"Towards?"

Jack gritted his teeth as his mane fluttered from hard Ness blew that one. Meanwhile, Virena was holding a portable fan, not letting the smoke come to her. At the same time, Joren sat beside her.

"Don't sexually harass me."

"...I won't."

"Your hesitation is disgusting."

"Urgh.." Joren only hesitated because he remembered one of the missions the system gave him. Sicnce he has nothing to say, he chose to change the topic.

"I think I'm going to hell."

"For being a pervert?"

"No, for taking my soul and becoming a human again."

"I see..."

Virena nodded in understanding as if Joren just said something complicated.

"How the hell are you going too accomplish that?" she then asked.

"Actually, that's what I want to ask. How do I go to hell?"

Joren scratched his head.

"That's simple, you can just die as a sinner and you will drop to hell."

Virena answered but Joren was obviously not satisfied with it.

"You know my case. How can I get there without dying first?"

"You can go to hell."

"Hey, I was just askin-"

"No, I mean you can still got to hell even in your case."

Virena waved her hand.

"Oh, tell me."

"There are many gates of hell all around the world. Most of them can be found in Greece but in actuality, the rivers; Styx, Acheron, Cocytus, Phlegethon, and Lethe are connected more than just a few rivers in the real world. The Myth Academy has some Leagues where a lake or river is connected to any of those gates of hell."

Virena explained which made Joren nodded.

"So, can I know what these rivers are in the first place?"

"You should really attend school first."

"Is it my fault that there's few to no subjects that teaches us Greek Mythology or mythology in general?"

Joren replied. He didn't think that those kind of knowledge would be important in his later life so he didn't take any interest in them back then.

"There's nothing special about them, just don't disturb the souls. Just listen to the guide and you'll be fine."

"Guide? What guide?"

"Oh, wait, you still don't know. In this academy, excellent students can earn merit points. You can buy some privileges and things with those points. Buying a trip to the Underworld is possible too."

"... A trip to the underworld?"

The image of a place with pain and suffering was shattered in his head at that very moment.

"Of course, being in the last Level, in the last League, in the last School, in the last Class, I think you are far from being excellent. But buying a trip to the underworld is far better since that would be legal or else. But since you're going to the Underworld of Greek instead of China, the Diyu, you'll not face the Ox-Head and the Horse-Fave but Hermes."

"Hermes... he's a God too, right?"

"... um, yeah?"

Virena raised her shoulders. She didn't think that anyone would want to make sure of that. It's like common sense there but since it's Joren, she think it's acceptable.

"So I'll be dealing a God from the start."

"Yes, so the difficulty just rose. Although compared to meeting with the literal Gods of Death in Egypt, that's better, don't you think."

"Yeah, you're right."

Joren nodded which made Virena frown.

"You're suppose to disagree. Now it looks like I'm cheering you up."

"Yeah, thanks for that."

Virena just sighed. Meanwhile, Ness finally used up the cigarette stick.

"I just want to know your opinion in unbanning cigarettes."

Ness asked with a smile.

"Hey, isn't Ness supposed to be shy?"

Joren leaned towards Virena to whisper.

"Distance, please. But not exactly. She's just like that when she met you because you're basically a stranger. Also, you have a scary face."

"I-is that so..?"

"I want to disagree but I smoke too so I agree!"

Jack stood up like a human and slammed Ness' desk.

"Is that all, Principal!?"

"Yes, that's all. You can go now, Mister Jack."

Ness cooly sent him off. After he was gone, she removed the tiring suit and put her tracksuit again.

"That was super tiring, let's play!"

"Actually, I'm going to go now. I want to get the so-called merit points as soon as possible to buy a trip to the underworld."

Joren said. When he was about to go, Ness stopped him.

"Wait, Virena told you that? But you still don't know which hell your soul went, right?"

"... now that you say... which hell did my soul go to?"

Joren internally panicked.

"Don't worry, don't worry.. Let's play and then we'll do a nekyia and asked a spirit if they've seen your soul around."