The possessed vending machine stood ominously at the corner of the school courtyard — humming, glitching, and occasionally spitting out KitKats like shuriken.
"Okay," Yui said, ducking behind a bench, "explain to me again how a vending machine gets possessed?"
Jae-min peeked over the top, clutching a baseball bat like it would help against a sugar-powered poltergeist. "Apparently, a student tried to shake it for free snacks back in 2009 and died when it fell on him. Now it attacks anyone who doesn't pay."
Ghost Dog growled at the machine. Then peed on it.
The machine groaned and launched a canned coffee at Baek. He caught it midair with one hand, barely flinching.
"You gonna drink that?" Yui asked.
He cracked it open and took a sip. "Tastes cursed."
Mr. Lee appeared behind them with a full rolling cart of documentation. "If the vending machine is haunted by an unpaid-death spirit, it falls under subsection 14-D: Unfinished Snack Business. You'll need to bribe it with a proper offering."
Yui blinked. "Like what? A granola bar and an apology?"
Mr. Lee pulled out a form labeled "SNACKRIFICE REQUEST – FORM 88-F."
Baek raised an eyebrow. "This system is broken."
"Don't blame me," Mr. Lee muttered. "Blame the Snack Spirit Union."
Yui sighed and turned to Jae-min. "Okay, time to risk your life. Do you have any money?"
"Only… uh, 200 won and a Pokémon sticker."
Ghost Dog barked. The vending machine growled back.
Yui stood up. "Fine. If no one else is gonna be a hero, I'll do it. Baek, cover me."
"Try not to get murdered by a Snickers."
She dashed toward the machine, diving past a flying bottle of green tea. Her fingers slammed coins into the slot. The machine paused, screen flickering between:
[THANK YOU][I REMEMBER][WHERE IS MY CRUSHED BODY?]
"Uh oh," Yui muttered. "That's not normal."
A can dropped.
It was... expired shrimp soda.
"NOPE," Yui hissed, chucking the can at the ground. The machine roared, sparks flying.
Baek threw his scythe, the blade slicing through the air and slicing the machine in half just before it could explode in a shower of hot chips and evil juice boxes.
The top half clattered to the ground, oozing soda and resentment.
Mr. Lee sighed, already scribbling on a clipboard. "That's a violation of Equipment Code 77-K. I'll need you to sign here."
Ghost Dog happily trotted over, sat beside the broken vending machine, and howled — as if claiming victory.
Jae-min looked around at the chaos and whispered to Yui, "Is it weird that I'm actually starting to enjoy this?"
She gave him a look. "You just got hit with a juice box that whispered die."
He grinned. "Yeah. But like, it's kinda fun, right?"
Yui smirked. "Welcome to afterschool ghost hunting. Snacks not included."
End of Chapter 11