For most students, academic probation is a living nightmare. But for the six sitting in the corner of a dimly lit café that evening, university regulations were nothing more than useless lines of text meant to be bypassed. Beneath the ambient glow of hanging lamps and the heavy bass of evening music, they had gathered not to study, but to celebrate their own indifference.

Let’s start with Reno. The young man in the faded denim jacket leaned back in his chair, boredom evident as he twirled his sports bike keys around his finger. Reno was the definition of freedom pushed past its limits. To him, lecture halls were merely the most uncomfortable place to take an afternoon nap. His absenteeism record had long blown past the tolerance limit this semester, yet his face remained completely unbothered—as if perfect attendance were a luxury he could buy whenever he pleased.

Beside him sat Gani, the only other male in the group. Unlike Reno's casual nonchalance, Gani possessed a short-fused temper. Three days ago, he became the talk of the entire faculty after screaming at a senior professor in the middle of the hallway, purely because he refused to be called out for smoking in a non-smoking zone. His arrogant, quick-to-anger, and self-righteous nature made him both feared and avoided.

Then there was Vanya, a coed with immaculate makeup who was busy admiring her reflection in her phone screen. Vanya treated the campus like her personal fashion runway. Course assignments? She kept a line of secret admirers who were more than happy to do them for her. Laziness was her middle name, guided by a simple life principle: Why strain yourself when someone else can be used?

Not far from Vanya, Dinda dragged a straw through her iced coffee with a bored expression. Dinda wasn't stupid; she was simply too rich to care. Tucked inside her designer handbag were thick envelopes ready to slide onto the desk of any administrator or bribable professor willing to turn an 'F' into an 'A'. "Everything in this world has a price" was her go-to mantra whenever she faced the threat of failing a course.

Completing the circle were Arin and Sela. Arin was the loop-hole seeker—she rarely attended class, yet always possessed a thousand fake medical certificates printed from random clinics out of nowhere. Meanwhile, Sela was a textbook follower; she held no personal grudge against the academic system, she was just too lazy to hold a firm stance and chose to skip class simply to look cool in front of her friends.

Together, the six of them formed the darkest mark on the department’s attendance sheet. And tonight, their academic lives hung by a thread.

"What is that old bastard's problem anyway?" Gani spat out, flicking his lighter open with a rough motion. "He gets a teaching position and suddenly thinks he's God. Pushing my buttons in the hallway on purpose like that."

Reno chuckled, crossing his legs on the table. "You shouldn't have given him the time of day, Gani. Half-a-century-old guys like him will get a heart attack if you yell at them too hard. He’s probably retiring soon anyway."

"My solution is simple," Dinda chimed in, tapping her long, manicured nails against the table. "I already told my dad to handle my grades. A little 'grease money' and it's taken care of. No need to stare at his wrinkled, preachy face. It gives me a headache."

Vanya let out a light laugh, agreeing with Dinda while adjusting her bangs in the screen reflection. "Totally. Besides, his class is so boring. I’d rather scroll through TikTok in my dorm than listen to him drone on about outdated theories from the last century."

Arin and Sela exchanged glances and giggled softly, reveling in the solid aura of rebellion among them. In their eyes, Professor Danu—the 50-year-old faculty member they were discussing—was nothing more than a minor, irritating obstacle. A lonely, strict professor who held no real power over their futures, which were heavily backed by ego and wealth.

Right as the café wall clock chimed to mark 8:00 PM, a strange phenomenon occurred.

Bzzzt.

Bzzzt.

Bzzzt.

All six phones resting on the table vibrated at the exact same moment. The vibration pattern felt unusually long and heavy, creating a low resonance that brought their laughter to a sudden, abrupt halt. The cozy warmth of the café seemed to shrink, replaced by a sudden, piercing draft of cold night wind creeping through the gaps of the entrance.

Reno frowned, reaching for his phone first. On his screen, a green WhatsApp notification popped up. A message from a number they knew all too well, yet dreaded to see.

Professor Danu.

"Hey... did you guys get a message too?" Arin asked, her voice suddenly tightening in her throat.

Sela gave a slow nod, her face draining of color as she read the text displayed on her screen. "Y-yeah. Same here. From Professor Danu."

One by one, they opened the text. The message was brutally short, typed in stiff capital letters without any pleasantries or friendly punctuation. The words felt cold, absolute, and left zero room for negotiation:

REPORT TO CLASSROOM 3B TONIGHT AT 9:00 PM. THIS IS YOUR FINAL CHANCE TO PASS, OR YOU WILL BE EXPELLED.

An uncomfortable silence descended upon the table. The loud pulse of the café music felt distant, leaving an eerie void in their minds. The word EXPELLED stood out sharply, threatening the fortress of arrogance they had spent so long building.

"Dammit! Nine o'clock at night?!" Gani slammed his fist onto the table, causing several coffee cups to rattle. "Has this guy lost his mind? What kind of late-night class is this? Is the campus even open right now?!"

"This is insane, it makes no sense," Vanya whined, staring at her phone clock which now read 8:05 PM. "I scheduled a live stream tonight. Am I really supposed to trek to campus just to hear that old man nag?"

Dinda attempted to dial Professor Danu’s number, intending to protest or offer her usual "peace settlement." However, every time she pressed the call button, the line dropped instantly with a strange busy tone—a long, distorted hum that sounded like broken radio static.

"It won't go through. The number is inactive, but the message shows double ticks," Dinda said, her annoyance mixed with confusion.

Reno went quiet for a moment, staring intently at the text. Something felt off, but his youthful ego refused to give in to fear. "Look, instead of getting expelled and having to deal with our parents, let's just show up. Let's see what game this old man is playing. If he tries anything funny, we'll file a complaint against him for holding class outside academic hours. What do you think?"

Gani let out a harsh grunt and grabbed his jacket. "Fine. I want to settle the score with him anyway. Don't let him think just because he's a professor, he can mess with my time."

"I'm coming too... I'm terrified my grades will actually get wiped," Arin said softly, her anxiety mirrored by Sela’s worried nod.

Despite their endless grumbling, curses, and overwhelming reluctance, the threat of losing their student status ultimately moved them. They gathered their belongings, paid their bill in a hurry, and stepped out of the café toward the parking area.

Outside, the night sky was pitch black. The moon was entirely smothered by thick, dark clouds, blanketing the city in shadow. As they revved their engines and cut through the streets toward campus, not a single one of them realized that inside a quiet university housing unit across town, Professor Danu’s body lay cold and stiff across his bed—a spilled pill bottle scattered across the floor, his vacant eyes staring hollowly up at the ceiling.

The notification from the silent room had been sent, and the journey of six lost souls toward Classroom 3B had officially begun.