Riku sat in the cramped clubroom, staring at a whiteboard filled with messy notes, half-erased theories, and what suspiciously looked like a summoning circle drawn in red marker. Someone had doodled a tiny stick figure in the middle, labeled "RIP whoever stands here."
"This is it?" Riku asked flatly.
Hana leaned back in her chair, balancing on two legs like she had no fear of gravity. She propped her feet up on the table, knocking over an empty can of soda that rolled onto the floor with a dramatic clatter. "Yup. Paranormal Club headquarters. Pretty sweet digs, huh?"
"Sweet?" Riku repeated, deadpan. "This place looks like a storage closet that lost a fight with a flea market."
The room smelled faintly of incense, old books, and possibly expired instant ramen. A shelf in the corner held what Riku could only assume were either actual cursed objects or or possibly failed Pinterest projects. A plastic skull sat on one desk, wearing sunglasses and a party hat. Next to it was a hand-written sign that read: 'DO NOT ANTAGONIZE THE SKULL.'
Riku pointed at it. "What happens if I antagonize the skull?"
Hana shrugged. "We don't know yet. But we're not ruling out spontaneous combustion."
Before Riku could respond to that nonsense, a third voice chimed in.
"You must be the vending machine guy."
Riku turned to see a lanky guy adjusting his glasses, watching him like a scientist observing a very dumb test pig.
"And you must be the guy who actually takes this seriously," Riku shot back.
The guy smirked. "Tetsuya. Club President."
"Wait," Riku said, staring at Tetsuya's face. "You're the president? Why does it feel like Hana is actually in charge?"
Tetsuya sighed dramatically, like this wasn't the first time he'd heard that accusation—and probably wouldn't be the last. "Because she refuses to do paperwork. Technically, I handle all the logistics. She's more like… the club's mascot. Or possibly its greatest curse."
Hana threw a crumpled piece of paper at him without even looking up from her phone. "Excuse you—I'm the heart and soul of this operation."
Riku caught it mid-air and inspected it. It was labeled 'Official Paranormal Report #16 – Angry Ghost in the Boys' Bathroom'.
Riku: "GHOST IN BATHROOM? HELLOO? Is this For Real? I Hope that Ghost is Boy"
Tetsuya: " "Don't worry, This is literally just Hana's doodle of a ghost saying 'boo' in Comic Sans."
"Hey," Hana said defensively, "that ghost was furious. Someone clogged his toilet with instant noodles."
Riku making an uninterest face to Hana.
Riku turning slowly to Tetsuya: "What do you guys even do?"
Tetsuya leaned forward, grinning "Hunt Ghosts"
Riku, unimpressed : "So… you hunt ghosts? What's next, chasing imaginary friends or filing restraining orders against shadows?"
Hana : "People submit reports of haunted places, weird happenings, and we investigate."
Riku exhaled sharply, rubbing his temples. "And what's my role in all this?"
Tetsuya adjusted his glasses, his expression unreadable.
Hana leaned in, grinning mischievously.
"Congratulations, Riku," she said. "You're officially our newest field investigator."
Riku: "HUHhhhhhhh?"
Tetsuya trying to say it in cool way : "Congrats"
Riku confused: "Congrats, my ass, does this come with insurance?"
Hana shook her head. "Nope."
"A salary?"
Tetsuya snorted. "Definitely not."
"I have made," he said frowning as he headed for the door, "a terrible mistake."
Before he could leave, Hana called after him brightly: "Don't forget—you agreed to this! No take-backsies!"
"And don't antagonize the skull!" Tetsuya added helpfully.
The skull seemed to wink at him as he left.