"So... what kind of mortal community are you looking out for, mortal?"
"Hmm? Let's see..."
Noah and Evangeline wandered through rows upon rows of lined-up booths—all of them belonging to clubs and communities of every imaginable kind.
What they saw was an overwhelming abundance of choices—
From your typical sports clubs, the STEM-centric groups, and the creative corners of arts and music... to even cultural societies focused on foreign studies and traditions.
There was practically everything a student could think of!
"Damn, there's a lot of clubs here~!" Noah exclaimed with excitement—he was like a kid in a candy store! "It feels like I'm in a county fair~!"
"Indeed so... though I still cannot fathom how you mortals find joy in being this loud," Evangeline remarked with a disbelieving shake of her head. "...Still..."
She couldn't help but also find this whole place amusing... as well as seeing her vessel in this much excitement.
"...I can see the charm of such lively gatherings."
"It is, right~? But with this many clubs and communities, it feels like I'm being overwhelmed with too many choices...!"
"Sigh, don't be so indecisive, mortal. Just pick one already. I'd rather not see you moping around again," she chided with a playful huff. "Ah! But do avoid the ones that make too much noise! Especially those with obnoxious mortal music!"
"Haha~, alright, alright, I get it~."
The both of them kept on visiting every booth that caught their interest, having a surprisingly fun time just mindlessly 'window shopping' through what should've been Noah's aspiration hunting...
But then—
"Hmm? Hey, mortal! That one looks interesting!"
Evangeline's eyes gleamed as she pointed toward a rather peculiar booth not far from the center row.
"Oh yeah? What is it—"
But Noah instantly froze on the spot when he finally saw it—
An eerie booth filled with the most peculiar curiosities.
It stood out like a sore thumb amidst the bright and cheerful displays of the other booths...!
The table was draped in tattered black cloth as its surface was cluttered with all sorts of bizarre trinkets—
Flickering candles, a worn-out spirit board, taxidermies of strange-looking animals, rows of jars filled with even stranger "objects," old tomes covered in bizarre symbols, and even a small 'replica' of a UFO ship model—
The booth even had a few laptops playing what looked like either old B-movie horror flicks or episodes of some infamous paranormal investigation show.
But the bizarreness didn't end there—there was also a large corkboard standing behind the booth—
The "Paranormal Case" board.
Pinned across it were not just photos of supposed supernatural sightings, but also clippings from newspapers and magazines—many of them telling stories of paranormal encounters, cursed artifacts, unexplained UFO sightings, and more...!
And yet, even with all of these strange decorations and props... it was an empty booth.
Not just that there was no visitor to that booth, but also... there was no one attending the booth either—
"—Aaand there we go~!"
Suddenly, a voice came from behind the booth, followed by the sound of something heavy being placed down.
From behind the display then emerged a person, holding a wooden sign—
"Paranormal Research Club."
That person... was a woman—
A beautiful college senior...!
Her fair complexion caught the afternoon sunlight, framed by the faint reflection of her round glasses that slightly hid her eyes from view.
Light violet hair tied loosely into a small ponytail, with a few messy strands falling over her cheeks—it gave her a laid-back, almost absentminded charm, as if she had tied it up just to keep it from being a nuisance.
She wore baggy, oversized clothes—comfy enough to drown her figure in the thick layers of fabric, yet not enough to hide the subtle outline of her curves underneath...!
Under normal circumstances, Noah would've rushed in right away to attend this secret beauty hidden beneath the veil of nerdiness, yet...
He knew full well to not interact with this kind of community...!
Thus... he straightened his posture and carefully—almost robotically—walked past the booth, eyes locked straight ahead like a soldier marching toward his next post!
"Mortal? What's wrong?" Evangeline tilted her head in confusion, quickly floating alongside him. "Where are you going? Mortal...?"
But Noah ignored her, lips pressed thin in determination as he tried his best not to spare a single glance toward that cursed-looking booth...
"—Mortal?! Hey! Mortal!!!" She suddenly shouted right into his ear! "Stop ignoring me!"
He winced in pain, his ear ringing from the loudness!
"E-Eva, please be quiet...!" He hissed at her, shooting back a glare—
But that was a mistake.
Because, in that moment...
His eyes accidentally drifted toward the booth, and there—
Their eyes met—his and the senior's!
Both of their eyes widened in surprise—
Yet only Noah's expression slowly twisted into fright... while the female senior's face brightened into delight!
Found you~!
"—Crap!"
Noah instantly turned around, power-walking away like his life depended on it!
"W-wait! Mortal, what's gotten into you?!" Evangeline called after him, floating frantically to keep up with his hurried pace!
"Eva! I can't explain much, but please understand—!" he blurted in a panicked whisper, refusing to slow down. "I do not want to get involved with that kind of community!"
"Huh? Why not?" she pressed curiously, brows furrowing. "Wouldn't this 'paranormal' thing be right up our alley?"
"Just drop it, Eva! You wouldn't understand!" he insisted sharply, his tone firm with desperation.
But as he turned his head toward her, his eyes inadvertently flicked back to 'that' booth—only to find it empty.
The senior who was supposed to be there... had vanished.
"...Huh?"
For a moment, he blinked, wondering if she had gone somewhere else...
But it didn't matter either way—he wasn't going to get involved—
"It's you!"
"—!?!"
A voice suddenly rang out from right in front of him—startling him to his core!
There she was—'that' senior herself!
She stood directly in his path, smiling as if she'd been waiting for him all along—forcing him to stop dead in his tracks!
"W-what do you want—"
"You're 'that' freshman!" She cut him off, her eyes filled with wonder as she quickly approached him! "The 'Crazy Freshman,' aren't you~?!"
"...What?"