"There's no mistake—you are him!" the female senior exclaimed with eyes filled with unmistakable excitement!
She then promptly leaned in—
"Whoa—!?"
Way too close—!
She closed the distance between them as she took a deliberate, investigative look at his face just to confirm her suspicion...!
"H-Hey! Back off from him, you mortal woman!" Evangeline shouted from the side, floating aggressively between them at the woman trying to get close to her mortal vessel... though the only one who could hear her protest was just him.
Either way—
"Wait! Hold up! Please back off—!"
"Ah!"
Noah then quickly held up both hands, pushing her back—trying to reclaim even a fraction of personal space!
"Okay... first off: what the hell do you mean by 'Crazy Freshman'? Is that supposed to be me...?"
However, instead of answering, she blinked at him—genuinely puzzled. "...You didn't know?"
"How the hell should I even know that?!"
"Ahaha~, so you really haven't realized it, huh?"
She leaned in with a playful grin, completely unfazed by his retort.
"That cute little nickname of yours? It's because people kept seeing you talking to yourself, oh Crazy Freshman~."
"...Ah, shit. That was the reason?" Noah muttered under his breath, shoulders dropping as dread washed over him. "Fuck... my reputation is already beyond saving..."
"Now, now, no need to be sad, my dear junior~."
"Hey! Don't act like you're my damn senior," Noah snapped, already out of his sadness, "hell, you don't even know if we're in the same major!"
"Is that so~? Well... then what is your major?"
Noah was caught off guard by her question, hesitating for a moment.
He wasn't sure if answering this eccentric 'senior' was a good idea... especially if there was even the slightest chance she was in the same major as him...
However, even if he were to back away and run, she would probably try to chase after him..!
"...I'm in Business."
"Ah, what a coincidence! I'm also majoring in Business, my dear junior~."
'Shit!'
He inwardly cursed his luck, especially as the now-confirmed senior promptly closed the distance between them again...!
"The name's Sophia Hawthorne, 3rd Year Business Major~," she introduced herself cheerfully, raising her hand to him. "Pleasure to meet you, my dear junior~."
Noah looked at the offered hand—the 'formal' handshake from this overly enthusiastic senior...
"M-mortal! Don't take this wretched woman's hand!" Evangeline warned from the side. "It's a trap! It's definitely a ploy to get you!"
"I know, damnit...!" he whispered back, taking an awkward glance at his ghost companion—
"Hey, now! Eyes forward, junior!" the senior student Sophia chided, taking on a commanding attitude... but still holding on to her playful smile. "Don't tell me... are you perhaps a shy boy~?"
"Ugh...!"
Noah felt an inexplicable feeling of both annoyance and fluster. It wasn't everyday for him to suddenly be approached by a rather strong-willed member of the opposite sex...
"...What are you blushing for, mortal?" Evangeline muttered with a deadpan stare, somewhat annoyed by his embarrassing display toward the other mortal human woman.
"Damn it... fine!"
He reluctantly but firmly accepted her handshake—
"Noah Winters, freshman in Business Major—"
But it was truly, truly a mistake.
Because—
"Come on, junior~!"
"Whoah—!?"
Immediately, the overbearing senior of his dragged him by the hand!
"Wha—?! Mortal!?" Evangeline yelped, quickly floating after them!
Before he knew it, he was now back at the creepy-looking booth—dragged straight into the booth area itself...
"Welcome to the Paranormal Research Club~!" Arms spread wide open, the senior Sophia announced with theatrical flourish. "Or PRC for short if you're feeling lazy, hehe~."
"Uhuh..."
Noah was... defeated, to say the least. Never had he thought he'd actually get dragged into the very booth he tried so desperately to avoid.
He looked around the booth—at all the odd and bizarre trinkets displayed for visitors and potential new members...
'Yeah... no one really wants to be here,' he realized dreadfully, noting how "peaceful" it was compared to the other booths.
"Alright then, junior~!"
Sophia clapped her hands once, standing proudly beside the controlled chaos of the display table.
"The Paranormal Research Club is exactly what it sounds like—we research, study, investigate, and document all sorts of supernatural phenomena~."
"...Uhuh..."
"Ghost sightings! Cursed objects! Aliens! Cryptids! Divine encounters—basically everything that's out of the norm!" she continued enthusiastically, pacing around the booth as if giving a grand tour.
"I... see..."
"We even collect eyewitness accounts, archive stories from reputable sources, and even perform field investigations at real haunted locations!" she added with sparkling eyes. "We're a club dedicated to uncovering the truth behind the veil of the paranormal!"
"Huh... I guess you guys are pretty dedicated to the craft," Noah murmured, somewhat impressed... but not exactly convinced.
Yet...
Meanwhile—while Noah was stuck listening to Sophia—
Evangeline had wandered off inside the booth.
"Ooh... what peculiar contraptions..." she murmured, poking at a small UFO model as it blinked random lights. "Oh wow...!"
She then floated toward an old Ouija board, finding the strange wooden carvings oddly charming.
She touched the planchette... and began moving it like how you'd "play" with it, forming random words out of the letters!
However, since no one could actually see her...
It looked as if the Ouija board's planchette was moving on its own...!
Thankfully, no one noticed—except Noah, of course.
'There's an actual ghost here doing ghost things...' he thought, finding it both ironic and mildly concerning.
"Sooo, junior..." Sophia called his attention before leaning in with a grin, "...what do you think so far? Interesting, no~?"
"Huh? Well... yeah, I guess?" he answered reluctantly. "I'm not big on this kind of stuff, but you guys seem pretty passionate."
"We are, we are~."
"...Wait, so where are the other members?" Noah asked, suddenly noticing the booth was suspiciously empty except for Sophia herself.
"Hmmm? I'm the only member."
"...What?" He blinked. "W-what did you say...?"
"I'm the sole member of the PRC~," she confirmed with a proud smile.
"...What the fuck? Really?!" Noah blurted, disbelief washing over him. "You're the only one here?!"
"Yup. The other members graduated just recently," Sophia revealed, her voice turning solemn. "And now... I'm the last member of this club."
"Oh... sorry to hear that."
"Pfft—ahaha~, you make it sound like a funeral, junior~," she teased with a cheerful laugh.
"Well, yeah—I mean, don't clubs get disbanded if they don't meet the required member count?!"
"Of course I know that, silly."
"Then why the hell are you acting so calm, senior...?" Noah shot back in disbelief.
"Easy—it's because I already found a potential member..."
She then offered her hand to Noah once more...
"...Would you join the Paranormal Research Club, oh dear Crazy Freshman~?"