17 I'm Not Scared!

[Someone was murdered in this clubroom.]

Mendou: [That would make sense as to why no one wanted to join this clubroom then.]

Shiraishi: [Yes... People spread rumors about how this club became haunted, and how it could happen again. We had to clear out this club room before, but after it was temporarily disbanded, the students who were part of it dropped out of school, and those who saw them last could be the ones spreading those rumors around the school.]

As Miss Shiraishi told the story, I and Najimi listened closely. Miss Shiraishi's face was visibly reminiscent of it and it seems like she was close to the old members of this club room before.

Najimi: [How did they exactly die though?]

——!? I forgot that Najimi can't read the room, and as I turned to look at his curious face, he already asked what could have been an insensitive question.

Mendou: [H-Hey...! That's a bit too...]

I'm genuinely surprised that until now Miss Shiraishi has been comfortable sharing something like that with us.

It might be right for us to know the history of this club since we're joining for her sake but would it be alright for her to relapse from that tragedy?

Shiraishi: [It's fine... If you look it up, you will be able to see people talking about it anyways.]

She smiled at us, trying to reassure us and avoid worrying for her sake. Maybe she's actually more than just a clumsy and busty teacher?

She's kind and she just wants to... huh? Why does she exactly want to preserve the club though?

Mendou: [Hold that thought. Why do you want to preserve the club so badly though? There's no reason for students to be obliged to join it.]

I might come out as rude and straightforward, but this question must be asked.

My friends are involved in it, after all.

I won't just waste any time bothering on something that may harm them in the future.

Wow, I'm really having a cool monologue here. Plus 100 points for that, but I'm not supposed to be the center of this story.

Shiraishi: [It's because...]

Mendou: [Because...?]

I leaned in, pressuring her in for the answer. She looks nervous, but this shouldn't be much of a problem than talking about her experiences with the accident before though.

Shiraishi: [I-I was told by the people online that if I don't continue the Literature Club's Legacy, other students may get cursed and die!]

Mendou: [...]

What kind of b*llshit is that——?! She believes those trolls online?!

Shiraishi: [...!]

Oh, she does. Look at her, she's trembling.

She's definitely a boomer on this kind of thing. She looks pretty that I almost forget that she's 27.

Mendou: [Look... What those trolls online say is full of lies. Right, Hoshoujo?]

Surely, she would back me up since she was the only one who had been able to use technology between her and Najimi.

Surely, she would but...

Hoshoujo: [...]

She's also trembling whilst holding Najimi's arm.

When the heck did she get there even? She was just behind Miss Shiraishi a few minutes ago. I-Is she also scared?

Hoshoujo: [Y-Yeah. I-I agree on that.]

She quickly stepped away and agreed to what I just said but that won't change my mind that she's also as scared as Miss Shiraishi.

Is that why she refused strongly before when Miss Shiraishi invited her to join the club? Because of that online rumor?

Where are they even seeing those things up?

Mendou: [S-Surely you guys don't completely believe those, right?]

Najimi: [I don't think ghosts exist.]

Mendou: [Well, I think ghosts would be exorcized already with your completely unfazed and supernatural existence. You'd scare them with your poker face!]

I said that, but the instant I did, Hoshoujo shot right back behind Najimi, holding him by the shoulders.

Hoshoujo: [A-Aha! What are you talking about? There's no such thing.]

She says that while trembling. Very convincing.

This is gonna be troublesome to even continue talking about.

Mendou: [Agh. Anyways, we'll still join the club. But, sensei, stop believing those online rumors! They're all trolls!]

Shiraishi: [B-But what if——!]

Mendou: [No buts! Najimi, tell her!]

Najimi: [Umu.]

Mendou: [Don't you go umu, can't you react normally when we at this situation?]

Right now, we have Hoshoujo hiding beneath her anti-ghost charm, Najimi, while Miss Shiraishi is trembling all by herself.

I should break everything up for today.

Not to mention, them being scared when the sun is up and bright is just far exceeding my expectations.

Mendou: [Miss Shiraishi, I think you should get some rest now that we're done with the papers.]

Shiraishi: [But I still have to help you guys unpack all of these...]

We do definitely need all the help to unpack the books and buildable shelves but, Miss Shiraishi had been known for her comedic clumsiness since day one of school.

But, if she helps us now, she'd make a mess out of everything here and that'll be more work, so it's better to yeet her out for now!

Mendou: [That's fine! We can do this on our own! We're the Literature Club now, aren't we?]

I smiled at her, putting both of my hands on my waist. Najimi and Hoshoujo also looked at Shiraishi following what I said.

Shiraishi: [M-Mendou... I-I appreciate that but...]

She's been saying a lot of buts since then. She really likes to break it to you, huh?

Shiraishi: [My feet are trembling and I kinda find it hard to stand.]

She was immobilized by fear.

❊❈❊❈❊❊❈❊❈❊

Shiraishi: [Thanks for helping me, Mendou-kun.]

Mendou: [Ahaha... It's no problem...]

I said that but it's a real problem cause I just left the two of them alone inside the club.

If anyone were to see them and have the slightest assumption that they're going out, once it reaches the dean or any of their parents, they'll get separated again.

I must come back as soon as I can.

Shiraishi: [Ah... That's my... bottom.]

Mendou: [——Ah! My bad!]

Ah heck. I wasn't paying attention. I was trying to help her by having my hand just a bit near her back since she's walking a bit wobbly around while holding her hand.

We used the old corridor where some old classrooms were to head to the faculty so it's alright for me to do this without anyone seeing.

I meant holding hands, not touching her butt. What are you, a pervert?

Anyways, this building we're passing by is due to demolishing but since there are still chairs inside some of the rooms, I guess they still can't start and block the corridors here.

Shiraishi: [Actually... before, most of the members of the Literature Club's rooms were in this corridor. But, months after one of their members died, this building started to suffer from shaking and sinking to the ground. The experts said it was due to the bad foundation and softening of the land since there were a lot of students weighing on it...]

She just started blabbering again.

I'd like her to stop since she would be scaring herself but it sounded like something she want to take it out of her mind.

I'll just entertain it for now.

Mendou: [I'm sure it's just a building flaw.]

I said that, but there's no way a rich school would have that when they're supposedly all about strict in constructing this kind of building.

Either the construction was rushed and they used cheap materials, but that shouldn't be the case either.

The school is already too rich to even do that.

There should be something else. Another factor.

Shiraishi: [——!?]

Mendou: [H-Hey! What's wrong?!]

Suddenly, Miss Shiraishi froze up and fell. I had to catch her quick before she could hit her head.

Shiraishi: [G-Ghost...]

She pointed inside the classroom before fainting, closing her eyes as her body became limp after becoming unconscious.

Mendou: [——!]

I looked at where she pointed, and there I saw a figure that was standing inside the locked and abandoned classroom.

Mendou: [...Hahaha... Those are not ghosts...]

It was blackish and gooey, assuming a figure of a human.

That ghosts never existed. I was sure of it.

Why? Because I know of something else.

Mendou: [What is a Nightmare doing here?]