The club

「1993, end of summer.

A second-year student was going home later than usual from his part-time job, and passed near a forest on the way to the station. 」

It was already kind of late that day, so I took a shortcut through a trail.

If I got home any later than that my parents wouldn't like it, and I'd end up missing the train if I didn't use extreme methods. Till the next one came by… It'd take a while.

I'm not a coward, a forest at night is nothing. That trail didn't even go inside it, just went around, too.

Then I heard something...

"Hihihihi..."

"Hahahaha..."

Further inside the forest, there was a group with some kids.

They were laughing for some reason.

Why would there be a group of kids there? It was already late at night.

Something about those kids was weird as well, they smiled in a… macabre way.

Somehow I felt I shouldn't go that way, but it was like I was magnetized. And I couldn't just do nothing after seeing unsupervised kids so late at night...

My parents would be more understanding if I got home late for a reason like that, too.

As I got closer, the presence of the kids got more… dark? Unsettling?

Or maybe the right way of saying this is… Ominous?

It's hard to explain, but basically, it gave a sensation that wasn't good in the slightest.

I couldn't even see their eyes, even after getting really close.

That's when I noticed, one of them was different.

While I can't remember anything about the others, I remember him perfectly.

He was a boy with that basic haircut, the one that remembers a bowl. He had black hair and black eyes, seemed normal.

Among the kids, he was the only one serious. His gaze also felt empty and somewhat distant.

When I was almost beside them, he was the first one to look my way.

Then the kids with macabre smiles.

...and the next thing I know, I was inside the station, feeling as if I had just woken up.

And just in time for the train.

That day was sinister!

"...The end."

The young lady closes the book in a dramatic fashion, her blonde hair dancing from the kinetic energy created.

"An account a senpai of the club collected in 1993."

She puts the book on the table to the side, in an equally dramatic fashion, and points toward her clubmates using the index finger. Her blue eyes were shining enthusiastically.

"So?! Doesn't this one seem perfect for our investigation?!"

Her two clubmates, who appear used to this, sigh.

"No, not really."

The tall youth says, without hesitation. Different from her eyes, his brown eyes showed worry.

"Walking around so late at night is dangerous, you do understand this, right?"

He sighs again, putting his hand on his head. His dark brown hair being swayed lightly by his fingers.

"Makoto's right. There's even a forest nearby, who knows what could be hidin' there."

The other clubmate also gives his opinion. He adjusts his glasses before continuing, or at least wanted to continue, but is interrupted by a cheerful youth.

"Supernatural things, of course! That's why we need to investigate, duh!"

As if all light in the young man's dark brown eyes had vanished, he straightens his glasses once more.

"And here we go, again..."

He thought.

"Besides, this is not the only account from the same area. There's a plethora of them, the first one is from the 80s..."

"Yes Sheila, we know..."

"You've been readin' one of those every day. I expected things to end like this, but..."

They both sigh at the same time.

"Well if that's the case let's go, Makoto, Kyou! The day we investigate this shall be none other than today!"

"We need to tell our parents, don'tcha think they'll be worried-"

"Don't worry, Kyou, I notified our parents last week."

"Last week?"

"I have also obtained the permission for the outdoor club activity last week."

"..."

"I already got the allocated budget and got stuff we could need as well… Flashlights and such, the usual you know?"

"....."

As if showing his surrender and acceptance, he sits on the nearest chair, like a defeated boxer. Sheila smiles as she sees one of the obstacles being toppled.

Like an official fight, Makoto goes to his friend and they bump their hands…

"It's up to ya, Makoto..."

With this, the second fighter enters the match.

"Sheila… It's dangerous, you know?"

"It's close to a busy station, it is not *THAT* dangerous, even in the middle of the night."

"But-"

"And that is why we are going together, no one would think of attacking a group of 3~"

"But what if it's a group of people-"

"I trust you two~!"

"..."

"Using that argument is unfair", he thought.

"....."

Makoto sits beside Kyou.

"Makoto..."

"Looks like we have no choice..."

They're both seated, defeated… Resistance is futile when Sheila wants something of the sort, this same situation repeated itself almost every time the "investigation of the occult school club" had activities outside the school.

She always made at least two "victims", people forced to go with her to suspicious places, Makoto and Kyou.

"Besides, you two… shouldn't you be more worried about hostile supernatural beings? You guys, geez..."

"Yes, yes."

Makoto says while shaking his head to the sides.

"Yep, yep."

Kyou does the same, which makes his relatively long black hair shake as well.

"One of those days we will find a real one, then you'll see!"

She looks at them with an angry face.

"You say that every time, Sheila."

Makoto says with a provocative face.

"In any case, I have been meaning to investigate this area for a while now..."

Nicknamed in the club archives as "Kids of the Station", it was a supernatural phenomena she wanted to look into ever since reading an account about the case for the first time.

The club had existed ever since the 70s, the school's opening year. Generations of investigators collected accounts and made club activities related to the many legends of the city.

The quality of the accounts varied alongside the generations, as did the types of legends and tales told by students, professors and people from outside the school who wanted to share their experiences with someone.

Time flowed on, the school's building was reformed, the name of the club changed, people came and went…

But someone's passion for the occult, even if only a single person, kept it open all those years, becoming one of the "original clubs" of the school.

And during all those years of accounts, records, researches and investigation reports, "kids of the station" was one of the phenomena with the most accounts gathered about itself.

And for some reason, despite that, 0 investigation reports.

The oldest accounts date from back in the 80s, with the newest ones from the beginning of the 2000s… Since then the practice of coming to the club to make accounts diminished, and people just posted things on online forums instead of going to a school club

"This is obviously a golden case, there's 100% something supernatural here!"

She says, triumphantly.

"The same thing you said about all other cases, Sheila."

Makoto answers with the cruel truth.

"No, but this time for sure... "

Her confidence starts to crumble...

"Ya also said that all the other times, Sheila."

Kyou declares, cementing the cruel truth.

"But this time! Certainly!! I assure you!!!"

Her lost confidence returns completely, and stronger than before.