"Junior~! Over here~!"
The senior college student, Sophia, waved both hands eagerly in the air, beckoning Noah (and Evangeline too, who was floating quietly beside him) toward her spot.
But as they drew closer, both Noah and Evangeline's attention naturally shifted toward the hospital itself...!
"...Whoah..." Noah muttered under his breath, taken aback more than he'd expected...!
The abandoned medical facility was massive—easily the size of a football stadium, maybe even bigger. Despite being decades past its prime, it still stood tall.
However... it looked every bit as forsaken as the rumors said. Not only had vines crawled up its cracked walls, but many chunks of faded white paint had peeled off like old scabs, revealing the dirty-gray concrete beneath.
And even worse... several shattered windows gaped open like hollow eyes staring back at those who dared get close...!
"Hmm... you mortals do seem to favor large infrastructure, huh?" Evangeline commented lightly despite the eerie decay of the building before her. "Especially with those outrageously tall "towers" around your campus."
"...Not always, but it's the usual sign that an establishment is well off... well, for this one, it was well off at one point," he replied, somewhat wary of the building itself. "...let's just hope the inside is still at least walkable."
And eventually... they reached Sophia—
"Junior~! You actually came!" she chimed, quickly looking him over with a smirk. "See? Deep down you do wanna join the club~."
"Heh, I'm still just considering it, you know. So… don't get ahead of yourself, Senior~," he shot back, earning a light giggle from her.
But then... his eyes drifted past her—
Three unfamiliar figures stood a short distance behind Sophia...!
"Uh... who are they, Sophia?"
"Oh~! You noticed them, right~? Hehe~, let me introduce you, Noah—"
Sophia brightened even more, spinning around with theatrical flair as her smile turned into one of smug accomplishment...!
"Those three... are potential members for our club!" she announced with pride, practically glowing. "They said they're interested in joining our field investigation—and lo and behold—here they are~!"
"Oh, really...! Damn, Senior, did your business skill actually work...?!"
"Why, of course, my dear Junior~! My charm is simply unmatched, after all~!" Sophia boasted even more, placing a hand on her hip. "Shouldn't have doubted me, Junior—occult interest is still alive and thriving, thank you very much~! Ohoho~!"
"Heh, if you say so," he chuckled, unable to hide a small smile at her sheer enthusiasm.
But... deep down he could feel something was off about them, and he wasn't the only one sensing it.
"...Mortal."
"...Yes, Eva?"
"...Those three mortals—they reek of obnoxiousness," Evangeline remarked flatly. "I can already tell from a distance..."
"...Really?"
At Evangeline's warning, he turned and looked at the trio again... and safe to say—
They weren't exactly what he expected for supposed "occult enthusiasts."
Two of them—a young man and woman duo—
"Bubby~, this place looks so scrawry~."
"Don't worry, babe~, I'll protect you from any scary ghost or monster~!"
They stood close—way too close—whispering and lightly flirting with each other... barely paying attention to anything around them.
"...Is that how you mortals nowadays conduct courtship?" Evangeline asked, tilting her head, mildly baffled yet curious. "How... unique..."
"Well... I guess so," he whispered back to the curious ghost girl. "Though wait... I'm pretty sure this kind of thing was common even back then, right?"
"H-huh? H-how should I know?" she stammered with a blush dusting her cheeks, before a small pout formed. "A-are you implying that I'm not experienced...?!"
"The hell...? I didn't say that. I was just saying—"
"WHAT'S UP, LADS~!?! IT'S YOUR BOY HERE~!!"
"—!"
A sudden shout surprised the both of them—Sophia too! Even the couple, who were still wrapped up in their own bubble, took a brief glance... though they quickly returned to their own world.
The source of the loudness came from the last tag-along of this investigation...
"—And today... we are going to explore an abandoned hospital...!!!"
A guy holding up a small camera rig, eyes glued to his screen with a practiced grin...!
"Ah for fuck's sake... an actual damn VideoTuber..." Noah muttered, annoyed by the sudden burst of energy.
"A Video... tuber?" Evangeline echoed curiously. "Is that supposed to be a new type of potato, perhaps...?"
Noah couldn't help but scratch his head in mild frustration; not sure how he was supposed to explain this rather modern occupation.
"...Let's just say they're our new-age journalists."
"A journalist...? That loud creature is supposed to be doing journalistic work...?"
Noah just shrugged; he couldn't deny how ridiculous it was—and it was hard enough to explain it any further.
But for him... and especially Sophia... they both knew this "journalist" wasn't here for the purpose of research—
He was here purely to squeeze "abandoned hospital exploration" content out of this night for his channel.
In fact, the three of these supposed "potential new members" weren't exactly here to investigate the potential paranormal activity lurking within the abandoned hospital—even the sole 'content creator' man clearly treated the whole thing as entertainment.
No... they were just here for their own cheap 'haunted house' experience.
"...Senior," Noah called, eyeing the rather anxious Sophia, "...are you sure these people want to join the club?"
"W-wha—?!"
She was shocked; panicked even, from hearing his question that was borderline interrogation.
"W-well, of course, my dear Junior. I have full confidence that these aspiring investigators are dying to experience the truth behind the unknown...! Y-yeah..."
But instead of being convinced, Noah turned even more cautious by her words, "Sophia... please don't throw around 'dying' so recklessly."
"H-huh? W-what do you mean, Noah...?" She blinked rapidly, somewhat rattled by how suddenly he turned serious. "I-is there something wrong...?"
"...It's nothing. Just... let's avoid tempting fate tonight," he dismissed her gently, offering a reassuring smile. "Well... let's get started with our field investigation, Senior."
Sophia was still thrown off by his shift in tone, but—
"A-ah! Y-yes! Let's!"
She was snapped out of her daze, before turning toward those "potential new members."
"Everyone~! Let's begin our little expedition~!" Sophia announced cheerfully, before moving toward the entrance gate of the hospital.
She lightly pushed the rusted metal gate—
KRRRREEEEE—KCHNK!
And with a stiff, scraping groan, the gate creaked open, allowing her to enter and lead the way toward the hospital.
"Come on, everyone~!"
She beckoned the trio, who eventually followed after her at their own pace...
Meanwhile...
"Sigh... this is gonna be a pain in the ass, I tell you," Noah muttered under his breath, before turning to his ghost companion. "Are you sure that this... 'thing' is gonna appear, Eva?"
"...I can't say for sure, but I can sense a faint trace of 'it' here," she whispered quietly, eyes narrowing with worry.
"Ugh... guess we're just gonna be on our top guard tonight," he concluded with a tired half-smile. "Let's go, Eva."
"Very well..."
Thus... both mortal and ghost entered through the rusted gate, following after the others to the field investigation that was the ruined abandoned hospital.