As she stepped out into the hallway, Fumiko exhaled slowly, rolling her shoulders like she just walked off a battlefield—which, technically, she had.
"God, people are exhausting."
She muttered, sipping the last of her strawberry juice like it was victory champagne. The carton was a little warm now, but whatever. She had more important things to deal with.
Like the three idiots running full-speed down the hall toward her.
"FUMIIIIIII—"
"DON'T RUN YOU'LL—"
"—ZAKI, DON'T DROP THE—"
CRASH.
Three bodies. One wet floor sign. At least two juice boxes down.
Fumiko blinked slowly as Eugene skid to a stop beside her, glasses crooked, hair somehow more stressed than his face.
"...We said we'd walk casually, Zaki."
Zaki was already face down on the floor, holding up a crushed grape juice box like it was a dying comrade.
"He was a good man... a good, fruity man..."
Mogari, who had somehow bounced up unscathed, pointed dramatically.
"Operation Recruit Fumiko is GO! FUMIKO. We. Have. Decided."
"...You sound like you're proposing a cult."
Fumiko stared.
"It kind of is a cult," Eugene mumbled from the floor, adjusting his glasses.
"One fueled by chaos and extremely questionable leadership."
Mogari puffed up proudly.
"Anyway. I've decided to give you space—BUT! Also get to know you better."
Zaki shot up.
"So we're stalking you respectfully!"
"...That's not better."
Fumiko turned to walk away, and they panicked immediately.
"Wait wait wait—WAIT—!"
"Don't go! We brought you a gift!"
Mogari fumbled inside his bag and pulled out something—no, many things. A stress ball. Strawberry pocky. A sparkly pen with a jellyfish charm (Fumiko paused at that one). And a tiny cat plush wearing a fake exorcist robe.
"...What the hell is this?" she asked, deadpan.
"This is the official 'We're Sorry for Annoying You, Please Don't Kill Us' kit."
"It's very limited edition," Eugene added dryly. "Mogari made them. He's mass-producing them in case Zaki offends more people."
"HEY."
Zaki looked hurt. Then paused.
"...Actually fair."
Fumiko sighed, took the plush, and flicked its tiny forehead.
"Fine. One conversation. Later. But if any of you do anything stupid while I'm not looking—"
"Define stupid."
Zaki was already halfway climbing the lockers with Mogari supporting him to climb.
"Too late," Eugene said, sipping from his juice with pure resignation.
Fumiko turned back around, already walking away.
"You know what, I don't even care. I'll join your club if it means you stop throwing yourselves into janitorial equipment."
They froze.
"W-WAIT WHAT? REALLY???"
"SHE SAID YES?!?!"
"WE DID IT—SHE'S IN—FUMIKO'S IN—!"
"ZAKI PUT DOWN THE FIRE EXTINGUISHER WE DON'T NEED TO CELEBRATE THAT HARD."
Fumiko glanced back once, watching Mogari and Zaki spin Eugene around like a human Beyblade, screaming something about starting their "Ghost Force Elite Club of Justice."
She sighed again.
'Yep. I'm in a club with morons.'
But when she looked down at the jellyfish charm on the pen, her fingers curled around it just slightly.
Maybe... morons weren't so bad.
____
Back at their usual post—by the old vending machine in the school hall, now dubbed the Phantom Busters HQ by Mogari (unapproved, unvoted)—the four members lounged with varying degrees of commitment.
Fumiko had one leg against the wall, pocky stick in her mouth, eyes half-lidded like she regretted everything.
Eugene was reading the official club form for the 87th time, as if the paper would suddenly give him answers.
Zaki was upside-down on a bench for no reason. And Mogari had just declared a "Victory Juice Toast" to celebrate Fumiko's partial agreement to join.
"Okay, now that Fumiko's part of the gang," Mogari grinned, "we need to go next level. We need to reinforce our ranks."
"Reinforce like what? Bulletproof the walls?" Fumiko muttered.
"No, spirit-proof."
Zaki sat up suddenly, juice dribbling down his chin.
"Ohhh, OH. Right! I did hear about someone..."
Eugene lowered his form with interest.
"Another physic? Where? Who?"
Zaki scratched his cheek, gears slowly turning.
"He's in the same class as me I think. Weird dude. Tamon, or Tamen? Tamarin?"
"Tamon," Eugene corrected.
"Tall. Quiet. Always looks like he's listening to something that isn't there."
"Because he is," Zaki said. "They say he hears ghosts. Like, only hears them. No seeing, no possession, just voices."
Fumiko raised an eyebrow.
"He a medium or a human radio?"
Zaki flailed dramatically.
"EXACTLY! Dude's like a haunted walkie-talkie. He talks to air and sometimes laughs like someone said a joke, but no one's there."
Mogari's eyes sparkled.
"This is it. This is THE one. If he joins, we'll have all our bases covered—me for exorcising, Zaki the ghost-spotter, Fumiko the haunted host, Eugene the brain, and Tamon the ghost-whisperer."
"A full psychic bingo card," Eugene muttered.
"Wait, so what's the plan to approach him?" Fumiko asked.
Silence.
"...Plan?" Mogari echoed, blinking.
"You don't have one?"
"I thought we'd just... vibe."
"You cannot vibe with someone who listens to disembodied voices and flinches when you breathe too loud," Eugene deadpanned.
Zaki added, "He also doesn't make eye contact. Like, at all. It's like he's looking through you. I said hi once and he looked at my forehead and muttered 'not now' to the air."
"Maybe a voice was blocking the view," Fumiko said, snorting. (I dont know why i wrote this, this doesn't even make sense).
They all sat in thoughtful, confused silence for a moment.
Then—
"We tail him after school."
Mogari clapped his hands together like it was obvious.
"Observe from a distance. Get a feel for him. Like ghost club ninjas."
"You're describing stalking again," Eugene said.
"Respectful observation."
"You literally threw a juice box at a teacher yesterday."
Zaki grinned, "That was not stalking. That was a tactical distraction."
Fumiko sighed, then grabbed another strawberry pocky.
"Fine. We follow the ghost whisperer. But if he turns out to be more haunted than me, I'm out."
"Deal!"
"Operation: Tamon Acquisition begins tomorrow," Mogari declared, dramatically pointing to the ceiling as if expecting the spirits to take note.
They didn't.
But Zaki still saluted anyway.
————