Oka was the girl to eliminate this week, yet the encounter with Ritsuko the week prior had Ayano reconsidering her course of action entirely. She had already done away with Osana and Amai via Match matching so why did she need to start using lethal force? Was there any point to it when she could easily get caught?

Kizana's blood-curdling screams haunted her dreams, making her awake in cold sweats. She had chosen to join the occult club both in figuring out how to remove Oka from her senpai's life and to better understand what had really happened that night. An experience like that was not something that she would forget any time soon…

Oka appeared to be grateful to have another member, though she was definitely proving to be difficult regarding match making. Shin looked like an option but was he interested in her?

The fact that Taro had been watching the club perform its activities had been a bonus that even Ayano could not have foresaw.

When Taro chose to sit down next to Ayano, she thought that she was going to have a heart attack with how loud her heart was beating in her head. "I remember you..." Her senpai spoke up in a friendly tone "I bumped into you the other week in the hallway, I didn't know you were a member here. What's your name?"

"Oh… My name is Ayano Aishi, senpai…" As she spoke, the world appeared to have got brighter, it sparkled slightly even. The hues of colour were brighter in her vision, the feeling of being alive never got old.

"You don't need to worry about calling me senpai all the time, you may call me Taro. Taro Yamada" He chuckled. That smile, god Ayano could feel herself smiling brightly with him. Taro regarded the pretty girl before him with curiosity.

She seemed quiet, shy but sweet. She was endearing. Though Taro knew Osana from childhood, the constant state of putting up with her loud facade was tiring. Ayano actually reminded him of Amai in a way, Osana and Amai were better off as friends but Ayano?

He wasn't sure yet.

Oka gathered everyone around and spoke quietly. "There have been rumours… of a spirit in the gym… as of late…" She explained slowly. "We must… investigate the gym. Tonight, at midnight… lets meet at the gates… Come… prepared..."

They left the club and Ayano got to walk home with Taro. It turned out that he lived in a flat on the next street on from Ayano. "I'm glad you offered to walk me home, Taro… I didn't know that you lived so close" Ayano admitted, she was slightly embarrassed as she was clearly unused to this kind of attention.

"It's alright, Ayano. I actually closer to the outskirts of town but the flat makes it easier to get to Akademi and back. I'll see you tonight" He waved her off and continued walking home. Ayano closed the front door to the house, still in shock at what had happened. She was giddy with glee, ecstatic even. Somehow, she had not scared him away and it was making her feel drunk with infatuation.

She had done some thinking over the past week in regards to what happened with the shade of Ritsuko and searched about the house for any kinds of clues...

A single tape hidden in the basement was all it took for her whole world to come crashing down into nothing.

Hearing her mother admit to whatever crimes she committed had been a shock in itself, though not exactly unexpected. Before, she would have seriously considered taking her senpai in the same way her mother did. But to hear her father essentially be held hostage by her mother had been a game changer. After that, she could no longer have the thought of keeping her senpai in the basement without wanting to throw up. Her mother claimed to love her father, how could she do that to him if that was the case.

Though, the more she thought about the more she realised that it may have been a good thing finding out about the truth. Info-Chan was clearly starting to get a little impatient with how 'friendly' she had been with her love rivals. It worried her to no end, why was she encouraging a more violent end to these girls? Why was she encouraging Ayato to harm or kill them?

Ayano shrugged off the thought for the moment and started to prepare herself for tonight.

Oka and Ayano had been the first to arrive at the Academy gates. Oka appeared slightly surprised when Ayano tried to engage in conversation with her. "Oh, is that an omamori on your bag?" She had started. The light blue bag shorn in the crisp moonlight, revealing the gold lettering and exquisite design. "Ah...Yes… My mother also… looks into the occult… she gave this to me… when I started the... club earlier this year"

"To protect you?" Ayano asked in as much a friendly tone she could give. She remembered the red and pink one that her own mother bought her when she took the exam to get into Akademi. That was sat in her room, hopefully giving her even more good luck.

Oka nodded and smiled thinking of her mother. She was currently in Okinawa. Oka tightened the loop at the top of bag as everyone else began to arrive. Taro finally appeared in an ocean blue hoodie with dark jeans and black trainers.'Blue, it suits him'Ayano noted mentally, colour flooding her cheeks. 'Perhaps I should wear blue more often…'

Oka handed out some salt to everyone "In case… the worst happens…" She murmured. They entered the academy grounds before walking towards the gym, the blanket of darkness gave it an eerie feeling. Taro walked in direction of the stage as everyone searched different areas of the gym. Ayano followed Taro until he paused at the back of the stage.

"Um, T-Taro…" She stammered to get the words out of her.

"Yes Ayano?"

"I was wondering why you joined us tonight?" She queried. Taro thought for a moment before responding. "I enjoy reading a lot of folklore and history. Things relating to the occult are mentioned often in the books I read so I suppose it was curiosity more than anything else. What about you? You're the newest member I've been told..."

The emotion of love was complicated, the burning feeling in Ayano's heart intensified as she continued. "I… had a starnge experience, recently. I'm not sure what to make of it at the moment..."

Taro perked upon hearing this "What happened?"

"Forgive me Taro but, I'm not ready to talk about it just yet. I want to understand what it could have been first… I can't explain things very well if I can't understand them, you see..." She looked away before Taro once again grabbed her attention. "When you are ready to talk about it, I'll be here waiting" He softly smiled.

Just as he finished, the room sudden went freezing cold and the lights on the stage flickered before coming to life. "What the hell?" Taro spoke with fright as Ayano noticed mist pooling by the steps to the main stage. She approached cautiously, watching her feet disappear under the mist like it was water. It swirled around her legs, she somehow felt even colder than before.

A gorgeous voice reverberated through the gym.

From what she could make out from the lyrics, the song should have been an upbeat love melody and yet the way the words were spoken made it sound more tragic. As if the singer herself was not able to come to terms with the demise of her beloved crush before she could confess her feelings to him. The thought of something like that was something Ayano had come to truly fear.

Oka could be heard screaming, pleeding for Ayano to leave the stage. Ayano tried to pull herself away yet continued to approach until she could make out some electric blue pigtails. The song continued as the figure shrouded in fog turned slowly to face Ayano.

Unlike Ritsuko, this girl looked like she could have been alive if it weren't for the two gaping holes where her eyes should have been. The girl before her wore a knee length white dress encrusted in pearls, a pair of pearl earrings could also been seen with a pair of snowy lace scrunchies in her hair.

A name wormed its way into Ayano's mind.

"Ai?"

The figure stopped singing and looked at her closely. Ai started to hyperventilate and fell to the ground. Just as Taro grabbed Ayano's shoulders, Ai let out a piecing shriek. All the windows in the gym shattered, scattering glass everywhere over the occult club members. "JOKICHI!" Ai mournfully screamed before we loudly wept. Ayano, now snapped out of her daze, realised that this must have been other girl her mother had killed.

Oka stormed the stage, throwing salt in the direction of the spirit but missing it. Ai, now enraged, threw Oka head first into the wall behind her. She slumped over, revealing a patch of red on the wall. Ayano rushed in between the two before things could escalate.

"STOP!" She belted out at the top of her lungs, shocking the spirit in silence "SHE DID NOTHING TO YOU" The figure paused, eyes focused on Ayano; Taro jumped back as the wires flexed and slithered on the stage like live snakes.

Ai regarded Ayano. she knew damn well that someone had killed her though the police deemed it a freak accident. She was actually unsure as to who had murdered her though a few people stuck out in her mind. She noted the midnight blue haired girl was bleeding. The spirit gasped, she hadn't meant to do that.

She looked back to Ayano. "You're… different" Ai spoke sadly "You're strange… but in a good way. A nice way. Please, I didn't mean to hurt her. Go look after her…" Ai stuttered, tears falling down her pale face as she vanished from sight.

Oka's head injury had luckily been a small cut with a mild concussion. She was treated quickly and on bed-rest when she had asked Ayano to speak to her privately in hospital. Ayano had wondered if she had done something to upset Oka, maybe she had ruined the investigation by going on stage? To her surprise, it was about something else entirely

"I know… what you did that night…" She had started before Ayano could explain herself" The other members told me. I… did not expect you to step in the... way that you did. You… saved my life. I know it" She tiredly admitted. Ayano shook her head "No, I was doing what was right".

Oka smiled "I liked Taro, a lot. But… I can see that there's… something special growing… between you two. I… cannot interfere with that. I'm so glad… I can call you a… real friend" Oka drifted off to sleep, leaving a touched and speechless Ayano in her wake…

As Ayano left the hospital, a feeling of real hope had been planted in her mind. Yes, she could get Taro without having to harm anyone...