Good god I can't apologise enough for this chapter being so late. Meant to get it out ages ago but was held up with work, but I'm going to put in effort to keep going with this story and get chapters out at a faster pace. Thanks for the patience. But first, replies!
BreeKatt: No spoilers, you'll just have to wait and see! ;)
QueenOfNerds713: I'm glad you're enjoying it and I really enjoy writing from Oka's POV, she's my favourite character too :)
Oka couldn't breath. She just stood there with her mouth slightly agape at Ayano standing there in front of her. Did she seriously want to join her club? As far as she could remember, the members she had now had been here since the beginning and she had never had someone come up and ask her to join since then.
"...y-you... actually… want to join…?" She murmured, she didn't want to get her hopes up. Maybe she mis-heard her or something, surely she didn't really want to join her club. This must have been a cruel joke set up by someone. She could imagine that they were around the door and once Ayano says "No." they'll come from around the corner and start laughing at her. But nobody would do that, right?
"Yes." The girl responded bluntly, putting her hands behind her back as she watched Oka intensely. At this, Oka felt her heart flip with surprise and elation.
"...This is wonderful news...Perhaps the world isn't such a dark and lonely place, after all…" she said softly, mostly to herself. She doubted any other club leaders got this excited about new members, but she couldn't help it. Her pale cheeks flushed and she couldn't help but smile slightly.
"What did you say?" A blunt voice broke Oka from her daze as she turned her attention back to Ayano, who was still standing there.
"Um...Anyway...You're an official member now…" She finished hastily as she turned around and went into a little drawer, pulling out a choker with a crescent moon on it. Hands still shaking a little, she handed it to Ayano, who simply nodded and put it on.
"Thank you." She said before, much to Oka's worry, she turned around and started walking back out of the door.
"W-wait, where are you going?" She squeaked, trying hard not to sound desperate. This made Ayano turn around.
"Just doing some things, I'll be back at five." She said and with that, the girl ran out of the room, leaving everyone else in the Occult room. Oka sighed lightly and stared at her feet. She wanted Ayano to stay. She didn't like how the girl kept vanishing like that, it freaked her out. It was too weird for her. Wasn't that ironic? Oka grunted, she was the leader of a club that was about scary and weird things and that was strange to her. Yeah. Ironic. She looked around at the rest of the members, who were still looking at their books and didn't seem to have any interest in anything else. She looked back at the door, hoping that Ayano would come back like she said and she wasn't going to ignore them. Oka wasn't sure how she would take it if the girl didn't come back…
Much to Oka's relief, Ayano did come back. Still blunt and aloof but still, she came back. While they -again- didn't succeed in summoning a demon, Oka didn't really care. The club had a new member, and she… possibly had a friend. This kept Oka on a high for the rest of the night, even when she didn't succeed in finding out any new information about the paranormal.
At school the next day, Oka was about to make her way onto the roof, pushing her way through the crowd of elbows and feet. As she passed the Plaza's main doors, Oka stopped in her tracks as she noticed something odd.
Musume Roanshaku was sitting alone on a bench, her hands clasped together and staring at her feet. Oka moved closer to her, this was very strange for the girl. The last time she saw her, she was socialising with the other girls, not sitting alone.
"M-Musume?" Oka reached out to put her hand on her shoulder, "A-Are you… Alright?"
"KYAA!" The girl's shriek caused Oka to almost fall backwards with fright, Musume breathed deeply for several seconds before looking at Oka. The purple eyed girl paused as she looked at Musume's expression. She looked… scared? Her face was pale and her eyes, rather than being bright with life, were dull and seemed to hold no emotion. She looked completely broken…
"Oh…it's you, uh… Orla was it?"
"It's Oka."
"Oh sorry, Oka…" she mumbled, rubbing her arm slowly and glancing away. But after a second, she paused for a moment before suddenly looking at her again, now looking alarmed.
"Oka!?" She suddenly shrieked, giving the girl another fright.
"Y-Yes? Are you alright?" Oka tried to sit next to the girl, but she immediately shot up and started backing away,
"What's wrong?" Oka asked gently, unsure as to what was scaring Musume so badly.
"J-Just g-go away!" Musume cried, shaking badly. Oka paused.
"What's the matter? Did someone hurt you?" She tried to step closer, but Musume backed away further.
"You did!"
Oka's eyes widened and her heart twisted itself in a knot. What? What did she do to Musume? All she did was talk to her yesterday! How could that have done anything?
"But… Musume, I only talked to you-"
"Exactly!" She snapped so loud that it caused a few others to turn and look at the pair, "I talked to you and then…"
"Then what-?"
"I don't know! Something happened, I got knocked out and-and…. Oh God it was so awful- I don't remember! I can't remember anything except for you!" Oka stumbled backwards, noticing that people were now staring. She gulped, struggling to get words out.
"I-I-I don't know wh-what you're t-t-talking about..." She squeaked, trying badly not to stutter and keep her nerve.
"Just stay away from me!" The girl cried again, looking as though she was going to pass out.
Oka's chest tightened as she looked around at everyone staring at her, either looking confused or slightly freaked out. Having so many eyes on her at once caused her heart to race and her breathing to quicken. What was Musume talking about!? She didn't do anything that would hurt the girl! The thought of causing someone so much pain was just too much! Her mind racing, Oka turned and sprinted out of the Plaza, tripping over her feet and running into people, just to earn more looks in return.
Oka didn't stop until she was in the one safe place she could think of: the roof. Panting from her climb, Oka gripped the handrails while breathing deeply in a veined attempt to calm herself down. Over the edge she could see into the Plaza, where people were around Musume, possibly trying to talk to her, while others simply went around their business. After a few moments, everything settled. But Oka couldn't shake off those feelings of dread and fear. She would never hurt another person! Even if they were as rude as Musume had been to her before! But now everyone probably thought she did something terrible! What was she going to do!? People already thought she was creepy and now they're thinking she did something to Musume! How could this get any worse?!
"-ka? Oka!"
Oka yelped as a voice interrupted her internal panic, shaking she turned around to see Kuu Dere and Midori Gurin standing there, both looking alarmed.
"Wh-what i-i-is it?" She stammered, trying to regain her breath.
"You were hyperventilating. What happened?" Kuu questioned bluntly, though her eyebrows were raised. Was she… worried?
"I-I-I'm fine…" she squeaked, turning away so the pair couldn't see her hugging the small blue voodoo doll against her chest, which seemed to help her calm down a little. Holding the small doll gave her a feeling of comfort and security that nothing else could come close to achieving. But the knowledge of the pair still standing behind her prevented her from fully calming down.
"Kuu? I don't Oka is okay." She heard Midori chirp worryingly behind her.
"No shit, Midori." Kuu bluntly grunted.
"Then why did she say she was?"
"How did you even get in this school in the first place, don't you have to sit an exam to get in?"
"That was an exam?"
"Oh, for the love of…"
Oka giggled slightly as she heard this going on behind her, she couldn't help it. She turned around to look at them, putting the doll under her armband again. The pair instantly stopped bickering as Oka faced them. Kuu sighed and took a step forward.
"Alright, what happened, Oka?" Kuu asked, which made the girl freeze up a little.
"Um… uh…"
"You can tell us, Oka. We won't laugh or anything." She added, Midori nodded eagerly. Oka simply sighed.
"Okay…" she sighed.
After a lot of stuttering, pauses and even a second mild attack, Oka finally managed to tell both Kuu and Midori what had happened. Though it took longer with Midori constantly cutting in to ask a dumb question every few seconds. Kuu stayed quiet the whole time, only nodding occasionally. When Oka finally finished, Kuu frowned and put her hand on her chin.
"Alright so… Musume is saying that you did something to her?"
"Y-Yes.."
"But she doesn't remember anything after she spoke to you…" She sighed lightly, "This doesn't make any sense."
"I know…" Oka writhed her hands anxiously, "B-But I'm scared that… people will th-think I did something awful to her…"
"Well did you do anything?"
"NO I DIDN'T!" Oka cried, taking several steps back, wrapping her hands around herself.
"Shut up, Midori!" Kuu snarled at the green haired girl, "She just said she didn't!" Oka felt slightly sorry for Midori as the younger girl glanced away, rubbing her arm, though she didn't appreciate being asked the same questions over and over.
"Well, you said you were in class yesterday and Musume didn't show up. Maybe something happened then?" Kuu ran her hand through her hair, looking rather puzzled. Oka simply shook her head.
"...I guess?" Oka replied, sighing, "Look I j-j-just… I just needed to... tell someone. Thanks."
"It's fine. Whatever happened to Musume had nothing to do with you. It'll pass." Kuu said just as the bell went, announcing the beginning of morning class.
"Oh, gotta go!" Oka saw a green blur run past her to the stairs and, a few seconds later, heard the sound of something falling down the stairs. Oka shook her head and sighed. She didn't want to go to class, not after all of that.
"...I wish I could just… stay up here." Oka mumbled, rubbing her arms. Kuu Dere sighed gently and took a step forward.
"If you want, I can go in first and you stay behind me. And we'll go in a bit late so I doubt anyone will focus on you when Kanon-sensei is talking, you know what she's like when students don't pay attention." Kuu responded with the usual bluntness in her voice that she was known for, though the expression on her face showed… sympathy? Oka couldn't really tell, but she still appreciated it. She didn't know Kuu would be willing to help her like that.
"Th...Thank you…" She mumbled softly, rubbing her arms. Kuu opened her mouth but shut it after darting her eyes a little.
"Well… Alright, come on. Let's go." She said in a quicker tone from usual and started heading down the stairs. Oka took out her little doll and cuddled it against her chest before going to follow Kuu down the stairs towards the third floor and their classroom.
When the pair came to the door to the classroom, Oka stayed close to Kuu Dere and kept holding onto her doll, petting it on the head. The doll always had a therapeutic effect on her. Even after five years, it still had the mixed and faded scents of her mum's perfume and dad's cologne on it. It just made her safe.
"Oka." She looked at Kuu, who was opening the door and gesturing her to follow her. Oka put the doll back under her armband and followed her inside. As she walked in behind the blue haired girl, she looked around the classroom. She squeaked as she noticed that a number of people were looking in her direction, including Musume who looked like a deer in the headlights. She stopped on the spot and felt unable to move. Oka looked at Kanon, who was looking around unhappily at her distracted students.
"I'm over here, guys!" She suddenly called out, causing everyone to look in Kanon's direction. But there were still whispers…
This distraction allowed Oka to slip to her desk without further problems. She sighed and hugged herself, trying to comfort herself and get rid of these horrible feelings. She looked to her right to see Taro sitting there. He was looking out the window, and didn't seem to notice that she was next to him. She wanted to talk to him, ask him if he had heard anything about what happened and what he thought. The thought of Taro thinking she did something to Musume would be too much for her to cope… But she couldn't bring herself to get his attention or ask. She didn't feel comfortable instigating a conversation with him. He approached her before, if he was wondering about her, surely he'd ask… Oka sighed and went to look at her books. She just wanted this day to end...
Oka ran out of class the first chance she got when it was over. She needed somewhere quiet to go. She didn't want to be around people. Not after that. She went into the front doors of the school and looked outside. The cool air blew in her face, having a calming effect in the girl. She sighed and closed her eyes.
She was overreacting, that was it. Yeah… she must be overreacting. It can't be that bad. Nobody thought she hurt Musume and this will blow over quickly. Though she couldn't get one thing out of her head…
What did happen to Musume to make her a traumatised and paranoid mess?
Oka thought for a moment. Was she attacked? No, there were no wounds or injuries. Did she see something? Maybe… but what could break someone that badly? It would have had to be something truly horrifying... She didn't want to think about it anymore. It was too much. She needed something to take her mind off of it. Maybe she could go back onto the roof and talk to Kuu and Midori again. They were a big help before, well Kuu was but Midori played her part too.
Or she could try and talk to Taro. Oka felt herself become flustered at this thought. Thinking about Taro seemed to have a soothing effect on her, his voice just made her feel… safe. She wished she could approach him confidently and speak to him. But she just felt like she couldn't. Or could she? It was worth an attempt at least, right? Turning around, Oka made her way towards the Plaza. Looking through the doors, just as she expected, Taro was sitting on the edge of the fountain and admiring the trees. He was alone at usual. And nobody seemed to be around. This was her chance!
Oka put her fist against her chest and breathed in quietly and started walking towards him. But she only got to one of the benches when she heard a voice from elsewhere in the Plaza.
"Oh!" It made Oka jump as she looked over to see Kokona Haruka get up from one of the benches and hide behind one of the trees, looking at Taro from there.
"Oh, Senpai...when will you notice how I feel about you?" She said quietly, but Oka could just hear her. Senpai? Oka frowned, why was she calling him that?
"Okay, I've made up my mind... I'll tell him how I feel this Friday! I hope he accepts my feelings…"
Those words cut through Oka's chest like a knife. She… liked Taro too? She looked at Kokona as she sat down and started eating her bento. Oka looked back at Taro, not knowing what to do now. Talking to him now would make things even worse. Kokona was one of the more popular girls in school, still very nice but popular. If she saw her talking to her crush, what would happen? And she didn't want to make Kokona feel like she had to compete for Taro. Not to mention that Taro wasn't just a prize to be fought for. And she didn't want to make him feel like he was. Maybe it was better for her just to… leave him alone. Give Kokona the chance to be with him. Something told her that he would be happier with her than he would be with her.
Sighing lowly, Oka turned around to walk back inside, but stopped as she suddenly saw Anayo standing at the door. She didn't seem to notice Oka as she was staring straight ahead toward Kokona with an expressionless face.
"Ayano?" Oka asked, making the girl jump slightly and look in her direction.
"What?" She asked bluntly in her usual tone.
"What... are you d-d-doing?"
"Out for a walk." Oka flinched slightly at the bluntness of her response.
"Oh um… I was just wondering… a-a-are you going to join in on… the club's activity today?" She asked carefully. She still couldn't quite believe that she had another member to her club, but she wanted to make sure that she wouldn't leave or abandon her.
"Yes."
"Oh good…" Oka sighed as she looked away. She still had something to hold onto. But when she looked up again, as she expected, Ayano had vanished. Oka sighed and started walking to her club, maybe reading a good book or something would make her feel better.
"Oh, um… Oka?" The said girl stopped in her tracks and turned around to see Saki Miyu standing behind her. Oka paused for a moment, she hadn't spoken to Saki before and had only seen her around Kokona. She didn't know anything about her.
"Um… Yes, Saki?" she squeaked.
"I was just wondering…" Saki rubbed the back of her neck and glanced away, "This is ...really embarrassing…"
"What? I-I-I won't laugh…" Oka took a step forward, what was worrying Saki so much?
"Well...I lost...my bra...somewhere at school...and I can't find it anywhere…" She answered finally. Oka's eyes widened in surprise. Her bra? Why would her bra be anywhere around school?
"Uh, w-why is-?"
"D-Don't ask me why my bra is missing!" Saki put her hands up and shook her head, worryingly. "It's a long story, okay? The point is, if you find a bra lying around, it's mine, and I would really appreciate it if you'd return it to me! Oh, god...this is so embarrassing…"
Oka blinked and didn't answer for a moment. This was a very weird request. Why would she have her bra in the school? It didn't make sense.
"Hmm… Um… I-I-I'm sorry, Saki… I haven't seen a bra… but I'll t-t-tell you if I see it…" Oka mumbled carefully, remembering how badly Musume reacted to her refusing to help her. Saki sighed and folded her arms.
"Okay…" she huffed but still gave Oka a slight smile, "Thanks anyway, Oka."
"I will tell you… i-i-if I find it…"
"I know." Saki took a step forward, making Oka take a step back, "Also… I've been hearing about Musume and what happened." Oka felt her eyes widen and her her stomach twisted into a tight knot.
"N-N-Nothing happened!" Oka, her heart twisting a number of times and she took more steps back, her knees starting to shake as she started to worry again.
"No, no, Oka! It's okay!" Saki reached a hand out, "I believe you!" Oka stopped walking backwards. She did?
"Y-Y-You do?" She squeaked, still shaking slightly.
"Yes, I do! The whole thing is just… it makes no sense. I don't know you that well, Oka, but I know for a fact that you wouldn't hurt someone."
Oka looked at the ground and was unable to stop herself from smiling a tiny bit and blushing slightly. Someone else had her back… maybe it wasn't going to be so bad after all.
"T-T-Thank you, Saki…" she mumbled softly, "I appreciate it..."
"It's okay. Try to ignore people who say otherwise, and Kokona and I will help if we can."
"Wait, Kokona?"
"Yeah, you see… she knows how it feels to have lies spread around about her."
"Oh…" Oka sighed, she didn't know that about Kokona. Maybe they weren't so different after all. She looked at Saki again and gave her a small nod.
"Well, I should go and get something to eat, I'll see you around, Oka!" Saki said as she walked away, giving Oka a small wave as she left. Oka raised her hand and waved slightly before turning around and walked towards to the Occult Club. All she could do was pray that things would continue to look up like this, but who knows?
Reviews are your friend! ;)