Scumbag Fate System-Chapter 15: Joining The Club

Reinhard felt something tingling at the back of his neck after arriving at the Theory and Applications building.

He glanced around but saw no one. His eyes moved to the surrounding area automatically, checking the windows, doorways, and even the gap between buildings.

Still nothing.

Either paranoia, he concluded. Or becoming a Hunter is allowing me to sense something new. He didn’t dismiss the feeling. In his experience, the feeling of being watched without a visible source was either nothing or very worrying.

He’d know which one later.

Two passing girls spoke loudly enough that their words reached him easily.

"Did you notice her during lunch?"

"Yor? She’s always alone. It isn’t anything new."

The first girl lowered her voice to a whisper. "According to my third-year sister, some third-years tried to get close to her. But they started acting weird after a couple of days."

"Weird how?"

"Well, they stopped talking to their friends or even began missing classes."

The footsteps slowed.

"Huh? But the third year is the graduation year, to miss any day is-"

"Insane, but they did. But that isn’t the craziest part."

"Oh? Did something else happen?"

"They all left school."

A pause.

"And none of them were ever seen again."

"What-"

The other covered her friend’s mouth with a look of irritation while Reinhard made sure to look up before looking down. It would be weirder if he didn’t react to that shout.

"Sorry."

The girl dropped her voice even lower while making Reinhard tilt his head slightly to catch her words. "It’s fine... So anyway, they all left the school and never returned. This shocked most third years, but no explanation was given, and none of those students could be contacted after."

"That’s creepy."

"It’s. Which is why most people avoid Yor... Because they think somehow, she was the cause."

Their voices blended back into the crowd noise as they walked away, leaving Reinhard standing alone with this new information.

He stored it away in his mind, but a thought appeared. Did they leave because they wanted to? Or because something forced them to?

And did it relate to her reaction when she saw him touching her last night?

Reinhard leaned more against the wall as he thought more about it, and then he blinked before smiling.

He spotted Rika emerging from the building, her bag slung over one shoulder. She glanced around, then brightened the moment she saw him. Weaving between the few students still milling about, she hurried over. "Did you get back safely?" she asked as she approached.

Reinhard nodded and then hugged her tightly. A soft gasp escaped her as he pressed her against his chest. "Thank you," he murmured into her hair. "Last night was wonderful. You were incredible."

Her cheek rested against his shoulder, and he felt the warmth in her shirt as her cheeks flushed. "I-" she started, voice quiet and muffled. "It was great for me too."

He eased back to look at her.

Her eyes darted away, and her cheeks glowed red. "It was so nice to finally unwind," she whispered. "...It’s kind of unreal."

Reinhard laughed softly. "I’m glad it was good for you."

She smiled faintly at him. "It was."

Together they strolled across campus, leaves rustling in the evening breeze.

After a moment, Reinhard said, "I didn’t sneak back in very quietly... I ran into Yor."

Rika froze and whipped her head around. "You did? Wait!? Don’t tell me she—"

He shook his head. "I was already out of the building. She wouldn’t suspect I was walking from the female dorm, and even if she did, it wouldn’t relate to you."

She relaxed with a sigh, and they resumed walking.

"I am curious, though," Reinhard continued. "Are the rumors about her true?"

Her expression shifted, eyebrows drawing together. "You’ve heard the rumors?"

"While I was waiting for you." He crossed his arms. "And I only heard she keeps to herself."

They walked on in silence for a couple of steps before Rika nodded slowly. "That’s true. Yor doesn’t like talking to people."

"Not even her clubmates?"

She rubbed her shoulder, tracing the fabric of her uniform. "She does the bare minimum with us. Even our club president, Sirin... Who’s great at getting people to open up, can’t get more than a word or two out of her."

Reinhard nodded thoughtfully, hand resting on his chin. Then his face lit up, and he smiled at Rika. "What about you? What do you think of Yor?"

Color bloomed in her cheeks, and her fingers tapped nervously. "I feel like..." She paused, took a breath. "She wants to be friends with us, but something’s holding her back."

"Is that just a guess or something you’ve noticed?"

Rika’s footsteps slowed, eyes fixed on the ground. "It’s something I hope is the reason," she finally said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Rounding a corner, they entered an empty hallway with stone walls bathed in afternoon light from high windows. Reinhard moved swiftly, cupping her chin and leaning in to press his lips to hers.

The kiss was light and quick.

Rika’s body went stiff before melting. She stared at him, wide-eyed with a blush.

"You’re amazing, Rika." He said softly. "And I hope the same for Yor."

She blinked several times. "You do?"

He nodded. "After all, I doubt anyone likes to be alone for their whole life."

A small smile appeared on Rika’s face. It was real, and she nodded back. "I think so too."

The club building appeared ahead, looking the same as it did before. Rika’s hand found his with her fingers weaving through his as she pulled him forward.

Two guards stood at the entrance. The same ones from yesterday, the ones whose pressure had almost dropped him to his knees when he’d approached alone.

They stepped aside without a word the moment their gazes saw Rika holding his hand.

The door opened under Rika’s free hand, and cool air washed over them as they stepped inside. The space was bigger than Reinhard expected. Maps covered every wall with red thread connecting different spots across them. Pins held notes in place showing dates, temperatures, and descriptions of strange feelings people had sensed.

At the center of the room stood a tall girl holding a report in her hands. Her eyes moved across the pages without looking up. When Reinhard looked closer, he saw long golden hair that caught the light. She had beautiful blue eyes and gave off a bright sunny feeling.

That must be Sirin, the president of their club that Rika mentioned yesterday.

"Sirin," Rika quickly let go of his hand and called out. "I brought a new member to the club."

Sirin looked up before smiling as her gaze landed on Rika.

"Rika." Said softly with a kind and joyful tone. "You found a friend."

"Sirin-"

"I’m making a note of this. Date, time, the fact that you brought a boy." She wasn’t actually doing this, but the threat alone turned Rika’s face red. Sirin held out a hand toward Reinhard with the natural confidence of someone who had never doubted a handshake would be returned.

"Name?"

"Reinhard."

"Reinhard." She tested it, then set her report down. Her blue eyes moved across him once, and he instantly recognized the look of someone trying to read him.

"Rika doesn’t bring people here." She said, "From the moment she joined, you’re the first." A pause that was doing something. "So I have to ask, what exactly is it that you want with this club?"

The question was friendly, but the eyes behind it weren’t.

Reinhard met them without adjusting his expression. "I’m curious about Void Distortions, and I find the person investigating them interesting." He glanced briefly at Rika. "Both reasons seemed worth following."

Sirin held his gaze for one more second.

Then she grinned and said, "Not a bad answer, you even dared to flirt. I guess you find Rika very cute-"

"Sirin!" Rika’s voice squeaked.

"I agree, she is very beautiful-"

"Reinhard!" Rika quickly moved to cover his mouth.

Sirin’s eyes crinkled with delight. "Oh, and he plays along, too. I like this one."

"The feeling’s mutual," Reinhard replied with a slight bow. "Your enthusiasm is refreshing."

"You see?" Sirin nudged Rika’s shoulder. "Where have you been hiding him?"

Rika’s gaze dropped to her hands, which fidgeted against each other. "We just met yesterday, not a big deal."

"Well, he has my stamp of approval." Sirin’s decisive nod punctuated her statement. "This club could use more of that spark."

Some tension left Rika’s shoulders as she scanned the room. "Are we the only ones here besides Yor?"

Reinhard’s attention followed hers to a woman with blue hair, but her face was hidden by an open book. She ignored them, seemingly existing in another dimension entirely.

"Louis got called to Engineering for a professor consultation," Sirin explained with a dismissive flutter of fingers, "and Alice is downstairs raiding the cafeteria. So yes, just us four at the moment."

Rika nodded, then suddenly went still. Her eyes locked onto a map of the southern campus hanging on the wall. She moved quickly and pointed to a chalk circle drawn near the southern gardens.

"I felt something," she whispered. "A Void Distortion."

Sirin’s entire demeanor shifted in an instant. The warmth drained away, and sharp focus took its place.

"Where?"

"It’s close to my last class, by the old fountain... but it was faint."

Reinhard went still.

The tingling at the back of his neck from earlier suddenly had a different candidate. He looked at Rika, then at the map, then back at the space where the feeling had been.

A Void Distortion near the Theory building, he noted. That’s where I was standing... Yes, it might have been that.

He said nothing because he was suspicious of why he could sense it like Rika.

"So, it got stronger." Sirin’s eyes narrowed as she studied the map. "Where is it now?"

"It’s in the eastern gardens," Rika said quietly.

Sirin’s expression darkened. "That’s impossible."

Reinhard frowned. "Why?"

Sirin looked toward the window. "Because that distortion shouldn’t exist anymore."