Momo & "Occult boy" aka Ken couldn't be serious. They just couldn't be. The eerie glow of the moon hung low in the sky, its pale light spilling over the quiet streets of Shono City. Odette stood near the edge of the infamous tunnel, her arms crossed as she stared into the darkness.
Her striking red hair gleamed like fire under the faint glow of the nearby streetlamp, the sleek black jumpsuit clinging to her figure and exuding confidence. Yet, as confident as she looked, there was an undeniable edge of irritation simmering beneath her sharp gaze.
"There's no way y'all are serious," she muttered, shaking her head. "This is insane."
Beside her, Ken adjusted his thick-framed glasses, clearly uncomfortable. "It's not insane—it's research," he said, his voice cracking slightly. He glanced at the tunnel nervously, his hands clutching his phone as if it were a lifeline.
Odette gave him a sidelong glance. "Research? Into what? How fast we can run outta here if something actually pops out?"
Ken opened his mouth to respond, but before he could, Momo's voice came through the phone speaker, interrupting him. "Hey! I can hear you guys, you know. Quit messing around—I'm taking this seriously."
Odette sighed, lifting her own phone closer to her ear. "Momo, you're the one who dragged me out here, and now you're not even in the same place. How is that fair?"
"I told you," Momo replied, her voice faintly echoing through the connection. "I'm at Nagi Hospital. Occult-kun thinks UFOs might appear here, and I'm not about to let him win this stupid bet."
Odette pinched the bridge of her nose. "Right, because proving ghosts exist isn't crazy enough—you just had to add aliens into the mix."
Ken interjected, his tone defensive. "Aliens are real! There's actual evidence, Odette. And besides, Momo agreed to prove ghosts are real, so it's only fair I do the same for UFOs."
Odette rolled her eyes. "Fair, my ass. You're both trying to drag me into your weird obsessions. I'm not a mediator, you know."
"Well, you're here, aren't you?" Momo quipped. "Which means some part of you thinks this is worth checking out."
Odette didn't respond immediately, her eyes narrowing as she gazed into the mouth of the tunnel. The shadows within seemed to shift and writhe, but she chalked it up to her imagination. "Whatever," she finally said, shaking her head. "Let's just get this over with."
