Failed Yandere (YKMRO)

Chapter 16

Ayoshi is on his way home because today is one of the days his club didn't have to meet. He looked around, noticing a sign above a door and it said Occult Club. He saw that the other door to the room was open and walked over to it to see inside. Inside the room, he saw several students dressed in a gothic style. They were in a circle, surrounding markings on the floor and chanting strange things.

The tallest one of the group grabbed a knife that was inserted into a skull. He used it to prick his finger, drawing a small drop of blood. He pressed it to the center of the markings. The others quieted down while he moved his lips quickly as words, that Ayoshi could not understand, came out of him. When he finished, the entire group looked around, seeming to see for any reaction, but one never came.

Oko sighed in disappointment. He cleaned the knife and put it back inside the skull. When he turned around, he noticed Ayoshi standing in the doorway. Ayoshi looked around the room and then back at them. Thinking that Ayoshi was another student here to make fun of him and his friends, he walked up to Ayoshi, ready to give him a piece of his mind. He was sick and tired of everyone making fun of them just because their interests were different. He was usually very shy and avoided confrontation at all costs, but he had to stand up for his friends and for himself. "May... may I help you?" He stuttered out.

Ayoshi looked at Oko up and down, noticing the band around his arm and that he was the club president. He became interested and wanted to see more of what the club did. "Mm, can I see more?"

Oko looked a little taken aback and he frowned. "Why? So you can laugh with your friends about your experience with all the weird kids of the Occult Club later?"

Ayoshi looked at him with slight confusion. "I just want to learn more about what you were doing. It looked interesting."

Oko looked skeptical, "Really?"

Ayoshi hummed a yes and nodded.

Oko looked a little doubtful, but he let Ayoshi in. He hated how others judged what they did without knowing anything about the occult. He was going to teach Ayoshi so that he could make a proper judgment and led him to the others.

Ayoshi noticed that they all seemed very reserved.

"Let me introduce myself. I am Ruto Oko, the president of the Occult Club." He then introduced the other club members to Ayoshi.

"My name is Aishi Ayoshi."

"Welcome to the Occult Club. If you have any questions, please ask. We will try to answer your questions to the best of our ability," Oko said.

"What were you doing just now?"

"We were doing a ritual. We do one at the start of our meetings to see if we can summon a demon."

"What type of demon?"

"Well, the demon we tried to summon is a demon of love."

"Why a love demon?"

Oko side-eyed one of his club members, who blushed and looked away. "One of my members is in love and we tried to summon a love demon to aid them. In fact, we not only try summoning rituals just to see if we can summon one, we also do it if we have problems and need help with something," he explained as Ayoshi noticed him relaxing in his presence.

"So you have done these rituals multiple times? With all sorts of different demons?"

Oko's face grew excited, "Yes! There are all different species of demons. Love demons, lust demons, fire demons, and there are also types of demons who don't have a special skill. If they are summoned, they grant your request, but for something in return, of course. We try to summon as many as we can."

As Ayoshi asked more and more questions, Oko and the others grew comfortable with him. They feel like Ayoshi was really here because he wanted to learn more about their club. They all felt proud. No one had ever been genuinely curious about what they did. People who asked before just asked to make fun of them behind their backs, it hurt them very much. They didn't understand why students were so mean to them just because they liked something different. Before, they would become so happy when someone became interested in their interest, but in the end, it would just end up as some cruel joke. Over time, they became very defensive when someone asked about their club, putting their guard up.

Oko, the one who was the most hurt, no matter how many times he was tricked into someone's entertainment, always gave people a chance. He wanted to share his passions with someone, but in the end, he always ended up in tears. He came to his fellow club members and friends for comfort, but what drew the last straw... the most humiliating time in his life.

Ayoshi noticed how everyone visibly relaxed around him. However, Oko seemed to still be a bit on the fence, because he still couldn't understand why Ayoshi was interested in their club. He was a little embarrassed at having Ayoshi's undivided attention, no one had ever given him the time of day. So it felt strange to have someone's eye only focused on him, 'Especially when they're so cute.' His thoughts embarrassed him even more, making his face flush red. He couldn't handle it anymore, "Ple-please stop looking at... at me like that!"

Ayoshi tilted his head, "Like what?"

"Nev-nevermind, any more questions?" Oko asked, trying to change the topic.

"How many times have you successfully summoned a demon?"

The atmosphere turned awkward, the club members were too embarrassed to look at Ayoshi. They were comfortable with him, but they were still scared of his judgment.

Oko's face flushed red and he looked down as his eyes turned gloomy. "Well... you see... we actually haven't... haven't actually had a successful... summons," he stuttered out as his face turned dim. He fiddled with his fingers and picked his skin. He glanced up at Ayoshi and he looked exactly the same.

"Sometimes you have to fail a few times to accomplish what you desire. I'm sure one day you will successfully summon a demon." Ayoshi's words soothed their worries.

Oko looked at the time, then at his club members. "Ok everyone, it looks like we still have time." Their faces were mostly expressionless throughout their interaction, but when they heard him say they had time for something, their faces grew slightly excited. He looked back at Ayoshi, "Aishi-kun, after our summoning we like to go around the school and investigate The Seven Mysteries of Akademi High."

"What are The Seven Mysteries of Akademi High? Why are you investigating?"

"They are a series of legends the school has and we're out to prove the legends are true to everyone. Would you like to join us?"

"Mm," Ayoshi agreed as he gently nodded his head.

"Great, today we're going to be investigating the legend of the Old Wooden Piano in one of the school's storage rooms. This is mystery number four. We already investigated mysteries one through three," Oko explained what they were going to do, then told everyone to prepare. He got a few things, including a camera, and everyone else finished gathering up their things. "Ok everyone, let's go."