Miko Yotsuya stood frozen beside them.
From what this Rio Futaba was saying...
Was joining the club actually negotiable?
This gave Miko a rather absurd little shock.
At the same time, a suspicion arose in her mind.
She'd thought it strange when Ye Xing came up with the club name.
If it had just been called the Supernatural Research Society, even if the name was odd, it would at least match the club's purpose.
After all, both she and Ye Xing could be considered psychics with Mystic Eyes who could see evil spirits and spectres.
But why tack on 'quantum mechanics' out of nowhere?
Looking at the current situation...
Had Ye Xing already planned to use those four characters - 'quantum mechanics' - from the start to attract Rio Futaba's interest?
The more Miko thought about it, the less sense it made.
So she simply put it out of her mind.
"Benefits? Of course, there are benefits."
Facing Rio's question, Ye Xing directly took a key from his pocket and placed it gently on the table.
"This is...?"
"The key to the club room."
Ye Xing met Rio's eyes behind her glasses and smiled as he spoke.
"Miko and I only need to consult you about certain matters. Normally, we won't stay in this club room. If you agree to join and provide whatever assistance you can, this room is yours to use as you please. You can decorate it however you like and do whatever you want inside."
The condition Ye Xing offered struck right at Rio's weak point.
Rio Futaba was an unsociable girl, one might even say ostracised by her peers.
She'd only come today because the club name contained those two words - 'quantum mechanics' - holding a faint hope of finding like-minded friends.
Now it seemed she wouldn't find any kindred spirits.
But having a club room all to herself wasn't a bad outcome either.
Let me ask, which period do students who are ostracised and isolated by their peers find the hardest to adapt to?
It's not during class.
It's the breaks and lunchtimes—when freedom is at its highest and activities are unrestricted.
Precisely because they can move freely, Rio Futaba felt like a fish placed on a chopping board during breaks and lunchtimes, desperately struggling yet unable to breathe under everyone's gaze. It was truly unbearable.
For her, a clubroom where she could avoid her classmates' eyes and be alone in peace was no different from an oasis in the desert.
This condition was indeed too tempting.
However, Rio didn't immediately agree. Instead, she adjusted her glasses and sat opposite Ye Xing, speaking in a calm tone.
"So, what exactly does 'providing assistance' entail?"
"It's a bit complicated. It might be simpler if you see for yourself."
Ye Xing pulled out a white notebook from his pocket—identical in design to the one he had previously shown Miko Yotsuya, though a different colour—and handed it to Rio.
"Eh, what's this!?"
Miko's expression changed. Could this be the diary Ye Xing used to record his daily life?
For most people, having their diary peeked at would at most be a little embarrassing, something to be mocked by classmates for a while.
But for Ye Xing, it was entirely different.
His wasn't a diary.
It was an exorcism manual.
Wouldn't showing this to Rio cause problems?
"No issue."
Ye Xing remained completely unfazed.
Of course, he wasn't foolish enough to hand over the original records to an ordinary person like Rio.
Leaving aside whether she could accept the existence of evil spirits and spectres in the world, the most important thing was that he needed someone who could maintain an outsider's perspective—someone who could rationally analyse information and draw conclusions.
As the saying goes, those involved are blinded, while bystanders see clearly.
To achieve this, Ye Xing had altered all references to evil spirits, his own abilities, and the various Gates scattered across Kyoto, renaming and describing them differently.
"This…"
Rio opened the notebook. As she read its contents, a complicated look surfaced in her eyes behind her thick glasses.
After a long while, she finally looked up at Ye Xing with a peculiar expression and tentatively asked,
"You... aren't... a chuunibyou, are you?"
Rio was indeed shocked by the notebook's contents.
But not in the way Miko had imagined—not the shock of discovering the truth about the world.
Rather, it was the kind of shock that comes from secondhand embarrassment.
After Ye Xing's "embellishments," all the terms in the notebook had transformed into the kind of fantastical words dripping with the chuunibyou flair of an adolescent boy.
For example, evil spirits and spectres were referred to as "the envoys of Satan, lurking in the shadows, capable of destroying the human world."
As for the various Gates around Kyoto, they were described as "supply points for Satan's envoys, enhancing their power and influencing the real world."
With all these exaggerated additions, though the meaning remained unchanged and wouldn't hinder Rio's analysis, the overwhelming impression was one of chuunibyou.
Given the level of detail in the notebook's contents, if some chuunibyou girl found it, she'd probably enshrine it like a holy text.
"What chuunibyou? Don't talk nonsense."
Ye Xing abruptly stood up, his deep black eyes seeming to reflect the raging fires of hell. His clothes billowed without wind as he spoke in an extremely grave tone.
"I am the chosen one, the sole hope selected by the heavens to save this collapsing world! A fated child with unbound potential!"
Rio Futaba remained silent.
As expected.
This guy... is definitely a chuunibyou case!!!
Still, just humouring his delusions in exchange for a private clubroom...
That's actually a pretty good deal.
Moreover, deep down, Rio harboured a thought she herself was reluctant to admit.
The notebook's contents might be chuunibyou, but...
They were kind of interesting?
"Fine. Let me share some personal conclusions I've drawn after reading it. Firstly—"
"Wait."
Before Rio could continue, Ye Xing raised a hand to stop her, smiling at Miko Yotsuya.
"Miko, could you go buy me a cola?"
"Pepsi?"
"Don't be disgusting."
"Room temperature?"
"Are you trying to make me vomit?"
Miko thought she'd finally managed to crack Ye Xing's composure. Nodding in satisfaction, she left.
She wasn't stupid—she knew Ye Xing was deliberately sending her away—but she didn't mind.
After all, she could barely understand the bizarre exchanges between those two anyway.
Only after Miko had left did Ye Xing turn back to Rio.
"Go on."
"Very well."
Rio nodded slightly before speaking thoughtfully.
"If we treat everything in this notebook as real events, then the most critical issue at this stage..."
"Is ensuring the two 'protagonists' can eliminate Satan's supply points at a rate that at least matches their regeneration speed."
"Otherwise, we'll reach the bad ending—what games call a BAD END."