Keepers Of The Occult (NaNoWriMo 2024) Chapter 2: Chapter 2: Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

Read chapter 2 of Keepers Of The Occult (NaNoWriMo 2024) by Mercynarie on NovelPedia.

The end of class came quickly, and Hazel was no closer to Tomoko than when she’d first walked into the classroom. A huge reason was that Hazel was shyer than a city fox. But Tomoko herself wasn’t the type to strike up conversations either, despite how often she was throwing curious glances at Hazel. It also didn’t help that she practically ignored any other attempts from her classmates to talk to her. After a few dozen attempts to try and get the new pretty Japanese girl to join their clique, the students finally gave up and left her to navigate this supposedly foreign world by herself. Hazel was no exception. It was nearly five in the evening when Hazel found herself facing the worn-out doors to the journalism club room. She wasn’t staying late because of her club activities, no. None of the club members cared about her presence anyway. It was because she didn’t really enjoy staying at home. Hazel wasn’t a foster child, but she never knew her parents, other than from the photos in her house. Her grandfather raised her, and he was the only relative she had left. She loved him deeply, of course. But he spent the days sleeping for long hours, leaving Hazel to bask in the silence of her house by herself. It wasn’t exactly the best way to foster a proper relationship with a grandchild. And so Hazel spent the rest of her time in school doing homework or reading more articles about Yokai. She didn’t have anyone to accompany her, but the chattering around the school made her feel much less alone than she did in her practically empty house. Metal jingled lightly in her hands as Hazel fished out the key to the Journalism Club Room. She pushed the door open and walked in— “Uwah!” The bespectacled girl fell on her back as she bumped into something soft. She blinked groggily, reaching for her journal as she put her glasses back on her face. Since when did the journalism club put up a blockade behind the door? “Wow, this book looks so detailed!” A breathy voice drifted to Hazel’s ears. She grasped the empty floor for a few more seconds before quickly realising what had just happened. “Tomoko Sanada? What— Huh— How did you get in here?” she sputtered, staring at the Japanese exchange student flipping through her Yokai journal excitedly. “Give that back!” Tomoko jumped a little, startled by the sudden sharpness in her tone. Her lips quivered as she backed away slightly. “I… I’m sorry for raising my voice.” Hazel dropped her voice immediately, seeing how crestfallen the girl looked. “I was just startled, and— I’m sorry, what are you here for?” “I wanted to speak with you!” Tomoko squeaked excitedly. Hazel blinked. That was a rare thing to hear. “Right,” she replied, her voice soaked in scepticism. “Is there something you need from the journalism club?” “I want to be friends.” Hazel froze again but shook her head with a small laugh. “The Journalism Club isn’t open on Thursdays. If you want to make friends, the other members will be here tomorrow—” “No, may we be friends?” Hazel furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. “Why me?” “Because I like Yokai too.” Tomoko waved Hazel’s journal with a shy smile on her face. “I heard you talking about Kitsune from outside our class. You are a very knowledgeable and playful girl. Why do you isolate yourself like so?” Hazel stepped back at the intrusive question, suddenly feeling slightly light-headed for some reason. “I… I wasn’t always like this. When I was in middle school, I loved playing pranks on my classmates. It was all very funny to me. But one day, I made a mistake. I lied to a classmate that her father was involved in an accident. She rushed out of school before I could clarify the joke with her, and she ended up missing an important exam.” Her eyes welled up with tears. What are you doing? She’s just a stranger; why are you telling her all this? “After I was found out, I was expelled for my behaviour and transferred here. I never really fitted in, but it’s better this way. My idea of fun isn’t funny