Urban Legend: The Anonymous Inviter

You're Rover, right?

The forbidden stories, the unexplainable phenomena... the stuff of campus legend. Ever heard 'em?

Wow, cliche much?

A classroom sealed shut by a grudge, trapping anyone who dares enter. A ghost train that runs on an endless, empty track. And then...

There's the garden. Every night, at the stroke of midnight... a piercing, shrill wail cuts through the silence.

The lab coats call it "low-frequency Void Storm interference." But the believers know it's the vengeful spirit of a senior who cracked under the pressure, now forever screaming his misery...

Who asked???

Which one is more absurd? Which one... is the truth?

Hehe, why not come find out for yourself?

Midnight. The garden. Be there if you've got the guts. If not... well, I guess you're one of those "early to bed" people.

Seriously, who are you?

Who am I? Hehe, that's a secret. But you can call me—

"The Urban Legend Messenger."

Tick tack, tick tack—

Creeeak—Tick tack—Thump, thump, THUMP…

You. Have. Arrived... I. Have. Been. Waiting. For. A. Very. Long. Time.

OW! OW! OW!

Oh, oh no! What's this? Someone, help me, pleaassse!

...You're not even trying. That's, like, negative on the scare scale.

So, uh… you showed up way faster than I expected.

Okay, technically, yes. I didn't send them to just anyone. I only message people I've judged to be capable, courageous, and curious enough to face the unknown. People like you, Rover.

I've heard of you. Observed you, even. And now, finally, you answered the call.

Welcome to the Paranormal Fan Club's... entrance trial.

Let me introduce myself! I'm Mayo, the new leader of the Paranormal Fan Club!

"Just about club recruitment?" Excuse you! We are a premier investigative organization!

We're the Academy's paranormal frontier! Legend-Chasers! Rift-Watchers! We witness the scary stuff up close!

Fine, fine… Everyone's drowning in coursework. Nobody has the time to go chasing the unexplainable anymore. The drop-off rate has been getting worse...

If this keeps up, forget becoming an official club, we'll get shut down!

So... I've sworn to gather new top-tier talents!

Uh-uh, I know what you're thinking, but the paranormal and science aren't at odds with each other. They're just different ways of explaining and studying the unknown. Don't you dare think that makes us lesser.

And these unexplainable phenomena? They aren't unfounded! They really exist.

Something that keeps building itself from nothing? A broadcast that plays at 3 AM when no one's there? A doll that returns no matter how far you throw it? All of these have been documented, investigated, and verified by us, the Paranormal Fan Club.

YES!! See?! You share our way of thinking! You and this club were meant to be!

Now that you're here, I'm not letting you escape. A talent like you? Mine now!

And don't you worry! We might not be "official" on paper, but our budget and member benefits are just as good!

Pay attention to sounds that shouldn't exist. Look for lights with no source. Watch for shadows that shouldn't be there. The paranormal hides in ordinary corners.

Verify or debunk their existence, and bring back solid proof of your claim.

And who knows, the next campus legend… might have your name on it.

Hello. Please don't be alarmed by this unexpected message.

Mayo? Finally changed your username, huh?

This is a group message, and a formal farewell to everyone who was, might have been, or still is a member of our club.

She's not responding… Is this just a mass message?

We regret to inform you that due to dwindling membership and the lack of personnel to keep our activities running, the Paranormal Fan Club will be officially disbanded, effective tomorrow.

A farewell? This is so sudden...

The truth is, we have not been able to organize a proper event in nearly half a year. Everyone's been living their own lives, free and unburdened. Does anyone even watch for the strange and unexplained anymore? No, forget my pointless rambling. Thank you all for your support and attention up until now.

For the next two days, we will be holding a farewell gathering in the Academy gardens. If you left anything in the clubroom, feel free to retrieve it.

And if you, like us, feel saddened by this farewell, you are welcome to drop by.

(The Paranormal Fan Club is going to be disbanded…? What happened? Didn't Mayo say she was still recruiting? How did it come to this?)

(I've gathered a lot of evidence about those urban legends... Maybe it can still help. I should go.)

So this really is… the end?

I still can't accept it. If only… If only we still had Mayo…

Yeah… but after tomorrow, there won't be a Paranormal Fan Club anymore.

Don't look so upset. There's nothing any of us can do about it.

Every story has to end. What matters is that it gets a proper ending.

What? Mayo? You don't know? She went missing half a year ago during an urban legend field investigation.

Considering how long we haven't held any activities, it's not strange that {Male=he;Female=she} didn't know… You only joined the club recently, didn't you?

Right, sorry. It's just… I still get worked up whenever someone mentions Mayo.

She was our leader. Our heart. Her passion for the unexplained was stronger than anyone's, as was the initiative she took...

She investigated the Midnight Train alone. She sent back the video of the Route Constructor that rainy night. Someone like her… Of course, someone like her wouldn't come back...

You mean the disbandment message? Oh, I sent it...

No, I mean I saw her not long ago. Right here. She's the one who invited me to join.

We've called each other several times. About the train, the Constructor... all the legends you just mentioned.

Wh-what? You're not joking, are you?!

That's impossible. After she went missing, we searched for her signal everywhere. Nothing. Not a single trace. Some even think she got caught in a Void Storm… or in one of the urban legends she was chasing.

Honestly, we don't know where she went. It's like she became an urban legend herself.

And if she did come back, why wouldn't she come to us? Everyone's been waiting for her...

Reverberations of the departed... or lingering obsessions. I've seen similar phenomena in other places.

Maybe she didn't have the strength to do more. Or maybe she herself didn't realize… that she had already passed away.

Thinking back, there were strange things about our interactions. But I don't think she was trying to hide anything.

No, no... I just can't accept this!

But haven't we always chased the unexplained? You said it yourself... "It's like she became an urban legend herself."

But is that even possible…?

Compared to her being dead or gone forever... I'd rather believe this. If we one day solve all these mysteries, maybe we'll find her again.

So... if what you saw really was Mayo... why did she come to you? What was she trying to do?

The club...? But we've already decided to disband it.

No one talks about these legends anymore. We can't even get a decent sighting. At this rate, we'd just become an empty shell of who we used to be.

We'd rather end it on our own terms, while it still means something.

These are the records from the urban legends she guided me to investigate. Whether you disband the club or not is your decision, but if you want to continue… you can start from here.

She once told me, "Pay attention to sounds that shouldn't exist. Look for lights with no source. Watch for shadows that shouldn't be there." As long as someone is still listening, they won't disappear.

…Mayo? Is that you?