Ren slouched outside the "Supernatural Investigation Club" room, seriously considering making a run for it. But before he could enact his daring escape plan (aka walking quickly in the opposite direction), the door flew open.

"Ren! You came!" Haruki beamed, his blue hair somehow even more electric than usual. "I knew you couldn't resist the call of the paranormal!"

"Yeah, that's definitely why I'm here," Ren muttered, reluctantly shuffling inside. "Not because you threatened to camp outside my house if I didn't show up."

The club room looked like a tornado had hit a conspiracy theorist's garage sale. Blurry photos of "ghosts" (mostly lens flares and Haruki's thumb) covered one wall. The other was plastered with a web of red string connecting newspaper clippings about everything from crop circles to missing socks.

"Behold!" Haruki gestured dramatically to a table covered in what looked like junk shop rejects. "Our latest paranormal detection equipment!"

Ren eyed a contraption that appeared to be a colander welded to a bicycle pump. "Uh-huh. And what exactly does that detect? Bad fashion choices?"

"Very funny," Haruki rolled his eyes. "This baby can sense temporal distortions from up to five meters away!"

Ren felt a bead of sweat form on his forehead. "That's... oddly specific."

As Haruki launched into a convoluted explanation involving quantum mechanics and conspiracy theories, Ren subtly flicked his wrist. Time slowed just enough for him to nudge the "temporal distortion detector" off-kilter without Haruki noticing.

The door burst open again, revealing a familiar face framed by perfectly average brown hair.

"Hello!" Miyu chirped. "I'm here to join the most average club in school!"

Haruki blinked. "Average? But we're the Supernatural-"

"Yes, yes," Miyu interrupted, already filling out a membership form. "Perfectly ordinary. Nothing strange here at all. That's why I'm joining!"

Ren caught Haruki's bewildered look and shrugged. "Well," he said, fighting back a grin, "looks like the club just got a little more... super natural."

Haruki's face lit up like a Christmas tree. "Super natural? You're right, Ren! This is a sign from the cosmos!"

Ren's grin faltered. "Wait, no, that's not what I-"

But Haruki was already off, pacing the room with manic energy. "Think about it! Miyu joins our club, claiming it's average. But what if she's actually a supernatural entity trying to blend in? It's the perfect cover!"

Miyu looked up from her form, blinking owlishly. "I assure you, I'm perfectly normal. Absolutely average in every way."

"That's exactly what a supernatural entity would say!" Haruki exclaimed, pointing dramatically.

Ren pinched the bridge of his nose. "Haruki, come on. Not everyone is a-"

"Aha!" Haruki interrupted, diving for his colander-pump contraption. "My temporal distortion detector will reveal the truth!"

As Haruki approached Miyu with his janky device, Ren subtly flicked his wrist. Time slowed just enough for him to stick his foot out, causing Haruki to trip. The "detector" flew from his hands, clattering to the floor in pieces.

Time snapped back to normal as Haruki face-planted with a yelp.

"Oh no," Ren deadpanned. "How clumsy. Now we'll never know if Miyu's secretly a time-traveling alien."

Miyu nodded sagely. "Yes, very unfortunate. Tripping is such an average thing to do, though. I approve."

As Haruki scrambled to reassemble his device, muttering about cosmic interference, Ren caught Miyu's eye. For a split second, he could've sworn he saw a glimmer of... something.

But then it was gone, replaced by her usual bland expression. Ren shook his head. Great. Now Haruki's paranoia was rubbing off on him.

As Haruki fumbled with his "temporal distortion detector" (which looked suspiciously like a colander glued to a bicycle pump), the club room door creaked open. Yuki peeked in, her face redder than a tomato in a sauna.

"S-sorry I'm late," she stammered, inching into the room like she was crossing a minefield. "I got caught up in... um... things."

Ren felt a familiar twinge in his stomach. Great. Just what he needed - more chaos. And here he thought today might actually be chill.

"Things, huh?" he said, keeping his voice neutral. "Must've been some pretty exciting things to make you late to this thrilling club meeting."

Yuki's eyes darted around the room like ping-pong balls in a tornado. "Oh yes, things. Like... breathing. And... not spontaneously combusting."

‘Not spontaneously combusting?’ Ren thought. ‘Well, that's setting the bar pretty low for a normal day. Should I be concerned that was even a possibility?’

"That's great, Yuki," Ren said, keeping a straight face. "Always good to avoid spontaneous combustion. It really puts a damper on the school day."

Yuki's face turned an even deeper shade of red. "Oh! I didn't mean to imply that I might... I mean, it's not like I'm prone to... Oh no, now you probably think I'm some kind of fire hazard!"

"-and that's why you're all clearly part of an intergalactic time-traveling conspiracy run by sentient tea leaves!" Haruki finished triumphantly.

Ren blinked, disoriented. "Right. Well, that's... something. Remind me to switch to coffee."

Yuki nodded rapidly, looking like she might faint. "V-very interesting. Is this... normal for your club? Not that I think you're not normal! You're very normal! Exceptionally normal! The most normal-"

"I think we get it, Yuki," Ren interrupted gently, saving her from further verbal flailing.

The bell rang, signaling the end of the club meeting. Ren was about to make a hasty exit when Haruki blocked his path, eyes gleaming with excitement.

"Ren, you can't leave yet! We have an urgent mission!"

Ren groaned internally. "Urgent mission? Haruki, it's a school club, not a spy agency."

Haruki ignored him, turning to address the rest of the club. "Tonight, we venture into the abandoned shrine in the woods. It's a hotspot for paranormal activity!"

Yuki's eyes widened. "T-the shrine? Isn't that place... haunted?"

Haruki nodded vigorously. "Exactly! We need to investigate and document any supernatural occurrences."

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Ren felt a chill run down his spine. Something about the idea of investigating an abandoned shrine at night didn't sit right with him, but he couldn't put his finger on why.

"Uh, Haruki, maybe we should stick to investigating the school grounds," Ren suggested. "You know, start small and work our way up to haunted shrines?"

Haruki's eyes gleamed with an almost manic enthusiasm. "Nonsense! The shrine is the perfect place for our investigation. We can't let this opportunity pass us by!"

Ren sighed, realizing there was no way out of this. He glanced at Yuki, who was nervously fiddling with her hair.

"I-I'll come too," Yuki said softly, her cheeks turning pink. "I mean, if that's okay with everyone."

Haruki beamed. "Of course! The more, the merrier. We'll need all the help we can get to uncover the supernatural secrets lurking in that shrine!"

As the club members dispersed, Ren caught Yuki's eye. She gave him a shy smile, and he felt a pang of... something. Concern? Guilt? Or maybe just indigestion from that questionable cafeteria curry.

"Great," Ren muttered to himself as he left the club room. "A haunted shrine at night. What could possibly go wrong? Other than everything, of course."

***

As the group hikes to the abandoned shrine in the woods, Ren uses his powers to navigate obstacles effortlessly. The forest path is littered with fallen branches, slippery moss-covered rocks, and the occasional surprise mud puddle.

Ren, walking slightly ahead, subtly slows time to sidestep a hidden root here, or teleport over a particularly treacherous patch of mud there. To his classmates, he appears to have an uncanny knack for finding the safest path.

"Wow, Ren," Yuki says, her cheeks pink from the exertion (and possibly from talking to Ren). "You're really good at this hiking stuff."

Ren shrugs, trying to play it cool. "Just lucky, I guess."

Haruki, bringing up the rear with his backpack full of "paranormal detection equipment," narrows his eyes suspiciously. "A little too lucky, if you ask me. Almost... supernaturally so."

Before Ren can come up with a suitably mundane explanation for his forest prowess, a familiar voice cuts through the trees.

"Hey guys! Wait up!"

Kenji comes crashing through the underbrush, twigs in his hair and a determined grin on his face. "I heard you were going on a super-secret mission and I couldn't miss out!"

Ren sighs internally. Great. Because this expedition wasn't chaotic enough already.

"Kenji," he says, "how did you even know we were out here?"

Kenji puffs out his chest. "I have my sources."

"Kenji," Ren sighed, "you do realize this is a club activity, right? And you're not actually in the club?"

Kenji waved his hand dismissively. "Details, details. I'm here now, aren't I? Besides, you guys might need my expertise!"

"Expertise in what?" Haruki piped up, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. "Are you perhaps... an undercover paranormal entity as well?"

"What? No!" Kenji looked offended. "I meant my expertise in... uh... forest... stuff."

Yuki, who had been quiet until now, spoke up softly. "Um, Kenji? You got lost trying to find the bathroom at school last week."

Kenji's face reddened. "That was different! The school is like a maze. This is nature. I'm totally in my element here."

As if on cue, Kenji took a step forward and promptly tripped over a root, face-planting into a conveniently placed mud puddle.

Ren couldn't help but smirk. Well, at least Kenji's providing some entertainment. And taking the attention off me for once.

As they helped Kenji up, Haruki's equipment started beeping erratically. "Aha!" he exclaimed. "The spirits of the forest are communicating with us!"

"Or it's picking up Kenji's wounded pride," Ren muttered under his breath.

Suddenly, Kenji looked around, his brow furrowed. "Hey, where's Hana? I thought she'd be here."

Ren raised an eyebrow. "Hana? Why would my sister be here?"

Kenji's eyes widened, realizing his mistake. "Oh, uh... no reason! Just thought... you know... more the merrier?"

Haruki's eyes narrowed even further. "Interesting... Kenji's sudden appearance... asking about Hana... Could this be part of a larger conspiracy?"

Ren rolled his eyes. "Or it could be that Kenji has a crush on my sister and was hoping she'd be here."

Kenji sputtered, his face turning an impressive shade of red. "What? No! I mean... that's not... I just..."

Yuki giggled softly, then quickly covered her mouth, looking embarrassed at drawing attention to herself.

Ren sighed. "Come on, let's keep moving. The sooner we get to this shrine, the sooner we can go home and pretend this never happened."

As the group emerged from the forest, the abandoned shrine loomed before them, its weathered wooden structure barely visible in the fading light. Ren felt a strange tingling sensation, different from his usual power surges. Something about this place felt... off.

"We're here!" Haruki announced triumphantly, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "The epicenter of paranormal activity in our town!"

Yuki inched closer to Ren, her face pale. "I-it looks kind of creepy, doesn't it?" she whispered.

Ren nodded, trying to ignore the growing unease in his stomach. "Yeah, it's definitely got that 'haunted shrine' vibe down pat."

As they approached the shrine steps, Ren suddenly stumbled, nearly face-planting on the worn stone. He blinked in confusion. That was weird. He couldn't remember the last time he'd actually tripped over something.

"You okay there, Ren?" Kenji asked, appearing out of nowhere and slapping Ren on the back. "Don't tell me you're scared of a little haunted shrine!"

"I'm fine," Ren muttered, straightening up. "Just... wasn't watching where I was going."

Haruki was already setting up his equipment, a hodgepodge of modified household appliances that looked more likely to cause a fire than detect ghosts. "Everyone spread out!" he commanded. "We need to cover every inch of this place!"

As the others began to explore, Ren hung back, trying to get his bearings. He attempted to slow time, just a little, to give himself a moment to think. Nothing happened. His eyes widened in panic. He tried again, focusing harder. Still nothing.

Oh no, Ren thought, a cold sweat breaking out on his forehead. My powers... they're not working. Why aren't they working?

"Ren!" Yuki called out, her voice trembling slightly. "Could you... could you come look at this with me? I think I saw something move over here."

Ren swallowed hard, realizing he was about to face a genuinely spooky situation without his usual safety net. "Sure thing, Yuki," he said, his voice cracking slightly. "I'm right behind you."

Ren took a deep breath, trying to steady his nerves. He'd never felt so... normal before. And it was terrifying.

As he approached Yuki, he could see her trembling slightly in the dim light of the abandoned shrine. Her eyes were wide, darting nervously between Ren and the shadowy corner she'd been pointing at.

"What exactly did you see?" Ren asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Before Yuki could answer, Haruki's voice boomed from behind them, making both Ren and Yuki jump.

"Aha! I knew it! This shrine is a hotbed of paranormal activity!" Haruki exclaimed, waving his homemade "ghost detector" around wildly. The device, which looked like a colander with Christmas lights attached, was beeping erratically.

Ren rolled his eyes, momentarily forgetting his own unease. "Haruki, I'm pretty sure that thing is just picking up on your overactive imagination."

Suddenly, a loud crash echoed through the shrine. Yuki let out a small scream, instinctively grabbing Ren's arm. Under normal circumstances, this would have sent Ren into a panic, likely making him trigger his powers. But now, he just felt... well, panicked in a very ordinary way.

"W-what was that?" Yuki stammered, her grip on Ren's arm tightening.

"Probably just the wind," Ren said "This place is pretty old, after all."

As if on cue, Kenji's voice rang out from the direction of the noise. "Ow! Stupid... who puts a bucket in the middle of a shrine anyway?"

Ren let out a sigh of relief, which quickly turned into a groan of exasperation. "Kenji? What are you doing here?"

Kenji emerged from the shadows, rubbing his shin and grinning sheepishly. "Oh, hey guys! Fancy meeting you here. I was just, uh... taking a shortcut. Through this abandoned shrine. In the middle of the woods. You know, as one does."

Haruki's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "A likely story. Or perhaps... you're not Kenji at all, but a shape-shifting spirit trying to trick us!"

Kenji laughed nervously, backing away from Haruki's wildly beeping contraption. "Come on, guys. It's just me! Good old Kenji. No shape-shifting here. Though that would be pretty cool, right?"

"That's exactly what a shape-shifter would say!" Haruki exclaimed, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "Quick, Ren! We need to test him. Ask him something only the real Kenji would know!"

Ren sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Haruki, I really don't think-"

"Oh! I've got one!" Yuki piped up, surprising everyone. She turned to Kenji, her voice trembling slightly. "W-what's the name of your imaginary dog?"

Kenji's eyes widened. "Fluffles! His name is Fluffles. See? It's really me!"

Haruki's triumphant grin faded into confusion. "Wait, Kenji has an imaginary dog?"

"Had!" Kenji protested. "I had an imaginary dog. When I was like, six. It's not weird!"

Ren couldn't help but chuckle. "Alright, I think we've established that Kenji is, in fact, Kenji. Can we please focus on why we're here?"

As if on cue, a cold breeze swept through the shrine, causing the old wooden structure to creak ominously. Yuki let out a small yelp, instinctively grabbing onto Ren's arm again.

"S-sorry," she mumbled, quickly letting go and blushing furiously.

Ren felt a strange mix of relief and disappointment at the loss of contact. Without his powers, every sensation felt more... immediate. More real.

"It's fine," he said, trying to sound reassuring. "Let's stick together and finish exploring this place. The sooner we're done, the sooner we can leave."

As they moved deeper into the shrine, Haruki's equipment continued to beep and whir erratically. Kenji kept tripping over unseen obstacles, and Yuki jumped at every shadow. And Ren, for the first time in a long while, felt genuinely on edge.

This is what it's like to be normal, he thought. No wonder everyone's always so jumpy.

Suddenly, a loud crash echoed through the shrine, followed by the sound of something heavy rolling across the floor. Everyone froze.