"I love you. Will you—"
Slap—
A sharp sound echoed behind the school building.
A young man, Hiru Nokoshima, twenty years old, had just confessed. His proposal was launched—but the response was… a bit different from what he had expected.
A clean, merciless slap across his left cheek, courtesy of a pretty girl with light brown hair and eyes that could kill.
"Woah… straight into hard play? Not that I dislike it." Hiru, despite the public slap and initial surprise, instantly shrugged with a bright smile, as if the angry red mark blooming on his face didn't exist.
"What—?" The girl stared, utterly perplexed by his reaction.
"You know, that S and M thing lovers are into! It's kinda weird, yeah, but relationships are all about understanding and love, right?"
"Eh—!?" Her face turned beet red as she realized what he meant.
"You—! You bastard!! D-Do you feel no shame!? I'm not a pervert like you!!! And you say, you love me?! After confessing to ninety-eight other girls in just two weeks!?!"
"Ah, that?" Grinning like a certified lunatic, Hiru replied, "What can I say? My heart is fickle—and so is my love… hmm, was that weird? Anyway… I'll confess. You may be the 99th, but my heart beats 99 times a minute just looking at you."
"…"
"…?"
"…Isn't that just slightly above average?"
"…It's not? I mean, forget about that—since you've already accepted me through your unique way, it doesn't matter. And just so you know, I don't mind your tastes, but ropes are way more comfortable than chains during—"
SLAP!!
"SHUT UP!!!! I DID NOT ACCEPT IT, YOU IDIOT!!!!!!!" Her face, now a dangerous mix of embarrassment and rage, flushed red as she stormed off like a one-girl tornado.
And poor Hiru was left alone… with a fresh, symmetrical set of handprints on both cheeks.
Realizing what just happened, he let out a dramatic sigh and mumbled,
"…I guess she liked the chains more…"
He stood still, staring at her disappearing back. This time, his sigh wasn't playful or dramatic.
It was tired.
'There goes one more…'
His reddish-brown eyes turned toward a mysterious, game-like interface floating silently in front of him.
It held a message.
##########
Quest — Clear the Tutorial!
Sub-Quest — Find someone like you within the fake world.
Time limit — NA
Description —
As you can guess, you are within the Ghost Realm and attempting to clear the Tutorial! The quest is simple: complete sub-quests and free yourself with power and treasure!
We have selected five humans and placed them within this Academy. You will clear the first sub-quest once you exchange your identity with a human just like you!
Easy, right? But—there are some rules that must never be broken:
Rules:
• No fights allowed until the said rule is removed.
• You cannot publicly mention your true identity to your fellow schoolmates or teacher while searching for other humans.
• Rule 2 does not apply to fellow humans—but any public indication or rumor about your true identity will result in loss.
• Do not roam the hostel corridors or school grounds at night. You've been warned.
############
'I still can't believe this is a complete another world that I kept hearing about…'
Since last year, the barrier between ghost entities and humans had begun to thin.
Figures once thought to exist only in horror stories and movies suddenly became real—impacting the world with a string of strange incidents… and deaths.
Then came a phenomenon that marked a turning point for humanity.
For some, it was a graveyard of doom.
For others, a ticket to unimaginable power.
The Ghost Realm.
An eerie distortion of reality where humans were forced into deadly, scenario-based games—just like the one Hiru Nokoshima was currently experiencing.
These scenarios were mysterious and Lethal. A single mistake could lead to a fate far worse than death.
But for those who cleared them… rewards followed.
Powers that defied human understanding.
Now, Hiru found himself inside the tutorial phase of the Ghost Realm—something he had actually been looking forward to. After all, he too wanted something… and that something could only be found here.
'I wanted to experience this… but facing it firsthand is a whole different story. Those who've been through it said the Rules here are absolute. Breaking them leads to a fate worse than death…'
Due to the Rules enforced within the scenario and the danger he had read, he had chosen the most simple yet an unconventional route he could think of. Though, even after two weeks, he had hardly found the answer he was searching for.
'Can't complain. It was my idea… not that I didn't enjoy the process.'
"Ah… she really didn't hold back…" Hiru could still feel the heat rising from the symmetrical design.
'Although her reaction was different from the rest of the girls, I can't guarantee that she was real human… isn't this harder than expected?… No, I had expected this much to happen already. Just one more to go, then let's see if someone can figure it out. If not then…'
Lost in thought, Hiru only noticed the bell when it rang—loud and clear—signaling the end of break.
⸻
'They say the Ghost Realm quests take place in bizarre and twisted settings… but so far, I've seen nothing dangerous.'
Hiru's eyes scanned the corridor of the first floor where his classroom was located. Everything looked normal. Too normal.
Students chatted. Teachers taught. The air didn't reek of dread or blood, like the online blogs of survivors had described.
'I've followed the rules and taken things slow… that's probably why nothing's triggered yet. But it won't last long... And I can't afford to stay stuck in this fake world for longer.'
His face darkened as that thought passed.
Moments later, he reached his classroom and opened the door.
"And that is why the Great Ruler of Hell—"
The students were listening to the History class held by a female teacher.
She was tall and slender, with black hair flowing down to her waist and eyes so grey they felt like they could pull you into them—deep, cold, and unreadable.
Suzume Garfield.
Their history teacher.
Always expressionless. Always distant.
There was no doubt she was a ghost—but honestly, Hiru couldn't tell the difference anymore. Not with her.
Her grey eyes flicked to him, then to the clock, narrowing ever so slightly.
"You're ten minutes late, student Nokoshima."
Seeing her face, Hiru immediately shoved aside every wandering thought. A natural smile tugged at his lips.
"I didn't know it was your period today, teacher. Had I known, I would've never gone out for a break."
She didn't even blink. Her face remained as blank as ever, her tone calm and cold.
"Whether it's my class or another teacher's, being late is still poor behavior. Especially considering your repeated misconduct—"
"Wait!! Wait!! I didn't do it on purpose!" Hiru waved his hands dramatically. "Why am I getting blamed for having a perfectly timed call of nature!?"
Clutching his stomach with an exaggerated groan, he added, "What if my healthy bladder exploded in the middle of class!? Would you take responsibility then!?"
"Are you sure it's not because of your daily confessions?" someone from the back muttered dryly.
The second that comment dropped, every girl in the class turned to glare at him—like a perfectly synchronized firing squad.
"You got it right!" Still smiling, Hiru shrugged off the collective daggers and looked back at the teacher. "But some people just don't understand the pressure. Expressing love isn't easy, you know."
Suzume didn't blink. Her cold tone landed like a hammer.
"Meet me after school."
"But I have to meet—"
"Do you want more punishment?"
"…No, Ma'am."
"Let's continue without further ado."
'She took the bait… I was wondering how I'd sneak into the school after hours to investigate further... Let's hope nothing goes wrong—this is a risk… yeah, let's just hope.'