I Was Possessed By An Unknown Manga

Now that I think about it, that was the case.

Even though we were in the middle of a conversation, there was no sound of jingling keys.

“Ah, it must be a mistake. Or maybe he left them behind in a hurry after hearing the scream.”

Being scared just because she didn’t hear a key sound, the Teacher must be quite timid.

But Ms. Mizuki, still pale and trembling, denied what I said.

“No, that can’t be. To get here from the security office, you’d have to pass through the firewall door. How could he have come this far without a key? Unless he passed through walls, it’s impossible…!”

I swallowed hard.

“So, what you’re saying is, the security guard we just saw wasn’t actually him but something ‘imitating’ the security guard?”

“That…might be possible.”

Hearing her words, I burst into laughter without realizing it.

“Hahaha! Teacher, you’re something! I know you’re just trying to tease me. I should go back now, it’s late. I told my parents I would stop by the convenience store, so they’ll worry if I come home late.”

As I said that and hurriedly went to open the duty room door to leave, the Teacher clung to me with a desperate expression.

“Wait, just a moment! Just 30 minutes! Stay with me for just 30 minutes! The security guard said he would come back soon, so just stay until we see his face!”

“It’s already 10 PM! What if someone finds out a student and Teacher are together at this hour?”

“I’d rather have that misunderstanding!”

Even though she was a Teacher, I couldn’t resort to violence, so I tried to resolve it with words as much as possible.

But Ms. Mizuki seemed determined not to let me go, clinging to me like a leech.

Eventually, my resolve weakened, and I sighed and sat back down.

“Alright, just 30 minutes. After we confirm the security guard’s face, I will really go.”

“Hueee~ Thank you~”

Ms. Mizuki said this with a tearful voice.

It seemed she was really scared.

I called home just in case, saying I was at a friend’s house and might sleep over, so they shouldn’t wait up for me.

Mrs. Imija acknowledged and then ended the call first.

It seemed she wasn’t too worried about her son coming home late at night.

Anyway, since it was okay to be late now, I looked at Ms. Mizuki, who seemed to have calmed down a bit.

“But why were you so scared, Teacher?”

Ms. Mizuki replied while sipping her cold green tea.

“I have been… sensitive since I was young. I tend to see strange things more than others.”

“Does your family run a shrine or something?”

“Huh? How did you know?”

Really…

I sighed involuntarily, as it sounded like a setup I’d often seen in shonen manga.

Come to think of it, in this manga world with its underworld, ninjas, and everything, it wouldn’t be strange if ghosts or monsters actually existed.

Considering that Senior Fuma once mentioned doing exorcisms on behalf of the underworld people.

“…Hmm?”

Then I realized that I knew Senior Fuma’s phone number.

Because we exchanged emails when I went to Senior Fuma’s house for a meal.

“Teacher, just a moment. I know an expert on this.”

“…Expert?”

“Yes, a senior named Fuma Yukika in the third year.”

“…I know Fuma. She’s one of the three beauties of the academy, right?”

Wait, do the Teachers also know that nickname…?

Anyway, since they knew each other, the conversation went smoothly.

“That Senior Fuma might be able to alleviate your fears, Teacher.”

Saying so, I made a call on my smartphone.

After a few rings,

Click!

[Kim Yu-seong? What’s the matter at this hour?]

Senior Fuma answered the phone.

After switching the phone to speaker mode and explaining what had happened, Senior Fuma, over the phone, after a moment of silence, asked Ms. Mizuki,

[Ms. Mizuki, did you say your family runs a shrine? Specifically, which deity does your family serve?]

“Uh… I’m not sure exactly. Naru… Naruikazu?”

[Naruikazuchinokami, one of the Eight Thunder Gods, who serve Izanami, a deity of the underworld.] ¹

“Is that good?”

[Good or bad aside, it’s not unusual for the daughter of a family of shrine priests serving a thunder deity to have spiritual abilities. Especially since Naruikazuchinokami is one of the deities serving Izanami, the goddess of the underworld.]

“…So, are you saying it might really be a ghost?”

[I can’t be sure until I see it with my own eyes. But typically, spirits or ghosts can’t enter spaces without permission. They tend to lure people verbally. If the entity that visited the duty room was really a ghost, as Ms. Mizuki described, it couldn’t have entered freely until either you or the Teacher opened the door.]

“If it really is a ghost, how should we deal with it?”

[You can use qi. Especially if you are a person of strong yang qi, you can fight it off with your bare hands without any special spells. Usually, lesser spirits can’t even approach someone with strong yang qi, but since it’s a full moon tonight, there might be some emboldened entities.]

“Okay, got it. Thanks for the advice.”

[If it seems dangerous, shall I come to help? I just finished my part-time job, and I’m on my way home.]

“For now, I’ll try to handle it myself. Thanks to the Mirror of True Essence you gave me last time, I’ve learned how to use qi to some extent.”

[Okay. It’s 10:15 PM now, so call me back at 10:35 PM. By then, you should have confirmed the identity of the security guard.]

“Yes, I’ll definitely call you.”

[Then, I’ll hang up now.]

Click!

The call ended, and a silence settled in the duty room.

I turned to the Teacher, who had been listening intently beside me, and said,

“That’s the situation.”

“Are we really going to be okay, just the two of us?”

I firmly grasped the Teacher’s trembling hand, like a shivering tree, and said,

“Don’t worry. If it seems dangerous, I will definitely protect you.”

“Yu-seong…”

Ms. Mizuki looked up at me with a touched expression.

Realizing that my words were somewhat cheesy, I awkwardly scratched my cheek.

Feeling like we were replicating a cliché from a horror movie, I felt a bit creeped out.

Usually, macho characters like me die first in these scenarios.

Should I call Senior Fuma now and ask her to come?

While pondering this, I noticed that my smartphone’s battery was only at 10%, so I excused myself and plugged it into the charger.

The security guard would return in 15 minutes.

By then, we’d know whether it was a person or a ghost.

Hoping it was just Ms. Mizuki’s overreaction, I decided to watch a TV comedy show with her to forget the unnecessary anxiety.

Tick! Tock! Tick! Tock!

As the second hand moved every second, it eventually reached the halfway point, marking precisely 10:30 PM.

It was time for the security guard, whom we had sent away earlier with a lie, to return.

With about 5 minutes left, the Teacher, unable to focus on the TV and seemingly anxious, clung to me with a tense expression.

Which made me feel unnecessarily tense as well.

Then…

“Teacher? I’m back now.”

The voice of the security guard came from outside the door.

I glanced at the Teacher, who swallowed nervously and then spoke.

“You mentioned earlier that you had something to talk about. What was it?”

Then, the security guard spoke in a good-natured way.

“Ah~ It’s just that, seeing the young Teacher working hard alone, I brought some Yanggaeng (Korean sweet jelly). A friend gave it to me to eat during the night shift, but it seems like there’s too much.”

A more normal reason than I expected.

It must have indeed been the Teacher’s misunderstanding.

However, Ms. Mizuki, still unable to shake off her suspicion, stared at the door and said,

“If that’s the case, please leave it in front of the door. I’ll take it when I do my rounds later.”

Then, the security guard outside said,

“Why not take it now, Teacher? I didn’t package it separately; it’s just on a plate, so it might get dusty in the hallway.”

“No, it’s okay! I’m wearing comfortable clothes, so it’s a bit awkward to come out and talk face to face!”

Then, the security guard outside, after a brief silence, spoke with a hint of disappointment.

“I didn’t see it that way, but this is too much. Ms. Mizuki. Even though I’m just a mere security guard, to not even want to see my face…”

Suddenly, Ms. Mizuki seemed like a bad person, discriminating based on occupation.

Well, given the current situation, it might feel that way, but wasn’t this a bit persistent?

As I began to doubt the guard’s insistence on handing over the Yanggaeng, Ms. Mizuki, swallowing hard, said,

“Then I’ll take the Yanggaeng, but could you please shake your key bundle just once?”

“Yes? Why all of a sudden?”

“Yes. Then I’ll open this door.”

“Well, that shouldn’t be difficult.”

Jingle! Jingle! Jingle! Jingle!

Then, the clear sound of keys jingling echoed from beyond the door.

I looked at the Teacher with a shocked expression.

Because until just before the security guard knocked on the door…

…there had been no sound from outside the door.

As the Teacher covered her mouth with both hands, saying nothing, the ‘something’ beyond the door spoke in a chilling voice.

“You’ve noticed, haven’t you?”

1. ED/N: Izanami is a key goddess in Japanese mythology, known for creating the Japanese islands and many gods with her husband, Izanagi. After dying from giving birth to the fire god, Izanami becomes the ruler of the underworld. Her story highlights themes of creation, death, and the separation between the living world and the afterlife. ️