I Was Possessed By An Unknown Manga

Hattori Ayame, a transfer student from Osaka, was quite cheerful in nature.

As soon as she took her assigned seat, the class swarmed around her with all sorts of questions, which she answered without a hint of displeasure.

In that process, she quickly became friendly with both boys and girls, proving herself to be a natural social butterfly.

“The transfer student is really popular.”

“Indeed.”

“But why do all the transfer students come to our class? Aren’t there plenty of seats in other classes?”

Satoru’s question was literally poking at an unspoken rule.

But the only answer to this was, ‘Because it’s a rom-com.’

Anyway, while the transfer student was just that, I was more concerned about Ryuji, who hadn’t yet arrived.

This was because he hadn’t come to school yet, even though HR time had ended and the first period was about to start.

‘Has something happened?’

Just as I started to worry, the back door of the classroom opened.

Creak!

“Sorry, I’m late!”

Seemingly having run all the way to the classroom, Ryuji gasped for breath.

The protagonist always makes a late entrance, and this guy sets a new record on the first day of the new semester.

It would have been a close call if he had been any later.

Ryuji, the protagonist of the commotion, let out a sigh of relief upon realizing that the first period hadn’t started yet.

“Phew, the teacher hasn’t arrived yet.”

“Ryu-chan!”

And Saya, who was behind me, was happy to see Ryuji like this.

Saya scurried over to him.

But she abruptly stopped when she saw another ghost, Mahes, entering through the back door.

“Who are you?!”

“What’s this?”

Mahes seemed just as surprised.

That’s because he had never seen another ghost in the classroom before.

“Mahes? What’s the matter all of a sudden?”

But Ryuji tilted his head, perhaps because he couldn’t see Saya, who was a ghost.

“No, it’s nothing. I just saw someone I hadn’t seen before.”

Saying that, Mahes, who fumbled over his words, looked at me sitting behind Saya, expecting an explanation.

I gave a wry smile and pointed at the clock.

‘Let’s talk later since the first period is about to start.’

Understanding the gist, Mahes nodded and followed Ryuji.

“Kim Yu-seong! Who’s that foreigner? Explain quickly!”

Of course, Saya’s barrage of anticipated questions fell on me, innocent as I was.

---

After the first period, during the break.

Saya, Mahes, and I ended up having a face-to-face meeting on the empty rooftop.

“So, Kim Yu-seong. Who is this girl?”

“And who are you to be clinging to Ryu-chan?”

“Answer me.”

“Answer.”

“Stop!”

Feeling like my ears would bleed from the barrage of questions from both sides, I loudly demanded they stop.

Then, as if on cue, both ghosts simultaneously closed their mouths.

“I can’t understand what you’re saying with your voices overlapping, so ask one at a time.”

Then, clearing his throat, Mahes spoke first.

“I have a simple question. Who is this girl, why does she call the contractor so familiarly, and how is she withstanding my power?”

“Power, you say?”

“Twt-ra, the power of the sun. Like how you have the extreme yang energy in your body, I also possess a similar power, which prevents ordinary spirits from coming near.”

Indeed, that made sense.

Realizing what he wanted to know, I decided to answer his question.

“She is Ryuji’s childhood friend, whom he lost contact with when they were young. She was inherently frail and lived in a mansion in the mountains for long-term care, where she eventually passed away. By chance, she met me and expressed a desire to see Ryuji, so I brought her here.”

As I said this, pointing to Saya, she lowered her head with a hesitant expression.

Unlike her initial hostility, she seemed willing to converse now.

“And to answer the other question, it’s because Saya is strong enough to withstand your power.”

“Strong? This delicate-looking girl?”

“Despite her appearance, she possesses immense spiritual power. Her early demise was also due to the innate negative energy her body couldn’t handle.”

“Indeed, I can understand that. I’ve heard of many born with the qualities of a priestess who died unable to control their own power.”

Mahes, with his arms crossed, nodded continuously as he spoke.

“Now it’s my turn.”

Saya, who had calmly waited for her turn, said this.

“So, who is this person? Why is an Egyptian ghost possessing the body of Ryuji, a Japanese?”

“Well… it’s a long story.”

I didn’t know much about their relationship either.

If this weren’t a world based on manga, it would have taken me a while to accept this fact.

Honestly, the phrase ‘a modern Japanese possessed by an ancient Egyptian ghost’ was quite strange.

Was this really Japanese?

Fortunately, Mahes, the person in question, answered Saya’s question.

“I was originally a pharaoh and a great warrior of the sun, resting undisturbed in the spirit world. But one day, someone invaded my tomb, and that person was the current contractor. He promised me battles with strong opponents in exchange for saving his younger sister. That’s why we are together now.”

“You saved Ryuji’s younger sister?”

This was news to me.

“The tomb raiders who invaded my tomb attacked not only the contractor but also his young sister without hesitation.”

Indeed, in such a situation, I would have also surrendered myself to Mahes.

The animosity in Saya’s eyes seemed to fade upon hearing that Mahes had saved Ryuji’s sister.

Watching the two, I decided it was time to wrap up the situation.

“Then is the conversation between you two over? Let’s head back to the classroom, as classes will start soon.”

“Okay.”

“Understood.”

Both ghosts readily accepted my suggestion.

As we descended the stairs from the rooftop to the third floor, Saya suddenly asked, as if she just remembered something.

“By the way, Ryuji seems unable to see me. Why is that?”

I looked at Saya as if she were being absurd.

“Normal people can’t see ghosts.”

“But you can see them.”

Then Mahes, who was next to me, chimed in.

“He obviously doesn’t seem like an ordinary person.”

“Ah, is that so?”

…What do these guys think of me?

---

Today, being the first day of school reopening, most students were distracted during classes.

Apparently, after a long time, my body was reacting against sitting down to study seriously.

After the fourth period ended, it was finally lunchtime.

Bang!

A familiar redhead, whom I hadn’t seen in a long time, appeared.

“Kim Yu-seong! Let’s go eat!”

It was Karen from the next class.

“Ah, long time no see, Karen. Come to think of it, is this the first time since we went to the beach?”

Thinking about it, I had seen Rika and Sasha once more, but it was only Karen whom I hadn’t seen.

After exchanging pleasantries, we headed to the cafeteria, engaging in a chat about recent happenings.

The lunch group included me, Rika, Karen, and Sasha, making four in total.

Satoru had gone to eat with other friends, and Ryuji seemed to be enjoying a couple’s time eating a lunchbox packed by his childhood friend, Maiya.

For reference, Saya had followed those two and was nowhere to be seen.

As we entered the student cafeteria, the surrounding gazes naturally focused on us.

“Look over there. It’s Kim Yu-seong and his girls.”

“Ugh, jealous. I want a girlfriend, too.”

“What kind of leverage must they have on him…?”

Even with the new semester, the rumors about me seem to be ongoing.

Anyway, not being a new thing, we naturally took a corner table in the cafeteria.

“Ryu-chan, didn’t you pack a lunchbox today?”

“Yeah, I’m just going to buy something today.”

Saying that, I stood up to get a meal ticket.

“Then let’s go together.”

Unlike Rika and Sasha, who brought lunchboxes, Karen seemed to be planning to get a meal ticket like me.

After getting the meal tickets and picking up our food, we returned to find the two waiting patiently for us.

“You should have started eating first.”

“A short wait is fine. Besides, it’s better to eat together.”

“I second that.”

Just as we sat down to start lunch…

“Hello.”

“Huh?”

I turned my head towards the sudden voice.

“We’re in the same class, right?”

Hattori Ayame, who had transferred today, was standing there with her tray.

“Yeah. That’s right.”

Caught off guard, I replied, and she asked with a friendly smile,

“Can I join you for lunch? I don’t have any friends yet since I transferred today.”

“Well, if that’s the case, it’s fine.”

Honestly, I didn’t expect someone like her to ask me this.

Usually, people would be intimidated by my appearance.

“Thank you! And once again, please take good care of me!”

But she, with her tan skin, sat down next to me with a smile.