-----
-----
Even though Andrew had fully given up…
Death never came.
The terrifying red oni didn't attack. It remained seated, perfectly composed.
Then it spoke.
Its voice was low and heavy, like an old drum forced into sound:
"One hundred soul crystals… I teach you swordsmanship…"
Andrew blinked.
"Huh?"
Soul crystals… sounded like some kind of in-game currency.
So basically—pay a hundred, and you get one-on-one lessons. Learn sword techniques, stances, the whole deal.
It clicked.
This red oni wasn't a boss.
It was an NPC.
"I don't have any," he tried.
The oni barely lifted its gaze.
"One hundred soul crystals… I teach you swordsmanship…"
Yeah. Classic NPC behavior. Same line, over and over.
Buzz. Buzz.
His phone vibrated.
On the black screen, a message appeared:
[The red oni of the kendo club is willing to teach you swordsmanship in exchange for 100 soul crystals.]
"If I learn powerful sword skills in the game… will I become a kendo master in real life too?"
"Just like yesterday with the Five-Thunder technique…"
Andrew pulled out his phone and gave the notification on the screen a quick glance.
He'd stayed in the kendo club room a bit longer, but nothing new had triggered with the Red Oni. No matter what he said, the other side either repeated the same line or just stayed silent.
"Guess there's no point coming back here until I've collected a hundred soul crystals."
He was ready to leave.
He looked at the tightly shut doors, wondering if those headless high schoolers were still waiting outside with the same… enthusiasm.
There was no back exit to the club room. The only two windows were barred, leaving the front door as the sole way out.
With no other choice, Andrew let out a helpless smile, straightened his collar, and braced himself with a "everyone dies someday" kind of resolve. Head held high, he pushed the door open and stepped out.
"Uuu—"
"Heehee—"
The familiar mix of crying and laughter rose all around him.
The headless students, who had clearly been waiting for a while, swarmed him in a frenzy and happily tackled him to the ground…
On the pitch-black phone screen, a large red character slowly appeared—
[MISERABLE]
…
"Ow, ow, ow!"
Andrew struggled to his feet, like he'd just woken from a nightmare.
Back in reality, he looked around. He was still in the cherry blossom grove.
Even though he'd died right outside the kendo club in the game, his real body hadn't moved—it remained beside that specific sakura tree, the same spot as the in-game shrine.
Only when he was about to wake up—basically when he was on the verge of death in-game—did his body show any reaction.
He'd already noticed that yesterday.
Honestly, it was better this way. Way better than entering the game and having his real body mimic everything—running around, shouting, and flailing in the middle of school.
Andrew picked up his phone again. The screen still displayed that bold, glaring word:
[MISERABLE]
Andrew: …
Yeah, I get it. I died horribly. You don't have to rub it in.
Still, he hadn't expected the game's death messages to vary.
[Substitute Paper Doll consumed. Current stock: 0. Refresh time: 12 hours.]
As usual, a white paper doll appeared out of thin air beside the cherry tree.
It was torn in several places, looking pitiful—basically a perfect mirror of how Andrew had just died in the game.
He silently picked it up, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and headed toward the school building.
…
Today was Friday. The whole campus buzzed with that pre-weekend excitement.
Because of the original owner's withdrawn personality and terrible social skills, Andrew—despite his good looks—didn't have any real friends in class.
No one bothered with him, and he didn't feel the need to bother with anyone either.
He ate lunch alone in the cafeteria.
A 300-yen set meal with a glass of iced lemon water—not bad at all.
While eating, he overheard a few students chatting nearby—
"Hey, have you heard? The story of Hanako-san is trending again lately."
"I know, right? And I heard you can actually see her in the girls' bathroom on the third floor of the west building."
"…"
Students at Hanasaki High seemed unusually enthusiastic about sharing urban legends.
The afternoon classes passed in a blur. Andrew's mind wandered the entire time.
His eyes drifted between the math teacher's shiny bald head and the English teacher's pale thighs, while his thoughts stayed tangled up in Strange Tales.
Headless students. A sword-teaching Red Oni. Incomprehensible spells. Hanako in the bathroom…
He waited like that until school was finally over.
Andrew lingered around campus until a little past 6:20, then headed straight back to the cherry blossom grove.
The substitute paper doll had refreshed. One extra life restored. A new round of the game began.
Ignoring the sobbing of the headless schoolgirls, he left the grove.
This time, he decided to explore the west side of the school—the cafeteria and artificial lake area.
There were too many headless students around the cafeteria, so getting close wasn't an option for now. Instead, he wandered toward the lake.
In real life, the artificial lake was a popular hangout spot for the campus elites, and the scenery was genuinely nice.
But under the game's eerie filter, the place felt… wrong.
The lake water was completely still, like something dead. Not a single ripple. And yet, it gave off the unsettling feeling that something indescribable was lurking beneath the surface.
Avoiding the headless students, Andrew cautiously circled half the lake before spotting something strange—
Another high school girl.
Her uniform looked slightly different in style.
Her entire body was soaked, water dripping endlessly from her. Her skin was deathly pale, and strands of dark green algae clung to her arms and legs.
Most importantly—
She had a head.
A head!
"Okay, she's got a head… but she definitely looks like a drowned ghost," Andrew observed from a distance. "Still, if the Red Oni can act like an NPC, no reason this one can't."
After thinking it over, he started approaching her.
Hopefully, she was someone he could talk to—maybe trigger a quest, or even trade like the Red Oni.
And if not, no big deal.
Worst case, he'd just go back to reality and wait out another 12-hour cooldown.
As he got closer, the drowned girl slowly raised a pale, dripping arm. When she spoke, her voice sounded muffled, like it was filtered through water.
"…need… help…"
Jackpot.
She could communicate.
Andrew felt a flicker of excitement but kept his tone steady. "What do you need help with?"
"…a letter… deliver it to Nagao Keisuke… come back here… I'll reward you…"
She pulled out a sheet of paper, soaked through with water, and held it out.
It was simply folded in half. Andrew glanced at it—no visible writing—but he took it anyway without reacting.
"Nagao Keisuke? Where can I find him?"
A delivery quest, huh?
Finally, a proper beginner mission. And it even came with a clear reward!
Don't worry. I'm great at deliveries.
The drowned girl lowered her arm again.
"…deliver it to Nagao Keisuke…"
There it was again.
NPC dialogue loop.
Buzz.
[The drowned ghost by the lake, Mizuki Shizuku, hopes you can deliver an important letter to Nagao Keisuke. It is recommended to try your luck at the Shimizu Trading Company building. You might find the person there.]
His phone vibrated as another line of game text popped up.
"Shimizu Trading Company building? I haven't even unlocked that map yet. And… Mizuki Shizuku, huh. So she has a name."
Andrew suddenly recalled something.
In the original owner's memories, there had been talk of a female student who drowned in the artificial lake years ago.
Was her name Mizuki Shizuku?
He couldn't quite remember.
He tried talking to the drowned ghost a few more times, but it was pointless. Every response looped back to the same line:
"Deliver it to Nagao Keisuke."
No choice, then. He'd have to wait until that Shimizu Trading Company map unlocked before he could complete the quest.
That said, most of the enemies in Hanasaki High were headless students.
But a company building?
That sounded like a gathering place for corporate drones.
So what kind of mobs would this trash game throw in there?
Overworked office spirits?
"....."