Chapter 103: Real Ghost, Fake Ghost, Real Buddha, Fake Buddha
Guess, am I a real ghost or a fake ghost?
Is this a question or a game?
Is it real or imaginary?
It was gradually becoming impossible to tell Ayako Nagase apart.
To her, the answer to the question is not that important, so she has never seriously thought about the answer to the so-called question.
She also doesn't think that every problem necessarily has an answer.
If you really want to trace the origin of the story, it happened about three months ago.
At that time, she had just moved from the countryside of Osaka to a big city like Tokyo to live with her parents.
The reason was that her parents were doing well in business and seized the opportunity to make a lot of money. Then she naturally moved from her grandmother's house in the countryside of Osaka to Kyoto and enrolled in Shiraishi High School.
This is a very good school. However, she came from the countryside of Osaka, and although she was a little smart in studying, she still couldn't keep up with the learning pace in the big city, and her grades often hovered around the bottom 50.
This was a very poor academic result, but her parents never cared about her scores.
Even she, their only child, didn't care much.
All their thoughts are focused on doing business and making money.
Make money, make more money, make endless money.
In their eyes, there is only room for golden, glittering money.
Without the company of her country friends and the care of her parents, she has been unable to adapt to the pace of life in the big city of Tokyo.
She probably doesn't have many friends at school.
Her friendship with most of her classmates was limited to a few insignificant daily conversations.
We didn’t go shopping together, we didn’t go out to the movies together, we didn’t go out to play together.
This kind of relationship cannot be considered as friendship.
Not to mention anything more intimate.
At that time, a strange voice often appeared in my ears.
At first it was just one or two vague and incomprehensible murmurs, and she didn't take it too seriously.
As time passed, the murmurs gradually merged into one or two understandable sentences.
The first complete sentence she heard was: "Guess, am I a real ghost or a fake one?"
Its tone was full of childish mischief.
It was just like the little game she played in her childhood when her neighbor and friend covered her eyes from behind and asked her to guess who she was.
"Fake ghost."
She clearly remembered that this was her first answer.
After she answered, the voice disappeared briefly, but after a while, it appeared again.
This time, it was more talkative than before, and could at least exchange a few sentences with her.
"Oh, you don't even want to play with me."
"You obviously don't have any friends, and I don't have any friends either, so why can't we play together?"
At that time, when she heard this, she did feel a little compassion in her heart.
The feeling of loneliness in those words cannot be faked.
That is its most sincere voice.
But she still didn't answer because she couldn't see the other person.
"Guess, am I a real ghost or a fake one?"
It asked the same question again and again.
"Fake ghost."
She answered casually because she had heard some ghost stories about this when she was a child in the countryside.
If you unfortunately encounter a ghost, you must keep your distance from it and never promise or agree to any conditions offered by the ghost.
That way, ghosts won't be able to harm you.
Although she couldn't tell whether the other party was a monster or some kind of ghost, she still remained wary.
People who are too stupid cannot survive from childhood to adulthood.
This is the slang in their country.
It disappeared again like last time, so it must be a little angry.
Later, when she was beginning to forget this bizarre incident, its voice rang in her ears again.
It shared with itself many stories of its experiences outside.
But no matter what kind of story it is, the ending is often just it, all alone, without friends or relatives to accompany it.
In fact, she really liked listening to it tell stories that were obviously old.
If those stories are true, it should have existed during the Edo period.
That was an era that was two or three hundred years ago.
Unfortunately, every time it reaches the end of the story, it always asks the same question.
"Guess, am I a real ghost or a fake one?"
"Fake ghost."
"Guess, am I a real ghost or a fake one?"
"Fake ghost."
……
Such conversations occurred frequently between her and it, and became more and more frequent.
It doesn't seem to be bored at all. Every time it asks, it always changes its tone or changes an identity that it has created and is related to itself.
For example, set it to your friends, classmates, teachers, relatives...
It treats such daily inquiries as a role-playing game, and even if it only gets a disappointing answer every time, it still has a lot of fun.
Until her parents started quarreling frequently because of money and even prepared to divorce.
From beginning to end, they never came to ask for my opinion.
No one ever asked her what she thought or what kind of life she wanted.
Her thoughts and opinions never seemed to be worth paying attention to.
A campus legend has emerged in the school that the last place in the exam will result in death.
Her grades are at the bottom, so she probably has a chance to compete for the last place in the exam.
Unfortunately, a total of three people missed the exam.
No matter how bad her grades were, she would not be ranked last.
But she still felt very tired, as if everything in the world was good except her.
I closed my eyes and wanted to take a rest, but the voice came out again. "Well, things in this world are just like that. They never go according to your wishes. You are insignificant to this world. Think positively. It's the same with or without you."
It is actually enlightening itself?
This time it said a lot of inspirational words, and then suddenly turned to the question.
"Fake ghost."
This time, she smiled as she answered.
From then on, their relationship changed from fairly familiar strangers to friends who could occasionally talk about their thoughts...?
Is she the only one who thinks so, or do both parties feel this way?
What specific rules and regulations should be used to measure whether two people are friends?
Finally, on the day after the exam, her parents had another quarrel.
Eventually her father left the family, and her mother also left the family.
She was the only one left in such a big house.
That night, she couldn't fall asleep at all. She curled up in the corner of the bed, looking at the evening breeze whistling in through the window, and clutched the quilt tightly.
Suddenly, she felt her eyes being covered by a pair of cold hands.
It seemed as if a figure was approaching from behind, putting its head on his shoulder and whispering softly into his ear.
"Guess, am I a real ghost or a fake one?"
“What a ghost.”
This time, she gave a different answer.
Life was no longer an interesting thing for her.
Then let it be.
Even if it was just because of the act of staying by her side tonight, she was willing to use herself to fulfill it.
"You are so stupid."
It held its head and murmured softly, as if regretting its choice.
The world seemed to go dark all of a sudden.
The next morning, I woke up.
It turns out she is still alive.
Isn't it because it keeps asking me that question just to get an answer from me admitting that it is a real ghost?
"Not every question has an answer." Its voice appeared again.
"Shouldn't you eat me?"
"I never wanted to eat you."
"What kind of existence are you?"
"I am a monster without friends."
She actually didn't understand the true meaning of this sentence.
But since then, she no longer had to be cautious when talking to it.
They became friends who could confide in each other.
Although she still hadn't actually seen it.
The Sumida River Fireworks Festival was very lively, so she brought it out for fun.
After enjoying the fireworks, we walked through the busy streets and came to a haunted house.
"The haunted house is really interesting, but it's a pity there are no real ghosts in it."
"Do you want to play guessing game again?"
"I can not get in."
"why?"
"A senior monk left some special arrangements for dealing with monsters at the entrance and inside the haunted house."
"Can I come in?"
"can."
"Can I help you in, then?"
"can."
With this answer, she walked in and took off the three charms as prompted.
As for the magic bell hanging at the door, it was hung a little high, and she was a little short, so she couldn't reach it even if she stood on tiptoe...
In the end, she had no choice but to leave and visit other attractions.
But before he started playing, someone called him from behind.
She was a beautiful black-haired girl wearing a yukata.
She looks familiar. Oh, it's the beautiful president of the Supernatural Club.
This outfit is so gentle and fragrant. I really want to be close to her and make friends with her.
Just as her thoughts emerged, Horii Suzune, who was standing opposite her, suddenly heard a low murmur in her ear.
"Guess, am I a real ghost or a fake one?"
Horii Suzune was slightly stunned, and looked at Nagase Ako who was standing in front of her with puzzled eyes.
Her mouth moved noticeably the moment she heard the murmur.
There was no doubt that the question came from her mouth.
Nagase Ako looked at Horii Suzune with an innocent look on her face.
Until, a whisper came into her ear.
"Guess, am I the real Buddha or the fake Buddha?"
Nagase Ako, who was still looking at Horii Suzune innocently, was suddenly shocked and felt as if the world in front of her eyes was disappearing like smoke.
She subconsciously wanted to turn around and leave, but before she took two steps, someone grabbed her wrist.
"I recognize you. You must be Nagase Ako from Class 4."
Horii Suzune grabbed the other person's wrist, her tone a little strange.
"I, I'm not."
Nagase Ako's cheeks flushed and she covered half of her face with her other hand.
He raised his head slightly and saw a burly figure blocking his way.
The man was very tall. If I stood on tiptoe, my head would almost reach his shoulders.
He was a very handsome man, but his physique seemed a little scary.
That punch must be almost bigger than your head, right?
"Wuwuwu...you are bullying me."
Nagase Ako was stunned for a moment, her mouth pursed, and she burst into tears on the spot.
(End of this chapter)
