I Picked Up a "Fake" Ghost King

*Same group of friends, but while everyone else has people around them, Tong Mei has ghosts.

At the start of the new semester in her second year of high school, a cool, aloof girl wearing an eyepatch transferred into the class. In less than a month, her classmates were avoiding her like the plague. She was always alone.

The homeroom teacher couldn't help thinking something was wrong. Had the girl been ostracized?

When the teacher interviewed the class, they said the eyepatch girl often talked to the air, muttered to herself, and sometimes made strange movements. They suspected she had a mental illness.

When the teacher interviewed the girl, she said it didn't matter. She really did have a mental illness.

The homeroom teacher: ... (giving her a sympathetic look)

Tong Mei: ... (calm on the outside, falling apart inside)

She turned and grabbed the little ghost, who looked completely innocent, hissing through gritted teeth, "Try running off again and see what happens."

The little ghost: ... (blinking pitifully)

Next time, for sure.

Sometimes Tong Mei really wanted to call the police.

Ever since her grandfather passed away, she had felt that someone was trying to kill her. With no one to look after her, she'd transferred to Ruo Shui City, and every day she was convinced someone was out to get her.

One moment, a flowerpot would suddenly fall from the sky as she walked by. The next, she would be attacked by all sorts of objects flying at her from nowhere...

Tong Mei had a headache.

She looked over at Gu Rong, who was spacing out nearby.

Gu Rong felt a scrutinizing gaze fixed on him and said helplessly, "You can't blame me for your bad luck."

Tong Mei: ... (looking away)

Fair enough. How could a kid this weak possibly be trying to assassinate her?

She must have been imagining things.

Not long afterward, Tong Mei stared at the boy standing before her, now nearly as tall as she was, lost in thought...

Wait, can ghosts grow up?

"What exactly are you?"

She grabbed Gu Rong again, her face cold and grim.

"The Ghost King. Do you believe me?"

The boy curled his lips into an eerie smile and spoke one word at a time.

Tong Mei: ... Yeah, right.

He got flustered and raised a hand to summon the evil ghosts.

Tong Mei tilted her head and waited.

Nothing happened.

Gu Rong: ... (awkwardly lowering his hand)

Oh, so he's a fake Ghost King.

Tsundere, theatrical, and useless boy Ghost King × a cool-looking spirit medium with a dramatic inner life

*Note:

1. The ending is tragic.

2. The story is divided into two parts: the modern arc and the ancient arc.

3. It's only superficially a school story. School life isn't the main focus.

First blurb draft recorded on February 8, 2024

Theme: Believe in science and reject feudal superstition