I was Thrown into an Unfamiliar Manga

Now that she said it… it was true.

We’d been talking the whole time, but there hadn’t been a single jingle of keys.
“Eh, it’s probably just a mistake. Or maybe he rushed over in a panic after hearing the scream and forgot to bring them.”
To get this spooked over not hearing keys… Sensei must be the easily scared type.

But Mizuki-sensei, still pale and trembling, firmly denied my suggestion.
“No… that’s not possible. To get from the security office to here, you have to pass through the fire door. There's no way he got all the way here without keys—unless he walked through a wall or something!”
I swallowed hard.

“So basically, what you’re trying to say is this? That the ‘security guard’ just now wasn’t actually the real guard—but something pretending to be him.”
“…Maybe.”
Hearing her say that made me burst out laughing without meaning to.

“Hahaha! Sensei, come on! I know you’re just trying to scare me. Anyway, it’s getting late, so I should be heading home. I told my parents I was just popping out to the convenience store—if I get back too late, they’ll worry.”
As I hurriedly reached for the door, Mizuki-sensei clung to me in a panic.
“W-Wait! Just 30 minutes! Stay with me for 30 minutes! He said he’d come back soon, so just stay until we can check his face!”

“It’s already 10 PM! What if someone finds out a student and a teacher were together at this hour?!”
“I’d rather be misunderstood!”
She was still a teacher, so I couldn’t exactly use force. I tried to reason with her as best I could.

But Mizuki-sensei clearly had no intention of letting go. She clung to me like a leech.
In the end, I gave in with a sigh and slumped back down into my seat.
“Fine. Thirty minutes. Once we’ve confirmed his face, I’m really leaving.”

“Uuuh… Thank youuu…”
Mizuki-sensei looked like she was about to cry.
She really had been scared.
Just in case, I called home and told them I was at a friend’s house, and I might sleep over—so they shouldn’t wait up.

Im I-ja just said, “Got it,” and hung up.
Guess she’s not too worried about her son staying out late.
Anyway, now that I had permission to stay out, I looked at Mizuki-sensei, who seemed to have calmed down a bit.

“So, why were you so scared, Sensei?”
As she sipped her now-cold green tea, she replied,
“I’ve always been kinda sensitive since I was a kid… The type who sees weird things others can’t.”

“Your family run a shrine or something?”
“Huh? How’d you know?”
Wait, seriously…?

I couldn’t help but sigh—this felt like a cliché straight out of a shounen manga.
Then again, this was a manga world. A world where ninjas and the underworld existed—so ghosts or yokai being real wasn’t exactly surprising.
I mean, Fuma-senpai had mentioned doing exorcism work for underworld clients.

“…Huh?”
That reminded me—I had Fuma-senpai’s number.
We’d exchanged messages the time I went to her house for dinner.

“Sensei, just a moment. I know someone who might be able to help.”
“…Someone?”
“Yes. A third-year student named Fuma Yukika.”

“…Fuma-san? I know her. She’s one of the Academy’s Top Three Beauties.”
Wait, even the teachers know that nickname…?
Anyway, if they recognized each other, this would go faster.

“If it’s Fuma-senpai, she might be able to put your worries to rest.”
Saying that, I dialed her number.
After a few rings—

Click.
[Kim Yu-seong? What’s going on at this hour?]
Fuma-senpai picked up.

***
I put the phone on speaker mode and explained everything that had happened.
After a moment of silence, Fuma-senpai addressed Mizuki-sensei.

[You said your family runs a shrine? Exactly which deity does your household venerate?]
“Uh… I’m not sure. Naru… Naruikazu?”
[Narukami Ikazuchi-no-Kami. One of the Yakusa-no-Ikazuchi-no-Kami, the Eight Thunder Gods who serve Izanami of the underworld.]

“…Is that a good thing?”
[Good or bad aside—if you’re the daughter of a shrine family that worships a thunder deity, it’s no surprise you’d have some spiritual sensitivity. Especially since Narukami is one of the Eight Gods serving Izanami, the god of the underworld.]
“…So you’re saying it really could be a ghost?”

[I can’t say for sure unless I see it with my own eyes. But generally, spirits—what we call ‘ryō’—can’t enter places without permission. That’s why they try to tempt people in with words. If what visited the lounge earlier was really a ghost, it wouldn’t have been able to enter unless you or Yu-seong opened the door.]
“What if it is a ghost? What should we do?”
[Just use your ki. Especially you—with your Polar Yang Body—you don’t need any special rituals. You can beat it with your bare hands. Evil spirits can’t even approach someone with strong yang energy. Though… it is a full moon tonight, so maybe something gutsy decided to try.]

“Understood. Thanks for the consultation.”
[Want me to come help? I just finished work and I’m heading home.]
“I’ll handle it for now. Thanks to the Hunwon Mirror you gave me, I’ve gotten the hang of manipulating ki.”

[Alright. It’s 10:15 now—call me again at 10:35. By then, you’ll know if it’s human or not.]
“Got it. I’ll call.”
[Then I’m hanging up.]

Click.
The call ended, and silence returned to the lounge.
I looked over at Sensei, who had been listening intently.

“So… that’s what she said.”
“Do you really think we’ll be okay on our own…?”
Gripping her trembling hands, I said,

“Don’t worry. If anything dangerous happens, I’ll protect you.”
“Yu-seong…”
Mizuki-sensei looked up at me, moved.

…Okay, thinking about it now, that line was super cringe. I scratched my cheek awkwardly.
This whole situation felt like a horror movie cliché.
And characters like me—the macho type—are always the first to die.

Should I call Fuma-senpai and ask her to come after all?
While debating that, I checked my phone and saw the battery was at only 10%, so I asked for Sensei’s permission and plugged it into the charger.
Fifteen minutes left until the guard returned.

By then, we’d know whether he was human or something else.
Hoping it would all turn out to be a false alarm, I decided to distract myself by watching variety shows with Sensei.
***

Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick.
The second hand inched its way around the dial—and finally, it was 10:30 on the dot.
Time for the “security guard” we’d lied to earlier to come back.

Starting five minutes before the hour, Mizuki-sensei had stopped focusing on the TV and clung tightly to me, visibly tense.
Which, of course, made me tense, too.
And then—

“Sensei? I’ve returned.”
The guard’s voice came from beyond the door.
I glanced at Sensei. She swallowed hard, then spoke.

“You said you had something you wanted to talk about earlier… What was it?”
The “guard” replied cheerily.
“Ah—nothing major, really. I just thought you must be having a rough night shift all alone, so I brought some yōkan. A friend gave it to me for working late, but it was a bit too much for one person.”

…Honestly, that sounded surprisingly normal.
It had to be just Sensei’s imagination after all.
But Mizuki-sensei still didn’t seem convinced. She stared through the door and said,

“If that’s all, please just leave it at the door. I’ll take it when I go on patrol later.”
But the guard responded,
“Oh, please just accept it now, Sensei. I didn’t wrap it separately—it’s on a plate, so it might get dusty sitting out in the hallway.”

“I-It’s fine! I’m wearing something really casual right now, so I’d rather not show my face!”
There was a brief pause from beyond the door, then the “guard” said, sounding hurt,
“That’s disappointing… I didn’t expect this from you, Mizuki-sensei. I know I’m just a security guard, but refusing to even show me your face?”

Suddenly, Mizuki-sensei was the bad guy discriminating based on profession.
Well… if you ignored the context, I could see how it sounded ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) like that. But wasn’t this getting a bit too pushy?
As I started to grow suspicious of the guard’s overly persistent attempt to hand over the yōkan, Mizuki-sensei swallowed and said,

“Then… I’ll accept it. But could you shake your key ring for me first?”
“…Excuse me?”
“Just once. If you do that, I’ll open the door.”

“Well, that’s not a problem.”
Jingle. Jingle. Jingle. Jingle.
Clear metallic jingling rang out from beyond the door.

I turned to Sensei with a look of horror.
Because—just a moment ago, before the guard knocked—
There hadn’t been any sound from outside the door.

When Mizuki-sensei didn’t respond, covering her mouth with both hands, the thing beyond the door spoke—in a chilling voice.
“So… you figured it out.”