I Became A Ghost In A Horror Game-Chapter 13: If you want to get closer, start by eating together

After returning safely to school, we walked slowly, scanning our surroundings. Naturally, the sun had already begun to set.

"That’s all for today. If you ever need to call me, just knock on that mirror."

Ha-rim nodded.

I returned to the full-length mirror in the classroom, letting the exhausted kids get some rest.

As soon as I got back, I reviewed today’s haul.

First, [Purifying Salt]. We had used up all of it in the tunnel, so I had to stop by a farming location on the way back to restock. There were still a few more places to gather it, so I’d go when I had the chance.

Next, the primary objective of this mission—the item we obtained from [Turbo Granny], the [Orb of Speed].

Originally, I planned to combine the [Purifying Salt] with the [Orb of Speed] to create an artifact that enhanced the wearer’s speed.

But now, with the unexpected addition of the [Spider’s Bell], things had changed.

The [Spider’s Bell] was a rare item, obtainable only through a specific method during the boss stage.

I was lucky to get it.

Although... the timing nearly gave me a heart attack.

I combined all the items together.

As with the first artifact I had created, a bright white light flared, reshaping them into something entirely new.

[Holy Chime]

It took the form of a bell—an artifact usually found in the later stages of the game.

It rivaled the artifact I had given to Ha-rim.

In this game, difficulty in obtaining an item didn’t necessarily correlate to its effectiveness.

Now that this world had become reality, efficiency mattered more than ever.

Still, despite the risks, this artifact was definitely worth having.

Its abilities were [Purification] and [Swiftness].

Since I used three items, it only had two effects.

Who should I give it to?

I made my decision.

That kid.

I’d pass it on when the time was right.

For now, it was time to eat, so I figured I’d wait about two hours before delivering it.

Until then, maybe I’d take a nap in the mirror.

If ghosts weren’t allowed to sleep, I would’ve gone insane from boredom by now.

Knock, knock.

I heard a tapping on the mirror I had marked.

They were supposed to be eating...

Could it be a ghost invasion?!

With that thought, I hurried over.

Right After Ella Left...

"We managed to get through another one. Everyone okay?"

I checked my club members’ conditions as I spoke.

"Looks like we’re all fine. We got dragged around by those [Hell Hands] a bit, so we’re covered in dirt and salt, but nothing serious."

I brushed the dust and salt off Eun-jung’s clothes. Seeing this, Soo-ho and Kyung-min did the same.

Kyung-min then spoke.

"It’s a good thing Ella saved us. I’m still scared of her, but I think trying to befriend her is a good strategy."

Unexpected events had occurred, but in the end, everyone was safe.

Ella had guided them through safe routes and revealed the weak points of the supernatural entities.

Not to mention, she single-handedly took down the spider creature and rescued the kids from the [Hell Hands].

Even Kyung-min had to acknowledge her strength.

Soo-ho, despite his past fears, had been so grateful that he had momentarily forgotten about Ella attacking them before.

Then, he turned to me and said—

"Ha-rim, you were amazing too. You actually won against a ghost!"

"That was probably thanks to Ella."

"What do you mean?"

I lifted the necklace hanging from my neck and showed it to them.

A wooden pendant in the shape of a rabbit’s foot, embedded with a sparkling green gemstone.

I had no doubt it had helped me at a crucial moment.

Even if I hadn’t realized it consciously, it had visibly glowed back then.

As I explained, the others inspected the necklace with interest.

After touching it, they even remarked that it had a strangely divine aura.

"If the necklace Ella gave you really helps you survive against ghosts... why did she give it to you? She could’ve just let us run away like before."

It was a fair question.

Could trust really form in just three days?

Still, there was no doubt that Ella had been helping us.

I had a theory.

"Maybe Ella is just... sentimental?"

Kyung-min tilted his head, unconvinced.

I decided to elaborate.

"Ella was an abused child who turned into a vengeful ghost. She’s always wanted friends.

That means she’s basically suffering from extreme emotional deprivation.

So, in simple terms... she’s gotten attached to us!"

Kyung-min’s expression twisted.

He was probably recalling the things Ella had said to us before.

["Oh my! Did you come back because you missed playing with Ella? But what should I do? I just want to kill you~"]

Or—

["Ahaha! Do you think I’ll spare you just because you make excuses? That’s hilarious~"]

...Yeah.

Recalling those lines made me feel less confident in my theory.

But if Ella wasn’t getting attached to us, she wouldn’t have been willing to risk sacrificing her own legs in that race.

Surprisingly, it was Eun-jung—who had been the most terrified of Ella—who spoke up in my defense.

"When Ella saved me from the [Hell Hands], I was so scared that I instinctively clung to her arm...

But she didn’t get mad or scare me.

And... she smelled nice."

"...Does the smell really matter?"

Soo-ho’s deadpan remark was ignored as Eun-jung continued.

"I’m sure our pretend tea party last time worked!"

Come to think of it, the tea party had been her idea.

Kyung-min had been against it, questioning why high schoolers would play pretend.

But Eun-jung had insisted on it so strongly that we went along with it.

Looking back, maybe she just really liked tea parties.

In any case, all evidence suggested that Ella might have a soft spot for us.

Which meant...

We had a chance to get even closer to her.

"Guys, we need to become real friends with Ella.

So here’s my proposal—

Tonight, we eat dinner with Ella!"

Kyung-min hesitated before raising his hand.

"Are you sure that’s safe? What if she suddenly turns on us?"

I shook my head.

You can’t survive without taking risks.

Ella had taught me that.

"To get closer to someone, you first need to close the physical distance.

Which means...

We need to take this step, even if there’s some danger."

Their expressions grew serious.

It was funny ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) how dramatic we were being about a simple meal.

But I couldn’t laugh.

We set up the convenience store food we had collected earlier, taking them from the fridge in the teacher’s lounge.

We all sat in a circle with our meals in front of us.

And in front of Ella’s seat, we placed mostly sweet foods.

"Alright, let’s call her..."

After getting everyone’s agreement, I slowly knocked on the large mirror.

Knock, knock.

-----

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

After moving to the mirror where the knock had sounded, I looked around—

Only to find, instead of a monster, an assortment of sweet bread and snacks laid out before me.

...They looked delicious.

Wait, no. That wasn’t the point.

I glanced around and found the kids watching me with awkward expressions.

Ha-rim, sitting next to me, greeted me.

"Hi, Ella."

"...Yeah."

What were these kids up to now?

Was this another part of the game?

But if it was, why did it look like they were just sitting down for a meal?

Could it be... they actually called me here just to eat with them?

Did they have no sense of danger?

Even if this was just an act, spending too much time with a murderer was never a good idea.

"What do you want? If you called me for something pointless, I won’t be amused."

Ha-rim hesitated before answering with a tense expression.

"We just... wanted to eat with you. Is that okay?"

"......"

They seriously called me just to eat together?

I couldn’t understand these kids.

Maybe it was a strategy—trying to befriend me so I’d be less of a threat to them.

But even if that were the case, there was no reason to take such a risky approach.

It was bound to fail.

["Oh! That murderer is helping you! Let's befriend them!

Oh no, miscommunication! You died. How unfortunate."]

That’s how this could easily end.

If they weren’t completely naive, they should’ve known to keep their distance.

Did they really think they could befriend a vengeful ghost like me?

If so... these kids were even more innocent than I had thought.

Not that I wanted to keep up this bizarre charade forever.

So maybe...

Maybe I’d play along.

I was an adult.

They were kids.

I didn’t actually believe we could be friends.

But if I pretended to be, they’d listen to me better.

Not that I was just going along with this because of the cream bread in front of me.

Absolutely not.

"Fine. I’ll join you."

"Yay! We got things we thought you’d like!"

Cream bread, chocolate snacks, packaged fruit, and lemonade.

A sugar-filled meal.

More of a dessert spread than an actual meal.

Well, they wouldn’t know what I liked aside from sweets, so I’d let it slide.

I casually picked up a piece of bread—

Only for Ha-rim to take it and open the package for me.

Then, she unwrapped the rest of the snacks and even prepared my drink.

Like I was some kind of baby.

I was about to take a bite when I noticed all their eyes on me.

Not in fear or tension—

But curiosity.

Why?

This content is taken from freёnovelkiss.com.

Oh.

I got it.

From their perspective, I was a blonde-haired foreigner from the past.

They were probably wondering how I’d react to modern food.

Like some historical ghost about to cry over tasting a K-convenience store pastry.

That idea was offensively absurd.

I was as Korean as them!

To prove it, I turned my gaze toward Soo-ho—

And the spicy buldak cup noodles he was eating.

[Give it to me.]

Soo-ho stiffened, sweating nervously.

"Uh, Ella... this is really spicy."

Did he think I couldn’t handle it?

I used to love spicy food.

I stared at him expectantly.

Under the silent pressure, Soo-ho eventually scooped some onto the cup lid and handed it over.

Good.

Now watch.

I was no different from them.

Slurp.

"Uh... are you okay?"

Ha-rim’s voice was laced with concern.

Was I okay?

No.

"Ssss...! Hah... Huff...!"

For a second, I genuinely wondered if they had sprinkled exorcist purification salt into this.

Why did it hurt?!

Was it because of Ella’s body?!

Give me back my spice tolerance!

"Here! Drink this!"

I grabbed the lemonade and chugged it.

Still burned.

Damn it.

"You asked for it, remember?"

I shot a glare at Soo-ho, but I wasn’t about to blame him for this disaster.

Resigned, I quietly returned to my cream bread.

The soft sweetness soothed my scorched tongue.

Yes.

Humans should eat according to their taste.

I needed to accept that my old preferences didn’t apply to Ella’s body.

Seeing that I wasn’t angry, the kids relaxed and returned to their own meals.

But the atmosphere was still awkward.

Was it because I was here?

Sensing the tension, Ha-rim spoke up.

"So... what did you guys think about today?"

Scary, obviously.

What else?

But Eun-jung had a different take.

"It was scary... but I was really thankful that Ella helped us.

And... I felt safe."

Safe, huh?

There was nothing better than earning the trust of the weak.

It meant I had already moved a step closer to them.

"Me too! Kyung-min and I were scared, but Ella saved us."

"And I won thanks to the necklace Ella gave me!"

...What was with this atmosphere?

Why were they praising me?

No one had ever praised me before.

The closest thing I ever got was people calling me bad luck incarnate.

I only ever had one friend in my whole life...

I suddenly felt embarrassed.

I couldn’t look them in the eyes.

They noticed my reaction.

Their gazes lingered, waiting for me to say something.

Should I say something back?

"...Ella also... appreciated you all following along."

I trailed off.

The moment I saw their faces, I regretted it.

They looked like they had just witnessed a miracle.

[Ella... just gave a compliment?!]

Never mind.

This wasn’t happening.

"...Not that it matters. It’s only natural.

If you don’t want to die, you should keep doing it."

That was better.

But I still felt like an idiot.

Was my face red?

I sounded like some tsundere character, and it made me want to gag.

"R-Right! Got it!"

Ha-rim’s expression brightened.

Ugh.

Just don’t respond at all.

And don’t let this ease the tension.

You shouldn’t feel relaxed around a murderer.

Got it?