I Created Urban Legends in Parallel World
[Original – YakuMan]
[TL – MiT7]
[PR – Spades]
Chapter 2: The Ghost Club
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Late afternoon at Sakuraaki Private High School.
The sun still hung high in the sky, the weather clear and bright.
The dismissal bell rang abruptly, and the once-quiet school building erupted into a cacophony of noise.
In Class 1 of Year 2, Kamihara Shinji, who had been slumped over his desk at the back, jolted upright at the sound of the bell, startling the students chatting nearby.
Before they could shoot him an annoyed glance, Kamihara Shinji cast a dark, brooding look their way, silencing them instantly.
After packing his things, he yawned and shuffled out of the classroom.
"Who… is that guy? I don't think I've ever seen him," one student whispered.
"Kamihara Shinji—the gloomy guy!" another replied.
"No recollection of him."
"That's normal. He sits in the back, shows up just as school starts, then sleeps on his desk all day. After lunch, he sleeps again and only wakes up when the bell rings. Then he vanishes right after school. Most people in class don't know him—some don't even realize he exists."
"Creepy."
Kamihara Shinji left the classroom, descended the stairs, crossed the courtyard, and headed toward a nearby building. This three-story structure was a hub for school clubs, housing many clubrooms.
He climbed to the second floor and stopped at a classroom with a sign reading "Ghost Club" hanging by the door. Without hesitation, he pushed it open.
The room was pitch black. Instinctively, he flicked on the lights.
The moment the room lit up, two pairs of irritated eyes glared at him.
"Sorry," Kamihara Shinji said, his expression devoid of any real apology as he switched the lights back off.
"Shinji, why do I get the feeling you did that on purpose? We're ghosts—people who don't exist in this school! Turning on the lights—aren't you mocking our identity?" one of the occupants grumbled.
"Oh," Kamihara replied flatly. He ambled over to a sofa, flopped down, pulled a blanket over himself, and within seconds, was fast asleep.
"He's asleep already?"
"Looks like it."
"That's insane. Is this guy secretly Nobita Nobi reincarnated or something?"
"With how good Shinji is at fighting, he's probably a fusion of Nobita and Gian."
Nakamura Kota and Kozasa Hideki chuckled and bantered between themselves. Suddenly, the lights flicked on again. They were about to curse Kamihara Shinji, but then remembered—wait, wasn't he asleep?
Turning toward the door, their eyes widened in unison.
Unfazed by the stares of the two otaku, Shinkawa Chie maintained her composure and asked, "Is this the Ghost Club?"
Her gaze swept the room suspiciously. The space looked more like a giant bedroom than a clubroom.
At the center was a coffee table littered with soda cans and bags of chips—classic otaku fuel. To the left stood a bookshelf packed with manga and light novels, surrounded by an army of cute girl figurines and other questionable collectibles.
Next to the bookshelf were three computers lined up in a row—clearly, the two boys had been gaming moments ago. Nearby sat two arcade machines.
At the front of the room loomed a 100-inch Sony TV, beneath which lay a pile of controllers and gaming consoles, with a projector parked to the side.
On the right was the sofa, flanked by a green potted plant that added a touch of life to the space. In the far corner stood a refrigerator.
The Ghost Club? Are you sure this isn't the Gaming Club?
For a moment, Shinkawa Chie questioned her life choices. This was a club? It felt more like a mini entertainment lounge.
"Yeah, this is the Ghost Club," Nakamura Kota said, sizing her up before frantically exchanging glances with Kozasa Hideki.
Catching the signal, Kozasa Hideki straightened up, his previously sleazy demeanor shifting to one of calm indifference. "You want to join?" he asked coolly.
After a brief hesitation, Shinkawa Chie nodded.
"You can join, but there's a condition: you have to tell us a scary story we've never heard before—and it has to satisfy us. That's the entry requirement."
The Ghost Club had been founded in their first year. According to Nakamura Kota and Kozasa Hideki, ghosts didn't exist, and when applied to people, the term referred to those with an almost nonexistent presence—fringe characters.
Both of them were hardcore otaku. Despite Japan's thriving anime culture, otaku like them were far from popular in school.
So, they'd created the Ghost Club with a hint of self-deprecation.
That said, some people were drawn to ghosts and the supernatural, so every now and then, someone would show up wanting to join.
For guys? No chance—entry denied.
For girls? If their looks didn't meet a certain standard, they were turned away too. But someone like Shinkawa Chie, whose appearance was undeniably striking, was welcomed with open arms (and legs, metaphorically speaking).
Still, a test was necessary. Letting people join too easily would make it feel like anyone could waltz in and out whenever they pleased.
The "test" hadn't always existed. Back in their first year, a boy had tried to join and was rejected. He'd snitched to the teachers and the student council, earning them a scolding. That's when they'd come up with the storytelling requirement.
Since then, if Nakamura and Kozasa didn't like someone, no matter how wild their story was, they'd find a reason to say it didn't meet their standards.
So quirky, huh?
Shinkawa Chie didn't mind. In fact, she felt a spark of excitement.
She'd been fascinated by the supernatural since childhood, always seeking out bizarre tales and urban legends. In middle school, she'd founded a Mystery Research Club.
Now, as a first-year at Sakuraaki High, she'd planned to start a similar club—only to discover the Ghost Club already existed.
On her way here, she'd assumed it was just a gaming club masquerading as something spooky. Clearly, she'd misjudged them.
So, what kind of scary story should she tell?
In Shinkawa Chie's mind, since these two were Ghost Club members and the club had been around for a year with only two people, they must have high standards for recruits.
Otherwise, how could a club stay so small?
That meant they were likely well-versed in urban legends and horror stories. Her best bet was to share something recent—something fresh.
She racked her brain, and then her eyes lit up.
Got it.
"Say, senpai, have you heard about a photo that's been circulating online recently?"
"A photo?"
Nakamura Kota and Kozasa Hideki exchanged a glance, then shook their heads.
"That photo… it shows a giant eyeball."
Whoosh—
Kamihara Shinji bolted upright from the sofa.
Shinkawa Chie flinched, nearly shrieking. She'd just set the mood, immersing herself in the story she was about to tell, when Kamihara's sudden movement almost scared her to death.
She'd thought the lump on the sofa was just a pillow—turns out, it was a person.
"Uh… who's he?"
Though startled themselves, Nakamura and Kozasa remained relatively calm.
Kozasa Hideki cleared his throat. "Him? That's Kamihara Shinji, a club member. He was just playing the part of an Egyptian mummy—now he's hit the 'rise-from-the-dead' phase. It's kind of a tradition here. We're the Ghost Club, after all—gotta have something that sets us apart from the other clubs."
Beside him, Nakamura Kota discreetly flashed a thumbs-up, impressed by Kozasa's quick thinking.
Oh, I see.
Shinkawa Chie studied Kamihara Shinji. His thick hair hung over his forehead, obscuring his eyes and giving him an aloof air.
Through the messy strands, she caught a glimpse of his dark, brooding gaze as he glanced at her.
By now, she wasn't fazed. Back in middle school, she'd dealt with all sorts of eccentric club members—Kamihara Shinji was still within the realm of "normal" by her standards.
After sparing her a single look, Kamihara pulled the blanket back over himself and lay down to sleep again.