I Became A Ghost In A Horror Game

Chapter 98

"Alice, I'm bored~"

It was after school.

I was reading a book in the clubroom when Eun-jeong, who got bored with fiddling with her phone, spoke to me.

"Huh? You too? How long has it been since we defeated Freeman? Sometimes, you should enjoy the ordinary days. Someday, this boredom will feel precious."

"Stop talking like an old man..."

"Who are you calling old! Anyway..."

I've been sensitive about my age lately.

The kids have always been mature for their age, so it hasn't been a problem until now, but sometimes I feel left out when I can't keep up with the atmosphere.

How could he say that without understanding how I feel?

I'm deducting one point from her favorability.

"But after going through so much with Alice, ordinary games just don't satisfy me anymore."

"Is that so?"

I could tell the other children were bored too, though they didn't show it.

It's not surprising.

These kids are the type who find joy in fear.

To the point where others might think they're a bit off for enjoying things that stimulate fear.

Once you've experienced a big thrill, the monotony of everyday life can feel dull.

Honestly, I'm partly responsible for how the kids turned out this way.

"Don't you have any fun items or something?"

"What do you think I am, Doraemon?"

I grumbled but rummaged through the mirror, looking for something interesting.

Introducing them to the world inside the mirror could be fun, but that's for later.

"I'll show you something fun. Just wait."

Eun-jeong, excited by my response, called over the others who were fiddling with their phones.

"Guys! Alice said she's going to show us something fun!"

Without hesitation, the kids put down their phones and hurried over to me.

Just how bored were they?

I pulled out a monster from the mirror for the kids whose eyes sparkled with anticipation.

"Ta-da! The 2 AM Television!"

Perhaps because the original ghost story was old, the TV in my hands was a rather outdated model.

Eun-jeong looked puzzled at the seemingly ordinary TV.

"What exactly is this?"

"You know how they say if you turn on the TV at 2 AM, you'll see something you shouldn't? This is a creature born from that legend. If used well, you can see other worlds and their past or future."

The kids were amazed by my explanation.

"Wow..."

"That sounds super fun."

"Let's turn it on right away!"

"But remember. No matter how similar, the events of parallel worlds are separate. Don't read too much into them."

"For example?"

"Hmm... Let's see. Even if Ha-rim slips on a banana peel and falls in one world, it doesn't mean it will definitely happen here. Whether it's a small quarrel or a big war, it doesn't necessarily happen in our world."

It's better for your mental health to treat parallel world events as entirely separate.

I don't even want to think about futures where someone dies, but there are plenty of those.

Humans can slip, hit their heads, and end up brain-dead, so the possibilities of death are endless.

"Similar events might happen, but you can't say there's a direct causal relationship..."

"If something uncomfortable comes up, just think that's how it is and move on, right?"

"Exactly!"

After giving them a fair warning, I decided to turn on the TV.

The kids' eyes were shining so brightly that I was afraid of what would happen if I made them wait any longer.

But before that, I quietly whispered to the creature.

"Filter out anything that might be too much for the kids, okay?"

[...?]

"You know, stuff like... Lewd things or overly creepy stuff. You're a monster, so you should get the gist."

[...]

"Alright, let's start."

Taking the silence as a yes, I pressed the power button and turned on the TV.

The first thing that appeared on the screen was a mundane scene of kids playing soccer.

"Suho and Kyeong-min are playing soccer."

"Pretty ordinary. Oh, Eun-jeong is there too."

"Interesting, it's different like this."

Ha-rim sometimes joins in on the sports the boys play.

But Eun-jeong hates moving around, so she never participates.

It might seem trivial, but isn't it fascinating that such small things become the indicators that distinguish our world from the parallel one?

Their focus wavers as it's not what they expected.

Ugh, this is going to be a handful.

I asked the monster for something more interesting.

Bzzz-

The channel changes.

Next, I was seen arguing with a humanoid gray slime.

We seemed to be fighting over a top-tier pudding, and surprisingly, it was a tough opponent.

Behind it, smaller golden slimes that looked like miniatures of the gray slime were playing with the kids.

"Alice is fighting something over pudding."

"Probably just one of the common anomalous entities. Next."

Bzzz-

The channel changes again.

At that moment, Ha-rim brought over some sweet drinks, so I took my eyes off the screen and poured cups for the kids.

The kids were so engrossed in the screen that they barely noticed the cups being handed to them.

After distributing the drinks, I looked back at the screen and saw people in school uniforms who didn't resemble any of us.