Because I drank Shen Yufeng's weird talisman water, I had no choice but to take a sick day the next morning. Even with my dragon soul's insane regeneration, I just wanted to skip class openly on Wednesday. This guilty pleasure felt oddly satisfying.

I lay in bed, quietly watching the sky outside and the cracked glass pane...

Just as I settled into the view, the window started rattling back and forth.

What the hell? When did this window go fully automatic?

The window grumbled, "I've got some serious words to say~~"

I sat up, strode to the window, and yanked Mengze out from where she was possessing it. Freeloading on food and lodging? Fine. Smashing the glass? I tolerated it. But now she was faking ghost tricks to scare me! (Though, she is a ghost, after all.)

"Ah! Master, don't pull my hair—it hurts!" she whined.

"Bull! Ghosts feel pain? Where were you last night?"

Mengze placed two Yellow Talismans and a few copper coins on my desk. "I spent the night under the rain shelter outside. Dogs kept barking at me in the dark—it was terrifying... Anyway, these are that little Taoist Priest's tools. I grabbed them for you to check out."

I examined the coins closely but found nothing unusual. So Taoist magic really is this world's alternative sorcery? Amazing.

"How's your body? Any injuries?"

"Hehe~ Are you worried about me? Don't fret—I just feel them getting hot when I touch stuff."

Maybe because of our contract, Mengze's soul now held power alien to this world. That's why she wasn't afraid of these items.

"By the way, how did you even meet Shen Yufeng yesterday?"

Mengze tilted her head, puzzled. "Shen Yufeng? You mean that Taoist Priest kid? I was just so angry I could touch things. What's wrong with that?"

So spirits can interact with objects when furious? No wonder movie vengeful ghosts grab people. Mengze, a newbie ghost, could already touch the physical world early—must be thanks to my dragon soul.

"Time's about up. You still have that wish, right? I recall you wanted to..."

"Ah!! Don't say it out loud!"

Mengze suddenly yelled and punched the wall behind me. Cracks spiderwebbed across the plaster. FUCK! Were you the demolition crew boss in your past life? My apartment's doomed!

"What's your problem?! Trying to murder your master?"

"N-no, sorry! But please don't say it—I'm too shy."

Too shy to say his name? What era is this? Just naming him makes her flustered. Girls this pure are nearly endangered species. Being crush-worthy is nice... (if you ignore her Husky-like home-wrecking tendencies).

"I'm just asking. How can I help if you don't explain properly?"

"U-um... it's really embarrassing to say."

"Come on, you can do it! Spit out his name!"

Why am I acting like a cheerleader? This isn't a maternity ward.

"He's at Hyde High, class 3-2's math rep."

"And his name?"

"J-just go see for yourself..."

Now I get why Mengze never confessed. Call it "shy girl" if you're nice. Truth is, she's a total tsundere. He'd never know if she stays silent—this crush is doomed.

"I've got time this afternoon. Since I'm bored at home anyway, let's visit Hyde High to see your crush."

"S-see him? Is that okay? Won't I bother him?"

Seriously, it's just a meetup—not forcing yourself on him. Why's steam puffing from your head? Don't crash on me!

---

That afternoon, Mengze guided me to Hyde High. No uniform, but she found a sneaky path through hidden alleys.

"Hell no! You want me to climb over walls through mud? I'm going home!"

"Please, Master! If dirt bothers you, we can scale the old banyan tree instead. Help me out?"

Ugh, such a hassle. If I hadn't been a pushover, I'd ignore this ghost—even with her decent looks.

Sneaking in without a uniform made me nervous, but hiding in shadows should keep me safe.

"Look! Look! That guy—right there!"

I followed Mengze's point. On the basketball court, a 6-foot-tall guy wiped sweat off his brow and slammed a dunk with ultra-cool (show-off) flair. Girls on the sidelines shrieked, "So hot! So hot!"

"Is that dunking guy your crush?"

"Mhm. He's our class idol—top grades, sports god, and super nice. But..."

But he's too dazzling. Every girl in school adores him, while she feels invisible. Too insecure to confess.

I'm no love guru. Forcing myself to swallow this dog food is pure self-torture.

Mengze and I watched from a stairwell as the game ended. Her spiky-haired show-off led his team to victory. Girls rushed over with water bottles—he refused them all. Instead, he pulled his own mineral water, chugged half, and poured the rest over his head to cool off. Peak poser material.

I glanced at Mengze. Her eyes sparkled with heart shapes. Even as a ghost, she's a total fangirl. (Guess being dead doesn't kill crushes.)

"Time to go. It's getting late."

"Eh?! Can't we stay longer?"

"Enough already. My aunt will freak if I'm not home. We'll plan properly for your confession later."

"W-wait, confession success?!"

"If I made you confess to him right now, what would you say?"

"I... I... um..."

See? Her brain just blue-screened. Motherboard's fried—reboot won't fix this. How can she confess when just seeing him crashes her?

"Let's brainstorm a solid plan. Move out!"

"Woof! Woof!"

Shit! Why's this vicious Shiba Inu here? Can dogs sense spirits? Is it drawn to Mengze?

"Master, that dog's scary! Chase it away, please?"

"I'm kind by nature—don't abuse animals. You lured it; you distract it. Ghosts can't get hurt anyway."

"No! I won't leave you."

Damn it. Only option: run!

---

"Why do you look like you rolled in mud?" my aunt asked.

"Sorry, Auntie. I'll shower right away."

That demon dog—I'll turn it into dog meat hot pot someday! To think Dreadwyrm Modred, the apocalyptic dragon, got tackled by a mutt. Humiliating!

Dodging its attack, I tried scaling the wall. Slipped on landing, and face-planted in the mud. What a disaster.

*Sigh*... Being a good Samaritan sucks these days.

Knock knock knock...

"Who is it?"

"It's me, Xia Bing!"