In a cold, shadowy forest, there was a small clearing blanketed in fallen leaves. At its center stood an old, moss-covered well. The eerie shakiness unique to videotapes added a layer of dread to the already chilling atmosphere.

The camera lingered on the scene for a few seconds. Then suddenly, a pale hand reached out from the well. A ghostly woman, her face hidden beneath a curtain of long black hair, slowly emerged, dragging her hair behind her as she crawled toward the screen.

My hands and feet were freezing—not from the air conditioning, but from the creeping terror gnawing at the ends of my nerves.

Maybe I should just turn the TV to face the wall during these moments.

The image on the tape distorted for a moment, skipping forward like someone hit fast-forward. The ghost let out a piercing shriek and jumped closer.

Another jolt. She appeared right in front of the screen. Up close, through the camera’s lens, I could make out her pale face under all that hair, twisted in a terrifying grin.

The sudden proximity made me almost scream out loud.

Then, she vanished.

The screen returned to the empty, mossy well. For ten long seconds, silence. And then, blood-red letters appeared in the middle of the screen:

【I’m coming… for you】

The movie’s ending seemingly hinted that the ghost had left the tape—and then the credits rolled.

Just as I began to relax, thinking it was finally over, a curtain of black hair suddenly fell over my face. Two ice-cold hands grabbed my throat.

“FOUND. YOU.”

“AAAAH!” I let out a very undignified scream.

I panicked. My mind went blank. I bolted upright, trying to run out of the screening room.

BAM!

The back of my head hit something hard. The “ghost” let out a painful yelp too.

That voice… Why did it sound so familiar?

I turned around—and there she was, squatting on the floor, clutching her nose. She brushed the hair from her face, letting it fall to the sides like in those horror movies. That was enough for me to piece things together.

Rinka. That little gremlin actually tried to scare me by posing as the ghost!

“Rinka! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!” I yelled at her, completely done.

Seriously, this kind of private screening room is the perfect place to get someone murdered and have their body dumped. It was only thanks to my decent character that I didn’t throttle her right then and there.

She looked up at me with teary, red-rimmed eyes, still holding her nose—like I was the one in the wrong here.

“Okay, maybe scaring you was a bit much, but did you really have to headbutt me that hard?”

“Tsk tsk, you got what you came for.”

The movie may have been old, but it nailed the atmosphere. I’d been tense the entire time, so when I finally let my guard down—bam, jump scare courtesy of Rinka.

But seriously, I’m supposed to be the God of Bishoujo (Apprentice). How can I be this afraid of a fictional ghost? I’m losing my Master’s face like this!

Rinka wiped her eyes and trotted over to the player, swapped out the “Cursed Videotape”, and slotted in the comedy one I’d picked. Please, let this ‘90s Hong Kong flick be enough to chase away the residual terror.

That familiar rewinding sound echoed.

“Why’d you pick a place like this for a date, anyway?” I asked.

She turned, clearly surprised I’d ask that now.

“Liuliu suggested it.” This time, she didn’t sit behind me, but beside me, knees neatly together, legs tilted slightly like a proper refined lady.

Given her lineage, I guess calling her a lady isn’t wrong.

“You said it yourself before, didn’t you? That I was just pretending to be the kind of girl I thought others wanted, chasing approval. That it wasn’t really me.”

“Yeah, I remember.”

“But now that I’m actually a girl, I don’t need to keep faking it. Just being is enough. And Liuliu told me this—”

She paused, then did her best impression of Yan Liuzhuan’s deadpan tone: “If that’s the case, then strip away all those idealized qualities. What’s left—no matter how ugly—is the real you.”

“Ugly’s a bit harsh, don’t you think?” Geez, Old Yan surely is blunt about this.

“It’s not harsh. It’s true. Becoming a girl made me realize just how awful I really am.”

“No way. The truly awful ones? They don’t even know it themselves.”

As if confessing to a list of crimes, Rinka raised her index finger and began counting, one by one. Her voice was calm, but her cheeks were tinged with a blush that betrayed her nerves. She couldn’t meet my eyes.

“I knew Kai-chan didn’t like it, but… I still wanted to see what you looked like without your glasses.
It was just for my own curiosity, really... I wanted it, even if it wasn’t fair to you.
I selfishly wanted Kai-chan to always go along with me... and I hated it whenever you didn’t.
And even though… I already liked Liuliu first…”

She hesitated—just for a second. Her gaze dipped, then flicked up to me and quickly away again.

“...I ended up falling for Kai-chan too.”

The air between us changed. Not heavy—but charged. My heart kicked hard against my ribs, and the cheesy old comedy on the TV might as well have vanished. Every single thing she just said… had my name in it. It felt too real. Too close.

“Rinka… that kinda sounds like a confession.”

She flinched at my words, her blush blooming brighter. Frantic, she waved her hands in front of her, eyes wide and voice rising in flustered denial.

“Wha—Kai-chan! I-It’s not a confession! I mean, even if I did really become a girl, I’d totally go confess to Liuliu first, okay?!”

“Wait, so I’m just the backup?!”

But of course I can’t beat Liuliu, who’d been with her for a long time. So much for the ‘childhood sweetheart loses to the mysterious new girl’ trope.

Rinka looked straight at me, her voice softer now.

“Kai-chan… even someone like me, this messed up version of me—am I still better than that perfect, ideal mask I used to wear?”

I smiled. “Of course not. That little angel Rinka is still the best to me! So gentle, so understanding—okay, maybe not technically a ‘girl,’ but definitely a saint in my book!”

She bit her lip slightly, clearly troubled, like she couldn’t accept my answer.

“But Rinka… you’re not living your life for me. You’re not Cinderella in some fairytale. Even if you force yourself to wear glass slippers that don’t fit, pretending to be someone you’re not… all that does is leave scars.”

“Kai-chan… the real me just isn’t that amazing.” Her voice trembled, and the mist that had faded from her eyes began to well up again. It looked like tears might spill down her cheeks at any second.

“You idiot. If letting your flaws take the wheel only makes you miserable, then it's better to push through the pain and try to change yourself. Cry later—when you’ve made it.”

“Hmph, Kai-chan’s so good at saying pretty things. All charm and no substance, just a pretty face in a glass case.”

Even as she threw that jab, she fought back her tears, forcing a smile through her wavering expression.

That's so not cute when I’m speaking my heart here… but it's still kind of nice in its own way.

“Thank you,” she said.

I looked over, surprised at her flushed cheeks, but the black-haired girl simply turned her head toward the screen.

“Shouldn’t you be looking at me when you say thanks?”

“I get embarrassed too, y’know.”

“Then don’t say it!”

By the time we left the video parlor, it was already dusk. The clouds had swallowed the sunset, and the sky burned with a fiery red glow as it stretched toward the horizon. The air had cooled just enough to be bearable, and we strolled side by side down the path back to the metro.

I couldn’t remember a single joke from that comedy film. But strangely, the fear from the horror movie had faded too.

Just from talking with Rinka.

“So, did I pass today?” she asked.

“Today’s not over yet. I’m withholding my verdict.”

“Then come over and stay at my place until midnight!”

“No way, I’m not risking another ambush in the bathroom.”

“You’re safe. No matter how you decide on the matter, I promise I won’t attack you again.”

She clearly saw through my hesitation and scratched her cheek in embarrassment.

Then she took a deep breath, steadied herself, and looked me in the eye.

“Listen up, Kai. If I really become a girl… I’m going to confess to Liuliu. But!”

“But?”

“But... if you confess to me before that happens… I’ll say yes.”

I’m not some clueless, dense light novel protagonist. If anything, I pride myself on being pretty sharp when it comes to reading the room.

And yet, the words I wanted to say stuck in my throat, completely jammed up.

...You know something?

That constant cicada chirping in the air?

It’s actually the sound of male cicadas calling out, trying to find love.