I was Thrown into an Unfamiliar Manga

To be honest, I’d let my guard down.

I didn’t expect to find a direct connection to the original story at a moment like this.
But once I realized the ghost in front of me had something to do with Sakamoto—the protagonist of this world—I couldn’t just walk away.
Based on everything I’d seen so far, there was a high chance she played a major role in the story.

After assessing the situation, I looked down at the ghost girl still struggling beneath me and asked,
“Do you… know someone named Sakamoto Ryuji?”
The moment I said it, her movements froze.

Then she answered in a trembling voice.
『…Who are you? How do you know that name?』
“Let’s just say we’re close.”

『Answer me!』
“Ugh!”
That power again.
No matter how hard I tried, my body wouldn’t budge, like I was encased in solid ice.

She slipped out from under me, snatched the photo from my hand, and swung her arm.
Ice shot out from all sides of the room, trying to bind my limbs.
But thanks to the yang energy surrounding me, the ice evaporated into white steam before it could even touch me.

『Tch! Damn it!』
Maybe out of sheer frustration, the ghost girl clenched her teeth.
A white blizzard filled the room.

The yin energy was so overwhelming that for the first time since taking the red pill, I felt my limbs beginning to freeze.
After about five seconds, I regained control, and just as I reached out to grab her, she retreated, exhaling a plume of frost.
A thick layer of frost immediately engulfed my right arm.

It felt like my bones were freezing from the inside out.
Holding out her icicle claws toward me with a cold expression, she asked,
『Answer me! How do you know Ryuji’s name?!』

“Kim Yu-seong!”
“I’m fine! Just give me a second, Senpai.”
I stopped Fuma-senpai, who looked ready to charge in at any moment, and stared back at the ghost girl.

White hair. Blue eyes.
That color combination isn’t exactly common. Why hadn’t I noticed?
Probably because I’d assumed she was a yokai.
I took a deep breath and answered her question.

“To be honest, Sakamoto Ryuji is my classmate.”
“……”
“I didn’t know you had anything to do with him, but when I saw that photo earlier… I figured it out. That spiky orange-haired guy—I only know one person like that.”

『Then why did you come here?』
“Because your power was so overwhelming that people mistook you for a yokai. We’re not the first ones to visit this mansion, right?”
The ghost girl hesitated… then nodded.

『I chased ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ a few people off before.』
“That’s exactly why we were sent.”
『……』

She fell silent, seemingly putting the pieces together at last.

And then she muttered quietly.
『How stupid.』

The blizzard raging through the room stopped.
The ice on my arms and legs melted away instantly.
As I rolled my still-cold wrists, I asked,

“What changed your mind all of a sudden?”
She replied,
『Everything just started to feel pointless. That’s all.』
Then she sat back down on the bed.

『Leave the house. I’ll let you go this time.』
It hit me then—this ghost wasn’t exactly honest with her emotions.
If I had to put it in anime terms… definitely a tsundere.

“Are you okay, Kim Yu-seong?”
“Yeah. Thanks to that pill, I didn’t get hurt too badly. How about you, Senpai?”
“Other than my ribs, I’m fine.”

“…That alone sounds like a serious injury, though.”
Her definition of ‘not serious’ was a bit off.
Anyway, since it didn’t look like there’d be any more fighting, we decided to return to the village.

We hadn’t ‘exorcised’ the snow woman as originally planned, but now that we knew she wasn’t a yokai but a ghost, there was no longer any reason to.
Honestly, it felt like we’d just barged into someone’s home uninvited. The whole thing left a bad taste in my mouth.
As I turned to leave the room, something occurred to me.

“Hey, wanna come with us?”
『What?』
Her eyes widened.

Even Fuma-senpai, standing beside me, looked stunned.
But I pressed on.
“I mean, you said it yourself—you’re stuck here as a jibakurei. If you’re lingering in this world because of some regret, wouldn’t it be better to head to Tokyo than stay in a place where no one visits?”

If you’re waiting for someone, then going to them is faster than waiting forever.
『……Fine.』
After a pause, the ghost girl nodded.

『I’ll follow you. What do I have to do?』
I turned to Fuma-senpai and asked,
“What do we do now, Senpai?”

Fuma-senpai let out a groan and rubbed her forehead.
“What am I even supposed to tell the village…?”
Yeah, that part was definitely my bad.

***
In the end, the solution was simple.
Either make the ghost girl my shikigami, or let her possess my body.

But since making a wandering spirit your shikigami came with too many risks—especially for one that needed to pass on eventually—I chose the latter.
“This is only possible because it’s you, Kim Yu-seong. For anyone else, it wouldn’t work.”
“Yep. I figured.”

Fuma-senpai said this ghost girl had way too much yin energy for an ordinary body to handle.
She suspected the girl had been born with a rare constitution called Gu-eum-jeol-maek—Nine Yin Severed Pulse.

Unlike my own Polar Yang Body, which doesn’t harm the host, this condition is a kind of terminal illness. As the body matures, the yin energy slowly crushes any yang energy inside, shortening the host’s life.

No normal person could’ve endured her energy.
Fortunately, I had enough yang energy to overpower even that.
In short: massive yin can be subdued only by even greater yang.

『My body feels lighter…』
As the ghost girl murmured and stretched out her arms, Fuma-senpai wiped sweat from her forehead and said,
“Of course it does. You were bound to that mansion by spiritual force, so you had a strong aversion to leaving. But we forcibly severed that link and tied you to Kim Yu-seong instead. Now you’re free.”

『Hmmm~』
The ghost girl nodded with a hum.
“All right, let’s head back to the village. If we take too long, we’ll miss dinner.”

“Fair enough.”
Fuma-senpai nodded and started down the stairs.
I followed after her and asked,

“By the way, what’s your name?”
『Me? Why?』
“Can’t keep calling you ‘hey’ or ‘you’ forever.”

She floated lazily behind me and replied,
『I forgot.』
“What?”

When I asked what kind of nonsense that was, she pouted slightly.
『It’s true. When I first opened my eyes, the only thing I remembered were the faces and names of the people I cared about.』
Looks like I’d have to give her a nickname.

My gaze drifted to her snow-white hair.
“How about Shiro?”
『That sounds like a dog’s name.』

“Then what about Shirogane?”
『…I’ll name myself, thanks.』
Guess my naming sense was trash.

She folded her arms and floated behind me for a moment before speaking.
『Saya. From now on, call me Saya.』
She gave a small smile.

***
Back in the village, we reported everything to Fuma-senpai’s grandfather.
“So it wasn’t a snow woman after all.”

“That’s right, Grandfather.”
As Fuma-senpai bowed respectfully, her grandfather silently turned to look at Saya, floating behind me.
“I’m sorry for sending someone after you based on a misunderstanding. As head of the village, I offer you my deepest apologies.”

『I don’t really care. Everyone was weak anyway.』
“Hm.”
Grimacing at the sharp jab, Fuma-senpai’s grandfather closed his eyes, then opened them again with a sigh.

“This entire mission was the village’s fault. But you handled it with honor, and that deserves a proper reward.”
Then, without warning, he lifted a tatami mat beside him.
“Grandpa!”

Fuma-senpai looked shocked.
“This is a book detailing our clan’s secret martial art—Swift Thunder. I’ll give you three days. Read what you can.”
I accepted the book from him with both hands.

“Thank you.”
Somehow, just holding it made the exhaustion from the day vanish completely.