IMAG Chapter 2

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To avoid scaring his mom, Xiaolin didn’t mention that the ghost was still lingering around him—constantly supervising his studies, arguing with him over answers, and mocking him with sarcasm. Instead, he simply said that ever since witnessing the car accident, he had been experiencing frequent auditory hallucinations.

As expected, his mom’s expression changed.

But instead of rushing to find a shaman, she took him straight to the hospital.

She thought Xiaolin might have developed psychological issues due to trauma.

Since he was already there, he decided to go along with it. So, he sat in front of the doctor, feeling utterly speechless, while the ghost kept nagging in his ear.

Ghost: "I think I’ve been here before."

With the doctor present, Xiaolin couldn’t respond to the ghost. If he did, he might not leave the hospital today—he’d probably be transferred directly to the psychiatric ward.

In the end, the doctor diagnosed him with mild post-traumatic stress disorder. It wasn’t severe, so no medication was needed. He was advised to rest for a few days and see if the symptoms improved.

On their way out of the hospital, his mom said, “If you don’t get better, we’ll go find an expert for help.”

Xiaolin was afraid this was just a trick to catch him off guard, so he quickly replied, “Actually, the doctor makes a lot of sense. I think I was just scared. We should trust science and reject superstition—after a good night’s sleep, I’ll be fine.”

His mom’s face immediately softened with relief. Kobayashi secretly breathed a sigh of relief too. He figured if he had answered any differently, he might have been seeing a different doctor tomorrow.

He decided never to bring up the matter again. Maybe if he ignored it, the ghost would leave on its own in a few days.

Back Home

Xiaolin asked the ghost, “Did you remember something?”

If he could find the ghost’s relatives, maybe the ghost’s lingering wish would be fulfilled, and it could finally move on.

Ghost: "I feel very familiar with hospitals. Do you think I might have worked in one before?"

Xiaolin: “Or maybe after you died, no one came to claim your body, so you stayed in the morgue for a long time before being cremated.”

Ghost: “…”

The ghost went silent.

Xiaolin realized his words might have hurt the ghost’s pride, so he quickly tried to comfort him. “I was just talking nonsense! Look at you—you’re so nice, you don’t take substitutes, you’re smart, and you’re good at both math and Chinese. You were probably a successful person in life. There’s no way no one came to claim your body.”

The ghost hummed in agreement. “You’re right, that makes sense.”

Xiaolin thought, Even as a ghost, he has such high self-esteem. He must have been arrogant and hard to approach when he was alive.

So he asked, “Can you remember anything else?”

Ghost: "Right now, I can only follow you. If I get too far away, I’m automatically pulled back. But if you go out more on the weekends, maybe seeing familiar places will trigger my memories."

Xiaolin was particularly curious about the world of ghosts: "You can see me, but can you see yourself? What do you look like?"

The ghost: "Tall, handsome, and charming."

Xiaolin didn’t believe it at all: "Yeah, right! Keep bragging!"

While taking a shower, Xiaolin suddenly thought of a serious problem: "So every time I use the bathroom or take a shower, when I take off my clothes, are you watching me?"

The ghost reassured him, "You're a bit skinny, but your arms and legs are long. You'll grow more in the future. You may not be as handsome as me, but you're still quite good-looking. Your skin is fair, and once you're fully developed, your shape will be pretty nice."

Xiaolin’s face turned red, and he stammered, "W-what shape?! Explain yourself!"

The ghost teased, "What shape do you think?"

Then he deliberately blew a cold breath towards Xiaolin’s lower body. Xiaolin was so startled that he backed away, but his foot slipped, and he fell backward.

The bathroom was all tiles and glass—if he hit the ground, it wouldn’t be a joke. At that moment, Xiaolin’s heart turned cold. I’m done for—I’m going to become a ghost too.

But suddenly, he felt something wrap around his waist and pull him back in the opposite direction with force.

As he regained his balance, the force disappeared in an instant.

In a daze, Xiaolin thought he saw a blurry figure in the bathroom mirror, but he couldn't tell if it was just steam or something else.

"Ghost Bro? Was that you just now?" he asked cautiously.

For some reason, the ghost remained silent for a while before finally answering, "It was me."

Xiaolin exclaimed, "You can take physical form now? Come on, let me see what you look like! Maybe I can figure out your identity!"

He hadn’t forgotten the ghost's earlier claim about being tall and charming. He also wanted to see if the ghost was just bragging.

The ghost replied, "Other than the time I deliberately scared you by blowing into your ear, I’ve never been this close to you."

Xiaolin was puzzled. "What do you mean?"

The ghost: "I think I absorbed some of your yang energy, so I can maintain a visible form."

Xiaolin was both shocked and excited: "So the stuff they say in horror movies is real! Yang energy is really useful for ghosts! This is a groundbreaking discovery! If I write a thesis on it, do you think I could win a Nobel Prize?"

The ghost: "…Who would give you a Nobel Prize for that?"

Xiaolin scratched his head. "Then… how about I transfer more yang energy to you?"

The ghost: "Forget it."

Xiaolin was touched. "Are you worried that it’ll harm my body? Don’t worry, I’m a strong and healthy teenager! I have plenty of yang energy! You can take a little!"

The ghost said eerily, "How about after you finish Five Years of College Entrance Exams, Three Years of Mock Tests? Looking at all those blank pages makes me uncomfortable."

Xiaolin wanted to exorcise the ghost right then and there.

But that night, he had a wet dream.

In his dream, a tall figure pressed him against the wall, leaning down slowly. Starting from his lips, the figure kissed and licked its way down his entire body.

Xiaolin felt hot all over. He kept saying no, no, but his body reacted honestly, his chest rising and falling heavily, aching to take action.

But soon, he felt something was off. Why was the person pressing down on him so strong? It didn’t feel like a woman at all… it felt more like…

Suddenly, a mirror appeared in front of him. Xiaolin looked into it and saw a foggy reflection—a faint, shadowy figure.

Wasn’t that…?

Shocked, he woke up with a jolt!

But as soon as he opened his eyes, he almost screamed.

Somehow, his blanket had been lifted, his pajama top had been pushed up to his collarbone, and his pants… Well, he had only been wearing underwear to sleep, but now even that had been pulled down. His "little brother" was standing at full attention, greeting him.

Through the sheer moonlight filtering in through the curtains, he saw a figure between his legs.

The figure looked clearer than it had in the evening, though its face was still indistinct.

The figure lifted its head and murmured, "It seems like I can absorb yang energy this way too?"

Without thinking, Xiaolin kicked it away.

To his surprise, the shadowy figure—though it looked light and airy—actually could be kicked. With a loud smack, it hit the wall, stuck there for a moment, then slowly slid down like a puddle of water and gradually faded away.

The ghost muttered, "Tsk. All that effort, wasted."

Xiaolin was so embarrassed that his face was as red as a tomato in the dark. "I said I’d transfer yang energy to you, but not like that!"

The ghost replied nonchalantly, "You were enjoying it though. You kept moaning and making little noises."

Xiaolin: "Shut up!"

The ghost: "It's a normal physiological reaction during puberty. No need to be shy. Besides, I'm so handsome—you’re not losing out."

Xiaolin: "Handsome, my ass! Who the hell would like a ghost doing that kind of thing?!"

The ghost: "I don’t know. I’m not human."

T/N: Please give support on my ko-fi, thank you☕☕☕