How To Survive A Cute Ghost Yandere
Chapter 6: Hi, darling?

Chapter 6: Chapter 6: Hi, darling?

Stigma Academy, exactly as it appeared in the webtoon’s own illustrations, carried a visual charm that was nothing short of extraordinary. No one could argue with anyone who called this Academy a genuine castle.

And why wouldn’t they, with so many majestic towers stretching high into the blue sky?

The walls were built from pale stone that shimmered faintly whenever sunlight touched it, as if flecks of crystal had been embedded straight into the structure itself. The main tower stood tallest above all the rest, its peak sharp and crowned with a star-shaped emblem glowing softly—the very same symbol Eiros had once glimpsed in a few panels of the webtoon, though he’d never actually paid it much attention back then.

Stone bridges connected tower to tower, floating with no visible support, as if held up by nothing but magic quietly doing its work underneath. Below, sprawling gardens stretched out, trees with silver-shimmering leaves circling a small lake so clear it reflected the entire silhouette of the castle across its surface.

Students moved back and forth in uniforms of different colors, each marking their region of origin or training path, laughter and chatter blending together with the strains of classical music echoing through the air as easy, pleasant background noise.

Eiros wore an Academy uniform in dark green and black. A simple combination that marked him as a first-year student. A small metal plate was pinned to his chest, displaying his name.

Taking in that architectural marvel, Eiros couldn’t stop himself from showing his surprise. At the same time, he felt an enormous wave of relief at just how massive the place was.

Considering that he and Erness were in different classes, that meant the odds of them actually running into each other should be fairly low. Unless, of course, either Erness or Eiros himself deliberately took the initiative to seek the other out.

With a bright smile, Eiros stepped into the nearest tower. There was a lift built with magic, and a handful of other students in uniforms different from his own were already inside.

As the lift began to rise, the walls, which had looked dull moments before, turned transparent. The higher they climbed, the clearer and more magnificent the view became, unfolding right before their eyes.

Eiros swallowed without even realizing it.

’Ah... If only I were just some character with nothing to do with any of this.’

He’d have genuinely enjoyed his academy life in a place this magnificent, this extraordinary.

"Never gets old, huh?"

One of the other students in the lift spoke to him, chuckling as he watched Eiros’s obviously awestruck reaction.

A little startled, Eiros froze for a moment before forcing a smile onto his face.

"You’re right, I never get tired of this view."

"Of course not. I mean, who could ever get tired of this? Honestly the best thing about this place, if we ignore the fact that the Professors are absolutely brutal."

The students laughed together. Eiros joined in the light conversation, and even though he didn’t recognize a single one of them, it felt genuinely refreshing—after everything, he was finally getting to feel what it was like to just talk to people normally again.

It had been a long time since he’d done that.

So, once the lift reached its destination floor, Eiros and the other students split off toward their own respective classes. The corridors of the tower connected to other towers, and even though Eiros didn’t have a full picture of the Academy’s overall layout, he’d at least picked up a few things about his own class through the real Eiros’s diary.

There were plenty of helpful notes in there—the real Eiros had apparently written down everything he’d encountered along the way to class back when he first started as a first-year student.

Even though Eiros had figured earlier that the odds of running into Erness were low, that didn’t mean it was impossible. After all, they were at least on the same floor, in the same building.

So what Eiros did was simply delay his arrival until he was nearly late. That way, he figured Erness wouldn’t cross paths with him, since she’d reach her own class first—one located further down at the very end of the corridor.

That was exactly why Eiros walked with such confidence.

Every year, an enormous number of first-year students got accepted. Whether they had a stigma or not, all of them were admitted as long as they met the required standards.

Eiros belonged to the Other class, where the stigma he carried was something unique, impossible to classify under any standard category.

Along the way, Eiros greeted a few students who recognized him. According to the diary, Eiros was fairly well known thanks to his outgoing, extroverted personality.

"Oh! Eiros, come here!"

Hearing another greeting, Eiros glanced toward the voice and gave a wry smile as he waved back.

It was a guy who came up often in the diary—someone who could be called the real Eiros’s close friend.

"Damn it! Did you seriously ignore me all last night?! I know, I know you’ve got a gorgeous girlfriend! But that’s just cruel, you know?"

The guy, Leiden, pouted with mock tears as he stared at Eiros.

"You should’ve at least sent word or something if you weren’t gonna show up!"

Just like Eiros, Leiden also had a unique Stigma, hard enough to categorize that he’d been placed in the Other class too.

"Ah... I had a couple of urgent things I had to deal with. But hey, I’ll treat you at the cafeteria after this."

Eiros tried to answer as naturally as he could. Worth noting, the real Eiros wasn’t an introvert—back in his college days, he’d actually been quite active socially. He’d only started shutting himself in his room after spiraling into depression and disappointment when his job applications got rejected, one place after another.

Even then, it hadn’t lasted very long.

So, talking to people wasn’t exactly hard for him.

"Whoa! Seriously?! Forget it, forget everything I just said. You’re the absolute best."

Eiros smiled awkwardly, watching how excited Leiden had suddenly gotten. But then the guy cleared his throat and shot Eiros a serious look, lowering his voice.

"So... what actually happened today? It’s not like you to show up cutting it this close to late. Seriously, there’s barely a few minutes left before class starts."

"...Really? Well, I guess I’m just worn out from whatever I was doing?"

Leiden blinked, eyeing him with obvious suspicion.

"Hmm... You’re being really suspicious right now."

"..."

Luckily, right at that moment, a woman’s voice rang out from somewhere down the corridor, a fair distance ahead.

"Oh? Isn’t that Eiros and Leiden?!"

The voice made both Eiros and Leiden turn around, curious. Their eyes landed briefly on a female student smiling brightly in their direction. But only briefly—because Eiros’s gaze immediately locked onto the girl standing beside her.

A girl with a beautiful, gentle appearance. Wearing the same green and black uniform. Her hair, soft and smooth, cascaded freely all the way down to her waist, her pupils a pale white that only deepened the impression of her innocent looks.

Their eyes met.

’Ah, damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it.’

He could also see Erness’s pupils widen, as if genuinely surprised. Then, ten seconds later, those eyes curved into perfect crescents. Her lips followed suit, curling into a captivating smile as both her cheeks flushed pink.

Cold sweat drenched Eiros’s face as it drained of color, going utterly rigid.

"...Hi, darling?"

That voice, so sweet, was laced through and through with thorns.

***