I Owed the King of Hell 100 Million, and My Bestie Paid It Of

After I died, I lost a hundred million playing poker with the King of Hell.

I clung to his leg and cried all night, wailing so pitifully that he finally took pity on me and agreed to let me return to the mortal world during the All Souls Day—just long enough to find my best friend and ask for help paying off my debt.

My best friend, Amelia, happens to be the heroine of a tragic romance novel. And right now, she's standing on the rooftop, eyes closed, about to jump.

I panicked and shouted, "Amelia! If you dare jump, I swear I'll tell everyone about that time you were ghosted by your online boyfriend from that game! You cried so hard you took a 20-hour train ride to beg him to take you back—only to find out he was a primary school student! He didn't reply because his teacher confiscated his phone during class!"

——

Amelia's foot froze mid-air. She slowly stepped back, her eyes widened, voice trembling. "Sherry... is that you?"

Looking at her disheveled hair and swollen red eyes, my heart ached. But before I could say anything, my beloved best friend slapped her face.

Slap!

I was dumbfounded.

Tears rolled down her cheeks as she whispered in despair, "Amelia, you've finally gone insane. Sherry has been dead for six years. How could she possibly appear now..."

She took a deep breath, her voice hollow. "But it's fine, Sherry... I'll come see you soon."

And with that, she stepped back toward the edge again.

Desperate, I pulled out my trump card and shouted her old online username at the top of my lungs. "Midnight Swan In Silken Rain!"

She froze, shivering all over. "Even my hallucinations are digging up my black history now..."

I floated right in front of her and snorted. "Have you considered it's not a hallucination?"

She stared at me in horror and screamed, "G-Ghost!"

Then she stumbled backward and fell right on her butt.

I glanced down at myself and smiled lopsidedly. I guess I got a little too excited and forgot my neck had twisted 180 degrees.

I quickly turned it back and floated over to her. "Amelia, I've missed you so much!"

Amelia was still trembling but managed to choke out, "Sherry, I missed you too!"

We hugged and cried like drama queens.

After a while, between the sniffles, Amelia asked, "Sherry, you've been gone six years and never came to see me. Why now?"

I hesitated, feeling a bit embarrassed. "Well... I kinda... owe a little money in the underworld."

Her eyes narrowed instantly. "I knew you wouldn't visit me for nothing. How much?"

"One hundred million. I've got ten days to pay it back." I smiled wryly.

Amelia waved her hand confidently. "No problem. Tomorrow I'll go buy some joss paper and burn it for you!"

My eyes lit up. "Wow, sis, you must've done pretty well these past six years!"

She crossed her arms and snorted. "I can't afford a real million, but you think I can't afford a million in the Bank of Heaven and Earth? Just wait—tomorrow I'll burn you ten billion! You can hire male models every day in the underworld!"

I fell silent.

She thought I was touched and patted my shoulder... except her hand went right through me.

She froze, then broke down sobbing again.

I knew she was remembering the day I died, so I quickly said, "Hey, don't cry yet. I've got bad news for you."

"What bad news?" she hiccuped.

"The exchange rate between the underworld's currency and dollar is one-to-one. Surprise!"

Her crying stopped instantly—she even hiccupped mid-breath. "Wait... how much did you say you owe?"

"A hundred million."

"...I think I'll just go die now," she deadpanned.

"No, don't!" I shouted, panicking. "If you die broke, you'll have to work 24/7 in the underworld with no breaks! It's worse than a 996 job!"