Chapter 2

That guy, Shin, just left the house.

Apparently, he was heading to school. He’s a university student, and from what I’ve gathered, his campus is within walking distance.

“Alright, I’m heading to campus now.”

“Okay. Have a safe trip.”

I forced a smile and waved back as he grinned lazily and strolled away.

The door clicked shut behind him.

“…He’s gone.”

I let the fake smile drop.

Ugh. Keeping up the act is exhausting. Sure, it’s part of deceiving him, but that doesn’t make it any less annoying.

Speaking of deception… what an idiot.

“Keh-heh-heh-heh.”

A laugh slipped out before I could stop it.

What a complete moron.

He fell for it so easily—letting me twist him around my finger. I didn’t expect infiltrating his life to be this simple.

Shin and I? Best friends? Please. Don’t make me laugh.

We’re practically strangers. Hell, we only met a few days ago.

Back then, I’d just managed to return to this world, with no place to go. No money, no ID—thanks to this female body—and my old home was already taken by another family.

Stuck and desperate, I was sitting aimlessly on a park bench when he happened to walk by.

Plain-looking guy, but well-dressed—clearly had money. I followed him and, lucky me, he lived alone. So I hit him with a bit of mind control and made him my puppet.

Turned out to be the perfect move. These past few days? Pure comfort.

Why did I go with the “best friend” angle? Simple. Anything else would've caused problems.

If I’d claimed to be just a friend, living together would’ve raised eyebrows. Family? Too risky—the mind control wouldn’t have lasted.

See, my "mind control" isn’t some overpowered manga nonsense. It’s more like suggestion—fragile and easy to break. If the target feels too much doubt or discomfort, the effect fades.

If he started thinking, “Wait, why didn’t I check on my missing family?”—that’d be it. Game over.

I considered pretending to be his lover, but—hell no.

Even if I’m stuck in this body now, I was a guy until a few years ago. Mentally, I still am. No way I’m playing that role.

Anyway, that’s how I ended up as Shin’s “best friend” and moved in.

Guilt? Don’t make me laugh.

That other world was hell.

I got summoned as a “Saintess”—after being forcibly turned into a woman—but the title meant nothing.

In reality, I was just a weapon. Forced to fight day and night, barely fed, no real rest. And with the curses binding me, rebellion wasn’t even an option.

The only saving grace? The “Saintess” title kept me from being violated. Everything else was pure suffering.

I only made it back here by sheer luck—slipping into the summoning chamber during a brief opening.

If I hadn’t, I’d still be there. A slave. Less than human.

After years of that nightmare, someone like Shin is nothing but a convenient tool.

So I’ll use him—as much as I want.

“Keh-heh-heh-heh—”

Biting back another laugh, I turned and walked back inside.