The hallway felt longer than usual. Maybe it was the soft carpet muffling her footsteps, or maybe it was just the weight of what she was about to do making each step feel heavy.
Lee kept her eyes fixed on the door at the far end, the one leading to the living room where he was probably waiting.
Alright. Deep breaths, Lee. Just gotta… do the thing. Ugh. (￣へ￣)
She let out a silent sigh, the kind that didn't actually move any air but felt necessary anyway.
Two months.
It had been two solid months since she woke up in this… situation.
This powerless body, this peaceful world, this overly attentive golden retriever of a man who thought she was his wife.
And whose fault was it?
That damn freak camping out in her head, the original owner of this body, apparently deciding that boredom was best cured by throwing inappropriate memories at the new tenant.
(눈_눈) Seriously, what is her deal? Does she get off on this? Playing puppet master with my own damn hormones?
Lee frowned, remembering yesterday.
It had been the breaking point.
Just him standing there, maybe handing her a cup of coffee, nothing special.
And suddenly her brain felt like it was getting dive-bombed by a squadron of X-rated flashbacks.
Couldn't even stand straight.
Pathetic.
She, who had faced Herrschers without flinching, brought to her knees by a memory.
（ノಠ益ಠ）ノ彡┻━┻ Pretty sure the original Herrscher of Sentience wasn't this… dedicated to cheap thrills. This one's just a pervert with admin rights.
And him! Mr. Kaslana. Just standing there. Looking all… hopeful. Like a puppy waiting for you to throw the damn ball again.
(╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻ Didn't he get it?! Every time he looked at her with those ridiculously blue eyes, she—the original one—cranked up the volume on the internal soap opera.
He was practically handing her the ammunition! Idiot.
Lee rubbed her temples.
She'd tried fighting back, of course. Tried diving into her own mindscape, planning to use her old Herrscher of Sentience tricks to shut the intruder down.
Big mistake.
Turns out, years of cosmic battles and manipulating global organizations don't prepare you for getting mentally obliterated by… that.
Got chased out of her own mind by exploding lewd mines.
Great. Just great. (」°ロ°)」
Herrscher of Sentience, my foot. More like Herrscher of Humiliation. (ಥ_ಥ)
So, fine.
Plan A (ignore it and hope it goes away) failed miserably.
Plan B (mental warfare) failed spectacularly, leaving her feeling vaguely violated and deeply annoyed.
What was left? Plan C: Tactical surrender.
Can't beat 'em, join 'em… sort of.
The logic was sound, in a twisted, desperate kind of way. If resisting just made the internal freak show worse, made her body flush and her heart race against her will, maybe…
maybe giving the body what it apparently screamed for, but initiating it on her terms, would shut her the hell up.
Maybe. It felt like trying to put out a grease fire with more grease, but what other choice did she have?
Got to protect the damn "pleasure" now, apparently. (¬¬)_ She scoffed internally.
My pleasure? Whose pleasure? Definitely not mine. This whole situation was a joke. A bad, badly written joke where she was the punchline.
Sacrificed everything, fought Herrschers, "saved" humanity (kinda, depending on your definition of saving), only to get taken down in a peaceful world by her own borrowed body and a horny ghost.
She reached the living room door, pausing for a second. (￣︿￣)
Okay. Almost there. Just gotta tell him. Keep it simple. Keep it flat. No emotion.
This wasn't about want. This was about pest control.
Shutting down the noise so she could get some damn peace back in her own head.
He'd probably be thrilled, the big dope. Whatever. Just gotta get through it.
Lee pushed the door open.
Kevin was on the sofa, looking up from a tablet, a questioning look on his face that quickly shifted to a warm smile when he saw her. That familiar, hopeful, puppy-dog look.
Lee felt a headache starting behind her eyes already. (ಥ﹏ಥ)
She stopped a few feet away, maintaining a safe distance. Her expression was neutral, maybe a little tired.
She met his eyes briefly, then let her gaze drift to the wall behind him.
"Kevin."