"Young Master!!!"
The girl cried out as she rushed towards me.
She spread her arms as she got closer and embraced me tightly.
"Oof...!"
Unfortunately, with my average physical stat being less than D-, I couldn't even withstand the charge of this frail girl.
Thud!
With a loud noise, my body fell backward.
But the girl held onto me tightly, as if determined not to let go.
"Uh, uh...?"
My mind went blank for a moment, taken aback by the sudden event.
As I let out a dumbfounded sound, I felt my chest becoming damp.
"Sniff..."
"...?"
I looked down and saw the girl burying her face in my chest, shedding tears.
She asked me in a trembling voice,
"Y-Young Master... Is it really you...? Is this a dream...?"
By Young Master, she must mean Raiden...?
And I'm Raiden now...
"Uh, yes... I think so...?"
As I answered with a slightly unsure voice, the maid's sobs grew louder.
"Sob... Young Master, I was so worried..."
"Ah, um... Yes."
Unsure how to react, I gently patted the crying girl's back.
She flinched and looked up at me.
"Sniff... Is it really you, Young Master?"
"Um, yes..."
I seemed to be repeating "Ah, um, yes" over and over again, but I couldn't help it.
I didn't know this girl at all.
I wasn't even sure if she appeared in the original story.
Even if she did, I could hardly remember the names of the supporting characters, let alone a maid from the Lishite family.
'What... What should I do...?'
As I panicked,
The mechanical sound, which I was getting used to, rang in my ears once again.
At the same time, a blue window appeared in front of me.
-Ding!
[Synchronization, a possession perk, is starting!]
[Synchronization]
The user's memories will be synchronized with Raiden Lishite's.
You will inherit all the memories that Raiden Lishite experienced.
[※Warning※]
You may experience dizziness due to the vast amount of memories and emotional overflow.
You may experience status ailments such as fainting, vomiting, or mental instability due to the shock.
Only memories are transferred through the possession perk. It does not affect the user's emotions in any way.
[Please remember what this system said when we first met.]
[You may not understand it now, but you will eventually.]
"What...?"
Wait, suddenly?
What is all this?
Fainting, vomiting, mental instability...?
And what does it mean that I will eventually understand?
Damn it, if you're going to explain, at least do it properly...
[Synchronization starting.]
"Ugh...!?"
As the notification of synchronization starting appeared, a severe headache struck me.
At the same time, countless fragments of memories began to pour into my mind.
-Raiden, you're awake.
-Brother! Let's go together!
-Young Master! You need to take your books!!
-Even though it's an arranged engagement, I think I'm okay with it...
-Correct again! Excellent, student Raiden!
Voices and scenes flashed by like a fast-forwarded film.
They were scenes I had never experienced in my life, voices I had never heard before.
These were Raiden Lishite's memories...
"Ugh...!!"
"Y-Young Master...?"
The pain intensified as more memories flowed in.
My whole body trembled with a bizarre sensation as if the top of my head had been opened and my brain was being stirred.
-...I'm disappointed, Raiden.
-Brother... Why have you changed so much?
-Y-Young Master...
-Forget about the engagement. I don't love you anymore.
-Harassing commoner students again. This is a warning, student Raiden.
The voices that were warm just a moment ago gradually turned cold.
At the same time, my heart raced, and my chest ached.
A sharp, painful emotion washed over me.
Guilt, lethargy, despair, all mixed together to form a familiar pain.
Is this emotion... what my body, Raiden, is feeling...?
Wait a minute. The status window definitely said something earlier...
I couldn't remember.
Only a dizzying headache dominated my mind.
It felt like my head was going to explode.
"Ugh! Aaagh!!"
"Young Master!"
A scream escaped my lips.
Even though the transfer of memories had ended, the ringing in my head showed no signs of stopping.
Amplified by Raiden's emotions, the memories infected me, reflecting the past.
-Ding!
[You are afflicted with the status ailment (Trauma) due to the backlash of memory transfer!]
-"Kim Naru, national team representative? Isn't he a total fraud?"
-"Honestly, he got to the finals because of luck lol"
-"Did you see him get completely destroyed in the finals without landing a single hit? Seriously, even I could do better lol"
The comments from the finals video, filled with mockery and malice, turned into voices that pierced my ears.
Words that denied, ridiculed, and belittled my life pierced my heart.
As I gasped for breath with a constricted throat,
The nightmare of that day replayed once again.
-"I don't understand."
My father's voice.
A cold voice, devoid of any warmth.
I couldn't breathe.
My throat felt choked, as if my lungs were refusing to take in air.
"Gasp, cough...!"
Just as my vision blurred,
A clear mechanical sound pierced through everything and reached me.
-Ding!
[Skill 'Iron Will' resists the status ailment (Trauma)!]
[Status ailment (Trauma) is nullified!]
"Cough...! Huff... Huff..."
As the ringing in my head disappeared, my rigid breathing returned.
My vision felt a bit clearer, but my body was still twitching and convulsing.
That chilling sensation made my mind go blank.
As I gasped for breath, trying to calm my pounding heart, the maid who was clinging to me leaned in.
"Young Master...! What's wrong with you all of a sudden...!!"
She was panicking, probably because she saw me gasping for air.
She looked so cute, not knowing what to do and shedding tears.
I quietly reached out and wiped the girl's cheeks.
"Young... Master?"
To calm her down, I called her name softly.
"Calm down, Rachel."
Rachel.
The maid who had been by Raiden's side since childhood.
The loyal retainer who remained devoted even after Raiden became a delinquent.
And my precious... friend.
"Young Master...?"
"Yes, Rachel. I'm here. I'm back..."
At those words, the girl burst into tears once more.
With a complicated heart, I gazed at the watery trails running down her face.
However, my melancholic gaze was cut short.
A sudden blue screen appeared, blocking the space between her and me.
-Ding!
[Due to extreme mental exhaustion, you are entering the status ailment (Faint).]
"Wait, what...?"
This damn...
Thud. My consciousness was cut off without a chance to resist.