Episode 1

“…?”

An unfamiliar ceiling, an unknown room. When he opened his eyes, feeling the fresh morning sun, he found himself somewhere he didn’t recognize.

Not understanding what had happened, he stared blankly for a while, but the situation didn’t change.

Soft bedding, curtains that looked pleasant to the touch, furniture that exuded luxury. Anyone would have pointed out how out of place he was here, yet there was no one around.

(…Is this some kind of prank?)

He stood up to do something—anything—and checked the full-length mirrors placed in the four corners of the room. A black-haired boy was there.

Deep black hair, blue eyes, a face so perfectly arranged it looked artificial. He saw a figure so far removed from his own that it could have passed for an anime or game character.

(What the heck is thisーー!!)

(Huh!? What is this… This is way too elaborate for a hidden-camera prank!)

The look had changed, and so had the age. The boy, who seemed just past his early teens, still stood before the mirror.

(…Could this be that thing where you possess someone else?)

If he suddenly said this out loud, people would think he’d lost his mind, but even when he slapped his cheeks, jumped up and down, and struck odd poses, the boy in the mirror made the exact same moves.

(Looks like I really have possessed this boy.)

No matter how much he agonized over it, time only passed, and he had no choice but to accept his situation.

(I mean, is this kid about elementary-school age? I’m a bit younger now, but does he have school or something?)

While he was idly wondering what kids these days were into, several knocks sounded at the door and dragged him back to reality.

“Young master, excuse me.”

The voice sounded like a young woman’s.

(Crap!? Someone’s coming! What do I do!?)

As he panicked, another knock and a voice came. Thinking this would cause a commotion if it went on, he decided to at least answer.

“I hear you. Enter.”

(…Huh?)

He wondered whose voice that had been, but when he saw the woman who came in, that no longer mattered.

(A maid!? And what’s with “young master”!?)

She wasn’t the kind of “maid” from a themed café, but wore high-quality attire that spoke of the real profession.

To summarize the woman’s message, she had come to say breakfast was ready. From the state of the room, being addressed as “young master,” and the presence of a maid—

(Am I half-asleep and dreaming?)

He wondered.

After he finished changing, he decided to go eat for now.

At the dining room, a man and a woman were already seated. Their clothing screamed nobility, and from their appearance he could guess they were the boy’s parents, but that wasn’t what concerned him.

(Nobles and a “young master.” More than anything, these two are…)

“You’re late, Zeke. I always tell you that time can’t be bought with money.”

A high-strung-looking man voiced a complaint.

“Zeke is already twelve. He can’t remain a child forever.”

Following the man, the woman also admonished him.

Though their strictness revealed parents’ concern for their child, cold sweat wouldn’t stop for him.

(If he’s “Zeke,” then as I thought…)

A blond man with blue eyes, a distinctively shaped necklace hanging at his throat. A woman with lustrous black hair, wearing multiple glittering accessories.

A pairing he had seen in promo stills countless times. The circumstances were different, but it was a combination etched into his memory so clearly it couldn’t be mistaken.

(These two are the “Corrupt Couple,” aren’t they!? And that makes him the “Atrocious” one…)

The RPG game Wish Soul. Among its cast was Zeke Lagias, who had multiple entanglements with the protagonist’s side. It was the moment he realized he had possessed that very Zeke.