When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was darkness.
All the sensations in my body were dull.
I couldn't feel anything—neither heat nor cold, nor any of my other senses.
The only thing that told me I was somehow alive were my thoughts, which, after becoming a gem, had become even more intrusive and troublesome.
I focused my mind on my body, and for the first time, I felt something.
A flow of dark energy was constantly passing through me, being managed by the gem camouflaged on my forehead.
As I tried to connect with this energy, the image of my body was clearly projected in my mind, allowing me to "see" my condition.
The image of a small girl was imprinted in my brain, wearing cute pink pajamas with an ice-cold expression.
Even now, I could only think one thing.
'Why pink?'
A few months had passed since I started living with the Maheswarans, but one thing that hadn't changed in all this time was Priyanka's obsession with the color pink.
For someone like me, whose wardrobe in a past life consisted only of black and gray, the overly effeminate pink clothes were enough to make me nauseous.
If it weren't for the clothes I borrowed from Connie, all my outfits would be pink. Just thinking about it gave me chills.
I expanded the influence of my energy to merge with the surroundings in an attempt to divert my attention elsewhere.
Unlike the energy directly attached to my body, extending it was significantly harder—mainly because I had a limited amount of energy to use.
If I used too much, there was a high chance my gem would overload and either blow my disguise or break completely.
I was literally risking my life at every turn. Fortunately, I was already accustomed to using only what was necessary, so I wouldn't waste time regenerating.
Simple shapes of the environment filled my mind.
A modest room with a double bed, a wardrobe, and a desk with a few books and a laptop. This room was as practical as Priyanka's personality, which made me unconsciously feel warmth.
The flow of energy around me became slightly softer as my emotions settled.
By my side, the figure of a woman reading a piece of paper while sipping tea could be felt. While I couldn't know exactly what expression she wore, I could imagine her usual stoic face and her hands calmly sorting through several documents.
Thanks to the psychological prescriptions I received, Priyanka had decided to temporarily work remotely. She conducted online consultations and occasionally visited the hospital at night once or twice a week.
But even while busy, she was always nearby. It wouldn't be wrong to say that every twenty minutes, she appeared suddenly.
Just looking at her, I felt a primitive desire to cling to her clothes—almost as if my untrained unconscious was shouting through every alien cell in my body, "Priyanka! I want!"
Before my hands could reach her, I strongly suppressed my turbulent mind, forcing the chaotic energy to calm again.
My fingers moved in a strange battle against my reason and instincts, until they finally stopped moving at all.
'I'm going crazy.'
I felt that the moment I gave in to my instincts, I would become a hedonistic idiot.
Remembering how I clung to her clothes, holding a pillow like a child abandoned by the world, asking to sleep with her—and all the stupid things I'd done that nearly got me killed because of my curiosity—made me want to instinctively kick the blanket in shame.
About three months had passed since I came to this house, and the only thing I'd done was marathon Super Drill Adventures.
And although I should admit that it's a masterpiece in every aspect, I still can't deny that I've been slacking off all day.
I knew an alien invasion would break out soon, and that I was living literally under the roof of one of the main characters.
Back at the Kindergarten, I had worked nonstop to build a machine capable of returning me to Earth. I wondered where all that motivation had gone.
I sighed internally, struggling with myself, yet I knew the effort was in vain.
'I need a plan.'
It was clear things couldn't keep going the way they were.
I had to become independent as soon as possible!
But before that...
I looked at Priyanka and grabbed her clothes.
Noticing my touch, she paused for a moment and set her documents aside.
Her hands touched my hair tenderly. I couldn't feel any physical sensations, but it was as if all the tangled strings in my mind were gently lifting, one by one.
'Priyanka is the best after all. Hehehe~' A stupid thought crossed my mind as all my previous guard faded further and further.
And just like that, all my plans for the morning were gone.
*
'What the hell am I doing?'
The next time I came to my senses, Priyanka was feeding me an orange, and the image of a cartoon humanoid drill was reflected on the TV.
The morning had faded, and the sun was bright outside.
I had clearly been determined to change, yet before I even noticed, I'd already messed up.
I suppressed my instincts deeply and forced myself to think rationally.
I clearly had zero tolerance for stimulus. The moment my mind perceived something as interesting, I would spend an unnecessary amount of time on it.
If I truly wanted to change, I needed to build a reasonable amount of self-control.
The most rational way to do that was to manage the entertainment around me.
And I knew very well what the biggest source of my problems was.
I looked at Priyanka with empty eyes. It was a meaningless action, but the meaning remained.
'She's so inconveniently competent.'
Priyanka was responsible for managing my entire schedule. Literally—when I ate, what I watched, even when I went to the bathroom—was all carefully planned by her.
There wasn't a single moment I was truly unoccupied.
As if she knew I'd do something crazy the moment I had free time, she delegated activities she knew I'd get engrossed in, while subtly removing any chance for me to plan future goals.
And she did it so naturally that it took weeks for me to realize I had fallen into this honey trap.
Even if I rationally didn't want to get involved with Priyanka, my body had already given in to her care.
The moment I realized it, my mind went blank.
At the same time, I refused to eat the orange she had placed in my mouth.
Noticing my state, Priyanka paused as well.
"Are you already full?" she seemed to say, judging by the movement of her lips.
I tried to ignore the oranges floating in my direction and opened my notebook.
[I want to be alone.]
"Alright."
Priyanka gently lifted me and placed me at the side of the couch.
At that moment, I was physically free. But she didn't even step that far away.
Looking at Priyanka, who was still close despite agreeing to leave me alone, I narrowed my eyes at her.
[Alone.]
"..."
A cold silence filled the air.
In that single moment, I could read many emotions on her otherwise stoic face.
She seemed reluctant to leave me truly alone.
Now that I thought about it, there hadn't been a single moment since the accident in Connie's room that I was truly alone.
When I was watching TV, she was in the kitchen preparing dinner. Since the kitchen and living room were connected, she could approach me at any time.
When I needed to eat or bathe, she was there. Even when she took a break, she'd take me outside together to look at the trees.
Even when she went to work, she made sure I was asleep before leaving and installed a camera in the room.
Long ago, all my "privacy" had disappeared.
Her actions were excessive, borderline paranoid—but I knew full well why.
That was karma.
"I can't allow that."
As expected, Priyanka refused my request.
But still, I had no option but to be shameless.
[Alone.]
"No."
[I'll behave.]
"Still, no."
[Please.]
"No. This is the last time. If you ask again, I'll cut your screen time."
[…]
She's so petty!
My hands trembled in agony. Obviously, the current strategy had failed.
'Is that the only way?'
There was a method I'd always been reluctant to use unless in extreme cases. A dirty trick I avoided at all costs because the aftereffects were too much for me to bear.
But Priyanka had left me no choice. If no rational arguments would work, this was my best shot.
I looked at my notebook with small tears in my eyes.
[Can't you do it?]
"That... I said no."
[Please.]
"No is no, Asha. Crying won't work on me."
Priyanka refused, even after I used my ultimate move—"Can't you do it?"
As I feared, I shouldn't have wasted it last time just to increase my screen time. Back then, she would agree without hesitation.
I could already feel my stomach churning in shame.
But as someone who once spent all his money on suspicious cryptocurrencies, I couldn't simply let go after investing so much into this.
So I decided to go a step further.
[I hate mom!]
"..."
Again, silence filled the air.
I knew I was being ridiculous—a grown man throwing a tantrum like that. Even shame had its limits.
But this was the only way. Priyanka was a woman with common sense.
She would never leave a crazy child like me unsupervised.
I looked down at my knees in tears. I still couldn't control my facial expressions, so I looked the same as always—but tears on a little girl's face were powerful. Add in a bit of emotional shock, and not even Priyanka could withstand it.
And as expected, she broke the silence herself.
"There are conditions."
The moment she said that, a smile threatened to appear on my unfeeling face.
'Priyanka is the best after all. Hehehe~'
*
Author note
It was so much fun writing this, lol. What did you think of the new style? Writing this was like breathing. See you within a week.