Common Sense Altering System

Ray let out a heavy breath as the stabbing pain in his head slowly faded, leaving just a faint throb that eventually disappeared completely. He wiped the cold sweat off his forehead and forced himself to stand up straight again.

He looked the short girl in front of him up and down. A mix of shock and confusion swirled in his mind.

"The fuck... you look different?" Ray blurted out, eyebrows furrowed tight. "This ain’t the girl I saw before. Way different, damn."

The girl just snorted dismissively, crossing her arms over her chest without a shred of guilt. "Oh, that one? I was just controlling someone back then. Easy to find a temporary ’vessel’ just to show up front of you."

Ray rubbed his face roughly, trying to process the crazy shit she just dropped. But he didn’t have time to overthink her insane hacking or mind-control bullshit. He needed answers fast.

"Whatever," Ray cut in, straight to the point. His eyes locked sharply on her. "I don’t give a fuck whose body you used before. Just tell me... what’s Julia’s actual plan?"

The girl didn’t answer right away. Instead, she turned around and casually strolled deeper into the dimly lit wooden cabin.

"Sit down first," she replied casually without looking back, pointing at two dusty old wooden chairs in the middle of the room.

Ray froze in place, not wanting to step further into the enemy’s den.

Seeing Ray still stuck at the doorway, the girl stopped, glanced over her shoulder, and shot him a look. The corner of her lips curled into a sly grin that sent chills down his spine.

"Remember, Ray... you’re the bitch boy here," she said in a cold, threatening tone. "So this meeting’s gonna go exactly how I want. You just gotta follow my rules."

Ray frowned. His jaw clenched tight hearing that threat.

"Meeting?" Ray repeated with a sarcastic, disbelieving tone. "You’re calling all this crazy shit... a meeting?"

Ray let out a long sigh, swallowing down the irritation that was already boiling over. No point in arguing now. This girl had full control, and one wrong move could make his head feel like it was about to explode again like before.

With heavy steps, Ray finally gave in and followed the short girl into the cabin.

The inside was just as gloomy as the outside. The air was dusty and smelled like rotten wood hitting his nose. In the middle of the room sat an old wooden table flanked by two chairs. The girl walked over to one chair and tried to sit.

But what happened next almost made Ray laugh—if he didn’t still remember the pain in his head from earlier.

The wooden chair was kinda too tall for her short-ass body. She had to tiptoe, give a little hop, and awkwardly boost herself up just to sit properly. Her feet even dangled a bit off the floor once she was up there.

Ray stepped closer, pulled out the chair across from her, and sat down. In his head, he started thinking sarcastically:

’What’s up with this girl... already this short, but back then she was so cocky mocking me like I’d get tempted by her "thick ass" yesterday. Thick from where? Shit, she’s flat as a damn board—’

Suddenly, the girl’s sharp gaze locked right onto Ray. Her eyes widened, radiating a super thick murderous aura.

Click.

Ray swallowed hard. Cold sweat instantly soaked the back of his neck. He forgot the most crucial detail: this crazy girl could hear every single thought in his head.

"S-sorry... my bad," Ray blurted out quickly, clamping his mouth shut tight and trying to empty his mind of any more insults.

Seeing Ray’s panic, the flash of anger in her eyes suddenly faded, replaced by a soft, mocking chuckle.

"Fufufu..." She laughed quietly while crossing her dangling legs. "I like dogs who know their place and catch on quick."

The girl rested her chin on one hand, staring at Ray across the table with a smile full of dominance.

"Call me Milady," she said, introducing herself in a forced elegant tone.

Ray raised an eyebrow. ’Milady? For real?’ he thought, full of disbelief. No way that’s her real name—clearly just some try-hard nickname she made up.

"Milady" snorted lightly, then leaned back against the chair that was way too big for her tiny frame.

"I’m gonna tell you one important thing," she said, switching to a more serious tone. "Tonight, Julia’s got a plan to completely wreck you. She’s gonna frame you for sexual harassment."

Ray’s eyes widened. "Harassment?!"

"Yup. Julia’s gonna show up there, and there’ll be her friend as a fake witness to stir up even more shit," the girl continued casually.

"Wait... there?" Ray frowned in confusion. "Where the hell do you mean?"

"Your apartment, dumbass," she snapped, rolling her eyes lazily. "And... there’s also that weird girl living next to you. Her thoughts are pretty entertaining, kinda funny."

Ray instantly knew who she meant. Christy. No doubt. Without needing more details, he already understood that the "weird girl" Milady mentioned was definitely Christy.

Ray took a deep breath, trying to process all this info. "Okay... so what do I gotta do?"

The short girl who called herself Milady smiled thinly, then leaned forward over the table. "I want you to throw a little ’fireworks party’ tonight using that Common Sense Altering System of yours."

Hearing that, Ray’s jaw clenched even tighter. His annoyance shot straight up.

’That’s it?!’ Ray thought angrily. He’d been dragged onto this insane ride, trekking through creepy woods all the way to this remote old cabin... just to get half-assed info and some random order that could’ve been sent through a damn mind message?

Seeing the change in Ray’s expression, Milady immediately glared and barked, "Hey! Don’t give me that pissed-off face, minion! This is just a little celebration first! Consider it official confirmation that you’re now my subordinate!"

Even though the girl was trying hard to look intimidating and evil, her tiny body—plus those feet still swinging under the chair—made her angry act not scary at all.

In Ray’s eyes, this short girl’s tantrum actually looked... cute.

Bang!

Milady suddenly slammed both her small hands on the wooden table. Her face turned beet red, eyes bulging as she stared daggers at Ray.

"CUTE?!" she shrieked in a high-pitched angry voice. "Never describe me with that disgusting word, you bastard!"

Ray flinched a bit as the old wooden table shook from the hit, but the fear that had peaked earlier suddenly faded. Watching this tiny girl rage with her small body just made it harder for Ray to take her seriously.

With an innocent, shameless face, Ray leaned forward a little and made sure of one important thing.

"But... you’re not a minor, right?" Ray asked in a firm tone, not forgetting to slip in a mocking smile. "I just wanna confirm. I don’t wanna end up in jail for messing with an underage girl!"

"STUPID FUCKING MINION!" the girl exploded, her voice getting even higher-pitched.

Her face flushed bright red. With quick movements, her small hand dug into her jacket pocket, yanked out an ID card, and slapped it hard onto the table right in front of Ray.

"Look at it with your filthy eyes!" she snapped.

Ray leaned down to check the ID. His eyes scanned the birthdate on it. And sure enough—the date, month, and year showed this girl was actually older than Ray.

But when Ray tried to read the name line on the card, something weird happened. His vision suddenly blurred. The letters seemed to melt and spin around. Every time he tried to spell out her real name, a strange throb hit his brain, blocking the memory from forming, like his head was being messed with directly.

"Fufufu..." Milady laughed smugly seeing Ray’s slightly open, confused mouth. "My minion... no need to be shocked and impressed by my awesomeness."

Ray swallowed hard. Cold sweat dripped down his temple again.

’Fuckin’ insane...’ Ray thought with a grimace. This girl could manipulate perception and other people’s minds this easily with just a single thought, no effort needed. Meanwhile him? Every time he wanted to use the Common Sense Altering System, he had to type shit into a status panel like an idiot. That power imbalance made Ray seriously complain about his shitty luck.

Milady crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back again with a thin, dominant smile.

"I’m gonna give you a bit of freedom, Ray," Milady said, staring straight into his eyes. "You can do whatever dirty or perverted shit you want... as long as you stay obedient and submit to me."

Ray furrowed his brows. "Dirty shit?"

"But remember," Milady continued, her voice suddenly dropping an octave, turning cold and intimidating. "If you ever try to betray me... I’ll make your brain move on its own. I’ll force you to spread and expose all your system abilities to the public without you even realizing it."

That threat hit Ray right in the chest. His stomach twisted. Exposed to the public? That meant he’d become a lab rat or get hunted by the whole country. Extreme anxiety immediately wrapped around his mind. He really felt like a worm getting stepped on with no way to fight back.

But Ray’s sky-high pride refused to look weak in front of this short girl. Even though his heart was sinking, he tried to keep a chill face and shot back with a mocking grin.

"Tch..." Ray clicked his tongue lightly, then leaned back in his chair while crossing his arms. "Just say you wanna watch me fuck, huh?"