I woke up groggily, my eyes fluttering open as dizziness washed over me. I looked around at the unfamiliar ceiling and room, noticing the night sky beyond the large window.
With just a glance, I could tell this belonged to someone wealthy.
I stared blankly for a moment before pushing myself up from the unfamiliar bed. I walked to the vanity, grabbed a pair of scissors lying inside the drawer, then stood in front of the mirror and stabbed them into my neck.
But the scissors didn't pierce my skin. Instead, the blades bent in half.
I stared at them blankly.
"You can't die."
I turned around and saw a cat sitting on the bed, staring at me with unusual purple eyes.
I looked at him blankly before speaking. "Who are you?"
He simply licked his paw before answering, "I'm your personal system. I'll guide you on your journey. My name is X-02."
I stared at him for a few moments before asking, "What do you mean I can't die?"
He looked amused, a faint smile tugging at his lips. His ears twitched slightly while his tail swayed lazily behind him.
"I mean exactly what I said. You can't die."
"Why?"
He licked his black fur before meeting my blank gaze. "Because of your sin."
He jumped down from the bed and began circling around me. "You committed one of the worst sin possible in your past life, so now you must pay the price. But I'm sure she explained everything to you before you woke up here… didn't she?"
I looked at him for a moment before nodding and sitting back down on the bed. He jumped up beside me and lay down.
Silence enveloped us before I spoke again.
"Where are we exactly?"
He hummed softly. "You're in the Arus Empire, ruled by the twenty-sixth emperor, Kaelus von Ragnard. Magic exists here, as well as other species like elves. Power is everything."
He paused briefly.
"You are the daughter of a minor baron's house. You are actualy 16 years old, your father is Baron Orelion Magenta, your mother is Baroness Alissia Magenta, and you are their only child, Lina Magenta. Your house holds no special status or remarkable power. Just an ordinary, unremarkable noble family."
I hummed softly before looking at him again. "So what am I supposed to do?"
"I don't know."
I stared at him blankly. "Aren't you my system? Shouldn't you know?"
He met my brown eyes with his lazy purple gaze. "My role is only to assist and guide you. What you choose to do with your life is entirely up to you. Of course… you'll need to keep things entertaining enough. Otherwise, they'll erase you."
I remained silent.
Yes. If my story became too boring, the ones who sent me here would erase my entire existence.
I sighed quietly and lay back down on the bed.
After a moment, I broke the silence again.
"How long until I've paid for my sin?"
He opened one purple eye to look at me.
"I don't know. Until they get bored."
I hummed softly before asking, "Does that mean we're partners now?"
"Call it whatever you want."
I closed my eyes, sleep slowly pulling me under. "I guess we are…"
He said nothing and closed his eyes as well.
The next morning, I woke to the sound of voices in my room. When I opened my eyes, I saw several maids already cleaning.
I slowly sat up. One of them, a young woman with brown hair neatly tied in a bun, noticed I was awake and bowed politely.
"Good morning, my Lady. Did you sleep well?"
I simply hummed in response, watching them work.
They helped me bathe and change into fresh clothes. Once they were finished, they bowed again and quietly left the room.
I stared at the closed door for a few seconds before glancing at the neatly made bed.
"X-02, are you here?"
A black cat emerged from the shadows beneath the bed, jumping gracefully onto it before sitting down and looking at me.
"Did you need something?"
I sat down beside him.
"I have more questions about my situation."
He hummed, licking his paw. "Go ahead."
"Do I have any powers or skills?"
"No."
…
I stared at him blankly. "What do you mean, 'no'? I thought I'd at least have some kind of ability. Or a beginner's package."
He looked back at me just as blankly. "Did you think I was one of those free systems from the stories you used to read in your world? Reality is different. You'll have to learn and master any skills yourself. I'm just a guide."
I stayed silent for a moment.
Reality really sucks.
"Well," he added casually, "you can't die from anything except old age. I suppose that counts as a skill."
"Do I still feel pain?"
"Obviously. Don't forget, you're here because of what you did in your previous life. This isn't a gift or a reward."
I lowered my gaze to the floor, falling into silence.
A knock interrupted the room.
"My Lady, your breakfast is ready."
I looked up as the door opened. The same maid from earlier entered, placing a tray of food in front of me.
"I hope this meal will please you."
She bowed once more and left.
I looked at the food, then back at X-02.
"She didn't say anything about you. She can't see you?"
He sniffed the food before taking a bite of the beef on one plate and nodded.
"Only you can see and hear me. I can make myself visible if I want, but it's annoying. Humans always try to pet me. It's exhausting."
I nodded slightly and began eating as well.
While chewing, I glanced at him. "What's my actual position here?"
He cleaned his paw before answering. "You're basically an ordinary noble lady. Your parents neither love nor hate you, they're neutral. They let you do whatever you want. The servants treat you like any other young lady."
I took a sip of juice before setting the glass down.
"I see. That's probably for the best. If no one was deeply attached to this body, it'll cause fewer problems with me being here now."
He glanced at me silently, then nodded.
"True. At least no one will question a sudden change in your personality."
After I finished eating, a maid returned to collect the tray and left again.
I lay back down on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
"To be honest… I don't feel like doing anything."
He jumped onto the bed and lay beside me.
"Not like you have a choice. You need to come up with something fast if you want your story to stand out."
"Anything unique sounds exhausting. Becoming a high mage, a knight, or whatever… I'm not interested."
"Well," he said lightly, "with your condition, becoming a knight would be difficult anyway."
I turned my head toward him. "What do you mean?"
"As an additional punishment for your sin, they decided that you'll have a heart condition in every life you live from now on."
I was silent for a moment before replying calmly, "It's fine. I had one in my first life too. I'm already used to it."
He hummed softly. "That's convenient, I suppose. So? Any ideas?"
I thought for a moment before nodding.
"What about becoming a mastermind in the shadows or something?"
"You mean like the leader of a secret organization?"
"Yeah. It's pretty popular in reincarnation stories and well liked too. I don't even need to be that powerful. Illusions and intelligence would be enough."
He nodded in agreement. "What kind of organization?"
I shrugged. "Not sure. Maybe something that fights against some greater evil."
"If you want something like that," he said, "there is a Demon King in this world who opposes the Empire."
"Sounds cliché."
"And a secret organization doesn't?"
"…Touché."