1.
“This is the end of it. Get out of this house.”
Father.
No—more precisely, it was Count Sinclair, the father of ‘this body,’ who placed thirty silver coins on the desk.
A cold, dry gaze.
Not a single trace of attachment to his son could be seen on his face.
Well, of course.
I don't know what ‘Isaac Sinclair’ did before I possessed him, but if he was being kicked out of the family, there must have been something he'd been doing for quite a while.
Thirty silver coins.
Honestly, I didn't know how much money that was.
Because I didn't know the prices in this world.
But I could tell it was a small amount.
The moment I checked the amount, a snort leaked out from beside the Count.
It was Veronica Sinclair, the eldest daughter of this family and my sister.
“Thirty silver coins for a concubine's brat. You'd better be grateful.”
It was annoying, but I ignored her for now and bowed my head to the Count.
“Thank you, Father.”
And before the Count could say something like ‘then we're done,’ I spoke up quickly.
“…However, this is far too insufficient as independence funds.”
The Count's eyebrows twitched, and Veronica's expression shifted as if she'd seen something amusing.
“A beggar being exiled and going on about money?”
Obvious mockery.
She was standing beside the Count, so she seemed to be someone fairly important in the family, but….
Honestly, I didn't know what position that woman held in the original story.
The protagonist? Probably not.
A villainess? She did seem to have a trash personality.
I'd never properly read the original, so I had no way of knowing.
So I ignored her again and focused on the Count.
“If I leave with this amount of money, wouldn't rumors spread that the Sinclair family ‘exiled’ their son? If the amount increased a bit, such talk wouldn't arise about me, who simply ‘became independent.’”
A shameless demand.
But the Count's eyes narrowed at my words.
“…How much do you need?”
“A hundred silver coins will suffice.”
“Fifty.”
“Around seventy would do.”
“Fifty.”
“Thank you, Father.”
Securing an additional twenty silver coins.
Veronica let out a hollow laugh as if dumbfounded, but there was no reason to care.
I gathered the silver coins from the desk, bowed my head once more, and left the Sinclair mansion.
***
Now that I'd been kicked out, what I needed to do was figure out how to survive.
But….
“What do I do now?”
Honestly, nothing really came to mind.
It was impossible for me, who had been a modern person until recently, to adapt to this romance fantasy world.
I couldn't use a sword, couldn't use magic, and while I had starting capital for business, not knowing the prices or common sense here made me perfect scam-bait.
“In the end, this is all I have.”
Letting out a sigh, I brought up that familiar window I'd been seeing since possession.
[Special Privilege: Hypnosis]
[Can relax the target's tension and induce light sleep.]
[Effect amplifies upon physical contact.]
[Limit: 3 times per day / 15 minutes per use]
As written on the semi-transparent window before my eyes, I could use hypnosis.
However, the effect was exactly as written.
‘Can relax the target's tension and induce light sleep.’
Relaxation. Light sleep.
“In simple terms, a good night's sleep.”
And only fifteen minutes at that.
I had actually used it a bit before being kicked out of the family.
However, people who had no intention of listening would say, “Young master, I'm busy,” and leave, (That's when I became certain that the original owner of this body was a disgraced child of the family.)
Even those who did listen would snore for fifteen minutes,
then say, “Oh my, young master. My body feels refreshed!” and leave.
Well, of course.
If you slept well and your body didn't feel refreshed, that would be the problem.
Anyway, since this was the extent of my ability, the only thing that came to mind was counseling.
Unable to hold a sword, unable to use magic, and not knowing this world's common sense—I had to use this, the only thing I could use, to make a living.
I thought I could just pretend to counsel them, use my ability to make them sleep well, then wake them up.
Then, since they felt refreshed, maybe they'd mistakenly think it was the effect of the counseling… or so I thought.
Looking back, it was an absurdly light-minded thought.
***
After wandering around for several days, I found a suitable building.
At the end of a shabby alley.
An old, small two-story wooden building.
The stairs creaked, and every corner was filled with entrenched dirt and dust, but...
“I'll have to be satisfied with this.”
I could have gotten a better building with fifty silver coins.
But I couldn't blow all my savings just to live in a nicer house.
Instead, I paid some attention to the interior of the first floor that would be used as the counseling office.
Thus, the remaining money was thirty silver coins.
Rent was eight silver coins per month, and if I considered additional living expenses….
“If I don't earn money within two months, I might physically starve to death.”
Feeling a chill of dread, I opened the counseling office door.
Praying that the signboard prominently displaying [Isaac's Psychological Counseling Office] would draw in customers.
***
Day 1 of opening the counseling office.
No customers.
Day 2.
No customers.
Day 3.
None, as expected.
Honestly, something felt off from the start.
The worker who hung my signboard had even said this:
“But what exactly is a psychological counseling office?”
“….”
Come to think of it, did the concept of a psychological counseling office even exist in this world?
If no one could find meaning in the signboard [Isaac's Psychological Counseling Office], then I was just wasting my efforts.
Even if they understood what it meant, nobles wouldn't come because of pride, and commoners wouldn't come because they were busy making ends meet….
“Am I fucked?”
***
Day 4.
Before it was certain that I was fucked, I went out to the streets to solicit customers.
“Anyone want to try psychological counseling!”
The passersby's expressions were varied.
Bewilderment, wariness, disregard, displeasure.
An old lady passing by clicked her tongue and said this. “These days, medicine peddlers go around like that, tsk….”
Day 5.
The words “medicine peddler” gave me a revelation.
“Worry counseling! Complete headache cure! Guaranteed refreshment! Stiff shoulder treatment!”
I just said whatever.
Before I was kicked out, the family's maids always looked tired and had stiff shoulders.
Hmm, or maybe this was just because our family was a bit trashy?
Day 6.
While promoting with the same lines as yesterday, I met guards who came to crack down on street vendors.
They told me not to.
Yes.
***
And so, on the afternoon of Day 7.
Should I change my solicitation spot?
Should I look for another job even now?
It was while I was sitting on the first-floor sofa, blankly staring at the ceiling and worrying.
Ding-a-ling—
The bell on the door rang.
My gaze moved reflexively.
At the end of it, I saw a woman poking her face through the half-open door.
“Um… is this the counseling office?”
Light silver-brown hair. A hesitant attitude. A maid uniform.
She appeared to be a maid from somewhere, looking around inside with an anxious expression.
I spoke with the most natural smile I could muster.
Hoping she wouldn't notice that this was a suspicious shop that hadn't had a single customer in a week.
“Yes, it is. Please, come in.”
***
Her name was Marie.
She was twenty years old.
Having revealed that she was a maid working at a baron's household, she stood still and fidgeted with her fingers.
She couldn't make eye contact well; it seemed she was nervous, but also that being alone with a man was itself a first for her.
After seeming to agonize over it, she opened her mouth.
“So this is… a place that does worry counseling, right?”
“Yes.”
“Complete headache cure too….”
“Yes.”
“Stiff shoulders too….”
“Y-yes.”
“They say it's guaranteed to make you feel refreshed, first session free, and compensation if it's not effective….”
Hearing her words, my natural smile threatened to crumble.
I think I said all sorts of things out of desperation because customers weren't coming.
“…Yes, that's correct. I guarantee the effects.”
I couldn't exactly deny it, so I affirmed for now.
She looked at my endless affirmations with suspicious eyes, then soon let out a small sigh and sat on the sofa.
The start of full-fledged counseling.
If I say that, it sounds like I'm doing something, but of course I don't know how to counsel.
Instead, I intended to listen.
“First, tell me. What worries do you have?”
Those small worries you can't tell others.
“……Well, you see.”
Once she started speaking, Marie poured out her worries in an instant.
Waking at 5 AM, sleeping at 11 PM.
Laundry, cleaning, garden maintenance, meal preparation, guest reception.
The baroness's nagging. If not her, the head maid's nagging.
And amid all this, only one day off per month.
“My shoulders feel like they've turned to stone, my head aches constantly, and even when I sleep, I don't feel like I've slept.”
The complaints poured out.
I nodded and listened.
Inserting “I see,” and “That must have been hard,” at appropriate times, Marie's expression gradually relaxed.
Her tension subsided.
Her fidgeting fingers stopped, and her stiff shoulders lowered slightly.
This was probably the first time she'd told this to anyone.
It would be meaningless for maids in the same situation to tell each other they were having a hard time.
Is it about time now?
“Miss Marie, could you close your eyes for a moment?”
“Yes?”
“It's part of the counseling. I'll help you relax.”
Marie followed my words with half-doubt.
I carefully placed my fingertips on the back of her hand.
Marie's breathing slowed.
Inhaling, exhaling.
After repeating this several times, her head, which had been stiff with tension, slowly tilted to the side.
Kuuul—
[Special Privilege: Hypnosis has activated. Light relaxation and sleep are guaranteed.]
[Effect amplifies upon contact with the target.]
[Target: Marie]
Alright, success.
But now what?
It's fifteen minutes. She wakes up in fifteen minutes.
Should I just let her sleep?
No, then it ends with her waking up from a good sleep and saying “I feel refreshed.”
The exact same result as when I did it at the family mansion.
That's not enough.
Because this is business.
I need to show definitive effects to get repeat customers.
Watching her as I worried, I could see that even in sleep, her shoulders were stiff as if tense.
‘She said her shoulders were stiff, so should I try loosening the muscles?’
Self-massage techniques I'd learned while living alone in my past life.
It might be amateur, but pressing on knotted muscles usually feels good.
Having finished my thought, I cautiously placed my hands on Marie's shoulders.
Then, I could feel the ability's effect amplifying.
A distinct feeling that only I, if no one else, could sense.
So this is what ‘effect amplifies upon contact’ written in the special privilege window meant?
As if to guarantee this, Marie's sleep deepened.
Kuuuul——
I felt certain that she wouldn't wake from ordinary stimuli at this level.
At the same time, the tension completely drained from her body, and her upper body collapsed onto the sofa; the neat maid uniform clearly revealed her voluptuous contours.
Huffing breath. Her heavy chest moving with it.
‘Bigger than she looks.’
I caught my hand that was reflexively moving downward. No matter what, this would be a crime.
Taking a deep breath, I slowly pressed my thumb into the knotted part of her shoulder.
Push.
“Mmm….”
Marie's brow furrowed, then soon relaxed.
When I took the knotted muscle between my thumb and forefinger and worked it loose as if twisting it, a thin sound slipped from Mari’s lips.
“Mm……”
She was asleep, so she wasn’t conscious.
But her body reacted.
I kneaded along the line from her shoulder to the back of her neck, then from the back of her neck to beneath her ear.
I could feel the rigid muscles slowly loosening beneath my fingertips.
“Mmm……”
Mari’s head tilted slightly, unconsciously.
As if asking for more.
Even while asleep, her body was remarkably honest.
Then, as I pressed firmly into the knotted spots with my thumbs, Mari’s shoulders trembled.
“Haa……”
A deep breath escaped her.
Her ears had turned bright red.
For the full fifteen minutes, I focused on loosening her shoulders, neck, and upper back.
Time was up.
“Ms. Mari.”
I called to her gently.
“Mmm……”
“Ms. Mari, the consultation is over.”
Mari’s eyelids quivered, and slowly, her eyes opened.
Her gaze was hazy.
For a moment she looked as if she had no idea where she was, but soon she seemed to come back to herself and straightened her posture.
“Ah, yes. Thank you……”
She stopped mid-sentence.
Her head tilted.
Her right hand rose to touch her own shoulder.
Press, press.
She pressed it.
Rolled it.
Then started bending it.
Mari’s eyes widened.
“…Huh?”
She pressed harder, rolled her shoulder again, then touched the other side as well.
“……Huhh?”
It was understandable. Her shoulders, which had been like chunks of stone until just a while ago, had become soft and pliant.
Mari sprang to her feet.
“It’s exactly like you said, sir!”
Hm?
“You said that if I relaxed my mind, my body would relax too! That was really true!”
I never said that.
With an excited expression, Mari rolled both shoulders in turn and marveled.
Judging from how wide her eyes were, she seemed genuinely surprised.
I maintained my smile while rapidly analyzing the situation inwardly.
Strangely enough, Mari remembered that she had “received counseling the whole time.”
As if her brain had filled in the blank in her consciousness with “counseling” on its own.
‘Is this a side effect of the hypnosis?’
It wasn’t a function mentioned in the special perk’s description.
But in the end, it was the best possible effect.
She had no memory of receiving a massage, only of receiving counseling.
Yet her body had clearly improved.
In other words.
‘She perceives it as a perfect consultation.’
…This might be useful.
“Thank you so much, sir! I’ve never felt this refreshed before!”
Mari shot to her feet and bowed repeatedly.
Flushed cheeks. Sparkling eyes.
Her reluctant attitude from earlier was nowhere to be found.
“I’m glad it helped.”
“Glad? This is a miracle!”
A miracle, she says. I just kneaded her shoulders.
Mari bent over, rummaged through her bag, took out some coins, and placed them on the table.
“What’s this…?”
“A token of my gratitude! I should at least give you this much!”
It was supposed to be a free first consultation, but far from leaving as is, she handed me even more coins than the consultation fee I had set.
My moving first income.
While I stroked the coins with a wistful gaze, Mari walked lightly to the door.
Then, with a bashful smile, she said to me,
“To be honest, I came because it said you’d pay compensation if there was no effect.”
“……”
“Hehe.”
Hey.
“I can come again, right? Yes?”
“Of course.”
“I’ll recommend you to my friend too! Sir, I’ll say it again—thank you so much!”
Jingle—
With those words, Mari left.
The consultation room fell quiet.
I looked down at the coins on the table.
She had added more, but it still wasn’t much. Considering a maid’s wallet, that couldn’t be helped.
Still, this was a start.
“Put them to sleep with hypnosis, then loosen up their body with massage.”
Then the naturally corrected memories would turn it into a perfect consultation.
Not bad, right?
If it was a scam, then it was a scam, but no one was getting hurt.
There was nothing to feel guilty about.
In a manner of speaking, it was just a secret service I hadn’t gone out of my way to disclose.
***
Mari was the last customer that day.
A few coins.
And one customer who seemed likely to come back, for the first time.
It wasn’t a bad day.
As I lay down, I quietly hoped. If Mari introduced me to her friend, and that friend introduced me to someone else.
If things kept rolling like that, I’d be able to make a living someday.
But at the time, I didn’t know.
How long it took for rumors to spread.
And once they began spreading, just how far they could reach.