Regardless of whether Aisha believed him, Miles told her the full story of what happened to him after death without holding anything back.
Since his soul would now reside in the Millennium Puzzle, entrusted to this girl, a basic level of trust was essential.
"I see. So Mr. Miles died in an accident, and now your soul lives in the Millennium Puzzle. What a tragic story. My condolences."
What surprised Miles was how calmly Aisha accepted it.
She didn't show the slightest doubt about dying, reincarnating, or the absurdity of becoming a guardian spirit. She even let go of her earlier concerns about her thoughts being read and began sympathizing with Miles instead.
Of course, mind-reading wasn't something to really worry about anyway.
Mental communication was very subjective.
The other party could only hear what you wanted to transmit, like normal speech. There was no need to stress over secrets being leaked.
"Understood." As if coming to a firm decision, Aisha nodded seriously. "Since Mr. Miles is so pitiful, please rest assured and stay in the Millennium Puzzle. I'll take good care of you!"
"No, no, no—that's not what I meant. I didn't say all that just to be looked after. And how would you even do that?"
Aisha thought deeply. "If I work hard to polish the puzzle every day, wouldn't that be like cleaning your room, Mr. Miles?"
"..."
As the host, Aisha gave Miles the impression of a naive do-gooder, maybe a bit of an airhead.
Combined with her adorable looks and the ahoge that bounced whenever she nodded, she was honestly kind of charming in a dumb-cute way.
"Well, if that's how you feel, I'll be grateful."
If he had to rate his first impression, it was definitely positive.
Miles didn't mind this kind of goofy, well-meaning personality.
"That said, I can't just freeload... Let's make a deal."
"A deal?" Aisha's white ahoge curled slightly, forming a confused question mark.
"Sorry for eavesdropping, but I overheard part of your conversation with your friend. If I understood right, if you lose one more Duel, you'll be expelled?"
"Ah, ugh... well, not exactly..." Aisha scratched her cheek awkwardly, her ahoge trembling nervously.
After a few seconds of inner struggle between pride and honesty, Aisha chose to confess.
"Okay, yes, it's true. Ugh, I'm just too terrible, waaah..." Her ahoge drooped in defeat.
"Being terrible is fine, as long as the opponents are even worse."
"Somehow that still feels like an insult..."
"Deal part one: since you're letting me reside in the Millennium Puzzle, in return, I can take your place in future Duels."
"Take my place? How?"
"Just try it and see. Aisha, try emptying your mind. Don't think about anything."
"Empty my mind? That sounds hard... I don't know if I can do it."
Following Miles' advice, Aisha gently closed her eyes.
"No, you're very talented." Only two seconds had passed before Miles noticed she had succeeded. "You might be a genius at clearing your head, Aisha."
Perhaps as a gift from becoming a guardian spirit, Miles naturally gained knowledge about soul-swapping.
Once Aisha emptied her mind, Miles' soul within the Millennium Puzzle found a new home.
—Soul Exchange!
When he opened his eyes again, Miles felt significantly lighter.
He clenched his hand, and delicate, pale girl fingers appeared in his view.
Along with them came the soft, fresh fragrance unique to girls.
No doubt about it. The soul swap had succeeded. Using the power of the Millennium Puzzle, Miles had temporarily gained control of Aisha's body.
"So this is a girl's body. Feels kinda strange, but it's not inconvenient."
As far as Miles was concerned, as long as he could play cards, everything else was secondary.
"Wh-Wh-What is going on, Mr. Miles?!"
In contrast, for Aisha—the original owner of the body—this was clearly too much.
Her panicked voice echoed in Miles' mind, clearly in a fluster.
Being inside the Millennium Puzzle was like entering one's mental "room."
Miles didn't know what Aisha's mind room looked like—His own was basically filled with nothing but card game data.
While in the mind room, one couldn't control the body but could share vision, hearing, and mentally communicate with the other soul.
"Calm down, Aisha," Miles said gently. "This is what I meant by helping you Duel. With soul exchange, I can temporarily control the body."
"That's not the point!" Even in soul form, Aisha felt her cheeks burning with embarrassment.
"That's my body! Mine! Mr. Miles, you were a guy, right? I, I—"
"Correction: I was male. After being flattened, I'm just a soul now."
Understanding Aisha's concerns as a girl, Miles came up with a somewhat acceptable excuse to ease her nerves.
"Even so, I'm still really embarrassed!" Aisha exclaimed. "I feel super self-conscious!"
"Don't worry. This was just a test run. I promise I'll only take over during Duels from now on. Okay?"
"Really?"
"Truer than pearls."
"Then... can I have my body back now?"
"Of course."
—Soul Exchange!
Back in the mind room of the Millennium Puzzle, Miles relinquished control of Aisha's body.
"I really did come back. Amazing."
Now that Miles had kept his promise and she had returned to her own body, Aisha began to relax.
This pure-hearted girl, who lacked any hidden agendas, had started to truly trust Miles.
"Getting help from a powerful figure in a mysterious artifact—this is just like those protagonists in novels who find a ring grandpa! I'm kind of excited, Mr. Miles!"
"Oh, ring grandpa? So this world has those kinds of cheat-novel tropes, too. But I'm not a cheat grandpa. I can't give you hacks, I can only help you play cards."
"That's more than enough!"
Deal complete. Host communication, successful.
For Miles, who had only transmigrated as a soul, this was a pretty great isekai start.
Unfortunately, Aisha wasn't so lucky.
After afternoon classes, Miss Erin Rockefeller, their homeroom teacher, announced the opponents for this week's first-year practical exams.
Aisha Yuna Carlos's opponent... was none other than the duke's son who had just summoned Red-Eyes Black Dragon: Kevin Seth!
***
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