I woke up to the hum of my phone vibrating next to my pillow.
Another email. Another rejection.
> "Dear Mr. Tanaka Himori, thank you for applying. Unfortunately, we are seeking a university graduate for this position. We wish you the best in your future endeavors."
I stared blankly at the screen.
That was the twelfth job I'd applied for this month. The fourth to openly say they preferred female applicants. One even said it outright:
> "We prefer young women who can represent our brand more elegantly."
I rolled onto my back and stared at the ceiling of my cheap apartment. My stomach growled. Cold air leaked in from the broken window seal. My bedsheet still smelled like yesterday's convenience store curry.
This was adulthood. A diploma in accounting, three years of part-time work, and now I deliver food on a scooter. Rain or shine.
I wanted to cry. But I'd cried yesterday.
With a sigh, I stood up and dressed in my blue delivery uniform. Helmet, thermal box, ride app — all checked. Another day, another handful of orders, each worth less than what it cost to breathe in Tokyo.
The sky outside was gray. Rain drizzled steadily. I pulled out of the apartment parking lot and joined the flood of other delivery riders, their ponchos flapping like drowned flags.
---
My last delivery was across town, near the station. I rode with one hand on the throttle, the other gripping a warm soup bag.
And then—
Headlights. Too fast. Too close.
A truck ran the red light. I turned, eyes wide, frozen.
Am I seriously getting hit by a truck? Like… a literal truck? Isekai-style? Now?
The impact came like thunder. My body flew. My thoughts scattered.
---
Darkness. Then light.
A soft warmth cradled me, like silk against my skin. I couldn't feel the rain anymore. No pain. No cold.
Just… something strange.
Then a voice — breathy, feminine, seductive.
"You've suffered long enough, little flame. Come, let us give you a world worthy of your soul."
I couldn't move. Couldn't speak. But I felt my body shift — my limbs stretching, the pressure of flesh changing. My skin buzzed. My heartbeat slowed to a gentle rhythm.
Then, silence.
---
I gasped awake.
Bright sunlight poured through a stained glass window. Velvet sheets brushed against my bare chest. Wait—bare?
I sat up.
What the hell?!
This wasn't my room. This wasn't my bed. This wasn't even my body.
I scrambled to my feet and caught my reflection in a tall golden mirror nearby.
My mouth dropped.
Staring back at me was a man in his mid-twenties — tall, broad-shouldered, perfectly groomed, with sharp eyes and flowing raven hair. Handsome. Ridiculously handsome.
I turned my head. The man turned his. I raised a hand. So did he.
"Is this… me?"
Just then, the door opened.
Two girls walked in, carrying folded cloths and a silver tray. Maids. Gorgeous maids.
The first had long silver-blonde hair, tied loosely behind her back. Her eyes were a shimmering lilac. The second was dark-skinned with short brunette curls and full lips.
Their clothing was... not clothing.
Short skirts that barely hid anything — and I mean barely — and loose tops that showed the undercurve of their breasts. No bra. No panties. Nothing left to the imagination but that final centimeter.
"Good morning, Lord Caldus," said the silver-haired one, bowing low.
Too low. I caught full sight of what was under that skirt.
I screamed and yanked the blanket back over my lower body.
"Wh–what are you wearing?! Or rather, what aren't you wearing?!"
They paused, then giggled together.
"Did our Lord wake up shy today?" said the darker maid.
I clutched the blanket tighter. "Wait… Lord Caldus? Who's that?"
The maids exchanged a glance. Then the first one said gently, "You are. Lord Caldus Valenheart. Youngest heir of the Valenheart Estate. Are you still drowsy from the wine?"
Wine? My name wasn't Caldus. I was Tanaka Himori. A dead food delivery guy.
What the hell kind of messed-up fantasy was this?
"Would you like us to bathe you before breakfast, my Lord?" they asked sweetly.
"No! Absolutely not!"
They smiled anyway, setting down their trays.
The silver-haired one approached me with a warm, wet cloth. I backed up. She kept walking.
"Please, allow us. It's our pleasure to cleanse our Lord's body. It is sacred."
"Sacred?! I'm not—hold on—don't touch me there!!"
My head spun. My face burned.
This wasn't just a dream.
This was real.
I had died. Been reincarnated. Into the body of a nobleman.
In a world where women wore nothing under their clothes. Where servants offered bathing with smiles and bowing hips.
I was Caldus Valenheart now…
In a world where lust was sacred. And I was in way, way over my head.