Victory achieved

"But... are you completely sure you can actually pull something like that off?"

The Snake Goddess's voice echoed in my mind, brimming with a sense of dignity that bordered on offended pride.

<"Do not dare underestimate me simply because of my current weakened state. Even under these conditions, I remain a being whose existence is comparable to the divine.">

Well... to be completely honest, it's a bit hard for me to picture Echidna as some ancient entity of overwhelming power when the only thing that comes to mind is the image of her happily devouring every single sweet I made for her back in our mental space.

But I suppose, for the sake of my own physical well-being, it is infinitely better if I keep that opinion strictly to myself.

Although perhaps by now you are wondering what exactly Echidna is about to do.

Well, if you are like me and almost forgot the minor detail that Echidna is literally a goddess, it turns out she still retains a few of her mystical abilities despite the drastic weakening she suffered in the past!

The point is, Echidna possesses the ability to completely erase every single memory regarding what happened with Sara from this girl Kim's mind.

And best of all, she can do it while keeping her sound asleep until we drop her back off at her own home!

And before you ask how on earth I'm supposed to know where Kim lives... well, it turns out that while Kim was "playing" Sara's master out on the streets, she took the trouble of bringing her to her house to gather her personal belongings and move in together into this apartment.

So the plan is foolproof: I just have to ask Sara to guide us there, and problem solved.

Ah, by the way... regarding the maid outfit Sara is currently wearing...

You see, the clothes she originally showed up in were unbelievably tacky and in terrible taste. On top of that, the mere image of an expressionless adult woman with a completely hollow stare pushing a young child (a mere 5-year-old) in a car in the middle of the night was not only suspicious, but deeply unsettling to anyone who might pass us by.

So I decided to fix the issue by asking her to change before heading out, borrowing an outfit from my (possessed) mom's closet!

Why on earth is there a maid outfit in my mother's room, you ask?

Well, my dear Watson, remember one fundamental detail: she is currently possessed by the soul of a man. And as any average cultured guy with access to the voluptuous body of a woman as attractive as the original mom, it's not unusual at all for him to keep those kinds of costumes in her wardrobe...

And truth be told, there was a terrifyingly wide variety of options!

So I picked out one of the sets to give to Sara. Out of all the available choices, the classic maid uniform was the one that fit her best. So, in my view, it was a win-win situation for everyone involved (or at least, that's what I'd like to believe).

"Hey, Echidna, quick question."

<"Go ahead, ask whatever you wish. My wisdom can answer almost any enigma.">

"Would you be able to redirect all the accumulated negativity in this girl's mind toward a positive direction?"

<"It is technically possible by tweaking her memories... but what benefit do I gain from going through such trouble?">

"I'll make you a giant banana split with extra syrup."

<"Deal! I shall do it immediately!">

Anyway... Looking at the situation objectively, this girl also ended up being, in a sense, another victim of the dangerous power that randomly fell into her hands. So I see nothing wrong with giving her a little nudge toward the right path so she can rebuild her life.

Hey, I can't help it, okay?!

I mean, if I weren't physically present in this scene, I could just act completely indifferent and move on with my life. But since I ended up directly involved in this mess, there's nothing wrong with lending a hand when given the chance, right?

I turned to the woman standing beside me with impeccable posture.

"Well then... it will be an absolute pleasure working with you from now on, Sara."

Even though I am well aware that at this moment she possesses the empty mind of a doll, I truly hope we get along from here on out...

"Yes, sir. Sara is extremely pleased to be at your service."

And with this apparent happy ending to our risky late-night operation, there is only one last thing left for me to proudly proclaim:

"SARA HAS BEEN LEGALLY ACQUIRED (STOLEN)!"

However... what on earth is this strange feeling of unease? I feel like I'm forgetting something terribly important...