Kokoro Connect Volume 1: Hito Random E-Book

Sadanatsu Anda

• Herausgeber: J-Novel Club
• Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
• Serie: Kokoro Connect
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 297

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2018

Beschreibung

Kokoro Connect Volume 1: Hito Random

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

Cover

Color Illustrations

Chapter 1: By The Time We Realized, It Had Already Begun

Chapter 2: B___

Chapter 3: Definition of “Fascinating”

Chapter 4: Bonds and Bombshells (One Week Later)

Chapter 5: Soliloquy of a Jobber

Chapter 6: Low Blow

Chapter 7: Conclude and Begin Anew

Chapter 8: Born That Way

Chapter 9: In Love and Death

Epilogue

Afterword

About J-Novel Club

Copyright

Landmarks

Color Images

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: By The Time We Realized, It Had Already Begun

September—the month in which the vast majority of Japanese high school students are dislodged from the surreal fantasy that is summer vacation and promptly sent hurtling back into the real world. And for the most part, the students of Yamaboshi High School were no exception.

Situated in a rapidly-growing suburban city, Yamaboshi offered a more relaxed learning environment while maintaining a proven track record of graduates each year.

But the start of September was when the annual Culture Festival took place, and as a result, a certain lighthearted vibe would persist throughout the school until the festivities had ended. Then, mid-month, when the last lingering traces of the event finally faded, Yamaboshi High School would return to business as usual, i.e. the same cheerful, lively antics you’d expect from any other school.

Yaegashi Taichi was one of many students who enjoyed this casual environment.

Or at least, he should have been.

After successfully surviving all the way through sixth period without falling asleep once, Taichi’s next task for the day was to clean the restrooms with the rest of his assigned group. After that, his destination would be the clubroom.

He stepped out of Class 1-C, located in the East Wing, then traveled through the North Wing to the four-story Rec Hall, a rickety building that needed some serious earthquake retrofitting before it fell apart—or so the rumor mill liked to claim.

Taichi’s clubroom was located on the top floor. Naturally, the Rec Hall wasn’t outfitted with an elevator, so his only option was a long climb up the stairs.

Yes, the fourth floor was home to the Cultural Research Club, or CRC for short.

They had been saddled with the school’s least popular location—undesirable only because lazy teenagers cared about avoiding stairs more than natural light or a nice view—for good reason: their club was only recently established this year, and by a group of five first-year students at that.

In other words, they were the lowest rung on the ladder.

The name “Cultural Research Club” would indicate they spent their days exhaustively documenting traditions from every corner of the world... on paper, anyway.

By the time Taichi arrived at the fourth floor, he was a bit out of breath. There, taped to the door of room 401, was a single sheet of A4-size printer paper bearing the words CULTURAL RESEARCH CLUB.

Taichi grabbed the handle and opened the door. A cool breeze blew in from the open window, brushing against his cheek and ruffling his hair. The fourth floor was rather airy and light, which made for many a pleasant afternoon.

Then he noticed that one person had arrived ahead of him. In the center of the room sat two long desks positioned side-by-side. There, at one corner, sat Inaba Himeko, vice president of the CRC, typing away in front of a laptop.

“Whoa... Are you the only one here?”

“Congrats, your eyes work,” Inaba answered flatly without so much as a glance in his direction. For a girl, her voice was rather deep and commanding.

Taichi took a seat in the folding chair across the table from her. Then, finally, she looked up at him for the first time. Her glossy, jet-black hair hung straight to her shoulders, not a single strand out of place—the sort of style that would look great paired with a kimono, Taichi liked to imagine.

Her large, almond-shaped eyes and ridiculously long eyelashes afforded her an air of mystery unbefitting of her youth. At first glance, she looked far too mature for a first-year high school student. Coupled with her aloof personality, it made her virtually unapproachable.

“Got a topic ready for your article in this month’s issue of the Culture Bulletin?”

“Yep! Now I just need to make sure it meets the length requirements and give it a quick editing pass. So you know, it’s titled ‘A History of Pro Wrestling As Depicted Through Styles of Brainbuster.’ See, in Japan a brainbuster is normally done by slamming the opponent on their back, but originally the move was performed by dropping them on their head—”

“Zip it.”

“You’re the one who asked!”

“All I wanted to know was whether you had a topic, yes or no. I never asked you to go into detail about it. Frankly, I couldn’t care less.”

“Man, do you always have to be so blunt? Like, would it kill you to try phrasing things a little nicer? Starting now?”

Sitting down, the two of them were at an even eye level. Considering Taichi was of average height for a guy his age, one might deduce that Inaba’s sitting height was above average, but this was not the case. Rather, it was her impeccable sitting posture that afforded her the extra stature. She sat up so straight, Taichi often wondered if she was smuggling steel rebar under her uniform. That said, Inaba was indeed tall and leggy for the average high school girl. Her body type was perhaps best described as slim and angular.

Just then, the door opened with a bang, and a cheerful voice rang out.

“Sup, guys! Sorry I’m late!” A dazzling smile lit up the room, radiating warmth to all four corners. That single smile was all it took to make Taichi feel fuzzy inside. “Wait, huh? Is it just the two of you in here?” The president of the CRC, Nagase Iori, tilted her head as she spoke.

As it happened, Taichi, Nagase, and Inaba were all fellow classmates in Class 1-C.

“Aw, rats... I ran all the way up those stairs for nothing...”

As she grumbled, Nagase threw herself down onto the black three-seater sofa positioned on the far side of the room. Shifting onto one side, she propped her head up and sprawled her legs wide like she was a middle-aged man wasting his weekend watching TV. Her breathing was notably relaxed for someone who claimed to have just run up four flights of stairs.

“Iori, watch your skirt. We can see your bike shorts,” Inaba pointed out dryly.

“And? Who cares!” Nagase replied, knowingly flaunting her perfect, slender legs. She patted her thighs, seemingly unconcerned with what might have been on display.

“You do realize I’m here too, right?” Taichi asked.

“It’ll cost ya. 120 yen per peek, chump.”

“I have to pay?! Although... that’s actually a pretty reasonable price...”

“Taichi! I know you’re joking, but that’s the kind of thing a literal sex offender would say. Cool your jets,” Inaba retorted.

Nagase snickered and sat upright. She was a pretty girl, with large, bright eyes, a well-defined nose, and a slightly round face. Her porcelain skin was clear and healthy, without a trace of makeup to be seen, and her dark, silky shoulder-length hair was tied up in a lazy ponytail. Her style was plain and practical, but this actually seemed to work in her favor, bringing out her natural innocent charm.

“Changing the subject, Nagase, what are you doing for your next article?” Taichi asked.

“Hmmm... To be honest, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about what the Culture Bulletin is really missing, you know?”

“And?”

“Here’s my professional opinion: Inaban’s got us covered on the scandals, but we’ve got ourselves a dire lack of sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll.”

“Nobody is looking at the Culture Bulletin like it’s some goddamn gossip rag! And we’re not supposed to cover scandals in the first place!”

In the previous issue of the Culture Bulletin, the “Culture Festival Special Edition,” Inaba had published an article regarding two teachers that had entered a more-than-coworkers sort of relationship. (She casually failed to mention how she obtained this information.)

In the end, this year’s Culture Festival saw the Bulletin rise to unexpected public acclaim, gaining far more attention than any of the scheduled events, helping to spread a festive mood throughout the school, and eventually resulting in said teachers publicly acknowledging their feelings for each other during the bonfire dance.

At that point, the cheer was contagious; the two teachers had the blessing of the entire student body and the rest of the faculty. This was all well and good, of course, but over time the entire school grew painfully aware of how supremely awkward it would be if they were to break up after all that—a fear that continued to persist to this day.

“That kinda thing is for festivals only. As it stands, I have no plans to publish that kind of stuff on the regular. I mean, you know me. I hate divulging info as it is! Only in moderation, you get me?”

Inaba Himeko’s two favorite hobbies were information gathering and analysis. She was not, however, keen on sharing her findings with others. As for what she did with that information, Taichi was dying to know.

“Okay, fine. With ‘moderation’ in mind... I say we try for something sexy this time around!” Nagase declared, pointing her index finger in the air.

“I can’t write something like that! I’m a delicate flower!” Inaba shot back, looking neither delicate nor flowery.

“No, no. I’ll write the article. All I need you to do is pose for a couple of racy photos—”

“Hell no! Why the hell should I give these dudes more material for their spank banks?!”

“Inaba, I gotta admit, I’m a little concerned what sort of photos you’re imagining we can get away with printing in a school-sanctioned newspaper,” Taichi muttered, knowing they probably weren’t listening.

Judging from her reaction, she must have jumped straight to an X-rated conclusion. Delicate flower, indeed.

“I mean, c’mon, Iori. You’re the pretty one here! Don’t you think you’re the one who oughta do it?” Inaba asked, as though she’d just hit upon a genius idea.

“Non, non! I’m the girl-next-door type. Nobody wants to see me naked! I might be cute, but when it comes to raw sex appeal, that’s all you, Inaban.”

“Oh god... They’re already assuming they have to get naked for this...”

While Nagase’s unpretentious style suggested she didn’t care for her appearance, it turned out she actually had a solid understanding of her own strengths. Perhaps her no-makeup policy was actually a calculated choice in order to make her stand out from the crowd...

Realistically, though, she probably just didn’t care.

“I get where you’re coming from, I really do... That said, I can’t imagine guys our age give a shit about sex appeal. Ask any dude you know and he’d probably say he prefers the sweet and innocent type,” Inaba argued.

“No way. Teenage boys in our generation are all about sophisticated seduction. That’s what my gut tells me.”

“Your gut. Right,” Taichi muttered under his breath.

At that, the two girls whirled around to face him.

“Aha! Come to think of it, we have one such teenage boy right here! Taichi, which would you prefer?” Inaba asked.

“Yeah, Taichi! If you had to choose, who would you rather see naked, me or Inaban?”

What a loaded question.

But Taichi knew he had no choice but to give them some kind of answer. He closed his eyes for a moment to ponder it, then said: “Well, if I’m being asked to represent the entire male population here at Yamaboshi High, the answer would be ‘both’—”

“‘3:55 PM: Yaegashi Taichi ordered two female club members to take off their clothing.’ Did you get all of that, Inaban?” Nagase cut in.

“Of course. Now we have the perfect editorial note for this month’s issue.”

Inaba smirked as her fingers flew across the keyboard.

“W-Well, I can’t exactly argue when I did technically say it...”

Taichi slumped his shoulders in defeat. He knew he couldn’t win against them, no matter how hard he tried... Sadly, there was no beating the established power structure in the CRC.

Thirty minutes ticked by as Nagase read some manga, Inaba continued to work on her laptop, and Taichi studied for the next day’s lesson. There was supposed to be a scheduled club meeting today, but the last two members had yet to show up.

Taichi’s pen fell still.

“Come to think of it... Aoki was acting kinda weird in gym class earlier today...” he muttered to himself, not expecting much in the way of a response. Unlike Taichi, Aoki was in Class 1-A, but that didn’t mean they never saw each other; classes 1-A and 1-C shared a joint gym class.

Inaba straightened up and shot Taichi a questioning look.

“Now that you mention it, Yui wasn’t acting like herself at all, either.”

“Yeah? Do you think something’s going on with them? Maybe Aoki’s aggressive courting finally paid off or something?”

“Hah! No, that can’t be it. The way things stand, those two will never get together. Not until that dipshit realizes where he’s going wrong.”

At that, the door quietly slid open, and the subjects of their conversation stumbled into the room: Aoki Yoshifumi and Kiriyama Yui.

Aoki was a lanky youth with medium-length wavy hair. Personality-wise, he was either a laid-back, easygoing dork or a brainless moron, depending on how you looked at him.

Kiriyama wore her hair long—shiny brown strands that could sometimes look red under the right light, though it was her natural color. Beneath her shapely brows sat a pair of defiant, upturned eyes. Though she was petite in stature, her body was far from undeveloped; her muscular limbs hinted at a regular exercise routine and gave her an air of vibrant energy.

As one might expect at first glance, the two of them were fairly cheerful people... usually. And yet, for some reason, today the two seemed completely miserable—exhausted, even.

Taichi, Nagase, and Inaba all moved to one side of the table as Aoki and Kiriyama took their seats on the other side. They sat there, silent and pale, occasionally shooting each other furtive glances.

“So, uh... What’s... going on with you two?” Nagase asked, taking the initiative to break the oppressive silence.

“Well, uh... I mean, I do wanna tell ya, but I’m kinda not sure how...” Aoki replied hesitantly, scratching his head. He typically wore his uniform a little loosely, but today he was a downright mess.

Next to him, Kiriyama was staring down at the corner of the table, absently playing with a lock of her hair.

“Seriously, guys, what happened? I can tell something’s on your mind, so just talk to us about it. Let us help you,” Taichi urged.

“Thanks, dude. For real. Okay, here we go. I’m gonna explain everything. It’s just... We both agreed we were gonna tell you, but now that we’re here, it’s kinda scary... Seriously though, it takes a lot of guts to tell you what I’m about to—”

“Just spit it out already!” Inaba snapped, interrupting him.

“R-Right!” Aoki squeaked, nodding.

Inaba had no patience for shenanigans.

Aoki took a deep breath, then looked over at Kiriyama for confirmation.

Kiriyama grimaced and nodded.

With her blessing, Aoki began to speak.

“Alright guys, the truth is, last night...”

The room went dead silent as everyone waited with bated breath. Aoki let the silence hang in the air for a moment... Then, finally, he screamed—

“WE SWITCHED BODIES!”

“What?” Inaba and Taichi asked in unison.

“Hahahaha... Huh?” Nagase faltered.

The three of them were completely baffled.

“I’m tellin’ ya, me and Yui switched bodies! Just like in a manga—aack!”

“Oho! Nice karate chop!” Taichi remarked, genuinely impressed at the speed and accuracy with which Inaba dealt Aoki his punishment.

“Wh-What the heck was that for, Inabacchan?!”

“Decent setup, but your punchline sucked ass.”

“No! I swear, it’s not a joke! I’m like, totally dead serious here, dude!”

“Honestly, I’m more stunned by the fact that Inaba’s willing to hit people who make bad jokes,” Taichi mused aloud.

“So, if you guys swapped bodies, then does that mean you’re actually Yui? You still look and sound as dumb as ever, though.”

“Swapped bodies, as in PAST TENSE! We’re back to normal now! And Iori-chan, could you maybe not gut me like that?! Didn’t anyone ever teach you that matter-of-fact comments hurt the most?!”

Using wide, exaggerated gestures, Aoki recounted his tale of trading bodies with Kiriyama, desperate to convince them he was telling the truth. It was clear he wasn’t joking, but everything he said was so preposterous, it left Taichi and the others at a complete loss.

“Alright, alright, that’s enough from you... Good grief. Yui, do you have anything you’d like to say regarding Aoki’s claim?” an annoyed Inaba asked Kiriyama, who had yet to say a single word on the subject.

Kiriyama stared at the ground, clutching at her hair, and shook her head. The chestnut-colored strands grew more and more frazzled with her agitation until finally she opened her mouth to speak.

“...He has to be lying. That can’t have been real. I mean, it totally doesn’t make sense. I was Aoki, and he was me? Yeah, no way. There’s like no way!” Her voice grew louder and louder until eventually she jumped to her feet. “I’m telling you, it was all just a bad dream!” Then she shifted into a fighting stance that would’ve looked right at home on the cover of Street Fighter. “I don’t believe in paranormal stuff! There’s nothing good ol’ science can’t explain! Yes, I’ve made my decision... Aoki! Leave me out of your creepy fantasies! Body swapping? Hah! That trope fell out of fashion years ago!”

“Are... Are you seriously turnin’ on me right now?! Didn’t we just agree it was real life?!”

“It was... temporary insanity! I can’t be held accountable for my actions!”

“I don’t exactly follow, but I do get the feeling this is an incredibly dramatic betrayal,” Taichi remarked, knowing his comment was unnecessary.

“You seriously think that was just a dream?!”

“You’re darn right I do! It was just an overly lifelike dream! Now come on, Aoki! Wake up already!” By this point Kiriyama was so worked up, she was practically having a manic episode.

“So you’re tellin’ me we had the exact same dream where we switched bodies at the exact same time? And we both somehow managed to dream about each other’s rooms with pinpoint accuracy even though we’d never been there before? And the things I moved around in the dream magically also got moved in real life?”

“Why not? Sometimes a lot of small coincidences happen at the same time! Call it a miracle!”

“Sure, and ya know what else would be a miracle? Me and you switchin’ bodies!”

“Of all people, why with YOU?!” Kiriyama howled.

“Well, it’s probably fate or whatever! Ties from a past life or something! Honestly, at this point, you might as well just go out with me already!”

“What kind of leap of logic is that?” Taichi retorted, though neither of them appeared to have heard him.

“UGGGGHHHH! This is why I can’t stand you!” Kiriyama shuddered and backed away into the corner.

“...So which is it, you two? I don’t care if it’s some weird fantasy or delusion or whatever. Just tell us what happened,” Inaba muttered. She sounded well and truly fed up.

“We don’t need to talk about it, Inaba! Aoki and I never switched! It never happened! I could maybe see it happening with Iori, but never with Aoki! Absolutely not! Not on your life! Denied! That creep’s just making stuff up about me...!” Kiriyama wailed as she threw her arms around Nagase.

“There, there...” Nagase cooed, stroking Kiriyama’s back as though she were a particularly rambunctious puppy.

“Wait, what? So you refuse to accept it just because it happened with me?” Aoki’s shoulders slumped.

“Hang in there, buddy,” Taichi said, clapping him on the shoulder. He still didn’t quite understand what was going on, but he could empathize, at least.

As for whether Aoki and Kiriyama did or didn’t switch bodies, the debate went back and forth and back and forth and back and forth...

Eventually Taichi and Nagase started their own running commentary of the argument, pondering whether it might simply have been a symptom of food poisoning or something, until Inaba finally snapped.

“Enough! All of you, chill the fuck out and GO HOME!”

With that, their regularly scheduled meeting was officially postponed.

Chapter 2: B___

The next day, the members of the CRC gathered in Rec Hall Room 401 in order to hold the meeting that should have happened the day before. Naturally, Yaegashi Taichi was among them. The five of them had already taken their seats at the table. Today Aoki Yoshifumi and Kiriyama Yui seemed to be a little tense, but otherwise quiet. Personally, Taichi had made it a point not to bring up what had happened yesterday, as it seemed like a sore subject.

An awkward silence hung in the air. But this seemed to matter little to vice president Inaba Himeko, who started the meeting without further ado.

“Now then, let’s begin. First order of business—”

“Oh crap! I forgot I left something in the classroom!” Nagase Iori blurted out, bringing the meeting right back to a screeching halt.

“Rrgh... I wanna get this shit done today! Don’t kill my momentum here!” Inaba snapped.

“Poor Inaban. Better luck next time!”

“You do realize it’s YOUR fault, right?!”

“Yeah, yeah. Anyway, Inaban! Is it cool if I go grab my stuff?” Nagase asked innocently, a sweet smile on her face. Her ponytail almost seemed to be bouncing of its own accord, though obviously that wasn’t actually the case.

“Can’t it wait...? Ugh, fine. Go get it...”

“Yes, sir!”

“Do I look like a ‘sir’ to you...? Aaand she’s not listening.”

Nagase dashed out of the clubroom before Inaba could even finish her sentence.

“Hehe! She sure knows how to get your goat,” Kiriyama snickered. It was the first time she’d smiled that day.

“I wouldn’t go that far... She’s definitely a handful, though,” Inaba muttered with a sigh.

With that, the tension in the room seemed to fade. Once the heavy mood had cleared, Aoki started telling his usual stupid jokes, with Kiriyama and Taichi calling him out on his awful punchlines. Bit by bit, the clubroom was regaining its usual cheer.

“Problem is, I can never tell if she’s doing it on purpose,” Taichi heard Inaba mumble to herself.

Just as she finished, everything went dark.

The next thing he knew, the world had tilted sideways.

No, wait. He was the one tilted sideways. Specifically, his head. That made more sense.

He quickly realized he was bent over a desk, his cheek pressed to the cool plastic.

He pushed himself upright and looked around.

This was... not the clubroom.

He was standing in an empty classroom.

Outside, he could faintly hear the crack of a baseball bat mixed with some athletic club’s jogging chant.

A wave of dizziness rushed over him, and he quickly grabbed the desk for support.

Something felt very off.

Was it just the dizziness? No, it had to be more than that.

Just moments prior, he’d been up on the fourth floor of the Rec Hall, in the CRC clubroom. That much was fact. Hell, he’d been in the middle of a conversation with Inaba. But now, mysteriously, he was standing in a classroom.

How?

Taichi looked around the room, trying to get his bearings. The positions of the desks, the messages on the bulletin board, the writing on the chalkboard, the little bookshelf in the corner—all of it was keenly familiar. This was Class 1-C, Taichi’s classroom. And there was no possible way he could have walked all the way here in the span of a few measly seconds.

Goosebumps pricked up over his arms as a shudder ran down his spine. Had he teleported here? Or had he somehow blacked out during the time it took him to get here? Or... had he simply dreamed that he’d been in the clubroom, when in fact he was here in the classroom, sleeping the entire time?

Or maybe... none of the above?

“What the heck is... Huh?!”

Startled, Taichi clapped a hand over his mouth.

“No way...” His hand descended down past his chin.

His neck was smooth, like a girl’s. He couldn’t even feel the bulge of his Adam’s apple.

For a moment, he attempted to convince himself he’d somehow misheard the voice that had come out of his mouth.

No dice.

He knew what he’d heard.

So why was his voice suddenly soft and sweet, like a girl’s?

Was he dreaming?

Sadly, no. He was definitely awake.

No dream on Earth could possibly be this realistic.

Calm down. Calm down. Calm down. Calm down. Calm down.

He silently willed himself not to let his imagination get carried away with him... but it was far too late. In the back of his mind, he recalled everything Aoki had said yesterday.

His only option was... to check.

With that thought, Taichi took a deep breath, exhaled, and slowly lowered his gaze.

Pleated cloth wrapped around his waist, hanging to his knees. Specifically, it was an item worn almost exclusively by women: a skirt.

Below the skirt was a several-centimeter gap of bare leg, followed by a pair of black knee-high socks.

Taichi groaned softly, in a voice that was definitely not his own—though, for the moment, technically it was.

Next he checked his upper body, tugging on his clothing with both hands. It was without a doubt the Yamaboshi High school uniform—the girl’s uniform.

His head began to spin.

Nothing. Nothing made sense. Nothing about this made any sense.

Except... a certain glaring possibility was already present in the back of his mind.

But something else—something he’d steadily built up over the course of his entire life—was trying desperately to bury it in a haze.

Unfortunately, the cruel reality of the situation was staring Taichi in the face.

Something hovered at the edge of his vision—something that the average guy, or at least Yaegashi Taichi, was certainly not meant to possess.

His chest was... inflated.

And not just a little.

No, this was no minor swelling. This was far beyond the scope of what the average male could expect to achieve.

This was, almost undoubtedly, a pair of (usually) lady-exclusive... b___.

At this point, he would be forced to accept what he already knew to be true... assuming they were real, of course.

Swallowing hard, Taichi willed himself not to panic.

Then, steeling his resolve, he raised both hands... placed them on each of the twin mounds... and squeezed.

Once... twice... three times... then four...

They were pillowy soft, yet had a firm elasticity, puffing out slightly through the gaps in his fingers. It was unlike anything he had ever felt before.

He was in unknown territory. In all sixteen years of his life, he had never touched the real deal, and yet somehow he knew. They were, without a shadow of a doubt, the real, genuine article. A bona-fide pair of... b___. With each squeeze, he felt a strange, almost ticklish sensation spread through his body. Evidently a girl’s b___ were not just there for decoration—

But before Taichi could finish that thought, the classroom door slid open, and someone walked in.

Their eyes met.

Taichi was already having a hell of a time struggling to process how he’d ended up in these circumstances. So when this new complication rolled in, he failed to react in time.

As it happened, the person who walked in was none other than Fujishima Maiko, president of Class 1-C, wearing her trademark glasses, her dark hair tied back neatly, and now frozen in mid-stride. They stared at each other wordlessly for a few seconds before Fujishima finally broke the silence.

“I, er... I saw the windows had been left open in here, so I came in to close them. The weather report said it might rain tonight, after all... So tell me, [Nagase-san]... what exactly are you doing?”

Fujishima had called him [Nagase]. On the inside, he was definitely still Yaegashi Taichi... but on the outside, he was apparently [Nagase Iori].

“I ask because, to me, it looks an awful lot like you’re playing with your own breasts.”

At this, Taichi realized he still had his hands on “his” chest. Hastily, he relinquished his grip. His brain was lagging under the strain of too much, too fast... but he knew he was in trouble. Fujishima eyed him for a while longer, as if sizing him up. Her eyes glittered behind the lenses of her glasses. Taichi wanted to bolt, but found himself rooted to the spot.

A heavy silence descended between them.

Then, at last, Fujishima spoke once more.

“Want some help with that?”

“......What?”

Whatever it was he’d been expecting, it certainly wasn’t that.

“It’s better to have someone else do it for you... if you know what I mean.”

“N-No thanks. I think I’ll pass.”

While he didn’t actually know what she meant by that, he wasn’t sure he wanted to find out.

“No need to be shy, now. I’m pretty good with my hands.” Fujishima took a step forward.

“Uh... Fujishima...?”

She was acting... different. Normally she was the very model of a straight-A student, but now... The look on her face was so uncharacteristically seductive, Taichi was at a total loss.

Meanwhile, Fujishima was getting closer... and he was starting to panic. He got the distinct sense that his virginity was in danger... or was it technically Nagase’s?

He didn’t have time to figure it out.

“L-Let’s both just calm down, Fujishima! I’m sure we can talk this whole thing out!”

“I agree. We can let our bodies do the talking.”

“B-Bodies?! S-Slow down for a sec!”

What the hell is happening right now?! Can’t you at least give me five minutes to figure out what’s going on?!

Help came when the classroom door whipped open, and someone came dashing in.

“TAICHIIIIII!” There stood [Yaegashi Taichi]... or rather, someone piloting his body.

Taichi’s brain was still a jumbled mess, but he forced himself to think as quickly and coherently as possible.

Fujishima had called him [Nagase]. Ignoring the scientific impossibility of it all, if he were to simply accept it as fact that he was somehow piloting [Nagase’s body], then... did that mean the person in [his body] was Nagase?

“Y-[Yaegashi-kun]?!” Fujishima looked up in surprise at the sudden intruder.

“Fujishima-san! Sorry to interrupt, but it’s an emergency! I need to borrow Taichi—I mean, me—I mean, [Nagase Iori]! Come on, let’s go!” [Taichi] walked right up to [Nagase] (the real Taichi), grabbed [her] by the arm, and turned to leave.

But before they could, Fujishima seized [her] other arm. “Wh-What’s your issue, [Yaegashi-kun]?! We’re busy, if you don’t mind!”

“Yeah, it was definitely about to get busy in here, if you get what I’m saying... but I really need to go! Please let me go, Fujishima!” [Nagase] (Taichi) yelled.

“See? Listen to Taichi—I mean, [Nagase]!” said [Taichi] (Nagase).

“What’s gotten into the two of you?! If you need to borrow Nagase-san so badly, then I’d appreciate an explanation first!” Fujishima insisted.

“Nrgh... You leave me no choice... Take THIS!”

With that, [Taichi] (Nagase) lunged at Fujishima.

“Coochie coochie coo!”

“No! Ahaha! STOP! Not my armpits! AAAH! HAHA! G-Get your dirty paws off me, [Yaegashi-kun]! Hahahaha! S-Stop...!”

“H-Hey! Nagase! Er, you are Nagase, right?! Whatever! Right now you’re [me], so try not to get me in too much trouble, alright?!”

Class 1-C was the perfect picture of pandemonium.

“Is this some kind of joke?” Inaba stared at them coldly.

After arriving back at the clubroom, [Taichi] and [Nagase] quickly began to try and piece together what was going on.

At first there was chaos—peering into mirrors and promptly screaming at their reflections—but the two of them had since calmed down. According to Nagase, she was in the classroom when it happened. All of a sudden she blacked out, and the next thing she knew, she was sitting in the clubroom in the middle of a conversation with Inaba and the others.

And according to the others, who had witnessed the whole thing, [Taichi] had suddenly collapsed forward in his chair—almost like he’d passed out—then immediately straightened back up again. Once in Taichi’s body, Nagase had panicked for a moment. Then, as soon as she remembered Aoki’s story from yesterday, she bolted all the way back to the classroom to look for [herself]... and now here they were.

“I can’t believe Taichi and I swapped bodies... Feels more like our bodies swapped us, to be honest!” [Taichi] (Nagase) laughed cheerfully. She was unbelievably chill about the whole thing.

“Uh... Am I going blind, or is that an actual legit grin on Taichi’s face? I’ve only ever seen him make like a half-smile, half-grimace!” Kiriyama blinked.

“I know, right? The dude’s not even that bad-looking. Maybe if he always smiled like that he’d be more popular with girls,” Aoki replied.

“Is that what my normal smile looks like to everyone else? A half-smile, half-grimace? I didn’t realize it was that bad...”

“WHO CARES?! Don’t change the goddamn subject!” Inaba slammed her fist down on the table. “Gah...!”

“Bet that hurt, didn’t it?”

“Shut the fuck UUUP!” Inaba lashed out at [Nagase] (Taichi) with a throat thrust—and spun on her heel at the last second, whipping her hand away before the blow could land. She froze, her arms now raised high over her head like a ballerina, her face twitching from either embarrassment or rage.

“You look like you’re having fun,” [Taichi] (Nagase) snickered.

“I get it! Taichi dropped one of his classic snarky one-liners, and you were gonna smack him for it like usual, but then you remembered he’s technically Iori-chan right now, so you stopped yourself. Makes sense,” Aoki commented.

“And now here you are, mansplaining the situation to her. Sucks to be Inaba right now,” Kiriyama added.

The commentary was brutal.

Her expression still twitching, Inaba lowered her arms and took a deep breath, as if willing herself to calm down.

“Man, you’re kind of hilarious today,” [Nagase] (Taichi) remarked as the thought crossed his mind.

Inaba whipped her head around and fixed him with a vicious glare. “Rest assured, I won’t forget this, Tai...” She cut herself short, her eyes wide with shock.

[Taichi] (Nagase) smirked like she’d seen it coming. “Inaban, you totally just looked at [Nagase Iori] and said ‘Taichi,’ didn’t you?” Nagase Iori was clearly the only member of the club who could go toe-to-toe with Inaba and live to tell the tale.

“Nggh...!” Inaba grimaced. “It’s your fault for... putting on this stupid little act in the first place...!”

“Do you really think Taichi could pull off a Nagase Iori impression this believable?” [Taichi] (Nagase) pressed. Her body and voice were all Taichi’s, but her mannerisms and speech were undeniably Nagase’s.