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The hotel suite's atmosphere was beyond bizarre.
Nagisa—trapped in Tokoyogi Yuuma's body—sat obediently on the sofa, looking completely lost.
Bokue was equally baffled. He couldn't wrap his head around why Nagisa and Yuuma had suddenly swapped bodies. It made zero sense, and he couldn't even begin to figure out how it happened.
As for Natsuki, after confirming the body swap, she'd simply covered her face with both hands, as if already sensing the disaster about to unfold.
Finally, the youth broke the silence.
"So this wasn't an accident, was it?"
No need for an answer—the conclusion was obvious.
They could now confirm that the consciousness inside Tokoyogi Yuuma's body was definitely Nagisa. Which raised one critical question.
Whose consciousness was currently inhabiting Nagisa's body?
According to Nagisa herself, she'd fallen asleep on the bed after their afternoon session, while Bokue was washing up with Yukina in the bathroom. When she woke up, she found herself here in the hotel, in Yuuma's body.
But here's the thing—after washing Yukina, Bokue had taken Nagisa into the bathroom for an intense "daily summary."
If someone else's consciousness had been in Nagisa's body at that time, they should've panicked when Bokue dragged them into the bathroom, resisting desperately.
Yet "Nagisa" hadn't resisted at all. In fact, she'd been exceptionally enthusiastic, even calling him "Big Brother" repeatedly.
Which meant the consciousness in Nagisa's body was most likely Tokoyogi Yuuma.
After all, she'd witnessed firsthand how Bokue, Nagisa, and Yukina normally interacted and addressed each other.
So this was all planned?
"Haah..."
With a soft exhale, Natsuki finally uncovered her face.
She looked up at the youth, lips pressed thin.
"The situation's urgent, so I'll keep this brief. You might find what I'm about to say confusing, but please stay quiet and assume everything I say is fact while you try to understand."
"...Go ahead."
Bokue shrugged.
Ever since the human and demon realms connected half a century ago, people had grown increasingly accepting of supernatural phenomena. These days, even ordinary people would only be mildly surprised by body swapping before actively seeking solutions.
Let alone the acting head of the Keikain family.
"First... have you heard of the Prison Barrier?"
Natsuki paused, then continued without waiting for an answer.
"If you have, you'd know there's more than one. They're scattered worldwide, designed to imprison criminals with immense power. They're constructed from witches' dreams—eternal prisons that even gods cannot escape. And the witch who maintains Itogami Island's Prison Barrier... is me."
"Oh." Bokue remained perfectly calm.
Natsuki actually froze at his reaction. "You don't seem surprised at all?"
"Well, yeah. I already knew." Bokue spread his hands.
"Yuuma mentioned it when we met before. Pretty much matched your description."
"I see... that makes sense."
Natsuki clicked her tongue softly.
"Tokoyogi Aya—I don't know if you've heard that name. She's a witch like me. I'm the Witch of the Void, she's the Witch of Notaria. Ten years ago, she was imprisoned in the Prison Barrier for attempting a terrorist attack and hasn't escaped since. But now it seems that Tokoyogi Yuuma was her contingency plan."
"So basically, this Tokoyogi Aya wants to break out?" Bokue hummed thoughtfully.
"And swapping Yuuma and Nagisa's bodies... to steal True Ancestor power and increase her escape chances?"
"That's the most likely scenario."
The gothic lolita nodded with another helpless sigh.
Bokue made a questioning sound. "I have another question. I remember Yuuma saying the Prison Barrier's administrator sleeps within it, but you're..."
"No need to doubt—she was right." Natsuki's eyes lowered slightly. "My body is indeed at the center of Itogami Island's Prison Barrier. What you're seeing now... consider it my thought projection. Anyway, since they've begun their operation, they won't allow my projection to wander freely anymore. I need to return my consciousness to the Prison Barrier to prevent any accidents..."
"Oh, one more thing I forgot to mention."
As she spoke, the gothic lolita's form suddenly flickered, like a projector's light blocked by an obstacle. Even her voice became intermittent.
Natsuki frowned slightly.
"Starting already... Fine, I'll be direct. True Ancestor power is beyond human comprehension—even witches who've contracted with demons can't handle it. That Tokoyogi Yuuma probably used spatial transfer magic to swap her and Nagisa's senses. In other words, their souls remain in their own bodies—they've just temporarily swapped the sensory signal interfaces to their brains."
"Once Yuuma releases the spell..."
"Right, they'll swap back immediately."
The gothic lolita nodded as her form grew increasingly translucent.
"So... the rest... is up to you..."
With those final words, Natsuki's form completely dissipated.
At that moment, Bokue suddenly sensed a familiar power spreading through the air.
"This is..."
The same spatial magic fluctuation from last night when he'd been teleported here from Asagi's place. But now it covered a wider area and was far more chaotic, nearly scrambling the entire city's spatial coordinates.
Planning to completely displace Itogami Island's space to prevent the Security Force from tracking them?
Too bad that wouldn't work on him.
With that thought, Bokue rose from the sofa and gently ruffled the hair of Nagisa—currently in Yuuma's body—beside him.
"Wait here for me, Nagisa. I'll be right back."
"Okay! Good luck, Big Brother!"
Nagisa tilted her head with a smile, pumping her small fist in encouragement.
Bokue smiled back, then vanished from the spot.
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Scene shift—
When Bokue reappeared, he stood on a fog-shrouded dock.
Coincidentally, it was the exact dock where they'd rented speedboats earlier. But now, with night fallen and every streetlight mysteriously dark, the entire dock was pitch black. Only cold moonlight filtered through the thick fog onto the asphalt.
The moonlight also illuminated a girl's silhouette at the dock's end.
"You still came, Bokue..."
Sensing footsteps behind her, the girl at the dock's edge turned around.
It was Tokoyogi Yuuma, who'd swapped bodies with Nagisa. She'd shed Nagisa's usual cute pleated skirts for the jeans and shirt she preferred, watching the youth approach step by step with a smile.
"I didn't expect to see you one last time. Now I have no regrets left."
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