"Playing games isn't strange, Ryo-senpai doesn't need to be sneaky, unless there's some ulterior motive..."
The more Kita thought about it, the more she felt something was wrong.
"Eh, wait--"
Kita Ikuyo suddenly widened her eyes, thinking of a possibility.
"C-could it be that Ryo-senpai wants to sneak a bite...?"
"No way?"
"That kind of thing definitely wouldn't happen, right?"
"..."
She comforted herself with these words, but once the seed of doubt took root, it could no longer be retracted.
Kita, who had originally been a little sleepy, instantly became wide awake because of the guess that had just sprouted in her mind.
"I'll wear the Kessoku Band bracelet again later, if nothing happens, it won't be too late to sleep..."
At the same time.
On the other side.
In the quiet guest room, the sound of a doorknob turning suddenly echoed.
Ijichi Nijika's heart rate suddenly accelerated, and she nervously turned her head to look towards the door.
Click.
The door was gently pushed open.
Kitahara Makoto quietly walked in.
"He really came..."
Seeing Kitahara Makoto quietly push the door open and enter, Ijichi Nijika's whole body tensed up, but for some unknown reason, she also felt a strange sense of relief.
(Since Kitahara is here, I don't need to go on a night raid...)
(Stay calm, don't panic.)
(What Ryo said about starting with half an hour must be alarmist, it won't be that exaggerated.)
(By tomorrow, I'll completely forget about this matter, as if nothing ever happened!)
"Ryo-senpai, I'm here."
Kitahara Makoto gently closed the door, then came to the bed with burning eyes.
"What are you doing here?"
Ijichi Nijika's pretty face was flushed, asking the obvious.
Kitahara Makoto said solemnly:
"Of course, I'm here to repay your kindness."
"Eh?" Ijichi Nijika's eyes showed confusion, "Repay kindness... what do you mean?"
"Before, in the game space, Ryo-senpai's healing saved me many times."
Kitahara Makoto said as a matter of course, "A life-saving kindness, of course, must be repaid, so I choose to offer myself."
"Pfft~"
Ijichi Nijika couldn't help but let out a soft snort.
An excuse.
It's clearly just an excuse to take advantage of people!
"Here."
Kitahara Makoto handed over the woven bag in his hand.
Ijichi Nijika asked curiously:
"What's inside?"
"It's uniforms and stockings specially bought for Ryo-senpai."
The various uniforms ordered for Ryo-senpai this morning just came in handy now.
Ijichi Nijika: "..."
Oh no!
This is too bad!
How long has it been, and you're already using strange things with Ryo!
Ijichi Nijika was about to complain when she saw Kitahara Makoto quickly take off his clothes in a flash, her pretty face instantly flushed, and she hurriedly turned her head to look elsewhere:
"W-what are you doing?!"
Kitahara Makoto said confidently:
"Repaying kindness can't just be talk, of course, it needs to be proven with actual actions."
"You..."
Ijichi Nijika originally wanted to say 'get out', but the words reached her lips and she silently swallowed them back.
She couldn't let Kitahara Makoto leave.
Her body had to be swapped back as soon as possible, she couldn't cause any more trouble for Ryo.
With this thought, Ijichi Nijika could only take a deep breath, forcing herself to endure the shame of wanting to cover her face and flee, her pretty face burning as she said:
"Y-you... turn off the light first!"
Kitahara Makoto pretended to be surprised and said:
"Ryo-senpai never said to turn off the light before, why are you shy today?"
"Before was before, now is now, anyway, the light must be turned off today!"
Ijichi Nijika's pretty face was burning, her attitude firm.
"Turning off the light is certainly no problem."
Kitahara Makoto changed the subject, "But if you want me to turn off the light, Ryo-senpai must put on the uniform and stockings."
Ijichi Nijika snorted in shame: "I won't change into them."
Kitahara Makoto slowly said: "Then don't turn off the light."
"..."
Ijichi Nijika had no choice but to bite her lower lip lightly, agreeing in shame.
Not turning off the light was indeed too shameful; in comparison, the uniform was barely acceptable...
"Do I still have to wear stockings?"
"Of course, you have to wear them."
Kitahara Makoto said with burning eyes:
"Ryo-senpai, remember to wear the stockings separately, one leg with white stockings and the other with black stockings."
Wearing black and white stockings mixed can directly double the attack speed.
Ijichi Nijika said speechlessly:
"That way of wearing them is too strange, isn't it?"
Kitahara Makoto said shamelessly:
"Strange isn't important, as long as it can increase attack speed."
"Pfft~!"
Ijichi Nijika couldn't help but let out a soft snort.
After sharing her five senses with Ryo in the Otherworld, she was barely considered an experienced person, so she naturally knew what 'increasing attack speed' meant.
Taking a deep breath, Ijichi Nijika bit her lower lip with her pearly teeth, and shyly instructed:
"Turn around."
"It's not like I haven't seen it..."
"Less nonsense, turn around quickly!"
"..."
Kitahara Makoto silently turned his body, facing the wall.
After a rustling sound, the girl's extremely shy voice rang out:
"It's...it's okay now..."
Kitahara Makoto turned around at the sound, and saw Nijika had already cosplayed as a spider lady, kneeling on the bed in a duck-sit posture, with one leg wearing white stockings and the other leg wearing black stockings... In short, it was indescribable.
Seeing Kitahara Makoto looking at her with undisguised burning eyes, Ijichi Nijika's heart almost jumped into her throat, one hand covering her chest, the other covering her skirt, she stammered:
"First...first turn off the lights..."
"Wait a moment." Kitahara Makoto took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to pounce like a hungry tiger, then took out the last collar, "Ryo-senpai, put on the last collar."
Seeing the collar in Kitahara Makoto's hand, Ijichi Nijika immediately puffed out her pink cheeks:
"Is this a pet collar?"
"That's right."
"I don't want to wear strange things."
"What's strange about it?" Kitahara Makoto retorted confidently, "Doesn't Seika-nee wear a collar every day?"
Ijichi Nijika couldn't help but complain:
"My sister is clearly wearing a neck ring!"
"..."
After blurting it out, Ijichi Nijika was slightly flustered, worried that Kitahara Makoto would become suspicious.
Fortunately, Kitahara Makoto said nothing, only explaining:
"This collar has been 'enchanted' by Hana-chan, it can double the pleasure."
"Eh eh eh?!"
Ijichi Nijika's eyes widened, and she immediately panicked.
It can even double the pleasure?
That sounds terrible!
"Ryo-senpai, quickly put on the collar and try out the effect." Kitahara Makoto urged, "As long as Ryo-senpai puts on the collar, I'll turn off the lights."
"..."
Ijichi Nijika hesitated for a few seconds, but ultimately chose to compromise, stammering:
"Then...then I'll try it on... When I say take it off, you must take it off..."
"Of course."
"..."
After Ijichi Nijika put on the collar with a flushed face, Kitahara Makoto kept his promise and quickly turned off the chandelier in the room, leaving only a dimly lit night light.
"Wait, the night light needs to be turned off too..."
Ijichi Nijika's words were cut short, her voice being blocked in her mouth.
So, the question is.
Whose body is it, Ryo's body and Nijika's soul, who is being taken advantage of?
At the same time.
Kita's house.
"Phew..."
Kita Ikuyo yawned, already feeling sleepy, she put down her phone and turned to look at the bracelet not far away:
"I'll try wearing the bracelet again, if nothing happens, then I'm just overthinking it."
She lay down on her back.
Kita Ikuyo picked up the Kessoku Band bracelet, then closed her eyes.
Wearing the bracelet would share the five senses, but consciousness would not be linked, so at this time, she only needed to close her eyes to avoid exposing her identity.
"Just a simple link, if nothing happens, I'll go to sleep..."
Kita Ikuyo raised her right hand and put the black Kessoku Band bracelet onto her fair and slender wrist.
[Five Senses Sharing] activated.
The first to come online was sight.
"Strange, why do my eyes feel wet, like I just cried, and everything looks a bit blurry and hazy..."
Kita Ikuyo wondered in her heart.
The next second.
Hearing, taste, smell, touch... other senses came online at the same time.
A tsunami-like impact instantly swept through Kita's body and soul, causing Kita Ikuyo's brain to rumble and instantly go blank.
The [Five Senses Sharing] attribute is to make people who wear the bracelet at the same time feel 100% empathetic.
In other words, everything Nijika was experiencing at this moment, Kita could experience 100% synchronously, including the "pleasure doubled" from the pet collar.
Heaven help her, Kita Ikuyo had at most secretly looked at hentai, she hadn't even watched R-rated movies, and usually she was too embarrassed to discuss perverted topics with friends, now suddenly entering a new world, the impact was too great, so much so that her whole person was stunned.
After being dazed for an unknown amount of time, perhaps a few seconds, or perhaps a minute, Kita Ikuyo finally woke up.
"Eh eh eh?!"
"Ryo-senpai and Kitahara-kun are... are really..."
Kita Ikuyo felt her heart almost jumping out of her chest, and her head was about to turn into a mess.
There's no mistake.
Although her eyes were blurry and she could only see the vague wall, the voice that involuntarily came out of 'her' mouth was clearly Ryo-senpai's voice.
"N-no..."
"Q-quickly take off the bracelet..."
"My mind is going to break..."
Kita Ikuyo bit her teeth tightly, and even so, terrible sounds still overflowed from her mouth and nose, and she even felt her soul trembling.
Finally, she bit the tip of her tongue hard, and finally managed to regain consciousness with the help of the pain, then quickly took off the bracelet.
"Hoo... hoo..."
Kita Ikuyo lay on the bed, panting heavily, her small face showing a relieved expression of surviving a disaster.
"F-finally took it off..."
Looking at the Kessoku Band bracelet in her hand, Kita Ikuyo's small face was flushed to the point of exploding, almost dripping blood, and steam was whistling out from the top of her head.
"Everyone clearly agreed not to join the harem, but Ryo-senpai actually ran off alone..."
If she had discovered the truth before, Kita Ikuyo would definitely have felt wronged and jealous.
But after just sharing her five senses and experiencing the terrifying new world, Kita Ikuyo was now filled with shame, unable to even feel jealousy.
Terrifying.
That feeling was truly terrifying.
"Fortunately, I took off the bracelet in time, if I had been two minutes later, my head would definitely have broken, right?"
Kita Ikuyo panted for a while, and after her heart rate slowed down, she got up from the bed with a flushed face, walked to the wardrobe, opened it, and took out a clean piece of underwear.
No choice.
Her underwear was unwearable, she had to get up and change her underwear...
However, when she left the room, Kita Ikuyo inexplicably took the bracelet with her.
Splash splash.
She arrived at the bathroom.
Because she was sweating, Kita took a shower directly, then sat in the bathtub and started bathing.
"It's been so long, Stupid Kitahara and Ryo-senpai should have finished by now, right?"
Kita Ikuyo's gaze drifted, and her eyes involuntarily fell on the bracelet.
What?
You said you came out to take a bath, why did you bring the bracelet?
I don't know.
Kita Ikuyo had no idea why she had brought the bracelet with her.
If you ask, it's just an inexplicable impulse, she was possessed.
"We all agreed to stand united, but Ryo-senpai actually ran off..."
"Too much!"
"It's too much!"
Kita Ikuyo hugged her knees, blowing out a string of bubbles in the bathtub, then began to analyze it piece by piece.
"Hana-chan said there was a problem with the bracelet in the Otherworld, in other words, Stupid Kitahara and Ryo-senpai had already done that kind of thing at least a week ago..."
"What about Nijika-senpai?"
"Nijika-senpai has changed so much these past few days, she's practically a different person."
"Could it be that Nijika-senpai also did that kind of thing with Stupid Kitahara?"
Kita Ikuyo quickly shook her head.
"Impossible!"
"Absolutely impossible!"
"Ryo-senpai is unrestrained, so I won't mention her, but Nijika is so self-respecting, she definitely wouldn't run off, right?"
Kita Ikuyo involuntarily looked at the bracelet, the temperature on her small face quietly rising:
"Or... try again?"
"Whether Nijika-senpai ran off or not, I'll know by wearing the bracelet..."
After hesitating for a moment, Kita Ikuyo finally picked up the bracelet placed beside her, her small face flushed.
It was clearly just an ordinary bracelet, but holding it in her hand, it felt exceptionally hot, making Kita Ikuyo want to throw it away many times.
Thump thump.
Kita Ikuyo could clearly hear her heart beating rapidly.
"Steady."
"Don't panic."
"I just want to see if Nijika-senpai is there... Yes, that's all!"
"..."
Having found an excuse for herself, Kita Ikuyo took a deep breath, her face flushed, closed her eyes, and put the Kessoku Band bracelet back on.
Nijika, who was far away on the other side, hadn't taken off her bracelet, so... [Five Senses Sharing] was reactivated.
The first sense to come online was still sight.
It was as blurry as before, but this time, what she saw was no longer a blurry wall, but a full-length mirror.
The next second.
Hearing, taste, smell, touch... other senses came online simultaneously.
Although Kita Ikuyo had experienced it once, the terrifying new world still made her tremble.
Looking at 'herself' and Kitahara Makoto in the mirror, Kita's face instantly turned bright red, and steam once again billowed from the top of her head.
"H-he's actually in front of the mirror..."
"Oh no... this is really too much!!!"
"Q-quickly take off the bracelet..."
The scene 'she' was seeing was simply too much; it had broken through Kita's shame threshold.
Kita Ikuyo frantically tried to take off the bracelet, but unfortunately, it had tightened after being soaked in water, and she couldn't get it off for a while.
Thump thump thump.
Just then, footsteps suddenly sounded in the hallway outside.
"Ikuyo-chan, why aren't you asleep yet?"
Mrs. Kita's voice drifted in.
"I-I... just watched a horror video..." Kita Ikuyo's voice trembled uncontrollably, "I broke out in a sweat, so I wanted to take a bath..."
"Eh?" Mrs. Kita's voice was surprised, and she walked directly into the bathroom next to Kita's room. "When did Ikuyo-chan become brave enough to watch horror movies?"
Japan's Toilets are usually three-part separated, with the sink, bathtub, and bathroom all separate, allowing them to be used without interference.
"It-it was a video a friend sent... I-I accidentally clicked on it..."
Kita Ikuyo's eyes were teary, and she was almost crying.
Why... why did Mother have to get up and go to the bathroom at this time?
Kita Ikuyo anxiously tried to take off the bracelet, but it had shrunk after getting wet, and combined with her shaky hands, she just couldn't get it off for a while.
"Ikuyo-chan, why do you sound like you're crying?"
Mrs. Kita's tone was puzzled.
Kita Ikuyo's eyes were teary:
"B-because it was too scary..."
"What movie was it? Mother wants to watch it too."
"I... I can't remember... I just know... I know it was very scary..."
Kita Ikuyo covered her mouth with both hands, trying with all her might not to make any embarrassing sounds.
Unfortunately, Kita soon realized that some things were like sneezing; constantly trying to hold it in only made the urge to sneeze stronger.
Finding herself about to reach her limit, Kita Ikuyo had no choice; to avoid being discovered, she could only bite down on a towel.
"Mother is going back to her room." The sound of a flushing bathroom quickly came from next door, and Mrs. Kita asked, "Ikuyo-chan, do you want to sleep with Mother tonight?"
"No, no need." Kita Ikuyo breathed a sigh of relief, "Mother, quickly go back to your room... Hmm... Ngh!"
The sudden sharing made Kita involuntarily let out a soft moan, and the air in the bathroom instantly turned pink.
...
The air suddenly fell silent.
"M-Mother heard me..."
Kita Ikuyo's eyes were teary, her mind instantly blank, with only one thought in her heart.
Suicide!
I'll hold my breath and commit suicide right now!
I'll never be able to face Mother again!
After a brief silence.
Mrs. Kita's light voice sounded from outside:
"Well, Ikuyo-chan has grown up without realizing it..."
Kita Ikuyo: "..."
"But you still need to exercise some restraint, overdoing it is bad for your health."
...
Kita Ikuyo's eyes were misty, and she bit down tightly on the towel, not daring to make a sound.
Suicide!
I must hold my breath and commit suicide!
Thump thump thump.
The sound of footsteps quietly receded.
"Phew..."
Kita Ikuyo let out a long breath, all the strength in her body almost completely dissipated.
"Q-quickly take off the bracelet... Wait!"
Kita Ikuyo's body suddenly trembled as she realized a blind spot she had overlooked.
"Although I kept my eyes closed, I didn't cover my ears, and I was just talking... S-so, has Ryo-senpai already figured out who I am?"
The terrifying truth appeared before her, and Kita Ikuyo was instantly mortified to death.
"No..."
"Absolutely not that!"
If Ryo-senpai found out that she had been 'empathizing' all along, she would never have the face to appear before Ryo-senpai again!
A sky-high sense of shame intertwined with an indescribable sense of immorality, and Kita Ikuyo felt her vision go black, directly fainting.
At the same time.
Nijika on the other side was also in a dizzy state, perfectly synchronized with Kita, so...
The entry [Soul Swap] effect was triggered.
Ijichi Nijika's consciousness was already hazy, too tired to even move a finger, and she had to admit that what Ryo said was not exaggerated at all, and even a bit conservative.
The next second.
Suddenly, water choked her nose and mouth.
"Cough cough cough..."
Ijichi Nijika immediately started coughing, and when she nervously opened her eyes, she found herself sitting in a bathtub.
"Strange..." Ijichi Nijika blinked, her expression a little bewildered. "It doesn't seem to be Kitahara's bathroom... Eh?!"
Her gaze fell on the mirror not far away, and Ijichi Nijika's eyes suddenly widened.
"W-what's going on?!"
The lights in the bathroom were not off, and the lighting was quite bright.
Ijichi Nijika could clearly see that the figure reflected in the mirror was a red-haired girl with teary eyes and a face flushed bright red.
It was Kita.
"I turned into Kita?"
Ijichi Nijika nervously lowered her head to examine her body.
"Why... why is this happening? Shouldn't I have swapped bodies back with Ryo?"
It wasn't until her gaze fell on 'her' right wrist, and the Kessoku Band bracelet came into view, that Ijichi Nijika suddenly understood.
"It's the bracelet!"
"Kita actually wore the bracelet... Then everything I and Kitahara did, Kita knows all of it?"
Ijichi Nijika quickly patted her cheeks to calm herself down.
"I didn't return to my own body, but swapped souls with Kita... It must be because Kita put on the bracelet, right?"
"Why would Kita secretly put on the bracelet?"
Ijichi Nijika couldn't figure it out, nor did she have the mind to think about it; there was a more urgent matter at hand.
"I've turned into Kita, so Kita should be in Ryo's body... Quickly inform Ryo, Kita is in a panic, the secret of Soul Swap might be exposed to Kitahara!"
According to the original plan, Ijichi Nijika only wanted to secretly swap bodies back; she didn't want the secret exposed to Kitahara Makoto.
Thinking of this, Ijichi Nijika quickly picked up the phone placed nearby.
"Good thing it's fingerprint unlock..."
Ijichi Nijika tried it simply, then used her right thumb to unlock the phone screen, quickly opened the chat app, found Yamada Ryo's avatar, and directly made a call.
Japan people are quite distant; unless necessary, they usually send messages, and only make direct calls when absolutely forced.
Especially late-night calls, which signify an emergency.
So, after a short while, the call was connected, and then 'her' voice came through:
"Kita?"
Ijichi Nijika took a deep breath and said:
"Ryo, it's Nijika, Kita, for some reason, secretly wore the bracelet, and now Kita and I have swapped bodies!"
Ryo: "It's starting to get interesting..."
"It's not interesting at all!" Ijichi Nijika said, embarrassed and angry, "Ryo, quickly go and take Kita away, don't let Kita expose our Soul Swap secret!"