"Ugh, so tired..."
Kita Ikuyo slowly woke up at almost the same time.
"Eh... Kitahara-kun?"
Looking at the boy sitting beside her, Kita Ikuyo blinked, thinking she was hallucinating.
She was clearly sitting in the bathtub taking a bath, and then she fainted because... because she was too ashamed, so even if she woke up, she should still be in the bathtub, right?
To actually fantasize about Kitahara-kun, and a Stupid Kitahara who isn't wearing clothes... It must be that the shock was too great, causing her brain to break.
"Ryo-senpai, you're awake?"
Kitahara Makoto turned his head to look over.
"Hallucinations can even talk..."
Kita subconsciously blurted out a remark, then suddenly blinked, her consciousness quietly clearing:
"Wait, what did you just call me?"
Kitahara Makoto asked, puzzled:
"Of course, Ryo-senpai."
"I am..."
Kita Ikuyo parted her lips, quickly sat up, and looked around.
So sore.
My entire body is so sore.
My mouth is so dry.
My throat is a bit hoarse.
My eyes are also uncomfortable, as if I had just cried…
There's no way this illusion is so real!
Kita couldn't help but panic, one hand covering her chest, her eyes nervously looking around, and she quickly confirmed that she was in Kitahara Makoto's guest room.
"Right, that mirror!"
Kita Ikuyo quickly looked at the mirror in the corner, supporting her sore body as she peered into it, and what met her eyes was none other than Ryo-senpai.
"Ehhh?!"
Kita Ikuyo's head instantly boomed, and she was completely stunned.
"I… I turned into Ryo-senpai?!"
She secretly raised her hand and pinched herself, the pain making Kita Ikuyo fully realize the reality.
"It hurts… This isn't a dream, nor is it an illusion."
"But why?"
"Why did I turn into Ryo-senpai?"
"This is illogical, and unscientific!"
"…"
"Ryo-senpai, have you rested well?" Kitahara Makoto looked at Kita, his gaze burning as he said, "Let's do it again."
Kita Ikuyo was now considered an 'experienced person,' and naturally knew what Kitahara Makoto wanted to do. Upon hearing this, she immediately panicked:
"N-no!"
Waking up after fainting, only to find herself turned into Ryo-senpai, her head was super dazed right now. How could she possibly be in the mood to do that kind of thing with him?!
The most urgent matter was definitely to figure out the current situation, right?
"I am…"
Kita nervously looked up, preparing to tell the truth.
When encountering something incomprehensible, she naturally wanted to rely on Kitahara Makoto.
Knock knock knock.
Just then, a knock on the door suddenly sounded.
"Hm?"
Kitahara Makoto lightly raised an eyebrow, looking towards the door.
"Y-you, go open the door quickly."
Kita Ikuyo was startled and completely hid under the covers.
"It should be Nijika, I'll go see what's wrong."
Kitahara Makoto got up from the bed, put on his clothes, and walked to the door.
"Nijika, what's wrong?"
Looking at the golden-haired girl with a side ponytail standing outside the door, Kitahara Makoto asked in confusion.
He was genuinely confused.
What about the 'offline when asleep' agreement?
Why did you just knock on the door and come over?
"I changed my mind. I'm not sleeping with Hana tonight." Yamada Ryo hugged her arms across her chest, speaking while closing her right eye, "I'm still coming back to sleep with Ryo."
"…"
Kitahara Makoto lightly raised an eyebrow. Although he didn't know what happened, it was clear that the situation had changed.
"Just now, Ryo-senpai said there were mosquitoes in the room, so I came over to help kill them… Then I'll go back."
Kitahara Makoto spoke nonsense as he walked out.
As they brushed past each other, Yamada Ryo's lips slightly parted, and she softly uttered two words:
"Kita."
"Hm?"
Kitahara Makoto was slightly startled, and couldn't help but turn to look at 'Ryo-senpai' hiding under the covers. The confusion in his mind suddenly dissipated.
So that's it.
No wonder even though they had done everything, 'Ryo-senpai' was even more embarrassed and flustered after waking up than when they first met. It turned out she had Soul Swap from Nijika to Kita.
"Could it be a spontaneous Soul Swap?"
Kitahara Makoto mused.
"Impossible."
"Ordinary people wouldn't swap souls for no reason… So, Kita, for some reason, secretly put on the bracelet, and then Soul Swap with Nijika's body?"
"Now, Ryo's body contains Kita, Kita's body contains Nijika, and Nijika's body contains Ryo…"
Kitahara Makoto truly didn't know how to evaluate it, he could only sigh:
"It feels really messy."
"Now only Hitori is left…"
Having composed himself, Kitahara Makoto turned and walked into the bathroom, starting to shower.
Now that Kita and Nijika had switched bodies, they definitely wouldn't be able to accept reality for a while. There was no way he could continue to take advantage of anyone tonight.
At the same time.
Bang.
Ryo-senpai gently closed the door, then walked to the bed.
Looking at 'herself' hiding under the covers, with only half of her small face exposed, eyes tightly shut as if she were already asleep, Ryo-senpai said indifferently:
"Stop pretending to sleep. Get up and take a shower first. You must be uncomfortable feeling sticky."
"…"
Kita Ikuyo's long eyelashes trembled slightly. She thought the 'Nijika' in front of her was deliberately trying to trick her, and still refused to open her eyes.
"Tsk~"
Ryo-senpai lightly clicked her tongue, crossed her arms, and said airily:
"Next, I only need one sentence to make you cry and beg me on your knees."
Kita Ikuyo: "…"
Impossible!
Absolutely impossible!
She didn't have any dirt on her, so there was no way she would cry and kneel to beg Ryo-senpai!
Seeing that Kita was still pretending to sleep, Ryo-senpai lowered her voice and said:
"Kita, you don't want the secret of the Soul Swap to be exposed, do you?"
"Eh eh eh?!"
Kita Ikuyo suddenly opened her eyes, looking over in a panic:
"Nijika, what are you talking about? I don't understand?"
Yamada Ryo crossed her arms over her chest, expressionlessly saying:
"Ryo and I are classmates. Ryo never calls me senpai."
Kita Ikuyo: "…"
A slip of the tongue!
It was normal to have a slip of the tongue when suddenly hearing something so shocking!
Since her identity was already exposed, Kita Ikuyo naturally stopped pretending and directly laid out her cards:
"I don't know what happened, I suddenly switched bodies with Ryo-senpai… Nijika seems to know the truth? Can you tell me what happened? And how can I switch bodies back?"
Yamada Ryo crossed her arms over her chest and tilted her head, saying:
"Kita should be very clear why the Soul Swap happened."
Kita Ikuyo's voice was aggrieved:
"I really don't know…"
"It's the Kessoku Band bracelet."
"Eh?"
"After the bracelet is enchanted, besides allowing shared five senses, under special circumstances of soul synchronization, it can also cause Soul Swap." Ryo-senpai showed a pleased smile on her face, "Kita, congratulations on entering the adult world."
"…"
Boom!
A lightning bolt flashed through her mind.
Kita Ikuyo parted her lips, and the girl's regret instantly reached its peak.
So it was all the bracelet's fault. Not only did she embarrass herself in front of her mom, but it also caused her to switched bodies with Ryo-senpai in the end…
"Well, there's one more thing." Ryo-senpai said unhurriedly, "The soul inside your body is actually Nijika."
"Eh?"
Kita Ikuyo slightly recovered, her gaze falling on the golden-haired girl in front of her, her tone puzzled:
"But Nijika is clearly standing in front of me…"
Halfway through her sentence, Kita Ikuyo suddenly widened her eyes and blurted out:
"You… you're Ryo-senpai?!"
"Correct answer." Yamada Ryo nodded slightly, "Too bad there's no reward."
"…"
Kita Ikuyo's lips slightly parted, and all her previous confusion suddenly cleared up.
(No wonder Ryo-senpai and Nijika have been so strange lately, feeling like completely different people…)
(It turns out it wasn't just a feeling, but they really did switch people!)
(If the soul inside Nijika's body is Ryo-senpai, and the soul inside Ryo-senpai's body is Nijika, then all the previous illogical points can be explained clearly.)
(So this is the truth I've been desperately searching for…)
(So, becoming like this is all my fault?)
After discovering the truth, Kita was completely distraught.
"Nijika is video calling." Yamada Ryo looked down at her phone, then answered the call and sat next to Kita, "Let's just talk openly now. Being a messenger is too tiring."
Looking at 'herself' in the video, with a flushed face and wearing a bathrobe, Kita Ikuyo felt exceptionally subtle, along with an indescribable sense of shame welling up in her heart.
(Ryo-senpai and Nijika clearly both know that the bracelet can cause Soul Swap, so… my secret of secretly sharing has already been exposed, right?)
(No, no, no! Absolutely not!)
(Please, Mount Fuji, please erupt tomorrow and destroy the world!)
"Kita, don't be afraid." Ijichi Nijika didn't think that much, gently comforting her from the other side of the video, "If we can switched bodies, we can naturally switch them back."
"That's right, that's right! Let's switch our bodies back!"
Hearing this, Kita Ikuyo's spirits suddenly lifted, and she quickly asked, "Nijika, how can we switch our bodies back?"
"Uhm…"
Ijichi Nijika's small face turned crimson, her gaze flickering elsewhere, too embarrassed to speak.
Ryo-senpai, however, was uninhibited and said from the side, "First, you must wear the Kessoku Band bracelet, and then achieve Soul Synchronization through a special method… Well, the 'special method' is [beep—]."
Although she had just experienced it firsthand, hearing Yamada Ryo casually utter such suggestive words, the temperature on Kita Ikuyo's small face still surged, and she quickly shook her head in embarrassment, "That method is too... awful, isn't it?"
"Awful?" Ryo-senpai tilted her head and looked over, "Are you sure Kita isn't saying it was wonderful?"
Kita Ikuyo turned her face away, blushing with shame, her tone uncertain, "It wasn't wonderful at all!"
"Cough, cough, let's stop this topic here." Ijichi Nijika quickly coughed twice, also very embarrassed, " Ryo and I exchanged bodies in the Otherworld. At that time, I immediately asked the answer book… Besides the method Ryo just mentioned, there's no other way."
Kita Ikuyo blinked, and memories suddenly surged in her mind.
At that time, in the cave in the Otherworld, Ryo-senpai suddenly rushed into the cave, then took the answer book and left, not answering when asked why… Was it because they had exchanged bodies?
"If we don't switch our bodies back, many things in life will become very troublesome. For example, I wouldn't know how to interact with Kita's parents. We only exchanged bodies, and we don't have any of each other's memories…" Ijichi Nijika said softly, "So, Kita, you should switch your body back as soon as possible."
"Oh, and one more thing."
"We haven't told Kitahara-kun about the secret of the Soul Swap, as it's too embarrassing, so I hope Kita will also try to keep it a secret."
Up to this point, Nijika was still unaware that the secret of the Soul Swap had already been exposed.
"I understand, I won't tell Stupid Kitahara…"
Kita Ikuyo naturally agreed.
"One more thing." Ryo-senpai crossed her arms over her chest, "Kita, you haven't done 'that' with Kitahara yet, have you?"
"Of, of course not!" Kita's small face flushed red, utterly embarrassed, "I wouldn't run off like Ryo-senpai!"
Yamada Ryo said airily, "If not, then you can only use my body."
"Eh?"
"Kita, you don't want Nijika to take your first time, do you?"
Kita: "…"
Of course, she didn't want that!
But to use Ryo-senpai's body…
"Wait!"
Kita finally reacted, quickly looking down at 'herself,' faint steam rising from her head:
"Isn't that me?!"
Yamada Ryo's lips curved slightly upwards:
"It seems Kita has realized it. Currently, there are only two choices: either let Nijika use your body to do 'that,' or Kita uses my body. Which will you choose, Kita?"
"…"
Kita's eyes were misty, and she almost cried.
(So scary, so scary, so scary.)
(I don't want to choose either option… I don't want a Soul Swap, ahhh!)
Ryo-senpai always enjoyed watching the drama unfold:
"The moment Kita put on the golden hoop, there was no turning back."
"Eh, golden hoop?"
"I misspoke, it's a bracelet."
"…"
Kita Ikuyo's eyes were teary, the mist in them swirling constantly.
"I was so foolish, truly! I only knew that Nijika and Ryo-senpai had secrets from everyone, but I didn't know that some concealments were benevolent…
Curiosity really does kill the cat."
"If I hadn't been so curious… today's events wouldn't have happened, right?"
"Stop feeling sorry for yourself." Ryo-senpai's expression was indifferent, "Hurry up and take a shower, then sneak into Kitahara-kun's room and switch your bodies back."
"No, no!"
Kita Ikuyo shook her head in a panic.
To make her go on a night raid on Stupid Kitahara right now, she couldn't do it. There was no way she could do something like that!
"Th-that…" Kita stammered, "Stupid Kitahara has already done 'that' with Nijika, so he must be exhausted, right?"
"You know nothing of Kitahara's terrifying stamina." Ryo-senpai looked down at the time, "Even an entire night is no problem for him."
Kita's tone was skeptical:
"That's fake, right? Humans can't possibly be that wonderful."
Ryo-senpai lowered her voice:
"I experienced it firsthand; there's not a shred of exaggeration."
"…"
Kita shivered in fright.
Terrifying!
Absolutely terrifying!
Her body already felt like it was falling apart; if it continued all night… she would definitely break!
"Kita, if possible, please switch your bodies back as soon as you can, otherwise your aunt and uncle will definitely worry…"
Ijichi Nijika also tried to persuade her.
Times change.
Exchanging bodies with Ryo was fine; firstly, Ryo often didn't go home, and secondly, they were super familiar with each other, so they could barely muddle through.
But exchanging bodies with Kita wouldn't work.
Body swapping doesn't inherit memories. Just thinking about how to interact with Kita's parents gave Ijichi Nijika a huge headache.
"No, no." Kita quickly shook her head like a rattle-drum, "Definitely not today. I have no psychological preparation at all…"
"Alright then." Seeing this, Ijichi Nijika knew she couldn't force it, and could only say softly, "We'll meet at the store tomorrow and discuss it slowly."
"Th-that…" Kita stammered, "Tomorrow is the day the short film starts shooting, so I'll be counting on Nijika then."
Ijichi Nijika: "…"
Filming a movie?
She wouldn't be good at that at all!
"I don't know how to film a movie. Why doesn't Kita just switch back…"
"I don't know how to film either. Nijika can just act naturally. Just do whatever Ayane-nee tells you to do. I believe in Nijika!"
"…"
There was no other way. Ijichi Nijika could only give up the idea of switching bodies and prepared to brave it out tomorrow.
"Hoo…"
Kita raised her hand to cover her mouth and yawned: "My body is so tired. Let's stop here for today. Shall we discuss it in detail at the live house tomorrow night?"
Ijichi Nijika was a bit worried:
"What about Kita's parents?"
"Don't worry, Nijika." Kita rubbed her eyes, "Mom and Dad both have to go to work. You can sleep in, and when you wake up, no one will be home."
"…"
The video call ended.
"Kita, hurry up and take a shower." Yamada Ryo urged, "I'll open the window to air out the room."
Kita Ikuyo's pretty face immediately flushed, and she guiltily turned her head away before realizing.
Wait, why was she feeling guilty?
The smell had nothing to do with her; it was clearly Stupid Kitahara and Ryo-senpai's scent, right?
"I'll, I'll go right away…"
Although she really wanted to ask Yamada Ryo when she and Kitahara Makoto had tasted the forbidden fruit, Kita was more worried about being asked how long the five senses had been shared. She hurriedly got out of bed, but her legs gave out, and she almost fell.
"My legs are so sore…"
Ryo-senpai shared her experience: "It's fine, you'll get used to the feeling of sore legs after a few more times."
Kita Ikuyo: "…"
On the other side.
Kitahara Makoto had already learned the truth from Ryo and knew that he couldn't continue to take advantage of anyone tonight, so after showering, he simply returned to his room to rest and sleep.
The night passed uneventfully.
The next day.
With the Night Emperor ability, Kitahara Makoto woke up feeling completely restored to peak condition.
Of course, Nijika last night was originally a novice, so she didn't consume much physical strength at all.
"Kitahara-kun, goodbye!"
After waking up in the morning, Kita was so embarrassed that she dared not look up to see anyone. She didn't even want to eat breakfast and hurriedly bid farewell to Ryo before leaving.
Kitahara Makoto, once again a lone wolf, naturally didn't bother to make breakfast. He simply ate some bread and drank a glass of milk, just to get by.
Buzz buzz.
Just after finishing his bread, his phone vibrated.
Kitahara Makoto looked down and saw a message from Togawa Sakiko:
"Kitahara-kun, have you woken up yet?"
"Just woke up."
"Then ask the answer book if Mutsumi will be in danger if the curse on her isn't removed."
"Helping is not a problem, but Togawa, you must first agree to a request of mine."
"Eh, what request?"
"I just woke up and feel strangely empty. I want to hear Sakiko say 'I like Kitahara-kun'."
Togawa Sakiko: "…"
After chatting with Sakiko for a while, Kitahara Makoto picked up the answer book and casually inquired about the situation.
The curse's effect was to devour others' emotions. Yesterday, at Wakaba's large villa, Sakiko had said that Mutsumi had been emotionally deficient since childhood, and she had grown up healthy without any life-threatening danger for so many years, so the probability of danger was quite low…
Rustle, rustle.
After Kitahara Makoto asked the question, the answer book began to flip pages rapidly.
Before long, a large character quietly appeared on the page, making Kitahara Makoto raise his eyebrows in surprise:
[Danger!]
"How can there be danger?"
Kitahara Makoto's expression became serious. He immediately took out his phone and sent a message to Togawa.
"Sakiko, the situation has changed. A 'Danger' character appeared on the answer book. You'd best call everyone else over and ask for details."
Togawa Sakiko: "Understood. I'll contact everyone."
"..."
Half an hour later.
The doorbell rang.
Kitahara Makoto got up to open the door. Sakiko, Soyo, Tomori, and Mutsumi, the four girls, had just arrived together.
"Come in and we'll talk…"
Kitahara Makoto stepped aside from the door, then recounted the morning's events in detail.
"A 'Danger' character actually appeared on the book…" Nagasaki Soyo lightly furrowed her brows, her eyes filled with worry. "Did we guess wrong?"
Mutsumi's expression was calm; even upon hearing that a 'Danger' character had appeared above her head, her pretty face showed no emotional fluctuation.
"It's also possible that something unexpected happened." Togawa Sakiko pursed her beautiful lips. "Let's ask the answer book directly."
Kitahara Makoto handed over the answer book:
"You all ask."
The four girls briefly discussed, confirmed the questions they each wanted to ask, and then entered the questioning phase.
A moment later.
Everyone finally understood the cause and effect.
The change happened yesterday. The reason the mask was locked in the safe was, on one hand, to prevent it from being lost, and on the other hand, to prevent Wakaba Mutsumi from coming into contact with the cursed mask—
Mutsumi touched the main body of the cursed mask, and her finger was accidentally cut, causing the intensity of the curse to suddenly increase tenfold.
Originally, a balance could barely be maintained, but as the curse suddenly strengthened, the balance was broken, thus leading to a life-threatening situation.
"I remember when Mutsumi picked up the mask yesterday, she let out a groan of pain. Her finger must have been cut by the mask then, right?"
Nagasaki Soyo's gaze was filled with worry.
"Mutsumi…"
Takamatsu Tomori tightly gripped Mutsumi's right hand.
"The book just said that the curse on Mutsumi will only erupt in two days." Togawa Sakiko's expression was serious, and she said earnestly, "Mutsumi, do you want to destroy the mask?"
Wakaba Mutsumi shook her head decisively:
"No, Papa will get depressed."
Togawa Sakiko was not surprised by Mutsumi's choice and said softly:
"Since we can't destroy the mask, we can only use the second method…"