"…How about you cast a spell to make them all fall asleep?" Hayashi Shuichi suggested.
"This is a hospital, people come and go all the time. If everyone in one ward suddenly passes out, it'll definitely draw attention," Koizumi Akane stretched lazily. "Just wait patiently. Once it's deep into the night and everyone in the hospital is asleep, they'll surely be tired too. That's when we go in."
Hayashi Shuichi had no choice but to compromise. The two of them remained suspended outside the window, silently observing the movements inside the ward.
The night wind grew cooler, and Koizumi Akane unconsciously moved closer to Hayashi Shuichi's side.
"Hey," Koizumi Akane said excitedly as she studied the girls, suddenly reaching out to nudge Hayashi Shuichi. "Among these girls, which one do you like the most?"
"None of your business," Hayashi Shuichi frowned irritably.
"Come on, just tell me!" Koizumi Akane persisted. "The one with the twin tails, your little cousin? Or the black long straight-haired Kisaki Eri-san? Or maybe that delinquent-looking girl… It can't possibly be that purple-haired older sister who's quite a bit older than you, right?"
"I like them all the most, happy now?" Hayashi Shuichi replied grumpily.
"Eww… scumbag!" Koizumi Akane stuck out her tongue in a grimace. "I shouldn't have let you go back. You'll just end up hurting—"
Before she could finish, Hayashi Shuichi reached out and pinched her soft, pink cheeks, pulling them outward. "Say that again, I dare you?"
"I was wrong! I was wrong!" Koizumi Akane cried out in pain, tears welling up as she begged incoherently.
Time passed slowly. Soon it was past midnight. The hospital grew quiet, the corridor lights dimmed further, and occasionally faint footsteps echoed from afar.
Inside the ward, the youngest, Reiko, finally couldn't hold on any longer. She slumped over the bedside and fell asleep, tear stains still visible on her face.
Narumi also yawned heavily, eyes barely staying open. Tomizawa Chiyo told her to go back to her own room and rest, while she stayed behind to keep watch with Hayashi Shuichi.
Kisaki Eri and Orikasa Midori, though exhausted, stubbornly remained by the bedside.
Outside the window, Hayashi Shuichi and Koizumi Akane exchanged a glance and nodded.
Koizumi Akane softly chanted a spell. A faint glow flashed, and Tomizawa Chiyo and the other two immediately fell into a deep sleep.
At the same time, the invisibility magic on the two of them was dispelled.
Fortunately, the hospital was deserted by now, and no one noticed anything unusual.
They quietly slipped into the ward.
Hayashi Shuichi looked at the girls with heartache: Kisaki Eri had slumped against the wall, Orikasa Midori was leaning sideways in her chair, and Tomizawa Chiyo had collapsed straight onto the floor.
He hurriedly carried them one by one to the empty bed nearby.
"Hmph, feeling sorry for them already?" Koizumi Akane suddenly felt a surge of irritation. She stomped her foot impatiently, hands on her hips, and urged, "Hey, do you still want to go back to your body or not?"
"Of course I do," Hayashi Shuichi settled the three girls, then turned to look at his little cousin who was still clinging tightly to his arm.
He tried to pull his arm free, but Reiko was holding on too hard, so he eventually gave up.
"Hurry up!" Koizumi Akane urged again, even more impatiently.
"Let's begin," Hayashi Shuichi walked over to Koizumi Akane's side.
The apprentice witch took a deep breath and began reciting a complex incantation.
As her clear voice echoed through the ward, a semi-transparent blue figure slowly rose from the doll—it was none other than Hayashi Shuichi's soul.
"Ah!" Koizumi Akane suddenly let out a shriek, covering her eyes with both hands, though her fingers were spread wide open. "Y-You're not wearing any clothes!"
"How was I supposed to know souls look like this!" Hayashi Shuichi frantically covered his vital parts. "Stop looking! Hurry to the next step!"
Koizumi Akane's face flushed as she continued chanting the spell.
Hayashi Shuichi felt an invisible force pulling at him. His entire soul was twisted into a slender ribbon of light, then sucked into Koizumi Akane's body like she was slurping noodles.
When he regained consciousness, he had already possessed Koizumi Akane.
Now, only the final step remained: Koizumi Akane had to kiss Hayashi Shuichi's body to send his soul back.
Standing by the bed and looking at Hayashi Shuichi lying there, Koizumi Akane's emotions were complicated—her heart pounded like a frightened deer.
She leaned down tentatively several times but couldn't bring herself to do it, her eyes filled with conflict.
"I-I can't do it…" the girl muttered softly, the tips of her ears so red they looked like they might drip blood.
"Hey, stop dawdling!" Hayashi Shuichi urged inside her mind. "Think about it—it's just an empty shell without a soul, like kissing a doll! What's so hard about it!"
Koizumi Akane had no choice. Gritting her teeth, she slowly bent down again, her lips trembling slightly as she pressed them against Hayashi Shuichi's physical mouth.
The moment her lips gently touched his, a strange electric current surged through her entire body.
Hayashi Shuichi watched expectantly, but after waiting for a long while, nothing happened.
"What's going on," Hayashi Shuichi asked in confusion. "Why didn't I go back?"
Koizumi Akane suddenly straightened up, her face as red as a ripe apple. "It's no good! Your mouth is closed—your soul can't get through!"
"Then use your tongue to pry it open!" Hayashi Shuichi said impatiently.
"Eh? S-Still have to do it like that?" Koizumi Akane instinctively covered her mouth with her hand, eyes wide in horror. "Th-That's basically a French kiss, isn't it?"
"This is a medical procedure!" Hayashi Shuichi argued righteously. "It's just like a doctor giving artificial respiration!"
"How could that possibly be the same!" Koizumi Akane muttered with a flushed face. But at this point, she had no time left to hesitate.
The apprentice witch took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and tremblingly leaned down once more.
When her tongue gently pried open Hayashi Shuichi's lips, a powerful suction force suddenly erupted.
Hayashi Shuichi's soul was drawn into a vortex and pulled straight back into his own body through the kiss.
When Hayashi Shuichi opened his eyes, what greeted him was Koizumi Akane's face right in front of him.
The girl's cheeks were flushed crimson, her soft lips still pressed against his, her clumsy tongue awkwardly holding his mouth open so it wouldn't close.
Hayashi Shuichi found it amusing and was just about to remind her that he had already returned—
But at that moment, the ward door was pushed open. Narumi stood at the entrance holding a blanket. "Chiyo-neesan, I brought you guys a blanket…"
The little one's words trailed off halfway as she saw Koizumi Akane bent over, kissing Hayashi Shuichi.
The shocking scene instantly left little Narumi frozen in place, eyes wide open, the blanket slipping from her hands and falling to the floor.
Koizumi Akane was startled by the sudden voice. She quickly opened her eyes and saw Hayashi Shuichi looking at her with a teasing expression.
This jerk—his soul already returned and he still didn't say anything! He's definitely taking advantage of me again!
The apprentice witch hurriedly straightened up, frantically wiping her mouth, her face so red it looked ready to steam.
"Tongue…" Narumi, finally reacting, stared in shock and asked, "Onee-san, why did you put your tongue inside Shuichi-oniisan's mouth?"
(End of chapter)
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