"Hello," Suzuka replied to Kōji's greeting, her eyes uncharacteristically wide. "What brings you here?"
He answered, "I was passing through and saw you. A-All of you. So I thought I should say hi."
Kawahara said, "Another fortuitous encounter, then. Good noon."
The guy sitting beside her grinned and waved at him. Although Kōji didn't know him, he swung his hand once.
"All of us?" Tsuga smirked. "I don't think we've met before. I do know about you and your… grandiose deeds."
"You do?" Kōji laughed nervously. "Now that I think about it, didn't you record some dances with Hisa for your short videos?"
"I did. She really knows her stuff when it comes to style and charisma."
"Can't argue with that."
Suzuka's brow raised. "Short videos of dancing?"
Tsuga rushed to get his phone from his pocket and quickly tapped its screen. He turned it around to show Suzuka.
"Here."
Despite the low volume, Kōji stood close enough to them to hear the most popular song at the start of the year. He leaned in closer to watch the video of Hisa and Tsuga dancing to the song, which also mimicked a funny moment from a web series.
It lasted no more than ten seconds, then the next one played.
"People watch this?" Suzuka questioned.
Kōji felt the punch to the gut in Tsuga's stead. But no, he merely smirked at her.
"Interesting, no?"
She kept watching the video intently. It wasn't a dance video anymore, but a popular group challenge.
An unpleasant sensation crept into Kōji's stomach the longer she watched, blazing when her face softened and she said.
"Looks like you know what you're doing."
Tsuga's smirk weakened for a moment, then recovered to say, "Thanks, I put in the effort." He put his phone away. "We were in the middle of studying. So, Kurei, if you don't mind."
Kawahara nodded. "Please join us."
Suzuka didn't hesitate to drag the chair beside her back so Kōji could sit.
"That's not what I…" Tsuga rested his elbow on the table, propping his chin up. "By all means."
Kōji and Suzuka exchanged glances. Wasn't she worried about sitting too close and touching each other by accident? Based on her firm stare, it didn't seem like it.
Her eyes eventually lowered.
"Thanks," Kōji said as he sat down. "I need all the help I can get in… any subject, honestly."
Suzuka opened the book in front of her and moved it closer to him.
"Any problem in particular?"
As he tried to navigate the scrambled memories from the last few days, Tsuga's gaze weighed on him. He then looked down at his book, still smirking.
Kōji answered, "I know we've only gotten through the first ten pages in class, but I'm already struggling with the last ones. Sorry if they are too easy."
"Everyone lives on different levels of difficulty," Suzuka replied. She looked around the table. "It'd be better to write down the formula to explain it."
Kawahara took something out of her blazer's pocket and offered it to Suzuka.
"You can use my notepad."
Suzuka looked at it before nodding. "Thank you."
The table was too wide for her to reach the notepad. She had to stand up and stretch over, so Kōji tried first.
"Let me—"
"No need," Kawahara said as she pushed the notepad to slide it toward their hands.
Both Kōji and Suzuka tried to catch it before it fell off the table. She managed to, while his pinky got stuck on her hand and even hurt a little.
"Sorry!" he apologized. "Did I…?"
Her shocked stare froze his blood.
"Come on, your hands just brushed," Tsuga smirked. "Why are you blushing like little kids?"
They glanced at him.
His brows furrowed. "Never mind that; you're as pale as a ghost. What happened?"
Suzuka answered, "I need to have a word with Kurei in private. We can do another study session another time."
"Sure…" Tsuga hesitated.
After handing the notepad back to Kawahara, she pushed her chair under the table and walked around Kōji to leave the library. He followed her, not too far behind.
They looked at each other, standing in the hallway of the second floor. Their eyes deviated once and then again. Was he supposed to say something?
Kawahara stepped out of the library.
"My apologies, I didn't anticipate that happening. Let's head to the lab," she said, taking out her phone without stopping.
They walked down the hallway with her.
"We're gonna swap bodies, aren't we?" Kōji frowned.
Kawahara answered, "Based on all of our observations, that should be the case, yes." She looked down at her phone's screen. "However, the concerning part is—"
The bell chimed just as they arrived at the stairs, announcing the end of the lunch break.
"You won't have the time to reverse the process before class," she continued.
Kōji's chest ached with numbness as they walked up the stairs, the pain eased by Suzuka's stern glance.
"We've gone through this a few times," she said, her expression softening. "It's uncomfortable, but it's not the end of the world."
He stopped walking and took a deep breath. "Exactly. The hard part is staying awake for three hours. Should we try to sleep after the first class?"
"We might not wake up on our own and get in trouble."
"Yeah, better not risk it. Then we have no choice but to use all our willpower to stay awake," he grinned.
After a short stare, she nodded.
"Let's meet at the gate after class," Kawahara said. "Send a message in the group chat if anything happens."
She turned around to head to her classroom, followed by Suzuka.
Kōji walked to his classroom and approached his desk. Hisa and Rem were already sitting in front. They didn't question him in the remaining minute before the teacher arrived, which preoccupied him more than if they did.
A yawn attacked him within ten minutes of the first class. They kept crawling out of his mouth every five minutes.
His eyelids grew too heavy to stay open on their own, yet his mind kept listening to the teacher's instructions amid the struggle—for the most part.
One class remained when even his head began to give up. His left hand kept moving to write things down. What things? His brain couldn't bring itself to know.
A sleepy eternity stood between him and the last bell of the day, but a couple of blinks later, it chimed. Just how long were those blinks?
Energy suddenly rushed through him, waking up his brain as everyone started leaving the classroom. Perhaps it was the last push before his whole body collapsed.
He quickly put his books and pens in his bag and stood up. Hisa and Rem paid him no mind when he walked past.
That told him enough.
He turned around. "I'm… going to talk with Araki. You can go home without me."
After glancing at him, they smirked at each other.
"Okie," Rem replied.
Hisa said, "Make sure to remember every single detail so you can tell us later."
His lips curved up, but they slowly lowered again.
"Speaking of telling you." His eyes moved away. "What I wanted to tell you yesterday is that I have questions, but I… still don't know." He shook his head. "Just come to my house tomorrow. Please."
Their smiles didn't budge at all.
Hisa even chuckled. "Sure thing. Now go, don't keep Araki waiting."
Their smiles spread to him.
Nodding one last time, he hurried out of the classroom.
He navigated through the countless people heading to the gate too. Sometimes, they forced him to lean on his left foot too much to avoid a collision, pushing a grimacing groan out of him. On the positive side, that kept him from passing out.
They hadn't agreed on a specific spot to meet at, so he glanced toward the tree where they had met last time. When he did, Suzuka and Kawahara walked around it to hide behind it. He walked to it.
Kawahara stood arms-crossed, while Suzuka leaned onto her arm against the trunk. Her eyes connected with his, but they kept closing and opening.
Finally, his brain remembered how exhausted it was, commanding his eyes to shut at once.
"As much as I'd like to run more tests," Kawahara said, "I must head home early today. The…. Are you asleep?"
He answered, "I'm awake, don't…"
That was what he meant to say, but it wasn't him who said it.
He snapped his eyes open, unable to keep them steady for a moment. They needed a few blinks to wash away their blurriness. Once clear, he saw that Kawahara stood to his left instead of his right. He also had to look down to meet her eyes instead of slightly up.
It only took one glance downwards to confirm he was in Suzuka's body.
"Kōji Kurei?" Kawahara asked while looking at him.
"Yeah, that's me. How did you know?"
"Your shock and reaction overall. Also…"
She looked over toward his body, his eyes still closed and his mouth slightly open.
"We swapped bodies as soon as we closed our eyes?" he questioned.
Kawahara grabbed her phone and tapped its screen frantically.
"Extraordinary. This reframes some of our former observations. Unfortunately, I truly must leave now. I'll reevaluate things with this new data on my way home. Don't forget to send a message when you swap back to your original bodies or if anything worth noting happens."
Without looking up from her phone, she walked away.
Meanwhile, his body still stood asleep beside him. Even though he knew he possessed that ability, seeing it from outside was rather bizarre.
He grabbed his shoulder and shook it gently.
"Araki."
Her head swung back and forth, yet she didn't react.
With no other choice, he grabbed both of her shoulders and shook her aggressively a couple of times.
"Araki!"
Her eyes snapped open. She looked up at his eyes, then down at his body amid countless blinks.
She abruptly leaned sideways. Luckily, he still held her shoulders.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
Her widened eyes moved away from his and returned to normal.
"Yes, I just got a little dizzy," she answered. "I can't believe I fell asleep standing up, as tired as I was. How long did we sleep?"
He let go of her shoulders. "Not even a minute."
"And that was enough to swap bodies. Curious."
"That's kinda how Kawahara reacted, but multiplied by ten."
Suzuka chuckled. "Can imagine."
They smiled at each other, though not for long, as they looked away.
The hundreds of students heading out of the campus a few steps away prevented the conversation from falling silent.
"Anyways," Kōji said. "Anything you wanna do while waiting to swap back?"
"I'm still learning and getting used to everything; I'm not sure."
"Right. There isn't much to do at school after class until club activities start next week. Maybe we can go to the park again. If you want."
"Sure, but should I walk that much with your ankle?"
"Don't worry about it. Just tell me if it starts hurting; we'll stop to take a break."
"Alright." She extended her hand. "Please give me my phone; I need to tell my chauffeur."
They switched phones, and a minute later, they were walking together down the road to town.
Neither of them had said a word for half the trip under the cloudy sky. Kōji could've tried to say something, but every time he glanced at her, she seemed absorbed by the passing conversations, the waving woods beside them, or managing his body's ankle.
It didn't take long for her to start limping.
"Let's take a break," he said, smiling.
She looked at him and then ahead at the bench next to the convenience store's front window. Without a word, she sat down.
Their eyes met again for a brief moment, hers snapping away first.
Even though her stern exterior was hard to read, his expressive body language would help reveal her mood when she let it slip. Not this time.
Had he done something to bother her? Did something happen at her home? She'd been acting relatively normal earlier, though she rarely mentioned anything about her personal life.
Or maybe…?
"Is everything alright?" she asked.
"Ah, yes. I was…" —he raised his head—"…thinking about buying some snacks. Be right back."
He walked into the store and into an aisle.
The thoughts had to go away; he couldn't be assuming someone else's feelings regarding such presumptuous things. Why would she like him anyway? He had done nothing but complain pitifully.
He was better off not—
"Hey, there."
The voice of a guy snapped Kōji out of his head; he already held a bag of chips and a bun.
"I didn't expect the genius from Ōshitsu to have tastes this normal," the unknown guy said. "Oh, maybe you're still getting used to the normal life. How about we help you learn about it?"
Kōji hadn't noticed the blonde guy standing beside him. They both wore Kasen's uniform, and they were slightly shorter than Suzuka.
Too many thoughts rushed through his mind at once. He should've taken the safest approach, not to damage her reputation or possible relationships she might've wanted. And yet…
"I'm busy," he replied.
He turned to walk away, his heart threatening to burst out of his chest. He hoped that was enough to shake them off, but they followed him to the line at the counter.
"Excuse my friend's bluntness," the blonde guy said. "He meant that we might be able to give suggestions and answer your questions, which I too believe will be fun for all of us."
Why was Kōji's hand tightening and shaking? Anger? Fear? Embarrassment?
His mouth opened, and he inhaled in preparation to reply, when the person in front walked away, leaving the counter free.
The reason for the shaking became evident as he tried to reach for money in his—Suzuka's—pocket, but which pocket? Maybe in her backpack? But he wouldn't dare use her money without permission. And he was holding—
"Did you find the app to pay?" his own body—Suzuka—asked, approaching.
He jolted. "Ah, no, but I have some change in my pants. Can you give it to me?"
Her brows furrowed ever so slightly, yet she reached for the right pocket in his trousers on her first try. She handed him the coins, which he used to pay for the snacks at the counter.
They stepped out of the store.
"You really saved me there," he grinned. "Hadn't thought that I was paying in your body."
"I realized soon after you went into the store. I've been learning about this new lifestyle.
The weight of the two guys' presence crushed his back, but they were nowhere to be seen.
Suzuka continued, "I set up a few apps for payment and services since it's apparently easier, but you still chose to pay with change. Why?"
Kōji took a moment to reply, "Buying the snacks was my idea and came out of nowhere. It's only fair I pay for them."
She didn't react. "I see."
"Anyways. If your… I mean, my ankle is feeling better, let's keep walking to the park."
She nodded, so they resumed their trip.
They walked down the avenue and three blocks deeper into the residential area, where fewer and fewer Kasen students walked around. Kids, however, ran and played around or in the park.
Kōji and Suzuka sat on the same bench as when Kawahara was there. This time, there was no one to sit between them, and the clouds painted the sky gray instead of being clear blue.
Without a conversation on the horizon, Kōji ripped open the bun's plastic bag. He raised it in front of Suzuka.
"Want some?"
"I'm not allowed to eat junk food."
"Oh, really? You're in my body though; I'd be the one eating it."
"Doesn't that mean that, if you eat it, I'd be the one eating the junk food I'm not supposed to eat?"
His eyes widened, followed by nervous laughter.
"Good thing I didn't." He offered the bun to her. "All yours, then."
"But you're the one who wants it."
"I'm not gonna break your rule just for a bun."
She glanced at him and then stared down at the bun. She eventually grabbed it, but the stare continued.
She suddenly ripped it in half and offered it to him.
"Screw that dumb rule."
His brows rose. "What? Are… Are you sure?"
She nodded. "I haven't been reminded of it in years anyway."
Not knowing what to say, he grabbed half, yet he waited for her to take a bite of hers first.
His chewing slowed when he noticed something off about its taste.
"Not bad," she said. "Though the bread in your lunch was strangely tastier."
"Youf thinkf fso?!"
"Please swallow before you speak."
He gulped down everything at once. His throat even hurt a little.
"Sorry," he laughed nervously. "You really liked that bread more than this bun?"
"I did. Why the shock?"
"My parents baked it. They are trying some new, weird recipes, so they'll be happy to hear someone else liked it."
"Oh, that's… good news?"
"Absolutely. But this bun also tasted a bit off to me. I remember it being sweeter. Now I wonder…"
He held the bag of chips, ripped the top open, and grabbed one chip. He offered her one while he chewed, and she accepted.
"Yeah, the spice isn't as strong," he noted. "I think we should tell…"
He hadn't offered her more chips, yet she extended her hand to grab another one from the bag.
"I think it's quite flavorful," she said, her eyes widened, brows raised, and lips slightly curved up.
She hadn't finished chewing when she grabbed another chip, and another one, and another…
He chuckled. "I guess you liked them. Can I… ask why you're not allowed to eat junk food?"
"So that I don't fall into an endless pit of sorrow from which I'll never escape. Or something to that extent."
"They make it sound horrible! But I guess it makes sense. Still, I'd pay to see that expression on your body's face. Wait, I'm in your body, so I could do it."
She scowled. "Don't."
"Okay, I won't, I won't," he laughed nervously.
They kept eating in silence for the next few minutes. Kōji didn't dare interrupt the moment for her.
He ended up handing her the bag so that she could eat the few remaining chips while he checked his phone.
"Ten more minutes to be able to swap back," he said. "How—?"
A call rang on his phone, and Hisa's name appeared on the screen. Confused, he slid the green button up to answer.
Just as he put the phone to his ear, Hisa shouted.
"Kōji! Where are you? Are you okay?"
His brows furrowed. Although he had heard her shout and even yell before, she had never done so in that context or in that worried tone.
He opened his mouth to reply…