Even after Uta said that, Cain still felt as if something was off.
Uta seemed to sense it too.
She looked at Cain lying on the bed and could not help thinking to herself, 'Did I go a little too far?'
Just then—
"Uta, Cain is using your body right now, remember? Let him rest properly. Don't do anything excessive."
Shakky, who had been eavesdropping outside the door the entire time, hurriedly called into the room.
She knew far too well just how important Cain was to Uta
To prevent any accidents, she had been standing guard outside all along.
The two inside the room instantly flushed red when they heard that.
Cain instinctively swallowed.
Uta probably wouldn't do anything to him… right?
Unfortunately, things were not quite as Cain imagined.
Uta instead remembered the content she had once read in Vegapunk's paper, and embarrassment instantly surged through her.
'Am I that kind of person? Am I the kind of person who would use Cain's body to take advantage of Cain while he's currently using my body?'
'What do I do? Why does that sound a little tempting?'
'Anyway, Cain is using my body right now. If I touch my own body, there's nothing wrong with that, right? If I now…'
Looking at Cain, who had reopened his eyes while lying on the bed, Uta shook her head, swallowed the candy in her mouth, and forced herself to stop thinking about all those messy things.
She quickly walked to his side, sat cross-legged by the bed, and quietly watched him.
"Shakky-nee already said you need to rest properly. Come on, close your eyes. I'll sing you a lullaby."
Cain lay there, silently looking at the person in front of him.
How to put it?
That was his own face!
It felt so strange.
As Uta began to sing, he closed his eyes as well, muttering to himself in his heart.
'What's going on? My throat can actually make a sound like this? Sure enough, singing really depends on talent.'
[Note: In the original anime, the voice actors were deliberately swapped so the audience could clearly tell which personality was inside which body. But in a real story setting, once a body swap happens, the voice that comes out should naturally be the original voice of that body.]
Uta watched Cain close his eyes again and swallowed.
Her singing did not stop, but her gaze kept drifting toward Cain's lips.
No, those were her own lips.
She could not help thinking,
'Aaaah, I really want to stay in Cain's body like this, but I also really want to switch back. Kissing like this would be way too strange.'
'And if what Cain said was true, if everything that happened before wasn't a dream, then can't we continue the kiss we didn't finish earlier?'
'Also, I just ate candy, so I should taste sweet right now, right?'
But looking at that face that belonged to herself, Uta still felt awkward.
Forget it.
She would not think about it anymore.
Since she could not bring herself to lean in directly, she slowly shifted closer to Cain's face.
Cain, however, had no way to properly deal with any of this.
His body was feverish and dizzy, making it difficult for him to think rationally in the face of Uta.
As if noticing Uta's heavier breathing and the strange movements of his body, Cain immediately spoke.
"Uta… can you stop squeezing?"
Uta's hands were currently resting against Cain's chest.
Their faces were incredibly close.
Their warm breaths brushed against each other's skin.
But Cain's feverish, muddled mind could not react properly. His eyes remained tightly shut as he let Uta move closer.
"Uta! Uta!"
"Bang!"
The door was suddenly knocked open.
Shanks, dressed in a soaking-wet black cloak, rushed straight in while gasping for breath, his face full of panic.
The moment he heard that something had happened to Uta, he had not even bothered buying food supplies.
He had practically swum all the way here by himself, desperately rushing over.
He did not pay any attention to Rayleigh at the entrance of the bar and charged straight inside.
At this moment, all the misunderstandings from the past and all the tangled feelings were thrown aside.
Even if Uta still hated him, even if Uta did not want to see him, he had to come to her side as her father.
And then, as her father, he witnessed a scene that made him collapse inside.
"Cain" was sitting by the bed, one hand placed on an extremely hard-to-explain part of "Uta's" body, while "Uta" lay on the bed with a gentle, blissful smile, eyes closed.
Their mouths were almost touching!
In that instant, both "Cain" and "Uta" opened their eyes and turned to look at him.
Shanks had already suffered a devastating blow.
His entire body seemed to drain from color into gray as he leaned stiffly against the wall.
After that moment of despair, he suddenly erupted.
Drawing Gryphon from his waist, he shouted.
"CAIN, YOU BASTARD! BACK THEN, YOU TOLD ME TO SEE FOR MYSELF AND SAID I WAS OVERTHINKING THINGS! SO WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING NOW? IS THIS YOU FULFILLING YOUR PROMISE TO ME?!"
Only then did Rayleigh, who had been guarding the door, hurriedly rush over and help Shakky stop Shanks.
…
Holy Land Mary Geoise, Pangaea Castle.
At this moment, the Five Elders, who had been closely monitoring Shanks' location, received a report from CP.
Not long after the Red-Force docked at an island, Shanks had rushed across the sea toward the Sabaody Archipelago at astonishing speed, completely alone.
Although CP's position had been discovered, and they had suffered a counterattack from Red-Hair, leaving each of them gravely wounded and near death—with some hanging on by a single breath—they still managed to send back the full situation.
Using Shanks' apology to his "family" during the Summit War, along with the name Uta, the singer who had recently been active on the Sabaody Archipelago, the Five Elders quickly realized something was wrong.
"If we remember correctly, among the survivors of the Kingdom of Elegia, which Red-Hair destroyed back then, there was a girl named Uta, wasn't there?" Saint Mars said.
"So you suspect that girl is connected to Red-Hair? In other words, this Uta is also a member of the Figarland family?" Saint Topman Warcury asked.
"That must be the case. Or do you think Red-Hair's apology during the Summit War was truly meant for us? Don't forget, when Red-Hair returned to the Holy Land, we conducted a thorough investigation into his actions at the time. There was indeed a girl on his ship. We can now infer that she was his daughter, especially with that distinctive red-and-white hair…" Saint Nusjuro said in a heavy voice.
"Compared to that, what worries me more is this. After Red-Hair left the Holy Land, we kept monitoring his movements, yet we never found any clear answers. Then Elegia was destroyed. We once wondered why Red-Hair would destroy an entire kingdom overnight. That never matched his usual style as a pirate. If it was because of… that thing."
Saint Mars spoke again.
"You mean that score was activated?" Saint Saturn immediately caught the key point.
"Exactly. If we speak only of musical talent, then she indeed might have been chosen by Tot Musica. But if 'it' had to appear, then the necessary condition would be…"
Saint Mars paused and did not finish.
"The Sing-Sing Fruit."
The others spoke in unison.
"But this is still only speculation. Regardless of whether Uta truly has the Sing-Sing Fruit and that score, the principle remains the same."
"Better to assume it is true than dismiss it as false. No matter what, she cannot be allowed to wander freely outside any longer. She must be brought back to the Holy Land."
"If she truly possesses that power, then what of giving her the Figarland name? She is already a Celestial Dragon by birth."
Saint Ju Peter's tone was decisive.
"So we send the God's Knights?" Saint Saturn asked.
"Of course. But do not tell Shamrock yet. We still cannot confirm the Figarland family's stance. For now, send Killingham and Somers. With their abilities, if she truly has the Sing-Sing Fruit…"
Saint Ju Peter gave the proposal.
"Indeed. Killingham's ability can make people fall asleep and materialize things from dreams. Against the Sing-Sing Fruit, he does have a way to respond to it."
Saint Warcury nodded in agreement.
Finally, Saint Nusjuro added the last point in a steady voice.
"However, we should still observe for a while first. Rayleigh is still on that island, and with Red-Hair there as well, the God's Knights may not be able to handle the situation."
"Once Red-Hair leaves, and once we confirm he has left alone, we will then decide whether to recall 'Saint Figarland Uta'."