Suzuka—in Kōji's body—took the last bite of his lunch.
The bread's sweetness shouldn't have worked with the egg's saltiness or the bizarre mix of vegetables, yet it did. A new mix of mild flavors lingered on her palate after chewing.
The amount seemed too much at first, yet her stomach growled for more.
She put the chopsticks in the empty lunchbox and closed it.
People walked in and out of the classroom sporadically; a few stayed to eat. That was why she stayed, too.
No one would have dared eat in a classroom in her former institute. However, despite being vastly smaller than a dining hall, it felt much less suffocating.
No one minded her—Kōji—the entire time. It would've been the perfect noon break had the itching in her arms not flared constantly. It worsened when something brushed against them, so she avoided moving them.
The boredom grew heavier by the second, and she needed a distraction from the anxious pain.
Kōji's shoulder bag hung on the desk's hook. She unzipped one of its compartments to put his lunchbox inside, but light reflected off a small, thin notebook. Its colorful, stylized cover revealed its true nature: a manga.
She set the lunchbox in the right compartment before taking out the manga.
Four characters in medieval-style clothing posed at the center of the cover, the one in the middle holding a long spear with a red, magical aura.
The title at the top cleared all potential misunderstandings: Spear Hero.
Was manga allowed in the school, unlike in her former institute? If not, she understood even less of Kōji than she thought.
She darted her eyes around before slowly lifting the cover from the first page.
"Never would've guessed you were into harems."
Suzuka slammed the book shut and turned toward the voice.
"Whoops, didn't mean to scare you," the brunette girl sitting behind her giggled. "Not judging or anything, they can be funny, too."
Suzuka blinked in silence. The girl wouldn't stop smirking.
Who was she? Another of Kōji's friends?
Suzuka glanced back at the cover. "How do you know it's a harem?"
"Ah, I mean, aren't the three absurdly attractive girls surrounding the guy enough of a hint?"
The girl couldn't look Suzuka straight in the eye anymore.
Suzuka continued, "You also say they can be—"
"So! You dashed out as soon as the bell rang, just like yesterday. Is your stomach okay?"
She sounded like a close friend.
"I'm fine, d-don't worry," Suzuka answered.
The last two words came out on their own. And why did she stutter?
The girl chuckled. "It's okay, I won't tell anyone."
The pressure of the girl's smile crushed Suzuka's stomach—a novel sensation. She hated it immediately, and how it appeared out of nowhere.
"So, what do you do outside school nowadays?" the girl asked.
Suzuka didn't know Kōji well enough to answer accurately.
"Why do you ask?"
"Just curious." The girl looked to the side, taking a long pause. She leaned to whisper in Suzuka's ear, "You don't want other people seeing what you read, too?"
Suzuka's ear tickled, soon growing into goosebumps.
The girl moved back slightly—enough for Suzuka to see her face again.
"Don't worry, I won't tell a soul." Her smile weakened, yet its pressure intensified. "I promise."
What was the girl's deal? Even though Suzuka could read her expressions, she wasn't confident in their meaning. Was it because of the body-swapping?
The girl raised a finger. "I know! Let's buy some manga after school today. I've wanted to try new stuff, so this is the perfect excuse. I'll hear all your recommendations, and I can share mine, too." With her cheeks slightly flushed, she pointed at Suzuka. "No judging, okay?"
"Ah, I can't today."
"Oh. Tomorrow, then?"
What was Suzuka supposed to do? She couldn't be sure if the girl was a close friend based on everything she said, but it sounded like she was acquainted at the very least.
The strange pressure in Suzuka's stomach wouldn't let her think clearly.
Regardless, she wouldn't meddle in Kōji's affairs based on a mere gut feeling.
"S-Sure," Suzuka replied.
The girl beamed. "Awesome! Can't wait to—"
"Ahem."
The exaggerated throat-clearing forced Suzuka to turn around.
It was Hisa. Rem stood behind her.
"Hope we're not interrupting anything," Hisa scowled.
The chair behind Suzuka screeched.
"Of course not," the girl smiled. She turned to walk away, but stopped. "Question, just out of curiosity." She looked back at Suzuka. Softly, she asked, "Is something going on between Suzuka Araki and you?"
Suzuka's heart skipped a beat.
The three girls' scrutinizing stares crushed her chest.
The itching in her arms flared.
Her mind remained blank. The more she waited for her brain to work, the deeper she needed to breathe.
She let the words come out before it was too late.
"No, not at all," she smiled.
Hisa's and Rem's deadpans stayed frozen.
The brunette girl's smirk returned, her eyes looking down.
"Figures." She turned around, holding her hands behind her. "See you tomorrow, Kurei."
She walked away.
The pressure in Suzuka's stomach grew hollow.
"What the hell are you thinking?!" Hisa yelled in a whisper, her face too close to Suzuka's.
"I… don't know what happened."
The staredown ended with Hisa's sigh.
"Just… don't let your guard down around her."
Suzuka's brows furrowed. "Why—?"
"Good afternoon, everyone," Ms. Nishime smiled. "Please take your seats and get ready for the second chemistry class of the year."
When did the bell chime?
That didn't matter. Suzuka swiftly placed the manga back in Kōji's bag and took out the correct notebook—clearly labeled this time. However, she noticed the two subjects written on the cover. Only half of it was dedicated to chemistry; the rest was reserved for history.
As baffling as that was, she was set on taking more helpful notes.
She kept going for three hours. Anticipating the last bell for the day, thanks to the analog clock above the whiteboard, she put Kōji's books in his bag.
The pulsing pain blazed in Kōji's ankle as soon as she put weight on it to stand up. Regardless, she had to rush her step past Kōji's friends to avoid confronting them, but it was too late.
"Gonna be busy again today?"
Hisa side-eyed him as she placed her stuff in her bag.
While Suzuka tried to come up with an excuse that worked for Kōji, Hisa stood up and put on her bag.
"Don't worry, I gotta get home early today." A smirk softened her deadpan stare. "Still might take a peek or two at your flirting skills."
"What do you mean?"
Hisa chuckled. "Take a break every five on the way home, okay?"
"Later." Rem waved, joining Hisa in walking out of the classroom.
Blinking in an attempt to process what had happened, Suzuka shook her head.
She stepped out of the classroom behind some of Kōji's classmates and merged into the waves flowing through the corridor.
After two flights of stairs and several involuntary groans at her steps, she reached the lockers at the building's entrance. She ignored them and headed out.
The cool wind brushed her face and hands through the slightly sloped path over the canal. The unintelligible chatter around her deafened its gentle flow.
She slowed her steps once at the fountain. She looked at the few cherry trees half-covered in pink leaves among countless green trees. One of them seemed a tad taller than the rest, but before verifying it, she saw Kōji—controlling her body—walk around its trunk. Kawahara followed him a few steps behind.
As Suzuka approached, she heard Kawahara say.
"Nothing has changed. I'm on top of the grade, and I'm researching several topics in my free time."
"That's awesome," Kōji replied. "I remember you used to talk about your research with the teachers every lunch break. What are you interested in nowadays?"
Realizing she had almost come to a stop before reaching them, Suzuka walked normally again.
"Still minerals and plants mostly," Kawahara answered, "though I must admit I got intrigued by human physiology after your injury."
Suzuka's steps halted.
"Oh." Kōji let out a nervous chuckle. "You know about it."
"The entire school talked about the incident for weeks. I heard of pictures and videos of it being shared."
"Makes sense."
"Their intrigue made me search for sports injuries. Before I knew it, I was researching their effects and the healing process. Say, would you be willing to answer some questions regarding your injury?"
Each of Kawahara's words intensified the pressure in Suzuka's head. Not only did her arms itch, but her ears also rang and her eyes teared up.
Kōji answered, "I'll…"
Suzuka's chest threatened to explode at his long pause.
She walked around the trunk.
Kōji's face—her body's—lit up when he saw her.
"Hey, how did it go?" he grinned. "Hisa and Rem give you any trouble?"
Bewildered by seeing herself grin, she answered, "I hate being in your body."
"Where did that come from?!"
Kawahara asked, "Do you mean it because of the swapping?"
Suzuka answered. "I keep feeling new sensations, and they are all awfully intense."
"Same here," Kōji added.
They both looked down at the grass after exchanging a glance.
Only Kawahara's frantic tapping on her phone's screen could pierce through the silence.
"Interesting," she whispered to herself.
Suzuka took a deep breath. "About your friends, they said they had to go home early, but they also threatened to spy on your flirting skills."
Kōji chuckled. "That does sound like—Wait, flirting?!"
"Maybe they think you changed your mind."
Kawahara said, "So those rumors are true. Would you say your attraction started with the swapping? Or did the swapping start because of your attraction?"
Kōji covered his face. "No one's flirting with anyone!" he yelled under his breath. "I'm very sorry for dragging you into this."
"The lie was my idea, and the swapping came out of nowhere," Suzuka replied. "I also said I didn't mind."
Still looking down, he moved his hands away.
"Yes, you did say that. I'm glad, then."
His smile made her realize that a soothing warmth had long replaced the distressing pressure. It felt similar to what she felt with the brunette girl, but was fulfilling rather than hollow.
She needed to tell him about the invitation, but the words got stuck beneath a lump in her throat.
"Shall we discuss my hypothesis?" Kawahara asked.
"Please," Kōji answered.
Kawahara pushed her glasses up. "After analyzing the little data we know, I traced back the common factors. From the most basic, proximity would make sense. Perhaps certain particles in your breath mix and trigger the swapping process."
Kōji and Suzuka glanced at each other, then stared at Kawahara in silence.
"So, what do we do?" Kōji asked.
"My suggestion is that you stand in front of each other close enough to feel each other's breath."
"Are you—?"
"Alright," Suzuka interrupted.
Kōji looked at her. "Are you sure?"
"I also want to get this over with."
She took a couple of steps to stand in front of him. The height difference became obvious as her face leveled with his chest.
He shut his widened eyes when red began to spread in his cheeks.
"Make sure to breathe harder than usual."
Kōji's brows furrowed when Kawahara said that.
Suzuka complied, and eventually, the faintest of warmth brushed her face among the cool wind. It didn't take long to spread down to her chest.
She stared up at him—at her own face. Only a heartbeat could be heard.
"That should be enough."
They both jumped back at Kawahara's voice.
"Did you feel anything strange?" she asked.
Kōji and Suzuka glanced at each other.
He answered, "I thought it wasn't going to work because of the height difference, but I did feel her breath on my face, then it spread down to my stomach."
"Same thing for me," Suzuka added, "but only down to my chest."
Kawahara frantically typed on her phone.
"Fascinating. Perhaps those are symptoms of the swapping being triggered. Regardless, we mustn't fall complacent. The next common factor is touch. Since fingertips have the most nerve endings, let's start there."
"You mean touch each other's fingertips?" Suzuka asked.
"Precisely."
Suzuka turned toward Kōji, who looked at her.
She extended her hand with her palm up. It took a moment for him to rest his fingertips—her body's—on hers.
"Describe what you're feeling," Kawahara requested.
Suzuka replied, "Nothing in particular. Maybe a little of the same warmth as before, but much milder."
Kawahara tapped her phone's screen.
"Understood. Before you stop, do a handshake."
"Huh?" both Kōji and Suzuka uttered in confusion.
Kawahara said, "It'll cover more surface area of your skin. And if I'm not mistaken, the swapping has always been triggered after a violent movement."
After a moment in thought, Kōji turned his hand to get a grip on hers. He barely squeezed it, so Suzuka did it harder.
His hand—her body's hand—was surprisingly smaller, yet rougher, and somewhat sweaty.
Taking the lead again, Kōji pulled her hand up. She followed his movement, and before realizing it, they both swung their arms up and down frenziedly.
"This is awkward," he said.
"It really is," she replied.
"Good enough," Kawahara interrupted. "Anything out of the ordinary?"
Both Kōji and Suzuka shook their heads.
"Understood. The remaining common factors are actions you mentioned you've already replicated. Still, I'd like for Kōji Kurei to try and grab Suzuka Araki's—"
"I won't," he interrupted.
"Very well; a respectable scientist must comply with their subjects' demands."
Subjects?
"That was my hypothesis. Whether it works or not, it'll be crucial data."
Her mouth stayed open, but no more words came out. She glanced down at her phone, then the corners of her lips raised.
"Share your numbers with me. I'll create a group chat so that you can let me know of any changes or observations. It'll also be useful for you in case you don't swap back to your bodies."
Kōji shook her by the shoulders. "Please tell me it'll work!"
She pushed her glasses up. "That's impossible to predict at this time. It's why we're experimenting. The more you want to learn, the more we'll have to experiment."
Suzuka took Kōji's phone out of her pocket, unlocked it with her fingerprint, and offered it to him. He did the same with hers before giving it to her.
Kawahara scanned the codes on their screens to add their contact information. Still smirking, she added them to the group called Experiment.
"That'd be all," she said. "Make sure to send a message as soon as you start feeling sleepy, or for any other observations. Have a good evening."
She turned around and walked away.
"You too," Kōji said, yet Kawahara didn't react.
He and Suzuka stood in silence behind the tree.
"I should get going," she said. "I mean, you should get going. My chauffeur will start calling if I don't get to the car soon."
"Your what?"
Suzuka's phone started vibrating in her hand.
"Speaking of." She offered her phone to Kōji. "No need to answer, just hurry to him."
"Wait, wait! Should I know anything specific, like a code or something? Does he talk a lot? Do you talk a lot?"
"I don't, and he won't unless you do. He'll ask you about your day at most. The same applies to my family's servants at the mansion."
Kōji threw his hand to his head. "Servants?! Mansion?!"
She nodded. "Is there something I should know?"
"Ah, right."
He tapped his phone's screen incessantly for a minute.
Finally, he handed her the phone. The map app was open with a planned route.
"You'll get on a train at the station in the nearby town, then you'll get off at that station and walk home."
"Got it. Thank you."
Smiling, he nodded at her.
He started sprinting but stopped to ask.
"Who's your chauffeur?"
"His name is Yoshimura. He'll look at you the moment he sees you. He'll also open the rear door for you. It's hard to miss."
Kōji took a deep breath. "Okay. G-Good luck."
"Good luck."
He resumed his sprint in her body.
Her heart calmed down, though she hadn't realized it wasn't calm.
She walked to the school's gate and saw Kōji get in her family's car. Yoshimura closed the door, got in the driver's seat, and accelerated away.
Seeing the route in Kōji's phone, she began walking in the indicated direction.
All of Kasen's students headed down the same road, several stopping at the bus and taxi stops along the sidewalk.
The lightest tint of orange from the looming sunset shone through the leaves of the woods surrounding both sides of the road.
Kōji's ankle weakened after a couple of minutes, so Suzuka sat on the first bench she located just before the town's buildings.
Everyone talked with each other without organization or worries. They even pushed and insulted each other… playfully?
The sunlight grew more orange by the minute.
She stood up and entered the town. Rural, small, and… freeing. Those were the first words that came to her mind when she saw the tiny buildings down the avenue. Most of them were stores or businesses, while the cramped houses were located in the streets behind them. Some even climbed up the hills that surrounded the town.
Following the route, she walked down the narrow river snaking underneath the roads, sidewalks, and parks.
She arrived at the station after ten minutes, and then it hit her.
How was she supposed to get in?
She followed the dozens of students going upstairs. They got a card out of their backpacks or pockets and slid it into a slot in a machine. Others inserted coins into the wider slot. They then walked through the rotating gate.
Suzuka rummaged through Kōji's bag, starting at the frontmost compartment. Surprisingly, she found the same card that most of the students were using in the first compartment, where the manga was. She lined up behind one of the queues.
A person went through the gate every two seconds. In the blink of an eye, it was her turn.
She inserted the card into the slot, but the machine's beep sounded different, and the light turned red instead of green. She pushed the rotating gate, but it was stuck. She reinserted the card, and the same happened.
"Looks like you're out of credit," the businessman behind her said.
"Oh."
What was she supposed to do?
She remembered paying her debt to Kōji, meaning the coins had to be in his pocket, but they weren't. The image of him picking them up after Kawahara's test flashed in her head.
About to rummage through his backpack again, the businessman inserted coins into the machine.
"Go ahead," he said.
With widened eyes, she walked through the rotating gate without issue.
The businessman did the same a moment later.
"Thank you," she bowed. She grabbed her phone from her pocket. "Please give me your contact details to repay you later."
He laughed nervously. "There's no need."
He rushed down the platform and disappeared behind the sea of people.
Still jaw-dropped, she saw a train arrive and brake. The people flooded into it until the platform emptied. Was she supposed to get on it, too? Or were there different trains?
Before she could make up her mind, the doors slid closed, and the train departed.
She approached the edge of the platform. Waiting, she observed the breathtaking view of the sun above the nearby mountain. Due to the height of both the station and the town, most of the city's outskirts could be seen.
A melody chimed, followed by the announcement of the next train's arrival.
The train appeared in the distance, curving around the hill. It stopped in front of her less than a minute later. She climbed in first and sat on the only remaining seat. All of the people who got in behind her had to stand, though there were fewer people than on the last train.
She turned around to see through the window behind her, but a poster blocked the view. The standing people obstructed her sight before her.
She reviewed the route on Kōji's phone. The station she had to get off at was fifteen minutes away.
Finally, her eyes grew heavier and threatened to close on their own.
She rushed to the group chat and sent, "Felt sleepy just now."
But it failed to send. Only then did she realize that she had no connection.
Almost dropping the phone when falling asleep, she put it in her pocket and let her eyes close.
…
"Ms. Suzuka."
The familiar voice woke up her brain, yet her eyelids remained too heavy.
"Ms. Suzuka, we have arrived."
A groan escaped her mouth as she struggled to open her eyes. Yoshimura held the rear door open for her.
Her uniform's golden bow, non-flat chest, and dark-blue pleated skirt; she felt each of them to confirm they were real.
The air was fresher than in the packed train, yet weightier somehow.
"Sorry for the delay," she apologized as she climbed out of the car and fixed her bow.
"Please, it's no trouble at all."
Expecting that stock reply, she walked into the house. The family's servants welcomed her as usual, then she headed to her room upstairs and let herself drop on her bed face-first.
She grabbed her phone from her pocket and opened the group chat; a message from her account she didn't recall sending appeared at the bottom.
"Falling asleep," along with the emoji of a sleeping face.
It had been read by Kawahara but not by Kōji.
Suzuka typed, "I woke up in my body."
Hesitating to send it, she opened the emoji list and tapped the thumbs-up to add it at the end of the text.
Kawahara read it instantly, while there was no trace of Kōji.
Suzuka opened the group chat's member list and tapped on Kōji's profile. The picture of a grinning little girl appeared, doing the peace sign with a golden trophy as a hat.
Suzuka's thumb hovered over the Add Contact button, but it froze there.
She buried her face in the silky blanket, trying to understand the feelings that fluttered in her chest. Although not identical, they felt similar to what she felt while controlling Kōji's body, specifically when…
The brunette girl's smirk flashed in her eyes.
She jolted and turned around to sit up.
Even with the completely rational reason to tell Kōji about the girl's invitation, Suzuka's hands didn't listen to her brain.
Why?
…
Yet another night of rough sleep passed.
Kōji never replied or read the group chat. Not even the message she sent while controlling his body had gone through.
Had something happened to him? Had she done something wrong?
She stood under a tree beside the walkway toward Kasen's main building. Her heartbeat only quickened each minute while fidgeting with the coins in her pocket.
Finally, she saw Kōji's friends walk through the gate. He walked along them, though a few steps behind.
As usual, his smile seemed disconnected, yet it felt safe.
About to approach them, someone shouted his name.
"Kurei!"
The three of them turned around.
The brunette girl ran through the countless students toward Kōji.
"Morning," she grinned. "Ready to go shopping today?"