"Accept yourself?"
Toyohama Nodoka's expression froze for a moment.
"Right."
Mai nodded and looked toward the distant crowd at play.
"You envy how dazzling I am, but you never saw that I once envied you—because you could cry without restraint and worry about little things.
"Everyone has a light of their own. You don't have to stand under a spotlight to shine."
She paused, then turned back to Toyohama Nodoka.
"Tell me… does Rei Ao like the body of the 'celebrity Sakurajima Mai,' or does he like me as a person?"
The question stunned Nodoka.
She had always assumed that someone as strong and handsome as Rei Ao would be surrounded by countless radiant people like Mai.
"He likes me," Mai said with quiet certainty. "Just as I like him—not some mysterious identity. So…"
Suddenly she laughed, sea‑spray glittering in her eyes.
"You should like Toyohama Nodoka the person, instead of always thinking about becoming someone else."
A sea breeze carrying fine sand swept across them. Nodoka lowered her gaze to the hands she was borrowing.
They were Mai's—slender, beautiful, with a faint mole on one knuckle.
Yet she suddenly realized that although her own hands weren't as pretty, they could do many things only she could do.
"I…"
She lifted her head; a hint of light flashed in her eyes.
"I think I understand—just a little."
At that moment—
Rei Ao's voice drifted from afar: "Mai, Nodoka, what are you two doing over there?"
Both girls turned at once.
Rei Ao was walking out from behind the rocks. Yukinoshita Fuyuka and Yuigahama Yuiai followed, cheeks still flushed.
He'd wanted a few more rounds, but the girls were afraid of being discovered, so they stopped after one… Still, the vacation had only just begun, and he intended to enjoy it.
Rei Ao's iridescent eyes rested on Mai with their usual smile, but he paused briefly when he saw Nodoka beside her—he already knew about the body swap.
"Just talking," Mai said, stepping forward to link her arm through his naturally. "Want to go swimming together in a bit?"
She could guess what had left the girls behind him so red‑faced, but pretended not to notice.
Rei Ao raised an eyebrow, glancing between Mai and Nodoka, then let out a low chuckle. "Oh? It seems a certain little girl has figured some things out?"
Nodoka's face reddened again and she muttered, "I'm not a little girl…"
He stopped teasing and simply ruffled her hair—Mai's hair, soft and silky.
"Good. Realization is half the battle," he said, amused. "After all, I don't want to keep whispering sweet nothings to this face forever."
"Hey!" Mai swatted him in mock annoyance, blushing before he did.
Watching their easy affection, Nodoka felt a tight knot inside her loosen.
As Rei Ao held her borrowed hand and Mai smiled so naturally, Nodoka finally understood what Mai meant by "accepting yourself."
Maybe she didn't need to become someone else. Maybe being Toyohama Nodoka could be dazzling enough.
"Um…"
She spoke up suddenly, looking at Mai. "Now can we—"
"Hold on." Mai cut her off, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Untangling your heart isn't done in a single step. But…"
She leaned toward Rei Ao and whispered in his ear. His eyes lit up at once and a playful smile curled across his lips.
"Oh? Is that so?" He looked at Nodoka, rainbow irises gleaming with mischief. "Then how about… we give you a hand?"
A bad feeling washed over Nodoka as she saw the conspiratorial look between them. "G‑Give me a hand with what?"
"Helping you accept yourself, of course," Rei Ao replied, stepping forward and scooping Nodoka up bridal‑style before she could protest.
This body was Mai's, and lighter than what he was used to.
"Ehh?! What are you doing? Put me down!" Nodoka shrieked, flailing.
"Quit fussing." Rei Ao patted her backside with a laugh. "Since you're not used to Mai's body yet, we'll help you get accustomed."
He carried her toward the sea, Mai following with a bright, expectant smile.
"Wait! What are you two— Mai! Help—!" Nodoka's cries were swallowed by the surf as Rei Ao waded straight in; cold seawater rose past her waist.
Looking down at the girl struggling in his arms like a kitten, his iridescent eyes softened.
"Listen, Toyohama Nodoka," his voice rang clear above the wind and waves. "This body belongs to Sakurajima Mai, but the one feeling its temperature is your soul.
"No matter whose body it is, the one who can feel joy, love, and a racing heartbeat is 'you.'
"So stop obsessing over who to become, and feel the now."
With that, he lowered his head and pressed a gentle kiss to "Mai's" lips.
Salty sea breeze, icy water, and an unfamiliar sensation—
Nodoka's mind blanked. She stared at Rei Ao's face up close, at Mai's reflection in his rainbow pupils, and felt something inside her shatter.
Maybe, as Mai said, she didn't need to become anyone else.
Maybe being Toyohama Nodoka could shine just fine.
Far off on the beach, Tohru and Kanna's volleyball match continued—booming spikes mixed with laughter. Shinomiya Kaguya was finally believing Hayasaka Ai's talk of "dragons." Kasumigaoka Utaha scribbled furiously in her notebook, recording this absurd, wondrous day.
Meanwhile, in the sea—
Rei Ao let Nodoka go. She stood, cheeks flushed yet eyes growing clear.
"Well?"
Mai stepped forward and clasped Nodoka's hand.
Now they could both feel the warmth in each other's palms.
"How do you feel?" Mai asked.
Nodoka took a deep breath, looked at the vast ocean, then at the two beside her, and suddenly broke into a brilliant smile.
"I think… I'm starting to like the 'me right now' a little."
At that very moment, a faint light flickered between them.
The next second—
She found herself standing in the water with her own familiar feet sinking into the sand.
Beside her, Sakurajima Mai stared at her hands in surprise—her own slender, beautiful hands.
Their bodies… had switched back!
~~~
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