"I thought I saw you peeking through the shelves," Koji said.
For the first time since meeting him, Suzuka saw a glimpse of true seriousness in his face—and a hint of threat. It tightened her stomach, but it did so warmly.
That didn't last long as his eyes deviated and his expression softened.
"Ah, sorry if I imagined things," he said.
The tightness and warmth spread to her chest. "No, I was there."
He looked back at her. Her eyes lowered to the park's concrete.
"Were you… helping Kawahara observe?" he asked.
"That's half of the reason."
It was as easy as telling him the truth, yet she had to drag her eyes back to his. His expression remained stern, yet gentle, somehow.
She added, "Kawahara told me about Sae Narumi's cigarette incident."
Kōji kept staring at her in silence. If anything, his brows furrowed more.
It was clear he wanted a proper explanation, but she couldn't even explain it to herself.
"Indeed," Kawahara said, sitting beside Suzuka. "I hate to admit it, but Suzuka Araki's proposition to observe you was spot on."
Suzuka snapped her head away.
Kawahara continued, "At first, I thought she meant it like in those dramas where they follow the person they like when they go out with someone else, but she was referring to the possibility of you being able to swap bodies with other people. I'm an appalling researcher for not anticipating it."
Warmth crept through Suzuka's cheeks.
"I was also concerned she would try something on you," Suzuka added. "The incident doesn't sound far off from what people pulled off in Ōshitsu."
Kōji asked, "So you believe the rumors of her framing someone?"
She looked him in the eye. "I don't. I don't know her or anyone else regarding the incident; I can't make any conclusions. I was just being cautious and… I don't know…"
That was why she hated acting on impulse. That was why she detested having secrets, especially when she couldn't comprehend why.
His glare softened again. "Sorry, I shouldn't be accusing you like this."
"You have every right to. We were spying on you. The least we can do is explain why and apologize." She stood up and bowed. "We're sorry."
"Although I was doing it primarily for research purposes…," Kawahara said as she stood up and joined Suzuka in bowing. "I commit to asking for your consent on future occasions."
He sighed and smiled. "Thanks."
The three of them stood in silence. The park was too far away from the avenue for the traffic to be heard, while the trees and bushes remained as still as them.
Kōji crossed his arms. "I… the main reason why I didn't back out from going shopping with her was that it would've been very awkward and rude."
"I imagined that," Suzuka said.
He laughed nervously. "But I also wanted to get to know her and see how accurate the rumors were."
"What was your conclusion?" Kawahara asked.
"It's… hard to make one with only one meeting."
Suzuka's stomach burned. "Even if you get…"
The pause stretched too long.
"Yes?" Kōji wondered.
She said, "Whether the rumors are true or not, she did something weird in the bathroom."
"You followed her inside?"
"I did. She did use the toilet, but she also talked to someone on her phone, asking what she should do next and if it was really going to work. She sounded… doubtful yet determined."
Kōji looked to the side. The orange sunlight scarcely shone over the hills to light his profile. Although his jawline seemed sharp from that angle, his puffed cheeks, lengthy nose, and round, emerald eyes made his face look soft. Nonetheless, a glance of hunger rested under the red bangs of his tousled hair.
He looked…
"No use worrying about it now," he said. "We'll make our own conclusions."
A gush of wind freed his soothing grin.
Suzuka couldn't mistake the heat inside her anymore. but…
"I agree," Kawahara said. "For now, I'd suggest focusing on the purpose of this meeting before it gets too late."
Kōji replied, "Right. Please tell us you have a solution."
"As I said, I'm merely able to formulate vague hypotheses with the little data we have. However, thanks to yesterday's tests and Suzuka Araki's input on your recent encounters, I've discarded several variables, and I am confident in my latest hypothesis."
She smirked at Kōji and Suzuka for too long, as if waiting for something from them.
Kōji's patience ran out first. "Which is…?"
Kawahara tried to slide her hands into her lab coat's pockets, only to realize she wasn't wearing one after the third try.
She pushed her glasses up instead.
"Touch."
Kōji's and Suzuka's brows raised. They glanced at each other.
"Touch?" Suzuka wondered.
Kawahara replied, "That's correct. Since your descriptions about—"
Kōji interrupted. "Does that mean we'll swap bodies when we touch? Like how we touched each other's fingertips yesterday?"
"Perhaps, though it's still too early to say," Kawahara answered. "There are also many variables we won't—"
"Then let's try it." Kōji interrupted her again.
Although Suzuka shared his eagerness to make progress towards at least finding a way to manage their paranormal affliction, she noticed Kawahara's smile fade out.
"Kawahara, should we?" Suzuka asked.
"Go ahead. Stop when I count to five."
Kōji's stare softened when Suzuka's eyes met his, yet he raised his palm before her. She didn't hesitate to do the same, resting her fingertips on his, even pressing them lightly. They were rather soft.
"Five."
Suzuka snapped her hand away. She didn't hear the countdown at all.
"That should suffice," Kawahara said. "Now we wait for the process to trigger."
"How long?" Kōji asked.
"Based on the time you sent the message while controlling Suzuka Araki's body yesterday, around nine minutes."
"Oh, that's not that long."
"Though that was the case for swapping back to your original bodies, not the other way around, like now."
He chuckled. "What a way to destroy my spirits right after lifting them."
Suzuka sat on the bench. "Let's wait."
She grabbed her phone from her pocket and scrolled through the latest video game news.
Kawahara sat beside her and checked her phone too. Kōji sat at the other end of the bench with his bag on his lap, looking around the park or down at the ground.
He did so for a minute until Suzuka offered.
"Kurei, aren't you going to read your manga? Do you want to use my data?"
He jolted. "I'm fine, thanks. I'm used to it."
Her mind began scrutinizing his smile, but his swaying bangs caught her attention again.
She scrolled through a couple of posts more before asking.
"Why did you dye your hair red?"
"Ah, it was on a whim. Nothing big."
His shock and the snap back to a smile revealed enough. It didn't seem like he was lying, but not telling the whole truth.
Were it another person she barely knew, she would've assumed they were avoiding her. In Kōji's case, she would've done the same if that meant preventing those bursts of dread.
They waited in silence until Kawahara reported.
"Nine minutes. You might start feeling sleepy soon."
Suzuka yawned a moment later, and Kōji followed.
"That's a great sign," Kawahara smirked. "You weren't sleepy before, correct? How are you feeling now?"
"Nothing special," Suzuka answered. "Just a little tired."
"Same," Kōji added.
Kawahara tapped her phone's screen.
"Understood. You should try to sleep now."
"Okay," replied Kōji. He leaned against the bench's backrest. "Please stop me if I move too much."
"I'll refrain from interfering with the process as much as possible."
"Don't say I didn't warn you."
He closed his eyes and turned the opposite way.
Kawahara stared at Suzuka until she leaned back and closed her eyes as well.
The peaceful cold soon enveloped her body's warmth, yet her mind remained too busy. That had been the case since transferring to Kasen, unlike the past few years.
However, those thoughts distracted her enough that she drifted off. That happened several times until the cold suddenly swapped to warmth.
She opened her eyes and saw Kōji's bag on her lap.
Kawahara sat on her right instead of her left.
"Suzuka Araki?"
Suzuka nodded. "That's me."
Kawahara tapped her phone. "Three minutes and seventeen seconds."
They stared at Kōji sleeping in Suzuka's body for another good minute. The only thing that changed was him quietly starting to snore. Did she normally do that?
"I don't think he's going to wake up on his own," Suzuka said. "Kurei."
"I'd rather let the process follow its course."
"Who knows how long that'll take. It's already getting dark."
Kawahara looked down at her phone. She stared at it before turning to Kōji and shouting, "Kōji Kurei."
He jolted awake. "Yes!" He darted in every direction, including down at his body—her body. "I didn't do anything rude, did I?"
"Nope," Kawahara answered as she typed on her phone.
Kōji sighed in relief. While Kawahara was busy, he swung his legs in the air and bounced his feet on the ground.
Suzuka tried the same in his body, just for her left ankle to hurt and barely move. Instead, she stared at his grin for doing such a simple act.
"The real test begins now," Kawahara said. "We must calculate how long it takes for you to be able to swap back to your bodies."
"Wait, you don't have an estimate?" Kōji frowned.
"I have a range, between fifteen minutes and four hours."
"That's a lot of range! Why didn't you tell us before we swapped bodies?"
"I was going to, but you kept interrupting me."
"Ah—" Kōji uttered. He lowered his chin. "Sorry."
Kawahara smirked. "It's no problem. I have a plan, though it'll be rather slow and imprecise. You will touch each other every ten minutes. That will account for the nine minutes it takes for you to feel sleepy, plus a minute of buffer."
Kōji and Suzuka glanced at each other.
Wishing to make solid progress—and without much of a choice—they went along with Kawahara's plan.
Nothing happened ten minutes after touching each other's fingertips for the first time. So they waited another ten minutes.
Again, nothing happened on the second try.
The sky had turned entirely dark during that time. Only the street lamps illuminated the few kids who played around, while the light coming through the windows of the homes around the park showed that most of them were occupied.
Suzuka had never seen something like it.
It was… vibrant.
Another worrying ten minutes passed. However, the sleepiness returned just before they touched again.
They let themselves fall asleep.
"Suzuka Araki."
She opened her eyes at Kawahara's call. She was back in her body.
"Kōji Kurei," Kawahara called.
Other than his mouth being open, he didn't flinch.
Kawahara shouted, "Kōji Kurei."
He jolted awake. "Yes—Ugh!" He reached down to his ankle to massage it.
"Splendid." Kawahara looked down at her phone. "This means that the cooldown to start the swapping process back to your bodies is thirty minutes, tentatively. It also may or may not be the same in the opposite direction."
Suzuka said, "We can test that another time." She looked at the time on her phone. "It's quite late."
She typed a message to Yoshimura as Kawahara replied.
"I agree. I will send a report of our findings in the group chat later tonight. I…." Her phone's screen reflected in her glasses as she stared down at it. "You can also ask me any questions you have about any topic, though do it through a private message to keep the chat organized."
Suzuka nodded.
Kōji chuckled. "Will do."
Smirking down at her phone, Kawahara stood up and walked away. They could still see her as she cruised under the streetlamps toward the avenue.
"You've known each other for a while, right?" Suzuka asked.
Kōji answered, "Since middle school. We didn't talk much because we didn't have much in common, but she was always straightforward and… quirky. I guess that's why she spent most of the lunch breaks talking with the teachers."
"Those are great qualities."
"They are, just a bit hard to follow along. Why do you ask?"
"I think I've started to understand her—barely. She was a little too aggressive at first, and she had no care when she mentioned your injury, but now I see she was just excited."
"That's Kawahara for you," he grinned. His smile then softened. "You must be so annoyed with me for avoiding talking about my ankle all the time."
"Not really. Knowing about it won't change how I see you now. Though I want to know enough to keep your ankle safe whenever I'm controlling your body."
His eyes wandered to Suzuka's, then he looked ahead.
"Don't worry about it. Whatever you do is better than what I do. I'm supposed only to walk when absolutely necessary, but I even jog sometimes." He laughed nervously. "Please don't tell Hisa and Rem."
"I won't."
She swallowed the rest of what she wanted to say. Even though she had to bear with his pain while controlling his body, it was his life.
"Is your chauffeur gonna pick you up?" he asked.
She nodded and read Yoshimura's message before answering.
"He'll be here in five minutes."
"I see."
He stared down at the clock on his phone. His right foot bounced on the ground.
"You can leave if you need to," she said.
"Ah, sorry. My parents are probably worried sick. Worse, they'll leave all the dishes for me to wash, and dinner will be cold."
She chuckled. "I understand."
Although his brows raised more than normal, his grin prevailed. Perhaps a glimpse of red tinted his cheeks.
He stood up and hung the strap of his bag on his shoulder.
"See you tomorrow, then."
"Good night."
Still smiling, he turned around and began walking away.
But seeing his back, she couldn't stop herself.
She stood up and shouted, "Wait."
He stopped. "Yes?"
"Keep looking forward."
"O-Okay?"
She approached him from behind, slid her fingers under his blazer's collar, and tucked the base to straighten both sides symmetrically.
"Your collar was messy," she said as she stepped back.
"Oh, I-I see. Thanks."
Without looking back, he resumed his walk.
She looked down at her warm fingertips, caressing them with her thumb.
She looked up at his back moving away under the moonlight.
…
Suzuka reflected on the front door of the mansion as she walked to it. She couldn't recall the last time her stomach dropped while holding its handle.
The moment she pushed it open, Fujisaki bowed before her.
"Welcome home, Ms. Suzuka. You must be exhausted after a long day. Why don't you take a relaxing bath before dinner?"
Suzuka released the breath she didn't know she was holding.
"A shower will do," Suzuka smiled.
Moriyama crouched to pick up Suzuka's loafers as soon as she took them off.
"Good job, Saki," Moriyama said while arranging the shoe rack beside the entrance. "Next time, allow her a moment to acclimate."
Fujisaki's eyes widened. "Wait, I'm supposed to know when to greet her?"
Sakakibara arrived from the dining hall.
"Understanding our employer's needs is our duty, yes."
"But Ms. Suzuka is impossible to read." Fujisaki jolted. She bowed frantically at Suzuka. "I'm very sorry, I didn't mean to offend you!"
"No offense taken," Suzuka replied.
Fujisaki sighed in relief.
Sakakibara said, "Fujisaki, please prepare the dining hall for dinner."
She blinked too many times. "Me? Are you sure? I always—"
"I am sure."
"Oh. O-Okay, then."
She walked through the arched frame into the dining hall.
Moriyama stood up from organizing the shoes and followed her.
"I will help."
They both disappeared behind the wall, leaving Suzuka alone with Sakakibara. She could smell what was coming.
"Pardon my intrusion," he said, "but may I ask the reason for your late arrival?"
"Yoshimura didn't tell you?"
"It is his responsibility to do so, yes, but he didn't know the reason either, as far as I'm aware."
Suzuka's eyes deviated. "I went shopping with a… friend."
When she looked back at him, the corners of his perpetual, gentle smile had dropped. That didn't last long as they rose again.
"Is that so? I must admit that's a… welcome surprise. However, per Mr. Araki's—"
"Father's rules, yes, yes. Since you're going to tell him about it, tell him to say it to my face if he cares that much."
Standing in silence for a moment too long, Sakakibara bowed.
"Please forgive my rudeness. May I carry your backpack upstairs for you?"
"I'm fine, thank you."
"Very well. Dinner will be ready in twenty minutes."
After one last nod, Suzuka walked upstairs and into her bedroom. She dropped her backpack on the floor, grabbed the change of clothes folded on her bed, and headed straight into the shower.
She had a lot to decompress, and despite the soothing weight of the water, she made sure not to take longer than usual.
As soon as she put on her long-sleeve shirt, someone knocked on the bedroom door.
"Ms. Suzuka, may I take your school uniform to the laundry?" Fujisaki asked.
Suzuka grabbed her uniform and walked out of the bathroom to open the door.
"Please."
Fujisaki took the clothes from Suzuka's hands. After bowing, she turned to walk away.
"Fujisaki," Suzuka called her. "Can I bother you for a minute?"
"Of course."
Fujisaki took a few steps into Suzuka's room and stood before her as she sat on her bed.
She stared at the floor before looking Fujisaki in the eye and asking.
"How do you know you like someone?"
Fujisaki's brows raised. "You mean as a person, or…?"
"Romantically."
"Are you—?!" Fujisaki coughed to cut her squeal short. "I mean, you came to the right person. Let's see…. You know how your chest and stomach squeeze when you're in front of someone you admire or respect a lot? It's like that, but you also feel all warm and fuzzy. Like butterflies fluttering."
Suzuka lowered her head. "Butterflies…"
"Excuse my interruption." Moriyama bowed outside the open door. "May I come in?"
"Sure."
Moriyama stepped in. "Although what Fujisaki said may be true, she skipped over the details. Each person reacts differently to romantic attraction since there are many factors to consider beyond physical sensations. For example, have you felt irrationally upset with someone being too close to the person you like?"
"I have."
"That's jealousy. As selfish and unreasonable as it might sound, you don't want someone else to take them from you."
Suzuka looked down at the floor. "I see. What am I supposed to do?"
"That's up to you. Keep reflecting on your emotions, and once you comprehend them, I'm sure you won't be held back by your inhibitions. Though you may not want to take too long."
Fujisaki grinned, "But you can always come to us if you need ideas on how to ask them out." Her brows furrowed. "Wait, when you said you went shopping with a friend, were you talking about your crush? You already went on a date?!" She leaned in closer. "How far have you gone? What base are you at?"
Suzuka asked, "Base?"
Moriyama pushed Fujisaki toward the door.
"That's enough meddling."
"But I'm still starving for gossip!"
They disappeared behind the wall.
Suzuka's suspicions were correct, after all. Although she could kind of guess where they came from, how much of those feelings were intensified or fabricated by the body-swapping?
If it was up to her, then…
Moriyama peeked from the open door. "Ms. Suzuka, forgive my imprudence. I had come to tell you that dinner is ready."
"I'm coming."
…
For the first time since transferring to Kasen, Suzuka didn't run into Kōji at the entrance in the morning, nor did she have a reason to meet with him. Yet her eyes darted around in case she saw a glimpse of red.
She arrived at her classroom and sat at her desk. The clouded sky made her notebook look gray as she went over Kōji's notes once more.
Classes soon began and kept going for an agonizing four hours. Without the body-swapping clouding her judgement, she could confirm that school was boring no matter the subject, but unlike in her former institute, at least they were useful.
The most interesting thing about the morning? She copied Kōji's note-taking style. By the time lunch break arrived, the styles had blended into a bizarre arrangement of colors, paragraphs, and tables.
She could've looked for Kōji, but what if she didn't?
In the cafeteria, she bought what she always did and sat at the far end of a table. The other people sitting there halted their conversations to glance at her, then they continued as if nothing had happened.
In Ōshitsu, the disapproving silence never went away, nor did their grimaces. In some cases, they went as far as to leave the table.
In Kasen, the glances seemed to come out of curiosity, which she returned.
Although she ate in peace, she couldn't deny the lack of excitement.
She also couldn't stop her mind from wondering why Kōji didn't approach her instead. He probably was spending time with his friends, or was he trying something similar to what she was doing? What if he wasn't interested in her at all, other than for the body swapping?
She headed back to building B, where all of the classrooms were. She walked up the first flight of stairs and, as she turned around the corner, someone bumped into her, barely strong enough to be called a little push.
"I'm sorry!" the guy apologized. "I wasn't looking where I was…"
His eyes widened when he saw her. He ran around her and down the stairs, shouting "Sorry!" again.
"I'm… sorry, too," Suzuka said, though he was too far to hear her.
Taking a step forward, her foot slipped. She grabbed the stair railing to prevent a fall.
A piece of origami came out from under her shoe, squished and stained with a dirt imprint of the sole of her loafer.
Unsure of what to do with it, she picked it up and put it in her pocket. Perhaps she could ask Kōji, his friends, or Kawahara where missing items went.
About to take the stairs to the second floor, someone stopped her from behind.
"Araki."
She turned to see a guy she had never seen before. He was her height, one of his eyes half-covered by his light bangs.
"I saw you from afar and wanted to say hi," he said.
"You are…?"
He twitched and uttered in pain, "Ouch. Am I that forgettable? Can't blame you, I approached you out of nowhere." He cleared his throat. "I'm Hisaki Tsuga. I sit at the back of the class. I suggested we study together one of these days, so what do you say to doing that today?"
He was the guy Kōji had agreed to meet with while controlling her body.
She could've appeared rude and cancelled his proposal, but…
"Sure," she answered.
He grinned. "Awesome. The first-floor library is closer, but the second floor is emptier during lunch. Let's head there."
He started walking up the stairs, and she followed along.
They walked down the corridor when he asked.
"Have you been to any of the libraries?"
"I haven't explored much."
"Is that so? Well, don't hesitate to hit me up if you need a guide or have questions."
They kept walking in silence, eventually arriving at a glass door in the inner corner of building A.
He pushed the door and held it open for her to step in. He led them toward the shelves, stacked with endless books.
"What do you wanna study?" he asked.
"Nothing in particular."
"Oh. Are you looking for something more fun?"
"I'm not into books."
He blinked a few too many times. "I see. Then…." He reached for a book. "How about you help this poor soul with physics?"
She recognized the cover instantly. It made her eyes burn.
"Alright," she replied.
They headed to the tables. Suzuka sat at the far end width-wise, while Tsuga chose to sit on the lonely chair length-wise.
He opened the book and skimmed through as he said.
"You are a girl of few words, aren't you?"
"If there's nothing to say, why say something?"
He sighed. "Fair enough. So, you're not interested in academics, or…?"
"I studied all high-school level books every day for a month straight. They are burned in my brain."
His brows raised. "Is that how you passed the transfer exam? You were that eager to get in?"
"Yes."
"That's…. You're incredible."
She scrutinized his smile before asking.
"Are you—?"
"Good noon, Suzuka Araki." Kawahara stepped into the library. "It's unexpected running into you here."
A guy appeared behind her. The same guy Suzuka had bumped into on the stairs.
"Hey, it's the rich girl from Ōshitsu again," he said.
"You've met her before?" Kawahara asked.
He nodded. "I bumped into her on the stairs a few minutes ago."
Kawahara pushed her glasses up. "Interesting."
Suzuka grabbed the origami from her pocket. "Did you drop this?"
His eyes widened. "N-No, no! Why would I bring such a silly thing to school?"
Suzuka's brows furrowed at the origami.
"I happen to know the owner of it," Kawahara said. "I can return it to him."
Takuto's jaw dropped.
Confused, Suzuka handed her the origami. She put it in her pocket.
"Ahem," Tsuga coughed loudly. "If you don't mind, we were studying."
"Oh. That's physics, isn't it?" Kawahara replied. "Takuto's physics grades are quite behind. We shall take this opportunity."
Takuto replied, "But I…. Okay, if you think that's for the best. You're the teacher."
They walked toward the shelves.
Tsuga complained, "But we didn't agree—"
An older woman approached the table. "Please keep the volume down," she scolded, then walked back to the desk.
Kawahara and Takuto returned with the same physics book and sat in front of Suzuka.
Tsuga smiled again. "Whatever." He turned his book toward Suzuka and pointed at one of the questions. "I had trouble with this one."
She observed the problem and remembered the equation within seconds.
However, a glimpse of red behind the door caught her eye. Her blood rushed in her chest as she did a double-take, just for her stomach to drop when she saw no one.
What did she expect?
She knew better than to get her hopes up.
"Araki?" Tsuga asked.
"Yes, I know the equation for that one. It's—"
A familiar voice interrupted her.
"Hey, there."
Suzuka snapped her head around to see Kōji.