Dusk at Chiba High was a sight to behold. Throughout the campus, students could be seen in small groups, laughing and chatting about their day as they walked home together.
But the girl sitting on the bench was a world apart from them. The few students who saw her would whisper amongst themselves.
"She's still here?"
"That's Raiden Mei, right? I heard her dad's an economic criminal. He's already been arrested."
"Like father, like daughter. I bet she's no good either."
"Yeah, I've always hated her. So cold, always acting all aloof. It's so annoying."
The unveiled, malicious words made the dark-haired girl on the bench tremble. In that moment, she felt as if a hand was wrapped around her throat, suffocating her.
...Father, what should I do?
The girl named Raiden Mei was not the strong-willed type. Under the careful protection of her loving father, Mei, who lacked a mother's love, had been well-sheltered.
With a privileged family background and a doting father, her life had always been a happy one.
But when all of that changed, she was like a drowning child, overwhelmed by the malice crashing down on her.
It's so cold... I should go home.
The thinly-dressed girl looked distressed. Amidst the hurtful gossip, she struggled to stand up, desperate to escape this "prison."
But just then, a figure quietly approached.
"Hi~"
A lively voice rang in her ear. Teary-eyed, Mei looked up and saw a black-haired young man dressed in a somewhat casual, lazy style. He looked like the laid-back type of guy, but on his face, he had a warm smile that was severely out of sync with his appearance, like a lively girl had been stuffed into a boy's body.
"If I'm not mistaken, you must be Raiden Mei, right? Would you mind if we chatted for a bit?"
The person smiled and waved, then casually sat down next to Raiden Mei as if they were old friends.
"…"
Faced with this sudden, strange boy, Mei fell silent, unsure of what to do.
Her usual self would have politely refused and walked away.
After all, as the daughter of the president of ME Corp, and as an undeniable beauty, she was without a doubt, a rich and beautiful target in the eyes of men.
The lessons she learned from her father had taught her to be wary of men with ulterior motives—no, to be wary of any stranger.
But looking at this man, for some reason, Mei had a feeling he wasn't a bad person.
So, perhaps she could at least listen to what he had to say.
That's what the girl thought.
But unexpectedly, after sitting down, Elysia, in Jiang Qiao's body, froze.
Ah, what am I supposed to say to this child?
Although she knew she had to comfort Raiden Mei, and was confident in her ability to do so—after all, she herself was a very cute girl—she realized something.
She didn't actually know this girl named Raiden Mei!
Due to time constraints, Jiang Qiao hadn't given her all the details.
"Ahem, let me introduce myself first. I'm Ai... Jiang Qiao!"
Elysia, who had almost used her own name out of habit, quickly corrected herself, using the name of this body's owner instead.
It didn't really matter whether she used Elysia or Jiang Qiao, since both were strangers to Raiden Mei. The former would, at most, make Mei wonder why a boy had such a feminine name, but that was unimportant.
Elysia just suddenly felt a mischievous impulse!
When they switched back, how would Jiang Qiao react when he met the Mei she had comforted?
Wouldn't that be interesting?
Elysia, with her trollish tendencies, didn't mind leaving behind some interesting developments for Jiang Qiao while she was saving Nagazora.
And all it would take was using Jiang Qiao's name. So, why not?
"...A person from Shenzhou?"
Hearing the name, Raiden Mei's first thought was of Shenzhou, as "Jiang Qiao" had a distinctly Shenzhou-esque ring to it.
It wasn't a big deal, though. Nagazora was an international financial hub, and the school district where Chiba High was located had plenty of exchange students from other countries.
"I guess so."
Elysia wasn't too concerned. While she was interested in getting to know the Jiang Qiao she had swapped bodies with, now was not the time.
After thinking for a moment, she spoke:
"A disaster is about to befall this city."
"?"
Raiden Mei, who had been curious about what Elysia would say, was completely stunned by her words.
Is he a chuuni? Or is he some mysterious agent from a secret organization?
As a child, Raiden Mei had enjoyed sci-fi and fantasy stories and even had some chuuni tendencies herself.
But when a scenario like this actually happened in front of her, she couldn't help but feel a bit overwhelmed, her gloomy mood momentarily forgotten.
Mei replied with a hint of exasperation:
"I don't understand what you mean. If this is a joke, I'm sorry, but I'm not in the mood right now."
"Oh, well, I don't really understand the specifics myself, and it's not something I can explain in just a moment. But this is very important for you, and for the future of this city! Really, I'm not lying!"
Though she was good at getting along with girls, the early-stage Pink fatty was still a bit green when it came to starting conversations, especially with someone like Raiden Mei, whose background she didn't know and who was clearly very sensitive.
Her first instinct was simply to show her sincerity.
However—
GRRROWL~
A low rumble echoed in the air. As Mei's gaze shifted to Elysia's stomach, the latter's expression turned visibly red with embarrassment.
Elysia couldn't help it. In theory, Jiang Qiao's body hadn't eaten since he'd been isekai'd. He was lucky that a certain white-haired dumpling had paid a hefty sum to get him to the hospital, where he'd gotten some IV fluids.
But that little bit of nutrition had long been burned off during the long trek this afternoon. She hadn't had a chance to refuel on the way, either. Why? She was broke!
Jiang Qiao's pockets were so clean that even Elysia, a pauper from fifty thousand years in the past, couldn't help but shed a tear.
It wasn't often you met someone poorer than her.
She never expected to meet one just by swapping bodies.
What made it even worse was that the survival skills she'd used to travel the world in the past were completely useless with this body!
Seeing Elysia's predicament, Raiden Mei, who was kind-hearted by nature, sighed and extended an invitation.
"—Want to come to my place?"