"Anyway... let's sort this out first."
The streets outside were pitch dark, lit only by a few scattered street lamps.
The entire building was dark, except for the lights in the living room of Rinji's apartment.
Hayasaka looked troubled as she faced Rinji—or rather, Kaguya—who was squatting in a corner with her head in her hands, looking completely devastated.
"What should I do… Hayasaka…"
Kaguya, now in Rinji's body, looked at Hayasaka with teary eyes.
"I think... I switched bodies with Rinji-kun..."
She had to admit, that expression on Rinji's face was oddly cute. Hayasaka quickly turned her head and wiped her nose, then forced her face back into a blank expression.
"Please calm down. Honestly, it's still hard for me to believe in something like body-swapping."
"Eh!?"
"Alright then, let me ask you a few questions."
"What kind of questions?"
Hayasaka touched the ribbon tied in her hair.
"Who gave me this ribbon?"
She had never told Rinji about this—because it was something only between her and Kaguya.
"Hmm? Didn't I give it to you when I was seven? That was when you first started serving me."
"...You really are Kaguya-sama?"
"I told you, we've already swapped bodies, haven't we!?" Kaguya cried out, holding her head. "Why did this happen!? This goes against all scientific logic!!"
"Honestly, I'm kind of stunned too."
But what Hayasaka was worried about wasn't Kaguya in Rinji's body—it was Rinji himself.
If what Kaguya said was true, and this was a 'swap', then Rinji was probably in Kaguya's body. But if it wasn't, things could be very bad.
"Anyway, try calling your phone, Kaguya-sama. If Rinji is on your end, he should pick up."
That was all she could do for now.
Just as she pulled up Kaguya's number on her phone and was about to call, an incoming call popped up instead.
It was from the head butler at the Shinomiya residence.
"..."
The butler from the main family was intimidating, and Hayasaka had always been a little afraid of her. But considering Rinji might be at the Shinomiya residence, she pressed the answer button.
"...Hello?"
"Ai, calm down and listen to me—something huge just happened!"
The voice wasn't the butler's, but Kaguya's—cool and sharp.
Hayasaka was stunned, then tentatively asked, "Rinji?"
"...Eh? How'd you know it was me?"
"Well... because Kaguya-sama seems to be using your body."
"...Shit! I'm screwed."
"Wait, Rinji." Hayasaka asked quickly, "I don't know exactly what happened, but you're using Kaguya-sama's body now, right? Can you even leave the house like that?"
The Shinomiya family was extremely strict about Kaguya's movement—leaving the house in the middle of the night would absolutely not be allowed.
If Rinji was in Kaguya's body, he'd be under tight restrictions.
"I'm already outside."
"...Huh?"
"So here's what happened—"
---
One hour earlier.
Rinji stared at the girl in the mirror—who looked exactly like Kaguya—with a complicated expression.
"What a nightmare..."
Even though the situation was baffling, Rinji calmed down quickly.
He found a snack box on the desk, took out a cookie, and bit into it.
'There's taste. Not a dream. Then what is this? A prank?'
He reached down and touched between his legs.
'...This is definitely a woman's body. Judging from the room, I can assume it's Shinomiya's. So I've somehow ended up in her body. Cause unknown. Possible supernatural event or experimental anomaly.'
Still expressionless, he walked over to the large wardrobe. Upon opening it, he found it filled entirely with feminine clothing.
This time, his previously calm expression darkened.
After digging through it, he finally found a pair of jeans and a cool-toned jacket—something passable for a guy. Good enough.
After dressing, Rinji grabbed a pen from the desk in Kaguya's room and started drawing on his now delicate hand.
'Yup. Definitely her. There are signs of long-term archery training on the hands. Strength is roughly equal to that of an average adult male.'
Knowing his situation, Rinji stepped toward the door and opened it.
Click.
The door swung open, and he walked out slowly.
'Door isn't locked. This rules out an experiment setup. Supernatural phenomenon confirmed.'
But if he was in Kaguya's body... then where was Kaguya?
Could she be in his?
Thinking of this, Rinji tried calling using Kaguya's phone, but it was locked with a screen password.
"Tch..."
He'd only been to the Shinomiya residence once, so he wasn't too familiar with it. But at least he knew how to get out.
"Young Lady."
Just as Rinji was about to leave, a voice called out.
He turned around to see a woman in a suit, gloves, and sunglasses standing behind him.
"What is it?"
"It's nighttime. Where do you plan to go?"
"Just out for a walk."
"Lord Gan'an has strictly ordered that you're not to leave at this hour," the butler said coldly. "Please return, Young Lady."
"..."
Rinji smiled, then walked right up to her.
"Are you giving me orders?"
"..."
Now it was the butler's turn to be dumbfounded.
Though she was newly transferred here, she'd interacted with Kaguya as a child. The Kaguya she knew would never defy her decisions, let alone speak to her like this.
"I asked you a fucking question. Are you ordering me?"
"Young Lady, please don't make things difficult. If you insist, I'll be forced to take—Ah!!"
Before she could finish, Rinji suddenly drove the pen he took earlier into her stomach, twisting it twice.
Blood spilled onto the floor.
"Feeling tough? Try that again, I fucking dare you."
Rinji's face twisted into a cruel grin.