"…Tch. This is a mess."
Still in Kaguya's body, Rinji scrolled through his contacts on his phone. He'd just finally gotten his phone back from Kaguya.
Kaguya's phone had a passcode, so it was easy to unlock. Rinji's, however, had a special iris scan from IW, so he had to ask Kaguya to lean in every time he wanted to unlock it.
"What do I do about the date tomorrow…" Kaguya moaned, holding her head in despair.
"Kaguya-sama, it's not just about tomorrow anymore—it's about your future," Hayasaka said with a rare serious expression.
"You and President Shirogane are officially a couple, right?"
"…Yeah."
"What if you two end up… sleeping together?"
"W-what!? I-I haven't thought about that at all!"
Flustered, Kaguya's—Rinji's—face turned bright red. She flailed her arms trying to explain herself.
Of course, Hayasaka and Rinji both stayed far away, worried they might get smacked in the chaos.
"Kaguya-sama, I won't blame you for the date tomorrow. After all, I kind of barged in when Rinji already had a girlfriend. I don't really have the right to complain."
Hayasaka lowered her head slowly.
"But if Rinji really ends up going on a date—or worse, doing that—with a man, it would really hurt."
"O-of course I understand! I don't want Rinji-kun going on a date with the President on my behalf either."
"Anyway, let's fix tomorrow first. We'll deal with everything else later."
Rinji flicked another cigarette into the tray.
He'd lost count of how many cigarettes he'd smoked using Kaguya's body. It was a bad habit—he always smoked when stressed—and this had to be one of the most stressful days of his life.
"No point waiting for morning… Let's go see him now."
Rinji stood up and pulled on the coat hanging by the door.
"Huh? Go see who?"
"My dad. He's probably still awake."
---
Rinji's Father: "..."
He'd been resting in a hotel room when a message came in—Rinji said he was coming over and needed help.
When the door opened, he was greeted by three people.
A tense-looking Hayasaka, a well-mannered and slightly curious "Rinji," and an obviously annoyed "Kaguya."
After observing them for a second, Rinji's father nodded.
"Body swap, huh?"
Rinji: "How'd you figure it out at a glance…?"
"Ahahahahahahahahahaha…"
"Don't laugh!!"
"Ahem—no, I mean—this whole setup is just so funny I can't help it… Hahahahahaha!!"
"You bastard!!"
Still using Kaguya's body, Rinji threw a punch, but his father calmly held him back with one hand on his forehead.
"Easy now, kid. You're in someone else's body—you're not as strong as usual. Chill~"
Rinji clicked his tongue and pulled a cigarette from his pocket.
But before he could light it, his father plucked it away.
"Come on, at least respect the body you're in. Take care of it a little."
"Tch."
Kaguya watched Rinji's father with interest.
She'd met his mother before—a beautiful, elegant woman in every sense. But this was her first time seeing his father.
Due to an incident four years ago, many in the main family had investigated Rinji's paternal identity. But no one had figured it out—just endless speculation.
From her brief observations, she could tell Rinji's father was a bit mischievous but very approachable—the kind of father who was fun yet dependable.
Honestly, with such amazing parents, how did the son turn out so… chaotic?
Just then, Rinji's father turned his gaze to the "Rinji"—who was actually Kaguya.
"So you're the classmate who swapped bodies with my kid?"
"Yes. I'm Kaguya Shinomiya, a second-year student at Shuchiin Academy," Kaguya said politely.
Because she was using Rinji's body, the usual aura it gave off was completely different.
"Nice. Haven't seen my kid this polite in years. Reminds me of when he used to—"
"Don't reminisce."
Rinji cut him off with a sigh.
"Focus on switching us back. I've got a date tomorrow!"
"Alright, alright."
Rinji's father smiled, then placed both hands on Rinji and Kaguya's shoulders.
The moment his hands made contact, both of them shuddered—and collapsed to the ground.
They quickly looked at their hands, then at the clothes they were wearing.
"…We're back?"
"We're really back?!"
They had returned to their original bodies.
Kaguya stood up and bowed deeply to Rinji's father.
She wasn't sure what had just happened, but she knew she was back to normal.
"Thank you very much, Mr. Takamine."
"Oh, no problem," he replied with a cheerful wave. "It's just… seeing my kid as a girl is kind of…"
"Let's skip the commentary. What the hell happened?" Rinji frowned. "This isn't normal, right? Was this some kind of supernatural event again?"
"Actually, I've experienced this myself," his father said.
"Huh?"
Rinji looked surprised, as did Hayasaka, who exchanged a glance with him.
Hayasaka nodded slightly and gently pulled Kaguya by the hand out of the room.
"Kaguya-sama, let them talk. Let's step out for a bit."
"Huh?"
After the door closed, his father said, "People like us who study alchemy—when dealing with souls—occasionally encounter things like this. Scientifically speaking, it's theorized that the unobservable soul exists in a quantum state. When there's a shift in angular momentum, polarization, or path, and it overlaps with another state, entanglement occurs. That's when the souls swap."
"Dad, when did you start quoting sci-fi babble?"
"There are two things I need to tell you. First, it's not dangerous—you're fine. Second… this is far from over."