"You… you let go of me!"
Discovering that she was still being held in Kitahara Makoto's arms, Ijichi Nijika immediately struggled.
Kitahara Makoto put down Ryo and asked in confusion:
"Why is Ryo-senpai acting so strange?"
Ijichi Nijika's body trembled, and she suddenly opened her eyes in disbelief:
"You… what did you call me?!"
Kitahara Makoto asked, puzzled:
"Of course, Ryo-senpai."
"…"
Ijichi Nijika quickly reached up to touch her hair, but didn't feel her side ponytail, and soon realized "she" only had short hair.
She looked around.
She saw the ocean waves, clearly outside the cliff.
The scattered clothes on the nearby rocks were all the clothes Ryo had changed into in the cave earlier.
"I turned into… Ryo?"
Ijichi Nijika's eyes widened, and an incredible thought suddenly arose in her mind.
"Impossible!"
"Absolutely impossible!"
Ijichi Nijika frantically closed her eyes, trying to tell herself she was dreaming.
However, when she opened her eyes again, before her was still the ocean and the cliff.
Whether it was the pain in her knees or her weak and sore body, everything was telling Ijichi Nijika that what was before her was not an illusion.
"Ryo-senpai, what exactly is wrong with you?"
Kitahara Makoto was a little worried:
"I'll be gentler next time…"
"There won't be a next time!"
Ijichi Nijika gritted her teeth, then suddenly saw the phone on a nearby rock, her eyes lit up, and she quickly said:
"Give me the phone!"
In the Otherworld, most of the phone's functions were unusable, such as no internet connection, no compass, and distorted time display, but the camera function was unaffected.
"Here."
Kitahara Makoto handed over the phone, curious:
"What does Ryo-senpai want to do?"
"…"
Ijichi Nijika bit her lower lip tightly and didn't answer, but quickly opened the phone's front camera.
The next second.
A familiar face with short blue hair, undried tear stains at the corners of her eyes, and a flushed face appeared on the phone.
"I really turned into Ryo…"
Looking at "herself" on the phone, Ijichi Nijika's last bit of hope finally shattered.
"Why…"
"Why did I turn into Ryo?"
"Where is Ryo?"
"Could she be inside my body?"
Ijichi Nijika guessed the truth based on intuition.
"Could it be… that Ryo and I swapped bodies?"
At the same time.
Looking at Yamada Ryo, who had started panicking and looking around frantically after waking up, Kitahara Makoto keenly sensed that something was wrong.
Yamada Ryo's words and actions after waking up were just like a completely different person.
"Could it be…" Kitahara Makoto's gaze shifted to the Kessoku Band bracelet on Ryo-senpai's right wrist, "that the Kessoku Band bracelet's second entry, [Soul Swap], was triggered?"
He couldn't be sure yet, so Kitahara Makoto didn't make a fuss, but just said calmly:
"Ryo-senpai, it's almost time to go back. If we don't go back soon, Nijika will really start worrying."
"Ah… okay…"
Ijichi Nijika responded vaguely, took a deep breath, and tried to calm herself down.
(It seems now that I must have swapped bodies with Ryo… Is it because of the Kessoku Band bracelet?)
(Besides the Kessoku Band bracelet, there wouldn't be any other reason, would there?)
(Good news, the person I swapped bodies with is Ryo, not anyone else. What if I accidentally swapped bodies with Kitahara-kun…? Would it be my turn to take advantage of him then?)
Ijichi Nijika shivered, quickly shaking the chaotic thoughts out of her head.
(Stop! Now is not the time for wild thoughts!)
(Hurry back, I can clarify the situation once I see Ryo!)
(And also…)
Ijichi Nijika bit her lower lip lightly, a hint of hesitation appearing on her pretty face.
(Should I tell Kitahara-kun about the body swap?)
After a few seconds of hesitation, Ijichi Nijika quickly made a decision.
No!
Can't say!
The body swap must be related to the bracelet. If I tell him, Kitahara-kun will naturally know that I'm wearing the bracelet… He might even suspect that I was involved the whole time!
The only reason I put on the bracelet was to confirm Ryo's safety. I don't want to be seen as a pervert!
Ijichi Nijika was thinking while reaching for her clothes.
Clap.
Kitahara Makoto suddenly grabbed Yamada Ryo's wrist.
"You, what are you doing?"
Ijichi Nijika's pretty face flushed, and she looked over warily.
"That's what I should be asking," Kitahara Makoto feigned confusion. "You haven't even cleaned yourself yet, Ryo-senpai, why are you in such a hurry to put on clothes?"
"You…"
Ijichi Nijika bit her teeth lightly, only then realizing how sticky and uncomfortable she felt.
"Then let's wash… You turn around."
"Turn around?" Kitahara Makoto raised an eyebrow slightly. "Didn't Ryo-senpai say before that you'd let me help clean your body from now on? Why are you acting so strange today?"
Ijichi Nijika stammered, turning her pretty face away:
"Before was before, now is now…"
But before she could finish speaking, Kitahara Makoto directly pulled her into his embrace.
"Mm…"
Ijichi Nijika groaned softly in vexation, unable to help but glare at him resentfully.
"Don't move around. I'll help Ryo-senpai clean her body," Kitahara Makoto said seriously. "Even if I let you wash yourself, Ryo-senpai, you probably don't have the strength, do you?"
"..."
Ijichi Nijika bit her lower lip tightly, turning her pretty face away, letting Kitahara Makoto carry her into the sea.
No choice.
Her whole body was sore and weak, and she really didn't have the strength to wash herself.
"You, you, you… Don't touch me randomly!"
"Enough, stop quickly!"
"I'll wash that part myself!"
Ijichi Nijika's voice was both shy and anxious, flustered, and she finally managed to stop Kitahara Makoto.
"Tit for tat," Kitahara Makoto spread his arms. "Now it's Ryo-senpai's turn to help me clean my body."
"Eh?"
"Ryo-senpai said just yesterday that we'd help each other bathe from now on, you wouldn't have forgotten so soon, would you?"
"I, I certainly haven't forgotten…"
Sensory sharing is not memory synchronization, so Ijichi Nijika naturally didn't know what promises the two of them had made. To avoid giving herself away, she could only turn her pretty face away in embarrassment, bite her teeth lightly, and help Kitahara Makoto clean his body.
Looking at the 'Kuzu Yamada Ryo' with a flushed, bashful, and timid face, Kitahara Makoto no longer had any doubts.
"Could it be that the [Soul Swap] attribute has been triggered?"
"Ryo-senpai… No, I should call her Nijika-senpai now."
"..."
After cleaning.
Kitahara Makoto took out a towel from his backpack, helped Nijika dry her body, and then they both put on their clothes.
"Ryo-senpai, come on," Kitahara Makoto squatted down. "If we don't go back soon, we'll be suspected. We can only stop here today, we'll continue tomorrow."
Ijichi Nijika stretched out her arms and wrapped them around Kitahara Makoto's neck:
"Don't even think about it, there won't be a next time!"
"..."
Easily climbing over the cliff, Kitahara Makoto and Nijika returned to the cave.
"Kitahara-kun, Ryo-senpai, you're back."
Kita Ikuyo's voice was clear as she happily greeted them:
"Why did you take so long?"
Kitahara Makoto said softly:
"Because the island is very large, and there are no planned roads on the island, many places are rugged and difficult to travel, so it naturally took more time."
Golden-haired girl said softly:
"Kitahara-kun, you've worked hard. Come sit down and rest for a while, I'll make cup noodles."
"Thank you." Kitahara Makoto nodded. "I do feel hungry… Ryo-senpai, come eat something."
"I'm not eating."
Ijichi Nijika had no appetite for cup noodles at all. Her gaze shifted and landed on herself.
One Nijika was sitting on an inflatable chair in the corner, her face still flushed, leisurely drinking a beverage.
Their eyes met.
Ijichi Nijika immediately confirmed 'her' identity.
"Ryo, it's really you!"
Taking a deep breath, Ijichi Nijika quickly stepped forward, pulled Yamada Ryo up, and whispered:
"Come out with me!"
"So tired, don't want to move…"
"No, hurry and come out with me!"
"..."
"Ryo-senpai's aggressive demeanor is completely different from her previous lazy appearance…" Gotō Hitori said with some concern, "Could it be that she had a fight with Nijika?"
"It doesn't feel like a fight," Kita Ikuyo whispered. "But there's definitely something wrong."
Gotō Hitori turned to look at Kitahara Makoto and whispered:
"Kitahara-kun, do you know what happened?"
Kitahara Makoto was drinking water; he had expended a lot of energy earlier and was quite parched. Hearing this, he nodded and said:
"I know."
"Eh?" Bocchi-chan's eyes lit up. "Why are Nijika and Ryo-senpai fighting?"
Fighting?
Of course not.
They just accidentally Soul Exchanged.
At the same time.
Outside the cave.
Ijichi Nijika dragged Ryo twenty meters away in one breath before stopping:
"Ryo, it's really you, isn't it?"
'Ijichi Nijika' raised her right hand, made a peace sign in front of her eyes, put her left hand on her hip, and replied energetically:
"Sorry, I'm Nijika, I live on the second floor of the Shimokitazawa Live House, my favorite anime is 'cherry maruko', and my dream is to become a world-renowned musician."
"..."
Ijichi Nijika took a deep breath:
"So, we really did swap bodies?"
Yamada Ryo's expression sobered:
"Well, we actually swapped bodies, it feels quite interesting."
"It's not interesting at all!" Ijichi Nijika bit her lower lip. "It's definitely related to this bracelet, right? Can we just take it off?"
"I've already tried," Yamada Ryo shook her head. "It's completely useless."
"What if we take them off together?"
"Let's try."
"..."
A moment later.
Ijichi Nijika sighed helplessly:
"It really doesn't work… How exactly can we swap our bodies back?"
"I don't know," Yamada Ryo replied matter-of-factly. "But we can ask Kitahara-kun, he might have a solution."
Ijichi Nijika quickly denied:
"Don't ask him!"
"Eh?" Yamada Ryo blinked, then quickly reacted. "Nijika didn't tell Kitahara about the Soul Swap?"
"I see."
Yamada Ryo deliberately showed an expression of sudden realization:
"Nijika wants to use my body to openly do 'that' with Kitahara?"
"That's not it at all!" Ijichi Nijika denied indignantly. "I just don't want Kitahara-kun to know that I'm wearing the bracelet… There's no need to ask him, we can just ask the answer book, right?"
"Wait."
"I'll go get the answer book."