Hojou Kyousuke stepped forward and walked alongside Yukino Yukari.
Though he was currently inhabiting the body of Miyamizu Mitsuha, as first-year middle school girl, he was noticeably shorter than the mature woman beside him.
The two entered the office and took their seats.
"Want some?"
Yukino Yukari pulled out a pile of chocolates from her drawer and offered them to Kyousuke.
"Sure."
Realizing that Yukino was trying to ease the awkward atmosphere, Kyousuke didn't refuse.
He wasn't feeling uncomfortable, but he wouldn't pass up the chance to get closer.
"It was a disaster, wasn't it?" Yukino spoke, her voice as clear as the air of Itomori, but with a touch of unexpected charm.
"Hmm?" Kyousuke tilted his head in confusion.
"The ritual," Yukino said with a soft look in her dark eyes.
"Huh??" Kyousuke was even more puzzled.
"Wait... Mitsuha, you didn't find it embarrassing?"
Yukino's disbelief grew as she looked at Kyousuke's blank expression.
"Sorry, sensei. I'm not feeling well today, so my memory is a bit fuzzy."
"I see... Should I take you to the town's clinic?"
"No, it's nothing that serious. I just have some memory gaps. But more importantly, what was that ritual you mentioned?"
Kyousuke quickly brushed off her concern.
After all, this was a supernatural situation, and there was no way anyone could detect the body swap.
'…Memory issues aren't serious?' Yukino observed Mitsuha's composed demeanor.
'Could it be that she forced herself to forget out of sheer embarrassment?'
"The ritual is the traditional Harvest Festival performed at the Miyamizu Shrine. I've only been in Itomori for about a year, so I went to watch it."
Yukino stared at Mitsuha's face, hoping to catch a hint of shame.
However, Kyousuke's expression remained calm, as if he were listening to someone else's story.
Impossible. Any teenage girl would be mortified to perform such a sacred dance in front of everyone.
"I saw you performing the Kagura dance in your shrine maiden outfit. It was beautiful. You even seemed to glow with a divine light."
"Haha, really?" Kyousuke chuckled, intrigued by the idea of Mitsuha performing a Kagura dance.
Maybe he should ask Mitsuha to record it next time.
"And then... I saw you making kuchikamizake."
Wait, what?
Kyousuke's wandering thoughts snapped back to reality.
Kuchikamizake? That sounded... wrong.
"You chew rice and spit it out to let it ferment into sake. It's quite an ancient tradition," Yukino explained.
Yukino's tone was full of sympathy, imagining how embarrassing it must have been for Mitsuha.
The incident in art class earlier must've been related to this.
...What kind of bizarre Shinto practice is this? Did God even like that kind of thing?
Kyousuke internally cringed but couldn't help but wonder... What would that sake taste like?
Before Kyousuke could dwell further, Yukino spoke again.
"It must have been tough, huh?"
"Yeah..."
Even though it wasn't his experience, Kyousuke couldn't help but feel sorry for Mitsuha.
Mitsuha, you've really been through a lot.
Kyousuke finally understood why Mitsuha had written in her notes to get back at Minami Manaka.
He could imagine the humiliation of performing on stage while her classmates mocked her from below.
Good thing they didn't swap bodies that day.
If Kyousuke had to endure that, he might've wanted to erase everyone's memory just to survive.
"You've really had it rough."
Kyousuke looked at Mitsuha body with genuine empathy.
Yukino was slightly confused by the odd phrasing but brushed it off, assuming Mitsuha was just trying to suppress the embarrassing memory.
"Mitsuha, if you ever need someone to talk to, you can come to me."
Yukino leaned forward and gently held Mitsuha's hands resting on her lap.
Kyousuke froze.
He'd never experienced someone else holding his hands like this. It had always been him holding others' hands.
He stiffened for a moment before forcing a grateful smile.
"Thank you, sensei. You're really kind."
As they left the school, the unfamiliar sights of the small town caught their attention. At a crossroads, they parted ways.
Meanwhile, in another part of Japan... Tokyo, in a small apartment.
Miyamizu Mitsuha was rudely awakened by the vibration of a phone.
She reached out blindly but froze, remembering the pain from falling off the bed last time.
Opening her eyes, the dimly lit room tempted her to go back to sleep.
His grades are good anyway... Skipping morning classes won't hurt, right?
Just as Mitsuha was about to drift back to sleep—
'Buzz, buzz, buzz!'
"Ugh! Fine, I'm up!"
Annoyed, she grabbed the phone and silenced the alarm. But the moment the screen turned dark, she was startled by the reflection of Kyousuke's fierce, murderous eyes.
'What the heck?!'
Though the reflection quickly disappeared, Mitsuha couldn't shake the eerie feeling.
She turned on the front camera and stared at the unfamiliar yet handsome face staring back at her.
So cool...
She couldn't help but smile, and the reflection's eyes softened with warmth.
'No, no! Now's not the time to admire his face!'
Mitsuha forced herself to make an angry expression.
'Woah! Scary!'
Watching Kyousuke's face instantly turn menacing, Mitsuha finally understood why he was the leader of delinquents.
If Yotsuba saw this, she'd definitely cry on the spot.
After playing around with various expressions, Mitsuha finally got dressed.
Of course, before that, she thoroughly admired Kyousuke's perfectly sculpted muscles.
Absolutely nothing inappropriate happened!
Blushing, Mitsuha emerged from the bathroom and noticed a stack of manuscripts on the low table.
"Battle Through the XX?"
What is this?
Mitsuha grabbed some bread and milk from the cabinet, as Kyousuke had instructed in his notes, and began flipping through the papers.
Why are these just outlines? Where's the rest of the story?
The incomplete but fascinating storylines frustrated her.
If you're not going to write it, why not just write about our story? The tale of a shrine maiden from a remote village and a Tokyo delinquent boss.
Wait, no... Not a countryside girl. A sacred shrine maiden!
Grinning mischievously, Mitsuha picked up a pen and began writing on a fresh sheet of paper.
Time flew by.
"Perfect!"
Miyamizu Mitsuha capped the pen and picked up the sheet of paper filled with her writing, a satisfied smile spreading across her face.
But before she could enjoy the moment further, her phone suddenly rang.
"Hojou, aren't you coming to school today?" — Kisaki Tetta
Hmm?
Seeing the unfamiliar names on the screen, Mitsuha paused, then suddenly sprang to her feet.
'Oh no! I'm really late!'
Without bothering to reply to the message, she grabbed Kyousuke bag and dashed out the door.
It felt so easy not having to do her hair!
Even though Kyousuke hair looked a bit messy running full speed, her spirits were so high, it was almost unbelievable.
Meanwhile, at the school, Kisaki Tetta, already in the middle of morning study, glanced at the empty seat next to him and couldn't help but smile with satisfaction.
Finally, my big brother is acting like a proper delinquent.
With him out of the picture, there's no way anyone can stop me from taking first place in the final exams!
As Mitsuha reached the building's entrance, she spotted the sleek black motorcycle, and a mischievous thought crossed her mind.
Over the past few days, while being 'Kyousuke,' a few vague memories had surfaced in her mind, one of them being the idea: learn to ride a motorcycle!
Though Kyousuke had a scooter that was perfect for beginners, she decided to play it safe.
Instead, she borrowed an electric tricycle from Mrs. Kobayashi, the elderly shopkeeper next door.
After all, didn't people say tricycles were harder to ride than motorcycles?
If she could master riding one of those, motorcycles would be a piece of cake!
Confident in her newfound "motorcycle expertise," Mitsuha hesitated for a moment before deciding not to risk Kyousuke's life.
With that, she turned and sprinted toward the subway station.
...
What Mitsuha didn't know was that the world she once knew as her familiar 'protector' was quietly beginning to change.