Hojou Kyousuke woke up to the intense sunlight shining directly into his eyes.
He felt on the verge of a mental breakdown—how many days has he been woken up by the sun now!?
Sitting up in frustration, he glanced at his wrinkled clothes.
'Why didn't I take my clothes off before sleeping again?'
Wait… why did I say "again"?
That's right, two days ago... or was it yesterday?
Kyousuke realized something was off with his memory.
Yesterday, he seemed to have gone to the countryside, and there was even a girl...
He could recall some blurry images, but as he tried to think back, they vanished completely.
But then he remembered.
Yesterday, he must have swapped bodies with a girl, and once he returned to his own body, he lost all memory of the exchange.
Right, the memo.
Although his memories were gone, Kyousuke had made a note in his phone's memo app.
He had planned to jot down everything that happened after the body swap, so that the girl—who had swapped bodies with him—could understand the situation.
'She'll probably do the same thing when she reads my memo, right?' Kyousuke thought, uncertain as he opened the memo.
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"I'm Miyamizu Mitsuha."
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That's it. Nothing else.
Kyousuke was at a loss for words.
'That's it?'
He checked the last memo, where he had meticulously prepared information about his life—his food, living arrangements, and routine—all for the girl who used his body.
'God, I can smell grilled meat all over me.'
'How did she fall asleep like that? Did she want to dream about it?'
'Sigh... it's fine. She's a beautiful girl, I'll let it slide.'
Kyousuke took off his school uniform and tossed it in the laundry, then headed to the bathroom for a shower.
Since he woke up earlier than usual, he had plenty of time and decided to make himself breakfast.
He took out a pre-sliced piece of tenderloin from the fridge, cooked it to medium-rare, and paired it with black pepper sauce from the convenience store downstairs—simple but tasty.
While eating, he checked his inbox for messages from the previous day.
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"Hojou-kun, are you not coming for dinner tonight?" — Okudera Miki
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Kyousuke had considered this situation when writing the memo.
He wanted the girl who swapped bodies with him, Miyamizu Mitsuha, to handle this on her own.
He was concerned that Miki might notice something was off, but he didn't want to micromanage Mitsuha either.
In his memo to Mitsuha, Kyousuke didn't tell her exactly what to do.
He simply provided information that would help her understand his life better and use his body effectively.
It wasn't a "life guide," but more like a "Hojou Kyousuke user manual."
'I've given you the info.'
'It's up to you what to do with it.' He thought.
'Just like when I was in Itomori, Mitsuha wouldn't just knock that guy, Shunya, down.'
'But if she asked me not to do something like that, next time, I'd strike back even harder.'
In any case, Kyousuke didn't feel like he had the right to ask Mitsuha to do anything for him.
'Anyway, Mitsuha will be able to see the message.'
'If she wants to go, she can make it.'
'But should I find a couple of part-time jobs and schedule them for the days Mitsuha uses my body?'
'That way, I can enjoy time in Itomori with Yukino-sensei, while Mitsuha can earn some money. It would solve my financial issues and keep her occupied.'
Kyousuke chuckled at the thought, then quickly dismissed it.
'Better not make things difficult for that poor girl.'
He replied to Miki simply:
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"I had something come up last night, but I'll definitely be back for dinner tonight."
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"Got it. Should I change the menu?" — Okudera Miki
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Kyousuke was surprised by how quickly Miki replied. 'Isn't she supposed to be asleep?'
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"No need. How are you already awake, Okudera-senpai?" Kyousuke asked.
"It's not that early. I already finished my morning run. You didn't just wake up, did you?" — Okudera Miki
"Of course not. I'm almost done with breakfast." Kyousuke took a photo of his nearly finished steak and sent it to her.
"That sauce—did you get it from the Family Mart?" Okudera Miki seemed focused on the details.
"Yes."
"I'll bring you a bottle of my homemade sauce tonight. It's perfect with steak. I plan to make it the signature dish at the restaurant I want to open after graduation."
Kyousuke remembered that Miki had mentioned opening a small restaurant, so he replied with a smile: "Sounds great! As an investor, I can't wait to try your cooking."
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Meanwhile, in Miki's apartment.
As Miki had said, she had just finished her morning run and was now wearing a light sports tank top, doing some body-slimming exercises on her yoga mat.
Sweat dripped down her long neck, glided over her collarbone, and disappeared into the deep valley of her chest.
For girls with a flat chest like Miki, chest exercises were essential, as they helped create a subtle cleavage.
And for someone as naturally gifted as Miki, a little chest training would help prevent sagging and make her look more upright.
If Kyousuke were there, he might be more interested in the "sauce" than in the steak.
Although Miki was still doubtful that Kyousuke would invest in her somewhat unrealistic dream, hearing him say so made her happy.
'Women are dreamers at heart.'
'Often, they don't care what men do, but they love to immerse themselves in the beautiful fantasies men create for them.'
Kyousuke's words expressed support for her dream, and that was enough for her.
They exchanged a few more jokes before Kyousuke had to leave for school.
Miki reluctantly ended the chat.
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Kyousuke still had some other messages from other girls, but there was no time to reply.
He put his plate in the sink to soak and decided to clean it later.
Cycling to school, he met with Shouko before class to confirm their plans to visit Shibuya on Saturday, with Shouko's sister, Nishimiya Yuzuru, joining them.
Another day of hard studying.
Kyousuke didn't know that during his time at Itomori, he wasn't wasting his class time either.
He had been studying Japanese, geography, and history with enthusiasm, but once he returned to his body, all of it was forgotten.
At least today, he remembered this.
It seemed like when he next swapped bodies, he shouldn't try to study. He'd treat it like a vacation instead.
After school, he went to the Kendo Club and noticed that the members were looking at him with a bit of fear.
Curious, he asked Kisaki Tetta what was going on.
"Didn't you scold them yesterday?" Kisaki Tetta asked.
"Eh?"
"Yesterday, they asked you to teach them some advanced techniques, and you said their basics were too weak, so you made them do 300 swings as punishment."
"Oh… right. I totally forgot."
Kyousuke couldn't help but laugh inwardly.
'Miyamizu Mitsuha is pretty competent after all.'
He walked to the center of the dojo and clapped his hands.
The club members quickly gathered around.
"Just like the nickname you gave me, the only sword technique I know is the 'cutting hand.' If you want to learn, I'll teach you."
The members exchanged glances, unsure why their leader, who had just criticized their basics, was suddenly offering to teach them.
Kyousuke knew Mitsuha had said that to handle the members' requests.
In reality, the Kendo Club had solid basics.
During the national high school Kendo competition two years ago, they didn't win, but they did earn a respectable rank.
Today, Kyousuke was here to clean up the mess Mitsuha left behind.