Chapter 124 - The Next Morning, and a Tale of Swapped Bodies
“I never thought we’d be doing this again.”
I’m good at taking bras off, but I have no idea how to put one on. Fam had to help me get dressed. Mash-kun hadn’t been able to give himself a full wash with water magic. Fam and I had wiped ourselves down as best we could, but I still felt unpleasantly sticky, as if I were still covered in semen. According to Shizuka, the swap would last for a day. That meant I’d be spending the rest of the day in Mizuki’s body. I wanted to stay like this forever. It was a shame it had to end.
“What do you think, Mash-kun?” I asked, referring to our switched bodies.
“I… Well, I mean, if this is what you want, Mizuki-chan… but I’m not confident I can control the urge to embrace other girls.”
Mash-kun’s answer was worrying. He was a dangerous guy. But for now, the wildness he’d shown from last night through this morning had subsided, as if a great weight had been lifted from him. Deep down, he really was Mizuki.
“If you ever want to switch again, I can cast it for you,” Shizuka offered with a smile.
Today’s plan was to go to the church and have Maira heal Shizuka of her venereal disease. After that, we’d head to Marmie’s place to celebrate her birthday. When we stepped outside the inn, the sun looked strangely yellow.
“Ah, that takes me back. The morning after I’d had sex all night, the sun always stung my eyes,” Shizuka said, her voice and gaze full of nostalgia, like she was reminiscing about a fond memory from her youth.
Just as I could only seem to talk about perverted things, I wondered if Shizuka was only capable of talking about sex.
The inn was on the north side of Heilong, close to the port. The church was nearer to the city center. The road to the church was lined with street stalls, but the morning market seemed to be winding down, with some vendors already packing up. Mash-kun and I hadn’t eaten breakfast, so we bought two salt-grilled fish on skewers from a stall and ate them together.
“It still feels like something’s moving around inside me.”
“Mizuki-chan, you’re a girl now, so you shouldn’t say things like that in public. And please, try to eat a little more elegantly.”
At Mash-kun’s urging, I took small, delicate bites of the fish.
“My crotch feels… breezy.”
“You know, it’s a lot of work trying to get the attention of someone you like,” Mash-kun said.
“Right. After the church, let’s buy everyone some new clothes. Shizuka’s outfit is kind of… gross.”
“Don’t call them gross!”
Shizuka protested, but she was wearing a sailor uniform, which meant she’d had it since before she was transferred. It was pretty worn out. I wondered if she was poor despite selling her body. I was curious about her circumstances.
“Mash-kun, you can pick out the clothes. And you can use Mash-kun’s money.”
“Why do I have to…? Oh, right. It’s Mash’s money, so it’s fine,” Mash-kun said with a nod.
When we met Maira at the church, she gave Fam, who was standing beside me, a puzzled look. Then she moved to Mash-kun’s side and stuck to him like glue.
“Maira, why are you fawning all over Mash-kun? It’s kind of creeping me out.”
“…Mash-kun? Mizuki, why are you talking like Mash? And Fam, why are you…”
Maira trailed off as she finally noticed Shizuka. I, too, had forgotten that I was supposed to be Mizuki-chan.
“And who might this be?”
“Ciao! I’m Shizuka. I’m Mash’s sex friend! Nice to meetcha,” she declared.
Maira’s eyebrow twitched, but her beaming smile never faltered.
“Mash, who is this person?”
“She’s a prostitute from the entertainment district across the river.”
At those words, Maira’s eyebrow twitched again, just slightly. Her plastered-on smile was terrifying.
“A prostitute… a sex friend… Fam, Mizuki, why would you let someone like this near Mash…?”
“Sister, I told Master to leave her behind, but he wouldn’t listen to me,” Fam said, offering a rare excuse. She must have found the emotion behind Maira’s smile just as frightening as I did.
“From the looks of it, you’re Mash’s sex friend too, right?” Shizuka asked innocently. She had to be provoking her on purpose. I hadn’t realized it last night, but it was crystal clear now.
“Excuse me, I seem to have forgotten my mace. I’ll be right back to retrieve it.”
Maira, still smiling, actually started to turn and leave, so I rushed to stop her.
“Wait, Maira! Shizuka’s just a little messed up in the head from having too much sex. Besides, she has an STD. Mash-kun will pay, so I need you to heal her.”
“Why should I have to for someone like…? Oh, right. It’s Mash’s money, so it’s fine,” Mash-kun said.
“Hmph! In that case, the fee is one thousand gold coins!”
“W-Wait, Maira, that’s way too expensive! Besides, she’s a transfer. She doesn’t even know where her partner is. We can’t just let her die from a disease.”
Maira’s smile vanished. She stared at me, her gaze intense.
“Mizuki, why do you keep taking Mash’s side? Doesn’t it bother you that he brought someone like this here? And the way you and Fam are standing so close to Mash is strange… you sound just like him…”
“J-Just heal her, please. We can talk after that.”
“…You say she’s a transfer, and if that’s what you want, Mizuki, then I suppose I have no choice. But she’s a prostitute. Unless she stops, she’ll just get sick again, won’t she? There is medicine to prevent it, but it’s not one hundred percent effective. There’s no point in treating her.”
“There’s medicine? Why didn’t you take it?” I asked Shizuka, turning to her.
“The shop owner gave it to me, but I kept forgetting… It makes my head feel all fuzzy.”
“That’s better than dying from a disease…”
“But I don’t think I can stop selling my body. I love sex more than a good meal!” Shizuka declared. What would it take to make her stop?
“I have no intention of stopping you from doing what you love. I will not heal you, so please, feel free to die,” Maira said, her terrifying smile returning.
“Fine! Then until I find Ko-kun, I’ll only do it with Mash. Morning, noon, and night. Three times after every meal.”
“““Absolutely not!””” Mash-kun, Fam, and Maira all shouted in unison. Maira looked at Mash-kun in surprise.
“Mash? Isn’t that Mizuki’s line to say? Why have you been letting her do all the talking?”
“Huh? Oh, uh… because I’m Mizuki…” Mash-kun shot me a desperate look, pleading for help.
“Shizuka, I won’t sleep with you. I swore an oath to Fam.”
“That doesn’t count! She made you kneel and forced you to say it! Besides, it’s weird to think that the desire for sex and romantic feelings have to be connected!”
“Hmph! They are connected. You can only do it with someone you love!” Fam retorted.
“That’s so shallow! My love transcends the physical! That’s why it’s eternal!”
“…” Shizuka’s words left Fam speechless.
“Besides, it’s totally unfair that Mash gets to have a bunch of girlfriends and sleep with them while those girls aren’t allowed to sleep with anyone else. You know it’s true, don’t you?”
“…You can say that, but Ko-kun left you because he didn’t like that attitude of yours, didn’t he? First, you need to face your own reality.”
When I said that, Shizuka’s cheeks puffed out.
“Who cares who I sleep with? You want to do it with me too, don’t you, Mash?”
As I searched for a reply, Fam stepped in front of me.
“I understand. In the grand scheme of our journey together, the times Master and I have held each other are but small moments. But I want to believe. I want to believe that Master and I are connected on a deep, truly profound level… even if it’s just a fantasy. Your feelings, on the other hand, belong only to you. You aren’t connected to anyone, are you? It might be love, but you can’t say you are in love with anyone. Please. Do not interfere with us.”
Her words carried an indescribable power. Shizuka looked like she wanted to argue, but she hesitated, then closed her mouth.
“Have Mash and Mizuki been broken this whole time? In any case, if Mash wishes for her to be treated, I will speak with the bishop of this church. But please, consider this a one-time offer. God performs miracles for those who strive to overcome their own mistakes. Also, if Mash agrees to meet with the bishop, her treatment will be free of charge.”
Maira said, though it was clear she was completely against the idea.
“Fine. Just get her treated. We can figure out the rest after that’s done.”
“I have to meet the bishop? Y-You’ve got to be kidding me!” Mash-kun yelped in panic.
“I’m counting on you, Mash-kun,” I said, driving the point home.
“Why does Mizuki keep answering?”
“So you’ve finally noticed. Indeed, it is I, Mash,” I replied, my voice filled with the pride of a master pleased with his student’s growth. Maira blinked her eyes wide.
“…You’re teasing me, aren’t you? It’s not fair, the two of you whispering and having fun! Fine! I’ll become Mash too!”
It seemed she wasn’t going to believe that we had actually swapped bodies.
Maira led Mash-kun and Shizuka away, leaving Fam and me alone. I sat down on a chair to relax, took out my phone, and studied my reflection.
“Damn, this girl really is beautiful. Flawless from every angle. Fam, help me out. I want to take an ugly picture of her.”
“Master…”
Though she looked exasperated, she agreed to help. I had her take a picture of me pushing my nose up with my finger.
“Ah, please wait a moment. I think I pressed the wrong button.”
Fam seemed to be struggling with the phone’s controls. It was a little different from my own phone, which she was used to. I leaned in to help her and saw that she had opened the messaging app.
[Yuuki-senpai: Today’s date was fun.]
[--: Thank you. I had fun, too.]
[Yuuki-senpai: Let’s go again!]
[--: Yes, please ask me anytime!]
“…”
My mind went completely blank. I remembered now that when we first met, Mizuki had hinted at having a guy she was close to. But what the hell was this ‘Yuuki’? His name was only one character off from Mizuki’s, like they were some cutesy couple. I was furious, but I had nowhere to direct my anger. This Yuuki was part of her old life. I was Mizuki’s boyfriend now. Or rather, I was Mizuki. But the more I thought that, the more the jealousy coiled in my gut.
“I’m going to ruin their relationship… I’ll schedule that ugly picture to send. The moment Mizuki returns to her world, her phone will connect to the network and send it right to his phone.”
As I said that, I realized Fam was staring at me. I felt a hot flush of embarrassment for letting my jealousy show so openly.
“Master… if I told you I had someone like that, would you feel the same way…?”
“Y-You… you do?!”
I could hear my own heart pounding, could feel how flustered I was. She quickly waved her hands in front of her.
“No, I don’t! There is only you, Master. It will always be only you.”
She placed a hand over her heart. Her words were enough to calm me down. I couldn’t rely on her feelings like this. I had to ensure that her world would go on, even if something happened to me. The same went for Mizuki. No matter what, I had to protect them.
“Could this person, Yuuki, be the same Yuuki who attacks transfers?” Fam asked, changing the subject. I decided to go along with it.
“It’s possible, but there are tons of people named Yuuki back in our world. And if it was him, wouldn’t Mizuki have been transferred here with him?”
I thought about it, but there wasn’t enough information to draw any conclusions. There were no pictures of her with a boy in her photo album, but there might be a picture of Yuuki somewhere. If I showed it to Hyakka, she could confirm it. But I didn’t feel like asking Mizuki about it. It occurred to me then that her bag from our old world was in my storage. Her student handbook was inside it. This was just to see if I could find a picture of Yuuki’s face, that was all. It definitely wasn’t jealousy. I repeated that to myself as I opened the handbook and saw a photo sticker on the inside cover.
“That’s Mizuki’s father… The other person isn’t Mizuki, is she? Her mother, perhaps? They have a similar air about them.”
Fam, who had been peering over my shoulder, commented. All the tension drained out of me. Would a high school girl really put a picture of her parents in her student handbook? Maybe she was a truly serious student. Or maybe her family situation was a bit unusual.
“Fam, let’s pretend we never saw these messages. I’m going to forget them.”
“Yes, Master.”
I quietly closed the messaging app.
Thank you for reading. To everyone who has liked, bookmarked, and rated this story, your support is a great encouragement. I am also very grateful for the typo corrections.