68 A Small Town Like Itomori Has... [50 PS]

"Hey, Miyamizu!"

The voice came from a boy wearing the same school uniform as Hojou Kyousuke, standing next to two girls.

"Good morning," Kyousuke greeted with a polite smile, assuming the boy must be someone Miyamizu Mitsuha knew.

"Oh?"

"The town mayor's daughter and the construction company president's son—such close friends, huh?" the boy sneered, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

Huh?

Was that sarcasm?

It had been a long time since anyone dared to speak to Kyousuke like that.

Although the boy's words were aimed at Mitsuha, the one inhabiting this body now was none other than the strongest delinquent in Tokyo.

The smile on Kyousuke's face vanished instantly.

Without saying a word, he walked past the boy.

Thinking he had successfully struck a nerve, the boy chuckled along with the two girls beside him.

Both Natori Sayaka and Teshigawara Katsuhiko, Mitsuha's friends, exchanged worried glances.

They knew how sensitive Mitsuha was about her relationship with her estranged father.

Just as Kyousuke brushed by, he suddenly shifted his weight, slamming his shoulder into the boy's chest—hard.

The boy stumbled back, landing flat on his butt with a loud thud.

"Shunya!" one of the girls cried out.

"Haha, Shunya! Did you forget how to walk or what?" Teshigawara snickered, clearly enjoying the payback.

Sayaka tried to hold back her laughter, covering her mouth with both hands.

Kyousuke simply rolled his shoulder with a smug smirk.

Basic operation.

Though Mitsuha's body wasn't as strong as his own, with proper technique, even a delicate girl could send a guy like that flying.

"Mitsuha!"

A stern voice cut through the commotion.

It was Miyamizu Toshiki, the current town mayor—and Mitsuha's estranged father—interrupting his campaign speech.

Kyousuke turned his head.

He had no idea how Mitsuha usually dealt with her father, so he played it safe. He offered a small smile and gave a polite bow.

Toshiki's eyes widened, visibly caught off guard.

'She... smiled at me?' 

For years, Mitsuha had only glared at him with resentment.

This was the first time she had acknowledged him with anything resembling kindness.

He stood frozen, microphone in hand, completely forgetting his speech as Kyousuke walked away with Mitsuha's friends.

"Mitsuha! That was so cool!" Sayaka gushed once they were out of earshot.

"Shunya's face when he fell—priceless!"

Kyousuke chuckled, rolling his sore shoulder.

Even with perfect form, Mitsuha's smaller body wasn't built for shoulder tackles.

"Basic operation," he muttered.

"Huh? What's that mean?" Teshigawara asked.

"It's... nothing," Kyousuke brushed off, quickly realizing he'd used slang from his own world.

By the time they reached the school, Kyousuke had a clearer grasp of his new surroundings.

The town of Itomori was nestled around a massive lake, with mountains stretching along the horizon.

It was small—too small to have more than one school.

The building itself housed both middle and high school students, with Itomori High School on one side and Itomori Middle School on the other.

Inside the classroom, Kyousuke instinctively headed for the last seat by the window—the classic protagonist spot—only to realize his mistake.

Wait... this isn't Higashi.

However, when Sayaka plopped down beside him without a word, Kyousuke figured he'd made the right guess.

The first period was Japanese literature, taught by none other than Yukino Yukari—another protagonist with a glowing name tag above her head.

Two protagonists in such a small town?

What was this, a crossover episode?

Yukari-sensei was absolutely stunning, with delicate features and short, neatly-trimmed hair.

Her warm smile exuded both elegance and gentleness.

Even in this rural backwater, she carried herself like she belonged on a magazine cover.

Kyousuke half-listened to her lecture on ancient poetry while flipping through Mitsuha's notebooks.

Her handwriting was tidy, with different colored pens and cute little doodles.

Compared to his own chicken scratch, Mitsuha's notes looked more like a bullet journal than classwork.

"Miyamizu-san."

The sound of his borrowed name broke through his thoughts.

"Miyamizu-san?"

"Miyamizu-san—"

'Oh, that's me.' 

Kyousuke abruptly stood up, earning a few giggles from his classmates.

Yukari-sensei's smile remained patient. "Can you tell us what tawamure means?"

Luckily, Mitsuha's meticulous notes had the answer highlighted with a tiny star.

"It means... twilight. The time when the boundaries between worlds blur."

Yukari-sensei nodded approvingly.

"Well done. That's why they call it the magic hour—a fleeting moment when the world becomes uncertain, and the gods might walk among us."

Kyousuke's mind buzzed.

'Magic hour, huh...'

Was that what caused their body-swapping?

Or was it the ancient rituals Mitsuha's family still practiced at the shrine?

He was about to jot down the theory in Mitsuha's notebook—

Until he remembered.

Even if he wrote something down, the memories of this day would vanish the moment they swapped back.

At lunchtime, Yukari-sensei called him to the staff room.

Kyousuke followed, trying to maintain Mitsuha's usual mannerisms.

As soon as they were alone, Yukari-sensei leaned in with a conspiratorial smile.

"You've been... different lately, haven't you?"

Kyousuke's heart skipped a beat.

'Shit... Did she notice?'

Before he could answer, Yukari-sensei reached into her desk drawer and pulled out a small packet of sweets.

"Here. For your little sister."

Kyousuke blinked.

Was this Mitsuha's daily routine?

Or had his more polite attitude won him unexpected bonus points?

After school, Kyousuke walked home alone, still trying to process everything.

With the sun sinking behind the mountains, the lake glimmered in orange and gold—the very definition of tawamure.

That night, he left a new note in Mitsuha's phone:

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"I'm Hojou Kyousuke. I think we're swapping bodies."

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He hesitated, then added:

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"P.S. Your dad seems like kind of an asshole. But your little sister is cute."

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As he set the phone down and tucked into bed, a mischievous smile played across his borrowed lips.

Tomorrow would be another day as Miyamizu Mitsuha.

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