"Yu, you… you're not joking, right?"
Mortis hurriedly spoke up.
"This is a trivial matter. There's no reason for me to joke about it," Asai Yu replied calmly.
"Trivial…? Switching the primary personality is trivial…?"
Mortis muttered under her breath.
At that moment, she suddenly felt a scrutinizing gaze coming from beside her.
She turned her head and saw Wakaba Mutsumi looking at her with a cold, detached expression.
Eh—can we reconcile?
No, wait. After things have gone this far, how could Mutsumi possibly reconcile with her?!
It's over. Is she really going to die here today?
No, no, absolutely not.
"Yu, um… could you let me handle the other twelve hours as the primary personality?"
Mortis asked tentatively, desperately trying to salvage the situation. "I swear I'll manage this body's daily life properly!"
"No."
"Then… could you at least take me with you?"
"No."
As those words fell, the experience time ended, and Asai Yu left the body.
It's over…
Why is she the only one who's this unlucky?
Mortis collapsed to the ground, limp like a puppet with its strings cut.
On Wakaba Mutsumi's side, she realized that she had suddenly returned to her body.
Although she had gradually grown accustomed to life as a sub-personality, she still very much enjoyed the feeling of regaining control as the primary personality.
For example, she could now freely decide the fate of the fence-sitting Mortis—whether she stayed or left.
After readjusting herself, Wakaba Mutsumi returned once more to the personality space.
This time, she came with absolute authority.
She's gone… she really is gone…
Mortis lowered her head, her eyes shadowed by despair.
Then she looked up and met Wakaba Mutsumi's icy expression, instantly breaking out in a cold sweat.
"Mutsumi being back as the primary personality is really great! I'm honestly so happy!"
As she spoke, Mortis stood up and moved closer with a broad smile, clinging to the green-haired girl's arm.
Seeing this, Wakaba Mutsumi let out a cold "hmph" and mercilessly shook her off.
But Mortis, refusing to give up, shamelessly stuck close again.
"Mutsumi, I know I was wrong. We're still good sisters, right? So… could you maybe not kill me?"
Wakaba Mutsumi frowned slightly, thinking for a few seconds.
Then she snapped her fingers.
The next moment, a rope suddenly extended from the darkness covering the ceiling, tightly binding Mortis in a complex knot and hoisting her into the air, leaving her completely unable to move.
"Mutsumi… what is this?"
Mortis realized she couldn't move even a finger and swallowed nervously.
"This is your punishment," Wakaba Mutsumi replied flatly. "Honestly, I don't need you anymore. But Yu didn't do that before, so neither will I."
"Reflect properly while you're here."
With that, Wakaba Mutsumi left the personality space.
Thank goodness—she survived!
Mortis let out a long sigh of relief.
Looks like she can't afford to be a fence-sitter anymore.
Even though she couldn't move right now, she could still see the images on the small TV.
Mutsumi was writing something:
Yu once stayed in Sakiko's body for a period of time.
When Yu comes, it lasts for twelve hours.
Yu is proficient in piano and guitar.
…
Yu's gender…
At that point, Wakaba Mutsumi paused her pen, lacking an answer for now.
Still, given Yu's personality, she felt that Yu seemed closer to a boy.
Of course, whether Yu was male or female didn't really matter to her—the important thing was that gender might be a way to filter possibilities and find Yu.
After organizing all the clues, Wakaba Mutsumi's desire no longer stopped at Yu merely controlling the body for twelve hours.
She wanted to meet the real Yu.
Seeing this information, Mortis felt her heart skip a beat.
So Yu's identity was another Sakiko all along?!
She hadn't noticed it before.
And this version of Mutsumi—so serious and focused—was something she'd rarely seen before. It was genuinely terrifying.
On the other side, Asai Yu returned to his own body.
He opened LINE on his phone and checked his messages.
By sheer coincidence, Misumi Hatsune had just sent a message saying she had already arrived downstairs at his apartment building.
She actually came. He had thought she would use work as an excuse to back out.
There's no way she came just to hang out, right? There's probably something else going on.
Asai Yu speculated.
He went downstairs and met the blonde girl.
"Asai-kun, long time no see," Misumi Hatsune said, taking off her sunglasses as she greeted him.
Today's Asai-kun felt a little different from before.
There was a kind of presence that made her want to draw closer—like plants instinctively leaning toward the sun.
And the feeling was very strong.
If only she could stay by his side a little longer…
Misumi Hatsune was startled by the sudden thought that crossed her mind and immediately forced it out of her head.
She was just here to hang out with Asai-kun—and to discuss a few things. Why would she think something like that?
At that moment, Asai Yu's voice pulled her back to reality. "Yeah, it's been a while."
After a brief pause, Misumi Hatsune continued, "Um… have you eaten yet?"
"Not yet," Asai Yu answered honestly.
Hearing that, Misumi Hatsune's face brightened. "Perfect, neither have I. Let's eat together—I'll treat."
Asai Yu had no reason to refuse.
The two of them found a yakiniku place and had a hearty meal together.
Naturally, Misumi Hatsune paid.
After that, she took him to a planetarium to watch an astronomy video.
This time was much better than the last visit. Perhaps someone had given feedback—the astronomical knowledge in the visuals had all been updated to the latest version, with no obvious mistakes.
After leaving the venue, Misumi Hatsune checked the time. It was already 8:30 p.m.
The last Shinkansen would depart in an hour.
She needed to catch it.
Thinking about that, she couldn't help but feel a little down.
Right—she still hadn't asked Asai-kun about the song.
Misumi Hatsune was just about to speak when her phone suddenly received a notification: the train she was supposed to take had broken down and was temporarily suspended!
There was no clear time for resumption. It might be delayed until tomorrow, and she was advised to change or refund her ticket.
"Huh? How could this…" Misumi Hatsune exclaimed in surprise.
"What's wrong?" Asai Yu asked.
"The train back is suspended because of a malfunction. I probably can't go back tonight," Misumi Hatsune said, putting away her phone.
"Do you have work tomorrow morning or afternoon?"
"Not really."
"Then why don't you come over to my place for now and see how things develop?" Asai Yu suggested.
After all, she had come all this way to see him—letting her leave without even stepping into his place felt wrong.
"Is that okay? Then I'll be intruding!"
Hearing that she was going to Asai Yu's home, Misumi Hatsune felt a sudden surge of interest.
She wondered what Asai-kun's everyday life was like.