Archive of Our Own

Ring! Ring! Ring! 

Shiho stirs and groans into her pillow. Groggily sitting up, she turns to the alarm clock beside her mattress and slams her hand on it, bringing back a peaceful silence. 

With one hand rubbing her eyes, Shiho lifts the alarm clock up so she can get a better look at the time. 

“5.30 a.m.?? Why’s it set so early?,” she murmurs, and turns the tiny knobs at the back to reset it. With that, she sets the clock back down and promptly goes back to sleep. 

Except, Shiho doesn't actually go to sleep. 

She sits up straight, her mind much more awake. 

“Wait a minute,” she mumbles. “I don't use an alarm clock.”

Shiho looks down at the tatami floor, which was directly beneath her. “And I don't sleep on a futon,” she mutters as she scratches her head. That’s when she feels something very, very off.

Shiho combs her hands through her hair. Her suddenly long and silky hair. She lifts her hands, staring in shock at the long strands of bluish hair in between her oddly soft fingers. 

“This isn't mine,” she says. Her gaze drifts down to her pajamas. Her… fluffy, green-and-blue striped pajamas? 

Shiho pats down herself, her eyes wide in disbelief. “This isn't mine!”

At that, Shiho pauses. Is her voice different? For a second, Shiho could've sworn it was her sister talking-

She freezes. Realization hits. The futon, the hair, the pajamas, the voice. Shiho’s eyes quickly dart around the room, panic and confusion bubbling up inside her stomach. 

This isn't her bedroom either. 

Shiho jumps to her feet, and already she's starting to feel weird. She feels tall; a bit too tall. Her long hair flutters about as Shiho hastily stumbles towards the cloaked mirror in her sister’s room. She rips off the cloth and is immediately greeted by her reflection. 

Shiho's jaw slacks. And very soon, an ear-piercing scream echoes throughout the house.

Shizuku slowly flutters her eyes open, and sits up with a long stretch. She raises her arms up to the ceiling as she tilts her body from side to side. Then, she stands up on her bed, a slight smile on her face. It's the start of another great day. 

She takes a step forward, and falls off the bed onto the floor.

“Ow.”

Pushing herself off the floor, Shizuku shakes her head and glances back at her bed. To her surprise, what she sees isn't a futon on the floor. Instead, she sees a thick mattress on a wooden bedframe. 

“That’s odd,” Shizuku mutters to herself as she stands up on her feet. She glances around the room, slowly realizing that she isn’t even in her own bedroom.

“This is Shii-chan’s bedroom,” Shizuku says, later blinking at herself in bafflement. 

She raises a hand to her throat and sings a few notes. ‘This… isn't my voice either…?’

Feeling very confused, Shizuku looks down at her hands. They've become smaller and calloused. And her pajamas are different too. Then, Shizuku realizes that her head feels lighter. She runs a hand through her hair, shocked to find out that it is much, much shorter. 

“A-am I… Shii-chan?,” she gasps.

Just as Shizuku was about to come to the conclusion that this is all just a dream, she hears a loud scream coming from somewhere else in the house. A scream that sounds a lot like her own voice. 

‘Could that be…?’

Shizuku rushes out of Shiho's bedroom and hurries down the stairs. She dashes across the hallway to the veranda and screeches to a halt in front of the door of her bedroom. She slides it open, illuminating the room with a wave of light. 

The sisters lock eyes, and at that moment, Shizuku is thinking that she HAS to be dreaming. Because the person she's looking at…

Is herself.

“Shii-chan…?,” she breathes. 

“O…onee-chan…,” Shiho gasps, her eyes wide and her hands trembling. “Onee-chan, what's going on? What's happened to us?? WHY is this happening to us???”

“Shii-chan… Shii-chan, please calm down,” Shizuku ushers as she walks over to her. At the same time, Shizuku couldn’t perfectly hide the quiver in her voice. 

Shiho furrows her neatly trimmed eyebrows. “Calm down? Calm down- How can I calm down in a situation like this?! This is- OW!”

Shiho looks at her sister in bewilderment as she rubs the spot on her arm where she had just been rudely pinched. “What was that for??”

“Just to make sure that you aren’t dreaming, Shii-chan,” Shizuku replies. “Or perhaps… the real Shii-chan is still asleep in her own body, and this is all just my dream…”

Without hesitating, Shiho raises a hand and gives her sister a good flick on the forehead. Shizuku yelps and puts a hand to her forehead. She stares up at her little sister in astonishment. 

“Oh my God this really isn’t a dream.”

“EXACTLY!” Feeling uneasy, Shiho starts pacing the room. “How is this even possible? I thought stuff like this only happens in, like, cartoons and anime and… corny movies!”

At that, Shizuku’s face brightens. “That’s it! Shii-chan, do you remember that movie we watched when we were little about two family members switching bodies?”

“You mean ‘Manic Monday’?”

“I thought it was called ‘Tricky Thursday’?”

“Whatever. What’s your point?”

“The mother and daughter switch back once they finally understand each other,” Shizuku explains. “Perhaps we need to do the same.”

Shiho stops pacing the room, and thinks it over for a bit. “I guess that makes sense,” she finally mutters.

Shizuku raises her hands and gestures for Shiho to do the same. Though reluctant, Shiho desperately wanted to get back into her own body, and so she put her hands into her sister’s (well, technically, her own hands). The pair close their eyes, and Shizuku starts it off.

“Shii-chan, you are the world’s most wonderful little sister. Not only are you absolutely adorable in every single way imaginable, you have a lot of strength and determination for your craft, and I really admire that. Even though you may run away from me or push me away sometimes, I will never get mad at you. And I certainly will never stop loving you, Shii-chan.”

At that moment, Shiho is very glad that Shizuku’s eyes are closed and therefore can’t see how red her face has turned. Clearing her throat, Shiho continues. 

“Onee-chan, although you annoy me sometimes, you are still my sister. And I’m always grateful for that. I may not always show it, but I do care for you a lot too. And… I guess it wouldn’t hurt for the two of us to walk to school together more often, or have lunch together at least once a week.”

The two sisters keep that position, their hands together and their eyes closed. But after a while, curiosity starts to bubble, and Shiho takes a small peek. To her dismay, her body is still standing in front of her. 

She lets go and groans, “Argh… It didn’t work!”

Shizuku tilts her head and asks, “But are we still going to have lunch together once a week?”

“Yes- No! That’s not important right now!,” Shiho shoots back. All of a sudden, a shrill ringing fills the room. 

The two girls look down at the alarm clock on the floor. Shizuku bends down to turn it off, while Shiho’s face pales. “Oh right. We still have school…”

“We better start getting ready now,” Shizuku says and turns to leave. Until all of a sudden, a pair of hands grabs her shoulders and pulls her back. 

“We can’t leave the house like this!,” Shiho exclaims. “Look, Mom and Dad are on vacation right now. Which technically means there’s no one pressuring us to go to school.”

Shizuku raises her eyebrows at her sister as her brain begins to connect the dots. “Shii-chan, are you suggesting that we…?”

“Yup! We’re skipping school today!,” Shiho announces. “Now, time to forge some sick letters.”

“Shii-chan, we can’t do that!,” Shizuku says, but Shiho merely gives her a dismissive wave. 

“Sure we can. How hard can it be to write a phony letter?”

The taller girl starts pacing around the bedroom, rummaging through the drawers and cupboards for a blank piece of paper and a pen. She only stops when she sees her sister standing right in front of her. Shiho looks down at Shizuku’s stern expression, which appears even stricter thanks to Shiho’s own physical features. 

“Shii-chan,” she begins, a tone of authority in her voice. “If the school finds out we sent them fake sick letters, we could get into trouble. They might even call Mom and Dad. And if that happens, we’ll have to tell them the truth.”

“We can’t do that. They’ll think we’re crazy!”

“Exactly.”

Shiho frowns, not wanting to admit out loud that her airheaded older sister has a point. “Well, what else do you want us to do?,” she asks.

“I’m afraid there’s only one thing we can do,” Shizuku sighs. “Until we return to our original bodies, we have to pretend to be each other.”

Deflated, Shiho slumps her shoulders as she lets out an exasperated groan. “I was so hoping you wouldn’t say that.”

After taking up some time to change into their uniforms and brief each other on their schedules and mannerisms, Shizuku and Shiho are ready to start the school day. 

“Shii-chan, don't forget the thermos,” Shizuku reminds as she hands her the teal coloured metal bottle. 

Shiho gives her a dubious look. “Isn't that your thermos?”

Shizuku gives her a gentle, patient smile. “No, it's your thermos, onee-chan.”

“O-oh… right,” Shiho mutters and quickly puts the bottle into her school bag. 

Shizuku chuckles, and when she speaks again, her words are carried in such a way that it gives Shiho a sense of uncanniness. 

“You better go now, onee-chan. Otherwise you're going to be late for practice. I'd walk with you but I'm too embarrassed to do so.”

Hearing that last part, Shiho frowns. “Embarrassment isn't why I don't walk with you. I don't walk with you because you stick to me like human Velcro.”

“Oh, and by the way, Shii-chan,” Shizuku says, back to her regular way of speaking. “Try not to frown too much. I don't want to get frown lines.”

The corner of Shiho's eye twitches ever so slightly. “Sure thing,” she mumbles as she makes her way to the door. 

Sliding back into her sister’s personality, Shizuku calls out, “See you later, onee-chan.”

“See ya,” Shiho utters, closing the door behind her. 

With her long hair flowing in the light, morning breeze, Shiho strolls down the various roads and sidewalks on her way to school. For a second, she almost turns down the hallway to the second-year classrooms. Thankfully, she stops herself in time and continues up the stairs, until she reaches the grey doors that lead to the school’s rooftop. 

Shiho takes a quick breath, bracing herself. She plasters on a small smile and pushes the doors open. 

The three idols - Haruka, Minori and Airi - all turn to face her, already in their exercise outfits. “Oh! Good morning, Shizuku-chan!,” the brunette greets with a cheery smile.

“Good morning, Minori-chan,” Shiho greets, trying to maintain the sweetness of her sister’s wispy voice. “I’m sorry I’m late. I had to run home and get something.”

“It’s fine. It’s only been a few minutes,” Airi replies, smiling. “Now, hurry up and go get changed. We’re gonna start soon.”

Shiho nods and shuffles out the doors to the nearest restroom. As she changes into her sister’s exercise clothes, she recalls what Shizuku had told her. 

MORE MORE JUMP! is going to learn a new dance routine today. And Shizuku is the type that picks up these things rather slowly. So, with that logic, Shiho should be okay.

Coming out of the stallroom, Shiho stares at her reflection. But all she sees is her sister. 

‘Don’t worry too much about it,’ she quietly tells herself. ‘I’ll be okay. Wouldn’t I?’

Shizuku saunters down the road to school, much later than usual. After all, Shiho doesn’t have morning practice. While Shizuku has no aversion to practicing, she does find it somewhat freeing that she doesn’t have to attend today. 

“Good morning, Shiho-chan!”

Shizuku turns around at the sound of quick footsteps tip-tapping in her direction. Saki stops right next to her, a wide grin beaming her youthful face. “Hello!”

“Good morning to you too, Saki,” Shizuku greets, careful to maintain the evenness in her sister’s deep voice. 

“You heard that song I sent in the group chat last night right? Do you think we could cover it?,” Saki asks, her voice ringing with excitement. 

“We could try. It’d make for some good practice,” Shizuku answers, as per Shiho’s instructions.

A childish giggle escapes Saki’s lips. “Hehehe! I knew you’d say that, Shiho-chan!” She leans in closer to give her friend a light squeeze.

Shizuku fights every muscle in her body (Shiho’s body, technically) to refrain herself from hugging Saki back. Regretfully, Shizuku gently pushes the blonde off. 

“Okay, enough,” she huffs. “Come on. Let’s get to class already.”

“OK!,” Saki salutes. She walks forward, mostly because Shizuku has purposely slowed her pace. As she follows Saki, she quietly takes note of every turn they make as they walk towards their classroom. She even pauses to see where Saki sits so she would know where her desk was (Shiho had told her it was to the left of Saki’s). 

Shizuku sets her bag on her seat and turns to her friend. “I’m off to check on the rabbits now.”

“Oh, right! You’re on duty today.”

“That’s right. See you later, Saki.”

“See ya, Shiho-chan!”

Shizuku leaves the classroom and makes her way to the back of the school, where the rabbit hutches are. Shiho expressed her worries earlier in the morning, afraid that her sister might get lost on the way. But Shizuku assured her she'd be fine. And she is. 

“Hello everyone,” she greets as she stops in front of the hutch. 

At the sight of her, all the rabbits immediately hop on over to her, gratefully nibbling away at the food in the girl's hands. Shizuku’s eyes widen as her heart fills with an overwhelming sense of warmth. 

“So… so adorable!!,” she quietly squeals so as to not scare the rabbits away. And at that point, Shizuku has lost all composure.

“Oh who's the cute little rabbit? Are you the cute little rabbit? Oh, yes you are. You all are!”

‘No wonder Shii-chan loves this committee so much,’ she thinks to herself, her cheeks already aching from how much she's smiling. As the rabbits continue to chomp at their food, Shizuku wonders, ‘I hope Shii-chan isn’t having a hard time at practice right now.’

“Ahh!”

The three idols stop in their steps as their tall teammate has once again fallen down. 

“Shizuku-chan, are you okay?,” Minori asks, quickly bending down to help her up. 

“I’m… fine. Totally… fine…,” Shiho huffs, unable to feel the air in her lungs.

“Are you sure you're alright?,” Haruka then asks. “That’s the fifth time you've fallen already.”

“Let's take ten. Give ourselves some rest,” Airi suggests.

“Sounds good,” the other girls respond.

Shiho wobbles towards the closest bench and sits down with a grunt, her body aching from the numerous falls she's taken. Her stamina and body coordination wasn't terrible, especially since she's a performer herself. But for the life of her, Shiho could not keep up with all the twirling and the legwork and the sidestepping and… basically everything.

‘How does onee-chan do this every morning?,’ Shiho wonders as she wipes her sweat off her face. 

“Hey.”

Shiho looks up, her eyes meeting with a pair of bright pink ones.

Airi is sitting beside her, holding up a teal thermos. “Here. Drink up, alright?,” Airi tells her, a tender smile on her face. 

Smiling back, Shiho gratefully takes the bottle. “Thanks M- Airi-chan.”

‘Right. I have to be onee-chan right now. I can't drop my guard. Even if I'm really tired right now… Hopefully some refreshing water will help.’

Shiho raises the thermos up to her lips and gulps down the warm liquid. 

And almost immediately she jerks her face away and spits everything out, unintentionally right into Airi’s face. 

Airi blinks in shock and disbelief, while the girl next to her holds a hand over her mouth, coughing and hacking like crazy. 

‘I forgot onee-chan puts miso soup instead of water…,’ Shiho groans, feeling anything but refreshed at the moment. 

“M…Maybe we should just stop here and… continue in the evening,” Haruka stammers while Shiho continues to cough in the background.

Once the rabbits have finished eating, Shizuku washes her hands at a nearby tap station before returning into the building. 

“Alright, I need to go to the second floor,” she mumbles to herself as she goes up the staircase. “And I also remember passing by a fire extinguisher just now… Oh, there it is.” 

Shizuku walks past the fire extinguisher and stops at the classroom right in front of it. But to her surprise, the sign by the door does not read 2-B. 

“Huh?,” Shizuku looks around. “Did I make a wrong turn somewhere?,” she wonders, though she doesn't remember making any turns at all. Nevertheless, Shizuku continues down the hallways, passing by many other classrooms. Though none of them are the one she's supposed to be in. 

‘Where is it?’ Shizuku’s eyes frantically dart across the classroom signs, desperate to find her answer. ‘Oh no, Shii-chan isn't supposed to get lost. I can't be getting lost right now. Where is it? Where is it??’

“Hinomori-san?”

Shizuku spins around. To her relief, she sees two familiar faces standing in front of her. 

“Ah, Har- Kiritani-san,” she breathes, correcting herself at the very last second. “And Minori. What are you both doing here?”

“We've just finished practice, and we're going back to class,” Haruka explains. 

“What about you Shiho-chan?,” Minori inquires. “Are you looking for something?”

Shizuku’s shoulders tense up. ‘Oh no, was it that obvious?’

“Ah, no, I wasn't,” she lies. “I'm going back to class too.”

Before the pair could ask anymore questions, Shizuku turns on her heel and scurries down the hallway. “Bye!”

“Shiho-chan, wait!”

Shizuku freezes and turns around. “Yes?”

With an awkward smile, Haruka points a thumb over her shoulder, in the opposite direction. “Isn't your classroom over there?”

Shizuku’s cheeks immediately turn hot. Flashing an embarrassed smile, she shuffles past the girls. “Oh yes, yes. That's right. Thanks H- Kiritani-san. Thanks Minori-chan.” 

With that, she hurries down the correct path, leaving the two girls standing in the middle of the hallway. 

“Did she call me ‘Minori-chan’?,” Minori wondered aloud. Haruka, meanwhile, quietly held a hand over her chin as her brows furrowed in thought.

“I'm so sorry, Airi-chan. I really didn't mean to do that, honestly!”

Airi laughs and waves a hand as she studies her reflection in the washroom mirror. “Don't worry, Shizuku. It's alright. It's nothing a towel, perfume and some good ol’ makeup can't fix!”

Quietly, Shiho lets out a sigh of relief.

“But… Are you really okay, Shizuku?” The girl’s round eyes glance at her with a sincere, worried look. “You seem really out of it today.”

“I’m fine, Airi-chan,” Shiho answers, plastering another smile. “I just didn’t sleep well last night.”

“Why? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong. It’s just one of those nights.”

Those pink eyes linger on her for another minute before narrowing in a smile. “Alright. You really gave us a fright though back there.”

Airi laughs, and Shiho lets out a chuckle in response. Then, Airi gently slides her hand into hers, and Shiho stiffens up. 

“You know you can tell me if something’s bothering you, right?,” the shorter girl asks, her eyes sparkling with an emotion Shiho can’t quite put her finger on just yet. 

“O-of course, Airi-chan,” she answers, her voice faltering ever so slightly.

Airi smiles. And with that, she walks out of the restroom, her hand still in Shiho’s. “Come on, let’s go.”

“O-okay…,” Shiho mutters. She is starting to feel awkward and slightly embarrassed by the physical touch, but she knows her sister would not mind it one bit, so Shiho swallows her pride and keeps her hand in her senior’s grasp. 

But she definitely can’t ignore that weirdness she felt just now back at the restroom. There was something in the air between them. And that glint in Airi’s eyes… That has to be-

‘Ohh… Oh.’ Shiho’s mind freezes as clarity takes over. How could she forget? How could she have forgotten what is arguably the most important aspect of her sister’s life? Shizuku and Airi…

Are girlfriends.

“By the way, Haruka and Minori will be having lunch with their classmates later,” Airi voices out. She glances up at her, her lips curling into what appears to be a flirty smirk. “You know what that means, right?”

Blinking back to reality, Shiho awkwardly smiles back. “It means… They’re getting along well with their peers?”

Airi’s mouth cracks into a grin, and she giggles. “It means we get to have the entire lunch hour to ourselves, dummy.”

Shiho forces herself to laugh along as her senior gives her a playful nudge. Internally though, she’s curling up into a ball and hoping to shut herself away from everyone and everything. 

‘I knew we should’ve skipped school today…’

Hours pass, and recess arrives with a loud, long ring. Shizuku follows Saki, Ichika and Honami to the courtyard. Since her dear little sister isn’t really much of a talker, Shizuku is able to keep conversation short and light without causing any suspicion. 

So while Saki and Ichika are chatting away, Shizuku quietly opens her bento box and digs into her meal. 

“Oh? Shiho-chan?”

Shizuku turns her attention to the brown-haired girl sitting beside her. “Yes, Honami?”

“Is that tofu?”

“Yes, it is,” she responds. “I- My sister prepared it. It’s quite delicious. Would you like to try some?”

Honami is staring at her, wide-eyed, and so are the other two. For a second, Shizuku’s body tenses. Has she done something wrong again?

“Well, if you don’t mind,” Honami says, which quickly calms Shizuku’s nerves. With a pair of red chopsticks, she carefully picks up a piece of tofu and pops it into her mouth. 

“It really is delicious!,” the girl exclaims. 

“It must be if Shizuku-senpai made it!,” Saki declares, which causes Shizuku to blush a little. Then, the blonde adds, “I’m surprised though, Shiho. I never thought I’d hear you say tofu tastes delicious.”

Shizuku tilts her head. “Huh? Why not?”

All three girls giggle. Ichika later explains, “Come on, Shiho. You hate tofu. Or should we say ‘hated’?”

Shizuku quietly gasps. How could she have forgotten? Apparently she and Shiho had been so busy practicing acting like each other, they forgot about eating like each other!

“So why the sudden change of heart, Shiho-chan?,” Honami inquires, yanking Shizuku back to the present.

“Ah, well… I just decided to give it a chance, that’s all,” she answers, keeping her voice even. And to her fortune, the three young girls don’t throw her any more questions. Instead, the conversation topic shifts to desserts and cafes. 

“I really, really wanna try their ice cream-fruit sundaes… But the place is always so full! Even the line outside is super long!,” Saki is telling them. 

“The waiting time must be forever,” Ichika mutters.

“I know, right?!,” Saki groans.

“If you’re looking for fruit sundaes, I know the perfect place for you, Saki,” Shizuku states. “It’s rather quiet, and a lot of people don’t know about it, so you don’t have to worry about long lines.”

Saki’s sparkling eyes widen, and her mouth slowly curls into a joyous smile. “Really?! That sounds amazing, Shiho-chan! Where is it?”

“I don’t really remember. Hold on, let me search it up.”

Shizuku reaches into the pocket of her hoodie - Shiho’s hoodie - and pulls out the phone. But the moment her eyes fall onto the lockscreen wallpaper, Shizuku feels a sense of dread creeping up on her. 

This isn’t her phone. It’s Shiho’s. That makes sense, since she’s in her body. But the thing is, because it’s not Shizuku’s phone…

Shizuku has no idea how to navigate it. 

Shiho was helpful enough to disable the password lock on her phone so her sister could access the device without problems. But other than that, Shiho didn’t really teach Shizuku how to use it. And Shizuku already has more than enough problems when it comes to using her own phone.

The girl gulps, the tips of her fingers starting to moisten with sweat. ‘Every phone is the same,’ she reasons with herself, hoping to calm her nerves. ‘Everything should be the same.’

Shizuku swipes up on the lockscreen and is taken to the home page. ‘Now I need to go to Maps. Let's see… Oh, this one should be it.’

She taps into the app, but after she does, her eyebrows furrow with confusion. ‘Wait, no… This isn't right. I have to go back.’

She presses a button, but isn't taken back to the home screen. So she presses another button. And another. And another. But it seems that no matter what she does, she just can't get out of the app. 

“Shiho-chan? Is everything okay?,” Honami asks. 

“Yes, yes, everything's okay,” Shizuku lies, keeping her voice stable. She hastily presses another button, which thankfully brings her out of the app.

Feeling a little more at ease, Shizuku clicks into the correct app. Or… what she thought was the correct app. 

A jaunty music suddenly starts playing from the phone speaker, startling all four girls. 

“H-huh??” Shizuku starts poking at the screen, desperately trying to exit the app. “W-what’s happening? What are you doing Mr. Phone?”

“Uh, Shiho… Are you sure everything's okay?,” Ichika slowly asks, staring at her friend with a mixture of confusion and concern.

“Yes! Yes, everything is fine!,” Shizuku insists, ignoring the crack in her voice. 

She finally leaves the noisy app, and her eyes frantically scan the phone's screen. Beads of sweat trickle down the back of her neck. A surge of panic rises in her chest. 

‘One of these has to be the Maps app. Just press something,’ Shizuku tells herself. ‘Press ANYTHING!’

In a matter of seconds, she enters the app, clicks the search bar, types the cafe name into it and presses enter. A sense of relief washes over her as a content smile rests on her face. 

“Here. I've found it,” she says, turning the phone around so the others could see the screen. 

“Oh, that's very close to Solis Records’s office,” Honami points out. 

“How did we never notice it before?,” Saki questions, tilting her head. 

“It must be pretty hidden,” Ichika utters. 

Saki turns to her grey-haired friend. “How did you find out about this place, Shiho-chan?”

Shizuku answers, “My sister and her friends went there once,” which isn't exactly a lie. But that isn't how she found the cafe. In actuality, Shizuku learnt about the cafe’s existence because Airi brought her there on one of their dates. 

‘Airi-chan…,’ she quietly sighs. Shizuku hasn't seen her girlfriend the entire day. But as much as she misses her, she can't just run up to her and cuddle her like she normally would. Not in her dear little sister's body. 

‘How is Shii-chan doing right now?,’ Shizuku then wonders. ‘Hopefully she's doing better than me…’

“Um, Shiho-chan?”

Shizuku quickly blinks out of her thoughts and looks up at her three friends. “Yes?”

“Why did you search up the cafe’s location on Instagram?,” Honami asks.

Shizuku raises her eyebrows. She looks down at the screen, puzzled. “This… isn't the Maps app?”

Saki, Honami and Ichika all quietly exchange perplexed glances as their supposedly level-headed friend scratches her head at her own phone. 

Shiho is back at the school rooftop, but not for idol practice. Though, truth be told, Shiho would actually prefer to be having idol practice right now. Because then, she wouldn’t be all alone with her sister’s girlfriend. 

She and Airi are sitting together on one of the benches, so close that they occasionally brush against each other while they eat. Now, although Shiho doesn’t hate physical contact, context really matters. Relationship wise, she and Airi are good friends. And that’s it. Friends. 

Airi and her sister, on the other hand? Something completely different. And to no fault of Airi’s, the pink-haired girl is currently sidling up with the wrong Hinomori.

Shiho reprimands herself. ‘Nope. No. Get your mind out of the gutter. This is not a date. This is just a regular lunch-hangout. Yeah, that’s it. It’s just like how I sometimes have lunch with just Ichika, or Saki, or Honami. We’re just two girls having lunch together. Two groupmates. Two best friends. Nothing more.’

Miniscule beads of sweat start to form on her face as Shiho anxiously chews her food. ‘Nothing… more…’

“Shizuku?”

Shiho averts her eyes to the shorter girl, whose face bore a mindful expression. “You’ve been awfully quiet the whole day. Is something on your mind?”

“Oh, no, Airi-chan,” Shiho says after swallowing. “I’m just… paying extra attention to what you are saying!”

An answer like that makes absolutely no sense in Shiho’s head. But she knows her airheaded older sister would definitely say something like that. And as it turns out, Shiho’s right. 

Airi smiles and huffs. “Flatterer… Oh, right!”

Airi lifts up her bento box from her lap and scoops up some of her food. “I tried this new tofu recipe I found online recently. I think it tastes pretty good.”

Then, she raises the spoon and looks up at her girlfriend. “But of course, I want your opinion too, Shizuku.”

Shiho stiffens in her seat at the sight of her least favourite food in the whole wide world just inches away from her face, staring at her. Tauntingly. Menacingly. 

Forcing a smile, Shiho says, “It’s alright, Airi-chan. I trust your opinion.”

Airi’s expression slowly shifts, and she raises an eyebrow at her. “Don’t you want to have a try, Shizuku?”

“No, thanks. I’m good,” Shiho coolly replies. 

“Oh… Alright.” Airi lowers her spoon, her shoulders slumping as she dejectedly looks down at her lunch. 

Seeing this, Shiho bites the inside of her lip. ‘Crap. Did I make a wrong move?’

Her chest tightens as she studies her senior’s disheartened expression. Shiho doesn’t want to see Airi sad, and she certainly doesn’t want to be the reason for her sadness. Not when she’s in her sister’s body. 

She lets out an airy giggle as she nudges Airi’s shoulder a bit too roughly. “Airi-chan, I’m just kidding!,” Shiho sings, mentally bracing herself for what she’s about to do next. “I’ll eat anything you make!”

Then, Shiho sticks her spoon into the pile of tofu in the girl’s bento and quickly forces it into her mouth. She winces at the soft texture filling up her mouth and the odd taste resting on her tongue. Reluctantly, she swallows down the food. 

A chill crawls up her spine and she shudders. “S-splendid!,” she says, her smile tight. 

“Are you sure?,” Airi slowly questions. “If you don’t like it, you can just tell me hones-”

“I do like it, Airi-chan! I like it very much!,” Shiho quickly exclaims. “I like everything you make, Airi-chan!”

Before the pink-haired girl could get out another word, Shiho is already swiping her chopsticks over her lunch, rapidly taking food out and stuffing it in her mouth. 

‘I can’t give Momoi-senpai the wrong idea,’ is what’s going through Shiho’s mind. ‘She thinks I’m onee-chan. And so I have to be convincing. I have to be… a good girlfriend…!’

“Ah, Shizuku! Wait! The pork is-”

Shiho places a piece of pork in her mouth. But as soon as the meat goes down her throat, a burning sensation courses through her mouth. 

“-spicy,” Airi finishes. 

Shiho hoots in pain, her tongue feeling like it’d just been scorched by the Sun itself. She reaches for the plastic water bottle she’d bought earlier (she wasn’t going to drink miso soup the whole day) and gulps down the cool, refreshing liquid, emptying almost half of the bottle.

“Shizuku, are you okay?,” Airi asks, her eyes round with worry. “Seriously, what were you thinking? Did you forget how intolerable you are to spicy foods or something?”

“N-no…,” Shiho sighs. ‘I just didn’t think onee-chan’s tolerance was this low…’

Then, she feels a warm hand rest on top of her own. Shiho looks at her senior, her pink brows knotted and her gaze unmoving.

“Shizuku, answer me honestly,” Airi starts, her voice firm yet gentle and warm. “Are you okay?”

Shiho smiles and lies in her sister’s breathy voice, “Of course I’m okay.”

But Airi doesn’t buy it. She continues, “You’ve been acting weird since this morning. Is there something troubling you?”

Shiho gazes into the girl’s bright, gleaming eyes. There is nothing but genuine care and concern in those discs of pink. A wave of pity and regret fills Shiho’s chest. She sighs. 

“Look, Mo- Airi-chan,” she corrects at the last second. “I appreciate you looking out for me, but I promise you, everything’s under control. You don’t have to worry so much.”

Shiho places a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Airi glances at that and smiles a little. “I know,” she mutters, taking that dainty hand and clasping it with her smaller hands. “But I just can’t help it, you know?”

“I-I know,” Shiho stutters as Airi runs a thumb over her smooth fair skin. Soon, the pair lock eyes, and Shiho’s heart stops for a split second when she notices the lovestruck sparkles in her senior’s pink eyes. 

“Remember, I’ll always be here if you need me,” Airi says. Then her eyes flutter shut and her hands shift, pulling her girlfriend’s slender hand closer to her puckered lips. 

Shiho freezes. Hand-holding, she can bear with. But kisses? That’s crossing way too many lines. 

Airi continues lifting the hand she held in her short fingers up to her mouth with her eyes closed shut. Until, all of a sudden, she feels another hand tilt her head away. She blinks, and sees her mostly clingy girlfriend now stopping her from giving her a peck on the hand.

Airi straightens herself and lets go of her hand. “Shizuku?”

Shiho quickly pulls her hand back, her cheeks red and warm. She only stares back, not knowing what to say. She had panicked. The only thought that was running around in her mind was ‘I can’t let my sister’s girlfriend kiss me!’

Before Shiho can even start coming up with an excuse though, Airi already smiles and nods. “It’s alright, Shizuku. I understand.”

But despite her smile, Airi has sadness and disappointment painted all over her face. Internally, Shiho is kicking herself. What has she just done?

At that moment, a pang of fear strikes. What if she accidentally creates a riff between her sister and Airi? What if their relationship grows stale? What if… What if Shiho acts so terribly to the point that Airi decides to break up??

‘No. No, I can’t let that happen!,’ Shiho tells herself. 

“I-I’m sorry, M- Airi-chan. I don’t know what came over me,” Shiho quickly explains. “I-I’m ready now. You can k-kiss me, Airi-chan.”

“Shizuku, it’s fine,” Airi replies, still smiling. 

“No, Airi-chan, I’m serious. Please kiss me,” Shiho insists. 

“Okay, now you’re REALLY acting weird,” Airi sighs, her smile finally dropping. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing, nothing! Just kiss me, Airi-chan. Please. You have to kiss me.”

Airi gives her a dubious look. “Huh? What are you saying?”

“I… I-I…” Shiho’s voice is trembling. Her heart is pounding like mad. She has to do something, she knows that. But she doesn’t want to. But she has to. For the sake of her stupid sister and her stupid relationship.

“ARGH! SCREW IT!”

Shiho grabs Airi’s face and leans in, her lips crash-landing on hers.

For a minute, everything is quiet. Shiho can’t hear anything. Not the wind, or the distant city sounds; not even her own heartbeat. 

The moment Shiho pulls back though, and she’s finally allowed to breathe again, her brain whirs to life. 

‘What… have I done? What did I just do?’

Shiho’s stomach sinks, and her head starts to feel light. ‘I just kissed my senior. I just kissed my sister’s GIRLFRIEND. I… I just had my FIRST KISS!’

Her breathing quickens. ‘Oh my God. Oh my God…’

“Um… Shizuku?,” Airi softly calls. 

The girl jumps to her feet, screaming.

“I CAN’T DO THIS ANYMORE!!!”

Airi leans back, clutching onto the bench for support as the light blue-haired girl continues losing whatever calm, grace and elegance she once had. Her pink head bops up and down as she watches her continuously bow to her at a rapid pace. 

“I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m so so sorry Momoi-senpai! But I… I… I JUST CAN’T DO THIS ANYMORE!!”

And without another word, the girl speeds off and out of the grey doors, leaving behind her lunch, her water bottle, and a very confused Airi. 

It takes the poor girl a long minute to actually process all that has just happened. 

“S…senpai?,” she mumbles. 

Haruka and Minori are strolling out of the restroom and down the hallway. Suddenly, they hear quick, frantic footsteps coming from behind them. Curious, the pair turn around. 

A cloud of dust is steadily approaching them, with a light blue figure at the front of it all. 

“Is that… Shizuku?,” Haruka mutters. 

Minori puts a hand over her eyes and squints. “Oh yes! It is!,” she happily says. 

The brunette raises a hand and waves it about, a derpy grin on her bright face. “Hello Shizuku-chaaaAAAAHHH!!”

Haruka and Minori spin around with their hands in the air as she runs past them. Eventually the two girls stop spinning, and Haruka swiftly catches Minori as she starts falling backwards. 

“What was that?,” Haruka breathes. 

Her head and vision still spinning, Minori dazedly says, “It’s like her system was in override or something!”

“I think you mean ‘overdrive’, Minori.”

“Minori! Haruka!”

The two girls turn around (Minori looks in the wrong direction; she’s still very much bamboozled) and sees Airi jogging towards them. 

“Airi?,” Haruka gasps. “Were you with Shizuku? What happened?”

“I… I don’t know!,” Airi says, her breathing heavy. “She just kissed me out of nowhere and then ran off!”

Flatly, Haruka responds, “Wow, that sounds horrible. I’m so sorry for you.”

Airi shakes a fist and grumbles, “Drop the sarcasm and help me chase my girlfriend!”

Meanwhile, somewhere else in the school, Leo/need is casually walking back to their classes. Then, Honami spots something in the distance. 

“What is that?”

The four girls slow down to a halt as a tall, blurry figure with a line of dust trailing behind them gradually comes closer and closer. 

Ichika utters, “That kind of looks like… Shizuku-senpai?”

“Woah, she’s running super fast right now,” Saki says. 

Just as those words left the blonde’s mouth, Shizuku dashes right past them. The girls blink in confusion as the dust settles, their hair now very cartoonishly slicked back and pointing in the same direction their senior just ran.

“Wh… what just happened?,” Honami stammers. 

“Hey, wait.” Saki spins around. “Guys. Where’s Shiho?!”

The other two turn their heads left and right. Sure enough, their grey-haired companion is nowhere to be seen. 

“Sh-Shiho? Where did you go?,” Honami calls. 

“Could Shizuku-senpai have taken her?,” Ichika questions.

“Hey, you guys!”

The trio avert their attention towards the three idols coming their way, thankfully at a reasonable pace. 

“Airi-senpai!,” Saki shouts. “Shiho-chan’s been kidnapped!”

“She what?!,” Minori gasps.

“Let me guess… Shizuku just came by?,” Airi asks, gesturing at their wild hair. 

“Yeah. She seemed to be in a big hurry,” Honami recalls. 

“It was pretty weird, honestly,” Ichika admits. 

Airi sighs. “Yeah… She’s been acting weird this whole day.”

At that, Haruka rubs her chin. “Actually, while we’re on the topic. Has Hinomori-san done anything… out of character today?”

Saki, Ichika and Honami pause and glance at each other. 

“Well… Now that you mention it…”

Shiho bursts through the rooftop doors, finally letting go of her sister. Shizuku stumbles on her feet, having absolutely no idea why her little sister has just snatched her up and taken her to the school’s rooftop. 

“Shii-chan?,” she utters, noticing the troubled expression on her face. “Is something the matter?”

“Onee-chan,” Shiho starts, her voice low. “We have to switch back now.”

“Huh? What?”

“We HAVE to switch back now!,” Shiho repeats, her voice ringing with desperation. “I can’t do this anymore! I can’t be you! I can’t dance like an idol or eat tofu or have a girlfriend! I can’t do any of those and I don’t want to!”

Shizuku remains quiet. She can barely remember the last time she saw her dear little sister act in such a way. ‘She must be in a lot of distress right now,’ she concludes. 

“Shii-chan, please calm down,” Shizuku coos, gently putting her fingers into her sister’s tense hands. She guides her to a bench and sits them both down. 

“Deep breaths, Shii-chan. Deep breaths,” she says, and the two breathe together in silence for a while. 

Feeling much calmer, Shiho speaks again, her voice softer. “I’m sorry, onee-chan. It’s just… I just can’t handle this anymore… I want to go back to my own body.”

“I know, Shii-chan. So do I,” Shizuku admits. “But neither of us know when or how everything will be back to normal. So until then, we just have to keep doing this.”

Shiho looks at her sister, her eyes glistening. Then, without a word, Shiho leans forward and rests her head on Shizuku’s shoulder. It’s a lot smaller now, but it still feels warm and somewhat comfortable. Just like when they were younger. 

“I wish I were strong like you, onee-chan,” she mutters. 

A small smile curls onto Shizuku’s face. She wraps her short arms around her little sister and gives her some gentle pats on the back. “I wish I were as level-headed as you, Shii-chan.”

“‘Level-headed’, huh?,” Shiho chuckles. “I’ve been the complete opposite the whole day.”

“That’s alright. Given our circumstances, it’s only normal to freak out.”

Shiho pulls away, a cloak of despair draping over her pretty face. She sighs, “I really wish we could switch back right now though.”

Shizuku furrows her eyebrows, wracking her brain to find a solution to cheer Shiho up. After all, she doesn’t want to see her dear little sister look so sad. 

Then, a thought pops into her head. 

“Maybe there is a way,” she slowly says. “I remember seeing something in an anime. What was it called again? ‘Serpent Ball Z’?”

Shiho gives her a puzzled look. “Isn’t it ‘Dragon Orb A’? Anyway, what’s your point?”

“If I’m remembering correctly, two characters did some sort of special pose and they managed to change themselves,” Shizuku explains. “Perhaps if we do it, we can change back to our rightful bodies.”

“Are you sure?,” Shiho asks, feeling uncertain. “I thought they did that to fuse with each other. Plus, we aren’t in an anime.”

“Well, I still think it’s worth a try,” Shizuku hums, already pointing out her index fingers. 

Shiho is reluctant, but she sticks out her fingers and presses them against her sister’s anyway. Once again, the two sisters close their eyes in deep concentration. One second passes. Then two, then three. And after half a minute, the girls open their eyes. 

The sisters simultaneously let out a sigh. “It didn’t work.”

Shizuku pulls her hands back and rests them on her lap. “I’m sorry, Shii-chan,” she mutters, her gaze low. “I’m sorry I can’t help you.”

Shiho’s face immediately softens at the sight of her sister’s shameful expression. She brushes her long hair aside, thinking of something to say to make Shizuku feel better. 

Soon, Shiho rises to her feet. “Maybe we just didn’t do the pose right.” She turns to her sister, her eyes gleaming with determination. “Come on, onee-chan.”

Shizuku lifts her head, her own eyes brightening by the minute. She smiles and stands up as well. 

Again, the two sisters put their fingers in front of each other and close their eyes. When they open their eyes though, nothing changes. 

“Oh, wait. I remember. We have to stand side by side,” Shizuku says. 

Shiho shifts her body. “Side by side. Like this?”

Shizuku nods. “Yes. And keep your feet apart.”

“Alright.”

“Now bend your body, and raise one of your arms over your head.”

“Am I doing it right?”

“Yes, Shii-chan! Very good!”

Shiho has to bend her knees and lean in closer so that Shizuku can reach her finger easily. Once both of their fingers are touching, Shizuku calls out, “Ready, Shii-chan?”

“Ready, onee-chan,” she firmly nods. 

“Alright. One, two, three!”

The pair close their eyes, putting all of their focus into moving their souls through their fingers back to their own bodies. And for some reason, it actually feels like this weird, absurd plan is working. 

“Maybe we should shout as well?,” Shiho suggests. “You know, like how martial artists shout.”

“Do you mean something like this?” Shizuku takes a quick inhale before letting out a long breath. “Haaaaaaaaaa…!”

“Yeah!” Shiho fills her lungs with air and does the same. “Haaaaaa!!”

“I think it’s helping, Shii-chan!,” Shizuku happily announces. “Let’s shout louder!”

“Louder?,” she questions. ‘Well… If it will help…’

Digging deep into her throat, Shiho roars, “Hhhaaaaaaaaaa…!!!”

“Hhaaaaaaaaa!!!,” Shizuku follows. 

“Grraaaaaaahhh!!!”

“Louder Shii-chan! Louder!!,” Shizuku shouts. “HUOOOOOOHH!!!”

Channelling her inner Tsukasa, Shiho raises her volume. “RRAAAAAAAAAAHH!!!”

“HHRAAAAAAAAAAHH!!!!”

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!”

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!”

“YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-”

Thump.

Shiho and Shizuku freeze, their shouting coming to a sudden stop. Did the door just close?

Slowly, the two turn around. 

Airi, Haruka, Minori, Saki, Ichika and Honami are all standing in front of the doors, their faces twisted in confusion, bafflement, bewilderment, and many other things. 

The sisters stare at their friends, who stare back in silence. The only sound is the digital click of Saki’s phone camera going off.

“What are you two doing…?,” Airi finally asks.

Shizuku and Shiho quickly straighten themselves, their backs beginning to moisten with nervous sweat. 

“O-onee-chan was… teaching me some stretches,” Shizuku says. “Isn’t that right, onee-chan?”

“Y-yes. That’s right,” Shiho smiles and nods. “I was teaching my dear Shii-chan some stretches. That’s all.”

“Yes, that’s all,” Shizuku agrees.

“Now I think I need the toilet. I’ll go to the toilet.”

“I’ll go with you, onee-chan.”

“Splendid.”

The sisters scuttle towards the exit, plastering awkward smiles on their florid faces. But then, Airi steps forward and holds her arms out, stopping them in their tracks. 

“Nope! You two aren’t going anywhere!,” she declares.

“Shiho-chan. Shizuku-chan. The two of you are hiding something from us,” Minori voices out. 

“Wh-what?,” both Hinomoris stammer. 

“You guys can’t hide from us!,” Saki proclaims. “There’s definitely something going on with you two, and we wanna know what!”

Shiho and Shizuku glance at each other, neither one sure of what to do. Shizuku looks back at the group and mutters, “Wh-what are you saying? We’re not hiding anything.”

“Shall we start listing out the evidence then?,” Haruka rebuts. “Earlier this morning, you, Hinomori-san, seemed to be totally lost on your way back to your classroom.”

Shizuku’s cheeks redden as she feels her sister’s sharp eyes looming over her. 

“And during lunch, you were having a lot of trouble using your phone,” Ichika continues. 

“The Shiho we know would be able to differentiate between Instagram and the Maps app,” Honami adds.

“And as for you, Shizuku!,” Airi cuts in. “You ate a piece of spicy pork from my lunch even though you know very well that you can’t handle spicy foods.”

Shiho looks away, trying to ignore her sister’s shocked glances. “That… That was just an accident, Airi-chan,” she says, hoping to sound convincing. 

Airi raises a doubtful brow. “Right… And I’m assuming you kissing me, screaming and running away was also ‘just an accident’?”

“Wh-wh-what?!?!”

Shizuku looks up at her sister, her glistening eyes round with disbelief and a hint of betrayal. “Shii-chan… You kissed Airi-chan…?”

Shiho’s face immediately heats up. “Does it look like I have a choice?!,” she grumbles. 

At that, the other girls all fall silent. 

“Holy penguin I can’t believe I was actually right,” Haruka murmurs. 

Ichika hesitantly steps towards the tall idol. “Shiho? Is that… you?”

Shiho gazes into her friend’s familiar icy blue eyes. Unable to hide anymore, she nods. “Yeah. It’s me.”

“N… No way!,” Saki utters. 

“Wait, wait, wait a minute!,” Minori blubbers. “If Shizuku-chan is ACTUALLY Shiho-chan… Then Shiho-chan is…”

Shizuku looks at her dear teammates and friends, her green eyes glistening. Spreading her arms wide open, she lunges forward, “You guys!!”

The three idols find themselves suddenly pulled into a tight hug. The short grey-haired girl in front of them cries, “I’m so, so sorry for not telling you all sooner! I just… I just didn’t know what else to do!”

A small smile curls onto Haruka’s face. “Oh, Shizuku.”

“It’s alright, Shizuku-chan,” Minori assures. “We aren’t mad at you or anything!”

Shizuku finally loosens her hold around them and steps back, smiling in gratitude. “Thank you.”

Then, she turns her full attention to the pink-haired girl beside her. When their eyes meet, Shizuku’s smile droops down, morphing into a somber pout. 

“I’m very sorry, Airi-chan. Out of everyone here, you deserve the truth the most. I should’ve told you everything from the beginning. Can you please forgive me?”

Airi crosses her arms with a soft chuckle as her lips curl into a smile. “Oh, you birdbrain. Don’t worry about it, alright? Everything’s good.”

She gently inserts her hands into her girlfriend’s now shorter and rougher fingers. “We’re good.”

Almost immediately, Shizuku’s face lights up. Her eyes sparkle as a wide smile brightens her face. “Oh, Airi-chan! I could just kiss you!”

“Please don’t,” Shiho quickly interjects. “Remember onee-chan, you’re in my body.”

“Speaking of which,” Honami pipes up. “How did this even happen?”

“We don’t know,” Shizuku admits. “We just woke up this morning in each other’s bodies.”

“Well that is odd,” Haruka says. 

“We don’t know when we’ll switch back.” Softly, Shiho adds, “If we ever will.”

Suddenly, she feels a hand slide into hers. Shiho looks down and sees Ichika right next to her. “Whatever it is that happened, I’m sure we can help you figure it out. Together.”

Honami steps forward and takes Shiho’s other hand. “Yes. Together.”

“And the same can be said for us,” Airi points out, winking at Shizuku. 

“We might not be able to give a clear cut solution. But we’ll gladly help in whatever way we can,” Haruka elaborates, placing a warm hand on Shizuku’s shoulder.

Saki and Minori lock arms with each other and salute. “That’s right! Shiho-chan, Shizuku-senpai, we will stay with you, stick by you like glue.”

“Every minute of every hour and every day! Always, no matter how far away!”

“What is this, a poem recital?,” Shiho huffs while her sister is giggling in amusement.

“That’s very sweet of you two,” Shizuku praises. “However, I don’t think it’s going to be easy for each and every one of you to look after us.”

“Well, actually…” A bashful smile curls onto Minori’s flushed face. “I have an idea.”

The chime of a doorbell echoes through the walls of the Hinomori residence. Shiho and Shizuku hurry to the door and slide it open. 

“Hello! Thanks for having us!,” the six girls announce. 

“Thanks for coming,” the sisters reply. 

Surprisingly enough, Minori’s grand idea pulls through in the end, which is to have a giant sleepover at the Hinomori’s!

“Let me help with those,” Shizuku offers, reaching out to carry her teammates’ bags. 

Minori giggles to herself. “Hehehe… I can’t believe we’re going to be having a sleepover in Shizuku-chan’s room!”

“Yeah. Now we’ll finally get to experience what Airi does,” Haruka jabs, shooting a sly smile in Airi’s direction. 

The girl scoffs. “Sure, whatever. But the two of you are sleeping one metre away from us.”

As the idols walk away, Shiho leads her bandmates to the living room. “I’d invite you guys to sleep in my room too but I don’t think there’ll be enough space for all four of us,” she explains. “So we’ll camp here.”

“Oh! Oh! We can build a fort!,” Saki says, already clapping her hands together like an excited child. 

“That sounds like fun,” Honami and Ichika respond in unison. “Where should we start?”

“Hey, hold on now,” Shiho chuckles. “I thought you guys came over to keep an eye on my sister and I and help us find a way to switch back.”

“And we'll get to that… After we build our fort!,” Saki replies, already stacking the sofa's cushions on top of each other to make a wall.

Shiho crosses her arms, unable to help but laugh at the childishness of it all. “Okay, okay. I guess I'll go upstairs and get us some extra pillows from my room.”

Hearing that, the three girls pump their fists into the air and cheer. “Yayy!!”

Ichika then adds, “It still feels a little weird to have to look up when talking to you, Shiho.”

“To be honest, this whole situation still feels very weird to me,” Honami says. 

“Tell me about it,” Shiho sighs. 

Just then, MORE MORE JUMP! walks into the living room. “What are you guys doing?,” Airi asks, looking at the wall of pillows and cushions. 

“We’re building a fort!,” Saki happily replies. 

“A fort?!,” Minori exclaims, her eyes doubling in size. “Can we help too?”

“Sure. The more the merrier,” Honami smiles. 

And in no time, the eight girls are all hard at work in the living room, putting in their fair share of effort to create a marvelous fort. While they work, Shizuku sneaks a couple of glances in her little sister’s direction. At some point, she goes up to Shiho and taps her shoulder. 

Shiho turns to look at her. “Yes, onee-chan?”

“Are you feeling more at ease now, Shii-chan?,” she asks. 

Shiho pauses. She’d almost forgotten about her meltdown earlier at school. Ever since she’d woken up in Shizuku’s body, Shiho felt like she barely had a moment’s rest. But now…

The girl smiles. “Yeah. I feel a lot better now.”

Shizuku smiles as well. “That’s good.”

“What about you, onee-chan?”

“I’m okay. Seeing you happy makes me happy too, Shii-chan,” she says. 

Shiho rolls her eyes at that corny answer. And yet, her smile still remains. 

Night falls, and Leo/need bids the idols goodnight as they tuck into their mattresses inside the large, sturdy fort they had built. MORE MORE JUMP! retreats into Shizuku’s bedroom, also preparing for bed. 

“Minori-chan, Haruka-chan, do you both have everything you need?,” Shizuku asks.

“Yes, thanks,” Haruka says, already cuddling a penguin plushie as she fluffs her pillow.

“I’m all good!,” Minori adds. 

“What about you, Airi-chan?,” Shizuku calls. 

Sitting cross-legged on her mattress (which was, in fact, just next to Haruka’s), Airi says, “There’s still one thing that’s missing.”

Shizuku tilts her head. “Oh? What is it?”

“Come closer.”

And so Shizuku walks closer to Airi. When she gets close enough, Airi reaches out and pulls her down onto the futon, which takes way less effort now that Shizuku is in a smaller body. The latter giggles as her girlfriend wraps her strong arms around her. 

“You, of course!,” Airi says, nuzzling her face into the back of Shizuku’s neck, inciting another fit of giggles. 

Haruka turns to Minori and mutters. “Maybe we should ask Ichika and the others if there’s still room in their fort for us.”

“I heard that!,” Airi retorts.

“You’re supposed to,” Haruka shoots back. 

“Alright, Airi-chan,” Shizuku breathes, gently pulling herself free. “We should sleep now. We’ve both had quite the day today.”

“Yeah, that’s true,” Airi sighs as the day’s wacky events flash through her mind. 

Minori straightens herself and says, “Don’t worry, Shizuku-chan. We’ll help you and Shiho-chan switch back in no time. It’s a More More Promise!”

“We should trademark that,” Airi whispers to Haruka, who nods in agreement.

Night turns to day, and the Moon gives way for the Sun to rise and bathe the world in its glorious light. Honami, Saki and Ichika are sleeping soundly in their fort, undisturbed and unbothered. That is, until Ichika feels something curl around her.

Her eyes flutter open. Sure enough, Ichika is being held by a pair of long arms. And the owner of those long arms are…

“Sh-Shiho?,” Ichika gasps, her brain now very much awake. 

The girl pulls her in closer. A small smile creeps onto her radiant face. “Hehe… So warm…,” Ichika hears her mumble in her wispy voice. 

Ichika doesn’t move. She doesn’t know if she should. Throughout the many years she’s known Shiho, she’s never done anything like this before. 

“Psst. Honami. Saki. Wake up,” she whispers to the two girls on her right. 

Honami is the first to respond. She stirs and turns to her side, her eyes slowly creaking open. “Ichika-chan?,” she murmurs. “What’s the matter?”

“Uh… Well…” She points to the pair of arms around her torso.

Honami’s eyes widen a little as her brain processes what’s going on. “Oh…”

At that moment, Saki wakes up as well. She sits up with her eyes still closed as she rubs them with the back of her hands. “Icchan? Hona-chan? What are you guys talking about?”

The two girls put a finger to their mouths and urge Saki to lower her voice. Saki opens her eyes, a little confused. As soon as she sees Ichika being held captive by two long arms though, her eyes widen into two round circles. 

“Oh my gosh that’s adorable!,” Saki whispers. “Don’t move Icchan. Now, where’s my phone?”

“I don’t think I can move even if I want to,” Ichika utters, glancing at the girl still sleeping soundly beside her.

Suddenly, the girl’s body shifts again. Ichika lets out a short squeak as the arms tighten around her. A soft, airy giggle escapes the girl’s upturned lips. 

“That’s a cute sound, Airi-chan.”

The three pause. “‘Airi-chan’??”

“Wait… Could it be…?” Honami sits up and reaches out to the girl, gently shaking her shoulder. “Shizuku-senpai? Is that you?”

At the call of her name, Shizuku flutters her luscious lashes and opens her eyes. 

“Oh, good morning Honami-chan. And Saki-chan.” Her eyes drift to the dark-haired girl still trapped in her arms. “And you too, Ichika-chan.”

A minute of silence passes before Shizuku finally gets hit with realization.

“I-Ichika-chan??,” she gasps, quickly letting go of the guitarist. Shizuku sits up, and looks around at her surroundings. “Huh? Am I… inside the fort?”

She then looks down at her hands, her clothes and her hair. She gasps again. “I’m… I’m back in my own body!”

“But… how?,” Ichika wonders aloud. 

“Maybe the power of friendship is stronger than we thought!,” Saki claims.

“Wait,” Honami mutters. “If Shizuku-senpai is back in her own body, wouldn’t that mean…”

Not too far from the living room, unbeknownst to her, Shiho is sleeping soundly in her sister’s futon. At some point, she senses a warm presence beside her. Assuming it’s just her friends, Shiho doesn’t do anything. But then, she hears: 

“Wakey, wakey. It’s morning babe.”

“Hmm…?” Shiho creaks open her eyes. The first thing she sees is a pink-haired girl sitting next to her, gazing down at her with a tender smile. 

Shiho sits up, though her brain has barely awoken yet. “What…? Where am I?”

Airi chuckles. “Still a bit sleepy, are we? Maybe this’ll wake you up.”

Airi puckers her lips and leans forward, placing a kiss on the girl’s cheek. 

Suddenly, the door slides open, allowing the morning sunlight to burst into the room. Airi jumps, startled, and turns to face the intruder. 

A tall girl stands in the doorway, a sunny expression beaming her innocent face.

“Airi-chan! I’m back to normal!”

Airi, however, just sighs. “Jeez, Shizuku. Don't just barge in like that.”

Only when those words leave her mouth does Airi actually realize what's going on. 

“Woah wait Shizuku?! You're back in your own body??”

“Yes, I am!,” she cheers.

Airi’s face pales. “But… Then… Wouldn't that mean…”

The grey-haired girl falls backwards, her head landing on the pillow with a muffled thud. Shizuku quickly rushes to her side. 

“Shii-chan! Shii-chan, are you okay?”

Weakly, the girl mutters, “O…nee…chan…”

“Yes, Shii-chan, I’m here!,” Shizuku says, clasping one of her dear little sister’s hands. 

“This…” Shiho’s face twists into a grimace. Glaring at her sister, she cries. “This is all your fault!”

Before Airi or Shizuku can do anything, Shiho pounces at her sister. Shizuku jumps to her feet, wobbling around as Shiho clings onto her body like a koala clinging to a eucalyptus tree. Except in this case, the koala is violently attacking said tree. 

“Why’d you have to go and get a girlfriend huh?! Why couldn’t you have just stayed single?!?,” Shiho reprimands as she tugs and pulls on her sister’s long hair. 

“Shii-chan! Shii-chan please stop!,” Shizuku shouts, trying to remain calm and composed. “I think you just need some more sleep, Shii-chan.”

“I don’t need sleep, I need a RESTRAINING ORDER AGAINST YOU AND YOUR GIRLFRIEND!”

Shizuku stumbles off the veranda and falls onto the neatly trimmed grass of their house’s compound. Without wasting another second, Shizuku scrambles onto her feet and - for what is probably the first time ever in her life - runs away from her dear little sister. 

“Shii-chan, stop!”

“What’s wrong onee-chan? I thought you liked cuddling.”

“NOT LIKE THIS!”

Saki, Ichika and Honami join Airi at the side and quietly watch as the two sisters run around in a never-ending loop. Haruka and Minori, who had woken up earlier, arrive at the scene in total confusion. 

“What’s going on?,” Minori asks. 

“Shizuku-senpai and Shiho-chan switched back,” Saki explains as she holds her phone up to record the whole thing.

“But why are they chasing each other?,” Haruka questions. 

Airi sighs, “I… accidentally kissed Shiho-chan. Again.”

Haruka crosses her arms, a smug smile on her face. “Maybe you should try kissing the Hinomori you’re actually dating.”

Airi shoots her a glare and grumbles, “One more wise crack outta you and I’m sticking you in the fridge.”