Chapter 3: Who told you to relax?

"Huh?"

This feels right, yet this also doesn't make sense. That was the first thing that popped in my mind as I open my eyes from my deep sleep.

As I force myself out from the bed I was sleeping on, I gave myself full sight of my surroundings. Doing so gave me confusion along with the vision of objects that were very familiar to me. And I do mean very familiar.

The bed, the pillow, the furniture, the books, hell even the ceiling. I recognized all of them.

...actually, isn't this my room?

...more importantly, why am I in my room?

With the knowledge that I was actually inside my house, I lazily dragged my body towards the washroom to help rinse off some residual drowsiness.

Looking at the mirror at the sink, I couldn't help but think of the strange things that might have had happened before I fell asleep.

I don't know if it's my half-sleeping self imagining things but I was so sure that I got swapped with Yukinoshita. I thought to myself as I stare at my own face.

Yuigahama Yui to my body, Yukinoshita Yukino to Yuigahama's, and I, Hikigaya Hachiman, to Yukinoshita's, to be more exact.

I say that fact yet, right here, right now, I'm... me.

Examining my body like I have never before only gave myself questions to ponder upon.

When did we change back?

How did we change back?

When did I go home afterwards?

Was it all just a dream?

.

If it was a dream, then damn, it was the realest dream I had since the day I was born.

So real that I could even feel iffy using my own body right now, like I could think that there's a possibility that it's not even my own. Even though I'm sure it is mine ever since my birth.

Ugghh...

"Just what the hell was that dream?"

Even more confused than when I entered it, I left the washroom feeling at least a little bit awake.

As I make my way towards the kitchen to get a drink, I get the bright rays of the sun striking against my skin.

The light was warm but not hot enough to be irritating, its color was also of the less intense yet still of the lively variety one. These all tell me that it was still early morning.

Looking at the clock further satisfied my curiosity of time.

It was about an hour before classes began...

Classes, huh..

Actually, that reminds me..

I started glancing left and right, up and down even. Not satisfied, I started searching every room and logical space of the house. From closed closets to every nook and cranny (well, not really) I searched but...

In the end of all that, the only thing I found was my tired self.

In the end, Komachi was nowhere to be seen..

There was a tiny bit of hope I had that I'll have some clarity about what happened last night, if it was last night, once I asked my little sister about it but right now, that seemed like something impossible.

In this situation, the only possible answer I can think of was that she already went ahead to her class...

Well, whatever. I'll just ask her later when I go home.

With that thought in my mind, I began to prepare myself for my own classes.

"...Good morning."

Her face suggested as she waves her hand at me in the distance.

"Y..yo." Making my pace faster, I met her.

At my way to class, I met Yukinoshita.

"About yesterday.."

"Hikigaya-kun, yesterday.."

Not wasting any time at all while walking towards class, the both of us chorused to initiate a conversation only to stop each other mid-sentence.

We both gave each other a troubled look upon hearing one another. A cold sweat formed on my face thereafter.

What the hell? Yesterday? By yesterday did she mean...? Is all of what happened real then?

As I pause to ponder upon those thoughts, I unknowingly gave myself a slight pain in the head...

...no, actually it feels worse than just a "slight" pain.. wait... what...?

"Give me a second, Yukinoshita." I said frantically as I fully stop on my tracks.

Suddenly, I felt my scalp twisting.

My head was hurting. Nausea was dawning on me.

"...what is it?"

A tone of concern coated Yukinoshita's words as she approaches to check on me in obvious worry.

"..I think I have a headache.."

What I said, if said by anybody other than the three of us, was something to be treated as trivial. So trivial that you'll likely get a reply of "Hey, take some medicine." or "Take a rest for a bit". It was something of that sort but to me and Yukinoshita right now, it was something to panic about.

"H-Headache? Don't tell me this is.."

"Yeah, I think this is it agai-

.

An overwhelming flash of white,

..next an extended groan,

...and last but not the least, me down the pits of despair.

"..Goddamnit."

And just like that, I was Yukinoshita Yukino once more.

"It definitely wasn't a dream."

With a tone of resignation and a laugh sprinkled with a tiny hint of madness, I commented as I move the new body I transferred in around. My feminine voice making sure that I was not hallucinating all of it at all.

Getting the sudden difference of height, build and voice, I felt a feeling of alienation from my own self.

"Huh? Yukinon?"

...I was going to move around some more to get a better grasp of the body I was in but it seems that I had more pressing issues to attend to right now.

"Uh... Yukinon~"

Yukinon... A nickname only one girl was using to call one other girl.

But the one saying it right now was of a male voice.

...my voice to be exact.

Such dissonance.

"Yuigahama.." I uttered as I twist my body in the direction of the one who mentioned [my] nickname..

"Huh, Yukinon? Wait, when did I?.."

I saw [myself], or rather I saw Yuigahama Yui now in total chaos. Widened eyes, throat that seemed way too dry for the early morning, sweat flowing down her face. That was what she looked like with my appearance right now.

She was in a state of panic, no doubt about it.

"W-When did you appear here Yukinon? a-and why am I here actually?! What the.."

I sighed at the sight of her. She was a complete wreck.

"Yuigahama, I'll cut to the chase.."

I sighed again before continuing. I couldn't help it. Not with this situation.

"It seems we've swapped bodies again." Not even making sure she was listening to me, I let out those words at her direction with a firm voice.

"Eh,.. Hikki?..." Disbelief, that was what was written all over her face. "No way.."

"Yeah, I wish I still had the ignorance to say that..."

A couple of minutes had passed as the two of us hasn't said a single word. I patiently waited and waited until...

"...have it sunk in yet?" I asked to the [guy] right in front of me.

"Yeah, I guess.." She whispered as she gives herself time to stare at her own hands, hands that were too boyish and muscly to be hers.

"Good." I sighed in relief upon hearing her answer. Having her get scatterbrained from shock right now would only slow the both of us down.

Hmfh, now that that's dealt with.. "Yuigahama, where were you before we've swapped bodies?"

"Ah, I was having a chat in the classroom, like usual. Why?"

"I see... let's go then." I said as I tug Yuigahama's [Hikigaya's] sleeve with my hand.

"Wait.. where?" She asked while getting dragged.

"We're meeting with Yukinoshita, of course."

"Took you long enough.."

What the two of us met before the entrance of the 2F classroom was a Yukinoshita [Yuigahama] with a very tired expression.

"Hi..."

"Yeah..."

Yuigahama [Hikigaya] and I greeted her weakly at the same time.

"...Hikigaya-kun, Yuigahama-san, I know this is wrong of me to say but..."

As if shrugging our words into the thin air, Yukinoshita [Yuigahama] averted her eyes away from us and cast a distant gaze..

"...can we skip class a bit?" She slowly spoke after a few seconds of silence.

"I think I'm fine with that..." Yuigahama [Hikigaya] briefly replied.

"Ah, I don't care anymore." I soon added.

.

"We really swapped bodies, huh?"

"I thought it was just me going haywire.."

"Here I was thinking it was a dream too.."

Inside the Service Club room, the three of us sat defeated and lifeless.

We couldn't help but be dejected. After all, the thing that we thought we had just coincidentally conjured in our minds was actually something real and was something that was affecting us right now.

A dream gone wild you could say... or a nightmare in this case.

"So.. what do we do now?" Yukinoshita [Yuigahama] whose expression couldn't be anymore blank than it was right now, monotonously asked.

"...you're asking it like we actually know what to do about it..."

"...but even so, we do need to do something about it.."

.

And just like that the conversation died before it can even bear any fruit.

We gave each other groans and moans but not any more than that.

Unrest was written all over our faces for we were aware that we needed to find the solution fast. Hell, even knowing the cause of it would suffice for now...

It was that kind of urgency because if we don't fix this situation sooner than later... we feel like we might cause trouble for one another. In more ways than one.

Sigh... what an ordeal this is..

Ignoring the heavy air that surrounded us right now, I tried to initiate the conversation again.

"Just a hunch but... does anyone here remember how they changed back?"

Hearing my question echo throughout their head made my two companions raise their eyebrows in reaction.

"No, not a clue..."

"I was going to ask you two myself.."

"I... I see." Not knowing whether it was from a sense of comfort or from a hit of despair, I let out a shallow breathe.

Just as my case, I guess these two hadn't have the slightest clue how they returned home last night. Even when a full day passed with the swapping business, we still hadn't had new information. Though maybe we have? But it's more of a lack of one in this case...

My, this is how much reassuring our case is, huh.

Gah...

I wanted to ease myself from all of this nonsense but I also knew there was no time for sulking.

With a firmer voice this time, I continued. "If I try to state all the sensible information we had from these two days we had as each other so far..."

First and up to this point, we have a designated body to go to once the swapping occurs.

Second, we get an oppressive headache right before the phenomenon happens.

Third, we return to our own bodies right around evening.

And lastly, we get our memories hazy at that time too.

I say all of these but we were still not sure whether or not we could trust this information and there was certainly no way of proving it either. It was something that we'll just have to make do for now.

Perhaps it can only be trusted truly once we get more daylight while this phenomenon is still in effect.. if there are more days for it to happen that is. Though the three of us would probably hope there won't be anymore.

"Basically, we just have to wait for sundown, is that right?" Yukinoshita asked, cocking her head in the process.

"A bit impractical, but that's what I think. And it's not like we can think of a solution just loitering here anyway."

"Is that so..."

With an expression of "I see." written all over Yukinoshita's [Yuigahama's] face, she proceeded to stand up from her chair.

"Well then... shall we go back for now, Hikigaya-kun, Yuigahama-san?" After a shallow sigh she said with a lighter, more confident tone this time.

Hearing Yukinoshita's [Yuigahama's] words, Yuigahama [Hikigaya] and I too hesitantly moved our asses away from the chairs and table we had found temporary comfort in.

"I guess we're parting ways again, Hikki.."

"See you after class, Hikigaya-kun."

"...yeah."

As we bid our temporary goodbyes to each other, the chime signaling the next period rang.

"I'm the first to arrive, huh?"

As I enter the clubroom after class hours had finally settled, I was met with only the sound of the wind seeping through the window and a whole lot of emptiness.

Not a person in sight.

Not that it matters that much, but those guys are surely taking their time. I thought to myself as I take my usual seat near the door entrance.

Upon doing so, I couldn't help but think how harder it is to navigate in a school girl's clothing. I mean now that I'm well aware of it, I actually have to take care of my skirt while taking a stroll and before sitting down. Well, it's not like it's the end of the world with these changes but it's still something to complain about compared to wearing pants.

...my, what a pain.

The air of solitude surrounding me persisted as time passed by without a single knock on the door. With boredom dawning, I rested my back on the chair much harder than usual. There I looked up at the ceiling.

"I certainly wouldn't have imagined that I'd someday be a girl in the flesh. Even more so that it's Yukinoshita. Heh, if I look at it at much lighter way, it surely is something amazing." I thought to myself as I stare at my hand raised into the air. It was Yukinoshita's hand yet I'm the one controlling it. Same can be said to the rest of this body.

It just feels so wrong yet so right.

"Coming in..."

With light knocks on the door, a voice seeped in into the room.

Curious as to who it was, I leaned my body forward and turned my head towards the door. After the door slowly but surely opened, I could see a girl's figure that I recognize all too well.

"Isshiki.." I muttered to myself.

It was no other than the Student Council President and an underclassman of mine, Isshiki Iroha..

"..."

Isshiki walked past me but not before softly nodding to me as our eyes met. She took a seat next to mine thereafter.

"..."

Silence ensued as the two of us had begun minding our own business. Isshiki would fix her bangs and look at her fingertips while I would just sit quietly, hands on my lap and all.

I didn't exactly tried to do anything else other than that for I really didn't have the slightest of idea how to interact with Isshiki... not while in this form at least. It's not like I have seen enough of the Yukinoshita and Isshiki's interactions when they're alone to know.

Ah, whatever. I'll just greet her properly and just be done with it.

"...Good afternoon, Isshiki-san." With the usual voice of Yukinoshita, I greeted her.

"Good afternoon too, senpai." She replied back.

.

.

Well... that just died.

...I know well that was the purpose of it but I can't help but be down about how that went.

A couple of minutes passed without much happening.

Disturbed by the unusual treatment and silence my underclassman was giving me, I tried to initiate a conversation. With a casual tone, I asked without thinking twice. "You're waiting for Hikigaya-kun, right?"

"Ah.." Isshiki's eyes slightly widened in reaction. No, perhaps mine too.

Just what the hell was I thinking letting that escape from my mouth? Was it disappointment towards Isshiki's actions? Or is it the discrepancy in bodies acting up? Agggh, whatever it is, I need to get back to my body soon!

Isshiki then proceeded to laugh after. Her laugh would've been called cute if not for it stinking of her silently saying "You're joking, right?" and "Please, die."

"...I'm not specifically waiting for him, Senpai." Contradicting the laugh she had just now, softly she answered.

"...is that so..."

As the two of us was stuck at the awkward mess we had put ourselves in, the door once again gave light knocks much to our relief. And just like before it slowly opened to reveal new faces. Only this time it seemed like it was the guys I was actually waiting for.

"Ah." Yukinoshita's [Yuigahama's] mouth suggested as she comes in from outside.

"..." Second came Yuigahama [Hikigaya] who feebly followed Yukinoshita [Yuigahama] on her tracks.

Also, Yuigahama, what's with that bow like you've just entered some stranger's house?

I unknowingly relaxed my disposition a little in response of them entering... I don't know, maybe seeing my body being okay after all the many hours I haven't seen it gave me a sense of relief?

That or having the feeling that I escaped death's door as I see my body being okay after being piloted by Yuigahama for that long of a duration..

"Tea... tea.." Our young energetic ditzy lady softly audibly muttered to herself.

Seeing as the three of us had already took comfort in our respective seats, Yukinoshita [Yuigahama] begun her usual routine. By that I mean she began making tea.

As Yukinoshita [Yuigahama] was walking her way back to the table with the tea ready, she couldn't help but let out one question.

"I'm sorry... but what's with the unusually long stare?" Yukinoshita [Yuigahama] hesitantly asked Isshiki as she passes her a hot cup of tea.

"Ah, no.. it's just kind of weird to see Yui-senpai be the one serving.." As Isshiki says that, the girls' glances all slowly but surely went towards my direction. "It maybe rude of me but wouldn't it be Yukinoshita-senpai who normally does this sort of thing?"

"Ah.. that's.." As I open my mouth for words I would soon not find, I instinctively shifted my gaze back at the person in question. By that I mean Yukinoshita [Yuigahama].

"Hikigaya-ku..." Receiving my cry for help, Yukinoshita [Yuigahama] shifted the dialogue on her side but soon stopped herself, lightly coughing before continuing. "Yukinon's not feeling good right now so we can't have her overexerting herself,"

"Is that so.." Isshiki who seemed to stand on the thin line of believing and disbelieving what Yukinoshita had stated to her, cocked her head in wonder.

As if not satisfied, she then went on to whisper something to Yuigahama [Hikigaya].

After hearing the soft words her underclassman didn't actually mean to tell her, Yuigahama [Hikigaya] couldn't help but laugh it off. She had no choice but to anyway.

If only you knew who you were whispering to right now, my dear underclassman.

The antics we had to deal with with Isshiki continued as she persisted to stay at the clubroom.

Each of us would try our hardest to act out the person we had as an appearance of in accordance to whatever was Isshiki's move. There were times when one would frown on another as they find their acting insufficient... or just plainly wrong. One such example was when I let out an unusually audible yawn that got Yukinoshita sending me death gazes.

.

.

.

.

"Well, it's time for me to go." Isshiki said before standing up from her seat.

"If you would excuse me." We nodded to her as we see her figure disappear behind the clubroom door.

"..."

And as the door made this audible sound of closing, we all dropped our shoulders in sync and caught our breathe.

"This... this is more tiring than I thought."

"Both mentally and physically, you could add."

"And it's not like we could just outright tell them the situation we are in."

"I mean at this point, who'd take us seriously?"

"If not even the open minded hobby woman that is our teacher believed us, then nobody.."

As somewhat of a way to vent out some stress built up, the three of us spewed out complains and comments left and right...

... but even if the conversation we were having was as cynical as we could get it, the air we felt had certainly lightened up.

It was as if we were finally permitted to relax our minds, even if temporarily, from the mess of it all.

"Coming in~"

Yet, however. There was more.

Of course there had to be more.

A/N

I wanted to have practice again and I sorta wanted to try one chapter of the older fics while I was at it. So I ended up doing this one.

I was having a hard time trying to execute the swapping but thankfully someone suggested I read the first chapters of Kokoro Connect so that I could get a grasp of it and damn, it helped me a lot.