Unbeknownst to Sougo and his lookalike, a pink long-sleeved pajama top fell onto their balcony railing while below them was a familiar vermillion-haired lady sprinting frantically down the sidewalk by their dorm, zigzagging her way through the afternoon crowd loitering around.

After 15 more minutes, her body stopped in front of a white building five stories high labelled O-Edo University Central Hospital or 'OUCH' for short.

Finally!

She dragged herself to the receptionists' desk where a kind lady helped lay the unconscious Hidaka onto a stretcher and sent him off with a nurse to the Urgent Care department.

Kagura's drained body collapsed onto a nearby chair in the waiting area and soon, she dozed off.

"Miss!" Kagura felt a hand try to shake her awake.

While keeping her eyes closed, she slapped the hand away. "Go away, Megane, let me sleep for 5 more minutes."

"Miss, visiting hours are almost over. You can visit Hongou Hidaka-san tomorrow. For now, you should head back to your dorm room to sleep."

"Eh?" Kagura forced her eyes open when she heard her target's name. She stood up and wiped away her drool with the back of her hand, in an attempt to fix her appearance.

"How is Hidaka-kun?" She inquired.

"He's doing fine. His vitals are stable but he lost a lot of blood so we'll observe him over night just in case."

Kagura breathed out a sigh of relief, glad to know that her only escape plan was still feasible.

"Umm…Nurse, could I visit him?"

"Hmm." The nurse looked at her watch. "Visiting hours end in 15 minutes. If you quickly go to his room, you should be able to see him."

Pochi-kun, wait for me!

Kagura raced to the elevator after asking for Hidaka's room number and location. When she entered his room, he was resting peacefully on the bed. His formerly pale face returned to its original lively hue.

She stood by his bedside and crouched down until she was at his eye level. She watched the steady breathing of his chest before letting out a sigh of relief.

"You know, Pochi-kun, I wanted to say this while you were awake."

"…"

"Thanks for staying strong."

"…"

"I didn't want to see someone I love pass away…Not again."

"…"

Even though her chatter was met with silence, she continued to keep the boy company. She didn't realize how much time she had spent by Hidaka's side until a nurse popped her head into the room to warn her that visiting hours were over.

"See you soon, Pochi-kun." She gave a quick peck on the area where his hair parted on his forehead, glad to see the solid heart above his head.

Nothing beats skinship with your favourite character hehehe.

As soon as Kagura's footsteps were no longer heard, Hidaka abruptly opened his eyes. He raised two fingers until they reached the spot on his forehead where her lips had touched. His cheeks reddened as he recalled her actions.

"Her lips were so soft." He whispered to himself.

Hidaka thought it was a good idea to feign sleep so he could avoid any unnecessary physical contact with the strange girl. Yet somehow, the plan backfired on him.

The spot on his forehead felt much warmer than the rest of his face. The more he thought about it, the more he could feel his cheeks heating up and the blood rushing to his nose again.

"I should've asked her who she was. And why she cares so much about someone like me…" Those were his last thoughts before he blacked out.

A passing nurse spotted the unconscious Hidaka with a bleeding nose. "Doc! The patient from Room #212 passed out from a nosebleed!"

"Again?" The doctor who had examined him earlier thought about restricting the boy's visitors, especially that vermillion-haired lady.

She seemed to be the root cause of his current blackouts. He made a mental note to investigate the girl's identity and update the report to the boy's grandfather, one of the hospital's biggest sponsors.

"So what you're saying is that you're from another world where the people look exactly like the citizens here." Soichi concluded.

"Yes." Sougo agreed.

Shimaru collected the oranges he peeled in a bowl and placed it on the table separating the Okita 'twins'.

[ So that's why you got my name wrong earlier. You mistook me for your Shimaru-san. ]

"Exactly." Sougo nodded.

"Assuming you're not crazy, this means you're living proof that another world exists." Soichi grinned. He slammed both of his hands down on the table. "I know exactly who can help you get back to your own world."

Now, it was Shimaru's turn to be bewildered.

[ You can't be talking about that professor right? The one who tries to time travel every time he's drunk. ]

"Of course it's him. Who else would know about travelling dimensions but the Physics professor?" Soichi countered.

Shimaru appeared unconvinced.

[ Take Soichi's words with a grain of salt. Sakata Ginji-sensei is infamous on campus for having an "eccentric" personality, to put it politely. ]

"Danna's doppelgänger is here too? I want to meet him." Sougo started to form a plan in his mind. "By any chance, are there any Shinsengumi officers here? For example, Hijikata, Kondo or Yamazaki?" Sougo wondered if any of his other comrades were sucked into this world too.

[ There is no "Shinsengumi" here. O-Edo is quite peaceful.] Shimaru clarified.

"Among the names you listed, only Hijikata is familiar. Hijikata Toshio-sensei teaches in the Law department. The other names don't ring a bell though."

"Then, I want to meet with Sakata-sensei and Hijikata-sensei. Maybe they'll have an idea how to get me back."

"Great, now that that's settled. Bring him around with you, Saionji." Soichi stood up and grabbed his jacket. "While you're at it, take my place for roll call too, 'Soichi-kun'."

"Why should I?" Sougo didn't want to be dragged into the student role at the age of twenty-four.

"Just do us a favour." Soichi put on his shoes. "We are letting you stay in our dorm, rent-free. And who knows, maybe you'll meet someone that can help you out? Toodles~"

Sougo watched his lookalike leave the dorm room. "Where is he going?"

Shimaru shrugged.

[ He usually spends the night outside so he's probably off to find the girl of his dreams. ]

Sougo sensed a change in his roommate's relaxed mood. The orange-haired man walked towards him with a fiery gaze, but Sougo was unable to read his expression due to the pine-colored scarf that covered half of this face, only leaving his ruby irises exposed. Then, Shimaru placed a hand on his left shoulder.

[ Undress. ]

"..." Sougo gave Shimaru a strange look.

[ You have to wear Soichi's clothes to convince the professors. ] Shimaru stated as a matter-of-fact.

Sougo's mouth formed an 'O' at the suggestion. "You worried me for a second there, Shimaru-niisan."

[ ? ] Shimaru tilted his head, further displaying his innocence.

"It was nothing." Sougo mumbled to himself.

Is it just me or is this world's strange vibe rubbing off on me?