The dining room was abuzz. Both Hikigaya Hachiman and Yukinoshita waited for their meal. Komachi had come out of the kitchen with a bowl in hand. She was generous enough to top the rice bowl with enough beef to form a pile uptop.
"Here you go onii-chan." She placed it in front of Yukinoshita Yukino's body. The young lady whose perfect mouth was watering in anticipation could not resist the smell of the homely meal. Hikigaya said his prayers and dug in.
"Thanks. It's always a great day when Komachi cooks for me. Oh that must've scored alotta points, no?" Hikigaya talked as he munched. Lunch always was great with Komachi around.
"Only thirty!"
Hikigaya, feeling playful, scowled.
"Ehh, that's pretty low."
"Onii-chan may look like a doll right now but he's still the weirdo, so Komachi graded you appropriately. Forty points for being pretty and minus ten for being onii-chan."
Hikigaya snickered, and it made Yukinoshita's face contort in a way that looked like he was about to sneeze.
Yukinoshita could only watch the two siblings enjoy their reunion. Their dynamic was… unique in a way that left any stranger perturbed. It was doubly unsettling since it involved her body being chummy with someone she had been acquainted with for supernatural reasons. She ignored the lump forming in her throat and tried her best to speak with tact.
"I'm baffled your plan worked."
Hikigaya snorted. Mind you, if it came from his actual orifice it most likely would have been grating to Yukinoshita's ears but since it was her own voice, it simply 'tickled' her auditory senses.
"Actually… I was hoping Komachi would pass out on the couch—"
"That's awfully nefarious of you." She huffed.
"— but she figured it out so that's hella good news for us."
Komachi beamed up as he finished his sentence.
"Big brother's being a pessimist thinking Komachi wouldn't figure him out given enough time. After all, I'm the problem solver of this household, a detective in training!"
"What? The little girl who can't even keep track of her bag going to school? She's a detective? I guess they let in anyone now…"
"Mehh, Komachi doesn't like how sassy you sound as a girl. You lose another ten points."
" brother is just the worst." Contrary to his statement, what Hikigaya did next was anything but bad. He reached out his hand, delicate as they were now, and ruffled Komachi's hair. Then, like nothing happened, he continued eating his meal all the while he played some mobile game on his phone (it was her phone).
"Heehee. It's super weird hearing those words come out of a knockout like Yukinee-chan. It's like an elf and goblin switching places."
Yukino's eyes went wide, as wide as Hikigaya's rotten eyes could go. She felt strained just from that simple action.
"Yukinee…" She repeated. "I would prefer if you simply referred to me as Yukinoshita-san, Komachi."
"Eh? But right now, you're related to me right now— with you being onii-chan and all—"
"That may be, but I prefer to keep things cordial as of now. We've only just met and it was bad enough I had to hide my identity from you the entire week. And to be blunt, lying to you was something I despised. So I want to straighten things out…"
"Oh. Komachi gets you. This must be super weird for you guys. Just thinking about it right now is making Komachi think of all the problems you've encountered living onii-chan's life. My condolences."
"Indeed. Thank you for being considerate."
"No problem. Oh since we've established 'rapport' and broke the ice," One moment Komachi's hands scrunched in an air quote, the next she leaned on the table, clasped Yukinoshita's currently rough hands in a prayer hold and looked at the 'maiden in a man's' eyes. "Can I call you Yukinee-chan, now?"
"If you insist… though, it may be best to do it when we're alone. Right Hikigaya-kun… Hikigaya-kun?"
Yukinoshita looked away as Komachi's curious eyes watched her. And as she looked away from the table, she spotted her body head for the stairs like a crustacean. Maybe Hikigaya-kun was also part crab.
He did not turn to face her but he answered her either way.
"I'm going to my room."
This was the first time for both Yukinoshita and Hikigaya.
The former never had a guest invited to her room. It wasn't even her room objectively speaking yet this marked a moment in her life she would probably remember in the coming years. Her guest just had to be herself — while trapped as someone else.
For Hikigaya it was the same, but there was another milestone he had achieved no thanks to his spiritual self. He had a girl, not family related, in his room and she was not creeped out! He was that girl technically but everyone else won't see it that way.
As the door opened, the stale air gave him so much nostalgia he resisted his gag reflex. The atmosphere was intense. He had to pinch his nose before breathing normally again.
"I clean regularly just so you know." Her voice was weak.
"It's just your nose being too sensitive." He stopped pinching.
However none of that mattered as he took one good look at his room. Is this what homesickness felt? Rationality left him each strut from his long legs.
"Ah home sweet home~" Gone were all his worries. "Did ya miss me, futon?"
As Hikigaya plopped onto the bed his current body touched for the first time. He didn't mind the odd scent from his pillow or the stiffness from his mattress, in fact he embraced it. He was home.
To Yukinoshita however, it looked like her former body was going rabid on a boy's bed. A lady obsessed was unbefitting of the Yukinoshita name, that's what her mother would say. She was glad Hikigaya was not looking in her direction. He would have caught her having bad thoughts.
She sighed.
"Please control yourself, Gomii-gaya-kun. You're drooling on my bed."
He stopped as those words left Yukinoshita's mouth. He wished he could retort back to how it was still his bed after all this time but he was no longer the man he used to be. He wasn't a man at all. He replied as he turned to face her, an uneasy feeling in his stomach accompanied his words the entire time.
"I'm perfectly in control. Just greeting an old friend. Also could you quit calling me that while we're alone? I need to be reminded who I am once in a while."
"Very well, Hikidrama-kun." She sat beside her former body who had decided to go back to rummaging the bed. He made an 'Ah' sound when his hands reached the side of the bed.
"Oh damn you didn't charge Vita-chan." The glee in his voice was almost infectious.
"I don't have time for games." She was too sour. Was he rubbing off on her? Was she always like this? Introspection should come later — entertainment was more important.
He raised the electronic device.
"Well you don't mind if I take it with me? Actually it's mine anyway so it's my decision in the first place."
Yukinoshita was dumbfounded at the boy's request. She decided to give him a stern dressing down.
"You should decide on leaving immediately… a girl staying in a boy's room gives the wrong impression… never mind what she's doing on his bed."
"Yup." Again with the callousness… His focus was on his games rather than her. She really should not expect much. Yukinoshita did not know Hikigaya fully, but her time with him has taught her some of his quirks. The most notable one right now is his self-imposed aloofness when trouble heads his way.
"And you're not annoyed by the rumors that will follow?"
He scoffed at that.
"Unless someone's hired a private investigator then I don't see the issue. Komachi's a good girl and she won't spill the beans. And, to be fair, I'm practically invisible."
Maybe Hikigaya's body had high blood pressure because after Hikigaya had said that, Yukinoshita's veins were about to burst.
"But not 'me', not 'Yukinoshita Yukino'." She was glaring at him like a wolf. He only parted his mouth to a silent 'baa' like a lost sheep.
"… I didn't consider that hmm.. but I'm sure my 108th Skills will suffice though." he continued playing with vita-chan.
"Your what? Another esoteric term of yours?"
Tap. Tap. Match starts.
"Stealth Hikki – it lets me avoid most social interactions."
Tap. Tap. Click. Clack. Tap. Tap.
"That's playing the role of an insect."
"It's super effective."
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Click. Clack. Clack—
Cramp!
You Died! Try again?
"Gah, damn. Your hands get tired too easily." He cried out, sitting up like an annoyed panda. "Your body gets tired too easily! Seriously, woman, have you never worked out all your life?"
As if to make the point he flexed one of Yukinoshita's biceps like a bodybuilder. Yukinoshita sighed as the young man puppeting her body repeated the motions over and over. Maybe he should take up bodybuilding as a hobby. Not in her body of course but in his own when they swap back… if they swap back. She needed him to focus on swapping back or else his inane tirades would be the death of them.
"There isn't any time when you live the life of a Yukinoshita. My childhood was just books and learning indoors. When I am given the opportunity to learn extracurricular activities outdoors, I master the craft in the first hour. Then, it's back to indoor learning."
"I find that hard to believe. You mean to tell me you're just that good?"
"Yes."
"That's something out of a fairy tale… so when are we meeting the rabbits on the moon who will switch us back?"
"Did you leave all your brain cells in your original body before we swapped?" Yukinoshita asked. "Or are you just dim like a worn out lightbulb?"
It took Hikigaya three seconds to ponder the question, tilting Yukinoshita enough her hair flipped to one side. Then he closed his fist, as if capturing an answer.
"I aced your calc quizzes this time so maybe not?" He had a gross smile on her face clearly impressed by his feats.
His face with her soul's disapproval was equally unsightly.
"I tutored you and it's still below my expected average."
"Yeah but my body's math sucks, unlike yours."
Now they devolved into arguing like children.
"That's not how that works. If it did, I wouldn't be earning you perfect scores."
Rotten blue jewelry leered at striking gray fish eyes.
Their standoff would have lasted for an eternity were it not for Hikigaya's small realization.
"Hmm, I guess it doesn't matter if it's your brain or body. As long as it involves Yukinoshita Yukino I will be fine."
"… you surprise me Hikigaya-kun." She turned around, hiding each other's expression.
"Hmm." He wanted an answer.
"A rotten person like you complimenting someone is like rain in a desert. Quite a rarity among your kind. I should report these findings to the scientific community."
"Huh. I'll have you know I praise accordingly, especially stuff involving my sister. I'm not like those riajuus who act tough because society pressured them into faux stoicism. Positive reinforcement is definitely something I support..."
Hikigaya nodded, a subtle smirk on his borrowed face. That was a compliment right? It definitely was a compliment. He clapped his hands, as if waiting for his prayers to be answered.
"… and something you need to work on, Yukinoshita. Now if only you could praise me for once. Men get motivated by getting cheered on, y'know. Something like — 'great job Hikigaya~' or 'You can do this Hikigaya~'. Is that so much to ask?"
And now Yukinoshita knew Hikigaya was back to being Gomi-gaya…
"Verily. There is no reason for me to praise a person taking advantage of this situation, making fun of me using my own body, instead of finding a way back. Hmph."
"Y-you! Pot calling kettle black."
"Ad hominem and untrue." The way Yukinoshita said it with his voice grated Hikigaya's ears.
"There's no way—" His face puffed at a retort but something else caught his view.
There, stacked on his desk, were books on the occult and conspiracies. An evidence board meanwhile complimented the entire desktop space. It gave Hikigaya the impression of a noir set, or better yet a conspiracy nut's workstation. "—you've been busy."
"Oh, have you finally stopped fooling around and come to your senses?" She picked up one of the books, one involving local legends, and turned the pages.
"Where'd you even get these?" He dared to ask.
"Where else? The school library. Though the librarian was confused. She presumed 'Hikigaya-kun' only had interest in sleeping in the library like every other day."
He snorted a laugh. "Ah right, that's like the second best haunt for loners."
"What's the first?"
"Not telling. Don't give me that look. It won't be a loner's haunt if everyone knows it. Now what the hell have you been researching—"
He opened the journal. His eyes squint the longer he reads. "Aren't these abandoned shrines?"
"Yes. I'm not the superstitious type, but what we've experienced definitely counts as one. Some of these locations pertain to the soul, it's as good a lead as any."
"So we don't have any leads then? What about, I dunno, aliens?"
"Extra-terrestrial events are usually haphazard and infrequent in nature. They don't exactly occur in one place, never mind that most of the conspiracies are in Tokyo."
"Real." One of the shrines caught Hikigaya's interest. "Huh, this one's in the middle of the city… but I've never heard of it."
Like a robot, Yukinoshita began undressing.
Hikigaya didn't complain. He could not complain. It was his body after all. His body acting all cute and reserved should make him gag but right now he would not complain.
"It's a low chance that we'll find anything but we should head out while we have our wits about… umm, do you mind, Hikigaya-kun?"
Flustered fish eyes locked onto rotten blue sapphires.
"… What?"
"You have been… ogling me."
"That's my body though… Why are you hiding your chest? Man, there's nothing there." He resisted to follow up with words that would doom him.
Yukinoshita felt her cheeks heat up though she could not tell if it was out of annoyance or embarrassment. "It's the principle that matters."
A grovel was all Yukinoshita heard before Hikigaya bounced off his bed, stretching himself as he walked to the door.
"I'll wait for you outside then if you're gonna take a while."
Yukinoshita's body left. Only Yukinoshita's mind remained. Both however had their feathers ruffled.
"Komachi, we're going out."
"Oh?"
Komachi just finished washing the dishes whe she heard an angel's voice call out to her. She was livid but not quite ready to ascend into heaven.
"You're leaving already?" She peeped through the door. There was her brother making himself comfortable on the couch. Only her brother looked nothing like his normal self. Even after talking to her brother half an hour ago it was still odd to see a young woman in his place. It's a tonal whiplash.
If Komachi was a filmbuff, she would see the girl as the princess locked up in a castle while her brother as the scoundrel with a heart of gold. It was jarring watching the princess act like the lovable low life. Well the low life was only lovable because of Komachi's relationship with them but that's not important right now.
"Yeah. The park was hiding a shrine all this time. It's worth checking out." Komachi's brother fiddled with his phone, unaware of the curious gaze coming from his sister.
"So you found a way back already?"
"No… also stop sounding so disappointed. Just earlier you were about to cry because 'I' wasn't acting like myself for a week."
Ah, she didn't know she was wearing her heart on her sleeves. Cat's out of the bag.
"That's only half the truth! Komachi was worried you were abducted, replaced by aliens trying to take onii-chan away from me."
"For all we know it could've been aliens that caused this, Komachi."
"What would aliens want from my useless brother though?"
He glared at her.
If he was trying to scare Komachi, it wasn't going to work. Ever.
Yuki-nee-chan's body is too cute — super, super cute — to coerce people. She did not think it possible but here was her brother being cute and pretty for once and not a mopey mop. The twin tails hairdo helped a lot.
"Onii-chan…" she wanted to say more but the delicate hand that was ruffling her hair stopped all thoughts. Her brother's soul pierced out of Yukinoshita's eyes. Komachi could see them glimmer the way her brother's did — absolutely dull and uninspired.
"Don't worry about us, we'll find a way back." He smiled. "Oh that was cool of me, that's gotta be a high score right?"
"Really…" Komachi shook her head like a puppy. "Komachi doesn't mind if you stay like this. Komachi can help you-"
"Oi. I'd like to be back in my proper body. Thank you very much."
And there was her brother's gung ho attitude leaking. Komachi could only hope he carried the same sass and enthusiasm when interacting with people. Maybe this predicament could help her brother crawl out of his shell for once. But that's not the point, Komachi thought.
"Well, it doesn't matter. For Komachi, onii-chan or onee-chan, it still is onii-chan. And whatever happens after, Komachi will be waiting for you."
It was only for a moment but her brother awed at her , mouth agape. Then he spoke like he usually did.
"Thanks a bunch. Komacheese."
Footsteps from the stairs. She headed straight for the exit.
"About time. See you later, Komachi."
"Apologies, Komachi-san. We shall take our leave."
It was time for them to leave and time for Komachi finish cleaning the dishes.
"Right. Take care, you two!"
AN: I wanted to write more but thanks to my recent model kit addiction I had to stop here.
Up next is figuring out why they swapped in the first place and finding out the "cure" to all of this. What do you think is gonna happen?
Reviews, feedback, and suggestions are welcome always. I read em and sometimes they give me bigger ideas.