Linked Paths

Arc I - Closer to You [Chapter 1: If I were You, or am I?]

Standing in front of my closet, I become aware that Kacchan and I haven’t exchanged clothes at all. I’m glad my boxers are of the airy variety. Oversized t-shirts I also have, so no problem! After slipping into the nightclothes, I lie down in bed. I breathe a sigh of relief. Done, finally dressed again. Not naked. A certain nakedness remains, due to being stuck in a different body.

My HeCom, forgotten about the events of the day, I activate. Laha has written to me after his work, as always. I type a text back, coming straight to the most important part.

》You won’t believe what happened to me today! I’m an absolute wreck! Tomorrow you’ll find out what I’ve gotten myself into again...😭 Good night, sweetie 😘《

As I type, I have great difficulty keeping my eyes open. With the relief of having passed the hygiene task, fatigue forcefully comes back to the forefront. I don’t wait for a reply to see if my bestie is still awake. Instead I set my alarm for tomorrow Monday at the necessary time and wrap myself tightly with my blanket. I smell like me now which gives me some comfort.

Oh dear, my friends are going to freak out when they hear what happened to me. I quickly fall asleep. Even for a dream, I seem too beat. 

[The next Morning] 

My alarm rings. Damn, I’m so tired. I set it to snooze. And I still have that headache. I turn over again. My movement makes me notice my chronic morning glory. With an annoyed grumble, I reach for my crotch and adjust it so that it doesn’t disturb me in the current position.

The truck loaded with realization hits me hard and with full force. I gasp and pull my hand away as if I’ve been electrocuted. “Shit!”

I put my arm over my face, defeated by my inner reflexes. In my half-sleep, I forgot for a moment that I’m trapped in someone else’s body. If that doesn’t make me depressed, I don’t know what will.

I sigh. Now I’m even more tired and feel as heavy as lead. It’s going to be so embarrassing today to see my class. And exhausting and exasperating. Can’t I skip this part of my life somehow? A quirk for time skipping, I’d love to have that! Anyway, life is not a walk in the park. And what kind of hero would I be if I hid here now? A pretty miserable one, that’s for sure. Besides, I owe it to Kacchan to pull myself together.

So, I get up to get ready. The morning routine takes longer than usual due to the current body condition I am in and the inconveniences it causes. That’s despite the fact that at the same time I simply have to skip certain things. You know, compared to others my age, I’m probably an angel, but I’m no saint either. Even I have some needs. So perhaps it’s not very surprising that I’m jerking off regularly. It has become a constant part of my mornings, especially. That’s dead in the water for now, though.

The moment I search for my U.A. uniform I realize that it in no way would fit right now. Kacchan is built much wider than me. He’s also half a head taller. Crap! Some important things we didn’t take into account yesterday, apparently. Of course, we immediately thought about swapping our HeComs. Well, these devices are truly essential for survival. Kacchan and I also thought about exchanging our contact IDs. Glad about that! I grab my HeCom from my nightstand, open the app to start the chat and inform him.

》Good morning, Kacchan. I guess we should exchange our uniforms 😅…Could you please bring yours over? You’ll get mine as well. Thank you very much!《

Not even 5 minutes later, there is a knock at my door. I open it and my heart stumbles when I see myself, so to speak, my body, standing in front of me. I can just go crazy there, right? I feel like a protagonist in ‘Freaky Friday’!