"I'm his girlfriend; naturally I want to be close to him. Or would you prefer I used your body to do it?"
The words slipped through like thin needles, popping the bubble of Nodoka's hesitation. She looked at this face that should have been hers yet now shone with Mai's brilliance, and realised she was occupying not just a body but someone else's life, someone else's love. Guilt rose like a tide and almost robbed her of breath.
"I" She twisted her fingers, heart pounding. "Ifif I say yes and let you use it?"
Her head was spinning from everything she had already experienced in Mai's body; resistance collapsed.
"What?!"
Mai's amber eyes flew wide, as if she had heard something unbelievable. She stared at Nodoka for several seconds, making sure it wasn't a joke, before she finally spoke, voice trembling slightly with incredulity:
"You're serious?"
Nodoka drew a long, shaky breath and nodded as if it took all the strength she had.
"I'm not joking. I just I just don't see another way. Isn't this the only way I can make it up to you? I don't want to owe you anything!"
At those words Mai's whole expression relaxed; she even let out a tiny, relieved laugh. She raised a hand as if to give Nodoka a friendly pat on the shoulder, then hesitatedafter all, that shoulder was Nodoka's own. Retracting her hand, she looked at her softly.
"The core of Puberty Syndrome is the heart knot. Since the cause was you wanting to become me, maybe the key to untying it is to accept yourself and go back to being you again."
~~~
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Chapter 745: Love yourself! Finally Switch Back!
"Accept yourself?"
ToyohamaNodoka's expression froze for a moment.
"Right."
Mai nodded and looked toward the distant crowd at play.
"You envy how dazzling I am, but you never saw that I once envied youbecause you could cry without restraint and worry about little things.
"Everyone has a light of their own. You don't have to stand under a spotlight to shine."
She paused, then turned back to ToyohamaNodoka.
"Tell me does Rei Ao like the body of the 'celebrity SakurajimaMai,' or does he like me as a person?"
The question stunned Nodoka.
She had always assumed that someone as strong and handsome as Rei Ao would be surrounded by countless radiant people like Mai.
"He likes me," Mai said with quiet certainty. "Just as I like himnot some mysterious identity. So"
Suddenly she laughed, seaspray glittering in her eyes.
"You should like ToyohamaNodoka the person, instead of always thinking about becoming someone else."
A sea breeze carrying fine sand swept across them. Nodoka lowered her gaze to the hands she was borrowing.
They were Mai'sslender, beautiful, with a faint mole on one knuckle.
Yet she suddenly realized that although her own hands weren't as pretty, they could do many things only she could do.
"I"
She lifted her head; a hint of light flashed in her eyes.
"I think I understandjust a little."
At that moment
Rei Ao's voice drifted from afar: "Mai, Nodoka, what are you two doing over there?"
Both girls turned at once.
Rei Ao was walking out from behind the rocks. YukinoshitaFuyuka and YuigahamaYuiai followed, cheeks still flushed.
He'd wanted a few more rounds, but the girls were afraid of being discovered, so they stopped after one Still, the vacation had only just begun, and he intended to enjoy it.
Rei Ao's iridescent eyes rested on Mai with their usual smile, but he paused briefly when he saw Nodoka beside herhe already knew about the body swap.
"Just talking," Mai said, stepping forward to link her arm through his naturally. "Want to go swimming together in a bit?"
She could guess what had left the girls behind him so redfaced, but pretended not to notice.
Rei Ao raised an eyebrow, glancing between Mai and Nodoka, then let out a low chuckle. "Oh? It seems a certain little girl has figured some things out?"
Nodoka's face reddened again and she muttered, "I'm not a little girl"
He stopped teasing and simply ruffled her hairMai's hair, soft and silky.
"Good. Realization is half the battle," he said, amused. "After all, I don't want to keep whispering sweet nothings to this face forever."
"Hey!" Mai swatted him in mock annoyance, blushing before he did.
Watching their easy affection, Nodoka felt a tight knot inside her loosen.
As Rei Ao held her borrowed hand and Mai smiled so naturally, Nodoka finally understood what Mai meant by "accepting yourself."
Maybe she didn't need to become someone else. Maybe being ToyohamaNodoka could be dazzling enough.
"Um"
She spoke up suddenly, looking at Mai. "Now can we"
"Hold on." Mai cut her off, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Untangling your heart isn't done in a single step. But"
She leaned toward Rei Ao and whispered in his ear. His eyes lit up at once and a playful smile curled across his lips.
"Oh? Is that so?" He looked at Nodoka, rainbow irises gleaming with mischief. "Then how about we give you a hand?"
A bad feeling washed over Nodoka as she saw the conspiratorial look between them. "GGive me a hand with what?"
"Helping you accept yourself, of course," Rei Ao replied, stepping forward and scooping Nodoka up bridalstyle before she could protest.
This body was Mai's, and lighter than what he was used to.
"Ehh?! What are you doing? Put me down!" Nodoka shrieked, flailing.
"Quit fussing." Rei Ao patted her backside with a laugh. "Since you're not used to Mai's body yet, we'll help you get accustomed."
He carried her toward the sea, Mai following with a bright, expectant smile.
"Wait! What are you two Mai! Help!" Nodoka's cries were swallowed by the surf as Rei Ao waded straight in; cold seawater rose past her waist.
Looking down at the girl struggling in his arms like a kitten, his iridescent eyes softened.
"Listen, ToyohamaNodoka," his voice rang clear above the wind and waves. "This body belongs to SakurajimaMai, but the one feeling its temperature is your soul.
"No matter whose body it is, the one who can feel joy, love, and a racing heartbeat is 'you.'
"So stop obsessing over who to become, and feel the now."
With that, he lowered his head and pressed a gentle kiss to "Mai's" lips.
Salty sea breeze, icy water, and an unfamiliar sensation
Nodoka's mind blanked. She stared at Rei Ao's face up close, at Mai's reflection in his rainbow pupils, and felt something inside her shatter.
Maybe, as Mai said, she didn't need to become anyone else.
Maybe being ToyohamaNodoka could shine just fine.
Far off on the beach, Tohru and Kanna's volleyball match continuedbooming spikes mixed with laughter. ShinomiyaKaguya was finally believing HayasakaAi's talk of "dragons." KasumigaokaUtaha scribbled furiously in her notebook, recording this absurd, wondrous day.
Meanwhile, in the sea
Rei Ao let Nodoka go. She stood, cheeks flushed yet eyes growing clear.
"Well?"
Mai stepped forward and clasped Nodoka's hand.
Now they could both feel the warmth in each other's palms.
"How do you feel?" Mai asked.
Nodoka took a deep breath, looked at the vast ocean, then at the two beside her, and suddenly broke into a brilliant smile.
"I think I'm starting to like the 'me right now' a little."
At that very moment, a faint light flickered between them.
The next second
She found herself standing in the water with her own familiar feet sinking into the sand.
Beside her, SakurajimaMai stared at her hands in surpriseher own slender, beautiful hands.
Their bodies had switched back!
~~~
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Chapter 746: Few Strangers coming to the beach? Amagami Sisters
Nodoka Toyohama jerked her head up to look atMai. Their gazes crossed in midair, and in each other's eyes they both saw shock and relief.
Rei Ao watched the scene before him, a knowing smile flickering in his iridescent pupils.
He stepped forward, sliding one arm around Mai's waist while the other hand rumpled Nodoka's hair.
"Looks like you've finally untied the knot in your heart."
Mai leaned into Rei Ao's embrace, her amber eyes curling into crescents. "Mmhmm, it's undone at last."
At last she could be close to the one she loved.
Nodoka glanced at the pair of hands that were hers once more, then at Mai's familiar idol face.
Her delight at regaining her body carried a trace of inexplicable loss, but she quickly buried it beneath a dazzling smile.
"Hehheh, Nodoka Toyohama is back! You two keep showing off your loveydovey stuffI'm off to the beach!"
With that she spun and ran toward the shore.
Behind her, Mai watched the retreating figure and let a gentle smile rise to her lips.
She leaned close to Rei Ao's ear and murmured, "Lingkun, were you stealing a taste just now?"
"I wasn't stealing anythingI was perfectly aboveboard," Rei Ao replied with a shrug.
"Hmph."
Mai snorted softly. She knew all too well what a shameless wolf this guy could be.
Of course, given her current state, she wasn't in much position to complainher body had reacted the instant she swapped back and touched him.
Blushing, she whispered, "Lingkun, I'm a bit tired. Could you carry me back to the villa to rest?"
Rei Ao chuckled. "You're pretty wornoutdrenched, even."
"Quit it!"
Mai glared at him in embarrassed annoyance.
"Haha, all right, I'll take you back to the villa for a break."
Morning at Amagami Shrine was always wrapped in a fine mist; the scent of sandalwood mingled with damp air and drifted quietly about.
YaeAmagami stood beneath the dark torii, the cuffs of her white miko robes stitched with delicate bellflowers.
She brushed a black lock from her forehead and let her gaze fall on the two bouncing figures behind herher younger sisters AsahiAmagami and YunaAmagami.
Yuna was laboriously dragging a suitcase patterned with cats, the pink ribbon in her hair bobbing lively in the dawn breeze.
Asahi hugged a bamboo basket stuffed with snacks, her plump cheeks flushed with excitement.
"Hurry, hurry! If we don't get moving, the sun will bake the sand hot!"
Yuna craned her neck and waved at Yae.
Yae nodded slightly, a gentle smile lifting the corners of her lips.
"Got ityou want to visit the beach Mom always took us to again this year, right?"
"Uhhuh!"
Asahi nodded hard, eyes sparkling as though full of starlight. "The waves sound best there, and there are loads of pretty shells!"
When the three sisters set foot on the path into the forested hills, the morning mist had yet to lift.
Dewsoaked flagstones mirrored pinpricks of skylight.
They had walked this trail countless times; every jutting stone and crookedneck maple was etched into memory.
Each summer their mother had led them through these woods to the hidden cove deep in the bay.
There were no tourists thereonly the whispers of waves and rock, their secret hideout with Mom.
Now that Mom had passed, they still went every year.
But by the time Yuna stuck her suitcase on a root for the third time, the light filtering through the trees had grown harsh.
Asahi clutched her basket, her small head turning uneasily. "Big sis haven't we been walking too long? We'd usually be at the sea by now."
Yae stopped and looked about. The scenery felt both familiar and strange.
The ancient camphor with antlerlike branches was still there, yet the brambles beneath seemed far thicker than she remembered.
The winding stream still murmured, yet its surface no longer reflected the beach's outline.
"How odd" Yae frowned. "Haven't we already come through here?"
"Are we lost?" Asahi's eyes went wide, her small body pressing to Yae's skirt.
"But if you look back, the path still looks exactly like the way we came" Yuna fretted, tugging Yae's sleeve.
"Big sis, have we fallen into a kamikakushispirited away by the mountain god?"
The forest depths were eerily silent; only the rustle of wind through leaves sounded, as though countless unseen eyes were watching.
Yae narrowed her eyes and shielded her sisters behind her.
Just then the ground beneath her feet trembled faintly, and the air before her rippled like water struck by a stone.
At the same time
On the villa's second floor, sunlight poured through a floortoceiling window, tracing satin shadows across the soft bed.
Mai Sakurajima's long hair sprawled over the silk sheets.
She panted softly, hazy eyes turning to Rei Ao, lips parting. "What's wrong?"
Rei Ao propped himself up on one hand, tousled black hair falling forward, a playful gleam in his iridescent eyes.
He had been about to ravish the longawaited Mai when he suddenly sensed a faint fluctuationfour pure yet slightly flustered souls mixed within it.
"Four new friends have arrived," he said, chuckling low, fingertip gliding across Mai's sweatdamp collarbone. "They're wandering just outside the barrier."
"New friends?" Mai blinked, the warmth of desire still lingering in her body. "Strangers?"
"Strangers to youthough not quite to me."
He dipped to peck her lips, then straightened and walked to the window, gazing toward the invisible magical ward around the villa.
At the forest's edge three figures stood lost in the mist, one holding a gohei.
"Let's invite them in for a look, shall we?"
A smile tugged at Rei Ao's mouth. He snapped his fingers lightly.
In that instant the magic barrier surrounding the beach and villa receded like the tide, leaving behind only a faint ripple in its wake.
~~~
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(Bonus Chapter) Chapter 747: The Three Amagami Sisters...
The three Amagami sisters felt the scene before their eyes blur for an instant.
Where tangled grass and trees had blocked their view a moment ago, sunlight now streamed through
"Hm? What'sthat?"
Amagami Yae blinked and looked again.
The greenery had vanished, replaced by a dazzling stretch of golden sand.
A salty, humid sea breeze carrying the scent of sunwarmed waves washed over them, leaving the girls frozen in place.
"SSis, I'm not seeing things, am I?"
Amagami Asahi rubbed her eyes, unable to believe what she was seeing.
"Ththis isthe seaside?"
