Why is it that, despite both being Kyousuke's friends, this Kisaki is so unbearable?
Dissociative identity disorder? How rude!
"I've arranged everything. He'll call you any minute now. If you're free tonight, we can review some math and—"
"Thanks for your help."
Mitsuha quickly ended the call.
With so many beautiful girls around, you expect me to study with you?
On the other end, Kisaki smirked at the call's abrupt ending.
He couldn't help but feel that his boss's "other personality" was becoming more and more like the real deal.
Good. Hopefully, the boss's female friends would continue to assimilate him further today!
The Cherry Blossom Festival, a favorite event among the people of Japan, was the perfect excuse for team bonding within the Rampaging Angel gang.
However, there was no way their leader would waste such a beautiful day hanging out with a bunch of burly men.
Everyone knew that their boss would be spending the festival surrounded by a group of beautiful girls, enjoying the falling cherry blossoms.
Meanwhile, in the Boss's Fan Club chatroom, Kasumigaoka Utaha had been lurking, quietly watching the conversation.
When she saw the notification that their leader had requested a ride, she nearly snatched up the job—until she remembered she didn't have a driver's license.
Before she could think of an alternative, someone with the username "Eikichi Onizuka" had already accepted the request.
"Awesome! I hope the boss teaches me more dating techniques today!" —Eikichi Onizuka
Dating techniques? Honestly, it'd be better if you stayed single forever.
If you ever fall in love, your brain might start working even less efficiently.
Utaha made this remark sincerely, without a hint of bitterness about missing the chance to drive the boss herself. Absolutely not.
Hojou Kyousuke was heading out today? Was it for the Cherry Blossom Festival? Where would he go? Shinjuku Gyoen? Ueno Park? Or perhaps Chiyoda?
Kasumigaoka Utaha speculated before immediately calling her father, requesting a driver to pick her up.
If Eikichi Onizuka was the one driving the boss, she could simply ask him for their destination later.
If she found Hojou Kyousuke, she would teach him some real techniques for landing a girlfriend.
Ah, the confidence of a romance light novel author with zero dating experience.
———————————————————————
Kita Ward, Kyu-Furukawa Gardens
"Lily, are you ready yet?" Sayuri, dressed in a red kimono adorned with cherry blossom patterns, called out from outside the room.
"Just a little more! I'm almost done with this final touch!" The blonde artist's right hand was moving so fast over her digital tablet that it was nearly a blur.
On the large bed behind her, a pale yellow kimono lay neatly folded.
On a day like this, as a diplomat, Robin Spencer naturally had social obligations to attend. And this time, the entire family was required to go.
Their destination? Most likely Chiyoda—after all, the Emperor himself resided there. It was the perfect day for him to make a grand appearance.
———————————————————————
Elsewhere
Ring, ring, ring~~
Kyousuke's phone rang. Mitsuha picked it up and glanced at the screen.
Ah, it was Eikichi Onizuka—his most loyal underling!
"Hey, happy weekend, Onizuka."
"Good afternoon, Boss! I'm almost at your place."
"That fast?" Mitsuha was surprised.
"Haha! Actually, I've been waiting here since early morning."
Onizuka sounded smug.
'Those lazy fools who called themselves the boss's devoted followers had no idea how much effort a lifelong single man was willing to put in to learn advanced dating techniques!'
"Haha, you've worked hard, Onizuka."
Mitsuha chuckled dryly, feeling a little guilty about fooling Onizuka last time.
But was it really deception? As an emotional coach, hadn't she successfully helped the elderly in town resolve their late-life relationship troubles?
She ended the call.
"Let's go. Kyousuke's guy is almost here," Mitsuha said to the three girls who had already packed food and touched up their makeup.
Once again, she marveled at the convenience of Kyousuke's body.
All she needed to do was wash her face, and she was good to go. So easy!
"That was fast! The first time I saw those gang members, I was scared by how intimidating they looked. But they're actually really nice!" Sakura remarked.
Beside her, Shouko covered her mouth as she giggled.
Who was it that had interrogated the tallest vice-leader for half an hour during the inauguration ceremony and even sent a video to Aunt Mikiko?
Mitsuha picked up the large food container and led the way out.
Sakura followed, then Naoka, and finally Shouko, who carefully locked the door before catching up to the three waiting at the elevator.
———————————————————————
Outside the Apartment
"Onizuka, thanks for waiting."
At the apartment's parking area, Mitsuha immediately spotted Eikichi Onizuka standing in front of a Toyota SUV.
Having played the role of "big boss" several times now, even attending gatherings, she had grown quite accustomed to this identity.
"Boss!" Onizuka raised his hand excitedly in greeting.
"Yo, Onizuka. Good afternoon."
Sakura walked up casually. She had met this hilarious underling last time when she attended a gang meeting with Kyousuke.
Shouko and Naoka simply smiled and gave a slight bow. Onizuka hurriedly bowed back.
"Where'd you get this car?"
Mitsuha opened the back door for the girls before settling into the front passenger seat. She then turned to ask Onizuka.
"One of the guys had a spare."
Onizuka shut the door for the boss before running to the driver's seat.
Kyousuke usually didn't allow such treatment—after all, he had perfectly good hands. But today, Onizuka was willing to go all out to learn more from the boss.
———————————————————————
On the Road
"Boss, I've read Love Metronome so many times now, but there are still parts I don't understand. Can you explain them to me?"
As he spoke, Onizuka pulled out the dog-eared novel from his jacket and placed it on the center console.
Hearing that Onizuka wanted to discuss the book that had once moved her to tears, Mitsuha was overjoyed.
Although she could now retain many memories when switching back to her real body, the contents of books she read during the switch didn't transfer over.
Back in Itomori, she had been dying to discuss the novel with Sayaka but had no way to do so.
"You're a Love Metronome fan too, Onizuka?!"
Mitsuha was so excited that she almost reached for the book—until she remembered where Onizuka had been keeping it. She quickly withdrew her hand.
"Huh? Wasn't it you who told me and Ryuji to read it?" Onizuka looked confused.
"Haha, yeah, but I didn't expect you to love it this much."
Mitsuha turned around, giving her three new friends a helpless look.
Sakura was the first to laugh, instantly understanding that Mitsuha was trying to show them the challenges of body-swapping.
"Mitsuha has it rough," Shouko murmured.
"Yeah. If I had to spend a day in an all-male school full of idiots… Ugh."
Just picturing it sent shivers down Ueno Naoka's spine.
"Haha! If I could use Kyousuke's body, I might have already unified all Tokyo's delinquent in Tokyo by now!" Sakura said with a mischievous grin.
"Hey, Sakura, is your class still the same as it was in elementary school?" Shouko chuckled, her eyes filled with curiosity.
Sakura let out an exaggerated sigh. "Ugh, it's even worse than back then."
"My class is full of girls, and they all want to hang out with me. I don't even have time to go to the bathroom during breaks!" She dramatically threw her arms around Shouko in mock despair.
"Hehe, sounds like a good problem to have," Shouko teased.
"Hey, Sakura, mind your surroundings," Naoka said, prying Sakura's arms off Shouko with a disapproving look.
"Ahem! Rest assured, dear friends of our esteemed leader—I will not glance at the rearview mirror even once!" Onizuka declared loudly and solemnly, as if making a sacred vow.
"Alright, Onizuka, let's talk about this novel," Mitsuha interjected, finally cutting into the conversation.
Listening to the girls' banter had made her itch to jump in, but now she had something equally exciting to discuss.