A Quiet Afternoon, A Loud Student Council
It should've been a peaceful afternoon.
But inside the Student Council Room of Shuchi'in Academy, "peace" was the last word anyone would use.
Mitsuha, currently inhabiting the body of Shirogane Miyuki, sat at the President's desk like a deer caught in high society headlights. Her posture was stiff. Her hands were clasped too tightly.
Across from her sat Shinomiya Kaguya on the couch, graceful and composed, sipping tea as if her emotions didn't exist—except her eyes kept glancing over like she was trying to read Mitsuha's soul.
Beside her, Chika Fujiwara hummed a suspiciously upbeat tune while shuffling a deck of Uno cards. Ishigami leaned against the wall, earbuds in, but watching everything. Iino was mid-speech about uniform violations, her voice rising and falling like a lawyer building her case.
"Kaichou," Kaguya said with her usual calm precision, "are you… alright today? You seem more… earnest than usual. You seem to change personality every other day."
Mitsuha blinked. 'Earnest? Is that not how Shirogane normally is? Was he... insincere? Aloof? Distant?' Her thoughts swirled.
'Is this a dream? If it is, it's way too real...' Mitsuha thought.
She forced a small smile—the kind that came naturally to someone raised greeting shrine visitors on slow mornings. "Ah! Yes! I just think it's important to be kind and straightforward with others, y'know? Life's short. Better to spread a little kindness while we can."
Record scratch. Time froze.
[Kaguya's internal monologue]:
He's being sincere…? Is this some kind of psychological tactic? Or—no. Wait. Could this be… a confession in disguise?!
[Chika's internal monologue]:
Nope. That's not Kaichou. That's a spirit pretending to be him. Should I call a priest? Or perform an exorcism?
[Ishigami's internal monologue]:
He's way too zen. Did he finally sleep? Or have a breakdown? Either way, I'm into it.
Back in real time, Kaguya carefully set her teacup down, masking the storm behind her calm expression.
"If you're being sincere, Kaichou…" she began, her voice gentle but probing, "then tell me—what do you think of me?"
Inside her mind, chaos erupted.
'W-What did I just say?! Did I really ask that?! That was too direct! Too reckless! What if he thinks I'm fishing for compliments? What if he thinks I'm confessing? No, no, no—what if he sees through me?!'
'But… if he really is being unusually earnest today… then maybe… just maybe… I'll get a real answer. Wait—what if it's a trap?! What if he turns it around on me like always?!'
Her thoughts spiraled, a full courtroom playing out in her mind, complete with judges and spotlights.
'What is he thinking right now? What will he say? Did I just destroy the balance of our psychological war?!'
Mitsuha blinked, her expression gentle, almost in awe. "Hmm... I think... you're truly amazing," she said softly. "The way you carry yourself — your elegance, your kindness... and your eyes—they're so beautiful, so full of strength even when you're trying to hide it."
'A-Amazing? Elegant? Beautiful?!'
A fierce blush bloomed across her cheeks. Her brain short-circuited. 'I'm not ready for this level of emotional intimacy! Did I win?! Did I just—?!'
Kaguya froze, her heart hammering so loudly she was sure Mitsuha could hear it.
Mitsuha sighed inwardly, resisting the urge to groan.
I said all that… even though I just met her a few moments ago.
She shook her head slightly, feeling the weight of her own recklessness. Maybe I got a little too into it…
Kaguya: Speechless.
Mitsuha stared at her, growing increasingly alarmed.
'Uh oh. Was that bad? Did I say something I shouldn't have? Is she mad? Happy? Offended?'
She watched Kaguya's face, searching for any hint of emotion beyond the deepening blush.
Chika slammed her hands on the table. "Okay, WHO are you and WHAT did you do with Kaichou?!"
"Fujiwara-san!" Iino gasped, scandalized. "You can't just accuse people like that!"
"But he's being so nice! And honest! Like—weirdly honest!"
Mitsuha gave a nervous chuckle. "That's… not a bad thing, right?"
Kaguya stood suddenly, her chair skidding. "I forgot… I left the stove on. At home. In Kyoto. I must go."
She exited with the elegance of a woman hiding absolute panic.
Silence.
Chika leaned in, squinting. "Say something only the real Shirogane would say."
Mitsuha panicked. "Uhh… I haven't lost a crane game in four years?"
Chika gasped. "He's possessed! The real Kaichou would never flex without sounding like he's dying inside!"
Ishigami looked up, smirking faintly. "Whatever this is… I kinda like it."
Mitsuha stood quickly, trying to hide the trembling in her fingers. "I… should get going. I have work today."
It was a lie, of course. A convenient excuse to escape.
'I'll just say I have work or something. Better to be the overworked president than the emotionally unstable stranger.'
As she stepped into the hallway, Mitsuha let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. The door shut behind her with a click.
"That was… terrifying," she muttered, "How does this Shirogane guy survive that every day?"
Her thoughts replayed the chaos—Kaguya's burning stare, Chika's hyper-surveillance, Iino's rigid rules, Ishigami's quiet scrutiny. The pressure was suffocating. She shivered.
Not even shrine duties prepared me for this.
Lost in thought, she turned the corner—
Crash.
A sharp shoulder slammed into hers. The stack of student council paperwork she had been holding slipped from her hands, scattering like snow across the floor.
"Ow—hey! Watch where you're—!" a voice snapped, cut short mid-sentence.
Mitsuha stumbled. "Ah! I'm so sorry! Are you—"
The girl crouched, brushing dust from her skirt. She stood gracefully. Her uniform was pristine, her expression sharp.
And then—
Her eyes met Mitsuha's.
Her stance shifted. The aggression melted into something more complicated—guarded, measured, almost flustered.
"Oh. It's you," she muttered, folding her arms. "Hmph."
Mitsuha blinked. "Sorry again… Do we know each other?"
The girl's brows furrowed. "What kind of dumb question is that?"
"I mean… I'm still adjusting to everything. Could you tell me your name?"
Her frown deepened. "Seriously?"
Mitsuha winced. "Did I say something wrong?"
"You bump into someone, act like a clueless idiot, and forget my name? Are you trying to piss me off?"
Mitsuha opened her mouth—closed it again.
The girl clicked her tongue. "Unbelievable. It's Nino. Nino Nakano. Not that you deserve to know anymore."
She turned to walk away, but paused—because of course she did. She tossed a glance over her shoulder.
"Next time, watch where you're going… Shirogane Miyuki."
And just like that, she vanished down the hall.
Mitsuha crouched to collect the fallen notebooks, dazed. "Nino Nakano… She was mad, but not really. It felt more like... theater?"
From behind a vending machine, a voice spoke up.
"She always talks like that."
"Wha—!?" Mitsuha jumped, clutching her chest. "Ishigami-kun?! Were you following me?"
He stepped out casually, earbuds dangling around his neck.
"Nope. Just watching the show," he said, pulling out his phone. "That's Nino. She's like… 80% rage, 15% pride, and 5% hidden soft spots. Yelling's basically her dialect."
"Is that so?" Mitsuha asked.
Ishigami shrugged. "You'll get used to it."
Earlier That Morning
The day had started with panic.
Mitsuha awoke in a room far too clean, surrounded by books on economics and motivational quotes in Japanese and English. A prestigious uniform was neatly folded at the foot of the bed.
A phone buzzed beside her: Shirogane Miyuki's class schedule. Homeroom: Shuchi'in Academy.
"This… isn't my body," she whispered, staring into a mirror that reflected someone else's face.
With no answers and no one to ask, she followed the clues. School crest. Uniform cut. The student ID in the wallet.
And somehow, by using the Google maps, it guided her through the gate of Shuchi'in like she lives in tokyo.
Now, by the time she reached the academy's front gate, the sun was low, and her nerves were frayed.
Back to Present – Evening
After school, Mitsuha stared up at the darkening sky.
"This day's been too much."
She checked the notes in Shirogane's phone. One line in the calendar read: 'Home: 2 stops from school. North Line. Apartment 3A.'
That was enough.
"Please… just let me wake up from this crazy dream!!"
And with tired legs and a heavier heart, Mitsuha walked toward the station, hoping she'd wake up back in her own body tomorrow.