A faint melody drifted through the headphones as Mitsuha slowly opened her eyes.
—or at least, tried to. Her vision was blocked by something soft and silky.
Still, that was enough for her to realize the situation.
She had once again switched into Kyousuke's body.
At this point, she was more than used to this, and didn't panic in the slightest.
Seriously, even dozing off during a music exam is enough to trigger a body swap now?
Is it because it's been too long and the gods decided to show mercy?
And this thing over her eyes... it must be a sleep mask, right? She had discovered a while ago that Kyousuke insisted on sleeping in total darkness.
His apartment had three layers of blackout curtains on the balcony side that made no light could get through.
But where was she now?
Leaning back into a soft seat with her eyes still covered, Mitsuha didn't rush to remove the mask.
The song playing through the headphones wasn't in a language she fully understood, but she could tell it was English.
After using Kyousuke's phone so many times, she knew he was fluent in English—and that his playlists had more than a few English songs.
By now, she could even hum along to one or two.
Still, the song wasn't the main thing grabbing her attention.
It was the faint, rhythmic vibration beneath her.
She reached down to feel the seat cushion beneath her, it was soft, muting the sensation somewhat but even so, she could tell she wasn't sitting in a school chair.
Well, no need to overthink it.
This wasn't some kind of detective drama, and Kyousuke would never put her in danger.
In that sense, he was a total coward.
That thought made her chuckle a little, and she lifted her hand to remove the sleep mask.
And then—
"Whoa!! It's so pretty!"
The moment the mask came off, the bright light to her right drew her gaze instantly.
The sudden burst of brightness made her pupils shrink, but her eyes widened in awe.
Forgetting to even rub her eyes to adjust, she ripped off her headphones and leaned over toward the oval-shaped window to get a better look at the cotton-candy sea of clouds outside.
"Hojou, didn't you say you were going to sleep?"
The divider between the seats slid aside, and Kisaki Tetta turned his head toward her.
"Hey, Kisaki, are we on an airplane right now?" she asked excitedly, still fiddling with her seatbelt.
"Yeah, did you forget or something...? Wait... are you Mitsuha?"
His eyes widened too as he stared at the girl-like expression of wonder on his "big brother's" face.
Hearing the unmistakably feminine tone in the voice, he closed the book in his hands and groaned in despair.
"Oh, come on. Why now of all times?"
"Aww, that's cold. After so long, couldn't you at least say 'long time no see'? If it were Onizuka, he'd be thrilled and take me out for cake at a café."
Mitsuha pouted, though she was used to Kisaki's blunt attitude by now.
She grumbled but didn't take it to heart.
After finally figuring out how the seatbelt worked, she unbuckled it and practically pressed her entire upper body against the cabin wall, her face glued to the window.
"So beautiful..."
It was noon, and the sun shone from directly overhead.
The clouds outside looked almost tangible under the bright light, like the moldable clouds from Doraemon.
Mitsuha's eyes sparkled as she stared, mouth slightly open, at the fluffy white sea.
The clouds rippled like waves, morphing from cotton candy to cauliflower, then from cauliflower to rippling water.
They gathered, clashed, dispersed, and reformed.
The sheer beauty and majesty of nature moved the young shrine maiden. She recalled her grandmother's words:
"Knots tie ropes together, just like they tie people together. Knots represent time—gathering, forming, twisting, intertwining. That is time."
Clouds were just the same gathering and drifting apart, vanishing, and eventually returning as mist to begin the cycle anew.
Just like her and Kyousuke.
Their body-swapping had connected them, weaving together lives that were never meant to intertwine.
They'd each return to their own paths, but they were destined to meet again just like now.
Here, above the clouds, she had entered his body, and through his eyes, she was seeing this magical sight.
So maybe... just maybe... she and Kyousuke really were—
"Mitsuha, could you not act like a country bumpkin?" Kisaki groaned. "You're ruining my boss's image!"
'KISAKI TETTA! That's it—you're going in my mental blacklist today!'
"I mean, this is my first time on a plane! Isn't it normal to get a little excited?!" Mitsuha snapped, spinning around and glaring at him.
Since Kisaki already knew who she was, she didn't bother pretending. She let her girly side out without hesitation.
"Uhh..." Kisaki flinched.
Hearing her say "watashi" in that cutesy tone made his scalp tingle with secondhand embarrassment.
But the glare he got from Kyousuke's face that made cold sweat bead on his forehead.
After all, Kyousuke wasn't called the "Handless Demon" for nothing.
The "handless" part came from his habit of going for his opponents' hands in fights, and the "demon" part? That was all about the sheer menace he gave off when angry.
Even though Kisaki was his most trusted guy and spent every day with him, that glare still sent a chill down his spine.
Thankfully, a flight attendant arrived at just the right moment, offering a basket of wet towels and breaking the tension.
"Whoa, airplane service is this fancy? There's so much food! Can I order all of this?" Mitsuha asked, wiping her hands with a towel and flipping through the menu with stars in her eyes.
It looked like something straight out of an Italian restaurant.
As she spoke, she carefully packed Kyousuke's eye mask and headphones into a dedicated storage pouch.
That clean-freak with borderline OCD always kept his personal stuff neat and had special cases for everything and it's usually tucked into his jacket pocket.
Unlike her old, chaotic self, Kyousuke had every part of his life neatly organized.
"It's not that everyone gets this kind of service, it's because we're flying first class. On domestic flights with JAL, only first class gets meals."
"As for whether you can order everything on the menu…" Kisaki Tetta glanced around.
Normally, first class would be full, but today, out of twelve seats, only he and Kyousuke were here.
After a moment of thought, he said, "As long as you can smile as charmingly as Kyousuke, I'm sure you can order everything."
He already had a decent idea of what this "Mitsuha" personality was like.
Overall, she was easygoing and had a serious love for food, yeah definitely the type who adored eating.
Originally, the flight was just a little over two hours.
Kyousuke wasn't strapped for cash, but he hadn't planned on splurging for first class.
Still, the moment he told Eriri he was heading back home, she immediately had her father to book out all twelve first-class seats.
As for why the rest of the kendo club didn't sit up front with them, that's where seniority culture in Japan kicks in.
No matter how much Kyousuke tried to persuade them, his juniors refused to sit in first class with him, even though every single one of them looked like they were dying to try it.
So in the end, it was just Kyousuke and Kisaki Tetta enjoying the cabin.
The reason Kisaki looked around before speaking was simple: there was a limited number of meals in first class.
With only the two of them here, there'd definitely be extras.
Especially since JAL has a "sky-high Michelin" concept for their meals.
Even if the domestic menus weren't quite as extravagant as international ones, the options were still luxurious—lobster, abalone, and more.
Usually, as long as there's enough to go around, the flight attendants wouldn't say no if you asked for more.
And with someone like Kyousuke his handsome looks that made the attendants practically came by every three minutes to "check in"—Kisaki had zero doubts.
From how the flight attendants swarmed him during boarding, it was obvious: if not for company rules, they'd be glued to his side the whole flight.
Hmph.
But that's not gonna happen.
No way would I let the boss be caught in a situation like that. His rest is my responsibility to protect.
With that mindset, even though there were plenty of open seats, Kisaki still sat right next to his boss.
And the whole reason he said Mitsuha would have to smile like the boss to get more food was to encourage her to act more like Kyousuke.
"First class?" Mitsuha looked up from the menu and stood slightly to glance around.
Three rows, twelve seats, and only the two of them there.
"Wow… so this is the legendary first class?"
The farthest she'd ever traveled before was to Gifu, and the shrine maiden had always thought all airplane seats were this luxurious.
The screen in front of her alone was bigger than the ancient TV back at her house.
"What did you think? Economy doesn't hand out menus."
"Did Kyousuke pay for all this?" Mitsuha asked cautiously.
Unlike her usual careless attitude when spending Kyousuke's money, she suddenly seemed a bit stingy, like she'd gone back to her old ways in Itomori.
"Nope. Word is that Kyousuke's manga partner arranged it."
"Oh, Eriri? That rich girl really pulls through, huh." Mitsuha relaxed.
"Actually, she didn't pay either. Her family's in the diplomatic circle. With her connections, this was just one phone call away." Kisaki was a little surprised at how familiar Mitsuha seemed with Eriri that he himself only knew the basics about her.
"Yeah, that sounds about right. Pretty impressive," Mitsuha sighed in admiration, then went back to studying the menu.
Just then, a flight attendant in a sleek black uniform approached.
One hand smoothing down her pencil skirt, she gracefully knelt beside them, and completely ignoring Kisaki, and asked Mitsuha in a sweet voice whether she'd made her selection.
Thankfully, JAL had already replaced many of their old Boeing 777s with Airbus A350s, and the wider aisles in first class made it easy for the attendant to strike such an elegant pose.
To be honest, back when Mitsuha used Kyousuke's body to walk around Tokyo and girls would flirt with her, it made her feel… weirdly upset.
Like someone had taken something precious from her.
But now, seeing this beautifully made-up flight attendant being so gentle and respectful, she could only think one thing:
'Being a Tokyo pretty boy is amazing.'
She tried hard to recall one of those photos she'd seen on Sakura's phone, the ones secretly snapped of Kyousuke's smile.
That soft, gentle smile that seemed like it could melt hearts.
"Excuse me… could I try… everything on the menu?" Mitsuha asked sweetly, mimicking the warmth in Kyousuke's voice—so unlike the usual coldness.
No wonder Sakura and Shouko always said he was so kind. She'd just never seen that side of him.
"Of course, not a problem. Please wait just a moment."
Almost before Mitsuha had even finished speaking, the flight attendant replied without hesitation.
She reached out to collect the menu and, as she turned to leave, glanced back with a dazzling smile, showing off the eight pearly white teeth she'd clearly invested a fortune in perfecting.
"Yes! I can't believe that actually worked!" Mitsuha turned excitedly to Kisaki Tetta after the attendant left.
"But wait, Kisaki, aren't you going to eat anything?"
Kisaki rolled his eyes and didn't answer.
It was only a two-hour flight, it's not a big deal if he skipped the meal.
Instead, he lifted the thick book in his hand and started reading again.
"No need to be grumpy about it," Mitsuha muttered, then curiously peeked at what he was reading.
The bold black letters on the deep red cover read:
"Japanese Ethics and Ethical Guidelines Law"
"Kisaki, are you planning to be a lawyer?" Every time she'd seen him in the past, he was working on problem sets.
Why was he reading something like that now?
"Well, I am thinking of applying to the University of Tokyo's law department," he said.
"But for now, I'm just studying up on copyright law. Since that's the core of what the boss is working on these days."
Kisaki Tetta adjusted his glasses, eyes still glued to the book.
Sure, he was confident he could make it big on his own intelligence alone but he'd already made up his mind to follow the path of serving his "big bro."
Someone like Kyousuke, who had achieved so much across so many fields, could take him places far beyond anything he could reach on his own.
In other words, Kisaki's future depended entirely on what kind of talents his big bro needed.
And when it came to being the ultimate support guy, nobody did it better than Kisaki Tetta!
There was no way anyone could replace him in Kyousuke's heart not now, not ever.
Copyright law wasn't the only thing he was studying; he hadn't forgotten the conversation about buying a house either.
He'd already quietly put the rest of the team on it, gathering intel like the loyal lieutenant he was.
"You're amazing, Kisaki. No wonder you're Kyousuke's best friend," Mitsuha said with genuine admiration.
'Hmph! Of course I am!' Kisaki Tetta was beaming on the inside.
He tried to keep a cool and composed expression, but he couldn't stop the corners of his mouth from curving up in a smug little smile.
Before long, Mitsuha's meal arrived.
Although it was a Japanese airline, unlike All Nippon Airways, who usually served traditional Japanese meals on domestic flights.
Japan Airlines leaned more toward Western cuisine.
Noticing Mitsuha hadn't unfolded her tray table, the flight attendant smiled, leaned in gracefully, and gently pressed a hand against Mitsuha's chest to ease her back a little.
Then, with smooth, practiced movements, she opened the tray table for her.
Caught completely off guard by the intimate gesture, Mitsuha's face turned bright red, and she froze, unsure of how to react.
Kisaki Tetta, sitting beside her, let out a silent sigh.
He'd already closed his book and was doing his best to shrink his presence.
But there was no helping it, Mitsuha had ordered so much food that it had filled not only her tray, but his as well.
There were still dishes left on the cart that hadn't even been served yet.
"Wow, this looks so good! Thank you, miss!" Mitsuha's eyes sparkled as she looked at the cheesy lobster dish, something that would've cost a small fortune.
She turned to the flight attendant with genuine gratitude.
"As long as you're satisfied," the attendant replied with a small bow, hands folded neatly in front of her waist.
She didn't leave either, she stepped on the cart's brake and stood by, ready to serve the rest of the meal.
"What are you waiting for? Eat with me, Kisaki!" Mitsuha said, spearing a big chunk of lobster.
Of course she didn't really believe he wasn't hungry—she was just teasing him in retaliation for earlier.
"Thanks," Kisaki said, surprised.
He hadn't expected this gluttonous personality of Kyousuke's to actually share food with him.
Could it be that his bond with the boss was so strong that even another personality treated him with kindness?
But that hopeful thought didn't last long.
Just moments later, Mitsuha held up a piece of green dessert and offered it to the flight attendant who politely declined.
"Wow! This is amazing! What is it? Can I get two more?" Mitsuha asked eagerly after taking a bite.
The mousse was soft and airy, bursting with a crisp apple flavor layered over rich, creamy sweetness.
"That's apple mousse. I'll call my colleague to bring you more," the attendant replied with an even brighter smile.
Off to the side, Kisaki Tetta silently wept tears of envy.
Watching this unfold, he swore to himself that one day, he would master at least one percent of his boss's incredible charm.