บท 60: Chapter 56: The Female Lead

Minoru tapped the button as the elevator swung open.

"Wait up, I'll tag along to the basement," said Ai.

He glanced at Mai as Ai entered the elevator first. He could feel Mai's gaze on him, no doubt.

It had already been such a long morning.

"So, you've got this power to reel people in and make them fiercely loyal..."

Watching Mai's unwavering adoration for Ai, Minoru couldn't deny she was a die-hard fan. He also noticed her disappointment when Ai revealed she had a child and a partner, yet she seemed to handle it with more composure than most. Dealing with obsessive and self-centered fans was just part of the idol life, after all.

"Yeah, you could say that. But Minoru-kun, I'm at a loss. Mai's got a point—I can't keep up with this job and all the lies," Ai confessed.

As the elevator doors slid open, Minoru sighed. "Just do what you like and take it easy for now."

Ai smiled gratefully. "Okay... about Mai and Mitsuha. You can leave it to me."

He nods at her.

"Right. Are you sure about this, Minoru-kun? I mean... Aqua is just a kid. The thought of him swapping bodies with a high school girl..." Ai trailed off, visibly anxious.

As a mother, it was only natural for her to worry. Minoru reassured her with a smile.

"He'll be fine. I'm off."

"Take care," she said.

Minoru started the engine and drove out of the basement, then tapping his phone twice.

"Name... Miyamizu Mitsuha."

As he drove, he listened to Mitsuha's background.

---

After Ai dropped off her husband at work, she returned with a heavy sigh. Why? Because she couldn't even give him a kiss with somebody else's body!

"Right, can't be helped. Gotta keep my promise to help Minoru-kun," she muttered to herself.

Minoru had given her a mission: to fix her bizarre situation. And the first step, according to him, was figuring out what was troubling Mai before.

"Alright, Mai-san, let's chat for a sec," Ai said as she joined Mai in the living room. Meanwhile, Miyako had already sent Ruby off to school and taken Aqua to his job.

"Sure thing, Nee-san. But are you sure Miyamizu-san will be okay?" Mai asked, concerned.

Ai chuckled helplessly.

"Ahaha... I'm not entirely sure. But I trust she can handle it. It's just drama shoots, commercial ads, and photo shoots after all!"

After Ruby's 'interrogation', they discovered it wasn't just Ai and Mai who had swapped bodies, but also Aqua with a high school girl named Miyamizu Mitsuha.

They decided not to press Mitsuha further to make her feel comfortable, but with Aqua being super busy, they couldn't keep her around for long.

Once they voiced their concerns about Mitsuha, they delved into Mai's issues. Thankfully, Mai felt comfortable opening up to Ai.

"Mai-san... going through that situation before this must've been tough. I can't imagine being ostracized by society without them even realizing it. But why not return to showbiz then? Is there a reason?" Ai inquired gently.

Mai began to recall something she wished she could forget. "About that..."

She proceeded to recount her acting career since she was six. Landing the lead role in a morning drama catapulted her into the limelight, but it all came crashing down when her mother, who also served as her agent, pushed her into a swimsuit photoshoot against her will. Then, Mai took a hiatus and went to high school, but because of prior contracts, she only joined the school during the second term of her first year.

"The social circles were already formed by then, and the school I attended only made it worse. My classmates had known each other since kindergarten. As I became more isolated, things just got worse by the day. And in the last two days, I couldn't even buy something,"

Mai finished with a helpless expression.

"Nee-san... do you think there's a solution?" she asked, looking at Ai, hoping for some solutions.

Ai paused, deep in thought. Was she really going to attempt the impossible?

"I'm back... Any progress? I know it's an emergency, but Ai-san's schedule is packed too," Miyako interrupted as she walked in, already looking tired.

"Ah! I've got an idea, and it's not half bad!" Ai exclaimed, a mischievous glint in her eye.

Both Mai and Miyako looked at her, clueless about what Ai had up her sleeve.

---

The Teacher's room buzzes with activity as usual. Teachers bustle about, each one diligently preparing for their classes, occupying desks near without a moment of rest.

Meanwhile, Minoru contemplates his progress. Overall, he feels confident; no concerns are weighing on his mind. Having established himself within the academy, he no longer frets over obstacles such as the staff, teachers, Principal Henry, or even the CEO. They've become not hindrances but rather shields, protecting his true intentions.

He reflects on his recent interaction with Chabashira Sae, a minor clash that he swiftly resolved.

"You've misunderstood. I never aimed to become the school's principal. Your grudge is misplaced."

Recalling their conversation, Minoru is satisfied that the matter concluded without any unnecessary drama. He even suggested Sae as the next principal when approached by the CEO, keen to maintain his cover as an undercover hitman getting closer to his target, Shinomiya Kaguya.

"Yanagi-sensei, I accidentally bought two coffees. I think I'll give this one to you."

Sae offers the spare coffee to a colleague with a nod of gratitude. From that moment, Sae's demeanor towards him seems less hostile.

Yet, there's still the Thorn Princess. Glancing at her while skimming through documents on his desk, he notices she remains unchanged, seemingly harmless in her clumsiness like idiot.

"Kya! My mouse! Hiek! Sniff! I hate job desks like this..."

He heard Yor's plight, but his thoughts also drift to Ai.

Though they inhabit different bodies, Mai should be taking over Ai's duties. Minoru hopes Ai isn't feeling bored at home or tempted to venture out, especially considering she might need to pick up Ruby. He trusts Ai to handle the situation smoothly.

Let's not forget about his son, Aqua. He was hoping he hadn't done anything misleading to Mitsuha.

---

In class 2-A, after the first period, the students had a five-minute break before the next one. During this time, they usually...

"Wow! Can you believe we have two celebrities in our class?"

"Yeah, Nishino-san is amazing, and now Nakano-san will be on TV!"

"Hey, Ichika! Why didn't you tell your sisters before?"

Yesterday, the cast of Love for Real was announced, and one of them is from their class. There was a buzz when Nakano Ichika became a cast member of one of Japan's favorite reality shows. Though she's still a newcomer compared to Nishino Akane.

"Everyone calm down... and, um, I'm grateful for your support," said Ichika.

"Hey, hey! I think the male cast is boring. Shouldn't they have picked someone else?" It was Hayasaka Ai.

"Yeah, it should have been our Yanagi-sensei, right?"

Everyone laughed, as it seemed impossible.

"But, to think that legend is there too. Ichika, are you alright about this?" Nino asked.

"Um... well, I didn't think about it too much since it's my first TV show besides commercials." Honestly, Ichika couldn't hide her nervousness.

"Who are you guys talking about?" Kirisaki Chitoge asked cluelessly.

"You didn't know her?" Nino couldn't believe it.

"Hey Nino! Kirisaki-san lived in America before, of course, she didn't know. Ahem~! Her name is Ai-san from the idol group, B-Komachi." Yotsuba defended Chitoge and explained.

"Well... since the beginning, I also had no idea what you guys were talking about," said Tomo, and everyone's faces showed that it was obvious from the boys' perspective.

"Ai-san? Huh? You mean…" Chitoge looked around, "Her?" She pointed out Hayasaka.

"That's right! Hahaha. The truth is, I was hiding my identity, ya' know~"

When everyone laughed, Chitoge knew it wasn't her.

"But seriously, if our mascot joins this show. Isn't that... interesting?!"

Sigh…

Kaguya sighed at the hormonal teenagers infront of her.

"Why not join them?" her neighbor asked with a flat tone, glancing sideways it was Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.

"No," she said, looking away.

What she had in mind was the next event at the school, the Banquet for Shuchi'in Academy Sister far in France that will come here.

She admitted that yesterday's event was a loss for her, with Yanagi-sensei solving everything. In fact, the memories of him catching all the cows and saving a woman with two children in costume were still intact, like a video.

'Hmph. It doesn't mean I can't beat him in the next event. Right, the next class is that superhuman teacher, which means…' Kaguya smiled, without knowing it.

"WHAT?! Gu-Guys! There's an update for Love for Real, and Yanagi-sensei's name is there!"

Kaguya's eyes widened at that.

Just then, someone slid the door open. A silver-haired man in a fine dark gray suit entered with a book and an iPad in his hands. He closed the door swiftly, and yet there was no loud, annoying bumping sound after it closed. He walked to the podium with a poker face and faced the students who froze there like idiots.

"Turn to page one hundred and twenty-four."

When Minoru spoke, the students obediently returned to their seats. He pressed the button on the remote to start the projector, glancing at his iPad and then back at the students.

"I'll take attendance before we begin..."

Something seemed off with their expressions. They looked like they had something to say but weren't saying it. About that, he had already mentioned they could ask questions later. He turned his attention back to the screen and proceeded to check attendance as usual.

"Alright..."

Just as he was about to start the class, the door slid open, and Minoru glanced towards the source. His eyes widened a bit before returning to normal. A girl was standing there, smiling broadly, her eyes fixed on him.

"Sensei, can I come in?"

He nodded as she giggled.

"Yaaawn~ As expected... wrapping up work super early in the morning and then heading to school really makes me sleepy, ya' know~?"

She covered her mouth with a playful sleepy face and walked to the center of the class. Everyone's attention was drawn to her because of her captivating eyes that seemed to shine like bright stars. She had a smile like the sun. Her walk was perfect, her speech and behavior seemingly all-conquering.

That's how everyone felt except for one guy in the room who was used to it.

"Sensei~ please don't forget about me," she said, placing her palm on her chest. "Sakurajima Mai is present! Tehe~"

---

In an instant, Ai captured everyone's attention.

The students from class 2-A were somehow clueless about the girl named Sakurajima Mai, but they had a feeling they were forgetting something.

Murmurs spread. In this situation, they were supposed to be quiet, as Minoru had already stated the rules for his math class. But Ai's charisma was strong enough to make them forget about it.

"Sakurajima Mai?"

"Ah! She's our celebrity friend too. Now we have three."

"She's that famous actress, Sakurajima Mai, right?"

Meanwhile, Ai herself smiled broadly at their reactions while she looking at Minoru proudly. Her eyes seemed to say, come on! Praise me, praise me! Look how great I am! I just solved Mai's problem like that, ya' know?

For Ai, everything was going according to plan.

She thought she just needed to attend Mai's high school and break her curse. And it worked! She wasn't just trying to help Minoru, she ALONE was enough.

'This guy! Ugh! What's wrong with his face? Shouldn't he at least smile at me since I deserve it?'

Minoru's expression didn't change in the slightest.

"Alright. Now, take a seat," he said to Ai with his usual poker face before turning to the students. "Quiet."

They snapped to attention at Yanagi-sensei's voice and quieted down again.

"Thank you..."

Ai smiled; hiding her disappointment! Her husband couldn't even show tolerance towards his wife, truly professional though she wanted him to smile at her. She understood, though, that Minoru was a perfectionist.

With that, she went to an empty chair at the back, the students' eyes following her.

As she sat down, she glanced to her right and found a beautiful girl with long, glossy black hair. She seemed cool. Ah, wait a minute! Despite appearing calm, she was trembling without a word.

Maybe she didn't like to talk that much.

She glanced to her left and met the gaze of a fair-skinned girl with black hair tied up in a black-red ribbon, her eyes fixed on Minoru. Ah, she noticed her and cast a glance before smiling and then nodding at her.

'She's the person I met before.'

Ai somehow remembered her from when she dismounted from the horse back then. She was one of the others who came after Minoru roped the cows.

'But, this is interesting. To think I could experience this...'

Ai looked back to the front, where Minoru was busy with his lecture, and decided to focus her attention solely on him.