On one side, Rei Ao officially won Mitsuha Miyamizu over and the two confirmed they were a couple.
But on the other side—
"W-Wait!!!"
Okudera Miki suddenly shot up from the sofa.
Face blazing red, she pointed at the two of them, her voice pitching up with agitation:
"Y-you two, could you pay attention, please!"
"Right now—right now she's using my body!!!"
She was about to lose her mind!
From her point of view, that powerful, mysterious man, Rei Ao, was holding "her" (Okudera Miki's body) close, while "she" was shyly agreeing to be his girlfriend!
This scene was both absurd and mortifying— the ultimate stress test on her nerves!
"!!!"
Mitsuha snapped out of the sugar-sweet haze of the successful confession the instant Miki shouted.
She realized the situation too.
She was currently using Ms. Okudera Miki's body—cuddling up to Rei Ao-kun and whispering sweet nothings!
"Yah!"
She yelped, as if scalded, and flailed to wriggle free of Rei Ao's arms.
So rude! She owed Okudera Miki-san a huge apology!
But Rei Ao's arm was like an iron hoop, firmly cinched around her waist, not letting her move an inch.
"Don't rush."
He chuckled lightly, apparently finding the flustered looks on the two women particularly amusing.
He raised his other hand and snapped his fingers crisply.
Snap—!
The instant the sound fell, Mitsuha and Miki both felt a faint dizziness and a tugging sensation from the depths of their souls!
It was as if something had been forcibly pulled out of its current container, then, in a heartbeat, pressed into another container that fit far better!
They both closed their eyes at the same time.
After a brief darkness and weightlessness came the grounded feeling of their souls settling.
They opened their eyes together!
Mitsuha instinctively looked down at her hands—no more pretty nail polish. They were back to the hands she knew: faintly callused from archery practice.
She clenched her fists. There it was—the utterly familiar, fully controlled sense of strength!
"I'm back! This is my body!"
She gasped in delight, so excited she was nearly in tears. Okudera-san's body was lovely, but her own felt the most natural!
On the other side, Okudera Miki felt a completely different set of bodily cues: the weight of her chest, her long legs, and… the very present, very warm big hand at her waist, heat coming through the thin nightdress!
She was sitting on Rei Ao's lap—using her own body!
"!!!"
Miki's face went scarlet in a flash. She jolted like she'd been shocked.
"I—I'll get up now!"
Way too close!
But the arm around her waist didn't loosen—instead it drew tighter, gentle yet irresistible, easily pressing her back into place and even nestling her closer to Rei Ao's chest.
"What's the hurry?"
His amused voice came from above, warm breath stirring her hair.
"Between us, everything that should—and shouldn't—have happened has already happened, hasn't it?"
Miki's body went stiff. She had no words.
Yes… everything they'd just experienced, she had genuinely felt in Mitsuha's body. Even though her soul had been inside Mitsuha, every sensation was clearly branded deep into her soul and wouldn't fade.
She could lie to others, but not to herself.
Rei Ao lowered his gaze to the mature face in his arms, only more radiant for her embarrassment. Smiling with narrowed eyes, he went on, "Strictly speaking, I'm the ideal man you wished upon the comet for, aren't I?"
"Do I meet your criteria—reliable, strong, and… someone who can make you happy?"
He dragged those last words out suggestively, turning the tips of Miki's ears crimson.
"So."
He wrapped it up in a coaxing tone.
"Why not stay with me from now on? I'll treat you well."
Was… was that a confession? Or something more direct—a kept-woman declaration?
Miki's heart pounded wildly. To say she wasn't moved would be a lie. Here was a man whose looks, strength, and presence not only matched but exceeded every fantasy she'd ever had, issuing such a straightforward invitation— and they'd already shared the most intimate bond.
But…
She remembered Rei Ao's confession to Mitsuha just now. Instinctively, she turned to look at Mitsuha—who had just switched back to her own body and looked equally at a loss…
"But… Mitsuha…"
Miki's eyes were complicated. She had just watched Rei Ao confess to Mitsuha—and Mitsuha had accepted.
So what did that make her now? Cutting in? This was getting way too messy!
Hearing Miki's words, Mitsuha looked at her sitting on Rei Ao's lap, and a faint sourness and sense of loss welled up in her chest.
Okudera-san was so beautiful, so mature and magnetic—and she was a Tokyo woman.
Compared to that, a country girl like her really did seem less suited to the powerful Rei Ao-kun…
She lowered her head, fingers twisting her hem, her voice carrying the faintest catch as she forced herself to say, "I-it's… it's fine."
"Okudera-san, please don't worry about me. You and Rei Ao-kun are a great match. I… I'll go now…"
With that, she actually turned to leave this place that made her chest ache.
But she'd only taken a single step when a hand pulled her back.
At some point Rei Ao had released his hold on Miki's waist—though he still kept her seated on his thigh— and stretched out an arm to catch Mitsuha's wrist.
"Go?"
He arched a brow.
With a gentle tug, he easily drew the slender Mitsuha off balance, tumbling her into the sofa on his other side—straight into his other arm!
And so, there he was, lounging lazily against the back of the sofa: on his left leg sat a crimson-faced, stiff-as-a-board Okudera Miki; in his right arm, he held a flustered, red-cheeked Mitsuha Miyamizu.
The left-and-right embrace made for quite the scene.
Rei Ao glanced down at the mature, alluring city beauty on his left, then at the pure, adorable shrine maiden from the countryside on his right.
Satisfied, he smiled, and dropped a thunderclap of a line:
"Why leave? I like you both."
"So there's no need to argue over who comes first, and no need to feel guilty."
"From now on, you can both be my wings."
Mitsuha: "???"
Miki: "!!!"
Wings?!