"Wait two more minutes..."
Bocchi-chan still had a little cleverness:
"Nijika-senpai just left the room, it's a bit early to put on the bracelet now."
Time quietly passed second by second.
Gotō Hitori silently counted in her mind, feeling that enough time had passed, and then quietly opened her eyes.
First, she turned her head to look at Mutsumi beside her, saw that Mutsumi had her eyes closed and showed no movement, as if she had already fallen asleep, then quietly took out the bracelet from under her pillow.
"Now should be about right..."
Gotō Hitori took a deep breath, her eyes quickly became firm, and then she quietly slipped the bracelet onto her right wrist.
No matter what, she had to know everyone's strange secrets. What if everyone was really possessed by evil spirits?
The bracelet was successfully worn.
[Five Senses Shared] has been activated.
The first sense to come online was still sight.
Gotō Hitori felt as if she had an extra pair of eyes, but for some reason, her vision was blurry with mist, as if she had just cried, and the light in the room was dim, making everything seem hazy.
In the blurry darkness, a familiar figure came into view.
Although she couldn't see very clearly, Gotō Hitori recognized the other person's identity immediately.
"Huh, Kitahara-kun?"
"And it was Kitahara-kun without clothes…"
Bocchi-chan's mind was a blank.
"The perspective is so strange… and why am 'I' not wearing clothes either?"
The next second.
The remaining five senses—hearing, smell, taste, and touch—all came online and shared seamlessly.
"Eeeehhhh?!"
Under the effect of the [Hundred Percent Empathy] entry, an indescribable, unexplainable experience, like a landslide and a tsunami, instantly swept through Gotō Hitori's body and soul.
Gotō Hitori's neck suddenly arched backward, her legs abruptly straightened and tensed, and her round, cute toes curled up sharply.
"Mmm… un—!!"
A soft, sweet, trembling sound escaped her lips, instantly dyeing the air pink.
"W-what exactly happened…?"
Gotō Hitori's mind was blank; she was completely bewildered.
When surfing the internet, Bocchi-chan occasionally saw strange things, but she usually flushed red and quickly scrolled away, not daring to linger, and since she had no friends to gossip with in private, her physiological knowledge was completely at an elementary school level.
At this moment, suddenly transforming from a pure and naive elementary school student into an experienced driver speeding on the Akina Pass, Gotō Hitori's mind went blank, and with her vision obstructed, she truly didn't know what was happening for a moment.
"W-wait a minute…"
Gotō Hitori only felt as if she was on a rollercoaster, her consciousness constantly fluctuating between the clouds and the depths, sometimes as if entering a happy heaven, other times as if falling into an endless hell.
"Is it Nijika… or Kita or Ryo-senpai… what are they all doing?"
"So scary, so scary, so scary…"
"Don't continue the five-sense sharing, stop it quickly…"
Gotō Hitori barely managed to stay conscious. Although she didn't know what was happening, her girlish instinct for shame told her that what was happening was bad, very bad, and she had to break the sharing as soon as possible.
Her left hand trembled as it reached for her right wrist, wanting to end [Hundred Percent Empathy], but she couldn't.
Her soul seemed to have betrayed her body, even transforming into a little devil, whispering in Bocchi-chan's ear:
"Steady, don't panic, just share a little longer, at least figure out the truth first…"
"No, I can't continue…"
The little remaining sanity shouted anxiously in Gotō Hitori's other ear:
"Wakaba-san is still in the room, the sound will be heard, right?"
Gotō Hitori had already noticed that her throat was starting to itch, and clearly, terrible sounds were about to overflow. It wasn't a cough or a sneeze, but something more primitive, more instinctive, which she couldn't suppress even if she bit her lower lip tightly.
"Oh, right, I shouldn't have woken Wakaba-san just now, right?"
Gotō Hitori held her breath and quickly looked down.
The next second.
Bocchi-chan was shocked to see that Mutsumi, who should have been sleeping, had opened her eyes at some point, and her beautiful golden eyes were staring unblinkingly at her.
"I-I really did wake Wakaba-san…"
Gotō Hitori's shame exploded instantly, and with her breathing in disarray, she could no longer suppress the sound in her throat.
"Ugh, ah, ah, ah, ah—!"
Good news.
Under the power of exploding shame, Gotō Hitori successfully took off the bracelet on her wrist.
Bad news.
Because it was too shameful, exceeding Bocchi-chan's tolerance limit, the 'self-protection mechanism' activated, and Gotō Hitori directly fainted.
Clatter.
The Kessoku Band bracelet fell onto Mutsumi's body.
"…Meow?"
Mutsumi's usually expressionless pretty face showed a rare look of confusion.
It was clearly just a very ordinary bracelet, so why did it feel like a legendary pink item?
Or perhaps, Gotō-san's change just now had nothing to do with the bracelet, and she merely contracted some strange illness?
"Gotō-san?"
Mutsumi called softly.
"…"
Bocchi-chan was still dizzy, with no response whatsoever.
"Should I go get Makoto-kun?"
Mutsumi hesitated for two seconds, her gaze falling back onto the bracelet.
She would try wearing the bracelet first. If nothing happened, it would prove that Gotō-san had a sudden illness, and it wouldn't be too late to find Makoto-kun then.
Mutsumi picked up the bracelet, examined it carefully, and was very sure it was just an ordinary bracelet, definitely not some high-tech product.
She put it on without hesitation.
A hint of curiosity flashed in Mutsumi's eyes, and then she put on the bracelet.
[Five Senses Sharing] activated again.
[Item: Kessoku Band Bracelet]
[Current Status: Optimized]
[New Entry: Destined Twin, when you and someone else wear the bracelet together, you will share five senses and achieve one hundred percent empathy.]
[New Entry: Soul Swap. In certain special circumstances, you can experience the wonderful experience of Soul Swap.]
[Note: The effect of Soul Swap is limited to the same gender.]
This bracelet thing had never been bound to an identity; even Kitahara Makoto had experienced the bracelet's effect. Only the Soul Swap entry effect was limited to the same gender.
So, after Mutsumi put on the bracelet, she also gained the [Hundred Percent Empathy] entry bonus.
"How magical…"
A look of surprise flashed in Mutsumi's eyes.
After putting on the bracelet, she felt as if she had an extra pair of eyes, a remarkably subtle sensation.
However, one second later, the other five senses, following sight, successfully synchronized and shared.
"Mmm…"
Mutsumi's eyes suddenly widened, and she couldn't help but let out a low moan.
At this instant, Mutsumi felt an unprecedented, wonderful experience instantly sweep through her body and soul.
"Th-this feeling… there's no mistake…"
Mutsumi's body suddenly tensed, and her entire being trembled slightly. A blush rapidly surged onto her usually expressionless pretty face, even staining her slender neck pink. Her usually calm eyes quickly filled with mist, as if they were about to overflow with water the next second.
"It's pleasure…"
Mutsumi's small hands tightly clutched the pillow, her lips slightly parted, and her breathing became uncontrollably rapid.
The last time she experienced the taste of pleasure was when she ate the Eden Fruit in the Otherworld.
The pleasure at this moment was different from the pleasure in the Otherworld, but it was equally captivating, making it difficult to extricate oneself.
"Hoo… hoo…"
Mutsumi parted her cherry lips, revealing two rows of pearly white teeth. Her entire body was rigidly straight, her long swan-like neck arched high backward, and her round, cute toes were already curled up.
"N-no wonder Gotō-san was so strange…"
"It seems to be the bracelet's problem… Mmm… N-not illness…"
Mutsumi only felt as if she was lying on a floating leaf, with a stormy sea below, peaks gathered like mountains and waves raging like fury, and she could only float up and down.
"I-I saw Makoto-kun…"
"H-how strange… what exactly are they doing…"
Mutsumi bit her lower lip tightly, wanting to find out the answer.
If she knew what Makoto-kun did that brought such pleasure, she could experience it often in the future, right?
Perhaps hearing Mutsumi's inner voice, the 'person involved' in [Five Senses Sharing] cried out and collapsed:
"So tired… I can't move…"
Mutsumi blinked:
"This voice… is it that very heroic short-haired senpai?"
Immediately after, Kitahara Makoto's voice sounded:
"Ryo-senpai is getting weaker and weaker."
As her vision shifted, Mutsumi found another 'self' appearing in front of a mirror. Looking at the scene in the mirror, Mutsumi's eyes widened, and she finally understood the truth…
At the same time.
Gotō Hitori slowly regained consciousness.
After all, it wasn't true unconsciousness, just an act of evasion after her shame exploded.
"Wakaba-san, are you alright?"
Seeing Mutsumi's body tensed and trembling slightly, Gotō Hitori immediately called out nervously.
Her gaze shifted, and seeing the bracelet on Mutsumi's wrist, Gotō Hitori immediately understood the reason and quickly said:
"You… you quickly take off the bracelet!"
Indeed, it wasn't just herself; others wearing the bracelet would also encounter very terrible things.
"…"
Mutsumi took a deep breath, bit her lower lip, and slipped the bracelet off her wrist.
From Mutsumi's perspective, the bracelet was originally Bocchi-chan's possession, and now that Hitori told her not to wear it, she naturally wouldn't continue to use someone else's item.
The bracelet was removed.
[Five Senses Sharing] was consequently interrupted.
Mutsumi felt her entire body suddenly lighten, and the sensation of being like a small boat, floating up and down on the vast sea, instantly vanished, leaving only a lingering aftertaste.
However, the lightness lasted only a few short seconds, followed immediately by a surge of feeling lost and empty.
"Emptiness…"
Mutsumi murmured to herself.
Due to being plagued by a curse and a lack of emotions, what Mutsumi understood best was the emptiness of not finding meaning or direction in life.
At this very moment, after taking off the bracelet, a strong sense of emptiness surged over her again.
Mutsumi's gaze shifted downwards, falling onto the bracelet, and an uncontrollable urge arose in her heart:
"As long as I put it on, the pleasure can come back…"
There are many things in the world that, once experienced, you can never go back from.
Fortunately, Mutsumi's rationality was strong enough, and she quickly discarded the urge to keep the bracelet for herself, silently handing it to Bocchi-chan:
"Thank you."
"Ah…"
Gotō Hitori clumsily took the bracelet.
(S-strange… why did Wakaba-san say thank you?)
(The person who should apologize is me, right?)
The air fell silent for a moment.
"Goto-san, where did you buy your bracelet?"
Mutsumi quickly broke the silence.
She wanted it.
Indeed, she wanted a bracelet of the same style no matter what.
"Eh?"
Bocchi-chan was slightly startled and quickly whispered in response:
"Ah, I'm sorry… The bracelet wasn't bought; it's a handicraft woven by Nijika herself."
After a pause, Gotō Hitori remembered that Mutsumi had already been to the Otherworld, so she quietly explained:
"Um… originally it was just a very ordinary bracelet, but one day Hana 'enchanted' it. After wearing the bracelet, you can share your five senses with others who are also wearing the bracelet."
"Five senses shared, you say?"
Mutsumi recalled her recent experience; it was indeed a sharing of the five senses, an empathetic experience.
Gotō Hitori stammered, her face red, and whispered:
"I don't know what's going on, everyone has been acting so strange these past few days. I asked the answer book, and it said it was because of the bracelet… Just after I put it on, I didn't see anything clearly, I just felt something terrifying happened. Did Wakaba see what happened?"
Mutsumi instinctively said:
"Do…"
"Do what?"
Gotō Hitori looked over expectantly.
Mutsumi: "…"
Sorry.
She couldn't say it.
As a girl with emotional deficiencies, Mutsumi was not ashamed to utter that word, but rather, a premonition arose from the depths of her being that if she were to speak that word, something very terrible would happen.
After two seconds of silence, Mutsumi whispered:
"She should still be in front of the mirror."
"Eh?" Gotō Hitori's eyes were clear but naive, with question marks appearing above her head, "In front of the mirror?"
Mutsumi said expressionlessly:
"Goto-san will know the truth if she puts on the bracelet now."
"Th-then I'll wear it again…"
Gotō Hitori took a deep breath, held it slightly, and after mentally preparing herself, put the Kessoku Band bracelet on her right wrist.
The next second.
The [Five Senses Shared] was back online.
Visual sharing was successfully established first.
Gotō Hitori quickly saw 'herself' in front of a mirror, and what met her eyes was none other than Ryo-senpai, but at this moment, Yamada Ryo was not standing, but rather…
"Ryo-senpai and Kitahara-kun?"
"Th-they're… they're… Eh eh eh eh eh?!"
After clearly seeing the truth in the mirror, Gotō Hitori's girlish sense of shame instantly exploded, and the white steam above her head surged out like a volcanic eruption.
Gotō Hitori suddenly opened her eyes and frantically took off the bracelet from her wrist, as if it wasn't an ordinary bracelet, but the One Ring from "The Lord of the Rings" that could tempt people into the abyss of depravity.
"Hoo… hoo…"
Gotō Hitori gasped nervously, her heart rate soaring to 180.
Before, the light in the room was dim, and she hadn't seen clearly, only knowing that something terrifying was happening. Now, she finally knew what the truth was.
(S-strange, no wonder everyone was so strange…)
(Could it be that everyone else already knew, except for me?)
Bocchi-chan didn't feel wronged or jealous for a moment after discovering the truth; now, the Akina Mountain God of Cars Bocchi-chan, who instantly evolved from an elementary school student to a university student, made her appearance.
The room became quiet once again.
Mutsumi silently stood up and said:
"Hitori-chan, I'm going to the bathroom to change my panties. Do you want to come?"
Gotō Hitori: "…"
Although she did need to change, she would never do such an embarrassing thing with someone else!
At the same time.
In the adjacent bedroom.
"Well, Bocchi-chan finally knows the truth."
Yamada Ryo leaned against the headboard, her originally lazy and languid eyes were now almost watery, and her pretty face was also flushed, but her tone remained casual and natural.
"Ryo, quickly take off the bracelet." Ijichi Nijika, next to her, had a flushed face, was panting, and said with her eyes closed, "Lest another accident happens."
"Don't worry, my body isn't that weak…"
"Better safe than sorry!"
"…"
Yamada Ryo took off the bracelet, ending the [Five Senses Shared], leaving only Nijika to struggle alone.
"You did it on purpose, didn't you?" Ijichi Nijika's tone was resentful, "Ryo must have done it on purpose, right? If I was an accident, and Kita was just too curious, then today you actually dragged Bocchi-chan into it… There aren't that many coincidences in the world!"
Ryo-senpai did not deny her intention:
"Kitahara Makoto is too formidable. Even if Nijika and I fought side by side, we definitely wouldn't be able to hold on."
"Pfft~"
Ijichi Nijika couldn't help but lightly scoff:
"I wouldn't be on the field with you!"
Ryo-senpai said indifferently:
"Besides, everyone is a member of a Kessoku Band, so of course we should share the good things… Nijika, you actually feel quite comfortable, don't you?"
"Not at all…"
Ijichi Nijika subconsciously denied it, but unfortunately, the next second, her body suddenly tensed, her long neck arched high, and her entire being fell into a state of daze and loss of consciousness.
A few minutes later.
Kita, who had been in a daze, her eyelashes trembling, opened her eyes and clearly saw the 'Ijichi Nijika' leaning beside her, instinctively saying:
"Nijika…"
'Ijichi Nijika' raised an eyebrow slightly:
"Kita?"
"It's me…" Kita Ikuyo quickly widened her eyes, overjoyed, "Has the body been switched back?"
Quickly picking up her phone and opening the front camera, Kita Ikuyo looked at herself in the phone's lens, almost crying tears of joy:
"Finally… finally, the body has been switched back!"
"It's over."
"Finally, I don't have to be on tenterhooks anymore."
Kita clenched her small fists:
"Tomorrow, when I get home, I'll put the bracelet in the innermost part of the drawer and never take it out again!"
Ryo-senpai's uninhibited voice sounded from the side:
"I don't believe it."
"Eh?" Kita turned her head to look, "What doesn't Ryo-senpai believe?"
Yamada Ryo crossed her arms over her chest: "I don't believe Kita can do what she says."
"Ugh—"
Kita Ikuyo couldn't help but puff out her cheeks:
"I will definitely do what I say! I will definitely not take out such a terrible bracelet again!"
"Is that so?" Ryo-senpai's rosy lips curved slightly upwards, revealing a pleased smile, "I've never heard of anyone who, after getting addicted to the three vices of lust, gambling, and drugs, can quit just by saying so."
Kita Ikuyo: "…"
Demon!
Ryo-senpai is clearly a demon!
"Even if Ryo-senpai sends me strange messages, I will never take out the bracelet again!"
Kita Ikuyo clenched her small fists, but even as she spoke, she detected a hint of guilt in her own words.
After experiencing that kind of thing, could she really resist?
She should… be able to, right?
Now that Kita was back in her own body, she felt light as a feather. All that was left was to switch Nijika and Ryo's bodies back.
From the Otherworld body swap to today, Ijichi Nijika had experienced it many times, so she naturally wouldn't back down at the last moment. Plus, with Kita and Bocchi-chan dutifully playing ostrich, there were finally no more accidents in between, and they successfully swapped bodies back with Ryo.
One o'clock in the morning.
Yamada Ryo, looking dazed as if she had been pulled out of water, opened her eyes, the confusion in them quickly dissipating. She turned to look at Kitahara Makoto beside her, her voice light as a feather:
"Well, that was certainly an interesting life experience."
Hearing Ryo-senpai's casual and calm voice, Kitahara Makoto immediately understood and softly said:
"Ryo-senpai is back?"
"I'm back." Ryo-senpai turned her body, "Again."
Kitahara Makoto was startled: "What?"
"The Five Senses Shared always feels like something is missing." Ryo-senpai's eyes sparkled, "Quick, quick, again."
Kitahara Makoto: "…"
You should cherish your own body! If you keep going, you definitely won't be able to get out of bed tomorrow!
The night passed without incident.
After studying with Ryo-senpai, the girls finally entered their dreams one after another.
The process of dream cultivation goes without saying.
In the blink of an eye, it was the next day.
The girls woke up one after another, only Ryo-senpai had difficulty moving and took a long time to get downstairs.
Then came Bocchi-chan. Hitori's shame had not yet cooled, and after coming downstairs, she kept staring at her toes, not daring to make eye contact with anyone.
Mutsumi, however, had long since regained her composure, and not the slightest abnormality could be seen on her expressionless pretty face.
"What's wrong with Bocchi-chan today?" Kita Ikuyo was very curious, "Why does she seem so strange?"
Gotō Hitori's body trembled slightly, and she quickly shook her head:
"I-I'm fine…"
"It clearly looks like something is wrong, doesn't it?"
Kita couldn't help but retort.
"That's right, there is something." Ryo-senpai frowned slightly and walked over, her steps a little too big, making her feel uncomfortable. She leaned into Kita's ear and revealed a shocking piece of news, "Last night, I saw Bocchi-chan wearing the bracelet."
"Eh eh eh?!"
Kita Ikuyo's body trembled, and her small face instantly flushed at a visible speed.
(Bocchi-chan actually wore the bracelet, no wonder she acted so strangely... Ahhh! I'll never be able to face Bocchi-chan again!)
Looking at the flustered and embarrassed Kita, Yamada Ryo's lips curved slightly.
Indeed.
Kita's embarrassment was her own joy.
"The food is ready."
Kitahara Makoto walked out of the kitchen, facing the girls who cast various complex gazes at him, and continued to pretend he knew nothing, saying nonchalantly:
"Everyone, come wash your hands and eat."