One day around 10 PM, Taro returned home carrying a bag full of books. In the living room, Vincy was watching TV, Ema was studying, and Yukiko was in the kitchen preparing dinner.
Vincy went to help him and asked:
"Yo, Taro… what took you so long, man?"
"Sorry, guys," Taro responded. "I visited Enzo and Cael for a while and borrowed some books before heading back."
"Alright, but why are you working anyway?" Ema asked.
"Yeah, it's not the holidays yet," Vincy added.
"Nothing special. I just wanted to help Jack and Mia at the supermarket," Taro explained. "After I finished around 7 PM, I went to the forest and opened the portal."
"Let me guess… they didn't recognize you the first time, right?" Ema asked.
"No doubt," Taro answered with a faint smile.
The day before... (Flashback)
Taro walked into the supermarket, seeing Mia and Jack cleaning. He waited by the register until Mia came over.
"Welcome, how can I help you?" She asked.
"It's me, guys… TaroAbodo," he said, waving. "It's been a while."
Mia and Jack stared at him for a moment, then shouted together:
"HEEEH?! T-TARO?!"
Back at Abodo's house, Taro continued:
"Then I worked with them. That's everything."
"Pretty sure they wouldn't recognize me either," Vincy replied. "I miss working with those two."
Later on, Taro began putting books on the shelf. Suddenly, he found a small stone totem inside the bag. He picked it up and examined it.
"I don't remember taking this," he said.
"What is that?" Vincy asked.
"Looks like a totem," Ema answered, taking a closer look. "Where'd you find it, Abodo?"
"No idea… maybe it was in Enzo's room," Taro responded, puzzled.
They stared at it for a moment, then Ema said:
"Forget it for now. We should get some rest... school is tomorrow."
"Aw, snap," Vincy groaned.
Suddenly, the totem's eyes glowed red. Instantly, beam shot out, striking Taro and Vincy and knocking them unconscious.
Seconds later, they woke up.
"Vincy, are you alright?" Ema asked.
"E-Ema… I'm not Vincy," Taro said.
Taro looked ahead... and saw himself standing there.
"Is that me?!" Both Taro and Vincy shouted in shock.
"What... just... happened?" Ema asked, confused.
Taro... now in Vincy's body... picked up the totem again.
"It must be that thing," he said.
"Why would it do that?" Ema asked.
"I don't know," Taro replied. "Vincy, what was the last thing you said?"
"Uh… snap," Vincy answered.
"Try saying it near the totem," Taro suggested.
Vincy said the word, however nothing happened.
"It doesn't work. Your turn," Vincy said.
Taro tried, yet still nothing.
"Nothing," he muttered. "Let's all say it together."
They tried in unison, then Ema joined them... and still nothing.
"Aw man, it's no use," Vincy sighed.
A moment later, Yukiko walked in with dinner.
"Dinner's ready!" She said. "Ara... Taro, you're back."
She picked up an omelet on toast, walked over to Taro... or rather, Vincy in Taro's body... and said:
"You must be tired from work. Here... say ahh!"
Vincy blushed furiously, then shouted:
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING, YOU IDIOT?! I'M NOT YOUR FIANCÉ!"
Yukiko froze, then gave a faint smile… and crouched down. She whispered:
"Sou ka… my cooking is terrible, sõ desu yo ne? I'm a terrible fiancée, sõ desu yo ne? You hate me, sõ desu yo ne?"
W-What is she saying? Ema thought, confused.
"Sorry, man… I didn't mean to break her heart," Vincy whispered.
"No worries. I'll clear it up," Taro whispered back.
Taro and Ema explained the situation.
"Naruhodo… I thought you hated me, Taro," Yukiko said in relief, eyes sparkling.
"I don't, Yukiko," Taro replied.
"Sheesh, that girl…" Vincy muttered.
"Oi kisama," Yukiko said sharply with a deadly stare. "You're lucky you're in Taro's body. Once you switch back… koroshite yaru!"
Now she's terrifying,Vincy thought, sweating.
Then, Yukiko held the totem and asked:
"Demo… how will they switch back?"
"No clue yet," Ema said, hand on chin. "Abodo, mind if I search your books?"
"Go ahead," Taro agreed. "Sorry for troubling you."
The others sat down to eat. After dinner, they relaxed in front of the TV.
"Hey, what about our powers?" Vincy asked suddenly.
"Right, we haven't tried them yet," Taro said.
Then, they went to the garden.
"So, how do you summon your shield?" Vincy asked.
"Raise your hand forward and picture it forming," Taro explained.
Vincy did so... and the {Alternative Shield} appeared.
"Whoa! I did it!" He shouted.
"You can also summon another type from your sleeve," Taro said.
"Got it. Now try my {Berserk Mode}," Vincy said.
"Just pump my fists together?" Taro asked.
"Yep, that's everything," Vincy replied.
Taro tried... and instantly activated it.
"This feels... incredible!" He reacted.
"Yeah, doesn't it?" Vincy replied, grinning.
Back inside, Vincy asked:
"Hey... what if we just destroyed the totem?"
"Too risky," Taro answered. "It could make the swap permanent."
"Good point," Vincy admitted.
"Let's leave it to Ema, no worries," Taro replied.
Suddenly, Ema rushed downstairs.
"Everyone! Emergency!" She shouted.
"ARE YOU SERIOUS?! It's eleven already!" Vincy complained.
"They won't let us sleep peacefully," Taro sighed. "Yukiko, Ema, stay here and work on a solution."
Yukiko cast her {Equip Spell} on them, equipping their outfits... along with Taro's Azure Blade.
"Let's wrap this up quickly," Vincy said, sword in hand. "Wait, do I have to use a sword?"
"Yeah… unfortunately," Taro replied.
They rushed downtown. On their way, they found a massive cube-shaped slime on the streets.
"A slime? Doesn't seem dangerous," Vincy commented.
"Look closer," Taro corrected.
Inside of it, they saw trapped citizens.
"Oh… yeah, that sure seems dangerous," Vincy replied.
"There's no oxygen in there. We need to hurry!" Taro said.
"My mode will be perfect for this!" Vincy suggested.
"Then make for me a staircase of shields," Taro ordered.
Vincy did so, and Taro leapt onto the slime. With one powerful strike, it burst apart, showering them and the road in goo.
"Gross… but the citizens are safe," Vincy said.
"Let's return and shower," Taro suggested.
Back home, they cleaned themselves and their outfits.
"Vincy… you better brush your teeth every day," Taro whispered.
"Aw man, you noticed?" Vincy groaned.
In the living room, they regrouped with Ema and Yukiko.
"Any solution?" Taro asked, holding the totem.
"Nothing. None of the books helped," Ema sighed.
"Aw man! What do we do now?!" Vincy asked, then pointed at Yukiko. "I mean… I could live with this body, but not with her."
"Yukiko, what time is it?" Ema asked.
Yukiko checked, and found the clock at 11:58 PM.
"Whoa, we should get going," Vincy said.
"How will you go home like that?" Ema asked.
"No one's home anyway," he responded.
The moment they stepped outside... exactly at midnight, the totem flashed with green light, swapping them back.
"WHOA! We're back!" Vincy cheered.
"So the cure was midnight?" Ema asked.
"Guess so. We got lucky," Taro said.
Yukiko picked up the totem.
"What do we do with it?" She asked.
"I'll return it to Enzo tomorrow... where it belongs," Taro said.
"I should grab a snack when I–" Ema began.
Suddenly, the totem struck her and Yukiko... since she was holding it.
"You've got to be kidding," Vincy muttered.
"EMA-CHAN!" Yukiko shouted.
"What?! I said snack, not snap!" Ema exclaimed.
"Too bad... you've got to wait twenty-four hours," Vincy teased.
Vincy headed home, and Taro headed to his parents' room…
…leaving Yukiko and Ema standing there panicked!