Chapter 55: Who are you people?

After Ai filled her in on what she needed to know, Mai felt completely lost. She couldn't quite understand why she was feeling this way.

Before that, it was as if the world had forgotten her, leaving her unable to even buy food. Glancing at her phone, she saw Ai's performance and wondered if she could somehow attain that same radiant aura to regain visibility in the world.

Then, she woke up in her idol's body. Initially surprised, she quickly adapted to the situation, albeit invisible to those around her. As she navigated Ai's life, she began to realize that Ai was more than just a shining figure; she was a complex individual with hidden secrets.

Discovering that Ai was married to her teacher was another shock. For Mai, Ai had been the epitome of perfection—an idol whose radiance illuminated everything around her. But now, Mai realized she had been mistaken.

"Mama switched with this person?" Ruby's confusion was palpable.

"Hey! Be polite, Ruby! Call her Onee-san," scolded Ai.

"We should sit first," added Minoru.

"Wait a second, Minoru. As a mother, I have to correct her, alright?"

Mai observed the scene before her, realizing that Ai was just an ordinary woman beneath her public facade. Despite her initial disappointment, Mai accepted the reality of Ai's marriage.

"Dad... I think this is the work of ghosts..."

"Why do you say that?" Minoru asked, gently combing Ruby's hair.

"Look! My Lego is broken because of the books. Our bookshelves were definitely possessed by evil ghosts," Ruby explained, more annoyed than scared.

"There's no such thing, Ruby. How's your brother's job? Did he find any evidence?"

"I don't know, Dad. Just ask him," Ruby replied, jumping from Minoru's lap, "I'll go to find him."

"Minoru-kun... do you think this happened because of that?" Ai wondered aloud, considering the supernatural aspects of their situation.

"Maybe yes, maybe no. But your body switch is definitely close, but I don't have any evidence," Minoru admitted.

Mai sighed with disappointment. "Maybe this is my fault..."

"Oh my, no one's at fault here," Ai interjected.

"She's right. What matters is finding a solution. Therefore, you should stay here for the time being." Minoru stated.

"Isn't... that too troublesome, Sensei?" Mai asked, feeling guilty.

"I think you must stay. There's no guarantee that the situation will return to normal either," Ai agreed, offering her support.

"Thank you..." Mai blushed, touched by their kindness. "So, just to clarify, that's Ai-san and Sensei's child?"

"Um..." Ai smiled brightly, spooning pudding into her mouth. "Oh, I have a son too. And they're both twins."

"Twins? Ai-san, you know... well, I have no right to say this, but it could be dangerous for you and the children. Your fans are too fanatic, and that's the situation," Mai warned.

Ai laughed off Mai's warning. "Hahaha, well, I've been doing this for four years and nothing has happened—"

She stopped abruptly.

"Well, you're right. But I have him now," she gestured towards Minoru.

"Yeah," Minoru reassured, returning to his newspaper.

"Good morning..." Miyako greeted as she entered the room, her eyes widening in surprise as she took in the scene. "Yanagi-san... I'm sorry, but why is she here?"

'Mai' waved her hand in greeting. "Miyako-san, it's me, Ai!"

"Huh?! Is this some kind of joke?" Miyako's disbelief was evident.

Mai furrowed her brow slightly. "Another woman?" She shot a pointed look at Minoru—did he have another woman while he was with Ai? 

Minoru sighed 'Here we go again...' and he started to explain again why this happened.

---

Meanwhile, Ruby finally discovered Aqua's whereabouts.

"Hey! Open the door you idiot!"

Aqua panicked, utterly clueless about this high-tech toilet. The truth was she had already wasted enough time in there.

"H-Hold on! Ah, which buttons do I push? Is it the red one or—gah! Rich people and their confusing gadgets!"

She began randomly pressing buttons, and things quickly took a wrong turn. Though she finished her business, her clothes were now drenched.

"Ha... is this because I'm just a humble villager? Ugh! I should've moved to Tokyo ages ago."

She felt like crying at how pitiful she looked. Done with the absurd toilet, she stormed out.

"Since when do you take a bath in the morning?" Ruby looked her up and down. "With your clothes on, no less? Are you even Japanese? Anyway, everyone's waiting, so hurry up!"

Ruby walked away, leaving Aqua thinking, 'She reminds me of my sister.'

Later, as she returned to the room, she woke up, changed clothes, and hastily made her way to the living room, guided by the enticing smell.

"Wow..."

Once again, she was amazed.

"You're finally here. What took you so long?"

Aqua's mouth hung open as she gazed at the man.

'Oh my gosh! He's handsome! Who is he?! Wait... I know him! H-He's that famous Yanagi-sensei!'

"Huh? What are you daydreaming about? Quick, sit." The silver-haired man raised his brow at her before shaking his head, "Alright, people, let's eat."

"Y-Yes!"

His authority compelled her to follow his command without a second thought. As she approached the table, about to pull out a chair, she was shocked by the lineup of women.

"Aqua, good morning," Ai said with a smile.

"Y-Yes, good morning!"

She recognized her immediately—a famous actress on hiatus, Sakurajima Mai! What was she doing here in the morning?

"Ah, you must be the eldest. Hello..." Mai nodded at him with a smile.

"Hello... Whaa—"

Ai from B-Komachi! She had known her since she was a legendary idol! She gotta need to ask her for an autograph!

"Aqua, I know this is confusing. The thing is... we've switched bodies. So, right now... I'm inside Mai-san. And she's inside me," Ai explained briefly.

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience," Mai added with a slight bow.

"Ah, yes...?"

Hold up! Who was who? Aqua couldn't make heads or tails of the situation! Switched bodies? How was that possible? Wait... she was also inside someone else's body.

"What kind of weird dream is this?" she mumbled slowly.

"Morning, Aqua. Don't just stand there..." Miyako's gentle, mature voice interrupted her thoughts.

She looked up to find a stunning woman who exuded maturity and allure. Must be the mother, right? But then, who was the father?

"Yes, m-mom..."

"Huh?"

Miyako was taken aback by Aqua, wondering why he'd called her "Mom" right in front of his actual mother. She glanced at Ai and then noticed her confusion.

"Aqua, you don't have to call me 'Mom' here since Mai-san already kno—"

"Delicious! Nom! Nom! Nom!" Aqua ignored Miyako, his attention fully on the irresistible food. "...Ah, yeah, Mom? Gulp! Ah, can we talk after we eat?" And with that, he dove back into his meal.

Miyako's thoughts raced, stop! don't keep calling me 'mom'! Do you want to start a misunderstanding? And what the hell is wrong with this family?

However, Ai sensed something odd about Aqua.

"What's wrong with my boy?" she murmured, setting down her chopsticks.

"Dad, bro is acting strange. Nom!" Ruby chimed in, sensing her brother's peculiarity too, opting to sit on Minoru's lap since her mommy had switched bodies.

"Hm…"

Minoru hummed absentmindedly, juggling feeding his daughter and himself. He was about to ask about the possessed bookshelves when he noticed Aqua's behavior wasn't normal.

"Don't tell me!" Ai turned to Minoru, concern etched on her face. "Minoru! What were you doing with my little boy last night? Is it what I'm thinking?"

"Yeah, we just had a civilized talk, man to man. Why?"

"Civilized talk?! You can't just take a four-year-old with you and drive like a maniac. You could've gotten both of you killed! Remember when we crashed the car and miraculously survived? Look at him now, he's probably traumatized!"

"That's how boys grow up, woman. Besides, I'm a professional driver, so no one was in danger."

Mai, Miyako, and Aqua grew nervous as the argument between the two parents escalated over something they didn't know about. Civilized talk? Killed? Professional driver?

However, Ruby somehow understands why they're fighting, and she's relieved that her parents are just worried about them. But Ruby has already noticed the difference in Aqua. Being his sister, no one in this world knows Aqua better than her; after all, she's been with him since they were born.

But this Aqua seems alien.

The usual Aqua is collected and has manners like an adult. But this Aqua, while still having manners, behaves more like a young lady who had undergone strict manners education, shortly, he became feminine.

She could tell that the gloomy and edgy boy Aqua was no longer there, replaced by this somewhat... shy and cheerful person? No way. Just look at how he eats! it's the same way a girl appreciates delicious food, even though he should be used to Dad's cooking by now.

There are many things she's suspicious about besides that. On top of that, there's a ghost in the bookshelves, her mom switched bodies with a famous actress, and this makes Ruby think that Aqua might not be 'himself' either.

"Dad… Mama… stop fighting, alright? I think there's something else…" Ruby said as she looked up at them.

"Ah… I'm sorry, daughter," Minoru said, patting her head, while Ai silently shut her mouth, deciding to let go of the matter for now, but not for long.

Aqua looked shocked again.

So, this boy's dad is him all along, and Sakurajima Mai? So who are these women anyway? On top of that, isn't Mai just a high schooler like her? Then how did she have kids at their ages? Ah! She couldn't make sense of this puzzling dream anymore.

"Hey."

Aqua stopped thinking as she gulped his food. He looked at Ruby, whose folded hands and questioning face made her nervous. Everyone at the table stopped their activities, anticipating Ruby's next words. This also made her parents snap to attention as they grasped what she meant by there's something else, but Ruby beat them to it.

Ruby looked at Aqua, "Could you tell us… your name?"

---

A/N:

Sorry, boys, I've got things I need to work on, and I couldn't keep up with the fanfic. Hope you enjoy it.