No Way Back

Jun, Sachiko, and I arrived at the university at the same time as the previous week. We walked through the garden and reached the laboratory a couple of minutes before the appointment. Regardless, Jun knocked on the door.

"Come in," answered Mrs. Kawahara. Although their voices were similar, Ms. Enko's was ever so slightly more high-pitched.

We stepped into the room and Mrs. Kawahara stood up from one of the desks with computers. She signaled us with her hand to take a seat in the small office area in the laboratory. We complied and sat down without caring about touching each other. Ms. Enko was nowhere to be seen.

Mrs. Kawahara sat in front of us, holding a clipboard just like last time.

"Good morning, first of all," she said. "I want to ask you a few questions regarding your week, but I'm sure you're anxious to know if we've made any advancement."

Sachiko replied, "We are."

"I'll be brief, then. No, we weren't able to make any significant advancement in your case. I'm sorry."

As much as I expected this outcome, the words still hit like a punch. I could only imagine how Sachiko felt. I had been spending every evening this past week chatting with Ame; now I understood why Sachiko didn't want to tell her about the swapping. She was possessive and aggressive. A single bad choice of words could upset her in an instant, then she would be fine again five minutes later. She needed serious help, yet she wouldn't listen to her own fiancé.

Mrs. Kawahara continued, "There wasn't much we could do without any tests or samples, that's why I'll politely ask you to read the updated agreement and sign it if you're okay with it."

She handed each of us a couple of sheets of paper. It looked identical to the agreement I had seen a week ago, but the changes we had asked for became evident early in the document.

The three of us read for a few minutes, this time without the need to ask anything to Mrs. Kawahara or discuss it between us.

In the end, we didn't hesitate to sign the agreement. I just wanted to get it over with, and I was sure Jun and Sachiko thought the same.

"Thank you very much," Mrs. Kawahara said after we handed her the sheets of paper. She put them back in the clipboard and continued, "Although most of the tests will be done in this laboratory, I'll have to ask you to take the gynecological tests at a proper hospital. You can make the appointments whenever you want, but it'd be great if you did it before next Sunday."

A stranger inspecting my vagina and questioning my sexual life wasn't something I looked forward to. I had never done it before, and the fact that this wasn't my body made it even weirder. Only then did the doubt surge.

I asked, "Mrs. Kawahara, is it okay for us to take gynecological tests in each other's bodies?"

"Thank you for bringing that up."

She skimmed through a few sheets of paper before taking out three of them and handing them to us.

"Those are certificates that confirm you've been diagnosed with the CTCT disease. You can show them to anyone who doubts your statements. Even though doctors might not suspect a thing, please tell them about your situation to avoid problems. The system is rather new, so ask them to scan the QR code if they still don't believe you. They'll be convinced after that."

It was nice to see that they were working on stuff to help people with the same condition struggle less to explain their situation.

Mrs. Kawahara continued, "Now that that's out of the way, I'll ask you some questions. The first one is, did you notice any changes related to your sexual orientation?"

Starting strong, are we?

The three of us glanced at each other, then Jun spoke.

"There were some… weird things for me."

Huh?

"Can you elaborate?" asked Mrs. Kawahara.

Jun nodded. "I used to think some men were handsome, but I had never thought of one as attractive. Now I even felt… aroused, but I guess that happened because I'm in a woman's body."

"Not that we're aware of," replied Mrs. Kawahara.

"Eh?"

"Let me summarize the current conclusions we've gathered about the disease. Despite swapping bodies, couples are still attracted to the other's personality, not their physical appearance, meaning your sexual orientation is the same as if you were in your original body."

Wait, does that mean that the warmth I felt in my chest when talking to Sachiko wasn't because of Jun but because of… her?

Mrs. Kawahara continued, "Of course, there can always be new discoveries, but I'd say your case is more psychological. Maybe swapping into a woman's body unlocked a gate you had imposed on yourself, though I'm no psychologist. You could always see a therapist and share your thoughts with us if you're okay with it."

Jun's mouth and eyes stayed wide open for a while. He spoke once he started blinking again.

"I see…."

He has a lot to think about. We have a lot to think about….

"What about the two of you?" wondered Mrs. Kawahara. "Did you notice any change?"

Sachiko shook her head. "I didn't, I'm still attracted to women. However, I think I understand men a little better."

"That's a typical observation we hear from other women diagnosed with CTCT. What about your insomnia? Are you still suffering from it?"

"No, I've been falling asleep within minutes without the need for meds."

"Interesting," Mrs. Kawahara said as she wrote something down. "I assume you're the one suffering from it now, Ms. Minami."

I nodded.

She kept writing for a few seconds before raising her head.

"Alright. Any other observations you want to mention?"

I answered, "Well, I've noticed how Sachiko's habits slip up from time to time, but they go away as soon as I become aware of them. The most obvious thing was wearing high heels. I used to hate wearing them while in my body, but now I'm okay with them."

"Yes, that's also a typical observation, though it has become more common as time passes."

"I see. There's another… thing, but I don't know if I can say it."

Sachiko and I glanced at each other.

"As helpful as it may be," Mrs. Kawahara said, "you don't have to share it if you aren't willing to."

"Go ahead," said Sachiko.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

She nodded. "Just avoid any unnecessary details."

"Okay." I took a deep breath and exhaled. "I've had sex with a guy a few times. It was with Nishida, in fact, but it never felt great. I blamed him at first, but I was never entirely sure. After getting stuck in Katō's body, I… had sex with another woman for the first time, and… it felt amazing."

Sachiko looked down at the floor when our eyes met.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Kawahara stared at me.

"That's very peculiar," she said. "However, unless the disease effects have become dangerously strong, I'd conclude that you're in a similar situation to Mr. Nishida's. There's no easy way to prove it, unfortunately. I'd strongly suggest you both see a therapist, which means we have no other choice but to wait."

The room fell silent. We had come with false hopes for a magical cure, but we had found nothing more than self-doubt and worries.

Mrs. Kawahara smirked. "If there's nothing else to add, let's commence with the fun part."

The fun part was tests. We were experimented on for the next hour and a half. Both our heart rates and brain's electrical waves were recorded for several minutes, then Mrs. Kawahara took blood samples from the three of us. It wasn't fun at all.

We stepped out of the laboratory with crestfallen heads and walked out of the campus. We sat down on the same bench as last week, though this time with the sun at its peak. Only the car engines and horns reached our ears as people walked past.

"Let's tell Ame," said Sachiko. "Give me my phone."

Although I wanted her to do that before, I wasn't so sure anymore. Regardless, I wasn't going to stop her, so I handed her the phone.

Her hand trembled as she looked for Ame's messages and opened them. She slowly typed.

"Why don't we meet at our favorite café before packing the rest of my stuff today?"

She sent it.

"Aren't you going to tell her that we're coming with you?" wondered Jun.

"Should I?"

I answered, "I don't think there's a correct answer."

A message from Ame arrived.

"How can I say no to you? Of course! Why don't we go now?"

Sachiko's shaking grew stronger. I could even feel her breathing becoming heavier.

I placed my hand on her shoulder and said, "Hey, don't worry, we'll be there with you the whole time."

Her shiny eyes stared at mine before she nodded. She looked down at the phone and replied to Ame.

"Sure. See you there in an hour."

Tears fell from her eyes as soon as the screen turned off. I wasn't as good as Jun at comforting people, yet I still wrapped my arm around her to try and comfort her.

…

In the blink of an eye, we were standing in front of the café. I stepped inside first, then Ame's smile vanished the instant she saw the two other people walking behind me—Jun in my body and Sachiko in Jun's body.

We had barely reached the table for two when Ame growled.

"Who are they?"

About to answer, Sachiko answered before me.

"They are coworkers."

"I didn't ask you."

Her glare pierced my soul like I had never experienced before. I seriously feared for our safety.

Realizing the mistake she made, Sachiko took out from her shoulder bag the certificate Mrs. Kawahara had just given us and handed it to Ame. She frowned at it before grabbing it and reading it.

"What the hell is this supposed to mean?"

Sachiko answered, "Have you heard about…?"

"Shut up, I'm not talking to you."

Ame's glare returned to me, so I answered what Sachiko was going to answer.

"The CTCT disease makes people swap bodies. It usually happens between two people, but there are three people in our case. It's the first one of its kind to be documented."

She laughed. "What kind of joke is that?"

"It's not a joke. I'm not Sachiko, I'm one of her coworkers."

Her smile vanished again, and her glare returned.

"If it isn't a joke, then what is it? Why are you lying about something like this? As an excuse? Because I know that the supposed cure for this fake disease is to have sex. Is this an excuse for having an orgy with these two?!"

She slammed the table.

Sachiko replied, "It's not an excuse…"

Before she could explain, Ame grabbed the smoking cup of coffee from the table, stood up, and threw the coffee on Sachiko's face. She turned around in an attempt to dodge it, but she could only sweep the hot liquid off her face.

"I told you to shut the fuck up, asshole!" Ame yelled.

Jun stepped between her and Sachiko and shouted back.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!"

"Stop!" I screamed to stop the situation from scaling up even further.

Ame approached me and put her hands on my shoulders, too close to my neck.

"Why are you doing this to me?" she cried. "Why now?"

Her grip was becoming painful. I didn't know what to say. I didn't know what to do. I merely stood there, frozen.

"Get your hands off her!" Jun yelled and pulled Ame's arms away.

"Don't touch me! I'll call the police!"

Jun let go of her, then she pushed him away. He stumbled on an empty chair behind him, but he didn't fall or get hurt.

Ame looked back at me. Her frown and tearing eyes were something I had never seen before. I had no idea what she was planning to do, but I prepared for the worst.

"I can't believe it. Everyone's the same. Even you," she growled before stomping out of the café.