The Monday morning sunlight streamed through the window curtains of the familiar bedroom, gradually waking the figure lying on the bed. Lumine Komori opened her eyes sleepily. The first sensation she registered was the soft comfort of the mattress and blanket... But wait... why did it feel strange?
She raised a hand to rub her eyes, trying to focus on the bright light. Then, her eyes widened in shock as she looked around the room. This... this wasn't her bedroom! The pale blue walls, the unfamiliar indie band posters, the messy piles of manga and fantasy novels... everything was different.
Confused, Lumine scrambled out of bed, only to be startled by the lightness of her body. And when she looked down at her hands... they were smaller than usual, paler, with short, unkempt nails... These were not... not her hands!
Lumine's heart pounded like a drum. She frantically examined her body. The bunny-patterned pajamas were completely unfamiliar. Her height seemed to have shrunk by several centimeters. And when she touched her hair... it was shoulder-length and silver-gray!
"No... this can't be real!" Lumine exclaimed, her voice trembling. But the voice that came out was noticeably smaller and higher-pitched than her own!
She rushed to the small mirror on the dressing table. The reflection staring back made her almost collapse! The face in the mirror wasn't Lumine Komori's. It was the face of a small girl with silver-gray hair and amethyst-purple eyes that were wide with utter terror... The face of... Sora Aoki!
"What... what's happening!?" Lumine (in Sora's body) sank to the floor, completely drained. Her mind went blank as she tried to comprehend the unbelievable situation. She pinched her cheek hard, hoping it was just a nightmare, but the sharp pain confirmed it was real... a terrifying reality!
Meanwhile...
In Lumine Komori's neat and simply decorated bedroom, the figure of a girl with long, flowing golden-brown hair slowly opened her eyes. The morning sunlight gently filtered through the cream-colored curtains, a soft greeting. Sora Aoki (in Lumine's body) blinked rapidly. The first sensation she felt was the smoothness of the fine bed linen and the faint, lingering scent of lavender that filled the room... a familiar scent... the scent of the person she had always dreamed of being.
She sat up slowly, noticing the unfamiliar sensations of this body. It was taller, more slender, with curves she'd never possessed. When she raised a hand to touch her face, the smooth skin and well-defined features... it was Lumine's face!
Sora (in Lumine's body) walked straight to the large mirror in the corner of the room. The reflection staring back made her gasp, not in shock, but in an ecstatic joy that made her tremble! The elegant face, the sparkling dark brown eyes, the long, flowing golden-brown hair, the well-proportioned figure... It was all Lumine Komori, the person she had yearned to be!
A wide smile spread across Sora's (in Lumine's body) face, a smile filled with a blissful satisfaction she had never felt before. "It worked... finally... I've really become her!" she murmured, her voice trembling with excitement. Her slender (Lumine's) hand caressed her own face in the mirror with fascination, then moved down to her newly ample chest. She was extremely pleased with this appearance.
Her dream had come true! The mysterious words she'd heard before falling asleep last night... "Then... why don't you give it a try?..." It wasn't just a dream! It was some kind of power that had made her intense desire a reality!
On the other side, Lumine (in Sora's body) was still sitting on the floor of the unfamiliar bedroom, confused. Tears began to stream down her cheeks from fear and despair. She looked around the room, trying to find an explanation for what had happened. Then, her eyes fell on a small, light blue diary lying open on the bed... Sora's diary!
Driven by curiosity and a faint hope that there might be some clue hidden within, Lumine (in Sora's body) slowly crawled over and picked up the diary. She began to read. The pages were filled with hurried handwriting, but it was legible enough. Most of the entries were about her feelings for "Leo-senpai" and her jealousy towards "Komori-senpai." The more Lumine read, the more shocked and saddened she became. She had never known that a junior admired Leo so much and felt so inadequate compared to her.
Then she reached the last page Sora had written the night before falling asleep... "I wish I could be you... Komori-senpai... I wish Leo-senpai would look at me... only me..."
"This is..." Lumine (in Sora's body) mumbled in disbelief. Could this girl's intense desire... be the reason they had switched bodies!?
"Sora-chan! Time to wake up, dear! You'll be late for school! Breakfast is ready!" A call from downstairs, from Sora's mother, startled Lumine (in Sora's body) violently. What was she going to do? Who could she explain this to? And Leo? Would he know that the person he was dating now... wasn't her anymore!
Worry and fear overwhelmed Lumine (in Sora's body), making it almost impossible to breathe. She had to find a way to fix this situation. But first, she had to survive in Sora Aoki's body. She took a deep breath, trying to compose herself, and called back to Sora's mother in a voice she tried to make sound as normal as possible, "Okay... Mom! I'll be down in a minute!"
Meanwhile, Sora (in Lumine's body) was standing in front of the mirror in Lumine's bedroom, smiling happily. She twirled around as if admiring a masterpiece. "Finally... I can be close to Leo-senpai, just as I wished," she giggled softly, her eyes glinting with a cunningness she had never shown before. "And this time... I won't let anyone take him away from me. Especially... the original owner of this body."
When it was time for school, Sora (in Lumine's body) skillfully chose Lumine's school uniform. She styled the golden-brown hair to look especially beautiful and secretly applied a touch of light pink lip gloss she found in Lumine's makeup bag to look even brighter. Then, her eyes fell on a school skirt neatly folded in Lumine's wardrobe. It was the same style Lumine usually wore, but it seemed a bit shorter than the others. Perhaps it was one Lumine rarely wore, or a spare. Sora (in Lumine's body) picked it up and held it against herself. A cunning smile touched the corners of her lips. "This is more like it... much more interesting." She immediately decided to wear that skirt. It revealed more of Lumine's smooth, fair legs than usual, but it wasn't overly inappropriate.
She looked at herself in the mirror one last time, smiling at her new, alluring, and captivating appearance. "Leo-senpai will be stunned," she murmured to herself with satisfaction, before grabbing Lumine's school bag and walking out of the room with an unprecedented air of confidence and liveliness.
When Sora (in Lumine's body) arrived at school, the morning atmosphere was as bustling as ever. But what was different was the surprised and admiring gazes of many students fixed on her. The new look of "Lumine Komori" – bright, confident, and slightly sexy with the shorter-than-usual skirt – was undeniably eye-catching.
"Good morning, Lumine-chan!" Himari Kanzaki ran up to greet her with her usual wide smile, but then she stopped short, noticing the change in her best friend. "Wow! Lumine-chan! You look... so different today! So much prettier! Especially that skirt... a bit daring, aren't we!" Himari teased good-naturedly.
Iris Mikazuki, who followed, looked "Lumine" up and down with a more scrutinizing gaze than usual. "Hmm... you seem more confident, Komori-san. But be careful with the skirt length. You might get called in by the disciplinary teacher." Though she warned, there was a faint smile at the corner of her lips.
Sora (in Lumine's body) giggled charmingly. "Thanks, Himari-chan. Don't worry, Iris, I can take care of myself. I just wanted to try a new look today. I'm tired of the same old thing." Her voice was more cheerful and playful than usual, which surprised her two best friends slightly, though they attributed it to her blossoming relationship with Leo.
When Leo Tsukino walked into the classroom with his group of friends, his eyes widened slightly upon seeing "Lumine" in her new look. His heart skipped a beat. Her beauty and radiance were so dazzling he could barely look away. But at the same time, a feeling akin to possessiveness welled up in his heart when he noticed her skirt was shorter than usual and that other male students were sneakily glancing her way with interest.
"Well, hello Lumine. Looking exceptionally beautiful today," Riku Lancaster was the first to tease, whistling softly with a knowing look.
"Yeah, yeah, you look a lot more confident, Komori-san!" Ken Arisawa added.
Zeno Kazuma quickly pulled out his "Experimental Love Aura Detector" (which looked like a magnifying glass with blinking LED lights attached) and aimed it. "Whoa! Komori-san's love aura is off the charts today! Her attraction level is sky-high!"
Takumi Yoshida merely raised an eyebrow, looking at "Lumine" with an unreadable expression, before murmuring softly, "A sudden change in external appearance... might reflect some internal change."
Leo tried to remain composed but couldn't help frowning slightly when he heard his friends' teasing and saw the looks "Lumine" was getting from others. He wasn't pleased that his girlfriend (in his mind) was dressing more revealingly than usual. "Lumine... your skirt... isn't it a bit too short?" he asked, trying to keep his voice as normal as possible, though it was laced with unease.
Sora (in Lumine's body) turned and gave Leo a sweet smile, her eyes sparkling with an unprecedented vivacity. "Why, Leo? Don't I look pretty? Or are you... jealous?" She playfully moved a little closer to him, tilting her head and asking in a coquettish tone she had never used before. The faint scent of lavender (from Lumine's perfume) made Leo's heart flutter even more.
"N-no, not at all! It's just... it just looks a bit unfamiliar," Leo quickly denied, his voice stammering as he tried to turn away from his own flushed cheeks. But in his heart, he admitted that "Lumine's" coquettishness was so cute he almost melted.
Throughout the day, Sora (in Lumine's body) behaved noticeably differently from the "original Lumine." She was more cheerful, more talkative, more expressive, and most importantly, she was constantly "flirting" with Leo – clinging to his arm on the way to the cafeteria, feeding him snacks, and even sending him sweet, lingering glances in class.
Their friends all noticed this change. Himari and Zeno seemed to enjoy the "new version of Lumine," who was more approachable and fun. Riku continued his teasing, and Ken thought it was good that Lumine was being more expressive. However, Iris and Takumi began to notice something "off," something "too try-hard" about "Lumine's" behavior.
Leo himself started to feel confused. Although he liked that "Lumine" seemed brighter and more willing to show her feelings, sometimes her overly coquettish gestures or words that didn't sound like her at all made him feel strange. Deep down, he began to miss the "original Lumine," the quiet but sincere girl.
In the evening, as everyone was about to head home, Sora (in Lumine's body) walked up and whispered seductively in Leo's ear.
"Leo, darling... I had so much fun being close to you all day today." She paused slightly, then slowly licked her lips before continuing, her eyes filled with a dark desire. "And tonight... what kind of 'reward' would you like to give me? For being your 'good girl'?"
Her words and overly forward demeanor, so unlike the "Lumine" he knew, made Leo stop in his tracks. He looked deeply into those dark brown (Lumine's) eyes but felt as if he were seeing someone else's gaze superimposed. A small seed of doubt began to grow in his heart... This "Lumine"... was she really the person he loved?