I watched with a morbid sense of fascination as Hiyori moved around in my body. She was still bent over, dry heaving the last of my dinner out of my stomach. It smelled much worse the second time, trust me.
Eventually, Hiyori finished her little upchuck session, though she still looked pretty green. Can't really blame her though, I looked the same not too long ago. And I mean exactly the same, considering she was in my body.
"Oh god, what did you eat?" she questioned with a groan. That seemed to be the wrong thing to do as she went back to her dry heaves. "Curry," I said simply as I continued to rub her back.
She gave me a look of disbelief, and I couldn't blame her for that either. She clearly had no idea what Mystery Food X was. But she was learning, even if she didn't want to.
"What kind of curry does this to a person?" she questioned, finally able to stand up straight. I could only shrug my shoulders, not really sure myself. I suppose I could show her the pot, which I could hear moaning even from my Inventory, but that would require an explanation I wasn't ready to give.
Hiyori managed to get her breathing under control, wiping the last of the vomit from her mouth. At this point I kind of wanted to leave her in my body for a while, at least until the taste was completely gone, but I doubted she would go for that.
"So now what? Are you trapped in my body now?" I asked. She gave me a look that suggested my mother had relations with a dodo bird.
"Of course not, I can leave it any time," she said, with a smug attitude.
"So you just wanted to keep throwing up?" I asked what I thought was a very valid question. After all, if she could leave at any time, why did she stick around to keep throwing up?
Unless she was into that sort of thing… Maybe she wasn't my soul mate after all.
Her face, or rather my face, turned beat red at the question. Which was really an accusation. "S-shut up! I just couldn't concentrate! You think I want to be in your big gross body!? As if!"
Now that was just uncalled for. "Hey, my body's not gross you damn, sexy midget! You're just jealous!"
+1 Affection to Hiyori Sarugaki (-1/100)
Look at that, almost back to 0. Guess she liked being called sexy more than she disliked being called a midget. I didn't exactly mean to say that, but it's not like it wasn't true. I've already felt nearly everything she had after all. She may have been tiny, but she had that va va voom!
Her face turned even redder at that, though this time there was a healthy dose of anger to her embarrassment. "S-shut up you damn jerk! Who'd ever be jealous of you!? Baldy!"
She does know that's not an insult, right? More like an observation. Or was she just so used to calling people that she didn't know what to do about an actual baldy?
"Plenty of guys are jealous of me. Especially when they see me in the locker room!" I yelled back. I really hoped there wasn't anybody watching this right now, because this would be really embarrassing.
Meanwhile…
"I could really use some popcorn," said a cat with a shockingly deep voice. Seeing the body swap thing was hilarious. Too bad she didn't have a camera with her. Oh well, nothing to do but enjoy the show.
Back with Ushio and Hiyori
"And just what is that supposed to mean!?" Hiyori yelled back. I looked at her for a moment, confused. How did she not understand? Did the Soul Society not have locker rooms or something?
Or maybe…
"Aw, aren't you the innocent one? That's adorable," I cooed at her, making her even angrier. Probably because it was done with her own body, who knows. She was an angry little thing normally after all.
"Huh?" she questioned, taking a step toward me. She raised a fist threateningly, but didn't actually hit me. It must be so frustrating for her to not be able to take out her frustrations on me.
It was making me a bit cocky, which was never a good thing.
"Think about it. They get jealous of me in the locker room. They see something when I'm naked…" I said, leaving the rest of the sentence open ended. Hiyori wasn't stupid, it shouldn't take her long to understand.
And it didn't. It took about 5 seconds give or take, before her face lit up again. She looked down at the spot between her legs, likely realizing for the first time she had an extra appendage. If she wasn't careful, the weight of it might tip her over.
+3 Affection to Hiyori Sarugaki (2/100)
Hah! I guess she liked what she felt. I couldn't help the smug look that graced my face after that Notification. Though it was dampened somewhat by the fact that I couldn't feel that thing that caused that Affection gain.
Soon my son. Daddy will bring you home real soon. Just wait a bit longer. We'll go out for tacos.
"I knew you were a pervert!" she screamed, pointing an accusing finger at me. You know, it was really weird to hear my own voice like this, and not just because I wasn't in my body either. The tone she used was way different than my own.
"I was just talking about my abs. What were you thinking about?" I asked with a shit eating grin on my face. Her face turned even redder at that, and the hand that wasn't pointing at me felt up my abs, probably unconsciously.
+1 Affection to Hiyori Sarugaki (3/100)
I gave her an amused look, as my eyes looked to where her hand currently was. Guess she liked what she felt. Her own eyes looked to where I was staring, and she removed her hand like she was just burned.
"Guess you can't be mad at me fondling you know, huh?" I said, amusement dancing in my eyes. She looked at me and growled, and opened her mouth to say something, probably something mean and hurtful, but she covered her mouth before she could do so.
Oh right, I was poisoned wasn't I? Guess we both forgot about that little fact with our argument. And now she was paying for it, desperately trying not to throw up again.
I sighed as I rubbed the back of my head, which felt very weird considering Hiyori had a full head of hair. Very soft and silky hair I might add. I might prefer my own bald head, but I wouldn't mind paying with this when I get my own body back.
+1 Affection to Hiyori Sarugaki (4/100)
Whoops. I must have said that last part out loud. Oh well, at least she seemed to like it and didn't think I was a creep with a hair fetish. It also had the benefit of calming her down, as she gave me a shy look from the corner of her eyes.
Which looked really damn weird coming from my body. I'm sure if it was her in her own body doing it, I would find it adorable. But coming from my body, it was just plain creepy.
"Alright, so what's the real plan? Even if you can get out of my body, I have no idea how to get out of yours," I asked. She gave me another side look, though this one was far less shy, and therefore, far less creepy.
She sighed after a moment, rubbing the back of her own head. Which confused her for a moment before she remembered she was in my body. I was waiting for her to compliment how smooth I was able to get it, but it never came.
Which made me pout. I complimented her hair, damn it. The least she could do was compliment my lack of hair.
"No choice. I'll have to take you back with me. We should have something to remove souls from bodies," she said. Well doesn't that sound fucking ominous.
"That just sounds like you want to kill me," I said in a blank tone. She raised one of her eyebrows at me, with a smug grin of her own in place.
"Who says I don't? You're just lucky you're in my body, otherwise, you'd be paste."
"Is that right? So if I return to my own body, then you'll kill me? Maybe I should start a new life as a cute girl…" I said.
+1 Affection to Hiyori Sarugaki (5/100)
I'm starting to think the women in this universe were starved for attention, because it was far too easy to raise their Affection Levels. Maybe women like Rangiku or Yoruichi will be different, considering their tig ol' bitties.
She rolled her eyes at me, and I don't think it was because of my thoughts this time. If I had said those out loud, I doubt even me being inside her would stop her from breaking every bone in my body.
"I promise not to kill you. Just beat you till you can't see straight. Now come on, let's get this over with," she growled, which sounded fairly intimidating coming from me. I'd have to remember that in the future.
I followed with some reluctance, not wanting to be beaten to near death, but at the same time, wanting to get back into my own body. It was a conundrum to be sure, but at the end of the day, I wanted my child to come back home.
I did make him a promise after all.
As we made our way down the road, I decided to strike up a conversation with her. Considering the situation, I feel like I was entitled to some info. Also, I needed to make it seem like I had no idea what was going on, which I'm not sure I've done.
"So… Kind of curious, how are you able to leave your own body?" I asked. She turned to head to give me a look but didn't stop walking. Not like I wanted her to.
"It's easy when you get used to it," she said. I raised an eyebrow at that.
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
"And why would you want to get used to that? Why did you need to leave your body in the first place?" I asked again.
"None of your damn business, baldy!" she growled at me. Now that was just rude. All I did was ask a question.
"Oh come on, you can tell me. I can keep a secret," I tried again, only to receive a growl in response. She really didn't want to talk to me, did she? Well that just wouldn't do.
"Why do you have a sword? Are you some kind of lady samurai?" I continued to pester her. She would crack. Sooner or later, she would be eager to talk, if for no other reason than to shut me up.
"Are you some kind of idiot?" she questioned back. I made a humming sound as I contemplated her question, making a big deal about thinking it over. Judging from the irritating sound she was making, it obviously got on her nerves.
You know, maybe I shouldn't antagonize people so much stronger than I am. It could only end badly. But in my defense, it was fun.
"Jury's still out on that one. I did just eat some curry I knew would poison me," I commented.
That caused her to stop in her tracks, as she looked at me with incredulity. Her gaze also carried with it the belief that I was completely and utterly stupid. A notion that was compounded by her follow-up question.
"Are you a moron?"
I merely shrugged my currently dainty shoulders and gave her a grin, feeling her large canine poke out as I did so. Her eyes zeroed in on it and they gained a twitch. Guess she didn't like seeing it from this perspective.
"They just went into deliberation. I'm sure we'll find out any day now," I commented. She rolled her eyes but continued on. The jury might be deliberating, but I'm pretty sure I'd be convicted. The evidence was overwhelming.
"So, are you going to answer my question?" I asked, after a minute or so of silence. I figured I'd get her hopes up of me shutting my trap before continuing my interrogation. It seemed to work, as she finally gave me an answer.
"If you must know I was following a weird Hollow," she said. Now that caught my attention. A weird Hollow? Could it be one of Aizen's experiments? If that was true, that was bad. Very, very bad.
-Quest-
Mysterious Hollow
You have learned of the existence of something that doesn't belong. Find it before it finds you.
Reward
-Gain 1000 Exp
-Gain 10 Stat Points
-Ability Upgrade Token
-Item Upgrade Token
-Gain 50,000 Yen
Failure
-You become a Hollow
Time Limit
30 Days
Accept
[Yes] [No]
Ok, that was concerning enough to make my sphincter close up shop for the day. I did not want to become a Hollow. I mean sure, a few of them were nice, but they were still cannibals, and my name is not Jeffrey Dahmer.
Also, it seems like I have no choice but to accept, as the No option was grayed out. Well shit, and here I was hoping to refuse the Quest and not have to worry about it. What's the point of asking if I didn't have a choice in the matter?
And to make matters worse, I also had a time limit. How was I supposed to find a Hollow without the ability to see them? Or fight them for that matter? That just wasn't fair.
But there was no time for me to freak out, I was having a conversation with a legal loli, so I needed to focus on that. Even though I was the loli currently…
Sure hope there are no perverts around here.
"See that wasn't so hard. But I have a follow up question. What's a Hollow?"
She gave me a surprised look. I guess because I was able to enter my Spiritual Form and enter her Gigai, she expected me to know about this stuff. I mean, she wasn't wrong, I did know, just now for the reasons she believed I should.
"How do you not know what a Hollow is?" she asked.
"This is my first time turning into a ghost. How am I supposed to know these things?" I shot back. She seemed to contemplate this for a second, before sighing in exasperation. Well sorry if my pretend lack of knowledge is an inconvenience for you. It sure is one for me.
"Ugh fine. Listen up, cause I'm only going to explain it once!" she told me. I placed my hands behind my ears, showing her I was all ears. She growled at my smart ass attitude, but didn't do much else.
"Hollows are human souls whose Chain of Fate has eroded completely, turning them into ravenous monsters that seek to fill that hole by devouring other souls. This happens when a dead person refuses to cross over, and remains in the Human World for too long. With me so far?" she said.
I could do without the condescending attitude, but yes, I was. But for appearance's sake, I must act the dummy. Someday, this will come back to bite me, I'm sure of it. Like most things I do.
"Mostly. What's a Chain of Fate exactly?" I asked.
She rolled her eyes at me with another huff, "That thing attached to your chest. You must have noticed when you entered your Spirit Form. Or are you really that dumb?" she snarked.
"Well if you must know little Ms. Presumptuous, I don't have one of those Chain of Fate thingies. There was nothing attached to my chest when I left my body," I told her, while also placing my hand to my chest. Or to be more precise, my hand was once again on her chest.
"Wait, what? That's not possible. You must have just not noticed," she dismissed. Well if she didn't want to believe me that was fine. I'd prove her wrong soon enough. It seems like she hasn't noticed where my hand was yet either. Good, now if she just turns around and continues walking, I wouldn't get into more trouble.
"And get your hand off of there!" she yelled, face flushed with anger once more. Ah, I spoke too soon. Looks like I wasn't out of the woods yet, and instead ran into a pissed off werewolf.
"Hehehe, whoops?" I chuckled nervously, while tentatively and slowly removing my hand from her chest. I even managed to prevent myself from squeezing this time! Now that's what I call progress.
"Ugh, whatever. Anyways, Hollows seek out people with high spiritual energy to devour their souls, so it's the job of the Soul Society to send Soul Reapers down to cleanse the Hollows, and help the stray spirits to cross over," she continued, ignoring what just happened.
Which was good for me. I was apparently already in for a beating, no need to make it worse. It might have helped that she did the same thing to my body not long ago. Who knows.
If it kept me out of trouble, she could fondle my body all she wanted. Hell, she could do it even if it got me into more trouble.
"Ok, I think I got it. And what is Soul Society? That supposed to be like heaven or something?" I asked.
She became silent after that, and the only sounds able to be heard was the sound of us walking through the empty streets. When she eventually did answer, it was almost too quiet to hear.
"Something like that."
I may have enjoyed teasing her, but even I knew not to push that button. It looks like she missed that place more than I thought, though that shouldn't surprise me. It was her home after all, for who knows how long. I'd be upset too.
"So, I guess that means that sword of yours is what you use to cleanse these Hollows?" I asked, trying to steer the conversation in another direction. It seemed to work, at least a little, as she perked up a bit at the question.
"Maybe you're not as dumb as you look. That's right, killing a Hollow means purifying it and returning its soul to the cycle of reincarnation," she explained. I nodded along, continuing my act of ignorance.
"Huh, neat," I said. She snorted at that, but didn't say anything else. The two of us fell into a somewhat comfortable silence as we continued on our journey.
*Ding*
Scan Complete
Huh, I had completely forgotten about that. Well, not like I was doing anything important right now anyway, so might as well check it out.
Name: Hiyori Sarugaki
Age: 160
Level: 72
Health: 4,770/4,770
Stamina: 3,040/3,180
Reiryoku: 4,720/5,010
Description: Hiyori Sarugaki is a short, petite girl with blonde hair. She has three freckles under each eye, and a large canine on the left side of her mouth. Aggressive and violent on her best days, she doesn't take crap from anybody. As a former Soul Reaper Lieutenant of the 12th Division, she is smarter than she appears. Over 100 years ago, she and several others were turned into Visoreds by Sosuke Aizen. Now she seeks revenge against the man who ruined her life.
Damn, she is significantly stronger than I am. Kind of emasculating, not gonna lie. But on the plus side, she looks good for her age. Oh well, this just means I have to get stronger. Push past my limits, and go Plus fucking Ultra!
Wrong anime, but you know what I mean!
I looked over at her, noticing she was distinctly less green than before, making me wonder why. "So, are you feeling any better?" I asked. She gave me a confused look, before seeming to realize what I was asking.
"Oh yeah. A little poison isn't enough to take me down. My Reiryoku is neutralizing it as we speak," she said with a smug look. I grumbled at that. If I knew how to use my own Reiryoku, I could do that too.
Probably…
Unless she learned how to do that in the 12th Division, then I was out of luck. But now that I at least know it was possible, I'd work on it later. Or just poison myself till I was immune, one of the two.
Maybe both, who knows. Even if I was immune to most toxins, that doesn't guarantee anything, not with that bastard Mayuri around. Better safe than sorry.
But something else occurred to me, "Guess that means you saved my life. Thanks for that."
+2 Affection to Hiyori Sarugaki (7/100)
"Not like I was trying to save you. I just didn't want to throw up again. Stupid baldy," she said, with a new shade of red on my face. Aw, her tsundere side was so cute. I mean, it would be way cuter if she was in her own body instead of mine.
Nobody wanted to see my tsundere side after all. I was just happy to know I wouldn't be dying today. Unless something horrible and unexpected happened, but what were the chances of that?
…Fuck, nowhere is safe and the cake is a lie.
Eventually, the two of us reached our destination, some abandoned warehouses. I gave her an unamused look, "Is this the point of the movie where you kill me?"
She rolled her eyes at my quip, but I was somewhat serious. This place looked sketchy as fuck. Like where the mafia comes to hide the bodies. And she did mention using something to make people's souls leave their bodies. I thought she meant something like the glove Rukia used to bitch slap the soul out of Ichigo, but maybe she just meant this is where her favorite cleaver is.
And my soul would leave my body along with my head.
"Dumbass. If I wanted to kill you, I'd have done so already. It would be a pain in the ass, but I could get a new body," she said. That wasn't as reassuring as I think she thought that was, if she was even trying to be reassuring in the first place.
"If you say so…" I responded.
"I do, now follow me," she ordered.
The two of us made our way through the area, which was way creepier than in the movies. I half expected a maniac with a chainsaw to pop out of nowhere.
Instead, I got a hot chick with green hair in a form fitting suit, wearing a bright orange scarf around her neck and what appeared to be goggles on her head. She just fell from the sky, using her considerable lung power to scream her battle cry, landing in a superhero pose.
I remember her, though I couldn't place the name. She was one of the Visoreds, the peppy one if I remembered correctly. And like every woman I've met so far, she was way better looking than in the show.
Like, damn! How the hell did she squeeze into that thing? Did they have to use butter, because if so, I would happily lick it off of her.
Not sure if it was better or worse that I was currently in Hiyori's body. Hotter for sure, but that didn't automatically make it better. These were thoughts I didn't need to be having right now, and yet, I couldn't stop myself.
"Halt, villains! I, Mashiro Kuna, am here to stop you!" she proclaims, making another pose with her eyes closed. As nice as that suit of hers was, (and it was nice, trust me on that) it also prevented the games jiggle physics from taking effect.
Which was just a darn shame. The devs worked really hard on those, you know? And to just ruin all their hard work? Why, it was enough to bring a fella to tears.
The two of us could only stare at her, one dumbfounded and slightly horny the other irritated and considerably less horny.
"Goddamnit Mashiro…" muttered Hiyori. The other girl must have heard it, as she opened her eyes to look at us.
"Oh, it's just you Hiyori, why didn't you say so?" she questioned happily, and with more than a hint of air headedness. This caused the tall, muscular, bald girl to sigh with irritation.
And wasn't that a weird sentence.
Mashiro then turned her attention to her, who was in my body, after hearing her sigh, "And who is this?"
Hiyori opened her mouth to speak, but I beat her to it. This was just too good to pass up, and even though I knew it would land me in a world of hurt later, I couldn't resist.
"Oh, that's Ushio. He's my new boy toy," I said, with a big, toothy grin. Hiyori, in my body, went completely still, and all the color drained from her face. She turned to look at me with an absolutely horrified expression.
Which was the complete opposite of Mashiro, who also went completely still. But instead of the color draining from her face, hers seemed to gain a sparkle. I didn't even know that was possible.
"Oh my gosh, I have to tell everybody!" she shouted as she ran off before Hiyori could say anything.
"Hey everybody! Hiyori brought a man home!"
Said girl's face regained its lost color, replacing it with an angry red. There was no embarrassment to be found this time, just pure rage.
Yup, I knew it was only a matter of time until my mouth got me in trouble.