January 8, 2015, Thursday
Today is the day Shina will be gone.
Kaede didn't know it, because in the past, he never really interacted with Shina.
Fina plans to take Shina down. She hired many men to kidnap Shina, kill her, and take her somewhere where her father won't find her.
If you're wondering why, in the original timeline, her father didn't act when he knew his daughter was missing, you've misunderstood. Her father hired many people to find her, paying millions just to locate her—but they couldn't find her anywhere.
When Shina suddenly vanished from school, or stopped attending, many people wondered where she was.
To avoid rumors about Shina and their family, her father claimed that Shina transferred to another school, rather than admitting that she was gone. This was to protect the company's fame and popularity.
Months passed, and Shina's father still couldn't find her. He regretted not spending more time with her when she was there.
In the original timeline, her father stayed depressed for about three months. Afterward, he let Fina inherit the company and its wealth.
So when Kaede asked, "Is Fina also a princess?"—because in the original timeline, the butler who used to serve Shina now serves Fina.
Dorata Company, a branch of Shina's father's business, had frequent visits from Fina, but Kaede didn't notice. He was too focused on work, oblivious to what was happening around him.
Kaede woke up in the middle of the night. He found himself in an unfamiliar bed, in an unknown room, surrounded by unfamiliar things.
As he sat up, he noticed that his hands looked small—like a girl's hands. He looked around, noticing the pink bed, stuffed dolls, and books on the shelf.
"I don't remember my room looking like this," he muttered to himself.
Still half asleep, Kaede got out of bed. He walked downstairs, feeling thirsty and planning to drink water.
"Is my apartment really this big? Oh, this must just be a dream," he thought as he walked toward the kitchen. After drinking some water, he decided to go back to bed, but then remembered he needed to wash his face. He went to the bathroom and splashed water on his face.
Looking at his reflection in the mirror, Kaede froze. It wasn't his face staring back at him. Instead, it was Shina's face, with glowing blue eyes.
He touched his face, confirming it—he had become Shina. He screamed, waking Fina and her stepmother. The maid came to check, and Fina followed, concerned.
As they opened the bathroom door, they found Kaede lying on the ground, trembling.
"What are you doing? Why are you screaming?" Fina demanded, her voice full of anger.
"Are you going crazy now?" she added with a devilish smile.
Fina walked toward him slowly, whispering, "Serves you right," before smiling and heading back to her bed upstairs.
The maid helped him sit on the couch. After a minute of deep breathing, Kaede calmed down.
He closed his eyes for a moment, wondering if it was just an illusion. When he opened them, he was still there.
Confused, he asked the maid to help him back to his bed. He had already forgotten how large the house was, so he pretended to be weak, and they guided him to his room.
Once in bed, Kaede tried to sleep. Hours later, the alarm clock rang.
"RING!!!"
Kaede opened his eyes slowly. He was still in Shina's body, confused. He went downstairs and saw Fina getting ready for school, while her mother appeared to be preparing for a date, dressed so well.
One of the maids approached him, telling him to shower and change before he was late for school.
Kaede hesitated. "A shower? In a girl's body?" He blushed at the thought.
The maid noticed his hesitation. "Are you okay, Princess Shina?" she asked.
Shaking his head, Kaede went to the bathroom. Fina was also heading there, having forgotten something inside. Without paying attention, Kaede bumped into her. Fina screamed at him, furious, and pushed him back.
He apologized, but she didn't seem to care. Fina insulted him, and he felt the urge to slap her. But Shina's body wouldn't allow it—it was as if Shina had gotten used to this abuse and no longer cared.
Kaede ignored her insults and finished his shower. As he washed, he kept his eyes closed, trying not to look at his body. But, unexpectedly, he slipped and landed on his butt.
After the hardest shower of his life, he changed into his uniform. His hands, almost like muscle memory, reached for an oversized jacket, and he put it on without thinking.
Confused, Kaede wondered why he was wearing it.
The butler called from the first floor, telling him he was going to be late for school. He walked downstairs, where he saw the same butler who had get Shina off the previous day.
The butler opened the door for him, and they drove to school.
A few minutes later, Kaede arrived at school. His first thought was to look for Shina, hoping that she was in his body. He searched in the morning, but only found Yumi, who seemed busy with office work. He noticed something different about her too—she seemed sad.
Kaede decided to wait until break to talk to her, thinking that Shina hadn't come to school yet due to the shock of being in his body.
At lunch, Fina approached him again. She "accidentally" spilled her drink on his food, though it was clearly on purpose.
Kaede, furious, wanted to punch her for her rudeness. But once again, Shina's body wouldn't let him.
Fina walked away, satisfied with the way she had tormented Shina .
Lunch was nearly over, so Kaede headed to the classroom, wondering if Shina in his body would be there. As he walked, he saw his body walking to class with Yumi.
Excited, Kaede ran toward them, eager to talk.
"Yumi!" he shouted. She looked at him, confused.
"You're in our class, right? Shina, isn't it?" she asked, as if they had never spoken before.
Kaede was baffled. "Wasn't she close with Shina yesterday? Why is she acting so strange now?" he wondered.
Then, Kaede's body looked at him with a confused expression.
Kaede's body approached him and said, "Aren't you the one who spilled my food in the cafeteria?"
Kaede's heart pounded loudly in his chest.
"Wait… isn't Shina supposed to be on my body?" he thought, nervous and trembling.
Yumi noticed his reaction and asked, "Hey, are you okay, Shina?"
Kaede in Shina's body tried to shake his head but hesitated. "Umm… are you Shina?" he asked, addressing his body.
Kaede's body looked confused. "Huh? Are you messing with me? Do i look a girl to you?"
His eyes narrowed, and she clenched her fists, ready to punch him. "Didn't I tell you to call me Mr. Smith? Now you're calling me Shina?"
But before anything could happen, Yumi stepped in and stopped her.
"What's going on?" Kaede in Shina's body wondered. He didn't continue the argument and walked away, heading to the classroom.
As he walked further, he looked back and saw his body acting just like his old self.
Kaede in Shina's body, tried to make sense of everything. He looked at the time and date to confirm he hadn't traveled back in time. It was still January 8, 2015, and it was Thursday.
His heart raced again, but he forced himself to focus. He entered the classroom and sat in Shina's seat as the class began.
Kaede couldn't concentrate on the lesson. He kept watching his own body, acting like the person he used to be.
After class, Kaede in Shina's body left the room, following Yumi and his body out of school. As he stepped outside the gate, he tried to stay unnoticed, trailing behind them.
Suddenly, something covered his face—something like a trash bag. He tried to scream, but they covered his mouth, and soon he was dragged into a vehicle. The car sped away.
Yumi and Kaede's body didn't notice the kidnapping and continued walking home.
Kaede in Shina's body, struggled, but then they punched his stomach, and everything went black.