Under the moonlight, Kaede has been struggling to sleep. Her eyes are closed, but it seems like she was having a bad dream. As she was tossing and turning, Kaede was calling out his name. "Yuuki... Yuuki...!" She wakes up from the dream with her right hand outstretched toward the ceiling as if she was trying to grab something.

Panting heavily from the nightmare, she lays her arm across her eyes and whimpers as if to not wake up her roommate. "It was my fault... This is all my fault."

Kaede then takes a peek out the window from her arm and is greeted with the view of a full moon. "There's a full moon tonight... I hope there's something good that will happen later today." She swings her gaze away from the window and then looks over to see that her roommate is gone.

"Chinabi? Where did she go this late at night?" Kaede wonders. She swings her legs off the bed and stands up. She leaves the bedroom and upon passing through the door, the lights downstairs were turned on.

From where she was, she could hear some things being moved around. With curiosity leading her, she makes her way down the stairs as quietly as possible to not disturb the person downstairs. As she got to the last step, she could see that the light was coming from the kitchen.

Peeking around the corner, she sees Chinabi in her pajamas making some tea. Not only that, it seems like she was preparing today's lunch as well.

Chinabi sets her cup on the table, sits down, and heaves a sigh of exhaustion. "That takes care of today's lunch. After the food has cooled down and I finish my tea, I'll head back to bed."

As soon as she takes a sip, Kaede decides to chime in. "May I join you?" Startled by Kaede's sudden appearance, Chinabi spits out her tea and chokes on the little amount of tea that didn't get spat out. "Ah! I didn't mean to surprise you!" Kaede goes over to the kitchen counter, grabs a paper towel, and cleans up Chinabi and her mess.

"Couldn't you make yourself known before I took a sip?" Chinabi said as Kaede was wiping her lips. "Sorry, you seem to be deep in thought just now so I didn't say anything."

"Is that so? Anyways, why are you up at this time? Ah, did I wake you up by chance?"

"No, you didn't wake me up."

"I'm relieved to hear that." Kaede nods in agreement and heads over to the refrigerator. She took out some milk and honey and mixed the two in a cup. She puts her concoction into the microwave and heats it. As she waited, she spoke up, "I woke up... from a bad dream."

"A bad dream?"

"Yeah..." The microwave finishes warming up her drink and she takes it with her to the table to join Chinabi. "Is it a scary dream? Like a nightmare?"

"Not a nightmare... but I guess you could say it's my nightmare."

"Do you want to share?"

Kaede looks at her milk with sentimental eyes and takes a sip. "Alright, I'll tell you," Kaede told Chinabi about her dream about Yuuki. Each word she spoke felt like a knife was going across her heart.

***

By the end of Kaede's monologue, both of them have finished their preferred beverage. Looking at Kaede's expression, it seems like the weight that was on her chest had been lifted, and was showing a small smile.

"Thank you Chinabi for listening to my selfishness."

"You're welcome." Chinabi glances over to the wall clock and sees that they had a couple of hours before school. "We should head back to bed. It's pretty late." Kaede simply nods her head and leaves the kitchen.

Chinabi clears the table of their cups and puts them in the sink. After hearing the bedroom door close, Chinabi heaves a heavy sigh and closes her eyes.

I was glad I was able to impersonate Chinabi! My heart can't take seeing Kaede in so much pain.

After thinking to himself for a while, Yuuki turns in for the night and meets with Kaede, who was already underneath the blanket. Yuuki crawls in and lays down in his spot. As he is settling in, Kaede creeps up behind him and hugs him. "Thanks, Chinabi. I think I'm able to sleep well tonight."

"You're welcome Kaede. Goodnight."

"Goodnight." Yuuki lets Kaede hug him, even though he is quite uncomfortable. As the two begin to fall asleep, Kaede hugs Yuuki tighter and sighs happily. Even though Yuuki can't see Kaede, he knows that there was a small smile on her lips.

"Geez Yuuki, you're such a softy sometimes."

"Oh... you were awake Chinabi."

"Just woke up in time to hear Kaede's monologue."

"...It was quite uncomfortable for me to hear her sorrows. I almost broke down even though I was the one who was listening. Anyways, what do you think?"

"What do I think? ...She must love you and is regretting what she has said to you in the past. I still think you shouldn't forgive her. I know you still love her, but don't you think it's fine to be with someone who plays with your feelings like that?"

"I don't know. Let's just go back to sleep ok? Goodnight Chinabi."

Yuuki ends the conversation without answering her. Chinabi knows how Yuuki feels and doesn't pursue him and goes back to sleep with him.

If I was honest with my feelings, would I not be in this much pain...? I know he likes her, but she broke his heart! Why does he forgive her... I also...

Chinabi wanted to voice her true feelings but to save her friendship with the only boy she knows, she kept quiet about it.

Morning comes and its first few rays of light peek through the blinds of the room. The room is dimly lit and on the bed lays one person. Seems like the other one has gotten up early.

"Morning already…?" Not wanting to wake up immediately, Yuuki rolls around under his blanket before finally sitting up. He looks around with his blurred vision and notices that Kaede wasn't in bed with him.

"Seems like Kaede is already up."

 Chinabi mumbles as she yawns.

"Morning Chinabi. Sounds like you need to sleep a little more."

"Maybe, but I need to watch over you."

"Why's that?"

"Kaede is here. Today's going to be a difficult day for you so I have to be here with you."

"I see. Thanks."

"Don't thank me yet. The day just started after all. Also, thank me by making me a cake. You said you'll make some tonight!"

"Oh yeah. I forgot about that. Thanks for the reminder."

Just hearing Chinabi's small laugh, Yuuki can already imagine what she looks like.

"Chinabi? Are you awake yet?" Kaede asks as she enters the bedroom. "Oh! Just woke up?"

"Yeah. Just got up now. Good morning Kaede."

"Good morning to you too. Come on! Get up! Breakfast is ready; so get dressed and wash up your face."

"When did you become my mom?" Yuuki asks, annoyed. Stunned by his words, Kaede smiles and says, "I'm practicing to sound like Yuuki's wife of course! Come on Chinabi! You're supposed to be my rival in love beside Rika!"

"But I-"

"You keep saying that you don't see him like that, but deep down, you do, right?" Yuuki simply faces downward, signaling to her that he was thinking, or mustering up the strength to say something.

"Yes. I do like him."

"Huh?"

"This is my lie to her. Just repeat what I say, ok?"

"...Ok."

Raising his head to face Kaede, Yuuki recites Chinabi's lie, which unbeknownst to him, is her true feelings for him.

"Yes. I do like him. Back then, I didn't want to admit it, but the feelings got stronger and stronger; so yes Kaede, I do like him."

Kaede stares back at him. There was no change in her eyes. A moment later, the upper corners of her lips turn upwards. "Finally, honest with yourself huh? That's what I wanted to see from you."

"Huh? Huh?" Kaede sits right next to him and looks up at the blank ceiling. "We both can agree that Yuuki is an amazing person right?" Yuuki nods. "So in the future, let's help him ok?"

"Sure thing." Kaede smiles in satisfaction and gets up to leave the room. Just as she was about to leave, she drops the bomb on him. "As his wives." After saying those words, she closes the door behind her.

"..."

"Did she just say… as his wives?"

"Yeah… What's wrong with her?"

"I don't know, but let's get ready for school."

"Yeah."

Yuuki gets up from his bed and gets dressed for school. After putting on his uniform, he meets up with Kaede in the kitchen.

"Geez what took you so long?"

"I wasn't the one who dropped the biggest bomb a few moments ago."

"Hihi. I'm serious, but let's talk about this at a later time. Maybe during lunch, and with Rika."

"You're also planning on dragging her into this?"

"Yeah, so let's have this talk with her during our lunch. Now hurry up! Let's eat!"

Yuuki and Kaede begin to eat their breakfast. It was a simple breakfast consisting of fried egg, sausage, rice, miso soup, and a salad with a light dressing. "Did you make breakfast?"

"Yeah. You made our lunch earlier this morning so it's the least I can do. I can't wait to taste your cooking."

"There's nothing special about it. It's pretty normal."

"We'll see about that. I want Yuuki to eat my cooking, but I've also missed his cooking. His cooking is delicious! If only you were able to savor it too, then you would've seen one of his greatest skills!"

Yuuki shoves a fork full of his salad into his mouth as he gives a blank stare to Kaede.

"Yuuki, why are you staring at her like that?"

"I don't know how to respond to her."

"I see. You're baking a cake tonight right? What kind of cake will you be making?"

"Hmm…"

"Chinabi?"

Without paying too much attention to Kaede, he takes his dishes and puts them into the kitchen sink. He then walks over to the cupboard and looks at what they have.

There wasn't much in the cupboard let alone the basic ingredients for baking a cake. He looks around and takes note of what he needs. After looking in the cupboard, he looks into the fridge and does the same again. He crosses his arms and gives it some thought.

"Oi Chinabi? Are you okay?"

"Huh? Oh, Kaede. What's wrong?"

"You're deep in your thoughts. What are you thinking about?"

"Ahh, sorry. I was thinking about making some kind of dessert after school."

"Oh? What's the occasion for?"

"Uh… Let's celebrate your transfer into the school."

"Oh yeah! That's a good thing to celebrate!"

"Yeah. Hey Chinabi, are you okay with a cheesecake?"

"Yeah! That's my favorite! A plain cheesecake is fine too."

"Yeah, I agree with you. Simple is best."

After deciding on what to make, Kaede and Yuuki leave and begin their morning walk to school.

"That's right. Today's your second day here at the new school right Kaede?"

"Yes, it is. Hmm, maybe we can go on that tour during lunch."

"It's only my third day here and I haven't gone on the tour either."

"Then it seems like you'll need my help today, Chinabi Natsume and Kaede Nozomi."

Behind them was Rika Fuyumi, who was showing a fierce smile. Kaede and Yuuki greet her, "Rika. Good morning."

"Good morning Rika."

"Good morning you too! So you two want to go on the school tour huh?"

Kaede and Yuuki nod in agreement. "Then we can go on the tour during lunch."

"Sounds like a good idea. There's also something I would like to discuss with you during our lunch break."

"Is it important?"

"To the three of us." When Kaede mentioned that we were also involved, Rika's eyes became serious. "Understood. Let's continue this during our lunch." We all glance at each other and agree on the plan.

***

"I'm so tired."

"You're doing your best. I know it's tough right now."

"I want to go back to my body and run away."

"Yuuki, you know that even if you run away Kaede, Rika, and I will hunt you down."

"That's not fair!"

"Ah, don't forget that Aunt Mayumi will join us too. Knowing how she is when we were talking back in my old school, I believe she'll be the relentless type."

"Probably… Can't take any more of this mental and emotional exhaustion."

Well me too Yuuki. I'm scared of being honest with my feelings. That was what Chinabi wanted to say.

"Just a bit longer, Yuuki. Now can you please focus on the lesson? I find today's lesson interesting."

"Sure." Yuuki turns his attention back to the lesson, but his mind was elsewhere. Wandering around in the abyss he created for himself. Chinabi was taken along, but she kept quiet to give Yuuki his own space.

Despite saying all the sad and depressing things, Chinabi notices that the tone of his voice sounded as if he was relieved of some of his sufferings. 

So those are your true feelings huh Yuuki? He's selfless… He's kind and caring, yet why does he say these things…

Wanting to be alone.

Not wanting to fall in love again.

Running away. 

Wishing for the happiness of others.

Sacrificing your own emotions.

Why does he not look at himself as a human who has these desires, wants, and wishes?

Chinabi couldn't help but think about all of Yuuki's painful desires.

She then remembers the day when her mom tried to kill him. The way he reassured her as he was dying. His calming and reassuring tone held warmth to ease her worries. Even when he was at death's door, he was still worried about her.

In the end, Yuuki is alone and still suffers in silence. He reassures others but no one is there to reassure him the same way. Yuuki… you're such an idiot… Seriously, the biggest idiot I met.

"Yuuki."

"Hm? What's up?"

"If Kaede asks for my decision, tell her I'll have my answer by tomorrow." 

There was a moment of silence before Yuuki answered her. "Ok."

It's lunchtime and the three of them gathered together. "Let's head to the roof," Rika whispers to them. Kaede and Yuuki nod in agreement.

Yuuki was simply listening and eating his lunch whereas Kaede and Rika were discussing Kaede's topic."Huh?! You want us to do what now?!"

"What do you think?"

"What do I think? That's crazy. That's ludicrous! You want the three of us to be Yuuki's wives?"

"Yes."

"Why?!"

"Last night, I was doing some thinking and realized that what I've done in the past doesn't give me the right to monopolize Yuuki. I'm sure that if he saw me now, he probably would avoid me." Kaede ended with her eyes looking longingly at her unwrapped lunchbox

"Well yeah, who wouldn't want to distance themselves from the person who broke your heart?"

"It's completely normal for that to happen. Even in a normal argument, people will distance themselves for a while."

Yuuki and Chinabi pointed out to her even though it was just the two of them who were talking.

"Chinabi, what do you think about this? You've been quiet over there." Rika decided to drag Yuuki into the discussion.

"...What do I think about this? I still don't know what to say, but if anything, I'll probably have an answer by tomorrow. Is that ok with you Kaede?"

"Of course. Well then, let's have this conversation another time then. We won't be able to go on Rika's tour if we don't finish our lunch." Rika agrees and begins to eat and Yuuki is already ahead of them.

Kaede opened her lunch box and was amazed at the presentation of food before her. "Wow, Chinabi! This looks incredible!"

"Why thank you," Yuuki says and smiles back at her.

"Now let's see~ What should I try first? How about this little guy?" What Kaede chose was a bite-sized fried chicken that had a small toothpick on it for ease of eating.

"Well then, thanks for the food!"  She picks up the fried chicken and eats it in one bite. As soon as she tasted the chicken, a burst of nostalgia hit her.  "Huh…? This taste… But why?"

"Whoa, Kaede! Why are you crying?!" Rika exclaims. "Huh?" Kaede wasn't aware of the tears rolling down her cheeks. She wipes her tears and regains her composure. "I-its nothing! Chinabi's cooking reminded me of Yuuki's cooking. The taste is so familiar. It was as if Yuuki cooked it himself…"

"Crap! I forgot that Kaede used to eat a lot of my cooking! This will spell out big trouble for me if she can connect the dots!"

"Relax Yuuki. Seems like Kaede hasn't thought about the possibility of you being in my body yet, so we're in the clear."

"Chinabi, Kaede says your cooking is the same as Yuuki's. May I try some of it?"

"Sure." Yuuki holds out his lunchbox and Rika picks up one of Yuuki's fried chicken. She eats the chicken and savors the taste. "So this is what Yuuki's cooking tastes like. I can see why Kaede is fond of his cooking. There's this type of warmth to it."

"Warmth? What do you mean by that?" Yuuki asks in a curious tone. Everyone who has eaten Yuuki's cooking only told him about how delicious it is, but to think that there was more to it, Yuuki couldn't help but wonder what Rika meant by that.

"Well… It's kinda hard to put it in words, but it's like a homemade meal."

"I made it at home though so what's the difference?"

"Well, the best image that comes to mind is when you come home from a busy day at work that's so stressful that it makes you exhausted and all you wanna do is just forget about dinner and just take a bath and go to sleep, but then your partner has cooked you your favorite dish and its steaming and ready for you to eat and when you take that first bite, it just makes you warm and fuzzy and makes you grateful that someone is there to take care of you at the end of the day."

"That's quite a mouthful." Rika takes a sip from her juice box while Yuuki states the obvious.

"That may be a mouthful, but Rika is right," Kaede added, "That's the essence of Yuuki's cooking. That's the warmth that Rika pointed out."

"I see. So my cooking has the same essence as Yuuki's huh…"

"Geez Yuuki, you stole Rika's heart with your cooking. I thought it was the other way around."

"Everyone told me that it just tasted delicious, but I didn't think there was a deeper meaning to it. Though, it does make me happy that someone pointed out my intention when I cook."

"That's right! I remember when we first met, I asked why you got into cooking. It was for mom right?"

"Yeah. She would always come home late when we lived by the seaside so I had to cook for her so she could eat before going to bed."

"You sound like a househusband Yuuki."

"I was going for a butler, at least it's not a housewife unlike before."

After eating their lunch, Rika gives Kaede and Yuuki the school tour. The first stop was the school store. The school store handles the sales of school supplies, food, snacks, and drinks.

The second stop was the infirmary which was close by to the school store. This is where any student who may get injured or lacks sleep goes to be treated.

The third stop was the cafeteria. A big room where students can buy their lunch and eat with their friends. The cafeteria prepares full lunch sets versus the school store where they can only prepare snack-like items like chips and sandwiches.

Lastly, their last stop was the gymnasium. This is where school assemblies and events start at. Different sports clubs also use the gym as their practice area or game area when other schools decide to come to compete.

"Well, that pretty much covers up the basics! We can head to the library after school if you guys want." Rika lets Yuuki and Kaede know, but Yuuki declines her offer.

"Sorry, we'll have to pass. We got plans after school." Yuuki informs Rika

"Like what? Are you two going to visit Yuuki after school?"

"I don't plan on going today but Kaede…" Yuuki looks over to Kaede and she says what her plans are.

"I'll go visit Yuuki today. I wanna be there if he ever wakes up."

"I see, then I'll come along with Kaede then. I would like to continue our conversation during lunch."

"Likewise, we have a lot to discuss."

Yuuki can only give a wry smile and hope that his life in the future doesn't become a greater headache than it is right now.

***

"See you when I get home Chinabi."

"See you tomorrow Chinabi!"

Yuuki waves goodbye to them and heads toward the supermarket to buy the ingredients he needs for the cheesecake.

"You think I should make two cheesecakes?"

"Why two? There's only Mayumi, Shizu, Kaede, and us."

"Well, I was thinking about making a classic cheesecake and another one with chocolate chips mixed in."

"I see. Then let's make two!"

"Alright then."

Yuuki reaches the supermarket and begins his shopping trip. First, he headed to the baking aisle. There he found vanilla extract, powdered sugar, and a premade graham crust tray.

"You're using a premade tray? I thought you would do this by scratch."

"I normally would do it by scratch, but being with Kaede drained me today. I just want to sleep, but since you've requested one, I will honor your request above all else. Sorry if it's not a Yuuki-homemade cheesecake."

"It's fine. Any cheesecake is fine, but I was hoping for a homemade one from you."

"When I'm back in my body, I'll give you the full Yuuki cheesecake experience. For now please settle for this non-bake version."

"Oh? Non-bake cheesecake? Haven't tried that yet."

"It's quick and easy so everyone will be able to try it later tonight or tomorrow."

"I hope tomorrow because I want the first slice!"

"Then wake up early tomorrow."

"You bet I would!"

Yuuki then moves over to the dairy aisle where he can find his cream cheese, butter, and heavy whipping cream. After getting everything he needed, Yuuki makes his way toward the cashier.

Just as he was leaving, someone called out to him. "Chinabi, is that you?"

Turning around, two girls were wearing the same uniform from when Chinabi was in her all-girl school. 

"Ami? Aiko? It's good to see you two!" The both of them ran up to Yuuki and hugged him. "We missed you!" Aiko cries out.

"Me too!" Ami clings onto Yuuki tighter than Aiko.

Feeling the warmth from both of them, Yuuki couldn't help but tear up. He hugs them back and says, "I miss both of you too." After hugging them for a while, Aiko begins the conversation. 

"I've heard what happened to you from Ms.Yoshida." (Aiko)

"Ms. Yoshida???"

"She meant Mayumi."

"Oh. Oh. She told you two?"

"No, she told the entire class," Aiko confesses.

"Ah, I see."

"And it's all for a boy too. I was astonished to hear that your mother disowned you just because of a boy." Aiko says as she gives Yuuki a longingly gaze.

"But that boy is in the hospital, right? What did he do that made your mother hate him?" Ami says as she gives it some thought.

"How did you know he was in the hospital?"

"When Ms.Yoshida told us that she was going to meet the boy, we followed her. What surprised Ami and I the most was that the boy was Ms.Yoshida's nephew." (Aiko)

"I see. Yes, he's a good friend of mine. He's the first boy I've become friends with and since then my days were quite jubilant." (Yuuki)

"Yuuki Yoshida huh." (Aiko)

"If you want, you can visit him now. There are two people who I know are visiting him at this moment." (Yuuki)

"Is that so? Maybe we should talk with them to learn more about him." (Aiko)

"That's a good idea! Though I wanted to ask Chinabi, where are you staying? Looking at your uniform, you're going to that co-ed school." (Ami)

'It's a long story, but I'm staying with Mayumi." (Yuuki)

"Mayumi?" (Aiko)

"Ah I mean, Ms.Yoshida. Yuuki's family took me in." (Yuuki)

"Really?! Wow! I want to visit Ms.Yoshida during the weekends. I want to know how she is outside of school." (Ami)

"Despite her mean and cool appearance, she's quite kind and affectionate." (Yuuki)

"Oi oi, who are you calling mean Chi-na-bi?" Out of nowhere, Mayumi comes out and interrupts their conversation.

" "Ms.Yoshida?!" " Aiko and Ami exclaim in surprise. 

"Hey, you two! Fancy meeting you two after school. Now then! What do you have to say for yourself Chinabi!" Mayumi puts Yuuki into a headlock and ruffles his hair with a big smile.

"Hey hey! I was just speaking the truth!"

"Oi! I'm only like that at school."

"By the way, Aunt Mayumi, why are you here?" Mayumi notices that Chinabi addressed her as Aunt so she knew that Yuuki was controlling Chinabi's body, so she decided to tease him a bit.

"My~ my~ calling me aunt when you're not even dating Yuuki. How bold of you Chinabi." Mayumi ruffles his hair even harder.

"Agh! I yield! I yield!!"

"Ms. Yoshida!" Aiko calls out to her. Mayumi stops and turns towards Aiko, "Yes? What is it?"

Before Aiko can say it, Ami beats her to the punch. "Can we visit your nephew again today?"

"Sure I don't mind, but why?"

"Chinabi said that two people are visiting him right now, so I would like to hear from them about your nephew."

"Oh Kaede is visiting Yuuki? But who's the other one?"

"Her name is Rika. She's the girl Yuuki saved."

"Is that so! Alright, girls! Let's hurry over to the hospital! Things are getting interesting! See you when I get home Yu- Chinabi!"

They all said their farewells and went their separate ways.

"Why does it feel like the future just got more troublesome?"

"Tell me about it. Let's hurry home and make that cheesecake!"

***

"Finally done!" Yuuki exclaims after putting the cheesecakes into the freezer. Yuuki turns around and sees the mess he made. "Uwa… I didn't realize I created such a mess."

"You were really into creating those cheesecakes. It's times like these where you're most honest with yourself."

"Couldn't be helped since I've enjoyed the process," Yuuki says as he gathers all the utensils and bowls and puts them into the sink. He then rolls up his sleeves and begins to wash the dishes.

"The more I see you doing these things, like cooking and baking. I feel like your true calling is a househusband."

"Oi oi, I don't think the man should be staying at home doing nothing."

"If I was the one making most of the money, will you stay home and make sure I'm fed and happy?"

"Well naturally yes, but I would prefer if we worked our own jobs and helped each other out."

"Hmm, Nah! I don't like the image of you being the worker here. I prefer it if you'd be the househusband. There's no other occupation that can be more befitting of you!"

"No! I refuse!"

"We'll see about that. If Kaede is serious about us being your future wives, then you know it'll be three versus one right?

"...Now that's just unfair. I feel like my dignity and pride as a man is shooting itself in the feet for letting this happen."

"Now, now, don't be too hard on yourself. Everyone is going to take care of you. In return, you cook, give us your attention, and take care of us."

"I feel like the idea of you three becoming my future wives is becoming more and more apparent even when I'm the one who should have a say in this too!"

"Hmm. Nope! Denied!"

"You gotta be kidding me…" Yuuki lets out a sigh as he dries his hand. Chinabi laughs in victory. "That's about everything. Time to rest." Yuuki leaves the kitchen and was about to head upstairs when he heard his mom enter the house.

"I'm home."

"Welcome home mom.

"Ah, Chinabi. You're back already? I thought you and Kaede would visit Yuuki today?"

"Kaede went with Rika. I came back home because there was something I needed to do."

"What did you need to do?" Yuuki walks up to his mom and hugs her. "What's wrong?"

"I just want to say that I missed you, mom."

"I missed you too Chinabi." Yuuki pulls back and shakes his head. "Do you remember what I said yesterday about Yuuki?"

"That he's living in your mind? How is he by the way?"

"Well, Chinabi left out some important information from yesterday's talk."

"And here I thought you told me the important stuff already. Also, why are you talking in the third person?"

"Let me finish mom. Chinabi said that Yuuki lives in her mind right?" His mom, Shizu, nods her head in agreement. Yuuki then continues, "It's not just that. Chinabi and I take turns controlling her body. Our minds switch every day so the person talking to you is not Chinabi. It's me, Yuuki, your son."

Yuuki hugs his mom again and says, "I'm home, mom." His mom hugs him and says in a shaky voice, "You're not …lying right?"

"Why would I lie to you? Chinabi took the risk in telling you about me, so I took the risk in letting you know it's me in person."

"Haha… so that's why I can taste your cooking even when you're not here."

"Geez mom, is my cooking the first thing that you've noticed?"

"Your cooking is unique and distinctive, right Chinabi?"

"Yeah! It's delicious too!"

"She agrees with you."

"Haha!" His mom laughs and gives Yuuki a tighter hug. "Welcome home Yuuki." Yuuki snuggles into his mom's chest and lets out a sigh of relief, "Yeah I'm home."

Just as they were hugging, the front door opens up revealing Kaede and Mayumi. "We're ho-! Oops! What's going on here? Are we interrupting something?" Mayumi questions them.

"Ah, no no. I was just thanking Shizu for everything she has done for me."

"Now now, what's with this Shizu nonsense? Chinabi, I've said it before, it's okay to call me mom."

"...ok. On the other hand, what do you two have there?" Yuuki asked Kaede and Mayuki who were holding shopping bags.

"Oh? These? Kaede and I were talking about what to eat for dinner and we decided that we wanted curry so here you go!"

"And who do you think will be cooking this?"

"You of course." Kaede pointed at him.

"...Really?"

" "Yes." " Both Kaede and Mayumi agree in sync.

"Maa maa, I'll help you with tonight's dinner Chinabi."

"Thanks, mom."

Mayumi and Kaede left their shopping bags in the kitchen and Mayumi and Yuuki began to shift through the contents. "We're going to head upstairs and change our clothes," Kaede says as she and Mayumi head upstairs to their room.

"So~ we'll get to eat your curry tonight huh Yuuki~?"

"It seems so. It also seems like Kaede and Mayumi bought everything that I typically use for my curry."

"I'll help prepare so leave all the cutting and minor tasks to me!"

"Got it. Well then, let's get started!"

***

 “ “ “Thanks for the food!” “ “ Everyone gives their thanks to Yuuki and digs in. Everyone is enjoying Yuuki’s curry with smiles and sounds delighted with each bite. Everyone except for Kaede, who was puzzled as she tastes the curry prepared by Chinabi.

Why… why can I taste Yuuki’s cooking? This curry is made by Chinabi, right? Why is her cooking similar to Yuuki’s? This makes no sense!

Yuuki notices Kaede’s conflicted expression as she eats. “Is there something wrong Kaede? Is my curry not to your liking?”

“Ah! No! It’s not that. .. It's just… Your cooking reminds me so much of Yuuki. It’s puzzling to me that there is someone else who can cook just like him. It’s… confusing to me nonetheless. It makes me think that Yuuki is here with us, but I know he’s in the hospital.”

“I see. I’m sorry that my cooking can bring you such grief.”

“No. There’s no need to be sorry. I’m grateful to taste something that reminds me of him.” Kaede takes a bite and smiles, but everyone knows she smiled to hide the pain inside.

After dinner, it was Mayumi and Kaede's turn to do their part, which was washing the dishes. Yuuki and Shizu are in the living room drinking their prepared drinks. Shizu is drinking green tea and Yuuki is sipping his chamomile tea with a bit of honey mixed in.

From the kitchen, Kaede calls out to Yuuki, "Chinabi, didn't you make some kind of dessert?"

"Eh? Yu- I mean, Chinabi, you made dessert too?" Mayumi joins in.

"Oh yeah. Its still setting in the freezer so it'll be ready by tomorrow."

"Ehh. Is that so? It can't be helped then." Kaede says in a defeated tone as she places the plates onto the dish rack.

"What kind of dessert did you make?" Mayumi asks as she was drying the plates and handing them over to Kaede.

"Two cheesecakes. One plain and one with chocolate chips in it."

"Really! I can't wait for tomorrow morning!"

"Me too!" Both Kaede and Mayumi cheer. Yuuki can't help but sigh and take a sip of his tea.

In a quiet voice that only Yuuki can hear, Shizu, his mom, whispers, "Those two never change when it comes to your desserts huh?"

Yuuki looks over and sees his mom smiling and smiles back with a tired smile and says, "Tell me about it." Shizu snickers and leans her head on to Yuuki's shoulder. "Mom?" Yuuki asks in a small voice.

"It's been a while since we've been together like this so let me enjoy this time with you before tomorrow comes." The two of them enjoyed their quiet time together. Chinabi on the other hand was getting emotional of their reunion and was tearing up.

"Yuuki! I'm jealous of your closeness with your mom! It's so touching!"

"You'll be able to experience this too when you get closer to mom."

"Still! Seeing a mother and a son like this is so wholesome!"

Yuuki can't help but smile then sigh in an exhausted manner which Shizu took notice of. "What's wrong? Are you talking with Chinabi?"

Yuuki nods and Shizu says, "I see. Chinabi is such a nice girl. I can't seem to understand why her mother would disown her just because she just met a boy?"

Yuuki and Chinabi knew the exact reason why but decided to keep the reason to themselves. It's safe to say that they don't want to worry Shizu about Chinabi's mother. Just as they were thinking about the weight of the reason behind Chinabi's disownment, Shizu asks something weird. "Yuuki, do you plan on dating Chinabi in the future?"

" "Eh? / Eh?" " Both Yuuki and Chinabi let such a stupid noise leave their mouth. Shizu continues, "It makes sense to date her right? I mean you two are living with each other and are sleeping in the same bed. To me it sounds like a good idea to date her or marry her in the future."

"M-mom, I-I think-" Just as Yuuki was going to stop her, Shizu continued on by saying something similar to what Kaede said this morning, "Though, thinking about it now, why not date Kaede too? I know what she did to you back then was horrible, but she still loves you and has been regretting what she did. I don't mind if you have two wives or more wives in the future. I'm sure you'll be a househusband if you continue this path of cooking warm and delicious food and desserts. I know - wait, I can guarantee that will be your future in the end when you come back to your body."

Yuuki was at a loss for words and Chinabi couldn't help but laugh herself to death at Shizu's open minded thoughts. Chinabi predicted Yuuki's future and thought to herself that the upcoming years will be eventful and interesting.

"Speaking of wives, what about that girl you saved? What was her name again… Rika was it?"

"Rika? I don't know much about her yet. Even though I'm getting to know her through Chinabi. I don't know how she'll treat me when I'm in my own body." Yuuki checks on Kaede and Mayumi and sees that they are still in the kitchen and continues his small talk with his mom. "Kaede on the other hand, she's serious about proposing to me. She revealed a ring to Rika and I the other day."

"My~ my~ What an aggressive young lady she has become."

"I thought Rika was the aggressive one at first, but it seems like both are really trying their best to become my partners. Though, what you said about me having multiple wives might not be the wildest thing. Kaede told Chinabi that she wanted to support me as my wives in the future this morning.

“Hmm, I hope that if it does come to that future, I hope everyone's happy.”

“We don’t know what the future holds, but all I know is that I want this weird body switching life to end soon.”

Shizu nods her head and the two continue their peaceful time until Kaede and Mayumi joined in. “So what are you two talking about over here?” Mayumi says as she snuggles up to Yuuki whereas Kaede cozied up to Shizu. “We were just talking about our days and the future when Yuuki finally wakes up.” Shizu says to cover for Yuuki.

The talk about the future when Yuuki wakes up kept everyone up except for Yuuki who decided to head to his bedroom and get ready for bed.

"So are you ready for your future?"

"Ughh, do I really have no say in this?"

"Nope. You are a househusband the moment you get back into your body."

"....The thought of calling the three of you... my... my wives... D- D-...." Yuuki's face turns read and his mind goes blank trying imagine the sound of calling Chinabi, Kaede, and Rika his wives made him beyond speechless.

He really can't say it. I mean... Maybe I can say something similar to it... It shouldn't be that hard right?

"D- ...Da-"

"Hm? Chinabi?"

"Q-quiet you!"

"I didn't do anything?!"

"I said quiet!"

An awkward silence arises between them. Yuuki is wondering what Chinabi was trying to say. Chinabi thought calling Yuuki by a future partner-worthy pet name would be easy but she found it difficult due to the embarrassment.

I want to call him... Darling- BUT IT'S TOO EMBARRASSING!

"GYAAAAA!!!!!"  Chinabi yells in embarrassment. Yuuki can hear Chinabi throwing a tantrum and a hissy fit. To him, it sounded like she was taking a pillow and aggressively smashing it with fists.

Yuuki thought about what was wrong with her and decided to try calling her by a normal couple pet name even if he was embarrassed himself.

"Uh.... Chinabi... D-Dear, a-are you ok?"

When Chinabi heard Yuuki call out to her softly with a pet name, Chinabi's mind goes blank with a soft feeling lingering in her heart. A wave of calmness washes over her and the next words that came out of her lips felt natural at that moment.

"No Darling. I'm okay now. Thank you."

"Is that so? I'm glad to hear that Dear."

There was a serene and calming peace between the two. At this moment, Chinabi's true feeling begins to leak out.

"Ne, Yuuki, if you and I were sleeping together in the same bed, would you let me cuddle you?"

"...If that's what you want, then we can cuddle."

"...I'll hold you to your word then."

As Chinabi says those words, Yuuki can feel a warm presence warp around him as if someone was hugging him from behind. The warm embrace lulls him to sleep.

"Goodnight Chinabi."

"Goodnight Yuuki."