The next morning, Taro walked into school, keeping his head low, but inside, he was grinning.
Daichi had no idea what was about to happen.
Sure enough, as soon as Daichi reached his locker, it happened.
BANG!
Mai stormed into the hallway, her eyes burning with fury.
"DAICHI, YOU DISGUSTING JERK!"
Silence fell instantly. Every student turned to watch.
Before Daichi could react, Mai shoved him against the lockers. "You think you can play with me?! That I'm just some accessory for your ego?!"
Daichi looked completely lost. "What the hell are you talking about?!"
"You KNOW what I'm talking about!" Mai's voice shook with anger. "You said our relationship was fake. That you were bored of me. That you've had better!"
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
Daichi's friends stared at him, their expressions shifting.
"Dude, what?" one of them muttered.
"I NEVER SAID THAT!" Daichi shouted, but it was too late.
Mai's face twisted with disgust. "I hope you end up alone, Daichi."
She stormed off, leaving behind only shocked whispers and judging stares.
His friends exchanged glances.
"Man… that's rough."
"Did you really say that to her?"
"I DIDN'T!" Daichi snapped, his frustration growing. But his friends were already backing away, avoiding his gaze.
Taro smirked from a distance. Step one: Complete.
Step Two: Breaking Daichi's Friendships
At lunch, Daichi sat alone for the first time in years.
No one wanted to be seen with him. Even the guys who used to laugh at his jokes had distanced themselves.
But Taro wasn't done yet.
That night, lying in his tiny bed, he picked up the strange phone and scrolled through Daichi's contact list.
Riku Tanabe.
Daichi's closest friend. The last person still on his side.
Taro smirked and pressed Call.
Darkness.
Inside Daichi's Body
When Taro opened his eyes, he was in a much bigger, more expensive room than his own. He stretched his fingers, adjusting to Daichi's stronger body.
Then, he picked up Daichi's phone.
Scrolling through the messages, he found Riku's chat.
Taro's fingers danced over the keyboard as he typed.
Daichi (to Riku): Yo, man. What's with you ignoring me today? You taking Mai's side now?
A few moments later, Riku responded.
Riku (to Daichi): Dude, what do you expect? You said some messed-up stuff.
Taro smirked. Time to make it worse.
Daichi (to Riku): Oh, come on. You know how girls are. Drama over nothing. Don't tell me you're turning into a simp now.
There was a long pause.
Riku (to Daichi): …Are you serious right now?
Taro grinned. He could already imagine Riku's irritation.
Daichi (to Riku): Whatever, man. If you wanna be a little puppy following Mai around, that's on you. Just don't come crawling back later.
He hit Send.
A few seconds passed before Riku responded.
Riku (to Daichi): You know what? Forget it. I don't need this. You're on your own.
Taro leaned back, satisfied. Daichi's last real friend—gone.
Grinning, he pulled out the strange phone and ended the call.
Darkness.
Back in His Own Body
Taro opened his eyes, back in his tiny bedroom.
It was done.
Tomorrow, Daichi Sato would wake up to find himself completely alone.
And this was only the beginning.
To be continued…