Confused by my situation and feeling vulnerable inside the body I now occupied, I instinctively tried to step backward and create more distance between myself and the unknown figure. Any thought of what might have happened to my original body had completely escaped my mind by that point.
Unfortunately, stepping backward turned out to be a huge mistake. The uneven sidewalk and unfamiliar high heels caused me to lose my balance, sending me falling backward onto my butt.
Which seemed to cushion most of the impact, since I barely felt any pain.
The fact that losing my enhanced senses, even after having possessed them for such a short time, had left me unable to recognize the figure standing directly in front of me made me feel both despondent and angry at myself for using my ability so recklessly.
The figure came closer and knelt until its face was level with mine. Once it was near enough, I gradually began recognizing its features: the medium-length black curly hair, sharp eyes, handsome angular jawline, broad shoulders, and tall stature...
Wait a moment.
I was looking at myself.
“Ah.”
I let out a stupid sound at the sight of myself playing the hero before quickly running through the situation in my mind.
My own face seemed to wear an understanding expression, as though whoever was inside my body was patiently waiting for me to figure things out, which almost made me want to slap myself.
And who knew? Perhaps being slapped by such an attractive woman would itself be a reward fo—
It was better to stop that train of thought.
Anyway, since I was now inside the young woman's body, it only made sense that she would also be inside mine.
“Excuse me, could you be the young lady who is supposed to be the original owner of this body?”
I asked the question while feeling ashamed of my failed plan and my inability to handle everything that had happened afterward.
‘I’ smiled at myself as though pitying me for even having to ask such a question.
“Call me Evelyn, and you owe me an explanation.”
She looked toward the men lying beside her on the ground with a thoughtful expression before asking,
“Do you know a safe and quiet place where we can talk?”
I tried to get up before answering her question, but as I attempted to rise, I discovered just how much of a pain high heels could be, especially when combined with my unfamiliar and higher center of gravity.
Just as I was surrendering myself to the fact that I was about to fall again, Evelyn extended my right hand toward me, caught me around the waist, and pulled me against my own body.
“Careful there. I can’t have you getting hurt in my body.”
Her tone sounded lower and far more controlled than when I had used those same vocal cords myself. The growing sense of unfamiliarity I felt toward my own body, combined with the substantial volume of my current chest being squashed against the hard chest that had belonged to me only minutes earlier, caused an extreme wave of embarrassment to wash over me.
Considering how fair her skin is, my ears are probably very red right now.
“My house is nearby. I reckon it’s the best place for us to go right now.”
I pushed my embarrassment aside as I spoke, although that wasn't particularly easy when even talking and moving this body still felt strange. What surprised me more was how calm Evelyn seemed despite being in the same situation.
He—or rather, she—helped me stand and gave me some time to get accustomed to the feeling of wearing heels. Thankfully, the reflexes ingrained in this body seemed to help, allowing me to find my balance without making a fool of myself again.
“Don’t forget my bag.”
She picked up the bag from the ground and held it out to me.
As I hesitantly reached forward with my right hand to take it, Evelyn suddenly moved closer and slipped the strap over my shoulder herself.
Surprised by her action, I stared blankly at her as though waiting for some kind of explanation. Evelyn merely gave me a calm nod before gesturing with her chin for me to get moving.
I started walking in the direction of my house, my initially slow pace gradually increasing as I became more accustomed to moving in this body.
As we left the side street and entered the main road, I quickly noticed that our rather unusual appearance was drawing attention from the few people still outside. I could hardly blame them. A glamorous young woman in an expensive evening dress walking beside a stern-looking man who seemed to be keeping a close eye on her looked like something pulled straight out of a drama series.
Unfortunately, I was playing the role of the glamorous young woman being protected.
Feeling increasingly self-conscious beneath the curious glances around us, I edged closer to my original body and allowed its larger frame to shield me from as much attention as possible. The irony of hiding behind myself was embarrassing enough that I couldn't tell whether my cheeks were burning from the cold or from the sheer embarrassment.
After some time, we arrived at the entrance to my apartment building.
I stopped in front of the door and automatically looked toward the small facial-recognition sensor beside it.
Nothing happened.
I stared at it for another second before remembering the rather important detail that my current pretty face wasn't registered in the security database.
“Could you come here for a moment?”
Evelyn gave me an understanding look as she stepped forward. Once she stared at the sensor, the quiet click of the door lock opening sounded.
Somehow, having a stranger open the lock to my family's apartment building made me feel strange inside.