Being Jane again

I opened the door and saw Airi and Yurika sitting on the couch, with the spellbook on the table. Yurika seemed surprised to see me coming back while still inhabiting Risa's body, and with Jane following me.

"Ben? Why did you bring your friend here?"

I leaned against the table, crossing my arms. "Before trying to possess my aunt, I talked to her..."

"You talked with Nadia?" Jane asked in shock.

"Yeah… She... She's feeling really remorseful… She blamed herself for my disappearance, and hasn't touched **** since that night… I couldn't bring myself to possess her, after our talk…" I looked at Yurika. "That's why I was wondering… Could my friends and my aunt be told about what we'll be doing? I know that you don't want your secrets to be revealed, but… Could you maybe find a way to prevent them from telling it to anyone?"

Yurika nodded. "I could, yes… But I would want their permission to do so." She got up and approached Jane, looking her in the eyes. "Jane, was it?"

It made Jane slightly uncomfortable. "Y-yes?"

"Will you allow me to prevent you from sharing our secrets with anyone else?"

Jane glanced at me, confused, but I smiled at her. "She won't do anything to harm you, trust me."

Jane regained her composure and stared at Yurika. "It's for Ben's sake, right?"

"Indeed." Yurika replied.

"Then, of course I accept."

Yurika chuckled. "Good. You didn't even hesitate, I can see why Ben trusts you. Verba Obedi!"

As soon as Yurika finished her spell, Jane's eyes became lifeless, like what happened with Risa before. It still made me feel bad, but I knew Yurika wouldn’t harm her.

"You will never be able to tell anyone about Airi and I being witches, or about Ben and my wherabouts, except to people who already know about us.” Yurika ordered.

Jane's eyes fluttered back to life once Yurika was done. "W-what happened?"

"I used my mind control spell to prohibit you from ever telling our secrets to anyone, like Ben wanted. Unless you are only with other people who know, you won't be able to bring the subject up." Yurika explained.

"I-I see."

I smiled at Jane, glad to see how supportive she was. "Thank you, Jane."

She patted my head, something she often did when we were younger. Me being about her height in Risa's body made it easier for her than in my taller original body. "Hey, you're like a little brother to me, I have to take care of you. Besides, I don't see any problem with what she did. But now that it's done, can I know why you would need to possess me and Sophie for a few weeks, and even thought of possessing Nadia?"

"You can tell her, Ben." Yurika said.

"Well, Yurika is currenty making a new body for me, as well as one for herself."

Jane was obviously confused. "M-making new bodies?”

I nodded. "Yeah, I'll explain more later when Sophie will be made aware, as well. But, in summary, the bodies will take a few weeks to make, and, once they're done, I will leave the city with Yurika."

"Why would you leave?" Jane asked.

Airi stood up and spoke. "Because I asked Mother to leave and he decided to follow her. I don't want to see her again, and if I can stop seeing Ben too, it's a nice bonus." She added, glaring at me bitterly.

I looked away. "I'm sorry, Airi..."

She angrily pointed her finger at me. "I don't care if you're sorry. You violated my mind and my body by possessing me and learning about all the things I kept hidden within me. No amount of excuses can make up for that."

"I know…" I meekly replied, before looking at her. "C-could you... give Sophie and Jane a chance, still? Sophie is willing to be your friend for real."

Airi closed her eyes and pondered. "I... I'll think about it..."

I sighed softly. "Thanks…" I then turned back to face Jane. "Now, do you mind if I possess you? Yurika needs to make the girl I'm possessing forget about the castle, and I will have to see Sophie as soon as she's done with school."

She didn’t seem super comfortable with the idea, but nodded. "I'm not too fond of being possessed, but it's only temporary, after all..."

I tried to reassure her. “Don't worry, I can let you be in control even when I'm possessing you."

It surprised her, but it was clearly a relief to hear that. "You should have said that right from the start!"

"I won't be able to keep it up twenty-four/seven, but I can keep it up for most of the day." I said, coming closer, inches away from her face. “Now, open your mouth, and I'll jump inside."

She gulped, took a deep breath, and nodded. "Go ahead..."

I quickly left Risa’s body and jumped into Jane’s mouth, something that I was getting used to by now, unfortunately. I dissolved inside her, like usual. I didn't know if it was because I already briefly possessed Jane before, but it seemed way faster than last time. I connected to her brain, and really wished I could do the mind sink right away, instead of having to wait until tomorrow.

I breathed softly as I opened Jane’s eyes. My eyes. "Thank you, Jane…"

I then got up and turned to face Airi and Yurika. Airi observed me with a mix of disgust and curiosity on her face, while Yurika was unperturbed. She already saw how my abilities worked.

"I'm in control, Yurika."

She smiled. "Okay. Go see Sophie and bring her here, I'll take care of Risa meanwhile."

I glanced at Risa, laying on the couch, ****. She was a nice person to be for a short while, but I was glad to free her. She was a really good person. I hoped she’d be able to rebuild her life after what happened, and find happiness.

"See you later, then." I said.