Afternoon as Jane, and future plans with Yurika

I left the house, going back to Sophie and Jane's house. It will also be my house for the next few weeks. It was just lunch time, so Sophie wouldn't be back for another few hours.

"Here we go, I guess." I said, walking into the living room. "Soon, I won't have to live like a parasite anymore…" I felt some hope, unlike last night. "I should just try to enjoy being Jane while I need to."

Jane's phone rang, meaning that she got a message. It was from Jane’s mother, Olivia. She told Jane that she and their father, Peter, were coming back tomorrow in the evening, and asked how we were doing. The couple went on a holiday together, they needed a break from their work. They were almost like second parents to me, since they were my own parents’ best friends. I really liked them, and I knew they’d be devastated learning about my disappearance as well. I hoped to tell them about me before Yurika and I left the town, to reassure them. But for the time being, I had to play Jane’s part.

I put the phone back inside my pocket and chuckled. "Unless Olivia and Jacob are also secretly wizards, it shouldn't be difficult to fool them. I know them pretty well, after all, and I can count on Jane and Sophie's mannerisms and memories to help me."

I suddenly noticed that Jane's leggings and calves were stained with some of the blood Margaret lost in the car. "Fuck… It completely slipped my mind… I suppose I should wash them and take a shower…” I blushed at the thought. “Sorry, Jane..."

I went to the bathroom, dreading the moment a bit. I knew I would have to see Jane naked at some point if I were to stay in her for a few weeks, but still… She was pretty much like a big sister to me...

"I'll try to be fast…" I removed the clothes and put them in the washing machine. "W-wow…" I blushed while looking at the mirror. “J-Jane is... beautiful..."

Even if I saw Jane as my big sister, I still had an early teenage crush on her while growing up, something I think most boys would have if they grew up with a slightly older girl. And right now, I was her, standing naked in her bathroom.

I shook my head. "No, I shouldn't think about that…" I entered the shower, trying to clear my mind. "Come on… I need to focus..."

I gently rubbed my body in order to get rid of the few blood stains remaining, but it was only making me aroused. "I already took a few showers and baths as Airi before, so why does it feel so weird, now?"

Of course, the difference was that Jane is a childhood friend. And the sister of my girlfriend, at that. Even though I quickly sympathised with Airi's situation and regretted possessing her, I wasn't as ashamed of seeing her body naked, since she was pretty much a stranger. The water sliding down my body really didn't help with the arousal.

"I can't believe I'm taking a shower as Jane... I hope that she'll forgive me… And Sophie, too… I should think of what to say to her… And how I can convince her to still hang out with Airi."

I still believed that Airi wasn't a bad person, so I wished for Sophie to give her a chance. She saw what Airi was really like, after all, and Airi herself wasn't opposed to the idea...

I sighed. "Ah, it's such a mess…” I got out of the shower and grabbed a towel to dry myself. Poor Yurika… Having your own daughter hate you and being **** to leave her must be such a horrible feeling… I wish I could help…"

I groaned. "I feel responsible…" Suddenly, I got an idea. “Wait… There's a way she could stay close to her daughter… I have to talk to her, once Sophie is back..."

I wore a pair of shorts and a shirt, something that Jane usually wears when she's lazying around at home, and hastily put my hair into a ponytail. "That'll do. Now, I just have to wait until school is over."

I made something simple for lunch thanks to Jane's cooking skills and waited until Sophie came back by watching TV in the living room. I heard the door opening and saw Sophie coming in.

"Hi sis." She said cheerfully.

I decided to go straight to the point. "It's Ben. I possessed Jane earlier today."

"What? Why?"

"I'll explain once we get to Airi’s house, don't worry. I told you I would. Will you follow me to their place?"

She nodded slowly. "Sure… I... I want to talk to Airi, too."

I smiled. "Okay, let's go then. Since you have Airi's number, can you text her to tell her that we're coming? Since I'm not possessing her anymore, I don't remember it, and Jane doesn't know it either."

"Alright."

And so, for the third time in a day, I went back to Airi's house, after Sophie changed into her casual outfit. Sophie still seemed a bit confused, but Yurika would explain everything to her, and will probably also use the mind control spell to prevent her from telling anyone.

When we arrived, Yurika was alone on the couch, sighing with her eyes closed. She seemed to be meditating, or resting, I wasn’t sure which.

"Yurika, I'm back with Sophie." I announced, locking the door behind us.

She opened her eyes, smiling at us, before standing up, approaching Sophie.

"H-hi?" Sophie hesitantly said, nervous.

"Good afternoon, Sophie. You're Ben's girlfriend, right?" Yurika asked, making us both blush slightly.

"Y-yes?" Sophie confirmed quietly.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Airi's mother. Before we tell you the situation, would you allow me to prevent you from ever telling our secrets to anyone else?"

Before Sophie could ask what she meant, Airi’s voice resonated from the staircase. "Leave her be, Mother. I'll talk to her."

It surprised Yurika. "H-honey?"

Airi came closer, smiling confidently. "She won't betray us." She then offered her hand to Sophie. "Sophie, come, please. We have a lot to talk about."

Sophie calmed down and held Airi’s hand, trusting her. "Okay, Airi." She then glanced at us and gave us a reassuring smile. "I'll be back, Ben, Mrs Belle."

I observed Sophie leaving with Airi, a bit worried about what the latter would do.

Yurika pondered. "She seems to trust her. Do you think it could be because of your influence on her?"

"What? I'm not possessing her anymore, though?"

"I know, but when you were doing the mind sink, she was in control, influenced by you. Maybe some of it still remains." She wondered, thinking about this situation.

What she said frightened me. "Y-you think it's possible? I... I don't want that!"

Yurika placed a hand on my shoulder. "Calm down, it's just a random thought. We'll see how it goes."

"I already feel bad enough…" I muttered. A few minutes passed, and I decided to share with Yurika what I thought of earlier. "By the way… Do you plan to show Airi the bodies you're making for us?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Yes, why?"

"You really want to stay with her, right?" I asked.

Her sorrowful expression was all I needed to know. "I do..."

"Then, don't show her how we're gonna look like."

Her eyes widened. "What? Why would I hide it?"

"Because, if she doesn't know it's you, you could try to get closer to her that way. We could leave the city for a few months, and come back afterwards. You would then meet her coincidentally somewhere and try to befriend her. If she saw two random strangers approaching her right away, she would probably guess who we are, but if we wait, that should make it easier. And like this, you could still watch over her. Not as her mother, but as her friend."

She glared at me, her eyes narrow. "You really are a smart kid, aren't you? To be able to come up with a plan like this so quickly." She sighed. "I thought of that, as well, but I was a bit conflicted about lying even more to Airi."

I chuckled. "It's not lying, it's just omitting part of the truth."

She gave me a deadpan look. "That's still lying, Ben."

I shrugged. "Do you have any other ideas?"

"Not at the moment, no… I won't tell her yet."

"You'll be able to stay by her side, don't worry." I tried to reassure her as much as I could. It's my fault it happened. I want to help you."

Yurika gave me a hug. "It's not your fault. It would have happened even without you possessing her. As soon as I would have told her about our true nature. If anything, you helped her by making her feel appreciated by other people, and by making her have fun with friends. It softened her up a bit."

"You think?"

“I know. She wouldn't have defended Sophie if it weren't the case."

I lowered my head. "I need to talk to her after she's done with Sophie… Just the two of us… I really hope that she'll forgive me, someday…" I then looked back at Yurika, wanting to ask her something. "I've been wondering. When you noticed that Airi was missing, you told me that you couldn't go outside with this body. Why?"

She gestured at herself. "This body is a replica of my previous body, back when I was in my twenties… I can't be seen using it, especially right now." She had a melancholic look on her face as she spoke. “Even if I got used to being Margaret, I still missed my original body, sometimes. And there's another reason for why I made this body..."

Before Yurika told me what this reason was, we heard the door to Airi's room opening. But only Sophie came downstairs.

"Sophie, how was it?" I asked.

She grinned. "Oh, my conversation with Sophie went well."

Both Yurika and I froze.

"A-Airi?" I muttered.

She laughed. "Yes. I thought that possessing Sophie for a few days was a fair trade, considering what you two did to me."

"You used the Astral Projection spell?" Yurika inquired, surprised and worried.

Airi looked at Sophie's hands, a grin on her face. "Indeed. Witchcraft is pretty neat, after all. And before you two say anything, I did ask her beforehand, and she agreed."

"W-why would she agree?" I asked.

Airi glared at me. "When you'll possess her again, you'll probably know, since you can't help but dig into other people's privacy."

Her words hit hard. "It's not like I can control that, Airi… I know everything my hosts know, but I'm not actively trying to pry into their minds. "

Airi grabbed Sophie’s bag and nudged at the door. "Now, let's go home, sis."

"What about your body?" Yurika asked.

Airi shrugged. "You can take care of it. Goodbye, Mother."

We watched as Airi, still in Sophie's body, left.

Yurika looked at me, her eyes begging. "Ben, follow her, please…"

I nodded. "Okay. Take care, Yurika."

I left in a hurry, following Airi. Why the heck did she possess Sophie? And why did Sophie agree? I was both confused and worried.