If I Could Be You ch1
p1
The moment I first laid eyes on you,
the world stopped.
You were light itself.
p5
My name is Takasaki Chieri.
I'm 16 years old and a second year in high school.
Everyone~!
Thank you for loving Ichika again today!
Your especially sweet love
has reached me loud and clear~<3
Princess Ichika... You really are too cute!
My reason for living?
p6
The four-girl idol group that's rising in popularity,
Merry<3Ruche aka MerryRu.
Their center, Amano Ichika-chan.
Princess Ichika is my oshi!
Hah... Why is Princess so perfect?
Her voice and gestures are all cute. She's the ideal idol!
Angels really do exist in this world...
I'm in love...<3
Through tough times and painful times, it's because Princess Ichika was there that I made it through them.
I can say that for certain.
p7
Princess is my everything.
Wah!
A huge Princess Ichika!
Ichika's acrylic stand
Gotta take a photo...
...
Princess Ichika really is amazing...
She's sparkling
and dazzling.
I can't believe she's the same age as me.
...
p8
I wish
I could be like Princess Ichika too...
...Wait.
What am I thinking...?
Let's go home...
Someone like me even thinking about wanting to be like Princess
is just ridiculous...
I fell in love with Princess Ichika two years ago...
p9
during my third year of middle school.
Hey, ugly.
You're an eyesore.
Get lost.
Ahaha
Back then, every conscious moment from when I woke up in the morning
to when I slept at night was agony.
I wasn't frustrated or anything.
ugly ugly DIE die die die
I was just embarrassed
of how pathetic I was.
p10
I wanna die.
That might make things easier...
Recommendations
...Hm?
While looking at social media for no particular reason,
I happened to come across Princess Ichika.Amano Ichika @amano_ichika
Everyone says Ichika is the cutest princess in the world<3
...
My first impression was that she was the complete opposite of me.
...!
p11
Amano Ichika @amano_ichika
You're also the cutest in the world for doing your best.That princess' word
saved me like the idiot I am.
It felt like the first time someone had said anything positive about me.
That day,
my world was filled with a light named Amano Ichika.
p12
Aah.
I love you.
I love you so much, I can't take it.
p13
Princess' happiness
is my happiness.
Cheering Princess on
gives me purpose in life.
But for just a moment,
I had
a fleeting thought.
p14
That I want to be like Princess...
...I'm so stupid.
I know all to well that thinking about that kinda thing is pointless.
...Ah.
A shooting star.
p15
...I wish
I could be Princess Ichika.
...As if that would ever come true.
p16
Incoming Call
Mmm...
Fwah~...
Hm... A phone call?
Yes, hello...?
Ichika!? Where are you right now!?
Hyah!
p17
You're supposed to be at the studio already, aren't you!?
...Eh?
S-Studio?
What are you talking about...?
What am I talking about...?
I told you yesterday that you have a shoot today, didn't I!?
H-Huh...?
Um... I think you've got the wrong person.
I'm Takasaki.
Did you get the wrong number or...
What are you saying!?
p18
You're Amano Ichika, aren't you!?
...Eh?
p19
Anyway!
I'm heading for your apartment building right now!
Make sure you're ready by the time I get to your room!
Got it!?
Um...
She hung up...Call Ended
...
Well, whatever.
p20
Fwah~ Glasses... Glasses...
Huh... They're not here?
...Actually, where am I?
I don't know this room...
Why am I in a place like this?
I must be having a strange dream.
...That phone call just now was weird too.
She called me Princess Ichika...
...Hm?
p21
...Eh?
Wha-...
I've...
p22
turned into
Princess Ichika!?!?!?!?!?
Ichika! Are you ready yet?
Eh?
Wh-...
Who are you!?
p23
Hah... Are you still half-asleep?
I had to use your spare key!
I'm your manager, Tachibana Yuzuki.
...Wait.
You're still not dressed yet!!
Geez~... You're so hopeless!
I don't care what you pick, just get changed already!!
Eh?
Eeh?
Eeeeh!?!?
p24
S-Sorry I'm late...
Princess~ You're late!
You sure kept us waiting!
Hoshikuri Mikuru (18)
Fufu...
How rare to see you oversleep, Princess-chan.
Hanafusa Shion (22)
...
Miokawa Rio (16)
I'm sorry to have kept you waiting!
Why so formal?
Wah~!! It's everyone in MerryRu~!!
Cute!
With tiny heads!!
And they smell great!!
p25
Let's just get you maked up
and changed into your costume!
R-Right!
Becoming the Princess Ichika that I admire and meeting her fellow members.
No doubt about it.
This is...
a dream!!
And what a happy dream it is too...
p26
...Okay, try not to be late tomorrow.
Good work today.
R-Right!
Thank you so much for today!
Hah...
That was an amazing dream...
I love Princess Ichika so much
that I had a dream about being her...
p27
It was happy...
Hah...
but also pretty exhausting...
...
Is this the kind of work Princess Ichika does every day?
In this small body
with very slim arms and legs.
Hm?
Is it Tachibana-san?
Yes...?
p29
...!?
I knew... I would find...
me here...!
...Eh?
p30
What's going on here!?
This is a prank, right!?
Turn be back to normal right now!
P-Please calm down...
A prank...?
Wh-What do you mean?
Don't play dumb!
When I woke up this morning, I had become some other girl!
This has to be a prank, right!? There's no way to explain something this ridiculous!
p31
...But no matter how much I reacted, nobody would explain the joke,
and I couldn't find a single camera no matter how much I searched! I'm at my limit!
This is going too far for a prank!
Could you stop filming already!?
F-Filming...?
I... really don't know anything!
...Or rather,
isn't this a dream?
...?
...Then why are you pretending to be me?
...Eh?
Pretending to be you? Wait...
Are you... Princess Ichika?
p32
That's right!
I'm the real Amano Ichika!
Eh...? Eh...!?
EEEH!!?!?!?!?
p33
W-Wait a minute!
You're... really the real Princess!?
That's what I've been saying!
N-No way!
Wh-Why is Princess... in my body!?
Your body...?
So you're not just playing Amano Ichika as part of this prank?
N-N-N-No!
I woke up looking like you this morning too...!
p34
...You too?
Then
this body I'm in right now is actually yours?
Y-Yes...
That body before my eyes... is definitely mine.
...Wait, this situation...
p35
Don't tell me
it really
isn't a dream?
I'm Princess Ichika
and Princess Ichika is me...
p36
You're telling me...
we've swapped bodies!?
Eh...?
EEEEH~!?!?
p37
It's hard to believe...
but it certainly looks like we've swapped bodies.
Y-Yes...
It really is hard to believe
that this wasn't actually a dream...!!
Wait, so this body is the real Princess' body...
and the one in front of me is the real Princess Ichika!
Albeit in my body...
Oh man.
Oh man!!
What do I do?
p38
I'm socially awkward at the best of times...
I'm too nervous to even talk to her~!!
Actually, am I even allowed to talk to her for free...!?
It looks like you meant it when you said you're not behind this, but...
You're a fan, aren't you?
Wha-...
H-H-H-How could you tell!?
Only my fans call me Princess
and there was a tonne of my merch in your room.
Oh right~!!!!!
I-I'm sorry.
p39
You must be creeped out, huh...
You must really hate swapping bodies...
with a fan, huh...?
...
Not really.
We don't know what caused us to swap
and you're a victim too, right?
Besides, you must feel the same way about ending up
in my body, right?
Ah.
No...!
If anything, it feels like a reward!
...Gross.
p40
Gross...
Gross...
Gross...
At any rate,
until we can go back to normal,
Hah...
it looks like we'll have to pretend to be each other.
It's fortunate that you know a lot about me.
I-I-I-I couldn't possibly!
I-I could never pretend to be you, Princess Ichika!
...But you managed today's shoot just fine, right?
Th-That's because I thought it was a dream.
Now that I know it's reality, I-I can't...
...
Then what do you suggest we do?
p41
I'm sure you also know
that we're in a very important period where we're getting popular!
I know that, but~
...
...Um.
Sorry if I'm being rude, but...
you seem a little different from the usual Princess.
Eh?
You're usually more... y'know... floaty or something...
How should I put it... like a cutesy character...
Eh? A-Aah~
I'm just a little agitated is all... Ahaha.
...But
p42
I love this side of you too, Princess Ichika.
I had no idea that your normal expressions
could show this much emotion.
Of course, I love the perfect Princess Ichika who stands on stage,
but the plain Princess Ichika is wonderful too.
p43
Ah! Sorry.
It's in an otaku's nature to convey their love for their oshi...
If you're that observant of me,
could you pretend to be me
at least until we're back to normal?
I know it's an unreasonable demand,
but you're my only hope.
I'll make sure to pretend to be you too...
so please!
There's no way I could refuse...
a request from you, Princess.
p44
Understood!
Until we're back to normal,
I'll try... to pretend to be you!
...Really!?
Thank you!
!
p45
P-P-P-Princess' hands...!! (Technically my hands, but still.)
Well then, getting straight to it,
there's a live peformance on TV tomorrow,
so I'm counting on you<3
...l-
p46
Live performance~!?
Takasaki Chieri, aged 16.
My life of being swapped with my beloved Princess Ichika
seems like it'll break me sooner rather than later.
Will Chieri be able to handle living as the idol Ichika!?