Kokoro Connect

The story introduces five high school students as members of the Cultural Research Club (CRC), presenting a calm, uneventful campus life. They are shown as people without fixed goals, drifting through their days until strange events unsettle them. The club room becomes the center for conversations and discoveries that set up the coming chaos.

Two members, Yui Kiriyama and Aoki Yoshifumi, explain what happened the night before: Nagase Iori and Yaegashi Taichi swapped bodies. They reveal that soul swapping can involve any number of members, and that each soul keeps its memories and personality. The group realizes the swap is not an isolated incident but a recurring mysterious phenomenon.

Gotou/Gossan arrives in the club room in the form of Fuusen Kasura, a mysterious being nicknamed Balloon Vine, who takes an interest in the CRC. Balloon Vine declares itself a problem setter and promises to make their lives more interesting. The group senses an unusual, omniscient presence orchestrating their trials.

The club members decide to take on Balloon Vine's challenges, delving into problems that reveal the darker sides of each member's life. They begin to solve the initial crises while navigating the unsettling new dynamic of body-swapping. The stakes feel personal as vulnerabilities come to light.

After working through the first crisis, Taichi confesses his love to Nagase on a bridge. In a shocking turn, Balloon Vine takes over Nagase’s body and drops her off the bridge, an act later explained as part of Balloon Vine's interference to push the group forward. The event leaves the group shaken and more determined to understand their situation.

Balloon Vine's next game unleashes the characters' desires at random, causing impulse-driven actions. Yui becomes a shut-in as others begin to drift away, and Taichi's hidden feelings threaten Iori, prompting a hard lesson about staying with friends despite pain. The CRC is fracturing under the weight of unspoken desires and miscommunications.

A new problem makes members turn into kids between 12 pm and 5 pm; they don't clearly remember the age period, but memories stay when they revert. Taichi remains unaffected, and a second Balloon Vine inhabits Yaegashi Rina's body, instructing them to keep the event secret. The stakes widen as the mystery deepens and loyalties are tested.

Emotional tensions surface as Aoki mistakes his love for Yui to be a replacement for a past crush, while Yui reconnects with her old karate rival and rediscovers her confidence. The two admit their feelings are genuine, helping Yui overcome her fears and Aoki reaffirm his love. The pair's reconciliation helps stabilize the group.

Taichi accidentally reveals The Second, prompting it to intervene and eventually remove the time limit on age regression. Iori confronts family troubles when her violent second father reappears, forcing the trio to seek safety at Iori's home. Balloon Vine appears again in Gotou's form but claims it isn't his doing and offers to help Nagase address her problem from the past.

Iori's mother explains that her goal was to bring back the second father to help Iori confront her past, but she undergoes a drastic change and drives him away. Iori questions whether she loves Taichi as the emotional tension peaks, signaling a turning point toward resolution. The group's unity begins to strengthen again.

A new mystery causes inner thoughts to be transmitted to multiple members at random, turning Nagase into a cool, harsh vision of herself. This shift damages friendships, culminating in Setouchi Karou's destructive outburst that wrecks CRC's final preparations. The club must confront the misalignment between true selves and projected identities.

Karou's actions catalyze a confrontation in which Nagase chooses to live freely and protect Inaba from thugs. Karou acknowledges she projected a false self and is invited to join Nagase's circle, signaling a reconciliation and renewed purpose for the group. The dynamics shift toward a healthier, united front.

A thug injures Taichi, sending him to the hospital where he telepathically reaches Nagase to say, 'glad that I fell in love with you.' When Taichi wakes, Nagase waits by his side, and he heartbreakingly asks her out, which she accepts with a smile. The hospital room becomes a quiet sanctuary for their mutual confession.

Balloon Vine is seen leaving Nagase, Yui, and Aoki, marking the end of this chaotic arc and signaling a return to a more stable rhythm for the CRC. The members, though changed, emerge with stronger bonds and a clearer sense of self as they prepare for whatever comes next. The group's journey toward self-discovery continues with renewed resolve.