At the end of July, the first summer break of Kyousuke's third year in junior high finally arrived.
Even before the final grades were released, several private high schools had already reached out to him, offering generous scholarships in hopes of recruiting him.
But Kyousuke turned them all down without hesitation.
He was no longer the kind of person who would be swayed by a scholarship just to give a few speeches at an opening ceremony.
Over the past two years, he had learned that money, in many cases, wasn't everything.
This year, the national middle school kendo tournament was held in Tokyo at the Takemichi Hall—right near Chidorigafuchi, where Sakura and the others had gone to see the cherry blossoms back when they were first-years.
Although Kyousuke wasn't competing anymore, he still accompanied the team as an assistant coach.
Of course, if the tournament had been in some place like Gifu or Hyogo, he probably would've been too lazy to tag along.
After the tournament wrapped up, Kyousuke went home for a week, then hurried back to Tokyo.
Even during summer break, he had no shortage of things to do—ongoing serialization of two manga series, final edits for his novel...
The publisher had already been decided: Eigensha, the parent company of Weekly Shonen High.
Even though they weren't known for publishing novels, Kyousuke wasn't worried at all about their distribution and marketing capabilities.
More importantly, their cooperation had gone so smoothly that they didn't even need much negotiation—Kyousuke retained all anime rights and secured an industry-high 15% royalty share.
Of course, the novel hadn't officially entered the publishing pipeline yet.
The current stage was all about building hype—
In fact, the publisher was even planning to stage a big stunt: announcing a movie adaptation before the novel was officially released.
Meanwhile, Kasumigaoka Utaha's new novel, the third volume of Love Metronome, was about to hit shelves.
"I saw my youth reflected in its pages — EGOIST"
That was the promotional tagline Kyousuke wrote for it—the kind you'd find printed on the book's obi strip or back cover.
After reading it, Utaha-senpai stood up, tugged at her wrinkled black stockings, pulled out her wallet with elegant fingers, and neatly placed ten Fukuzawa Yukichi bills (10,000 yen each) on the table.
Clearly pleased with his work, she declared she'd like to continue collaborating in the future.
Kyousuke accepted the industry's standard payment with tears in his eyes and even asked Utaha-senpai to write a blurb for his book as well:
"A suffocating love — Kasumi Utako"
For some reason, seeing the words "suffocating love" gave Kyousuke a chill down his spine.
Maybe because Utaha-senpai didn't accept any payment from him? Was it his guilty conscience acting up?
During the holidays, the Sawamura couple found out he wasn't going back to his hometown and warmly invited him to stay at their place instead.
Living in a large, lush estate in the summer definitely sounded appealing—but Kyousuke politely declined.
How could he dare to go?
Utaha-senpai would never allow it.
She had already invited him to stay at her apartment for the break, proudly claiming she had been practicing her cooking skills for months.
Like hell Kyousuke would fall for a mere promise of good food.
Besides, Okudera Miki already had him taste-testing her "new dishes" every week—
Though, truth be told, those "new dishes" often just meant adding an extra gram of salt or leaving out a single cilantro sprig.
Kyousuke opened his eyes, pushed himself up with his right hand, and squinted at the sunlight streaming through the glass door.
"Mitsuha, it's almost time for breakfast!"
Miyamizu Toshiki called from outside.
"Got it, coming!" Kyousuke answered casually.
Outside, Miyamizu Toshiki's face immediately darkened.
'Damn it, that brat's in Mitsuha's body again.'
"Get up already! We're going up the mountain today!"
His tone was far less friendly now.
Inside the room, Kyousuke didn't respond.
Ever since Mitsuha's father had discovered the truth about their body-switching, he'd been acting like Kyousuke was a criminal every time they swapped.
"Looks like it might rain in Tokyo today…" Kyousuke muttered as he tidied up the futon, enjoying the warm sunlight on his body.
He pulled on some sportswear, tying up his best feature—a neat ponytail.
"Good morning, Grandma. Morning, Yotsuba."
"Good morning," Grandma Miyamizu replied with a gentle smile and a nod.
"You're so slow, Sis!" Yotsuba pouted.
"Haha, sorry! The sunlight was just too cozy—I ended up sleeping in a little."
Kyousuke chuckled, patting Yotsuba's head.
Yotsuba's hair wasn't in the usual simple pigtails today, it had been braided into an intricate pattern of tiny plaits.
Kyousuke knew it was Toshiki's handiwork.
And sure enough, seeing Kyousuke ruffle Yotsuba's hair made Toshiki fume from a distance.
'Honestly... you're way too old to be throwing tantrums like that.'
Breakfast was simple and quickly finished.
Kyousuke helped Grandma pack supplies for the mountain trip, then checked Mitsuha's phone, as he usually did, to review the day's schedule.
———————————————————————
"Offering to the shrine's sacred object."
———————————————————————
Finally, the mystery that had puzzled him for so long was solved:
Why didn't the Miyamizu Shrine have a proper main hall for worship?
Turns out, their sacred object wasn't kept at the shrine—it was enshrined on a nearby mountain called Dragon God Mountain.
And the offering wasn't fruits or vegetables, but kuchikamizake—a type of sake fermented through traditional mouth-chewing methods.
Originally, Miyamizu Toshiki had planned to go up the mountain himself, but Grandma firmly vetoed it, saying he was no longer the shrine priest.
Grumbling, Toshiki left for work, thoroughly defeated.
Climbing a mountain?
Kyousuke glanced at his frail grandmother, who usually spent her days drinking tea and watching TV... then at Yotsuba's tiny arms and legs... and finally at himself.
'Wait a second... when did Mitsuha's body get this fit?'
He finally recalled the scene from earlier that morning while dressing.
Mitsuha's body had always been slender like a typical young girl's, with a bit of baby fat around her waist and thighs.
But now, her stomach was tight, with a faint but beautiful definition—almost like subtle abs—and her chest seemed... noticeably perkier too.
'No, no, focus! That's not important right now!'
How were a frail old lady, a tiny kid, and himself supposed to hike up a mountain?
Was he supposed to carry Grandma on his back?
Mitsuha's body would be sore for days afterward!
So naturally...
"Yotsuba, do you think that sake tastes good?"
Kyousuke asked, gripping the steering wheel with both hands and whispering to the girl sitting next to him, cradling a container of kuchikamizake.
Right now, the three of them were riding up the mountain in a small farm tricycle.
Kyousuke was driving, Grandma was sitting in the back bed on a thick cushion, wearing her usual brown kimono, looking relaxed with a faint smile, squinting happily at the maple trees drifting by.
All she needed was a cup of tea, and it would look exactly like she was at home.
"Eh?! Are you saying you want to try it too, Sis?!"
Yotsuba gasped, her face full of shock.
"Just curious, that's all."
"Wait... 'too'? Yotsuba, have you already tasted it?"
Kyousuke blinked in surprise, but kept his eyes firmly on the narrow mountain path.
This trail clearly wasn't meant for vehicles—he needed total concentration just to stay on course.
Good thing the tricycle was built for rough terrain.
Otherwise, they'd be stuck halfway up by now.
Miyamizu Yotsuba nervously glanced back at her grandmother.
Seeing no reaction, she leaned close to her sister and whispered,
"I tried a little... It tasted awful! So sour and bitter, like it's not even meant for humans to drink. After drinking it, my head felt all fuzzy, like I was dreaming."
"If we ever tried selling this online, we'd get roasted! Totally roasted!"
Kyousuke chuckled silently to himself.
Just from Yotsuba's disgusted tone, he could vividly imagine the experience.
Unfortunately, it seemed the little girl's budding business venture was over before it even started.
"Well, it's not exactly meant to be drunk," he said casually.
"Mmm... when you put it that way, I guess it makes sense," Yotsuba mumbled.
Hugging her backpack tightly, feeling the weight of the two ceramic jars inside, Yotsuba began wondering whether "Miko robes blessed by the gods" could be their next big product.
Just then, a massive tree root burst from the ground nearby, sprawling across the road.
As Kyousuke debated whether to chop it with the hatchet he had tucked away, his grandmother spoke up from behind.
"Alright, from here on, we'll walk," she said in her slow, steady voice.
"Maybe it's a sign from the gods that the power of machines should stop here."
Supported by her granddaughter, the old woman slowly climbed down from the truck bed and stretched her back.
"Alright then," Kyousuke said, pulling out the key and deciding against packing the hatchet into his bag after all.
'This is the sacred ground of the Miyamizu Shrine's deity... there shouldn't be any dangerous beasts here,' he reassured himself.
Taking the backpack from Yotsuba, Kyousuke slung it over his shoulder.
With one of them on each side helping their grandmother, they stepped into the pine forest at the end of the road.
Fortunately, the path through the woods was relatively flat, making it easy even for the elderly woman to walk.
The narrow dirt path was thickly blanketed with fallen pine needles and leaves; if not for the trees marked with sacred shimenawa ropes, you might not even realize there was a trail here.
(Shimenawa are ropes made from rice straw, hung with zigzagging gohei paper strips to mark sacred spaces.)
All along the way, Kyousuke kept wondering:
'What exactly is the sacred object of the Miyamizu Shrine?'
When they reached the mountain's base, he guessed it might be a Kannabi—a sacred mountain revered as a dwelling place of the gods.
When they entered the forest, he thought maybe it was a Himorogi—a sacred grove worshipped as a "guardian forest."
But the walk took its toll.
Eventually, their grandmother grew short of breath, although she refused Yotsuba's offer to carry her.
Instead, she settled on a large rock to catch her breath.
Maybe because they were nearing the shrine's holy grounds.
The old woman decided to give her granddaughters another little lecture on their family's teachings—how everything in the world is tied together, the essence of their land god's faith.
"But even if I catch a fish myself and cook it over a fire I made, it still doesn't taste as good as Yukino's cooking," Yotsuba grumbled quietly, hearing a speech she could practically recite backwards.
"Still, once you understand how the barley tea connects to you, it starts tasting a lot sweeter," Kyousuke said with a smile, sipping from his thermos.
On a hike like this, a cool cup of barley tea was the best comfort.
"Huh?! Really?"
Tired herself, Yotsuba's face lit up excitedly.
"Of course," Kyousuke chuckled, wiping the rim of the thermos and pouring a cup for her.
"Mmm..."
Yotsuba took a tiny sip, scrunched up her eyebrows, gave her sister a suspicious glance, and then took a second sip before gulping it down.
"It's NOT sweeter at all!" she protested loudly.
"That must mean you're not tired enough yet," their grandmother said, laughing.
"I find it tastes plenty sweet."
"Really?" Caught between them, Yotsuba hesitated.
Holding up the cup refilled by her sister, she eyed the amber-colored tea shimmering in the sunlight—and quickly took another sip before she could change her mind.
"Alright, time to move again," Miyamizu Iha said, getting back to her feet.
Yotsuba had no more time to ponder why she didn't feel the same connection to the barley tea as her sister and grandmother did.
She quickly drank the rest and tightened the cap on her cup.
From then on, Kyousuke ended up carrying their grandmother on his back—but surprisingly, she was light as a feather.
"Our knotted cords are a gift from the gods," the grandmother continued, her voice like an old storyteller.
"They mark the passage of time.
Knots tie threads together.
Knots tie people together.
They represent gathering, shaping, twisting, entangling—that is time itself.
Today's offering is an important ritual connecting humans and gods."
The sloping hillside was covered in moss, with rocks of all shapes and sizes scattered chaotically about.
Looking back, Kyousuke noticed the town below was now hidden by clouds.
In fact, the white clouds were so close, even the tallest mountains seemed lower than where they stood.
His grandmother's storytelling voice carried an incredible weight, almost hypnotic.
For a brief moment, Kyousuke felt dizzy, a strange sense of déjà vu washing over him.
'Where have I heard those words before...?'
"Ah! Look! You can see it now!"
Yotsuba's excited shout snapped him back to reality.
Kyousuke lifted his gaze.
Yotsuba was already at the summit, waving and calling out.
Their grandmother gave him a light pat on the shoulder.
Kyousuke carefully set her down and, still supporting her, climbed to the top.
And then he saw it.
Instead of a peak, there was an enormous crater—easily the size of a sports stadium—like the mouth of a volcano.
Had he not known better, he would have assumed it was a volcano and bolted in the opposite direction.
Inside the vast crater, lush green grass spread out like a giant meadow.
Streams, dyed blue by the sky above, crisscrossed through it.
And at the very center stood a towering, unbelievable tree—so massive it seemed to touch the sky.
The whole place felt like some kind of floating garden.
Suddenly, Kyousuke remembered what Yukari had told him:
'This is the spot where the comet first struck.'
No wonder it had created such a massive lake back in Itomori.
An entire mountain flattened—it made perfect sense now.
Standing at the edge of the crater, Kyousuke turned back toward Itomori town.
"Hey, you can see your school from here!"
Yotsuba's excited voice rang out again.
The wind had blown away the clouds, revealing the yellow sports field of Itomori Middle School, standing out clearly against the landscape.
For some strange reason, Kyousuke felt like he was making eye contact with someone down there.
After making their way down into the crater, a small stream blocked their path.
The sight sparked a strange memory in Kyousuke's mind—like back when he had to abandon the three-wheeled cart.
'Was he going to have to leave something behind again to cross this river?'
He shook the thought away.
"Beyond here lies the 'Otherworld,'" their grandmother said.
"The Otherworld?" Yotsuba tilted her head, already bracing herself to jump across the stream.
"It's another world," the old woman explained, her voice as mysterious as ever.
Hearing those words, Kyousuke suddenly saw her expression in a whole new light—deep, profound, almost unsettling.
'The Otherworld? Spirit Realm? Crossing into another world...?'
Suddenly, all of Kyousuke's instincts screamed at him to stay put.
He'd already experienced bizarre things like body-swapping here—he had no interest in stepping into another realm.
"Wow! Another world~~!"
Before Kyousuke could stop her, Yotsuba had already leapt across the stream, hopping from stone to stone with a joyous shout.
"Tch... seriously."
Kyousuke sighed and rubbed his forehead, then bent down, preparing to carry his grandmother on his back.
"If you want to return from the hidden world to the shores of reality, you must leave behind the thing most precious to you," Miyamizu Hitoha suddenly said as they stepped across the creek.
"Hey, hey! That's something you should've mentioned earlier!" Kyousuke shot the mischievous old lady a look of pure exasperation.
"Hehehe, relax, relax. I'm just talking about the kuchikamizake," she said, smiling slyly. Honestly, she'd been acting all mysterious and cryptic today.
Following her instructions, Kyousuke pulled Mitsuha's kuchikamizake out of his backpack.
The white porcelain bottle was sealed with a red knotted cord.
He recognized it — he had even helped weave that cord, though he was pretty sure he just got in the way more than anything.
Under the sunlight, the smooth bottle gleamed with a glossy shine, looking for all the world like it contained some fine sake.
If it weren't for Yotsuba's drunken ramblings after tasting it before, Kyousuke might've been tempted to sneak a sip himself.
Better not risk it.
"Beneath the sacred object lies a small shrine," Hitoha continued as Kyousuke inspected the bottle. "That's where the offering goes. And this sake... it represents your other half."
"My... other half?" Kyousuke muttered under his breath.
Well, this was Shintoism — plenty of weird rituals and traditions that didn't always make logical sense. No point overthinking it.
Turning on his phone's flashlight to light the way, Kyousuke crouched down and led Yotsuba into the shrine beneath the massive tree.
As he stepped into the dim space, a thought popped into his mind:
Wait, so what exactly is the sacred object here? The enormous tree itself? The giant rock entangled in its roots? Or both mashed together?
Between the tree roots and the rock was a narrow staircase. Descending carefully, they found themselves in a small chamber, about the size of four tatami mats.
Together, they placed the white porcelain bottle onto the stone altar.
"Yotsuba, have you ever been here before?" Kyousuke asked casually, shining his phone light over the shrine walls.
Yotsuba shook her head, wide-eyed as she looked around. "Nope~ First time for me too!"
"I see..."
"Eh? A comet?" Yotsuba suddenly exclaimed.
Kyousuke followed her gaze upward — sure enough, painted on the underside of the massive rock entwined by the tree was a mural.
Using just a few strokes in red and blue paint, the image of a long-tailed comet was vividly depicted.
Under the light of the phone, the colors shimmered strangely, almost making it look like the comet was really about to crash down onto them.
Is this some kind of hallucinogenic trick? Kyousuke wondered uneasily.
Some ancient sects did use plants with psychedelic properties for their rituals...
"Speaking of which, isn't the comet supposed to be visible tonight?" Yotsuba said excitedly, gazing at the mural.
"A comet?" Kyousuke's mind raced.
There hadn't been any comet predictions recently, right?
The last one was over two years ago. The next one wasn't for centuries!
"Yotsuba, are you still half-asleep? That comet already passed ages ago," Kyousuke said suspiciously.
Maybe there really was something messing with their senses...
"Huh? You're the one who's dreaming, Sis! The comet's tonight!" Yotsuba pouted.
"I'm dreaming...?" Kyousuke blinked, stunned.
Then, a memory surfaced — something Miyamizu Toshiki had once said:
"Maybe it's not just a body swap. Maybe you're dreaming. After all, in dreams, people can't perceive themselves clearly."
"That's why when you try to share personal information with others, some force blocks you..."
"Wait... am I really dreaming?"
Everything went black.
Kyousuke collapsed, falling onto Yotsuba's body—
—
During the summer break, back in Mizunami City, Yamauchi Sakura, finding herself bored to tears, finally remembered the promise she made to Mitsuha.
So, she quickly rounded up Shouko and Naoka for an impromptu trip.
"Sorry, the café's way too short-staffed right now. I can't go."
At the station, Naoka apologized with a regretful look.
"Don't worry about it! I told you, you didn't need to come see us off," Sakura said nonchalantly.
Since Shouko and Naoka worked at the same cat café, losing both of them would've been a disaster, so Naoka volunteered to stay behind.
"Thanks, Naoka." Shouko gently squeezed Naoka's hand.
"Go on, hurry up and bring Mitsuha back! Then we'll surprise Kyousuke together!" Naoka laughed.
"Yeah!" Sakura and Shouko responded brightly.
Originally, the plan was simple: find Mitsuha, bring her to Tokyo, and give Kyousuke a good scare.
But Sakura, being who she was, decided to spice it up: this time, they wouldn't even tell Mitsuha they were coming. First, surprise Mitsuha, then double-surprise Kyousuke.
Perfect.
They boarded the Tokaido Shinkansen bound for Nagoya.
It would take two hours to reach Nagoya, then another two hours on the JR Takayama Main Line to get to Takayama Station.
After that, they could either catch a bus or a taxi to Itomori.
Yeah... no wonder Kyousuke had abandoned his crazy idea of riding a bike from Itomori to Tokyo using Mitsuha's body.
Oh, and today's expenses? Sakura was treating everyone!
She had worked part-time jobs too, but unlike Shouko and Naoka, she didn't need to save for tuition or anything — so she decided to splurge on a fun trip with her friends.
After getting off the Wide View Hida limited express, the girls found themselves at a rural little station.
It wasn't quite abandoned like those trendy "secret" spots on social media, but it wasn't far off.
"Itomori Town?"
The station attendant, a kindly-looking woman, peered at the two city girls in confusion.
"What brings you there?"
Huh? Are people in Gifu Prefecture always this... friendly?
Sakura half-expected this level of enthusiasm back home in Kansai, but not here.
"We're looking for a friend!" Sakura explained brightly.
"A friend?"
The woman gave them a long, hard look before frowning.
"But there's no one living there anymore."
"Huh?!" Both Sakura and Shouko blurted out at once.
But... just a couple of months ago, when Mitsuha and Kyousuke swapped bodies, Mitsuha had invited them to visit, saying how cool Itomori was during the summer — the perfect place to escape the heat.
Oh, right — Mitsuha had also said that, for some reason, she could only talk about her hometown with them.
Whenever she tried to type or text anything about Itomori, she'd instantly forget or be blocked somehow. It had seemed like some kind of mystical force at work.
"You girls didn't hear about it?"
The station lady said softly.
"Two years ago... there was a disaster. A comet split apart — half of Itomori was destroyed."
"What...?"
Frozen, Sakura and Shouko could only gape at each other.
After hurriedly thanking the woman, they slumped onto a bench at the station and whipped out their phones to search.
"Meteor Strike! Town Disappears from the Map!"
"Miracle: Zero Casualties Despite Direct Hit!"
...
"What's going on here…?" Shouko whispered, her voice trembling slightly. The empty, abandoned station felt unnervingly eerie.
According to the news, after the comet disaster, all the residents of Itomori had relocated to Nara.
Some reports even claimed it was thanks to a divine revelation from a shrine maiden that everyone managed to survive unharmed.
"That shrine maiden… they must be talking about Mitsuha, right?" Sakura said hesitantly.
"Yeah…" Shouko nodded, but something didn't add up.
Two months ago, Mitsuha had invited them to visit Itomori for the summer. But if she'd moved away two years ago, how could that be?
Curious, they searched for "Miyamizu Mitsuha" online. The first result that popped up was:
"Nara's Sword Prodigy! Tezukayama High School Kendo Tournament Double Champion!"
The two girls exchanged another bewildered glance.
'Wait… wasn't Mitsuha supposed to still be a middle schooler?'
Tezukayama High did have a middle school division, but the article clearly referred to the national high school kendo tournament.
"No matter what, let's go to Itomori and see for ourselves!"
Sakura declared, trying to sound full of energy even though her heart was racing with unease. She had definitely inherited Kyousuke's cautious streak.
Still… if this was related to Kyousuke, she knew she had to get to the bottom of it.
"Right!" Shouko nodded determinedly. For Kyousuke-kun!
Since Itomori was officially abandoned, the buses no longer ran there. Their only option was to take a taxi.
"Be careful, okay?" The woman taxi driver smiled warmly at them.
Sakura had purposely chosen someone who looked friendly and trustworthy.
"Thank you~!" This time, they didn't mention looking for a friend; they simply said they wanted to visit the meteor crater.
The area near Itomori Lake had been destroyed, but according to the news, the roads around Itomori High School were still intact.
Before long, they found themselves standing on the school's deserted sports field.
"So this is Mitsuha's school…"
"And that must be Itomori Lake…"
They carefully compared the remaining landmarks to what Mitsuha had once described.
But no matter where they looked, they couldn't find Miyamizu Shrine — the one that was supposed to sparkle on the mountaintop under the sun.
Turning around, they scanned the surrounding hills, hoping to spot the shrine.
But when Sakura laid eyes on a mountain shaped almost like a volcano, she froze.
"Shou… Shou-chan… do you feel like… someone's watching us?" Sakura stammered, her whole body stiff.
"Aaah…" Shouko, feeling the same oppressive sensation, couldn't even form proper words.
'Ding-ding-dong~'
"AAAH!!"
The sudden ring of a phone made both girls shriek, startling a whole flock of birds into flight.
But as soon as the birds scattered, the strange feeling of being watched seemed to vanish too.
"It's just Kyousuke!" Sakura exhaled shakily when she saw that the ringtone was Kyousuke's custom tone.
She quickly answered, putting the call on speaker so that Shouko could hear too.
Right now, both of them desperately needed to hear Kyousuke's reassuring voice.
"Hello, hello, good afternoon, Kyousuke!" Sakura chirped, trying to sound cheerful.
"Uh… good afternoon, Sakura. This is Miyamizu Mitsuha."
'Clatter.'
The phone slipped from Sakura's hand and fell straight onto the ground.
The two girls immediately clung to each other in pure terror.