Warm rays of sun flowed into the room and illuminated every inch the light could touch. As the sun rose above the mountains so too came the morning as the day began anew. The day of September 30th, 2013 began just like every other in the rural town of Itomori. Many awoke in the infancy of the daylight and began their day with morning breakfast before going to meet the humdrum daily challenges of life. Miyamizu Mitsuha awoke early in the day as her cool room was warmed by the invigorating rays of the sun. The young girl let out a yawn and rubbed her eyes as she sat there on the futon located in the center of her room. She looked around at the familiar setting and then down at her own pink sleepwear, a two piece pink set with the upper half having light pink frills around the edges, and the lower portion being decorated with a pattern of orange silhouettes of a hedgehog.

Mitsuha knew that she was herself and not someone else. Having spent many days swapping bodies with a boy in Tokyo by the name of Tachibana Taki, she learned to make herself aware of her surroundings whenever she would awake. It was certainly an odd scenario to say the least, sporadically living the life of a boy her age in Tokyo while he would take her place in the small lakeside town iwithin Gifu Prefecture. No reason had ever come to explain what had started the strange occurrence, nor did either of them fully understand how it was happening. All they knew was that two times a week, at entirely random days, they would go to sleep and wake up the next day as each other. At first they were both shocked that it was truly occurring, as it seemed more dream-like and surreal. But they quickly laid out rules in order to protect their own lifestyles and privacy and both Taki and Mitsuha had learned to adjust with the irregular body swapping.

But on that Monday morning Mitsuha woke up as herself, and she would be starting the school week as herself. Her day began routinely as her younger sister Yotsuha slid open the door to her room. The younger nine year old girl stood there in the doorway with one hand still placed on the sliding door. Her oil black hair was tied into twin-tails on either side of her head, and her caramel brown eyes were fixated on her older sister. Yotsuha was already dressed in her school uniform and ready for the day, while Mitsuha had just woken up mere moment ago. "Looks like you finally stopped touching your boobs in the morning." Yotsuha commented in a sarcastic tone and with a deadpan expression. "Come on, breakfast is ready." With that she slid the door to her sister's room shut. Mitsuha continued to stare the the door with a glower scowl across her face. Judging from her sister's comment, it had sounded as if Taki had made a habit of touching her breasts whenever he would awake in her body. She would have to make a mental to note to get him back for that. Yet she could not help but feel melancholic.

It had been over a week since they had last swapped bodies, and it was now starting to set in that the phenomena had ended. Never again would she inhabit Taki's body and live his life, going to his school, enjoying time with his friends, and working at the Italian restaurant with Okudera. Nor would he ever posses her body and live her life as the tomboy Mitsuha that had boosted her acceptance at school. Instead she would return to her life before the entire ordeal. She was now confined to the life of a girl living in the rural countryside. Her duties as a shrine maiden would likely keep her tied to the town for the remainder of her life while she yearned for the city life. Mitsuha let out a sigh as the realization of her reality was setting in. She stood up from her futon and changed into her school uniform. Mitsuha then came downstairs dressed in that blue pleated short skirt and white button up shirt with a red ascot. Her younger sister and grandmother were already at the table and indulged in their meal.

"You're finally up." Mitsuha's grandmother Hitoha remarked. "You had better eat up before school." Mitsuha knelt down at the table directly across from her grandmother as Yotsuha sat on the side between them. Mitsuha helped herself to a portion of rice and tamagoyaki as the news played on the TV behind her. Hitoha seemed to always have the news playing when they got up in the morning. They would listen to stories that came in from places far and away from the mountainside town of Itomori. Sometimes it would be about the the exposure of a corrupted official in some city, other times it would be about conflict in the middle east, or something about the conflicting politics of the states. Lately the biggest news was about the approaching comet Tiamat that passed by the Earth once ever 1,200 years. The comet would be visible to the naked eye for the rest of the week, but Friday was when it would reach its perigee and pass closest to Earth. It was an event the world over was excited to see as everyone felt lucky to witness such a rare cosmic event. The woman newscaster was speaking about the comet at Mitsuha dug into her breakfast. She was reminding the listeners that on that coming Friday the comet would pass closest to Earth and will be a spectacle truly worth beholding. For the Miyamizu household along with the rest of the village it was not the only important event of the week.

"You know, the fall festival will be held on Friday as well." Hitoha reminded her two grandchildren. "Will you two be going this year?"

"Of course!" Yotsuha declared enthusiastically. "I love going to the fall festival every year. It's always so much fun."

"What about you Mitsuha?" Hitoha asked her eldest granddaughter.

"...Oh..." Her response was delayed and her voice was low. "Yeah, it sounds like fun." Mitsuha went on to finish her meal while her elder picked up on what her sister could not. After they had finished breakfast the two sisters headed off the school, saying goodbye in unison before departing. Hitoha watched them leave and head down the path to school. Her focus was more on Mitsuha who seemed to be more like herself once more, and though she would say nothing Hitoha was fairly certain she knew what was going on. That Mitsuha's dream had come to an end.

Yotsuha took a different path than her sister as she was still in elementary school. Mitsuha headed for the high school that was a farther walk and located on the very edge of town. Mitsuha was left to her thoughts once more as she trekked on alone. The end of her body-swapping ventures still weighed heavy on her mind, along with the well being of Taki. She wasn't even sure of what she would say their relationship was. They had inhabited each other's bodies, swapping lives and even aiding each other in the other's life. They had their fights and their arguments, but they still had lived each other's life in an experience that would never be shared with anyone else. She was not sure if she could say they were friends, but she thought that if she ever met Taki she would certainly treat him as such.

Mitsuha hoped he would do the same, and her mind then wandered to what his life was like that their shared experience was over. He was back to his everyday life in Tokyo with his friends and job at the Italian restaurant. She envied him that he was at least able to live his life in Tokyo with far more luxuries and future options available to him. She was sure he would enjoy himself and spend time with his friends as well as Okudera. She wondered if he had many any progress of his own over the last few weeks, as she was the one who had really helped when they were still switching bodies. Mitsuha pondered for what reason that had come to a stop. Perhaps the comet was some sort of interference from a cosmic signal or something. To be perfectly honest she had no idea what had even started it. Her mind wandered and she began to fear that something bad had happened to Taki and that was the reason why they had stopped switching places.

Mitsuha shook her head and chalked that thought up to mere paranoia. Whatever had caused their body swapping to start had left just quickly as it had arrived, but the effects it had were resounding. Though they may never again inhabit each other's bodies they would always carry with them the memories of what had happened. An unprecedented and unexplained event that had two people who had never met before suddenly end up switching places and living each others' lives. During that time Taki had helped her and she had helped him. She was no longer teased in school and he was now closer to his crush. A hollow smile came to Mitsuha's face. "I'm happy for them." She muttered under her breath in a tone equally as weak.

"Hey, Mitsuha!" A voice called out. Mitsuha turned and looked behind her, up the hill that she had been walking down without even noticing how much progress she had made. Her two friends Sayaka and Tessie came riding down the hill, both sharing Tessie's bike. The brunette girl was holding onto the bulkier Tessie as he let momentum carry the two of them. They came to a stop beside her and greeted her with friendly smiles.

"Good morning Sayaka, Tessie." Mitsuha greeted them as her thoughts left her. "You seem cheerier than normal today." Mitsuha noticed as her friend Sayaka appeared to be on the edge of bursting with excitement.

"Sure am, you know what's this week right?" Sayaka asked as she leaned over towards Mitsuha, her arms still grabbing onto Tessie's firm shoulders.

"The fall festival right?" Mitsuha assumed.

"Not only that, but it's also when the comet is going to reach its perigee and pass closest to earth!" Sayaka exclaimed. "What a rare once in a lifetime opportunity. You are going aren't you Mitsuha?"

"Yeah."

"Great!" Sayaka departed from her position on the back of Tessie's bike. "We'll all go together then and watch the comet when it passes. It'll be so fun, there will be game and festival foods!"

"It's just gonna be the same fall festival as every year." Tessie was quite blasé about the situation. "But I am looking forward to watching the comet pass." A smile came to his face. "No one's gonna see that again for over a thousand years."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. We see the festival every year." Sayaka agreed.

"I'm sure it'll be the same next year again." Mitsuha chimed in. "Nothing ever changes around here." In fact all three of them were tired of their country life. Mitsuha and Sayaka yearned for the active and convenient life of the city. Tessie too was unhappy with his life, being dragged into contract alongside his father without his own say in the matter. However, Tessie was not tired of Itomori like his friends. He could live the rest of his life just fine in the small town if only he were free to choose his own path in life. But it would seem fate had other plans in store for him. Mitsuha could relate, as her duty as a shrine maiden would tie her to Itomori for the rest of her life as well. Both of them were unable to escape their humdrum lives and already knew what would lie ahead for them in the small town. Mitsuha wished for an end to the stagnation, yet she was thankful to have her two close friends. The three of them further discussed their plans for the coming fall festival as they made their way to school that Monday morning.

Mitsuha sat at her desk in the corner of the room near the back and alongside the windows. She stared longingly out the window and towards Lake Itomori. It was a view that too was unchanging. In fact over the past year the only thing she felt that had really changed was her status among her classmates. That was entirely Taki's doing however, as otherwise she would still be looked down upon by others. Mitsuha lacked the bravery to stand up for herself and she knew it. Taki was different however, he did stand up for her as her. Through him her fellow classmates had begun to respect her while remaining entirely unaware than a boy from Tokyo was the one in control of her body. She was quite grateful to him for that and in turn she helped him as best she could. Mitsuha had used her feminine personality in order to gain the affection of Taki's crush Okudera. Through her the two of them had grown closer and Mitsuha was sure that Okudera was starting to have feelings for Taki as well. She knew they were getting close, and that thought made her feel despondent.

She was not sure why but it brought pain upon her to think about Taki and Okudera getting together. She knew that is what he wanted and he would be happy, yet it had quite the opposite result on her. Mitsuha began to contemplate taking a train one day and going to visit him in Tokyo. While she had used his phone many times she had never bothered to learn his number, nor had she left her number in his phone. She would have no way to contact him and thus her only plan would be to search at the routes and locations she knew him to frequent. If they met it would be either sheer luck or fate. Yet she still wished to go to Tokyo just for a day and see him. She began to wonder if she would be a bother simply showing up unannounced, and what would he think of meeting her in person? Before she could plan her trip out any further her teacher entered the room. The older woman with chin length russet brown hair and similarly colored eyes made her way to the desk in the front of the class. The entire class went through the morning ritual of "stand, bow, sit." before the teacher took her place front and center.

"Good morning everyone, I have some news for you all." Miss Yukino announced to her class. "We have a new student joining us today." Murmurs arose from the students as this bit of information was brought to their attention. Itomori was a small town and it was exceedingly rare for a new student to be added to their class. What made it even more odd was the timing. It was already late in the school year and finals would coming up in the new couple of months. Whoever this new student was they had certainly chosen a poor time to switch schools. "Why don't you come in and introduce yourself?" Miss Yukino turned to the door and cordially invited the new student in. The door to the class slid open once more and the new student entered, making their presence known to the entirety of the class.

At that moment Mitsuha dropped two things. The first was her jaw, as she stared with a stupefied expression. The second was her pencil that slid from between her fingers and clattered faintly onto the floor below. Her eyes were fixated on the familiar boy with short brown hair and sky blue eyes that was now standing in front of the class. "Hello, my name is Tachibana Taki." He introduced himself to the class with unwavering confidence. " I just recently moved from Tokyo. Nice to meet all of you." He bowed respectfully while a few of his new classmates made comments in the excitement of having a student from the city.

"Thank you Tachibana, there's a seat for you over by the windows." Miss Yukino informed him. Mitsuha straightened her composure as she realized that empty seat was directly in front of her. Her brown eyes, still wide with astonishment, were kept locked on Taki as he made his was down the aisle and took his seat directly in front. Taki casually placed his backpack on the floor beside his desk while paying no mind to the girl behind him. Mitsuha's mind may as well have shut down as the utter shock of it all ran its course. Why was Taki now a student in her class? Why had he moved from the city to her small town a few prefectures away?

So many questions ran through her mind as she tried to make sense of her reality. Her dream was now her reality as the boy she had been trading lives with was now sitting in the seat in front of her. He did not once turn back and say hello to her or anything of the sort. Instead Taki focused on the subjects like any other student. Something Mitsuha may as well have been neglecting as her focus was withdrawn. Instead she was trying to think of something, anything to say to Taki. While she paid attention to the lecture as best as she could, she was more fixated on what she would say to Taki when she got the chance.

Eventually the bell rang and the current lesson was cut short as the students were let out for lunch. Familiar faces began to group together and some headed elsewhere to eat lunch. Taki packed up his things, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and departed from the classroom. Mitsuha hurriedly gathered her own things and went after him. Sayaka gave her a confused look as to her Mitsuha was simply rushing out of the classroom. She did not even notice her friend was going after their new student. Once she had passed through the open door Mitsuha looked both ways and caught of glimpse of him turning the corner. She chased after him as fast as she could without making too much of a scene, and she snapped around the corner. She saw him walking down that corridor without another soul in sight and she knew that it was her moment.

"Taki-kun!" She called out his name and he stopped in his tracks. Taki turned and faced her with plain expression as she stood mere feet from him. "It's me!" She introduced herself with a nervous smile that was followed by a short pause. "You do remember me don't you?" She asked anxiously. Taki's own lips curved into a warm and affectionate smile.

"It's nice to finally meet you Mitsuha." He greeted her warmly. Mitsuha's nervousness faded and was quickly replaced with bliss.

"Nice to meet you too Taki-kun." Mitsuha rushed him and pulled him into a longing embrace. Taki was surprised with Mitsuha's forwardness, as was Mitsuha herself. She held onto him for a few brief moments before loosening her grip, though she kept her hands placed on his arms. "What are you doing here? I thought you'd still be living in Tokyo."

"My father ended up having to move out of the country for awhile, his job is making him take an extended stay." Taki explained. "I decided that since he's going to be away I should find a cheaper place to live. I did some searching and well, here I am." He sounded as if he were being put on trial, though still sincere. "I'm sorry for not saying anything to you earlier, but I didn't want to end up embarrassing us both."

"But aren't you going to miss your friends and Okudera-senpai?" Mitsuha asked worriedly.

"Yeah, I am." He admitted. "But I don't mind that much, i'll be fine." He quickly regained his usual bravado.

"You know you really helped me out more than you might think." Mitsuha admitted as she left go her grip on his and her head lowered. "Ever since you started inhabiting my body things have been far easier on me here. I want to thank you for that, it really means a lot." Her voice sounded weakened but the sincerity was still plain to see. "I was actually wondering how you were doing ever since we stopped switching bodies."

"Actually, I was wondering the same thing." Taki grinned as he reciprocated the feeling. "I was hoping you were doing ok on your own. After all I was the popular one who got love letters from boys and girls." He spuriously bragged, which caused Mitsuha to chuckle.

"You sound like you were having fun with it." Mitsuha commented. "Though I did have fun going to the cafe with your friends."

"Yeah, every time we switched I could count on a new photo of some dessert to appear on my phone." Taki remarked jokingly. "Looking back though those really were fun times, us switching bodies every now and then."

"It was scary at first, but I agree it was nice to see what someone else's life was like and I really enjoyed getting to see the city." Mitsuha admitted. "By the way Taki-kun..." She looked back up at him with a stern expression. "Did you touch my chest?"

Taki recoiled a bit as she caught him off guard with that question. "Wh-what makes you say that?" He asked bashfully as he face turned a shade of crimson.

"Yotsuha said she saw it, and it sounded like it was more than once." Mitsuha told him, keeping her solemn expression. Taki stared back nervously for a few moments before clasping his hands together and bowing.

"I'm sorry." He blurted out his apology as kept that position with his hands together, his back bent, and his head lowered. Mitsuha stood there with her arms crossed and a pouted look upon her face as she considered Taki's apologetic gesture and words.

"I guess I can forgive you." She decided as she remained frowning and her with crossed arms. Taki let out a sigh of relief and he raised head to smile at her. That small gesture melted Mitsuha's composure and warmed her at the core of her being. "Taki-kun, would you like to eat lunch with us?" Mitsuha's invitation was accompanied with a grin, and Taki could sense the tension had faded. "You remember Sayaka and Tessie right? I think I should officially introduce you to them."

"Sure, that sounds great Mitsuha." Taki accepted her proposal and followed her down the hall. The two teenagers both felt a sense of joy and rejuvenation as they were finally united. The unusual circumstance that had joined them had ended. The distance between them was now gone, and from there on out they would both begin to live life beside one another.

Tessie and Sayaka were already indulging in their lunches under the shade of a tree. It was the same spot where they would gather for lunch every day, yet there was currently only the two of them instead of three. The air outside was warm and still held with it the fading days of summer. Soon fall would arrive and everything would become cool and crisp. The leaves had already begun to change color and few shades of green yet lingered. Come Friday all the students would be required to wear their winter uniforms for the remainder of the year. Yet that group of friends would likely still eat lunch outside in the same spot, weather permitting.

"So how's work going?" Sayaka began a conversation as she and Tessie sat there eating their lunch and waiting on Mitsuha.

"Alright I guess." Tessie told her as he took another bit of his lunch and glanced over at her. "The old man is still teaching me how to use explosives, but besides that it's nothing special."

"Just be careful not to blow your own hand off." Sayaka jested.

"What do you think I am, some kind of moron?" Tessie retorted.

"Geez, I didn't mean it like that." Sayaka pouted.

"Sorry i'm late." Mitsuha apologized as she rendezvoused with her friends.

"It's no problem Mitsu-" Sayaka stopped mid sentence when she noticed that there was another figure following behind Mitsuha. Tessie too looked at their friend curiously.

"I hope you guys don't mind but I invited the new student to eat lunch with us." Mitsuha told them.

"Oh, it's no problem at all." Sayaka responded with a welcoming grin.

"Yeah, you're welcome to eat with us." Tessie invited him.

"Thank you very much." Taki showed his gratitude towards their kindness. Mitsuha sat down on the grass within the shade and Taki let his bag down and sat next to her. He produced a bento from within his backpack while Mitsuha retrieved her own lunch from her bag. The two of them joined their friends for lunch as the group grew in size.

"Tachibana, right?" Tessie asked. "You said you just moved here from Tokyo?" Taki confirmed what he was remembering with a nod. "That certainly sounds like it was exciting."

"I guess, though to be honest i've lived there for so long it never really felt like anything special." Taki admitted.

"Oh don't be so modest." Sayaka told him with earnest in her voice. "Tell us, what was it like in Tokyo? Do you miss it?"

"Well it was always really busy." Taki began. "In fact I don't think the city ever really stopped moving, there was always someone who had to be somewhere. Once you learn the train schedules it's pretty easy to get around though. But the one thing hated about the city was how crowded it was. Out here everything is much more open and I feel like I have room to breathe."

"Really? I mean there's not much to actually do here." Sayaka told him.

"Yeah, city life was certainly more convenient. You could find almost anything in the city, movie theaters, karaoke, managa, and food from anywhere in the world. I actually used to work at an Italian restaurant back in Tokyo." Taki told them.

"Really? What was it like?" Tessie asked.

"Well I worked as waiter, they even had us wear these barista-like uniforms. But it honestly wasn't that bad, even if it got a little hectic sometimes."

"You really didn't mind it?" Mitsuha asked him warily.

"Not at all." Taki replied with a smile.

"Well I guess you must have gotten used to it eventually, but if you ask me you worked way too many hours." Mitsuha told him as if she were a concerned mother. Sayaka and Tessie exchanged glances before looking back at Taki and Mitsuha with suspicion.

"Hold on, do you two know each other?" Tessie conjectured.

Mitsuha appeared nervous as she came to realize her blunder. How on earth was she supposed to explain how she and Taki had met before? Mitsuha knew she could not tell the the truth, or else she was liable to end up in a straitjacket and confined to a mental ward. Mitsuha's mind scrambled to find a quick answer. She looked over to Taki who had a much more calm and collected expression. "Actually, Mitsuha and I were online friends for awhile. I kind of just happened to move to the same town as her." Taki explained to them. Mitsuha breathed a sigh of relief as the anxiety left her.

"Online friends? Seriously" Tessie replied with a wide eyed look of surprise.

"Wow, talk about coincidence." Sayaka commented with enthusiasm. "It must be fate!"

"No, I don't think so. I don't believe in fate or destiny." Taki told her. "I mean sure it is lucky that I just happened to move to the same town as her, but I don't think it was fate. People are free to choose their own futures and take charge of their life. The only ones bound by fate are those that resign themselves to it." There was a brief pause of tension. "Ah, I apologize for rambling."

"Don't worry about it, that's just a man's pride talking." Tessie reassured him.

"Anyway, could I ask to borrow notes from you guys? I have a lot of catching up to do." Taki asked them.

"Sure, you can copy from mine if you want." Mitsuha offered.

"Thanks Mitsuha." Taki showed his gratitude and the two of them exchanged friendly smiles. The group of four continued to eat their lunches and talk under the shade of a tree on that day in the twilight of summer. Taki told them more about his life in Tokyo and his new friends filled him in about Itomori, though it was superficial. Taki already had plenty of experience with the town and could easily find his way around, but he could not let them become aware of that. Time seemed to simply fly by and before they knew it the bell had rung again, signaling for all students to return to their classes. Taki, Mitsuha, Sayaka, and Tessie packed up their things, placed their empty bentos back in the backpacks, and returned to finish their classes.

Classes too seemed to fly by that day. It seemed almost too soon when the bell rang once more, dismissing classes for the day. Miss Yukino promptly reminded her students of their homework assignments before dismissing them. Near instantly students began to rise from their seats and depart from class. Many made haste for the doors to return home as quick as possible. Many others met up with friends and familiar faces they walked home with, while all the rest would stay behind for either club activities or cleaning duties. As Taki packed up his bag and prepared to leave he was approached from behind by Mitsuha. "Taki-kun, would you like to walk home with us?" She offered politely. "Sayaka, Tessie, and I always walk home together and I thought you should join us."

"Sure." Taki answered as she stood up and slung the pack over his shoulder, offering Mitsuha a warm smile. "Thanks for inviting me along with you guys."

"It's no problem." Mitsuha told him as she began to exit the classroom. Taki followed closely behind her, and they found Sayaka and Tessie wating out in the hall a short distance away. Sayaka waved to signal the other two. "It's no problem. I'd like to think they were already your friends too." Mitsuha continued as they made their way down the hall towards Tessie and Sayaka.

"Hey." Tessie greeted them. "You walking home with us Tachibana?" He asked.

"Yeah." Taki nodded. "I hope that's alright."

"It's no problem at all." Tessie reassured him. They headed downstairs and exited the school building. The sun was already beginning to descend and soon the vibrant blue sky would turn shades of orange, yellow, and pink. Droves of students were exiting the building to return home or hang out with their friends for some time. Tessie went and retrieved his bike from the rack before they began to head home. He unlocked the contraption keeping the bike in place and retrieved his bike, keeping it at his side as he walked home along with his three friends.

It was somewhat of a walk from the school back to town. From its place overlooking the lake the school was a short distance away but it was not a quick walk. It would take a few minutes for them just to reach town, not to mention when they would split to their own homes for the evening. The air outside had cooled off slightly since lunch, though it was not much of a noticeable difference. A light breeze passed over before fading and allowing the air to remain still once more.

"So how was your first day?" Mitsuha turned and asked Taki.

"Not too bad, it could have been worse." He replied. "Though it's going to suck having to catch up to everyone else."

"Yeah, you sure picked a poor time to transfer schools." Tessie reminded him with a jesting grin.

"It wasn't really my choice. My dad had to go away for awhile because of work and it's expensive to live in the city." Taki moaned.

"Don't worry, we'll help you catch up Taki-kun." Mitsuha reassured him.

"Thanks, I appreciate it."

They soon approached the town of Itomori. Small and humble it sat idly by the lake. Itomori was a small and unassuming place, just a normal small town surrounded by mountains in Japan's Gifu Prefecture. Over five-hundred people called it home and now that number had increased by one. The sky had started to change colors by the time they reached the town. The sun was descending rapidly and soon it would disappeared behind the mountains. One of the downsides of the small town was its short daylight hours that many had simply become accustomed to. Not long after reaching town Taki broke from the group and turned himself to go down a small road on their right.

"I live down this way." He pointed down the street. "So i'll see you guys tomorrow."

"Alright, see you tomorrow!" Sayaka waved goodbye. "It was nice to meet you Tachibana-san."

"Later." Tessie gestured a goodbye with his simpler farewell.

"Hey, you should walk to school with us in the morning too." Mitsuha called out one last invitation to him..

"Got it, tomorrow morning then." Taki shouted his response back as he walked backward, continuing down that road. Mitsuha watched as he turned around and then took another right down another road and disappeared from sight. Sayaka came up on Mitsuha from behind and placed an arm around her shoulder. Sayaka pulled her in close and Mitsuha took notice of her friend's sinister grin.

"Mitsuha, you never told us." Sayaka sounded as if she were some villain who had just cornered the protagonist.

"What do you mean?" Mitsuha asked surprised.

"Oh come on, you like Tachibana-san. I can tell." Sayaka teased and Mitsuha's face turned a bright shade of red.

"Huh, really?" Tessie asked.

"Of course, I can tell this kind of thing with other girls." Sayaka told him. "From the way you were acting around him it was pretty easy to pick up on."

"I-I do not like him!" Mitsuha protested.

"Oh, so you wouldn't mind if someone else asked him out?" Sayaka's super-villain persona seemed to reemerge. Mitsuha gasped in shock and avoided looking her friend in the eye.

"Well... I..." The words she wanted to say escaped her. She was unable to put up a front as the thought of Taki dating another girl brought sorrow to her.

"That's what I thought." Sayaka gloated as she released her grip on Mitsuha. "You should ask him to go to the fall festival with you, Mitsuha. It'd be the perfect first date."

"You think?" Mitsuha asked nervously. "Do you think he'd say yes?"

"I think you should just be honest and tell him how you feel." Tessie injected his own thought. "He'll probably prefer if you're up front with him."

"Ah, what do you know?" Sayaka retorted. "It's not like you've ever had a girlfriend."

"You've never had a boyfriend either." Tessie reminded her with a deadpan tone.

The two of them continued to argue back and forth. Mitsuha shook her head as she watched their childish bickering. Neither of them even noticed when Mitsuha left them and head for home on her own. Quite some time had passed before they even noticed, and the two of them both turned a deep shade of red from the embarrassment of their actions. Nonetheless, Sayka and Tessie both ended up walking home together.

Taki spat into the sink one final time as he finished brushing his teeth. It was late at night now, and he was ready to tuck himself in for the night. His first day in Itomori had been fairly exciting, meeting with Mitsuha and being officially introduced to her friends. Of course he was already more than familiar with them, but not vice versa. Taki could almost chuckle at the situation... almost. He made his way over to the futon placed against the center of one wall with the door to his room off to the right side of that wall. He got under the sheets and was ready to lie down when he heard a rapping at his window. Taki turned to look and when he saw he stared solemnly at the crow perched just outside his window.