Miyamizu Hitoha stepped into the dining room that Wednesday morning to find her eldest granddaughter Mitsuha was already awake and making breakfast. Hitoha looked surprised to see Mitsuha, who was usually a late sleeper, already up and active no less. "You're up earlier than usual." She commented, grabbing the attention of her granddaughter.
"Good morning oba-chan." Mitsuha cheerily greeted her grandmother. Hitoha was again surprised to see Mitsuha's unusually chipper mood. A couple days earlier it was apparent something was troubling the young girl. Today however, it was almost as if she were an entirely different person again. Hitoha made her way to the table and sat on a cushion, joining Yotsuha who had already been sitting there with her handheld game console. "You seems like you're in a good mood." Hitoha remarked.
"She's been like this all morning." Yotsuha replied. "I have no idea what's gotten into her."
"Well I'm glad to see you're so happy." Hitoha bolstered her granddaughter's mood with a smile. Mitsuha approached the table carrying a tray of the food she had made. She placed the tray down in the center of the table, and the scent of grilled salmon, steamed rice, and pickled vegetables filled the air. The television behind them continued to play and provide background noise. Mitsuha took a seat across from her grandmother before.
"Itadakimasu!" Yotusha exclaimed before they began their meal, each helping themselves to generous portions.
"By the way, I'm going to a friend's house after school to help them study so I won't be home until tonight." Mitsuha informed her sister and grandmother.
"Oh, is it Natori-san or Teshigawara-san?" Her grandmother asked.
"Actually, it's neither of them." Mitsuha began to appear nervous as she admitted the truth. "There's this new student who just transferred to our class, and well I agreed to help him catch up with his work." Yotsuha and Hitoha both stared at her with mild confusion.
"So you're going to a boy's house after school?" Yotusha asked to clarify. "Well that explains the way she's been acting."
"Ah, well… I mean I am but I'm just helping him study." She admitted bashfully.
"That's fine dear." Hitoha allowed. "Just don't be out too late."
"I won't." Mitsuha promised with a grin of relief. They continued their breakfast and before long the two sisters were on their way out, headed for school. They both bid their grandmother farewell before departing for school. It was even cooler outside than the day prior, and both girls wore jackets to school for the first time of that fall season. Mitsuha was dressed in a light zip-up jacket with a pattern of pink and light purple stripes. She and Yotusha said their goodbyes to one another before separating and heading to different schools.
Mitsuha headed down the familiar hill on the path she walked to school. It was a familiar sight most days, but today was an exception. Standing there at the foot of the hill was Taki, wearing a black hooded jacket with patches of grey on the arms, over his school uniform. His sky blue eyes gleamed as he greeted her with a smile and a wave. Mitsuha smiled back at him warmly. "Good morning Taki-kun." She greeted him.
"Good morning Mitsuha." He replied quite jovially as she approached. "I got up earlier so I could come and meet you on the way to school today."
"Oh, you didn't have to do that." Mitsuha told him. "But, thank you."
"It's no problem. Besides, I wanted to do this."
Mitusha was now beside him and she felt him brush her hand. She glanced down to see his hand open and waiting to receive hers. She then glanced up at him and she could practically feel his smile begin to melt her. She took his hand and their fingers intertwined as both Taki and Mitsuha smiled at one another. They proceeded to walk together as they felt the warmth of each other's hand contrast the cool air. Both of them were silent as they headed onward, simply enjoying the other's company and the simple gesture of their newfound relationship.
"Hey you guys!" Sayaka's voice cut through the silence. Taki and Mitsuha stopped and turned their heads to look back as the sound of a bike chain drew ever closer. Tessie pulled on the brakes to his bike and came to a stop just beside Taki and Mitsuha. "Are you two holding hands? Does that mean you're going out? Come on, give me the details!" Her questions seemed to fire out of her as if she were a machine gun.
"Y-yeah, I asked him out yesterday after school and he said yes." Mitsuha managed to answer after being thrown off by Sayaka's rapid questioning.
"Good for you guys." Tessie congratulated them.
"Yeah, nice to see it all worked out." Sayaka agreed as she dismounted Tessie's bike. "Hey, after school how about we all go to our spot at the little café we made? Tachibana hasn't seen it yet has he?" She suggested as they pressed onward towards school.
"You made a café?" Taki asked and Mitsuha had to hold back her laughter at the irony of the situation. After all, he was the one who had planned the whole thing and helped built their spot.
"Well it's not really a café, we sort of just built a wooden table by a vending machine." Sayaka admitted bashfully.
"Sorry Sayaka, but Taki-kun already invited me to his house after school to help him catch up with his studying." Mitsuha replied.
"Oh, you're going to meet his parents already?" Sayaka asked.
"Actually, the truth is I usually live with my dad, but he's on an extended stay in another country for work. So currently I live alone." Taki informed her.
Tessie and Sayaka suddenly began to look concerned. "Wait, so you're both going to be alone at his house?" She reiterated.
"Don't you think you might be moving a little fast for that?" Tessie asked.
"You're not implying what I think you're implying are you?" Mitsuha questioned him with a scowl.
"Well you are two are a couple of teenage kids who just hooked up, and now you're going to be all alone at his house for a few hours. What am I supposed to think?" He responded with a smirk.
"It's not like that!" Taki quickly retorted. "I asked her to help me study, and that's it."
Sayaka giggled. "You two really are cute." She teased, causing her two friends two blush. "By the way, we should probably head this way to school." She had pointed down the street which Taki had always gone down after school. "Your dad is doing a campaign speech on our usual path again. I don't think you want him to see you holding hands with your boyfriend."
"Agreed, thanks for the warning." Mitsuha responded as their group turned and took a longer path to school.
"I guess you can tell this already Tachibana, but Mitsuha doesn't exactly get along with her dad." Sayaka told him.
"Yeah, I kind of got that." He replied with a nervous grin. In fact he had already known that long ago, yet again they were both entirely unaware of the situation. Taki knew for sure there were still plenty of things he had yet to "learn" about Mitsuha and Itomori.
Despite taking a voluntary detour, they still arrived at school in good time. Once they were on the premise Mitsuha released Taki's hand and told him she did not want them to be seen by the other students. After all, it was he who had worked so hard to end the harassment she had been receiving in school. Taki understood and they walked to class appearing as a normal group of friends.
The school proceeded like any other. The students went through the morning ritual and Miss Yukino lectured them on their few courses before lunch. Their group ate under the same tree as always with Taki and Mitsuha sitting noticeably closer, though it was only by their two friends. The bell rang and they headed off the gym class for a period before returning to the classroom. Miss Yukino finished the final courses for the day just as any other day.
Eventually the sound of the bell came and released the student from their confinement. Miss Yukino reminded her class of their homework assignments before they began to stand up and depart in droves. Taki and Mitsuha left together, joining their friends Tessie and Sayaka out in the hall. They made a quick stop at the bike rake just outside the school so Tessie could grab his bike before they headed home. They headed back towards town as the sun began to sink in the painted sky. Eventually they reached the point where Taki had to depart and head on towards his house with Mitsuha tagging along that day. The two of them waved goodbye to their friends before departing. Tessie offered Sayaka and ride home and she joined him on the bike. He began pedaling and heading off to her house to drop her off.
Taki led Mitsuha down that street and onto the road it connected which Taki's house was located. He led her to a small unassuming home with a decent view of the lake. It was a rather undersized gray building that seemed more like an exaggerated room than an actual house. However, considering it had only one occupant it served its purpose well. Taki unlocked the front door to the house and flicked the lights on. Mitsuha stepped followed him inside as he took off his shoes. She followed suit and entered Taki's house.
They entered into main room of the house, which was a combination of the kitchen and a main living room. There was a square table placed in the center of the living room, and across from that was a tiny kitchen area. A single row of cabinets with an electric stove, standard white refrigerator, and a microwave placed in a location made for it in the upper cabinets. The walls were painted a shade of forest green and the entire space had a finished dark wooden floor.
"Come on in, make yourself at home." Taki invited her.
As she entered his home Mitsuha looked to her right towards the low traditional dining table and kitchen. There was a room in the corner next to the kitchen towards the front of the house. A wall extended pas the kitchen and then extended down towards the front side of the house. There were two doors on this wall, presumably a bedroom and a bathroom. Mitsuha made her way to the table and sat down on a cushion, placing her bag beside her. Taki took a seat next to her and placed his backpack on the table.
"Thanks for coming over to do this." Taki showed his gratitude.
"It's no problem." Mitsuha responded cheerfully. "So what subjects did you need help with?"
"Well I was ahead of your class with math, so I'm fine there. The other subjects not so much." He opened his bag and reached inside. "I've been managing to catch up with Japanese History, but you guys are on an entirely different part of literature. So I need the most help there."
"Oh, we just started doing ancient literature. Yukino-sensei says it's going to be the last section of the course." Mitsuha rummaged around in her own bag for the corresponding materials. "We're starting all the way at the beginning with The Epic of Gilgamesh." She placed on the table one small hardcover grey book. Both the front and the back were entirely blank, and the title instead rested on the side of the binding. "You have this book, right?"
"Yeah." Taki replied.
He grabbed the same book and pushed his other class materials aside. They both opened their books and flipped through the first few introduction pages until they reached the first page of the story.
"Yukino-sensei told us this is believed to be the oldest known work of literature." Mitsuha began. "So far we're about halfway done with it. The story begins by telling how the gods created Gilgamesh, whom they gave strength, beauty, and courage, and made him two-thirds man and one-third god. He created the city of Uruk and ruled over its people. But Gilgamesh was a tyrannical leader, and the people of Uruk prayed to the gods. The goddess Aruru created Enkidu, one to rival Gilgamesh, from a piece of clay. Enkidu roamed the hills as a wild man until he was taken in by a young trapper and his father. The two men brought a harlot back from the city of Uruk to show Enkidu the embrace of a woman."
She failed to notice his face turning red.
"Enkidu became civilized and headed for Uruk to challenge Gilgamesh and declare himself the strongest. Gilgamesh had dreams foretelling of this encounter and before long the two had their fated duel. It was a fierce battle, but in the end Gilgamesh proved himself the stronger of the two. After his defeat, Enkidu acknowledged Gilgamesh's strength and the two become friends."
"So they met after Gilgamesh had a dream about him?" Taki asked. "Now why does that sound so familiar?" He grinned and Mitsuha chuckled.
"So after they become friends Gilgamesh decides he must do something worthy of having his name remembered for all time. He decided the two of them should venture to the Cedar Forest and slay the monstrous giant Humbaba. Gilgamesh seeks advice from his mother, the wise goddess Ninsun. Ninsun appeals to the god Shamash to protect them on their quest, and she adopts Enkidu as her son. Gilgamesh sees his people off and they depart on their journey to the Cedar Forest. Gilgamesh has terrible dreams of chaos and destruction which worry him. Enkidu manages to encourage him and they reach their destination. Gilgamesh cuts down one of the cedar trees and attracts the attention of Humbaba. They are both frightened by him, but with a few words of encouragement they take him on. With the aid of Shamash they are able to restrain and defeat Humbaba. He pleads with Gilgamesh to spare his life, but Enkidu warns that Humbaba is lying. Gilgamesh kills Humbaba, and they cut down many of the trees to bring the lumber back to Uruk."
Mitsuha let out a sigh once she was finished. "That's pretty much what we've covered up until now."
"Wow that sounds like a lot for such a small book." Taki commented.
"Yeah, I think it's pretty interesting how old this story is." Mitsuha responded. "Anyway, you should also have the questions to go along with the book." She rummaged through her things once more and produced a one-sided sheet of corresponding questions.
"Yeah, I have it." Taki went through his own belongings and retrieved the same sheet. Mitsuha began to go through the questions with him, explaining them to him one by one and sharing her own answers. She made sure to explain each and every question to him, yet still allowed him to copy her answers just to help him get his work done faster. As they studied diligently they made small talk about the subject, about the school, and how it compared to the one in Tokyo.
While in each other's company time seemed to slip away so easily. Hours had seemed to pass by quicker than they had realized, and the moon had already risen above the mountains to reflect the sun. Mitsuha had managed to help Taki catch up with his literature work, yet they had spent too much time making idle chat and ended up procrastinating.
"Thanks for the help Mitsuha." Taki thanked her as he put his school materials away in his backpack. "Sorry that took so long, is your grandmother expecting you home soon?"
"I only told her I'd be home tonight." She answered. "I think as long as it's a reasonable time she won't mind."
"Alright then, how about I make dinner for us?" He offered.
"Are you sure? I don't want to be a burden."
"Don't worry, it's the least I can do to thank you." He cheerfully reassured her. "In fact since I'm ahead of you in math how about next time I help you with your math?"
Mitsuha smiled blissfully. "You really are too kind Taki-kun." Taki made his way to the kitchen to prepare dinner.
"How does sukiyaki sound?" He asked from the kitchen.
"Whatever you make is fine by me." She replied.
"Then could you do me a favor Mitsuha?" Taki asked as he went into his cupboards and began to search for the cookware he needed. "Could you take my bag into my room?"
"Of course." Mitsuha grabbed his bag and picked it up. "You don't mind if I go in your room?"
"Not at all." He answered as he placed a pan on the stove. "It's the door on the right." Mitusha made her way across the room and headed towards the bedroom. She opened the door to his room and stepped inside. The walls of Taki's room were painted to match the main living room. There was a dresser in front of Mitsuha and to her left as she entered the room. To her right Taki had a futon still on the floor and pressed against the wall behind her. His sheets were a mess and it appeared that he had no intention of making it after he had gotten up. She had known him to be rather organized, yet the state of his futon seemed to dissent from that. In the far corner opposite the door there was desk with a gray lamp. There rested Taki's laptop, a small cup like container of pencils, and Taki's notebook.
The air in the room was ripe with the scent of teenage boy, yet Mitsuha did not seem to mind. Perhaps it was because to her it smelled just like Taki. When she was in his body she quickly became used to it, and now as herself she began to enjoy it. She placed his things down beside his dresser, right between it and the sliding door to his closet. She took another look around the room, shocked by the contrast between his current room and the one he had in Tokyo. As she began to leave something caught her eye.
She glanced down at his dresser and the items placed across the top. There were a few items scattered across it, a phone charger, an old mp3 player that seemed outdated, a small clock, and a small closed black box. But one thing tucked away in the back corner caught her attention. It was a braided cord. Red around each end and closer to the middle it became orange and yellow. In the center there was a white stripe surrounded by a light blue stripe on either side. It was exactly identical to the one she wore in her hair. Mitsuha picked up the cord and gave it a quizzical look.
Something felt entirely off to her. The very existence of the cord now in her hands seemed to shake her, yet she hadn't the faintest idea why. She placed it back where she found it and decided to question its owner. Mitsuha exited Taki's room and could hear the click as the burner turned on. She walked towards the kitchen, and he noticed her as she came around the corner.
"Thanks for that." He expressed his gratitude while remaining focused on preparing dinner. He poured in a light layer of sesame oil into the skillet placed on the stovetop.
"Taki-kun, can I ask you something?" Mitsuha inquired.
"Sure, what is it?"
"When I was in your room I noticed you had a braided cord on your dresser. One that looks exactly like the one I have." She pointed to the cord holding up her unique hairstyle. "Where did you get that?"
"Ah." He sounded relaxed but his body tensed. "I got that at a festival three years ago. Honestly I just thought it looked cool at the time. It's just a coincidence they look alike." He turned and gave her a reassuring and ineffective smile. Mitsuha frowned as she saw through the pretense. Yet she decided not to press a trivial matter any farther.
"It must be." She replied plainly as she returned to her seat. "Do you need any help with dinner?" She offered from across the room.
"No, I got it." He answered as he placed thin slices of beef in the pan to fry. "It won't be that much longer."
Mitsuha waited patiently as Taki fried the beef, made the sauce for the sukiyaki, and cooked the vegetables in the sauce. Once everything was just about ready he grabbed an electric warmer from one of his upper cabinets and brought it to the table. He plugged it in and asked Mitsuha to turn it on. She obliged as he returned to his food and finished preparing everything. He placed all of the ingredients in one large pot, placing the beef in the center, surrounded by the vegetables, tofu, noodles, and bathed in the sukiyaki sauce.
Once it was ready he brought the pot over to the table and placed it on the warmer, returning to kitchen one final time to grab plates and chopsticks for the both of them. He handed Mitsuha a plate with a set of chopsticks.
"Thanks for make dinner for us." She showed her appreciation. "It smells delicious Taki-kun."
"It's not a problem." He replied kindly. "Also, you don't have to use honorifics with me." She looked at him with a surprised expression. "I mean I feel like we're close enough now that we don't need them, plus I never call you Mitsuha-chan. I don't mind if you keep calling me Taki-kun, but you don't have to."
"Alright then, thank you Taki." Mitsuha smiled and began to blush.
"Itadakimasu!" They both cheered before digging in and enjoying their first meal together.
Mitsuha strode to school quite joyfully the following day. Her grin was wide and her demeanor shined brightly. Spending time after school with Taki and having dinner with him had elated her mood. She carried that joy with her as she walked to school once more.
"Mitsuha!" She heard Sayaka call out alongside the familiar sound of a bike chain. Mitsuha stopped and waited as Tessie pulled up on his bike with Sayaka riding along. "You look like you're in a good mood today." Sayaka observed. "How did it go with Tachibana last night?"
"It went fine. I helped him with his homework and he made dinner." Mitsuha informed her friend as they continued to walk together. Sayaka had dismounted Tessie's bike, which he now walked alongside of.
"Aw, you two are such acute couple." Sayaka fawned.
"We're not that cute!" An abashed Mitsuha cried out. She turned away from her friend and looked down that road only to find it empty. Mitsuha stopped in her tracks and stared down the road leading to Taki's house. While normally he would at least be walking down that road today was quite different.
"Hey, is Tachibana not coming to school today?" Tessie asked.
"He never said anything about not coming today." Mitsuha replied. "Maybe he's just running late."
"Well then should we wait for him?" Sayaka asked.
Mitsuha pondered for a moment. "No, if he's running late then he should still make it to class. If he doesn't come today then we'll bring him the work he misses." She decided. Sayaka and Tessie could agree with that, and thus they headed in a group of three that day.
Once they were in class they waited, and yet Taki did not come. Miss Yukino entered the classroom and begun their school day with the morning ritual of "Stand, bow, sit." She began the class with a single absentee and the morning continued on as expected. She lectured the students who in turn took notes diligently.
It was around noon, in the middle of her lesson on Japanese history, when Taki finally arrived. The back door slid open and Miss Yukino fell silent. The entirety of the classes attention was drawn to the back as the tardy student arrived. "Ah, arriving fashionably late Tachibana-san?" Miss Yukino asked, prompting laughter from the rest of the class save for his three friends.
"I'm sorry sensei, my phone died in the middle of the night and my alarm never went off." Taki explained. "It won't happen again." He bowed apologetically.
"Maybe invest in a charger next time." She joked as he took his seat in front of Mitsuha. She continued her lecture for the next half hour, until the bell rang and dismissed the students for lunch. "Tachibana-san, I would like you to stay behind so I may have a word with you." Miss Yukino instructed him. Taki let out a sigh as he knew what was about to come. Mitsuha told him that they'd be waiting for him at their usual spot before she headed out to lunch.
Several minutes had passed when Taki finally joined his friends for lunch. He approached with a stern expression and headed for his usual seat near Mitsuha. "Sorry for making you guys wait." He apologized as he sat down, his voice lower than usual.
"It's not a problem." Sayaka attempted to cheer him up. "I guess Yukino-sensei must have given you quite a stern talking to."
"Yeah, today is not my day. But I've had worse." He replied.
"Well I hope your day gets better Taki." Mitsuha tried to encourage him. "Did you bring a lunch? If not I can share mine with you."
"No, I remembered to do that at least." He told her as he reached into his backpack and retrieved his bento.
"Oh, not using honorifics anymore?" Sayaka teased.
"Well Taki said it was alright." Mitsuha replied sheepishly.
"Yeah, it's not a big deal. I've never called her Mitsuha-san or Mitsuha-chan." Taki reminded her a bit steely.
"Well that's true." Tessie remarked as he dug into his lunch. Mitsuha found herself fixated on Taki, not out of her usually attraction but because again she knew he was off. Whereas he was normally engaged with her, instead she could feel the distance between them. Taki's demeanor felt icier in contrast with his normally warm and embracing self. It worried her greatly. Surely having one bad day would not be enough to throw him off this much.
Tessie and Sayaka continued to strike up conversation with one another, and yet Taki and Mitsuha, who were actually dating, remained rather silent. Mitsuha attempted to ask about coming over for another study session, but he simply told her he would have to see. She did not press the issue any farther and instead listened to her two friends make idle chat. The one other thing that put her off was how Taki kept checking his phone. She had begun to feel that during lunch he was paying more attention to it during their lunch.
They returned to class and Mitsuha attempted to focus on her school work, trying to forget about their unusually quiet lunch. Try as she might though her focus often wandered back to the boy in front of her. She would glance at him as he paid attention to their session on ancient literature, diligently listening as Miss Yukino went over The Epic of Gilgamesh. She too paid attention as their teacher recited the part of the story where the angered gods marked Enkidu for death, and how Gilgamesh was distraught at the death of his closest comrade. Yet Mitsuha still remained vigilant in regards to Taki.
She took notice during math when he seemed to tactically stop paying attention during math. Every time their teacher would look away or write on the chalkboard he would seem to doze off or lose focus. Mitusha quickly became concerned with him and waited for their teacher to turn away once more. Once Miss Yukino began writing the final question on the board Taki seemed to stare out the window. Mitsuha leaned forward and poked him in the back with the eraser on her pencil.
"Taki, you should pay attention." She whispered to him. "What if Yukino-sensei calls on you to answer one of the questions? You don't want her to get even more upset with you."
"The answers are 56, 27, and X equals 42, Y equals 12." He replied dully.
Mitsuha stared down the three equations she had copied from the board. She began to plug in the numbers and founds that Taki was right. Even though their teacher had just finished writing down the last equation, Taki had already solved every single problem and gotten them right. Mitsuha was shocked that he could solve them so quickly, despite it appearing that he was not paying any attention. She simply chalked it up to him being ahead of the rest of the class in math, and perhaps he had been given the same questions at some point. She copied down the answers he had given her and simply waited until their teacher moved on with the lesson.
Taki continued to lose focus throughout the remainder of the day while Mitsuha remained worried about him. Eventually the final bell rang once more and the students were dismissed from class. Mistuha had quickly packed up her things and approached Taki.
"Taki, is something wrong?" She asked and grabbed his attention. "You've been acting strangely all day. In fact I've been feeling that you're rather distant. Is something bothering you?"
Taki gave a brief pause before smiling back at her. "Don't worry Mitusha, I'm fine." He reassured her before standing up from his desk. "I'm always going be here for you, no matter what. Anyway, I have to do some shopping today before it gets dark so I'm heading out on my own." He began to walk past her and head for the door. "I'll see you tomorrow." He gestured a farewell with his back still turned.
"Bye." She replied, her voice low and weak. Mitsuha let out a sigh as she knew she could not reach him yet again. She turned back to his now empty seat and saw his phone lying on his desk. Taki must have pulled it out sometime during class and forgotten about it. Mitsuha knew she could leave it, either he would find it there or Miss Yukino would take it. But Mitsuha knew how organized Taki was, and if there was anything he was hiding from her it was sure to be on that phone. Thus, she picked it up and slipped it in her bag before heading for home.
Thoughts of her day had clouded her mind, and she found herself lying awake on her futon that night. Something was bothering Taki, to her that was clear. Yet she hadn't the faintest idea what was bothering him. Surely arriving late and getting lectured by Miss Yukino was not enough to put him in such a dour mood. Mitsuha knew there the answers would be, and she held up his phone above her as she lay on her back. She tapped on the screen and turned on his phone.
She was surprised to find that the background of his phone had changed since she had last used it as him. The image of a blue sky had been changed to a gradient dark grey background. In the center there was a silver image of the ouroboros, the serpent devouring its own tail. She was a bit confused about why this new image was his phones background, but she focused on seeing what he was hiding. Mitsuha felt a twinge of guilt for rummaging through his phone, but she was trying to help. She slid her finger across the screen and was given another surprise when she discovered his phone was now password protected. She would now need to provide the correct four digit password in order to access his phone and ready and journal entries he had. She clicked on the word "Hint" located just below the password bar. The hint was merely one word "Date". Mitsuha thought to herself what date would have enough importance with Taki for him to remember. She spent several minutes pondering this dilemma, and then she let out a yawn. Mitsuha was feeling tired from her day, and she could not bring herself to think of any logical conclusions. Though frustrated, she turned the phone off and rolled over on her side, pulling the sheets up and covering herself. Mitsuha closed her eye and eventually drifted off into sleep.
