Chapter 4: Impression

It was the beginning of summer. The sakura had already bloomed and gone, but the trees have regained their full plumage of lush, green leaves. Despite the many buildings that loomed in the distance, Yoyogi Park remained one of the testaments to nature's grace and beauty.

It was hot and humid, and I began to regret wearing khaki pants and not shorts.

I shielded my eyes from the glaring sun and squinted. Off in the distance, Mitsuha and two people stood with her next to the torii gate entrance.

Mitsuha looked lovely.

Her hair was tied into a side ponytail that hung down her shoulder, and she wore a light blue sundress that complemented her fair complexion.

Light blue.

I looked down at my T-shirt.

Looks like we thought of the same color.

Mitsuha turned her head and saw me.

"Over here!" she waved.

"Huh."

Mitsuha's two friends looked really familiar, as if I had known them all my life.

Now that I had gotten closer to the group, I realized that they were the couple that I overheard in the coffee shop a few months prior.

"So this is Taki-san," the young woman with the bob cut said, her pink sundress swayed slightly as she reached out to shake my hand.

"I am Natori Sayaka," she smiled, "pleased to meet you."

Her fiancée wore a brown, V-neck shirt and shorts, his frame was tall and lanky. He had thick brows and a shaven head with bits of stubble protruding from his chin and moustache. Though his appearance was rough, his eyes were kind as he warmly shook my hand.

"I'm Teshigawara Katsuhiko, but everyone calls me Tessie."

"Pleased to meet you," I responded.

"By the way," Sayaka said and grabbed Mitsuha by the shoulder, "did you guys coordinate your clothes color?"

Mitsuha and I blushed simultaneously.

"N-No we didn't," I stammered.

"This was coincidence," Mitsuha added.

"I think they look fine," Tessie grinned.

Sayaka shrugged, "Sorry, I just had to tease you."

"Were you both also from Itomori?" I asked, noting their slightly rural accents.

"Yep, we both went to school with Mitsuha," Sayaka answered.

"Those were boring but peaceful days," Tessie said wistfully.

Sayaka glanced at Tessie before speaking.

"I apologize on behalf of Tessie, I tried telling him to shave his beard but he keeps putting it off," she said glumly.

"Losing the beard is easy, losing weight is not," Tessie countered.

"Haah?" Sayaka turned pink and pinched Tessie's ear.

Mitsuha laughed. "You two are meant for each other."

"Yes, we are," Sayaka chuckled.

"Shall we get going?" Tessie asked.

"Sure," Sayaka took Tessie's hand and they walked through the torii gate.

"We'll give you two some alone time," Sayaka winked at me.


We walked along the tree-lined concrete path with Sayaka and Tessie slightly ahead of us. The birds chirped quietly and flew along the trees, eagerly waiting for some morsel as we passed by the bird feeders that were placed along the path.

While my friends held hands casually, Taki and I did not. Instead, we walked closely next to each other.

"Your friends are very nice," Taki said.

"Yeah, I've known them for a long time."

As we walked, a sense of peacefulness came over me, the calming presence of nature.

I reflected upon the last few weeks. No longer did I wake up in the morning feeling like I was missing something. Instead, I wake up feeling happy and expectant, eager to start a brand new day.

I wonder if he was the same.

"Hey, Taki-san, do you still look at your hand sometimes?" I asked randomly.

He averted his eyes.

"No, but ever since I met you, I… only look at yours," he replied bashfully.

"Oh," I turned away and clasped my hands together, not letting him see how happy I felt.

Keep it together, Mitsuha. I thought.

"W-Well, would you like to hold my h-hand?" I strained to get the words out.

"I would be very happy to," he responded.

As he reached out, I pulled my hand away.

"On one condition," my heart was beating fast, "that you call me by my first name, and I will do the same."

We have gone this far, might as well go further.

His eyes widened and he stopped walking.

"M-Mitsuha-san," he said.

"No honorifics," I frowned.

"Mitsuha," he stared at the ground.

"Good," I said.

He is so cute when he is flustered.

"See, it's not that hard," I placed my hands on my hips and grinned.

"You try it then!" he challenged.

This is simple enough.

"T-Taki."

He raised an eyebrow.

"You stuttered."

"No, I did not."

Why did I stutter? Stupid tongue! I reprimanded myself.

"Yes, you did," a smile formed on his face.

I turned red.

"You misheard."

"It's not that hard to say first names," he repeated the line to me.

"Hey lovebirds!" Sayaka shouted, "keep up with us!"

"Lovebirds?" Taki repeated, his ears reddening.

"Jeez," I reached out and grabbed Taki's hand.

They were warm, but a little sweaty from the heat.

"Let's keep moving," the corners of my mouth turned into a frown, but my heart was racing.

He nodded his head but said nothing, allowing me to lead him along.


After getting past the initial shock, I began to enjoy the warmth and softness of Mitsuha's hand interlaced with mine as we walked. She did not have anything to say, and I did not either; I was too busy concentrating on the hand contact to think about anything else.

It took us a few minutes before we arrived at the flower garden section of the park. Everywhere, blooms of red, white, yellow, and pink roses grew from the garden beds and up columns. The fragrant scent captivated us as we drew nearer.

"These roses are so beautiful!" Mitsuha exclaimed as we passed through an arch entwined with white and red blossoms.

I glanced at Mitsuha. She was rearranging her ponytail, small beads of sweat glistened on her arms and neck, and her mouth was slightly open to draw in breath.

"Would you like some water?" I asked, offering her a water bottle from my pack.

"Yes, please."

I gave her the bottle, then watched her tilt her head back and gulp it down.

"Thanks," she wiped her mouth.

"You are welcome," I said.

"Mitsuha, come look at these azaleas!" Sayaka waved.

"I'll be right back, Taki," she said.

While the two women admired a bush full of stark white flowers, I walked to a nearby trash bin to dispose of Mitsuha's empty water bottle.

"It sure is hot," Tessie said as he walked up to me.

"Yeah," I replied.

"I wonder if they sell any refreshments here, someone could pass out from this heat," he wiped his forehead.

Tessie scanned the area.

"There's a man selling ice cream over there, I will go buy some," he said.

"I can pay for the ice cream if you want," I offered.

"Nah, don't worry about it," he declined, "this one is on me, you can pay for the next round of snacks," he smiled.

While Tessie went off to buy the ice cream, Mitsuha and Sayaka walked back to me.

"What's Tessie doing?" Sayaka asked.

"He's getting us some ice cream," I answered.

"Oh good," she said, "some ice cream can help cool us off."

"Are you feeling hot?" Mitsuha asked me.

"I regret not wearing shorts today," I admitted.

"Why didn't you?"

"I… uh, etiquette."

Sayaka chuckled. "Don't worry about it, Mitsuha wouldn't care if you wore shorts to a date, right Mitsuha?"

"I don't mind…" Mitsuha nervously tapped her sandals on the pavement.

We waited for Tessie to finish purchasing.

"Here we go," Tessie said as he came back holding two ice cream cones in each hand, "there was only vanilla, the other flavors were sold out."

"That's fine," Sayaka took one and began eating.

"Here," Tessie gave Mitsuha and I each a cone.

"Thank you," I took a bite of my ice cream, savoring the sweet taste as it cooled my mouth.

"So where are we going next?" Tessie asked Sayaka.

"Meiji Shrine," she answered, "I hear that it's a pretty popular place for shinzenshiki weddings."

"Oh no," Mitsuha said. Her ice cream was rapidly melting and dripping onto her hand.

"Here," I gave her a napkin.

"Thanks, Taki."

"Using first names already?" Sayaka covered her grin with a hand.

"S-She made me," I pointed at Mitsuha.

Mitsuha's cheeks turned rosy pink. "It sounds weird if I keep using formalities with you only," she said to me.

"It sounds weirder if you don't," I retorted.

Sayaka clutched her stomach and laughed. "You two act like high schoolers!"

"We are not!" we said in unison.

Tessie chuckled. "We should keep going, unless you guys want to continue arguing in this weather."

Mitsuha flipped her hair back. "Let's go," she said to Sayaka, and the two walked away.

"Nice going, Taki," Tessie patted my back encouragingly.

I shrugged. "It wasn't my idea to call her by first name."

"I know," he smiled.

We continued past the flower garden and through several torii gates before we reached our destination, Meiji Shrine.

Before proceeding, we had to cleanse ourselves first.

I filled the wooden ladle with water from the cleansing station and poured it over my hands. Then, I rinsed my mouth with a couple swishes before replacing the ladle back to its original place. After the ritual was complete, we made our way towards the main temple.

"Look at those," Tessie pointed at a wall of wooden tablets. They were ema, small plaques that are used by visitors to write special personal prayers or express gratitude to the Shinto gods.

"Do you have a wish to write?" he asked.

Thoughts about unemployment crept back to the forefront of my mind.

"Maybe later," I replied.

"I'll write one," Mitsuha went to go find a marker.

"I will too," Sayaka said, "but you boys don't get to see it," she stuck her tongue out.

"I hope you aren't writing something silly like wishing that my beard gets trimmed," Tessie frowned.

She put a finger to her lips. "Secret."

While they were writing their wishes, I went to go check out the temple, admiring its beautiful construction.

"You don't have any wishes to write?" a voice asked behind me.

I turned around to see Mitsuha standing before me.

"I do, but it's rather personal." I rubbed the back of my neck.

"Oh, you can do it later then," she beamed.

My heart clenched and I looked away, feeling guilty for continuing to hide my job status from her. I simply did not know how or when to break the news to her. Will she be angry? She probably will. Nothing good will come out of this. But, I could not continue this lie.

"Mitsuha," I began.

"Hmm?"

"Hey guys look!" Sayaka interrupted us, "there's a wedding going on."

We turned to see a procession of traditionally garbed people walking towards the shrine, holding parasols to shield themselves from the sun.

"That looks so nice," Sayaka enthused, "Tessie, I have decided that we should do our wedding here."

"Shinzenshiki?" Tessie asked, "I thought you wanted chapel."

"Nope, I want this."

Tessie rolled his eyes. "Next week when we go visit a chapel, you will probably change your mind," he groaned.

While the two were bickering, I continued to watch the slow procession, wondering if I will ever have a chance to get married.

I looked over at Mitsuha to see her intently gazing at the wonderfully dressed bride and groom.

"What were you going to say?" she queried.

"Oh, uh… do you like traditional weddings?" I asked.

"I don't hate them, but I have had bad experiences with traditional rituals in the past," she chuckled.

"Mitsuha used to be a miko," Sayaka interjected.

"Sayaka, can we please not bring that topic up," Mitsuha flushed.

"Haha, okay," Sayaka winked at me, "You should get Mitsuha to warm up to you first before asking about her previous occupation."

"Sayaka!" Mitsuha exclaimed.

"If she is uncomfortable, then I won't pry," I responded.

"Such a gentleman," Sayaka gave me a thumbs up.

"I don't know about you guys, but I am starving," Tessie interrupted, "let's go get something to eat."

"What restaurants are around here?" Mitsuha pulled out her phone.

"I think there was a good ramen shop nearby," Sayaka said.

"I don't care what we're eating; as long as we can get out of this sweltering heat and into some air conditioning, then I am happy," Tessie grumbled.


"Good thing you went for the shōyu ramen, otherwise you would not be able to lose weight in time," Tessie told Sayaka.

"I am keeping my end of the bargain, I hope that you keep yours," Sayaka pointed her chopsticks at him threateningly.

We were sitting in the shop, each with a steaming bowl of ramen in front of us. Taki and Tessie ordered tonkotsu pork bone ramen, while Sayaka and I got shōyu soy sauce ramen. The delicious aroma engulfed us and set our stomachs rumbling, and we did not hesitate on digging in.

"This is really good," Taki said, picking up a piece of pork.

"The noodles are firm and the broth is good," I commented.

"So Taki, Mitsuha says that you work as an architect?" Sayaka asked.

Taki stopped chewing.

"Ah, yeah," he replied.

"That's wonderful, so what do you like to design?"

"I enjoy designing bridges and buildings, but I feel like I want to contribute to something greater."

"Something greater?" Tessie asked.

"I… haven't figured it out yet," he said weakly.

"Well, I am sure you will continue to do amazing things," I encouraged him.

"Yeah."

"Moving along," Sayaka continued, "how did you and Mitsuha find each other?"

"We went over this already," I complained.

"I want to hear Taki's side of the story," she grinned.

"It sounds crazy, but when I saw her, it felt like I had to go meet her," he touched his neck.

"Ugh," Sayaka frowned, "you guys have identical responses… I don't know if this is too good to be true."

"What is?" Taki asked.

"Love at first sight," she gushed.

I could feel the color rising to my cheeks. My mouth opened to retort, but no words came out.

"Well, whatever. It will probably remain a mystery," Sayaka shrugged.

Sayaka gazed at Taki and I for a moment. "What I do know is that both of you look very happy together."

"Th-Thank you," Taki said and bowed his head.

"Sayaka, you should finish your noodles before they get cold," Tessie said, deflecting the topic.

Thanks Tessie! I mentally shouted.

I continued to slurp down my ramen.

"Do we have any plans for later?" Taki asked.

"We're going to go to the Roppongi district for some shopping," Tessie replied, not attempting to hide the boredom in his voice.

"Taki can hang out with you while we shop," I suggested.

"No problem," Taki replied.

"We won't take too long," Sayaka said.

"You always say that," Tessie rolled his eyes, "and then we spend hours."

"Maybe when I am alone with you, but I have to be considerate since Mitsuha and Taki are with us."
"Where's my consideration?" Tessie shot back.

There was a moment of dead silence before we all broke down laughing.


The Roppongi shopping district was teeming with life. Compared to Yoyogi Park in which nature and peacefulness reigned, the sights and sounds of the city where cars and people bustled about contrasted in my mind. Even the architecture reflected differently, traditional buildings gave way for modern ones; the old replaced with new. But, each having its own distinct flavor.

Tessie and I stood outside a premium outlet as Sayaka and Mitsuha went inside to look.

It was in the afternoon, and the strength of the sun's rays were slowly waning.

"Tessie, can you tell me more about Itomori?" I asked.

"Hmm, it was a quiet town; there wasn't really much that stood out," he explained, "we didn't really have that many facilities, and Sayaka and Mitsuha always complained that we never had a café."

"Is that why Mitsuha loves coffee shops?" I inquired.

"She can't get enough of them, even after eight years of living in Tokyo," Tessie laughed, "Sayaka is the same."

"Anyway, the town used to overlook a crater lake… before it became a crater itself," his mouth turned down.

"I am sorry if my questions brought back bad memories," I apologized.

"Nah, I'm fine," he sighed, "I am happy that nearly everyone made it out alive when the comet fell, and it was all thanks to Mitsuha… she was the one who told her father to conduct the emergency drill."

"How did she know that the comet was going to hit?"

"Beats me, maybe she received a premonition from the gods," he shrugged, "in any case, she ultimately saved hundreds of lives that day."

Something nagged me in the back of my mind. There was a memory, but before it came into focus, it faded away into nothing.

"It's a mystery, like how you and Mitsuha met," Tessie continued.

He waved me to come closer.

"To tell you the truth, Mitsuha hasn't been herself ever since the incident," he whispered, "but ever since you came, it felt like Amaterasu crawled out of her cave."

"That bad?" I wondered.

"Before, Mitsuha used to be gloomy and didn't go out as much, but now I am seeing a completely new side to her."

He smiled. "There is something that draws her to you like a magnet."

"I feel the same…" I admitted.

"We're done!" Sayaka said behind us.

"Did you buy anything?" Tessie asked.

"There were some good ones, but they were too pricey," she complained.

Mitsuha fixed her ponytail, "should we try a different outlet?"

"Sure," Sayaka answered.

We continued our way through the stores, stopping occasionally when there was something the women were interested in before moving on.

"Hey, a crepe shop!" Mitsuha said.

Tessie nudged me. "It's your turn to buy," he winked.

"Alright."

I walked up to Mitsuha and Sayaka. "What flavors do you guys want?"

"Strawberry and banana with chocolate for me," Sayaka raised her hand.

"I will have the same."

I greeted the lady who was making the crepes. "Can I order two strawberry banana chocolate crepes please?"

I watched the lady expertly swirl the batter into a circle on the hot plate. When it was done, she peeled the thin pastry away and placed it onto a board. Then, she squeezed whipped cream onto the corner of the crepe and began topping it with diced strawberries and bananas before finishing with a generous drizzle of chocolate. Lastly, she folded them and placed them into a holder before handing it to me.

"Thank you."

I handed one to Sayaka and the other to Mitsuha.

They thanked me and we walked to a bench to sit down.

"The crepe is so airy," Sayaka said after taking a bite.

"The filling is really good," Mitsuha noted.

"Can I have a bite?" Tessie asked.

"Here," Sayaka held out the crepe so he could bite into it.

"Tasty!" he exclaimed, his mouth full of fruit and cream.

"Your turn," Sayaka winked at me.

I forgot how many times I was put on the spot today.

"Mitsuha, hold it out for him," Sayaka said.

"Eh?" she looked nervous.

"Here," I took her hand and guided the crepe to my mouth.

"Mmm," I closed my eyes and appreciated the pastry and filling.

Behind me, Sayaka snickered.

"That was smooth, Taki," Tessie grinned from ear-to-ear.

"Huh?"

I looked down to see Mitsuha with one hand clutching her chest, her face a deep shade of red.

"I wasn't ready for that!" she yelped.

"Ahh!" I realized what I had done and clasped my hands together apologetically.

"I am sorry!"

"You better be!" she exclaimed.

Meanwhile, Sayaka and Tessie were beside themselves with laughter.

"Truly, you two are meant for each other," Sayaka wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Yes," Tessie agreed.

"Now, if only Tessie was as smooth as Taki," Sayaka sighed.

"Hey!"


The crepe incident nearly gave me a heart attack. But in the end, everyone was laughing and having a good time, so I forgave Taki for his actions.

It was evening, so we decided to go into a restaurant that served shabu-shabu for dinner. The waiter brought out plates of uncooked meat and vegetables while another waiter prepared the hot pot.

When the water was boiling and ready, we began taking thin cuts of meat and swished it around the hotpot for it to cook. It only took a few seconds before the meat was ready.

I dipped my piece of beef into a bowl of soy sauce before placing it onto my rice. Taking my chopsticks, I took a clump of rice and the strip of meat and brought it to my mouth. It was delicious. The saltiness of the soy sauce, the succulence of the beef, and the perfectly steamed rice made my taste buds sing.

"How is it?" Tessie asked me as he dipped a mushroom into the broth.

"It's great," I said through my food.

"The quality of the ingredients are very good," Sayaka commented, taking another piece of meat.

"You want some sake?" Tessie asked Taki.

"Oh, sure. Thank you." Taki held out his cup as Tessie poured.

He poured a cup for Sayaka before turning to me.

"Ah, no thanks," I said, "I'll just stick with tea."

"Oh, right," he poured himself another cup before placing the bottle down on the table.

"Good food, good sake, and good friends," Tessie sighed.

"Ahem, fiancée," Sayaka corrected him.

"Good fiancée… when was there ever a bad one?" Tessie teased.

Sayaka rolled her eyes and raised her cup.

"Here's to a sweltering hot and amazing day!" she said.

We all raised our cups and clinked them together as we cheered.

It was about midway through the meal before I realized something was wrong with Taki.

His cheeks were a red hue, his eyelids looked droopy, and his speech slurred.

"Are you okay?" I asked him.

"I… am… oghey," he said.

"Oh dear, is he drunk?" Sayaka giggled, "how many cups did he have?"

"He only had three, I know because I was the one who poured for him," Tessie said.

I frowned. "Are you feeling well?" I asked Taki again.

"Nevher bin bhetter," he replied as he swayed from side-to-side.

"Not a drinker eh?" Tessie said.

We finished our meal quickly. Then Tessie took Taki by the shoulder and supported him out of the restaurant.

"Nothing to worry about," he said to a panicked looking waiter, "my friend just has very low alcohol tolerance."

"Alright, now what do we do?" Sayaka asked when we were outside.

"I think it would be best to end the night here," Tessie said.

I frowned. How did Taki not know about his own alcohol tolerance, does he not drink with his superiors at work?

"In any case, we should bring Taki home," I said.

"Do you know where he lives?" Sayaka asked.

"No…"

"Hmm," Tessie looked at Taki, who was clearly out of it.

"We can't ask Taki where he lives, so I guess we should go with plan B," he grinned.

I raised my eyebrow. "And what is that?"

"He sleeps at your place."

"What?"

"Come on, Mitsuha, the way he is right now, he probably won't be awake until morning."

Taki was going to sleep in my apartment. Stupid heart, why is it beating so fast?

"Fine, I'll do it," I grumbled.

"Make sure you don't take advantage of him when he is asleep," Sayaka teased.

"Wha-!?" I stammered, "I would never do something like that."

"Alright, let's get going then," Tessie said and looked at Taki kindly, "aside from not being able to hold his cups, Taki is a good guy."

"No I'm not," Taki mumbled drowsily.


When I woke up, the sun was shining high through the windows. I held my head as it throbbed lightly with a headache, and looked around to find myself lying on a couch in an unfamiliar room.

"Where am I?" I muttered.

"You were quite something last night, Taki," a voice said behind me.

"Huh?"

"Good thing we had the date on a Saturday, otherwise I would be late for work," Mitsuha continued.

I struggled to regain my bearings.

"Wait, is this your apartment?"

"Yep."

I turned around to look at her.

She wore a light pink jacket and shorts. Her hair was down and slightly tousled from sleep, but was relatively in place.

"You said some pretty interesting things last night," she said.

"What did I say?" I asked cautiously.

She looked away.

"Something about not having a job and apologizing to me for lying," she said quietly.

The cat is out of the bag.

"Oh," was the only thing I could say.

I could do nothing but lower my head in shame.

I expected her to shout at me, to reprimand me for lying to her.

I did not expect Mitsuha to wrap her arms around me in a tender hug.

"You should have told me sooner," she chastised me gently.

"I... am sorry for hiding it from you," I covered my face on my hands.

"It was a bit surprising, but after piecing your behavior together, it is understandable," she said.

"I tried so hard to convince them, but they never took me seriously."

"Your interviewers?" she pulled my hands away.

"Yeah."

"What do you tell them?"

"That I want to build the type of town that will stay in people's memories, even after it is gone."

"Ah, were you influenced by Itomori?" she asked.

"Yes."

Mitsuha thought for a minute.

"Your heart is in the right place, but perhaps putting it to words is difficult; how about giving them a more concrete example. Tell them that you want to build for the sake of leaving a lasting impression, to provide safe buildings and infrastructure, and to inspire others as they look at your designs."

"Next time, I will tell them," I looked unwaveringly into her eyes, "and I promise you that I will be employed the next time we have a date."

"I will be looking forward to our next date, Taki-kun," her eyes twinkled.

"Oh… um, does Sayaka and Tessie know?" I asked sheepishly.

"Fortunately, you began blabbing after they dropped you off and went home, so only I know your secret," she winked at me.

"Thank goodness," I breathed a sigh of relief.

"But, I don't think they will hate you if they knew," she said.

"I will apologize to them the next time we meet," I promised.

Mitsuha got up and stretched out her hand to me.

"Don't worry, Taki. No matter how many times you fall down, I will be here to pick you back up." she smiled.