Hitoha Miyamizu took a moment to survey the street as she approached the shrine. It was largely deserted, except for a few pedestrians hurrying along with their busy schedules.

Nothing like Itomori. Not the people, not the streets, not even the shrines.

Shaking her head, she looked up to realise she had arrived at the foot of the staircase. A sinking feeling overwhelmed her as she prepared herself for the climb. The nerve of some people, forcing a ninety year old woman to go through such trials! Step by step, using the handrail in tandem with the walking stick, she made her way up the stairs towards the Suga Shrine.

"Obaa-san, do you need a hand?"

That voice came from behind. Hitoha turned around to see a young man standing a respectable distance behind her. He looked vaguely familiar, although she couldn't place a finger on why. Besides, she could use a hand.

"That'd be very nice, thank you."

The young man hurried forward and stopped just beside her, as if unsure of how to proceed. He settled for offering his arm as a support, which she gratefully grabbed hold of. Taking her walking stick in his other hand, they made their way up the stairs together.

"Ahh, thank you. Not many would help an old lady up the stairs in here in Tokyo."
"Hmm? Are you not from around here, obaa-san?"
"No, I moved here quite a while back, but this is the first time someone offered to help me, unlike in my hometown! Your parents must be proud of you, ahh...?"
"I'm Tachibana Taki. Where are you headed, obaa-san?"
"To the nearby shrine, ahh, you remind me so much of my elder granddaughter. Sorry Taki-kun, I've been rambling, haven't I?"
"Not at all! I'm actually headed there myself."

They arrived at the shrine, where Hitoha directed Taki towards a bench in the shade.

"I'll be off then, take care, obaa-san."
"Wait, won't you at least accept my thanks?"

Hitoha pulled out her tea flask and indicated for Taki to take a seat beside her.

"Hmm, alright then."

Accepting her offer, Taki took a seat beside the kindly grandmother and watched as she uncapped the flask and poured him a generous serving of tea.

"What brings you to the shrine today? Not many hold traditions dear to their hearts these days, especially the younger ones."
"Haha, well actually I'm here to make a donation. I recently had a wish fulfilled, and I feel greatly indebted to this shrine for it."
"Oh? A wish fulfilled? Did you perhaps find your soulmate?"

"Ehh?"

"Oh, just the look in your eyes, the spring in your step. All indicative of young love!"

Your name, too. I knew I recognized you from somewhere. Well, you passed the test, not that you needed my approval anyway.

"Is it that obvious? Eheh, well yeah… I've been looking for her for quite a while, so I'm pretty nervous too…"
"She's been looking for quite a while, too, I'm sure."

Taki smiled at the elderly woman, feeling as if he had known her for a long time. He really had to give it to the shrine, it really is quite effective. The tea certainly helped, it was delicious! He returned the makeshift cup to her and checked his phone as she poured herself a drink. Only 5pm? Alright, it's still early.

"What brings you here then, obaa-san?"
"Oh, I'm meeting with… an old acquaintance. You remind me a lot of him, always hopelessly in love, that fool... Do treasure your loved ones, Taki-kun. Life's too short to spend it on regrets, on chasing after long lost dreams."
"Chasing after long lost dreams…? That actually kind of sounds like me right now, ahaha…"
"You have barely started building your dreams! No, the dreams he is chasing are long gone, merely whispers of an life long past."

"Not to say he was wrong… but there are times one has to let go, and times to push harder than you ever had in your life. But it is important to never lose sight of what is around you, of what is truly important. That's the real lesson."
"I don't quite understand, actually..."
"And that's the struggle in life, isn't it? ...Perhaps I was too harsh on him… All these years, I never bothered trying to understand either… All those years tending to that shrine, only for it to…"

Her kindly smile faded just a little as her words trailed off. Taki sensed an immense amount of grief and heartbreak hidden behind the small smile, similar to the one Mitsuha displayed whenever she felt vulnerable. It was a look he never wanted to see on anyone.

"Are you alright, obaa-san?"
"Promise me, Taki-kun, that you will treasure her. Promise an old lady that, would you? Treasure her, and all that she loves."
"I-I will, I promise, obaa-san."
"Thank you, Taki-kun. You know, I used to believe in something with all my heart. A little something called Musubi, the ties between people that that twist, tangle, sometimes unravel, break, then connect again."

!

"I've recently had something of a… mid life crisis, if you could call it that at my age? I've done a fair share of soul searching… heh, indeed, soul searching indeed… and I've come to realise something. I too have made the same mistake he made. Perhaps that too, is Musubi."

Taki quickly scanned her facial features as she slipped into her reverie. Her accent, her eyes, that particular hairband… Surely this is Musubi at work as well?

"Uh, sorry to-"
"Oh, don't let an old lady and her ramblings hold you back, you better hurry along with your date now."
"Ahh, right… Take care, obaa-san. Are you sure you can manage on your own?"
"I'll be fine, I've survived all this time, haven't I? Oh don't be like that, I'm sure we'll meet again sometime. Enjoy your date!"

With a small smile, she waved him off. Taki replied with a small bow before making his way towards the donation box, his head still spinning. Her words weighed heavily on him for some reason. Unable to figure out why, he put in an even larger amount than he was prepared to give into the donation box before making his way to the rendezvous point. He had to drop by an ATM first, after all.

Hitoha sealed her flask and considered the shrine before her once she could no longer see Taki. Indeed, she had devoted her entire life to the preservation of the Miyamizu Shrine and its traditions, believing it to be her destiny, as it has been for her lineage, but…

Hitoha closed her eyes as she reflected on the years long past.

Musubi, the ties between people...

An incredible dream I can no longer remember, yet remember with such fondness.

They twist…

Toshiki's arrival, the naive folklorist who fell hopelessly in love with Futaba. The man I thought I could entrust the future of both my Futaba and the Miyamizu Shrine to.

They tangle…

The birth of Mitsuha and Yotsuha, my two beloved granddaughters who I loved above all else.

They unravel…

The untimely passing of Futaba, my only child and successor.

They break…

Toshiki leaving the Miyamizu Household, never to return.

Then connect again.

"Okaa-san."

Hitoha looked up in shock - it was the voice she was expecting, but she could not remember the last time he spoke to her with that soft, gentle tone.

Standing right before her was none other than Toshiki Miyamizu, carrying in his hands a sealed ceramic bottle.

Musubi - knotting. That's time.