"Roppongi… Roppongi..." came the mechanical voice, as the train came to a halt.
"You still haven't told me where are we going," Mitsuha complained as Taki led her out of the train while checking his phone for directions.
"It's a secret, but I know you'll love it!" Taki responded as he put aside his phone and smiled at her.
"Why does it have to be a secret?" Mitsuha replied with a pout.
Her adorable pout almost caused him to walk into pillar. Thankfully, Mitsuha pulled him out of the way with a look that plainly stated 'why am I holding hands with this idiot', although she giggled nevertheless. Taki honestly couldn't help but be mesmerised by her. Her reaction alone would have justified the journey and the price of today's date, but if Yotsuha's intelligence was any good, he would really score points with her.
"Ahh, Taki-sama, sorry, but you really lucked out there with onee-chan. She really doesn't like or dislike many things, so I can't give you tips there. I know she's already hard enough to get along with as it is, but… oh wait! I know, onee-chan loves hedgehogs! I think she once told me it was her spirit animal or something along those lines. Oh, there she is! Take good care of her, Taki-sama! Talk to you soon!"
As they left the station, Taki quickly checked his phone for directions again. Mitsuha tried to sneak a peek, but he quickly adjusted his stance so that his hand was resting on her head. There is no way he is going to spoil the surprise, as he laughed. In response, Mitsuha resumed her pouting as they continued down the street.
"Just around that corner."
"It's not a Love Hotel, is it?"
"Just what do you take me for?"
"You're being awfully suspicious. And even if you brought me to one, I would just walk away and never speak to you again."
"I swear I'm not bringing you to a love hotel, alright? I-"
"AAaaah!"
The moment they turned the corner, Mitsuha let out a little shriek. Just a short distance away was a large signboard advertising an animal cafe. A bunny cafe, and a hedgehog cafe, to be precise.
Taki originally planned to walk right by it to tease her a little, but he didn't have the heart to do it, not when she turned and looked at him with those adorable puppy eyes. Bless you, Yotsuha-sama, Taki thought as he nodded in confirmation to Mitsuha's unspoken question.
Taki's head had barely moved an inch before she took off, dragging him by the hand. This felt just like the time he took off in search of her when they first laid eyes on each other. Great, he thought, I'm at the same level as a hedgehog she's never even met.
Their timing was perfect - it was right before the dinner crowd had arrived, so they managed to get in before the queue had started.
Taki looked over at Mitsuha as they scanned the interior of the cafe. She trying her best to look composed, but her eyes kept jumping from the display to the other customers playing with their hedgehogs. She loved hedgehogs, how did this cafe not catch her attention all these years? As she moved closer to the display to get a closer look at her favourite animal, Taki looked over at an information panel and began reading about the different types of hedgehogs and how to care for them.
"Which one of them would you like to play with?" Asked a friendly staff member.
Mitsuha finally decided on a lonely looking, beige coloured hedgehog. The staff member promptly transferred the little guy who to a box, which she then passed to Mitsuha. Naturally, her first instinct was to stroke it, but the hedgehog seemed afraid of her, and curled up into a defensive ball.
"Noo, don't hide!"
"Here, try feeding it."
Taki offered her a pair of gloves, some tweezers and container with some mealworms inside. Mitsuha refused the gloves. What's the point?! Taki simply shrugged as he leaned in closer to inspect the hedgehog, who was still cowering in a corner. Mitusha set the items on the table and picked up a mealworm with the tweezers. She turned towards the box and nearly fed the worm to Taki.
"Gahh-"
"Ooh, sorry!"
Mitsuha quickly put the delicious mealworm down and tried to suppress a laugh, failing spectacularly. Ignoring her laughter and the fact he very nearly got fed a live mealworm, Taki picked up the tweezers and tried to feed the hedgehog himself.
"Come here, Harry-chan, here's food for you…"
"Harry-chan? What kind of name is that?"
To her amazement, the hedgehog responded by peeking at the mealworm. It then slowly inched towards the worm, sniffing about for the source of food. As Taki maintained a firm grip on the tweezers, he suddenly became aware of a pleasant smell coming from his side. He glanced to his left and immediately registered Mitsuha's face only inches away from his. She was close enough for him to see the reflection of the hedgehog in her eyes, close enough to notice her thin lips that were slightly parted. Harry-chan eventually made it to the worm, where it began nibbling it, before swallowing it whole in a manner of seconds. He then started exploring the box, sniffing about eagerly.
"Ooh, I think he's feeling braver now!"
Mitsuha quickly grabbed the tweezers and picked up another mealworm to feed Harry. This time, he ate it with without hesitation, even exploring Mitsuha's hand when she tried to stroke him again. While she played with Harry, Taki tried to calm himself down. He damn near kissed her right there and then, but when she took over the tweezers he knew he missed his chance.
"Taki, you wanna try petting Harry? He's really nice!"
"S-sure…"
Taki was skeptical, but Mitsuha gently took hold of his wrist and guided his hand towards Harry. Taki braced himself for a quick trip to the ER, but was surprised when the quills gave way, as if inviting his touch. He stroked the hedgehog for a moment, enjoying the odd sensation of skin on quills before withdrawing his hand. To his surprise, the hedgehog suddenly rolled onto its back, revealing its soft, furry underside to him. He heard Mitsuha gasp, and turned to look, but she had already whipped out her phone to take a picture. It seems she completely forgot to take photos until now.
"Quick, stroke him!"
"Huh?"
"He likes you! Hedgehogs never do that unless they really trust you!"
"Oh, so like this?"
"Be gentle!"
Taki extended both his index fingers and began rubbing the hedgehog's exposed belly while Mitsuha was recording the entire thing using her phone. Hmm, the hedgehog was really soft and furry… Taki started applying more pressure, sensing that the hedgehog was enjoying its belly rub. As he continued rubbing the hedgehog, he remembered the main reason he came, and quickly offered to take over the role of cameraman. Mitsuha was only too happy to accept, and eagerly began rubbing the hedgehog's belly. It was every bit as wondrous as she imagined it to be. The hedgehog was completely beside itself with joy as his new friends massaged him. Mitsuha then decided to try and pick him up. Wrapping her hands around Harry's back, she gently lifted him into the air. Harry remained on his back as Mitsuha brought him in front of the phone. Realising her intention, Taki stopped the video recording and moved to find a better angle.
Mitsuha was still browsing through the pictures over dinner. She had wanted to stay a little longer, but since they were walk-in customers, they had a strict time limit to adhere to. It was expensive too, as Taki despaired, his wallet already hurting from the donation earlier today. Thankfully Mitsuha was more than willing to split the cost evenly.
"Hey, Taki."
"Hmm?"
"Thanks. I always wanted to play with a hedgehog. Guess that's one of my dreams fulfilled, huh?"
"That's a pretty simple dream, isn't it?"
"Heh, I've have plenty of strange drea-"
!
Once again, that sensation. It was clear from the look on his face that he too was thinking of the same thing. Ever since that day, we've both simply accepted that our memories of each other has been lost to us in a freak accident. We never really went into details over our meeting at Itomori eight years ago, as we both were keen to avoid the topic, even though it is always on our minds. It was the only clue we had, yet neither of us were willing to press the issue. I tried opening my mouth, but nothing came out. Why can't I do it?
"Hey Mitsuha, want to adopt a hedgehog?"
"Eh?"