A trip that should've taken thirty minutes round trip took Kyousuke and Yamauchi Sakura the entire thirty minutes just to get to the Miyamizu residence.
When they arrived, neither Miyamizu Toshiki nor Yotsuba was home—only Mitsuha was in the living room, watching TV with a table full of snacks in front of her.
The doorbell rang.
Mitsuha quickly put down the pastry she was holding, took a sip of green tea to wash it down, and stood up while wiping her mouth.
'That must be Kyousuke.'
It was a reasonable assumption.
There weren't any door-to-door salespeople in this quiet neighborhood, and today wasn't a scheduled visit from utility or service reps.
The only people she knew in Tokyo besides Kyousuke were Sayaka and Chiku, her fellow dream-chasers—but both were at work today.
Opening the door, she saw exactly who she expected: the familiar boy standing outside the garden gate… and a girl who also looked strangely familiar.
'Wait—that must be Yamauchi Sakura!'
Those amber eyes, bright and cat-like—Mitsuha had seen them before in one of Kyousuke's drawings.
In that picture, they'd attended the sakura festival at Chidorigafuchi together.
Sakura, standing beneath cherry blossoms, had seemed almost one with the petals swirling around her, so beautiful that Mitsuha once thought Kyousuke must have exaggerated with some artistic flair.
But now, standing under the sun with that brilliant smile that outshone even the sky, Mitsuha realized—it hadn't been embellished at all.
After everything that had happened yesterday, Mitsuha didn't feel like speaking to Kyousuke just yet.
So, she turned her attention solely to Yamauchi Sakura.
"Sakura, right? I've finally met you!"
She changed into outdoor slippers and walked out to greet her.
From her conversation with Shouko yesterday, she now knew that they'd always called Yamauchi Sakura just "Sakura."
"Wow, it's really you, Mitsuha! The real, living Mitsuha!"
Sakura, who clearly had no sense of personal space or restraint, opened the garden gate on her own and ran up, grabbing Mitsuha's hands in hers.
Leaning forward, her golden eyes sparkled with excitement in the sunlight.
Yamauchi Sakura now proud to call herself a wise soul who had stared death in the face—stood in awe before the girl who had truly crossed the boundary of life and death.
If she could, she'd join the Miyamizu Shrine that very moment and devote herself as a follower.
Of course, that idea only lingered in Sakura's head for a few seconds before it slipped out her other ear.
Even if Kyousuke could go back three years, it wouldn't help her situation.
He had started preparing much earlier than that anyway.
But if, by any miracle, she could swap bodies with the Kyousuke of the future after she died, that'd be amazing.
Well… maybe not three years into the future.
Fifty or sixty years would be better.
That way, she could see what he looked like as an old man.
Then she'd pluck out all his beard hairs—just to spite him for planning since childhood to grow a long, white beard someday.
Or maybe she'd dye his hair every color of the rainbow and tell him that even old people can still be youthful.
She'd buy him all the trendiest clothes, pull out his old manga from when he was young, and call him by all his cool nicknames at the top of her lungs.
'Hahaha… maybe I should start learning how to make kuchikamizake from Mitsuha now, just in case.'
"Sakura?" Mitsuha blinked in confusion at the girl who had suddenly spaced out mid-conversation.
One second she'd been full of enthusiasm, and the next she looked like she'd drifted off into her own private universe.
"Sakura, you're drooling. Wipe your mouth," Kyousuke said as he walked up, giving her a light tap on the head.
This girl had the attention span of a goldfish.
She was the kind of person who'd stop in the middle of a crosswalk because she got curious about why cars only had two headlights instead of three—and then spiral into deep thought.
"Ah, Mitsuha! Does your shrine have any openings for shrine maidens?"
Snapping back to reality, Sakura blurted out her question with excitement.
"Huh?" Mitsuha blinked again, thrown off by the sudden question.
It sounded oddly familiar… oh right, Yotsuba. That little girl was always talking about "our family's shrine," too.
Technically, the Miyamizu Shrine had always been run by the Miyamizu family, but under modern law, it was registered as a religious corporation.
That meant the land and buildings belonged to the organization—not their family per se.
So calling it "our shrine" wasn't exactly accurate.
'Maybe I should've told Yotsuba to stay home today,' Mitsuha thought.
'She and Sakura would've had so much to talk about.'
Yotsuba was always dreaming about reviving the glory of the Miyamizu Shrine.
Still, Mitsuha responded promptly, "Sorry, Sakura. The Miyamizu Shrine vanished along with Itomori."
"Aww." Sakura let out a dramatic sigh—but not even a second later, she was back to beaming.
"Kyousuke, wait outside for a bit, okay? I have something important to talk about with Mitsuha!" she said as she turned around.
"Got it. Don't take too long. Everyone's waiting back home," Kyousuke replied, waving her off casually.
Sakura's real reason for wanting a one-on-one with Mitsuha was simple:
She wanted to confirm whether Mitsuha still remembered her—especially the conversation they had at the sakura festival.
And whether Mitsuha had written any of it down in a journal.
Sakura had worked hard to keep certain things hidden, and she didn't want them exposed just yet.
Mitsuha gave Kyousuke a sheepish smile before leading Sakura inside.
Once they were seated, Sakura explained her reason for coming.
Mitsuha was surprised.
Her and Kyousuke's shared memories had disappeared… but somehow, Sakura still had hers completely intact?
"Hmm, maybe even the gods can't resist the charm of a cute girl," Sakura said cheerfully.
After exchanging contact info, Sakura sent over a bundle of photos and documents.
There were silly selfies of Mitsuha using Kyousuke's face, group shots with Sakura, Shouko, Eriri, Kasumigaoka, and Aunt Mikiko.
Every photo oozed with warmth and familiarity.
Without hesitation, Mitsuha pulled Sakura closer to view the photos together.
If her past self had trusted Sakura with something this important, then she must have been someone she trusted deeply.
As they scrolled through, the haze in her memories began to stir, like something gently nudging from the other side.
Their laughter filled the living room, echoing through the space like wind chimes on a spring breeze.
Then came the diary entries.
Mitsuha only made it through the first one before her face turned beet red.
She quickly covered the phone screen, refusing to let Sakura see more.
"Kyousuke's body is really something. His pecs look like they're bigger than mine. So unfair."
"Hehehe, so this is the real Mitsuha, huh?" Sakura teased with a mischievous grin.
"N-no, that's not me! That was... that was another version of me! Yeah! From another world! Her brain must've been scrambled from all the time travel!"
Mitsuha waved her hands frantically, her high ponytail swishing with every shake of her head.
'Come on, Past Me! I've never even seen Kyousuke's body—why would you write something so embarrassing? Ugh, this is so unfair!'
Seeing that Mitsuha's personality hadn't changed one bit from the shrine maiden she remembered, Sakura happily scooted closer and started munching on the snacks laid out on the table.
"Mitsuha, do you remember what I told you during the sakura festival?" she asked casually, mouth stuffed with sweets.
"Sakura Festival?" Mitsuha paused to think, then looked a bit embarrassed.
"Sorry, Sakura. I can only remember bits and pieces right now. All I really recall about the festival… is that Kyousuke's yam ice cream was really good."
Right now, Mitsuha's memories felt like walking through darkness with only a lantern in hand just enough to illuminate fragments related to Kyousuke, but the rest was swallowed by shadows, the depth of which she couldn't even begin to guess.
But the moment she opened the diary in front of her, it was like the lantern had transformed into an artificial sun.
"Right, let me check the entry for that day." She scrolled quickly.
"Sakura is truly an extraordinary person. I thought body-swapping with Kyousuke was already a miracle, but the story between her and Kyousuke might be even more enviable."
Mitsuha showed Sakura this line in the diary.
Whatever miraculous story had played out between them, her past self hadn't recorded the details.
It frustrated her—why had she focused on such trivial things instead of noting something so important?
"So that's how you saw my story with Kyousuke, Mitsuha..."
Sakura pressed her lips together, her eyes curving with a rare, peaceful smile.
Yes... to have a childhood friend like that, even if you never knew when death might come.
Just being near him—that was happiness.
The bond between her and Kyousuke wasn't forged by misfortune.
Both of them had fought hard to avoid tragedy.
What they truly had was a deep appreciation for the happiness they'd carved out—and that wasn't something to envy.
Come to think of it, Mitsuha and Kyousuke's story had also begun in tragedy.
Fortunately, they were now on the path to a happy ending.
Oh, and Shouko too.
Hah... that's just the kind of person Kyousuke is. As long as he's alive, he'll keep saving people.
"Sorry, Sakura. I didn't record anything useful. Was there something specific you were hoping to find?"
"Nope, nothing at all," Sakura replied cheerfully, then her face lit up as she launched into a story that hadn't made it into the diary:
"That night, when we went to Meguro River, we actually ran into another one of Kyousuke's friends—Miss Okudera, the one who runs a restaurant. And then..."
"So how did Kyousuke handle that?"
"Hehe, when it comes to stuff like this, you don't need to worry about Kyousuke. He's more gifted in that department than in school or kendo. It's like he was born for it."
"Oh, right! If you join the cooking club at university, you might run into Miss Okudera at one of the alumni gatherings. She graduated from Ochanomizu Women's University too—though I guess that makes her an 'OG', not an 'OB,' right?"
Sakura added with a giggle.
OB means "Old Boy," referring to alumni, and schools often invite notable grads to give talks or support clubs.
Many student organizations also benefit from alumni who provide resources or guidance.
"I see. But I've already decided to keep doing kendo in college. I even got a scholarship for it."
"Then let's invite Miss Okudera to the cherry blossom party today! Her restaurant shouldn't be too busy around this time."
Before Mitsuha could say anything, Sakura pulled out her phone and called Okudera Miki.
Mitsuha looked at her with a complicated expression.
She watched Sakura chat away cheerfully, easily persuading Okudera to join—and even arranged for a driver to pick her up.
Yesterday, just the four girls in the house already felt overwhelming. Now Sakura wanted to add another one into the mix? Was she not worried Kyousuke would get torn apart?
Mitsuha had clearly felt the tension from Eriri and Kasumigaoka yesterday, and it was only thanks to their past shared experiences that things didn't spiral into full-on war.
"Looks like we'll have to take a cab." Of course, the "driver" Sakura sent was Kyousuke himself—something neither of them even needed to discuss.
"Actually, I've got a scooter," Mitsuha said.
She'd bought a small motorbike for easier commuting.
She temporarily closed the diary in her hand, deciding to read more when she got back home.
Something told her that she was on the verge of recovering another large chunk of her memory.
"Alrighty then, it's settled! We'll head back first, and Kyousuke can go pick up Miss Okudera," Sakura said with a satisfied clap.
"Um, Sakura… I've been meaning to ask. Are you really that close with Miss Okudera?"
"Yup! I eat at her restaurant all the time." Sakura flashed a brilliant smile and threw up a playful peace sign.
'Yamauchi Sakura is truly a terrifying girl.'
That was Mitsuha's final thought.
Even if Sakura was technically a rival in love, Mitsuha couldn't muster a shred of hostility toward her.
Just as Sakura hadn't shown the slightest displeasure at Mitsuha's presence beside Kyousuke.
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"What?! Since when did you and Miki get so close?" Kyousuke gaped at Sakura in shock.
He'd always thought of them as parallel lines—no overlap.
"Hehe, well, it's your restaurant, Kyousuke. Of course I had to go check it out~" Sakura teased.
"Alright, alright, go pick her up already. I won't cut the cake until you get back."
"This is chaos," Kyousuke muttered. "Japan's whole reservation culture is crying. You're supposed to plan these things in advance—springing it on someone like this is just inconsiderate."
That's the thing. When you have a chaotic element like Sakura around, time management becomes meaningless.
"Shoo, go!" Sakura pushed him toward the door.
———————————————————————
"At the gate, Kyousuke gave a quiet warning.
'Just so you know… there are a lot of people at home right now. Try not to be too shocked.'
"I've already braced myself," Okudera Miki replied with a serene smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.
She knew Sakura meant well—but the idea of walking into a house full of Kyousuke's female admirers? That would test anyone's patience.
After hanging up with Sakura, she had rushed to the nearest salon.
Got rid of the restaurant smell, touched up her makeup, changed into something more elegant. By the time she arrived, there was nothing left on her but 'beauty' and 'grace.'
All for that idiot.
As she walked through the gate, she caught Kyousuke holding the door like a gentleman.
She still couldn't resist glaring at him with those pretty, expressive eyes.
Despite Sakura's advance warning and knowing full well this "big sister" had known Kyousuke longer than the rest of them, Eriri didn't say a single word to Kyousuke.
She had gone straight into silent, sulky mode.
Meanwhile, Kasumigaoka Utaha kept casually bombarding Miki with questions about college life, calling her "senpai" with warm affection.
She seemed genuinely intrigued by Miki's experience running a solo business, sighing dramatically about how hard it must be to start something alone in Tokyo.
"Well, it wasn't really just me," Okudera said, kneeling gracefully on the picnic mat while unpacking the snacks she'd brought.
"From the beginning, Kyousuke's been by my side—finding the location, helping with the design and renovation, even funding the restaurant.
After opening, he introduced so many people to the place.
Thanks to his author friends, a lot of fans of their work now come eat here.
I even heard someone online call it 'Kyousuke's favorite restaurant.' Honestly, it's kind of embarrassing."
Her cheeks were rosy, her smile radiant. Kasumigaoka clapped her hands and said she'd definitely visit more often to show support.
Then, with a smile that didn't match her actions at all, she stood up to make tea for everyone—and stepped hard on someone's foot as she passed.
Eriri, who was seated between Shouko and Mitsuha, had already left her body in spirit.
Her eyes were glazed over like mosquito coils, her head tilted back slightly as she passively accepted food from Shouko, mechanically chewing without any thought.
All that talk about starting a business together, opening a restaurant, or how Kyousuke helped Okudera Miki fulfill her dream—she couldn't care less.
"Eriri, want some cola?" Sakura asked, holding a massive bottle like it was a prized trophy.
"That's it!"
Like someone had hit her switch, Eriri suddenly sprang to her feet and shouted with excitement.
Her head smacked into a drooping cherry branch, sending petals fluttering down into her golden hair.
"Huh?" Everyone looked up.
Even Miki and Mitsuha, who had been deep in a conversation about body-swapping, stared at the now towering Eriri in confusion.
"The name of our company—Kyousuke and mine! Carbonation! That's it! We'll name it after our favorite drink!"
Whatever girly name she had thought of before didn't matter now.
Nothing could beat "Carbonation." Well, maybe "Deep Fried," but that sounded awful.
"Company?" someone echoed in confusion.
"Yes! Our animation studio—Kyousuke and I are going to create the world's greatest animation company! 'Carbonation' will bring so much joy that watching our anime will feel like swimming in an ocean of cola!"
Shouko blinked in surprise, then exchanged a mischievous look with Sakura before lowering her head and giggling shyly.
"Great name, great name~" Sakura was the first to clap, followed shortly by others—even those who didn't drink soda—joining in, albeit a bit confused.
Heh. So what if they're good at cooking?
'Kyousuke and I are doing something way more amazing.' Eriri proudly lifted her chin—only for a falling cherry branch to nearly jab her in the nose.
Yelping, she quickly sat back down.
"Hey, what? You don't like the name I came up with?"
Of course, "someone" was the person without a name.
With so many people around, Eriri wasn't about to reveal the cute nicknames she had given that idiot.
From now on, in public, she decided to just call him "Hey! Huh? What?"
"No, no, I like it. We'll go register it first thing tomorrow!" said Kyousuke, who was sitting across from her at the far end of the picnic mat, nodding seriously.
"Speaking of which," Sakura said, pouring a full glass of cola, "have you decided on a name for this house yet, Kyousuke?"
"The house? Isn't it just the Hojou residence?" Eriri replied before Kyousuke could speak.
"Oh my~ Sawamura-san is already so eager to take the Kyousuke name? But the question is—should it be Hojou Spencer Eriri, Sawamura Hojou Eriri, or maybe Hojou Sawamura Spencer Eriri? What a tough decision."
Utaha had returned to the courtyard and wasted no time teasing her favorite illustrator.
"You're the dumb one, Utaha-senpai. Obviously, it should be Hojou Eriri," Sakura jumped in immediately to stir the pot.
"Cough cough—"To hide the smile tugging at his lips, Kyousuke took a big gulp of cola.
Can you two stop with the mind-reading already?
With this many people around, how are your signals not getting scrambled?
Mitsuha quietly turned her head, sneaking a glance at the man drinking cola beside her.
In both the Miyamizu and Goukuchi families, it was just her and Yotsuba.
These old, prestigious families needed someone to carry on the name.
Back in Nara, her grandparents had tried to talk to them about it many times.
They never pressured her with harsh words, just soft-spoken pleas that were hard to refuse.
Even without being told, even little Yotsuba knew one of them had to inherit the shrine.
And Mitsuha… well, for her, it was practically set in stone.
Marrying into the family—taking a husband to carry on the family name—was her destined path.
Would Kyousuke be okay with that?
"Cough cough cough cough—!!"
Even worse than Kyousuke's reaction, cola shot out of Eriri's nose as her eyes went wide.
No—Sawamura Spencer Eriri.
"W-What nonsense are you all talking about?! There are plenty of couples who don't change their names after marriage!"
'Huh?'
Everyone—except for the slightly unfamiliar Miki and Mitsuha—looked up in surprise at Eriri's sudden boldness.
Then, as one, they turned to stare at the man who had been watching all of this unfold.
"Kyousuke, what now? Wanna head to city hall and register the marriage today?" Sakura chimed in with a grin. "Can't let a girl's feelings go unanswered~"
Mitsuha smiled gently at Kyousuke. "She's right. You're both of age. Time to help boost Japan's birthrate."
"Oh! That's right," Miki added with a sly glint in her gray eyes.
"Didn't you say something about this in the very first chapter of your manga? So you'd already planned to marry your partner from the beginning?"
Seated calmly on the mat, she rested her hands on her athletic thighs as though announcing a fact of destiny.
"Sawamura-san has already thought everything through. If you don't go to city hall right now, there's no way to save face."
Utaha sat down, pushing back the silly dog that kept trying to wiggle onto the mat.
Now wasn't the time for distractions. Who knows—one of her rivals might be about to leave the playing field for good.
Eriri opened her mouth to fight back but was immediately overwhelmed by the flurry of teasing.
Her cheeks flushed so red they looked like they'd start steaming any second.
No exaggeration—her brain felt fully cooked.
She couldn't think.
All she could do was obsess over the words: marriage, marriage, marriage, babies, babies, babies…
At that moment, Kyousuke's thoughts drifted far north, to his hometown—Otaru, Hokkaido.
A place where the snow piled a meter deep, where the canal was made for lovers, and where wise, hardworking craftsmen and family waited for him.
"Run!"
The voice of old man Yagi Kazumasa echoed in his ears.
Now he understood why the old man had told him to escape the joys of Tokyo.
Under the stares of everyone present, with Eriri on the verge of tears, Kyousuke let out a dry laugh.
Realizing that wouldn't get him out of this, he pulled out his phone.
"Looks like I'll need to call for a bigger car. We won't all fit otherwise."
"Huh? Why are you calling a car all of a sudden?" Sakura, ever the perfect straight man in this play, tilted her head in confusion.
Thanks to her cooperation, Kyousuke decided to still read her a bedtime story tonight.
(He had revoked that privilege one second earlier in his head.)
"Because the Hojou family has too many members now. I can't exactly drive each of you to city hall one by one on my motorbike, right?"
"Ohhh, I see!" Sakura clapped her fists together in understanding.
Her big eyes sparkled as she looked around at everyone, then asked curiously,
"But wait… you can't marry everyone at the same time, can you? Or has Japan changed its laws recently?"
Even the cool and composed Utaha turned red and looked away.
Every girl present suddenly became another version of Eriri—teasing was one thing, but when you were part of the joke, it hit differently.
Just as someone had predicted earlier, someone would be eliminated.
"Ahem, since everyone's here, let's talk about naming the house," Kyousuke said quickly.
"We all live here now, so everyone has the right to help choose the name. That includes you too, Mitsuha and Miki—welcome to your new home."
Without waiting for any responses, he stood up and walked into the living room.
By the time he came back out, the girls had all returned to their usual expressions—except for Eriri, who stubbornly kept her face turned away, only showing her forehead or chin.
Her lips were slightly parted, but all she managed were a few half-formed sounds, unable to speak properly.
Kyousuke handed out pens and paper to everyone.
After Miki's overly elegant suggestion of "Entei" and Eriri's explosive "Carbonated" proposal earlier, the group was in high spirits.
Naming the house was no small matter—it was a symbolic declaration of territory.
In the future, if any new girl were to move in, they could proudly say, "I'm the one who named this place!"
As the de facto owner of the house, Kyousuke was immediately disqualified from the naming contest.
He also wasn't allowed to be the judge—everyone shot down that idea before he could even finish suggesting it.
Not because they thought he'd be biased—more because they were afraid he wouldn't be biased toward them.
Without hesitation, Eriri scribbled down three characters: "Cola House."
Not only was it the favorite drink she shared with Kyousuke, it also had a cheerful, welcoming sound to it.
Honestly, even Momotarou should've had a name like that. "Cola House," home to a dog named Cola. How perfect.
As she thought about it, she reached over and grabbed the silly little dog who was dragging the picnic mat backward with its teeth.
She ruffled its head furiously, as if punishing all the people who had embarrassed her earlier.
No, wait—especially Kyousuke, that idiot! Who goes and drags a whole group of girls to register for marriage? What the hell was he thinking?!
She looked up and shot a death glare at him—the heartless traitor, the shameless flirt, the cold-blooded fool with a rock for a heart...
"Whoa, Eriri, this one's actually pretty good," Sakura murmured, pretending to think, though her mind was already made up.
Cola was fun, sure—but not quite there.
"Cherry Blossom Villa," said Shouko, quietly raising her slip of paper with a shy smile.
It wasn't because of Sakura, nor even the massive sakura tree blooming in the garden.
It was simply because, to her, everyone here was as beautiful and fleeting as cherry blossoms.
"Library Hall," wrote Utaha Kasumigaoka.
She and Kyousuke would write many more works together.
And one day, long after they were gone, this place could become a museum that preserved their legacy.
"Dream Garden," Mitsuha submitted.
She had considered naming it after the Skytree she saw the first time she opened Kyousuke's door—something like "Skytree Residence." But she gave up on that idea.
After all, it was through dreams that she and Kyousuke first connected—like something out of a fantasy.
And now, that dream had come true.
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