"What do you think Yukino-sensei wants to talk to Mitsuha about?" On the way home, Sayaka asked.
"Maybe it's another heart-to-heart, like last time? A lot has happened these past few days." Teshigawara pushed his bicycle along.
"It feels like Mitsuha is drifting further and further away from us," Sayaka said wistfully.
"Yeah," Teshigawara replied, glancing up at the Miyamizu Shrine perched on the mountaintop.
Mitsuha used to be just an unremarkable shrine maiden, only known as "the daughter of Lady Futaba."
Any little deviation from the norm would earn her criticism from the older shrine followers.
There were times when they visited the shrine to play with her, only to find Mitsuha hiding inside, crying her heart out while thinking about her mother.
"But maybe it's a good thing," Teshigawara mused. "She finally achieved what she wanted."
Now, when people in town called her "Mitsuha-san," it was with genuine respect. She was slowly becoming just like Futaba-sama.
"Is it really a good thing?" Sayaka frowned. "Yesterday, she seemed really stressed out."
Sayaka was more straightforward than Teshigawara, but maybe because of that, she could see things others missed.
"Sayaka nee-chan!" A bright, childlike voice interrupted their conversation. They turned to see Yotsuba Miyamizu bounding toward them, her pigtails bouncing with each step.
"Oh, it's Yotsuba! Hey there!" Sayaka waved enthusiastically.
"Hey!" Yotsuba ran straight up to Sayaka and grabbed her hand affectionately.
"There's someone else here too, you know," Teshigawara muttered, feeling left out.
"Oh, it's just Teshigawara," Yotsuba said, her tone instantly cooling. "Why are you still clinging to Sayaka?"
Teshigawara groaned. "Oof... direct hit."
"Sayaka nee-chan, where's my sister?"
"Mitsuha? She's talking with Yukino-sensei about something."
"Talking about what?" Yotsuba tilted her head in confusion.
"Probably about what happened these past few days…"
Then, with animated gestures and dramatic expressions, Sayaka launched into an exaggerated retelling of the things Hojou Kyousuke had done.
"No way! There's no way my dumb sister could be that amazing!"
Yotsuba knew her sister too well to believe such a story, no matter how much she trusted Sayaka.
"It's true!" Sayaka insisted. "You didn't see it—Mitsuha just did this—" she demonstrated on Teshigawara, "—and that guy, who was five times your height, went down like a rock! Then she did this—" another exaggerated move, "—and his face was a total mess!"
'Five times my height?! 'Yotsuba tried to picture it and instantly went pale. That was terrifying!
But Sayaka never lied to her. No matter what, Sayaka always treated her seriously, never brushing her off as a kid.
That was exactly why Yotsuba liked her so much.
"That's so cool!" Yotsuba gasped.
Raised by her grandmother to be as tough as a boy, she was in total awe. Her supposedly airheaded sister had taken down a giant?
"Right? So cool, right?!" Sayaka was thrilled that Yotsuba shared her excitement.
Laughing and chatting, the three of them continued their walk home.
Meanwhile, Yukino Yukari and Hojou Kyousuke weren't heading to the office. Instead, they walked out of the school building.
"I saw what happened this morning from the window," Yukino said. "That was pretty intense."
She was talking about the moment when Mitsuha had been cornered by a group of girls at the school gate. The scene had stirred up painful memories for her.
Even though the circumstances were different and the kind of bullying wasn't the same, she couldn't help but relate.
"You mean Minami Manaka? That wasn't dangerous," Kyousuke replied with a laugh.
"Haha, well, I suppose not after all, Mitsuha is someone possessed by a god, right?" Yukino teased with a grin.
"That's just a rumor," Kyousuke said. "You're from Tokyo, Yukino. Do you really believe in that stuff?"
"I'm not from Tokyo, actually. My hometown is in the countryside of Shikoku. We have plenty of similar legends there. Besides—"
Yukino suddenly flashed him a mischievous smile.
"Do you remember what I told you after school yesterday?"
'Yesterday?' Kyousuke quickly searched through Mitsuha's memories but couldn't recall anything related.
"Uh… you told me to get along with my classmates?" he guessed randomly.
"Haha, knew it! Are you really a god?"
Yukino's excited giggle was surprisingly endearing. She might look mature, but at times like this, she was just like an innocent girl.
"Wait… does that mean you never actually talked to me yesterday after school?" Kyousuke realized.
"Bingo!"
"I'm not a god," he muttered, rubbing his temple.
He knew someone would eventually figure it out, but he never expected the first person to be Yukino Yukari—a teacher he barely interacted with—rather than his family or close friends like Sayaka and Teshigawara.
Was this some kind of detective story? Garden of Words?
That didn't sound like a mystery title, but then again, with how eccentric people could be in Japan, nothing would surprise him.
Otherwise, how else could Yukino Yukari be so sharp? And why was she enjoying this so much?
"Aren't you scared?" Kyousuke asked, puzzled.
Yukino wasn't from Itomori, didn't follow the Miyamizu Shrine's faith, and probably didn't even believe in gods.
So why was she so quick to jump to conclusions—and why was she so happy about it?
"Scared? Of what?"
"I'm an unknown presence inside Mitsuha's body. For all you know, I could get bored of her anytime and move on to someone else—like you, since you know my secret."
"Haha! Actually, I was possessed once too, when I was younger," Yukino said with a laugh, completely unfazed.
Kyousuke blinked. 'Wait… this isn't a detective story. It's an exorcism story?'
"Well, I don't know if it counts as possession exactly," Yukino continued as they stepped onto the schoolyard.
"Want to sit over there for a bit?" she asked, pointing at a nearby bench.
"Sure," Kyousuke agreed.
He was curious about her story—and he also needed to make sure this woman, who now knew part of his and Mitsuha's secret, wouldn't cause any problems for Mitsuha.
"In the eastern fields, the dawn rises. Turning back, the moon sinks in the west…"
Yukino recited, her voice rich and melodic.
"It's an old poem I saw in a classical literature class during middle school. It's from the Manyoshu."
'Manyoshu? Garden of Words? That Italian restaurant?' Kyousuke tried to connect the dots while Yukino continued reminiscing.
"Before I could even fully understand its meaning, something strange happened. The printed text in my textbook started to blur and dissolve, and then… an incredible scene unfolded before my eyes."
"A vast field, bathed in the purple glow of dawn. In the distance, a small man on horseback."
"Surrounding him was a sky of soft pinks, yellows, blues—a breathtaking gradient. And at the horizon, where the sky met the mountain ridge, a lonely, silvery moon hung, as if painted into the scene."
Yukino's voice was mesmerizing, like a master storyteller bringing an ancient tale to life.
Kyousuke could almost see the scene himself.
"I had never seen anything like it before. But the strangest part? My literature teacher, Hinako-sensei, drew exactly the same scene on the blackboard with chalk.
When I told her about it, she smiled and said—'Perhaps the poet who wrote that verse, Hitomaro, possessed us both for a moment.'"
Her voice was tinged with nostalgia.
"So what? Even if you're some unknown being possessing Mitsuha's body, what's there to be afraid of? Everyone's a little abnormal in their own way."
Huh? Speak for yourself—I'm completely normal.
After hearing those words, Hojou Kyousuke finally understood why Yukino-sensei had accepted such an unbelievable truth so easily.
"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about this."
Before Hojou Kyousuke could even say anything, Yukino Yukari reassured him.
"Well, thanks for that. Let's go home."
Brushing the dust off his skirt, Hojou Kyousuke stood up.
However, the moment they reached the school gate, he froze.
Standing just outside was Miyamizu Toshiki—Miyamizu Mitsuha's father and the town's mayor. He stood stiffly beside the school gate's pillar.
The school grounds were nearly empty now, and who knew how long he had been waiting there?
Yukino Yukari recognized him immediately. Worry flickered across her face as she glanced at the "divine being" beside her.
Then, understanding the need for space, she quietly stepped aside, leaving the two alone.
Though puzzled by why his daughter was lingering at school so late with a female teacher, Miyamizu Toshiki still nodded politely in greeting.
"Mitsuha." His tone was stiff, almost businesslike—just as it had always been between them.
"Father." Hojou Kyousuke smiled as he stepped forward.
Father?
Miyamizu Toshiki's brows furrowed instantly. Mitsuha had never addressed him so formally. But now wasn't the time to dwell on that—there were more pressing matters at hand.
"What's this I'm hearing about you officially inheriting the shrine?"
"It's exactly as you've heard, Father."
How was I supposed to know? I was about to ask you the same thing—Mitsuha never wrote anything about this in her notes!
Still smiling, Kyousuke answered without hesitation, completely unaware that everything was, in fact, his own doing.
"You…" Toshiki was about to press further when he caught sight of his daughter's face—so sincere, so calm.
In that instant, the blood drained from his face.
"Who are you?!"
It felt as if all the strength had been sucked from his body. He stumbled back a few steps, his voice shaking with fear.
The girl standing before him—identical to his daughter—was not his daughter.
No, this was something else entirely. Something wearing Mitsuha's skin.
At that moment, Toshiki felt as though he had finally glimpsed the true nature of Itomori.
The so-called deity that the Miyamizu family had worshiped for generations… The being that had taken Futaba's life…
It was standing right in front of him.
Memories came rushing back—Futaba, lying pale and lifeless in a hospital bed. The town's indifference to her passing. His wife mother, Hitoha, accepting their daughter's death as divine will…
The pain was suffocating.
By the time he came back to his senses, the creature that had taken Mitsuha's body was gone. Toshiki returned home in a daze, his mind in turmoil.
"Well, if you're okay, I'll be going now."
Kyousuke cast a puzzled glance at his "father," who had suddenly gone pale. He had no intention of lingering—best not to say too much and risk making things harder for Mitsuha.
After waiting a few seconds and seeing that Miyamizu Toshiki wasn't responding, he signaled to Yukino-sensei and swiftly made his exit.
"Are you sure about leaving like that?"
After walking a short distance, Yukino glanced back at the mayor, still standing there in shock.
"What else was I supposed to do? It's not like they were close."
Now that they'd shared such a bizarre secret, Kyousuke felt comfortable speaking more casually with her.
"Fair point." Yukino Yukari chuckled.
Kyousuke gave the beautiful teacher a curious look. For some reason, she seemed… younger. More carefree.
Before, she had always worn a gentle smile, but there had been something weighed down in her eyes.
And truthfully, he wasn't wrong.
Now that Yukino Yukari knew there was a deity inside this girl's body, she felt like she could fly with happiness.
If it was truly a divine being, then surely it was free from all the filth of the human world. Even the mountain winds of Itomori, even the air itself—nothing could compare to the sacred purity of an actual god.
She had fled from Tokyo to her hometown in Shikoku because of malicious rumors, only to be chased out again. She had come to this small, isolated town hoping to escape it all.
Over time, countless worries had piled up in her heart. She had forced herself to grow up, to abandon the childishness she once had in Tokyo.
When she first arrived in Itomori, she had heard about the mystical legends surrounding the Miyamizu Shrine and the miraculous stories of Futaba.
Desperate, she had climbed the shrine's mountain, cleansed her hands, made offerings, and prayed with all her heart—hoping that the gods would take away her pain.
That was why so many turned to faith, wasn't it?
When life became unbearable, people sought comfort in the divine. They put their hopes in something unseen, longing to forget the pain of the past.
But in the end, all she found was a hollow shrine.
Futaba was long gone. The only ones left were an aging priestess, Hitoha, and a serious-looking shrine maiden, Mitsuha.
Her hopes had been shattered.
But at least the rumors from Tokyo hadn't followed her here.
At the time, Yukino Yukari had thought—perhaps ignorance really is bliss.
But now, she owed the gods an apology.
Because it wasn't ignorance.
There really was a deity watching over Itomori.
The people of this town… were truly blessed.
And so was she.
She laughed softly at herself, remembering how she had once planned to be Mitsuha's mentor—to guide her through life.
Back when I was a student, Hinako-sensei saved me. Now that I'm a teacher, I get to meet a real god?
This is too much happiness for one lifetime.
Walking beside the divine being, she wanted to pour out all her worries, to share everything in her heart.
But she held back.
Have some restraint, Yukari. You can't just bombard a god with prayers the moment you enter the shrine.
You haven't even offered any tribute yet. That wouldn't be proper.
And yet, even just walking side by side like this, she felt her long-stifled heart grow lighter.
"Mitsuha, isn't your house in the other direction?"
After some hesitation, Yukino Yukari decided to stick with that name.
"Yeah, but I feel like taking a little detour today. I'll walk you home first."
Kyousuke had been to Itomori many times now, but he realized that he had never gone anywhere besides school and home. Even Mitsuha had used his body to explore. It felt unfair.
"Ohh, sure~"
Yukino Yukari replied cheerfully.
Any excuse to spend more time with the divine was a gift. She automatically translated his words in her mind—He wants to see more of the land he watches over.
But as they kept walking, Kyousuke started to notice something off.
"Wait… isn't this the edge of town?"
"The house I live in belonged to an elderly couple with no children. The town let me stay there for free as a teacher."
"Oh, that's pretty nice."
"They also gave me a plot of land, but I've never farmed it."
"Why not?" Kyousuke asked, suddenly intrigued. He could feel a tiny spark of interest—maybe it was his dormant farming instincts awakening?
"Because I don't know how."
Yukino Yukari raised her arms, pulling back her sleeves to reveal her delicate, unblemished wrists—completely untouched by manual labor.
Yeah, she definitely didn't look like the farming type.
"I'll help you plant something next time."
Spoken like someone whose only experience with farming was growing cherry radishes in a lunchbox.
"You'd really do that?"
"It's settled, then."
By the time they reached the railway tracks, Kyousuke knew they were almost at Yukino Yukari's home.
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