Chapter Text
Mitsuha groans as the morning sunlight shine through the window of her room. She slowly rose up from her bed, removes the blanket off of her and rubs her eyes. She then pushes away from strands of hair dangling in front of his eyes and turns to the calendar placed on the small table next to her bed.
She picks up the calendar and holds it in front of her. She smiles at the red circle that is drawn on today's date.
"Today is the day…" Mitsuha spoke. "My first real date with Taki-kun."
----
At the kitchen, a 17-year old girl whose long black hair is tied to two ponytails and currently dressed in a white shirt, blue shorts and a black and white striped apron around her body is carefully placing some fish that she has recently done cooking onto a plate. She then puts aside her spatula and picks up the plate. She walks her way to the kitchen door and slides open it. She makes her way to the dining table where there are bowls of rice and soup placed on it.
Just as she puts the plate of fish down on the table, she could hear the bathroom door opens. She looks up and sees Mitsuha, now dressed in a pink shirt and white shorts, came out and walks over to her sister. She had just finished taking a shower, changed into a new set clothes, brush her teeth and combing her hair.
"Good morning sis!" Yotsuha greeted, waving her hand at her elder sister.
"Good morning." Mitsuha replied.
"I know that today is your big day, so I made the best breakfast for you and Obaa-chan." Yotsuha smirked as she places her hands on her hips.
Mitsuha goes to the other side of the dining table, grabs a chair and sits down. She examines the food on the table that her younger sister has cooked and a small smirk appears on her face. "Ah yes, a typical Japanese breakfast that consists of rice, soup and fish. How original." Mitsuha said sarcastically.
Yotsuha growls irritably at her. "Hey, I'll let you know that the fish I cook here were the best fish caught in all of Japan!" She cried with pride.
Mitsuha laughed and gave a pat on her sister's shoulder. "Relax. I was just joking." She gave Yotsuha a warm smile. "Thanks for cooking for us. I appreciate it."
Yotsuha's look of annoyance suddenly turns into one of shock and surprise. Did her older sister actually praise her? She hasn't seen and heard her done that in a long while. An unmistakably grin soon broke out and plastered itself across her face.
"You're welcome, sis!" She bows her head to her.
Then, one of the bedroom doors open, revealing their grandmother Hitoha coming out. Mitsuha and Yotsuha turn their heads to the elderly woman.
"Good morning Obaa-chan!" Both sisters greeted in unison.
"Good morning girls." Hitoha said giving her granddaughters a warm smile as she slowly walks over to them. She turns to the food placed on the table. "Ah, the breakfast sure smells really good."
"Thanks. I cooked them." Yotsuha said.
"Yup, all of the credit goes to her." Mitsuha said.
"I see. Thanks for the meal, Yotsuha." Hitoha said as she grabs a chair and gently pulls it off from underneath the table.
"You're welcome, Obaa-chan." Yotsuha said, smiling sweetly before she places her hands on her grandmother's shoulders and helps her to gently sit down on her chair. "Now then, don't just sit there." Yotsuha removes her apron and tosses it to the couch beside the dining area. She grabs the last vacant chair and the entire family is all gathered around the table. "Let's eat!"
The three then clasps their hands together and bow their heads. "Itadakimasu!"
Afterwards, they grab their chopsticks and start eating their breakfast. Yotsuha places a piece of fish onto her bowl of rice before turning to Mitsuha.
"So Mitsuha, when is he coming over?" She asked her older sister who is picking up her own bowl of rice.
"You mean Taki? He's coming at 11." Mitsuha replied before stuffing some food into her mouth. Mitsuha is honestly excited with her date with Taki. It will be their first official date after regaining their memories of each other during their trip to Itomori and the first time they actually hang out with each other, not as friends, but as lovers.
"I certainly can't wait to see him." Hitoha said, smiling at her elder granddaughter. "I am so glad you finally found someone you love."
"I'm glad for myself too, Obaa-chan." A warm smile appears on Mitsuha's face as she stares directly at her grandmother.
"Mitsuha, do you really love this man?" Hitoha asked.
Mitsuha nods her head. "I'm not just in love with him, Obaa-chan. I want to be with him for the rest of my life. And it's because this man changed my life forever." Her eyes softened as she gently place her chopsticks and bowl of rice down on the table. "Do you remember when after Itomori got destroyed, I kept crying every day in the morning afterwards?"
"Yeah, we do." Yotsuha said glumly, recollecting the memories of seeing her older sister crying shortly after the evacuation of the townspeople of Itomori. "Why did you cry?"
"I kept crying because…I've found purpose in my life. And my purpose is to find love. I know there's someone out there who loves me dearly. And I want to be him as well. And now, finally, after 8 long years, I have found him. I finally did. If Taki and I hadn't found each other, I would have continued to be all alone…sad…and helpless."
Yotsuha widens her eyes in concern. "Mitsuha…you're crying."
Mitsuha widens her eyes and wipes her cheeks, realizing that her sister is right. She didn't know she is crying until Yotsuha told her that.
Immediately, Yotsuha place her chopsticks and bowl down and goes over to her sister. She wraps her arms around her and pulls her into a warm embrace. "Sis, please. Stop crying. You're not alone. Not anymore."
Mitsuha looks at her sister wordlessly for a moment before she manages to burst out a chuckle. "Yes, you're right." She said before hugging her sister back.
"I'm glad you two are always looking out for each other." Hitoha said softly, feeling touched by the display in front of her. Mitsuha and Yotsuha turn their heads to her. "And your sister is right, Mitsuha. No matter what happens and no matter how you feel, you're not alone. You never are."
Mitsuha nods her head weakly in response.
"Now then, I look forward to meeting this Taki-kun. And I hope you'll marry him too. It'd be nice to see this family growing."
Upon hearing that causes Mitsuha's cheeks to blush furiously. "Obaa-chan!" She cried in embarrassment while Yotsuha clutches her stomach and laughs uncontrollably.
----
Taki and his father both sat quietly at their dining table, eating their breakfast. Taki is already getting himself prepared for his date with Mitsuha as he is currently dressed in his black jacket, blue t-shirt, dark tan pants and white socks for the occasion.
"So when are you meeting your girlfriend?" His father asked after swallowing his food.
"At 11 am. I'll be leaving as soon as we finish breakfast." Taki replied, looking up at his father.
His father chuckled as he places his bowl down. "And you're already dressed like that. Are you feeling nervous?" He asked.
"N-n-no! Not at all!" Taki shakes his head in his failed attempt to conceal his nervousness.
"Just take a deep breath, son. You'll do fine. This isn't a job interview after all, it's a date." His father said calmly. "Though admittingly, I got the same feeling you had when I went out on my first date with your mother."
"Really?" Taki widens his eyes, leaning towards his father. His father nodded. "I didn't know you would act like that."
"There are still some things you don't know about me." His father said before taking another bite of his rice. After swallowing his food, he looks at his son. "Son, how long have you been with Mitsuha?"
Taki's eyes softened. "A long time, dad. A very long time."
"And do the both of you truly love each other?" His father asked.
"Yes. We do." Taki said solemnly, remembering the day he and Mitsuha admit their love for each other during their trip to Itomori.
"Good. If Mitsuha does love you back, then you shouldn't be nervous around her, am I right?"
Taki smiles at his father and nods his head. "You're absolutely right."
His father nods his head again before placing his bowl of rice onto the table. "I really hope you can stay happy with this woman for the rest of your life. The same way I felt being with your mother. Cherish her as much as you can. The ones you loved are to be treasured."
Taki stared at his father wordlessly for a moment before a warm smile appears on his face. "Arigatou, father."
The two continue eating their breakfast quietly until they finished consuming everything that is on the table. The two place their empty bowls on the table after they finished eating their meal.
"I'll clean the bowls and plates myself. You should depart now." Taki's father said.
"Right." Taki gets up from his chair and stares at his father. "I love you dad."
"I love you too, son." His father gave his son a wan smile. Taki then steps out of the dining area and walks his way to the door. He opens the door and steps out of his house. He quickly puts on his black shoes and starts his journey to Mitsuha's apartment.
After hearing the door closed, his father sighs as he leans back on his chair and glances up at the ceiling.
"Ayase, our son has grown up so fast."
----
After forty-five minutes of travelling, Taki finally arrived at the apartment building Mitsuha and her family is living in. He looks down at his watch and sees that the time is 10:59 am. The brown-haired man sighs in relief before walking over to the elevators. He presses the button and one of them opens up. He gets inside and presses the button to the fourth floor. The door closes and Taki felt the elevator going up beneath his feet.
When he arrived at the fourth floor, he steps out of the elevator and walks his way to Mitsuha's home. He looks down at his watch again and sees that the time is now exactly 11 am. He lowers his arm and lets out another sigh. He presses the doorbell and he could hear it rang from the other side of the door.
"Coming!" He heard a voice called. The door is unlocked and swings open, revealing Yotsuha standing at the doorway. Taki widens his eyes and smiled. He remembers Mitsuha's sister very well during his time in her body.
"Hello!" Taki greeted, waving his hand at her.
Yotsuha widens her eyes and a huge grin broke out on her face. "Hello there! You must be Taki! Mitsuha told us all about you!"
"What? 'Us'?" Taki tilts his head in confusion.
Yotsuha turns around and calls out to Hitoha. "Obaa-chan! Mitsuha's boyfriend is here!" Taki takes a peek further inside the house and he sees Hitoha slowly walking her way to the door.
Taki smiled again, also remembering Hitoha through his experience inside Mitsuha's body. He fondly remembers the day he carried her up the mountain and when she told him and Yotsuha all about her teachings of Musubi.
"Ah, you must be Taki-kun. It's so nice to finally meet you." Hitoha smiled sweetly extending her hands out to her granddaughter's boyfriend.
"It's nice to meet you too." Taki bowed before gently shakes Hitoha's hands.
Hitoha chuckled. "It's strange. We only just met and I already feel like you're like a part of our family."
Taki laughed as well. "Really? You think so?"
"I sure do."
A warm smile appears on Taki's face. 'If only you knew we actually known each other much longer.'
"Please wait a little longer. My sister is still busy changing." Yotsuha said, placing her hands behind her back.
Taki turns to her. "It's okay. I have all the time in the world, Yotsuha."
Yotsuha arches an eyebrow in confusion. "Huh? How do you know my name?"
Taki gasped, realizing that Yotsuha and Hitoha hadn't told him their names yet. He panicked a little and scratches the side of his head. "Oh ummm, Mitsuha told me about you." He said.
"Really, she did? Cool!" Yotsuha grinned.
Taki sighs in relief. 'I dodged the bullet.'
"I'm done!"
Taki turns to the front and faces the direction of where the voice came from. He widens his eyes and drops his jaw.
Mitsuha steps out of her bedroom, dressed in a white short-sleeved blouse, a pink shirt and white high-heeled shoes and her long black hair tied to a ponytail by her red hair ribbon.
Taki gulped and tries his best to fight back the strong urges he felt upon seeing his girlfriend.
"How do I-" Mitsuha was about to ask her sister and grandmother but was cut off when she sees Taki standing at the doorway, staring at her wide-eyed. Mitsuha gasps and her cheeks blushed. "Taki-kun!"
Taki chuckles nervously and waves his hand at her. "H-h-hello…Mitsuha."
Mitsuha turns to Hitoha and Yotsuha who both smile at her. "It's okay Mitsuha. Come over here." Hitoha said, gesturing her granddaughter to come over. Mitsuha nods her head and walks over to them.
"You look great, sis." Yotsuha said, smiling gleefully at her elder sister.
"You think so? Thanks." Mitsuha clasps her hands together. She turns to Taki. "What about you, Taki? What do you think?"
Taki manages to crack a smile. "Y-you look…n-nice." He stuttered sheepishly. His comment made Mitsuha's cheeks blush harder.
"Now then, shall you two get on with your date?" Hitoha spoke.
"Ah yes! Of course!" Taki and Mitsuha both said anxiously in unison. The two look at each other again and they laugh nervously.
"Enjoy your date, sis!" Yotsuha said to Mitsuha, giving her a pat on her shoulder.
Mitsuha turns to her younger sister and smiles at her. "I will."
Yotsuha then turns to Taki and narrows her eyes at him. "And Taki, if you ever make my sister upset, I won't forgive you." She said icily.
Taki yelps at Yotsuha's stern look directly towards him. "Right! I promise I won't!" He bowed.
The younger sister smiled again. "Good! Well then, I wish the both of you have fun!"
Mitsuha extends out her hand to Taki. He smiles back at his girlfriend before grabbing her hand and the two walk their way down the corridor.
"Goodbye guys!" Yotsuha called out to them as she and Hitoha wave their hands goodbye and watch them leave.
"Have a fun and memorable day, you two!" Hitoha added. Mitsuha and Taki turn their heads and wave back at them before facing back to the front and walk their way out of the apartment.
Yotsuha sighs blissfully and places her hands on her hips. "And there it goes. Young love."
"It sure is." Hitoha chuckled. "I honestly hope they'll get married. It'll be nice to finally have a male in our family."
"I hope you don't mind the ponytail. I just want to relive the day we first met each other at the train." Mitsuha said to Taki.
"Yeah. And you still look beautiful with it." Taki replied. Mitsuha giggled in response. He then questioned his girlfriend. "So, where do you want to go first?" Mitsuha turns to him with a wide smile plastered on her face.
"Anywhere will do!"
----
Taki decides to take Mitsuha to a restaurant he heard had just been opened recently and have some desserts. The two go over to a table and sat in front of each other. A waitress walks over to them and gave each of them a menu. The two spend some time looking through the menu before they eventually decide what desserts they want to eat. The waitress wrote down their orders on a notepad before Taki and Mitsuha pass her back the menus. The waitress bows and leaves.
"We should take a picture of us together while we wait." Mitsuha said. Taki nods his head in agreement. Back at Itomori, they promise to each other that they would make new and unforgettable memories with each other. Since then, they do so by taking photos of themselves whenever they're together.
Mitsuha gets up from her seat and gestures Taki to move aside. Taki obliged and shifts to the side, allowing an empty area for Mitsuha to sit next to him. She then sits next to her boyfriend and she takes out her phone. The two look at the phone and smile before Mitsuha presses the button and snaps a photo.
When they're done, Mitsuha looks down at her phone and goes to the photo gallery. Taki leans his head towards her phone to get a closer look.
Mitsuha brings up the photo she just took and examines it. A small grin appears on her face as she likes it overall.
"Perfect!" She said.
"I like it too." Taki said. "Can I see what other pictures you took?"
"Okay." Mitsuha slides her finger horizontally on her phone to show her last photo she took, which is a selfie of herself standing next to a bronze statue of a dog and she lovingly wraps her scarf around its neck.
"Ah, it's Hachiko at Shibuya district." Taki said.
Mitsuha lets out a blissful sigh. "And he is so cute, right? Such a shame that the true story behind him is anything but. He kind of reminds me of how long we've waited to find each other again."
"Yeah." Taki turns his head away for a moment and frown.
Mitsuha slides her finger through her phone again, bringing up another photo she took before. Taki turns his head back to her phone and his frown flips into a smile. It's a photo of a bowl of ramen noodles.
"That looks delicious." He commented.
"Yup. I ate it at a noodle restaurant while I was in Shibuya. I'll take you there someday." Mitsuha said.
"So you actually do eat other things besides cakes and ice cream."
Mitsuha turns to Taki and pouts. "What do you mean?"
"Nothing. It's just that every time we go out together to a restaurant, you're always ordering desserts."
"Not always!" Mitsuha protested. Taki laughs as she gives him a light punch on his shoulder. The two look back at her phone and Mitsuha slides her finger through it again, this time bringing up a bottom view of Tokyo Skytree.
"Hey, it's the Skytree! You've been on it?" Taki asked.
"No." Mitsuha shakes her head. "I only just pass by it. I wish I could but I never found the time." She turns to Taki. "What about you? Did you set foot into the Skytree?" She inquired.
"No. Me either. It's funny that I live in Tokyo my whole life and I never set foot in it at all." Taki said.
"If you want to, we can always go there later." Mitsuha said, sounding anxious.
"Really? Sounds great if only the queue isn't always so long and the time cards don't sell out fast." Taki lowers his head.
"Perhaps today may be our lucky day. You'll never know." Mitsuha said before sliding her finger through the phone again. She and Taki widen their eyes in awe.
It is a photo of themselves which Mitsuha took during their trip to Itomori. Inside the photo, they are holding each other's hand and standing together side by side on top of the mountain in Itomori with a beautiful view of the two lakes behind them.
Taki lets out a sigh. "I'll never forget that day. Ever."
"Me too." Mitsuha added. "Funny. I vividly remembered us saying to each other that we don't need anyone in our lives and want to remain single."
Taki chuckled, reminiscing that moment in time. "How wrong can we be?" He said. The two stare at each other wordlessly. Throughout their time with each other, from the first day they started switching bodies with each other, to the day they finally regain their memories during their trip to Itomori, they finally realize the importance of companionship. Everybody does need someone special in their lives and nobody should ever live and die alone.
"Here you go. Your desserts."
The voice caused Taki and Mitsuha to snap out of their thoughts and they see the food they ordered placed in front of them. The two simply smiled.
"Arigatou-"
Taki turns his head to personally thank the person who delivered their food. But he got cut off. He widens his eyes in surprise, recognizing who the person is. Mitsuha turns her head as well and she too looks shocked.
"Okudera?!" Taki cried incredulously.
Miki Okudera, who is dressed in a black suit with a white collar shirt underneath, black pants and black high-heeled shoes, is standing right beside them. Okudera widens her eyes as well, recognizing her former co-worker.
"Taki?"
Taki stared at her wordlessly for a few seconds before he manages to crack a smile and finally waves his hand at her. "Hi, it's been a while."
Okudera chuckled as she pushes some strands of hair away from her forehead. "Yes. Indeed." She turns her head to Mitsuha and her smile widens. "I assumed this is your girlfriend?" Taki nods his head in response.
Mitsuha smiles back at Okudera and she extends out her hand. "It's nice to finally meet you, Okudera!"
Okudera grabs her hand and shakes it. "Nice to meet you too-wait." She arches an eyebrow. "What do you mean finally?"
Taki and Mitsuha yelp. It's true that Mitsuha has hang out with Okudera before but all of those moments happen when the younger woman was inside Taki's body and his former co-worker is completely oblivious about it.
Taki sighed. He can't believe he's doing this again for the second time of the day. "I've been telling you about her. And she admires you."
Mitsuha briefly turns to him, who gestures her to play along with it. Mitsuha turns back to Okudera and nods her head. Okudera smiles again, accepting the answer.
"Really? That's nice to hear!" She said.
Taki and Mitsuha both sigh in relief and thought to themselves, 'Dodged a bullet.'
Taki looks up at his former co-worker and spoke, "I see you're still in the F&B business after all these years."
"Yeah. This restaurant is operated by me and my husband. We're both co-owners and co-managers of this place. And if you're wondering, my husband is currently sitting in his office doing paperwork. He's in charge of the finance while I'm in charge of managing our staff." Okudera explained.
"I see." Mitsuha said as her eyes softened. For a while, she thought Taki and Okudera would actually get together. She thought things would be happier for Taki if she can help him admit his affection and true feelings for his crush. But she later changed her mind. She doesn't want Taki to be with Okudera. She wants him to be with her. And when her heart got crushed by their first meeting at the train that day, she felt like giving up, accepting the fact that she and Taki are just never meant to be together.
But now, she's glad.
She's glad that Taki chose to love her and not Okudera. She's glad that Taki actually felt genuine love for her back. And she's glad that they're finally together as an inseparable pair.
"Now then, what are you two waiting for?" Okudera smiled as she claps her hands. "Eat up your desserts. I hope you'll enjoy them."
"Oh right." Taki said as he and Mitsuha turn to each other. "Let's eat."
Mitsuha nods her head. As Okudera turns around and leave, the two grab their spoons and stare at their food. Taki ordered a slice of black forest chocolate cake while Mitsuha ordered strawberry sorbet.
They take a scoop of their food and stuff pieces of them into their mouths.
"It's good." Taki said, nodding his head of approval.
"Very nice!" Mitsuha added joyfully. They take another scoop of their food. But this time, they turn to each other and smile. Taki opens his mouth and Mitsuha stuffs her piece of sorbet into it. She then opens her own mouth and Taki stuffs his piece of cake into it.
Unbeknownst to the two, Okudera was watching nearby, standing behind the cash register. She smiled blissfully as she silently watches the two.
----
After they finished eating, Taki and Mitsuha headed over to the cash register, where Okudera is standing behind it, and paid their bill.
"Arigatou! I hope you enjoyed your meal." Okudera said, giving Taki his change.
"We sure do. Your restaurant's food is great!" Mitsuha said with her eyes wide with enthusiasm.
"I think so too." Taki said in agreement. "Give our compliments to your husband."
"I sure will." Okudera said. "I'll introduce you two to my husband someday. And one more thing, I hope you two will take good care of each other."
Taki and Mitsuha smile sheepishly at each other before turning back to Okudera. "Arigatou Mis-um-Mrs Okudera." Taki said. With that, the couple turned around and made their way out of the restaurant.
Okudera lets out a blissful sigh as she watches Taki and Mitsuha step out.
'I always knew you'll be happy someday, Taki-kun…'
----
"So Mitsuha, where do you want to go next?" Taki inquired as they walk down the pavement.
"I don't know. Maybe somewhere peaceful…quiet…where we can have all the time in the world…" Mitsuha answered. Taki rubs his chin and pondered. Perhaps Mitsuha wants a place where there is full of life and nature, just like Itomori. She is born in the countryside after all.
Taki gasps as an idea hatched in his head. "I know!"
End of Part 1