Chapter 144: Your Name... Miyamizu Mitsuha!

Chapter 144: Your Name... Miyamizu Mitsuha!

"Ohaiyo."

Yukima Azuma entered the unfamiliar living room and greeted the kind elderly lady.

"Onee-chan, why so late!"

The unfamiliar little girl looked at Yukima Azuma and uttered a teasing reproach.

Yukima Azuma sat down at the empty spot next to the low table.

He looked at the dining table.

There was grilled fish, smoked meat, and egg soup.

For a breakfast, this was quite a hearty meal.

Yukima Azuma opened the rice cooker next to him and served himself a bowl of rice.

He also kindly added another bowl for the elderly lady.

As he ate, Yukima Azuma thought about the current situation.

Earlier, he had rummaged a bit through the room.

And he had somewhat understood the situation of the room's owner.

Miyamizu Mitsuha.

The eldest daughter of the Miyamizu family, the heir to the Miyamizu shrine, a Miko, and also a high school girl.

It seemed like it was the vacation before Miyamizu Mitsuha entered high school.

Yukima Azuma naturally knew of Miyamizu Mitsuha.

Since he knew Mitsuha, Yukima also had some understanding of his current situation.

At first, Miyamizu Mitsuha had a miraculous fate.

She was the Miko of Itomori, a town in Gifu, and the heir of the Miyamizu family.

Every time she reached puberty, she would undergo a brief body swap with a fated person.

This was a hereditary event in the Miyamizu family.

It was a favor received from the gods worshiped at Itomori.

Miyamizu Mitsuha would initially swap souls with her fated person, crossing through time.

Then, the town of Itomori would be struck by a meteorite and destroyed.

Miyamizu Mitsuha and her fated person would work together to save the people of the town who were supposed to die.

It wasn't clear whether it was because Yukima Azuma often looked towards Gifu, but now, it seemed that Yukima was the chosen fated person for Miyamizu Mitsuha.

However, it wasn't a soul swap.

Rather, Yukima Azuma's body had truly been brought into this space as well.

But to others, Yukima Azuma was now Miyamizu Mitsuha.

At the same time, as long as Yukima Azuma closed his eyes, he could see the scenes on the other side.

Those were the scenes that Miyamizu Mitsuha, who had been brought into Yukima Azuma's space, saw.

Yukima Azuma felt it.

As long as he used his supernatural skills, it seemed that he could sever this connection.

Once severed, he would immediately be returned to his own space.

But when Yukima Azuma was about to do so, a gentle voice sounded in his head.

The voice was not like normal speech.

Though he couldn't understand the words, Yukima could grasp the meaning.

It seemed that the speaker was asking Yukima Azuma to stay and help save the town of Itomori.

Indeed, the fragment of Charlotte had fallen onto the town of Itomori.

It could be inferred that the owner of this voice was most likely the god of Itomori.

With the act of being pulled into unpaid labor like this, Yukima Azuma felt embarrassed.

But after all, the other party was a deity.

Yukima Azuma decided to show respect.

It was just a formality.

Helping the deity this time.

In the future, when he needed the deity's assistance, could the deity refuse?

Miko Miyamizu Mitsuha knew the location of the Itomori shrine.

If the other party returned and refused, Yukima Azuma wouldn't hesitate to overturn their shrine.

It seemed that because Yukima Azuma had agreed to help save Itomori, the god of Itomori continued to explain a few things.

For example, the time-space exchange this time would last for forty-seven days.

But that was forty-seven days for Miyamizu Mitsuha.

Miyamizu Mitsuha's time here, each seven days equaled one day for Yukima Azuma.

Yukima Azuma could operate for forty-seven days, while Miyamizu Mitsuha could only act for seven days in total.

This was also to minimize the disruption to Yukima Azuma's life.

And maximize the ability to save Itomori.

During the exchange period, they would swap identities, like gaining an extra layer of consciousness.

Just like now, Yukima Azuma.

Though it was truly his body, the grandmother and younger sister of Miyamizu Mitsuha thought that the person in front of them was Miyamizu Mitsuha.

But in reality, the body hadn't changed.

The voice of the god of Itomori grew fainter.

It seemed to take a lot of effort.

Yukima Azuma also felt that this god, whom he had never met, seemed to have good intentions.

If the forty-seven days of Yukima Azuma's time were wasted, or the bodies not swapped…

Yukima Azuma would certainly stop helping.

For now, the conditions set by the god of Itomori were something Yukima Azuma could reluctantly accept.

However, what Yukima Azuma found strange was...

The time on Miyamizu Mitsuha's side.

It was three years before the comet Charlotte arrived.

This time-space exchange was very peculiar.

He had to carry out the plan from three years ago to save the town of Itomori three years later.

The difficulty level was definitely higher compared to preparing when the comet was near.

Yukima Azuma couldn't help but wonder if the god of Itomori had some sort of restriction, or if there was another reason.

Three years, affecting a third of Itomori, the planning needed to be done.

Yukima Azuma pondered how to save the town of Itomori.

"What's wrong? Mitsuha, you look worried."

The kind grandmother spoke up.

Yukima Azuma froze.

His expression should be fine, right?

Miyamizu Mitsuha's grandmother... probably called Miyamizu Hitoha, right?

The Miyamizu family was a miko lineage, and this grandmother seemed very sharp.

"It's nothing, just a little distracted."

Yukima Azuma waved his hand to decline.

It was fine; denying it didn't matter.

After all, it was normal for a high school girl to be concerned about various things, so he could just brush it off.

Sure enough, when Miyamizu's grandmother heard Yukima Azuma say that, she didn't pay much attention.

After breakfast, Yukima Azuma still hadn't returned to Mitsuha's room.

Then, someone arrived at the Miyamizu house.

It was Miyamizu Mitsuha's friends.

A boy and a girl.

Yukima Azuma didn't remember their names.

Luckily, there was a diary of Miyamizu Mitsuha in the room.

It mentioned them.

"Teshigawara, Sayaka, good morning."

Yukima Azuma greeted them.

The boy, Teshigawara, Yukima Azuma didn't know his first name, so he just addressed him by his last name.

The girl's name was Natori Sayaka, who had a close relationship with Mitsuha, and they called each other by their first names.

"Mitsuha, Ohaiyo!"

Sayaka waved back cheerfully.

"Yo."

Teshigawara's response was rather normal.

After greeting, both of them headed outside.

It was obvious they had an appointment with Miyamizu Mitsuha.

As for the details of the appointment, Yukima Azuma didn't know yet.

But for now, he lacked information, so it would be good to follow them and see if there was anything related to Itomori.

With this thought, Yukima Azuma decided to follow them.

Itomori was a town nestled in the mountains.

Although Gifu Prefecture was one of the larger prefectures in Japan, the town of Itomori, located in the mountains, could hardly be described as bustling.

There were no trains, and buses only ran every two hours.

The whole town didn't have a single coffee shop, nor any stores like dentists; it only had two shops selling snacks.

On the other hand, it did have three izakayas. (Note: An izakaya is a type of informal Japanese bar that serves alcoholic drinks and snacks. Izakayas are casual places for after-work drinking, similar to a pub, a Spanish tapas bar, or an American saloon or tavern. Wiki)

The town only had one junior high school and one high school, and most of the children in the town were classmates.

Along the narrow road by the rice fields, the three of them walked toward a destination Yukima Azuma didn't know.

"We'll be in high school soon; I wonder if there will be new classmates," Teshigawara muttered.

"Mostly, the people from this town continue to study here, so it will probably be kids from our old class. There are no other students in the town," Sayaka exposed Teshigawara's illusion.

Yukima Azuma could only shake his head upon hearing that.

The environment was truly difficult; entering high school and starting a career seemed almost impossible.

As the three were chatting, a group of people appeared ahead on the road.

There were both boys and girls, and based on their ages, they were probably around Mitsuha's age.

"Haizz," Teshigawara sighed.

The group noticed the three of them as well.

Each of them looked with curiosity.

As the distance between the two groups narrowed, one of them said:

"Ah, isn't that the mayor's daughter? And the son of a businessman, the broadcaster's little sister."

"Oh, it really suits them, what's the term? Ah yes, birds of a feather."

"Haha, that's not how that term is used!"

"Just a little closer."

The mocking voices were loud and unhidden.

Yukima Azuma raised an eyebrow.

The mayor's daughter?

Ah, it seemed there was some background like that.

Miyamizu Mitsuha's father, a man who had joined the Miyamizu family, gave up inheriting the shrine and entered politics, becoming the mayor of Itomori.

Teshigawara's family seemed to be involved in construction, and their business was quite well-known in town.

Natori Sayaka's older sister was a news anchor for the Gifu Prefecture TV station.

Due to these identities, the three of them had often been teased by their classmates.

Yukima Azuma felt a bit helpless.

Middle school kids really couldn't understand.

What was there to tease about the mayor's daughter?

Yukima Azuma glanced at the group.

The teasing laughter gradually faded.

The people in that group began to feel chills from being stared at.

In the past, Miyamizu Mitsuha, whenever she was teased, would lower her head and hurriedly walk away.

She had never dared to face them.

But now, "her" gaze felt like sharp knives, sweeping over their faces, bringing a cold, painful sensation.

Yukima Azuma didn't even use any skills like shogi aura.

For something as childish as teasing, he handled it effortlessly.

Just a little psychological pressure was enough to have a clear effect.

In reality, if it were the real Miyamizu Mitsuha, just occasionally raising her head a little would suffice.

Those people wouldn't dare say anything bad anymore.

It was only through constant endurance and self-doubt that these people became more and more unreasonable.

The silence lasted for several seconds.

Yukima Azuma withdrew his gaze and sighed dramatically.

Sayaka, who was standing next to him, thought Mitsuha was upset and softly comforted her:

"Mitsuha, don't mind them."

But Yukima Azuma shook his head.

"I'm not bothered, I just think it's a pity."

This time, Yukima Azuma didn't say it quietly.

Sayaka was stunned for a moment, and without thinking, asked:

"What do you mean, pity?"

"Our parents achieved success through hard work. What's so funny about that?"

"We don't brag about relying on our parents' pampering, so what's there to mock?"

"They laugh at us? It's strange, their perspective is wrong. It's really a pity."

After saying that, Yukima Azuma sighed again.

As soon as those words left his mouth, the people who had been laughing earlier all turned red.

For these kids who hadn't even entered high school, they really wanted to jump up and scold them.

They wouldn't mind, and could even retort.

But if someone looked at them with pity and said their perspective was wrong, and sighed as if feeling sorry for them...

That would strike straight at their hearts.

The reason they teased Mitsuha and the others was essentially due to their own inferiority complex.

Now, being made to feel pitied by "Mitsuha" was truly a devastating blow.