219 After That

On the field of Itomori High School, townspeople gathered by family units, picnic blankets spread out beneath them.

At first, things remained relatively calm.

But the moment everyone saw the comet genuinely heading toward Itomori, panic broke out.

Many rushed to the cars parked at the edge of the field, desperate to flee.

During the daytime evacuation, Miyamizu Toshiki had subtly hinted that residents could simply leave town.

The roadblocks they'd set up only restricted entry—not exit.

But now, any disruption of order was absolutely unacceptable. With so many people in one place, a stampede could kill someone even before the comet hit.

Originally, it was the town hall officials who were supposed to maintain order.

But as the comet came closer, these untrained personnel collapsed in fear. They were completely useless.

Crying, screaming, praying...

The area descended into chaos.

The fragments of the comet glowed even brighter than the sun, streaking across the sky like meteorites and emitting sharp pulses of blinding light and eerie, screeching noises.

The overwhelming sensory assault combined with the terrified shouting made many feel physically ill.

Miyamizu Mitsuha glanced at her father.

He was staring blankly at the sky, as if frozen with fear.

Totally unreliable, she thought bitterly. Nothing like...

Nothing like who?

She shook her head.

No point thinking about the person who used to make her feel safe.

Ever since coming down from the mountain, her memories had been slipping further away. But that was okay.

Tokyo. As long as she could get there, everything would be explained.

When she reached the Miyamizu Shrine area, her grandmother was sitting calmly with a cup of green tea in her hands, looking just like she always did.

"Grandma, the shrine's going to be destroyed," Mitsuha couldn't help blurting out.

She figured her grandmother who had always held the shrine sacred must feel even more heartbroken than anyone else in town.

"Yes," her grandmother replied softly, sipping her tea as she squinted toward the opposite shore of Lake Itomori, where the shrine stood.

Now the comet's point of impact was clearly visible.

It would hit the exact location of the Miyamizu Shrine.

"This way, Mitsuha, you'll finally be free to pursue the life you want." Her grandmother's deeply lined face glowed with relief.

"Grandma…" Mitsuha was stunned.

She never imagined she'd hear something like that from the woman who had raised her so strictly in the ways of Shinto.

She had always known her grandmother loved them.

No one understood that better than the sisters who had grown up at her side. But Mitsuha also knew how sacred the shrine was to her.

"The mission of the Miyamizu family… is already complete."

Staring at the falling comet, Miyamizu Hitoha felt a wave of emotion.

She had always been a devout believer, not only because of her family's duty, but because she had truly experienced the Miyamizu women's special connection.

Herself, her daughter, her granddaughters—each had borne that strange gift.

It had brought them prestige and reverence, but also imprisoned them in Itomori.

Over the years of raising her granddaughters alone, she often thought of her daughter who passed away too young.

If… if they had been able to take her to a hospital in a big city back then…

Would Futaba still be alive?

In her 79 years of life, she thought she had forgotten how to cry.

But each night, when she looked at her granddaughters who were growing more and more like Futaba—she cry silently.

That's why she had always protected their estranged father's secret, telling Yotsuba he had simply run away from home.

If there's something you truly want to do, then go for it. Live freely.

"Wait does that mean I can't inherit the shrine?!" Yotsuba, nestled against her grandmother, wailed in dismay.

Her twin braids drooped along with her mood.

"If you really want, your dad can help place you in a city shrine as a full-time miko," Mitsuha replied with a sigh, snapping out of her thoughts.

This girl.

Always going on about becoming a shrine maiden.

Fine then—go work at a shrine in the city. Rumor has it you can earn up to 10,000 yen a day.

"No way! I don't want to be some part-time miko, I want to be the head priestess!"

Yotsuba's little head shook furiously like a bobblehead.

She wasn't planning to be a worker, she had grand ambitions of building something big!

Watching the three of them, Yukino Yukari chuckled softly.

She was kneeling on the other side of Hitoha and, seeing the conversation wind down, quietly poured a cup of tea for Mitsuha.

"Thank you, Yukino-sensei," Mitsuha said, taking the cup with both hands.

"You came here for something, didn't you?" Yukino asked with a small smile.

Right! Mitsuha suddenly remembered, she came to get the bamboo sword!

Why had she forgotten as soon as she arrived?

She looked at the three in front of her.

Grandma and Yotsuba aside, there was Yukino-sensei, calmly kneeling in a gray tracksuit, her expression serene, her voice gentle.

Even with a comet about to crash down on them, she was completely composed.

Maybe that's why Yotsuba wasn't scared either because the people around her were acting like it was just another day.

"Yukino-sensei… Aren't you afraid?" Even though time was tight, Mitsuha couldn't help but ask.

"Maybe it's because I just ate a really sweet apple. I feel full, and safe."

Looking at that familiar face speaking in such a distant tone, Mitsuha felt nothing—because she knew.

Compared to Mitsuha, this woman had found happiness.

"Yeah! Super sweet! You had one too, right, Sis?" Yotsuba chimed in.

"Is that so…" Mitsuha murmured.

Who knew apples had that kind of power? Maybe they should've handed one to every townsfolk to calm them down.

Be strong—said a soft voice in her heart.

Bamboo sword in hand, Mitsuha approached a group of townspeople on the verge of hysteria.

She struck behind their knees, forcing them to kneel.

This area might be relatively safe, but the comet's shockwave would still hit.

Everyone needed to sit on the ground and hold hands. That was the only way to stay alive.

After taking down several people and capturing the crowd's attention, Mitsuha cleared her throat and called out loudly:

"The disaster has come but it's already over. I promise you, this is a completely safe area!"

"But Mitsuha-san, our homes… they will be gone."

Nakamura Heihachi knelt in tears, snot and sobs pouring down his face.

He was in his forties, but crying like a child. His wife and daughter were beside him, equally heartbroken.

"I understand how everyone feels. The Miyamizu Shrine, which has stood for a thousand years, will also be reduced to ashes today," Mitsuha said firmly.

Her voice rang out clearly, though deep down she felt a twinge of guilt.

But then a voice inside her reassured her: It's fine.

That guy always winged it too. And I'm telling the truth!

"Itomori is our home. Our houses are the vessels of our lives—the places where our memories live. I understand. But we didn't choose this disaster—it chose us."

"All we can do now… is survive."

"And begin again."

There was no grand philosophy in her words only a truth everyone already understood.

"There was nothing we could do."

As citizens of a nation all too familiar with disaster, this was basic common sense.

The earlier chaos had been driven by sheer panic in the face of death.

But now, standing before them was Mitsuha, the girl who had delivered a warning, who had saved their lives.

The townspeople, seeing her, finally found something to hold on to someone to believe in. Slowly, the panic subsided, replaced by quiet resolve.

Miyamizu Toshiki stood to the side, his gaze fixed on his daughter at the front of the crowd. His face beamed with pride.

It was finally coming to an end.

As the comet steadily approached Itomori, tension gripped every face in the crowd.

Yet among them, only two people seemed excited the father and daughter seated in the front, shoulder to shoulder, their backs to the crowd.

Then, it happened.

With smoke, heat, and unstoppable force, the comet crashed directly into the Miyamizu Shrine atop Itomori's highest mountain.

The shrieking noise that had pierced the air vanished.

For a moment, the world seemed to fall into complete silence.

Everyone had expected to scream in fear but when the moment came, not a sound escaped their lips.

Even breathing felt impossible.

'BOOM!'

In an instant, the mountaintop shrine that had watched over Itomori for a thousand years was flattened swallowed in flames.

Even from a great distance, they could feel the searing heat of the impact the kind of heat that seemed capable of melting a person in seconds.

Then, the earth split open.

Chunks of land larger than houses were hurled into the sky.

Before they could fall back to the ground, they were swept away by a massive shockwave and smashed into distant hills.

On the school field, some students screamed and tried to crawl away, terrified that the flying debris might bury the school.

But one boy was pulled back by someone beside him following Mitsuha's instructions to hold tightly onto those near them, no matter what.

Maybe it was the warmth of a loved one's hand, or maybe it was the ponytailed girl standing calmly ahead, but somehow, he felt safe again.

His panic settled, and he sat still, wide-eyed, watching a disaster more surreal than anything in the movies.

Usually so calm, Lake Itomori now screamed like a rebellious child, roaring toward the shore.

The water that once provided bountiful fish had transformed into a monstrous wave, destroying everything in its path.

Houses shattered into splinters and flew through the air.

Their famed earthquake-resistant structures were of no help here.

Bridges were instantly swallowed by water and debris.

Roads twisted and exploded into fragments. Cars flew like missiles, trains slithered like worms, and trees were ripped from the earth.

Then the shockwave reached the schoolyard.

Every window in the school building shattered at once.

Fortunately, Toshiki had already removed anything that could pose a hazard—soccer goals, old desks, and the large trees were all gone.

The air reeked of smoke and earth. Hot mist surged toward them.

Only by holding tightly to one another could the townspeople resist the crushing force of the wind.

Ears ringing, the people of Itomori watched as everything familiar was reduced to rubble.

As hearing returned, so did the sounds: of rocks slamming into buildings, flames consuming forests, and the lake pouring into the cratered land.

———————————————————————

Though Japan is no stranger to disasters, rescue teams didn't arrive until the following day. Before them came the helicopters from the national news stations.

On television, so-called experts were still confidently claiming that even if the comet fragmented, it wouldn't affect any populated areas.

Perhaps it was these mistaken assurances that caused such delays in rescue efforts.

In a country like Japan, a comet strike could easily trigger secondary disasters like earthquakes, making helicopters the only viable method of rescue.

As the town mayor, Miyamizu Toshiki was naturally one of the first to be evacuated—if not by the rescue team, then by the media itself.

———————————————————————

"Hero Behind the Miracle!"

"From Folklorist to Shinto Priest to Mayor!"

"Evacuation Drill Held Right Before the Meteor Strike!"

———————————————————————

Headlines from the Yomiuri Shimbun splashed praise across the front page, focusing on Mayor Toshiki's leadership.

It was a calculated move both politically and personally agreed upon by Toshiki and Mitsuha.

Itomori was soon dubbed the "Mystic Town of Miracles."

It became the subject of internet ghost-hunting videos and dares, where spending a night in the ruins could earn you thousands of likes.

Post-disaster resettlement began smoothly.

When offered temporary housing nearby, Toshiki—representing the townspeople—refused without hesitation.

Traumatized and reluctant to be scattered across different shelters, the survivors unanimously chose to follow the Miyamizu family.

Now in the national spotlight, Toshiki used his newfound fame to return to his roots—Nara.

His real name was Mizoguchi Toshiki, from a respected old family in the region.

As tradition dictated, he performed a deep bow of apology, and the prodigal son and now a national hero was welcomed back with open arms.

The townspeople of Itomori were also taken in by the Nara community.

Mitsuha's grandmother, Miyamizu Yotsuha, invested the shrine's rebuilding funds into supporting the town's reconstruction.

The national and local governments took over the formal rebuilding.

Various funds were gathered from public donations and government programs to provide emergency housing and public facilities for those whose homes were damaged.

The people of Itomori had survived and now, they could live on.

As the rebuilding began, Yukino Yukari quietly said goodbye to the Miyamizu family and boarded a bullet train to Tokyo.

Toshiki and his family moved into the Mizoguchi household.

Yotsuha bought a small house nearby.

With his miracle status and family's influence, Toshiki began climbing the political ladder.

He wasn't sure why Mitsuha was so set on Tokyo, but he tried to align their paths.

A graduate of a prestigious university and now a symbol of leadership in crisis, Toshiki eventually secured a position in the Tokyo Fire Department.

Mitsuha and her sister had planned to follow their father to Tokyo, but their grandparents insisted they stay.

After all, their son had just returned after more than a decade and the granddaughters were a cherished comfort.

———————————————————————

The current timeline—

After descending from the mountain, Kyousuke returned to Tokyo that same evening with his men.

He informed Sakura that everything had gone smoothly.

Once he gathered enough information about Mitsuha's current situation, he boarded the Shinkansen the next day, heading for Kyoto and transferring to the JR Nara Line.

Traveling in Japan whether by bus or bullet train was leagues ahead of flying.

Comfort during the ride and easy transport afterward made the journey pleasant.

He was joined by Ryouma Mitsuhashi, a local guide whose family lived in Nara City.

His sister attended Tezukayama High School—Mitsuha's classmate.

Mitsuha Miyamizu a third-year student at Tezukayama High had been captain of the kendo club since her first year.

Under her leadership, the school had won the national girls' kendo championship two years in a row.

Although it was still the holidays, Mitsuha, now a senior in high school, had already returned to school early.

Tezukayama High School, a prestigious private school in Nara, boasted a deviation score of 73 and ranked among the top 50 schools in the country.

Kyousuke, on the other hand, attended Higashi a school with a deviation score of 78 for both its middle and high school divisions, consistently holding the second spot nationwide (although many schools shared that rank).

Like the all-boys Higashi, Tezukayama High was co-ed in name, but classes were held separately for boys and girls.

Right now, Kyousuke was walking down a corridor in the girls' wing of the school, peeking through the back door's glass panel into a classroom where Mitsuha was seated.

Mitsuha, now eighteen, had changed quite a bit since she was fifteen.

The girl who used to spend at least ten minutes carefully braiding her hair every time she left the house now simply tied it up in a ponytail.

It had been a long time since they'd last seen each other, and Kyousuke instinctively activated his "scan mode."

Even though she was sitting, he easily picked up the data he wanted.

She'd definitely grown already 167 centimeters tall.

Fortunately, Kyousuke had shot up to 180 himself, otherwise their height balance would've looked odd.

Still, that delicate face of hers, tilted slightly up and focused intently on the blackboard, looked exactly like it did back on that mountaintop when she closed her eyes and blushed ever so slightly.

As if sensing someone's gaze, Mitsuha turned to glance toward the back door.

Of course, she saw nothing. Kyousuke's agility far surpassed hers.

Leaning against the wall, Kyousuke decided he'd had enough sneaking around.

He'd deliberately dressed down in a dull gray suit not that it could completely hide his striking presence, but it was enough to pass off as a teacher for now.

Leaving the school grounds, he followed Ryouma Mitsuhashi to his house and was warmly welcomed.

By evening, Ryouma's older sister, Miho Mitsuhashi, came home from cram school.

The moment she opened the door, she was greeted by the sight of her younger brother and a stunningly handsome young man sitting on the tatami floor of the traditional Japanese room, watching TV.

"Hey sis, you're back!"

Ryouma had still been sitting, but the moment his "boss" stood up, he quickly followed and made the introductions.

"This is my sister, Miho. And this guy is my classmate, Hojou Kyousuke. He's got a few questions he'd like to ask you."

"Ohhh, you're the one he mentioned before… the guy handless or something…?" Miho said with a surprised smile.

The real thing was even more handsome than the photos! Who would've thought her airhead brother had such a cool friend?

"Idiot! Don't say that out loud!" Ryouma's face turned pale.

He stormed forward and clamped a hand over his sister's mouth.

Everyone liked that nickname because it sounded cool, but anyone foolish enough to say it in front of Kyousuke always ended up regretting it.

"I get it, I get it! Now let go of me already!" Miho swung her bag hard at her brother's head.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Hojou Kyousuke," he said with a bright smile.

The three of them sat around the low table in the tatami room.

Ryouma obediently turned down the TV volume. Their father was still working late, and their mother had gone out to see a friend—at Ryouma's suggestion.

"You're here to ask about Miyamiza Mitsuha-san, right?" Miho asked.

"Yes. Thank you for your time," Kyousuke replied with a polite nod.

"So… what's your relationship with her anyway? You came all the way from Tokyo just to ask about her?" Miho narrowed her eyes, her curiosity radar kicking into high gear.

"She's someone very important to me. We met in Itomori... but we lost contact," Kyousuke said, his smile unwavering.

It was something he had to clarify—otherwise, as Mitsuha's friend, Miho probably wouldn't be willing to share much.

"I see..." Miho murmured, thoughtful.

"To be honest, there's not much to say. Mitsuha spends all her time either training in kendo or studying."

"Back in her first year, people used to call her a 'divine shrine maiden' after reading about it in some tabloid magazine. But after she led the kendo club to win the national championship, everyone just called her the 'sword queen.'"

Miho recounted in detail:

Back then, even she had been curious.

She wanted to know what that "mysterious miko power" the magazines raved about was.

She even considered asking Mitsuha to do a love fortune reading or something.

After all, Nara was a historic city steeped in Shinto tradition, and miko culture was popular.

Of course, having an actual shrine maiden in school caused a stir. Every day after class, the hall outside her classroom would be packed with curious girls.

At first, Mitsuha would smile and politely explain it was just a standard disaster-preparedness drill, and that all the miko talk was tabloid nonsense.

But after getting hounded over and over, she just stopped responding altogether—refusing to talk about it with anyone.

Naturally, all-girls environments tend to breed toxic cliques.

Seeing someone like Mitsuha who stood out so much and didn't conform—rubbed some people the wrong way.

Some second-year seniors eventually showed up at her class.

The girls were chatting as usual when the back door of the classroom suddenly slammed open with a loud crash.

They initially wanted to check what was happening, but when they saw it was those infamous second-years, they all quickly sat down and buried their faces in their books.

Mitsuha, however, didn't even flinch.

From start to finish, she kept her head down, reading.

On the very first day of school, during introductions, she had said flatly: "I'm going to college in Tokyo." Not "I hope to," not "I dream of," but a decisive "I'm going."

The upperclassmen called out her name from the doorway. Miho still remembered her expression at that moment.

With sudden excitement in her voice, Miho raised the pitch as she continued:

"Mitsuha turned around so coldly, and when she saw them, she stood up, closed her book slowly, and walked over with this smirk on her face."

"I swear, she looked down on them like they were insects!"

"Oi, sis! Don't embellish it too much!" Ryouma complained.

"Shut up." ×2

"No, really! Her ponytail swayed from side to side as she walked toward the door. We all wear the same uniform, but she somehow looked so cool—like a swordswoman from a historical drama!"

"And then?" Kyousuke asked, intrigued.

"Well, I secretly followed them to the girls' bathroom and peeked in from the sink area…"

"Wait, when did you get so bold?" Ryouma said, startled.

"Well, it was a special case, okay? After seeing her aura back there, I just knew those girls wouldn't stand a chance."

Miho didn't even try to hide her usual timid nature and continued the story:

When Mitsuha stood up, the upperclassmen probably assumed she was going to obediently follow them.

So they left the classroom. What they didn't see was Mitsuha grabbing a broom by the back door.

"I get it now—the 'sword queen of Nara' beat the crap out of those bullies."

Ryouma had gone with the high schoolers to one of Mitsuha's kendo tournaments.

He knew very well how skilled she was.

Sure, she couldn't hold a candle to his "boss," but her techniques were the real deal.

No matter how many of those seniors showed up, they'd never stand a chance.

"Geez, will you let me finish?" Miho Mitsuhashi said with an exasperated grin. "Yeah, that's exactly what happened. Mitsuha just casually swung her broom around, and those upperclassmen acted like total idiots stepping right into it like they wanted to get hit. It was honestly hilarious."

"Then later, they tried to get revenge through other means, but after a little digging, they found out Mitsuha might have the Miyamizu name, but she's actually part of the Gouguchi family."

"Her dad's a bureaucrat in the Tokyo Fire Department. Scared them half to death. They came crawling back the next day to apologize."

Miho burst into cheerful laughter.

"Do you know anything more about Mitsuha saying she wanted to go to university in Tokyo?"

That was the real reason Kyousuke had come to Nara not just to check on Mitsuha's well-being, but to confirm that.

Even though they had made a promise back then and he truly believed Mitsuha would remember their reunion in Tokyo despite the memory loss but he couldn't rest easy until he heard it from someone else.

"She's dead set on going to a Tokyo university, though she hasn't said what for. When I visited her house, I heard her family wants her to apply to Ochanomizu University."

"I guess that's because of her dad's position in politics or something."

"When I asked her directly why she wanted to go to Tokyo, she just kept repeating the same thing over and over—'There's someone really important waiting for me there.'"

"I tried asking who that was—if it was her boyfriend or something—but she couldn't say. She just kept saying the same thing."

"'Someone important is waiting for me in Tokyo.'"

As she said that, Miho glanced sideways at Kyousuke.

This guy might be ridiculously good-looking, but he didn't have the best manners.

The only reason she'd gone into so much detail about Mitsuha was because of what he'd said when they met: "She's someone important to me."

"Kyousuke from Tokyo."

"Someone important."

"There's someone important waiting in Tokyo." It didn't take much to connect the dots—clearly, there was something special between them.

But Mitsuha had said "most important person," while the handsome guy in front of her had only said "important." Typical.

You can never fully trust a pretty face, she grumbled internally.

"Mitsuha's been working so hard to get into a Tokyo university."

"After school-organized cram sessions, I'm usually too tired to even eat, but Mitsuha goes straight to another cram school after that. She even quit kendo completely."

"We tried telling her to take it easy, but she wouldn't listen."

Miho sounded genuinely frustrated, her voice tinged with admiration and concern.

"I see…" Kyousuke bowed his head, lost in thought for a moment.

"Thanks for telling me all this. There's one more thing I'd like to ask you."

He reached for the bag beside him.

"These are some sweets. I hope you don't mind accepting them."

"Oh my god, SHIROTAE's rare cheesecake!" the girl squealed the moment she saw the label on the box.

Just moments ago, she'd been grumbling—now she was positively glowing.

"Thank you so much, Hojou-kun!"

'Wait… this place was that famous?'

"I'm the one who recommended it to the boss! I even lugged it all the way back myself! A little appreciation would be nice, you know!" Ryouma Mitsuhashi protested loudly from the side.

"You little brat! I begged you for this two years ago!"

"Well, now you've got it."

Kyousuke: …

"Could you please pass this bamboo sword to Mitsuha?"

It was the same shinai he'd brought from Itomori, a gift from Yamamura-sensei at the dojo.

Thanks to regular care and its unique craftsmanship, the blade had remained intact despite years of use—and now it had developed a warm, polished sheen.

"A bamboo sword?"

Miho blinked in surprise, still half-distracted from yelling at her brother.

It looked almost like a work of art, but—what kind of guy gives a girl a bamboo sword?

"Yes. Also… if you could keep my visit a secret from her, I'd appreciate it."

"…All right."

"Please. I'm counting on you."

After saying goodbye to Miho, Kyousuke and Ryouma headed toward the train station.

Ryouma had skipped cram school today to come along.

The shinai was something Mitsuha had brought up when they first met.

She said his bamboo sword always felt more natural in her hands.

Now that she had regained her memories, Kyousuke figured that if she was going to reclaim her title as the "Sword queen of Nara," it was only right she had this sword.

"Boss, are you sure this is enough?" Ryouma asked. He'd thought Kyousuke would go straight to Mitsuha's house and knock on the door.

"This is enough. I'll see her again in Tokyo."

Mitsuha was approaching the most important time in a student's life, exam season and Kyousuke knew that if he showed up now, he'd only be a distraction.

The last thing he wanted was to interfere with her studies and end up being the reason she didn't get into her dream school.

Back then, she'd said:

"Next time, I'll come find you in Tokyo."

She was working so hard now to keep that promise.

So he'd wait—for just a few more months. Hopefully, by then, he'd have found a way to restore her memories.

At the very least, he wanted to piece together the fragments from their time together—rebuild the missing parts of their story.