Across the boundaries of time and space, Miyamizu Mitsuha woke in her own body, blinking at the familiar ceiling of her room. The morning light filtered through the windows, casting familiar shadows across familiar walls. She was home. Truly home.
And yet.
Her heart ached with a strange longing she couldn't quite name. Having experienced even a taste of Tokyo life—the bustling streets, the convenience stores, the cafes, and most of all, the incredible people—she found herself yearning for it with an intensity that surprised her.
Hozuki Nozomi's girlfriends were all so beautiful. So kind. So effortlessly wonderful. Yukino Yukinoshita with her cool elegance, Shiina Mahiru with her warm understanding, even that tsundere Eriri Spencer Sawamura with her adorable outbursts. Miyamizu Mitsuha wanted to be friends with them. Wanted to be part of that world, even just for a little while.
Unfortunately, she didn't have a cell phone. In all of Itomori Town, only people like her father—the mayor—carried such devices. She had no way to contact them, no way to reach out.
But she had a plan.
After the shrine festival, she would use the money she'd saved to travel to Tokyo. She'd find Hozuki Nozomi at Sakura Dormitory. Maybe she could even find a part-time job and stay for a while before returning home. She was only a first-year high school student—she had holidays to use, time to spend.
The thought made her smile.
Then she frowned.
Something was nagging at her. A sense that she'd forgotten something important. Some kind of... request? A task? She couldn't remember at all.
Later, when she met up with Natori Sayaka and Teshigawara Katsuhiko, she asked if they remembered anything strange from the previous night. Both of them looked at her blankly.
"Strange? What do you mean?" Sayaka tilted her head. "We went home, slept, woke up. Normal night."
Teshigawara shrugged. "Yeah, nothing special. Why? Did something happen?"
Miyamizu Mitsuha shook her head slowly. "No... I guess not. Never mind."
But the feeling lingered, a ghost of memory just out of reach.
After parting ways with her friends, she returned to the shrine and threw herself into work. There were amulets to make, shrine items to craft, robes to weave. Grandmother Hitoha was determined to preserve tradition, and much of the work fell to her and Yotsuha.
Her father, Miyamizu Toshiki, had once been meant to inherit the shrine. But after her mother's death, he'd abandoned it entirely, pursuing politics instead. Grandmother had forbidden him from returning.
In the future, she and Yotsuha would likely carry on the shrine's work.
But Miyamizu Mitsuha dreamed of the city. Of Tokyo. Of a life beyond these mountains.
Maybe... maybe she could move the shrine there someday? Would Grandmother ever agree?
Meanwhile, in Tokyo, the weekend had arrived in full force.
Kato Megumi stood before Sakura Dormitory, taking in the building with her characteristic calm expression. She'd been invited. She'd come. Simple as that.
What she hadn't expected was to be immediately ambushed by a certain golden-haired tsundere the moment she stepped inside.
"Sawamura... why are you here?" Megumi asked, genuinely curious.
Eriri Spencer Sawamura crossed her arms, twin-tails practically bristling with hostility. "Why wouldn't I be here? The question is, why are YOU here?"
"Hozuki Nozomi invited me."
"Ha! Invited you? Just like that? Do you have no sense of self-preservation whatsoever?!" Eriri grabbed her arm and dragged her toward the changing area. "You can't just trust a scumbag like him because he's handsome! Come on, we're changing your clothes!"
Kato Megumi allowed herself to be manhandled with her usual placid acceptance, though internally she was rather bewildered. "Um... why are we changing clothes?"
"Because you're too ordinary! Everything about you is ordinary! You just pop up everywhere with that plain face and those plain clothes, and it's infuriating!" Eriri shoved various outfits at her. "Try these!"
For the next twenty minutes, Kato Megumi became a dress-up doll, subjected to Eriri's critical eye and endless dissatisfaction. Nothing was quite right. Nothing worked.
Finally, Eriri threw her hands up in defeat. "Ugh! Short hair is such a disadvantage! Kato, from now on, you're growing your hair long!"
"I'm Kato," the girl corrected mildly. "And you keep calling me Kato."
"That's not important! What's important is that I won't allow you to approach Hozuki Nozomi looking so ordinary!"
Megumi tilted her head. "But he's the one who approached me. He invited me here."
"He invited you, so you just came?! Do you have any survival instincts at all?! Can't you see that behind that handsome face, he's a complete womanizing scumbag?!"
Kato Megumi's cheeks puffed out slightly—the closest she came to visible irritation. "Even I get upset when people talk about me like that. I'm ordinary, but I haven't bothered anyone. And I was invited. Does Sawamura, who invited herself, really have the right to criticize?"
Eriri's confidence wavered. "I-I didn't invite myself! I'm a member of his game studio! We collaborate on projects all the time!"
"Oh? What does Sawamura do in this studio?"
"I... illustrations..."
Eriri's eyes darted away guiltily. She couldn't exactly admit that her alter ego, Kashiwagi Eri, was famous for drawing doujinshi. That would be mortifying.
Kato Megumi studied her with quiet suspicion. Was Sawamura sure she wasn't just jealous? Megumi didn't know if she herself liked Hozuki Nozomi, but he was certainly the first boy who'd ever kissed her, the first to invite her anywhere.
Before the tension could escalate further, the door opened.
"Yo! Looks like you two are getting along well." Hozuki Nozomi stepped in, surveying the scene with an amused smile. "Eriri, did you complete your mission of introducing Megumi to otaku culture?"
Eriri instantly straightened, puffing out her chest with pride. "Hmph! Just look at who you're talking to!"
Hozuki Nozomi reached out and patted her head affectionately. Her twin-tails bounced with the motion. "Excellent. Then let's all play 'Little Sister Conquest Battle' together!"
Kato Megumi blinked. "Little Sister... what?"
"You don't know it?" Hozuki Nozomi turned to Eriri with exaggerated disappointment. "Eriri, your cultural introduction is seriously lacking!"
"Um—wu wu wu!" Megumi tried to raise her hand, to explain that Eriri hadn't introduced her to anything at all, but Eriri clamped a hand over her mouth before she could speak.
"Ahaha! Practice is the only true test of understanding! Kato, let's experience the joy of gaming together!"
"I'm Kato," the muffled voice protested, impressively calm even through the hand.
"Little Sister Conquest Battle" was exactly what it sounded like—a magical girl battle game that Kosaka Kirino had given Hozuki Nozomi. Players could link up online for PvP matches, and the losing side suffered the humiliation of having their clothes explode into increasingly ridiculous costumes. The main selling point, naturally, was the "bonus content" of cute magical girls in compromising situations.
Perfect for introducing someone to otaku culture, really.
"Oh ho! Brother, you're playing games without me?" Yuki Suo appeared in the doorway, eyes lighting up. "Yuki wants to join too!"
Soon the room filled with the sounds of gameplay and cheerful competition.
In the midst of it all, Ayano Kimishima slipped in quietly, dressed in her Little Maid Ayano outfit. The frilly uniform suited her perfectly—black dress with white apron, lace-trimmed headpiece, and most notably, a pair of pristine white knee-high socks on her slender legs, held up by delicate garters with little bows.
She carried a tray laden with drinks and snacks, moving silently among the gamers to ensure everyone was properly supplied.
Hozuki Nozomi watched her obedient movements with warm appreciation. When she passed close to him, he couldn't resist—he pulled her gently into his lap and, while the others were absorbed in their game, stole a quick kiss.
Ayano's adorable face flushed pink. She glanced nervously at Yuki Suo and Eriri, both still focused on their screens, then quietly wrapped her arms around Hozuki Nozomi's waist.
This was exactly why she wore the Maid outfit. It made her stand out. It caught his attention. And when he noticed her, he always rewarded her obedience.
"Ahem." Hozuki Nozomi cleared his throat, addressing the gamers. "Eriri, your skills are a bit rough. Actually, Ayano's quite good at this game. Why don't you let her show you a few rounds?"
Eriri's face reddened with indignation. "My skills are NOT rough!" She grabbed her twin-tails and whipped them at him ineffectively.
Ayano obediently took the controller and began a match against Yuki Suo, her small hands moving with practiced precision.
Eriri fumed, watching the demonstration. She was just about to demand a rematch when—
Hozuki Nozomi's arm encircled her waist, pulling her close. Before she could protest, his lips covered hers, stealing her breath and her irritation in one smooth motion.
Eriri's face burned. Her small fists beat against his chest once, twice—then softened, her body relaxing into his embrace as the kiss deepened.
She understood now. This whole "let Ayano play" business was just an excuse to get her alone, to steal a moment of intimacy.
What a bad guy.
What a wonderful, terrible, irresistible bad guy.