Most of the visitors at the Imperial Palace were foreigners. By the time the three arrived, the place was already full. They had come too late, and all they could do was gaze longingly at the palace gates.
"We'll just come back another time. You can also make reservations by phone, so let's visit again when we have more time."
Looking at the crowd surrounding the outer palace, Haruto guessed it must be because of summer vacation—it was unusually crowded. Not just foreigners, but many domestic tourists as well. Some even had their national flags attached to their bags or clothes.
Watching those tourists, he glanced down at Yotsuha by his side.
She was peering off into the distance at the Imperial Palace. Surprisingly, she didn't seem very disappointed. For her, just being able to see the palace—this close—was more than enough.
"Even under the same sky, some places still feel so out of reach."
Startled, Haruto turned to look at her. He hadn't expected Yotsuha to say something like that. For a moment, her words didn't sound like they came from a child.
After saying that, however, Yotsuha shuffled closer to Haruto with a bit of listlessness and tugged on the hem of his shirt.
"It's so hot... When we left the house, it wasn't this bad. But now it's suddenly scorching! I'm sweating like crazy. Let's go find somewhere cooler to rest, okay?"
Mitsuha raised her arm to shield her forehead from the sun, her expression weary. Her hair clung to her face, damp with sweat. Standing under the relentless sunlight, she didn't even want to move.Even the slightest motion seemed enough to make her sweat more.
"Alright, let's head somewhere else and rest for a bit."
He wasn't as bothered by the heat as Mitsuha, but he could tell it was getting worse. He glanced around, then gently took Yotsuha's hand and motioned to Mitsuha with his eyes. The three of them began walking away from the palace grounds.
—
"They're all looking at you, you know."
After taking a break in a nearby shop, they stepped back out onto the street. As they walked, Mitsuha glanced around and noticed several girls looking in Haruto's direction. She leaned in and spoke casually.
"I know."
"Doesn't it make you happy, being stared at by girls like that?"
"Not really. I mean, it's not like I'm going to interact with them. Just being stared at doesn't really mean anything."
"I don't believe you."
Haruto paused, momentarily at a loss for words.
Sensing his silence, Mitsuha grinned and decided to push her advantage. Noticing more girls watching from nearby, she slowly turned her gaze back to him—and gradually closed the distance between them.
She leaned in until her face was right beside his shoulder.
"Say... you must be just as popular at school in Tokyo as you were back in Itomori, right? Do all the girls there know you're dating Setsuna?"
She asked the question lightly, but her eyes were fixed on him—calm and probing.
"…Yeah, they know."
"Really?"
"I just didn't tell them about Setsuna's real identity. If that got out, it'd probably cause a lot of problems."
"Huh… I guess that makes sense."
Mitsuha recalled the messiness of girl drama at her own school. Tokyo, being so much bigger than Itomori, could only be worse. At least in Itomori, everyone knew each other and kept things in check. But in Tokyo… She thought of all the bullying she'd seen on TV.
Her expression shifted—suddenly she wasn't so eager to come study in Tokyo anymore.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing. Just thinking about some stuff I should be careful about."
"Like?"
"You haven't been bullied at school, right?"
Her gaze moved to Haruto. He'd already been studying in Tokyo for quite a while now, and for the first time, she found herself worrying.
"Bullied? Do I look like someone who gets bullied?"
"…Well, no. But still, you don't have a lot of people you can rely on in Tokyo, right? If anything happened…"
"Setsuna lives next door. And Kiyoura-san's always checking in on me. You really don't have to worry so much."
"...Right."
Yeah, that made sense.
"Geez, here I am trying to be a good little sister and check in on you, and this is what I get. I'm never asking about your life again!"
"Thanks for your concern. Because of you, all four seasons feel warm."
"That line was so over the top, I didn't feel a shred of gratitude. How about you take over all the housework as a proper thank-you?"
"Nice try. You've still got your one-day-a-week quota, no cutting corners."
Haruto's ironclad refusal made Mitsuha sigh. The thought of having to get through a whole week of chores felt unbearably long.
If he had gone out alone, it was likely girls might have tried to talk to him—or even given him their contact info. But with Mitsuha and Yotsuha at his side, no one approached. The three of them looked too much like siblings for anyone to mistake the situation.
They traveled from Chiyoda to Shibuya, and stopped briefly at Harajuku to let the girls experience the so-called fashion capital.
They had lunch at a place called Ristorante F. The prices were high—but so was the quality.
Mitsuha was nearly moved to tears by how good the food was. Haruto, meanwhile, remained calm, silently wondering if he should explore more foreign cuisine sometime. After their meal, the three siblings headed off to their next stop.
Now that it was later in the summer, all the schools were on break. Tokyo, being the capital, was packed with tourists.
Especially in the crowded shopping districts—foreigners were everywhere.
"There are so many foreigners here!" Mitsuha exclaimed, wide-eyed.
Compared to Itomori, it was a whole new world. She'd only seen foreigners on TV before—never in real life like this.
"What's wrong?" Haruto teased. "Thinking of testing your terrible English on them?"
"Ugh…"
Even setting aside her pitiful vocabulary, her accent alone would probably confuse anyone. Mitsuha was self-aware enough to know that starting a conversation would likely end in embarrassment.
"Can you talk to them?"
"I know: Hello, thank you, goodbye."
"What?!"
"C'mon, let's go. The Kaminarimon is just ahead. Yotsuha hasn't seen it before, right?"
"Mmhmm."
Not giving Mitsuha a chance to react, he took Yotsuha's hand and started walking toward the gate. The crowd was thick—if they lost sight of each other, regrouping would be a nightmare. Mitsuha quickly chased after them.
Without realizing it, she found herself next to Haruto—and then clung tightly to his arm.
She's really not a kid anymore… Haruto thought, sneaking a glance at her. To avoid making her self-conscious, he looked away almost immediately and continued walking through the gate.
Past Kaminarimon lay a long street flanked with shops—Nakamise-dori—filled with tourists and the sound of chatter.
Haruto wasn't a stranger to this area. Mitsuha had been here once before too, and even now, she couldn't help admiring the street's layout.
"What's in there?"
"This is Nakamise Shopping Street. Past it is the Hōzōmon gate. Beyond that is the main hall of Sensoji Temple, where they enshrine Kannon. There's also the five-story pagoda and Asakusa Shrine. But after the Meiji Restoration, the government separated Shinto and Buddhism, so the shrine and the temple are managed separately."
"Separated?"
"Yeah. Long ago, gods and Buddhas were worshiped together. But in modern times, to boost the Imperial family's authority, they split them."
He didn't explain further. It wasn't something the girls needed to worry about yet.
"That's enough for now," he said. "When you're older, you'll understand the rest."
Mitsuha nodded, somewhat enlightened.
"Last time, we only looked around the Kaminarimon area, right? We didn't really go deeper in, just saw the main hall?"
"Want to check out the Asakusa Shrine?"
"A little curious."
"Let's take a walk through Nakamise first—maybe pick up some souvenirs. Then we'll go."
"Can't we do it the other way around?"
"I don't mind either way."
Being from a shrine family himself, Haruto wasn't exactly fascinated by temples. But Mitsuha's eagerness was clear, so he went along with it.
Asakusa Shrine wasn't large or particularly flashy, but in Mitsuha's eyes, it had its own mystique. It felt completely different from their own hometown shrine. She wandered around excitedly, eyes darting everywhere. Haruto glanced at Yotsuha, whose curiosity was just as strong.
They washed their hands, rinsed their mouths, and each drew an omikuji fortune.
"Middle luck," Haruto said.
"Small luck," Mitsuha muttered, disappointed. She'd hoped for a "Great Blessing."
"How about you, Yotsuha?"
Haruto helped her draw one.
"Great blessing."
"Ugh…"
Mitsuha looked at Yotsuha's fortune, then silently slipped hers into her pocket.
They stepped up to the offering box, tossed in coins, and clapped to pray. Afterward, they bought protective charms at the shrine before leaving.
"Five charms?" Mitsuha asked.
"Yeah."
"For who?"
"Some friends. And my editor. They're not exactly rare, but they make nice little gifts."
"…Right."
Mitsuha chose not to comment further.
They returned to Nakamise Street, buying sweets and drinks. Haruto and Yotsuha weren't too interested in souvenirs, but Mitsuha—despite already having been here once before—was excited to shop again.
"Do you really need all that?"
"I want to give one to Sayaka."
"Oh, for Sayaka? Then sure."
"What, you don't complain if it's for her?"
"She's always looking after you. It's only fair you show a little gratitude."
"She's not looking after me! It's the other way around!"
"Really? How?"
"…We eat lunch together?"
"That's heartbreaking. I think I'm gonna cry."
"You jerk!"
After grabbing souvenirs, they left the temple area. Mitsuha turned back to look at the vivid red gate.
"A photo would've been nice…"
"Don't you have your phone?"
"I do, but it's not the same. A proper camera would be better."
"Too bad. I don't have one."
Haruto completely ignored her hopeful glance. Mitsuha realized she wasn't going to convince him to buy a camera and reluctantly pulled out her phone.
"Then at least take a picture of me and Yotsuha."
Haruto took the phone, framed the two girls with a practiced hand, and snapped a shot as they posed with V-signs.
"How is it?"
"Looks good."
Satisfied, the sisters came over to check.
"Let me see. Did it turn out well?"
"I want to see too!"
He handed the phone back and looked around, wondering what they should do next.
"Maybe we'll take another walk tonight. Let's see… there should be a famous landmark nearby…"
He opened his map app.
"…The Hitoha Memorial Museum?"
"Hmm?"
Mitsuha perked up.
"That's Grandma's name."
"No, just the same name. This one's a memorial for a writer."
"A writer? Oh… that one…"
~~~~~~~~~~
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