Miyamizu Mitsuha opened her eyes, surprised to find she didn't have that usual groggy, never-enough-sleep feeling.
Propping herself up with one hand, her clear brown eyes turned toward the window on her left.
Outside, the world remained shrouded in a soft, gray haze.
Dim morning light filtered faintly through the glass, it was clear dawn hadn't yet touched this quiet countryside town.
Ever since she gradually began taking over responsibilities at the shrine from her grandmother, Mitsuha no longer let the sunrise dictate her wake-up time.
Whether it was a weekday or the weekend, she always got up early now.
After neatly folding her futon, she walked over to her wardrobe and took out the miko outfit she had carefully ironed the day before.
But after a moment of thought, she put it back.
"Better wait until I finish cleaning," she murmured, slipping into a tracksuit better suited for movement.
As she dressed, she couldn't help but chuckle.
This tracksuit was actually something Kyousuke had asked her to buy for him.
According to Yotsuba, unless it was a school day, that guy practically lived in athletic wear.
"Well, looks like he's not perfect after all. At least I'm better than him when it comes to wearing skirts," she said to herself with a smirk, amused by the sudden, random thought or maybe just pleased to find one small area where she had the upper hand.
Normally, Mitsuha would still wear her shrine maiden outfit even when cleaning, just in case any townspeople came to offer prayers.
She had to maintain her image, after all.
But things were different now.
First, it was still too early; even the elderly, who usually woke at the crack of dawn, would wait until after the morning dew had dried before climbing the mountain.
Second, her status in the eyes of the town had completely changed. Even if she shaved her head bald, people might just believe it was part of some divine revelation.
'Honestly, if I ran for mayor right now, I might actually win.'
'Then I could make that idiot father of mine come back to take over the shrine again while I get to work transforming Itomori.'
Lost in such silly daydreams, Mitsuha finished dressing and tiptoed out into the hallway, carefully sliding the door shut behind her.
She glanced at the room next door, her little sister Yotsuba's.
That girl was surprisingly not the type to sleep in.
On school days, she always woke up at six on the dot.
Where did she even get all that energy?
But finally, today, I win!
Gently sliding open Yotsuba's door, Mitsuha peeked inside.
Seeing her younger sister still sound asleep, the girl who was now considered a living incarnation of the gods by the townspeople grinned playfully.
Seriously, does she not realize how embarrassing it is for me as the big sister to be woken up by her every single day?
Stepping out into the back garden of the main house, Mitsuha made her way to the stone steps leading up the shrine path.
She looked up at the endless staircase and the crimson torii gate overhead, letting out a soft sigh.
If only Kyousuke were here, he'd probably just leap straight to the top with ease.
Wearing her red tracksuit, the young miko huffed and puffed her way up the stone steps.
By the time she finally reached the last one and passed through the final torii, the golden light of morning kissed the nape of her neck, glistening with a fine sheen of sweat.
Turning around, she saw the sun rising between the mountains, casting its light over the forest, which was still veiled in a gentle mist.
The lake that sleeping peacefully all night seemed to awaken as flocks of birds took flight from its edge, and the surface shimmered like polished glass.
In that moment, all her fatigue vanished.
Mitsuha had never realized the town she once longed to escape could be this breathtaking.
Still, no matter how beautiful it is… Tokyo's better.
'If I had a choice, I'd come back in my next life as a handsome Tokyo guy.'
With a playful grin, she tucked her sweat-dampened hair behind her ear.
In the golden sunlight, her small earlobe gleamed like carved jade.
Heading to the storage shed, she grabbed a broom and started sweeping fallen leaves from the shrine plaza.
It was May, a time when trees thrived but even now, leaves still fell.
Nature might look pretty, but honestly, cities with their steel forests that didn't shed leaves seemed a lot more convenient.
She imagined herself as a sword master, wielding her broom like a mighty blade as she swept leaves into tidy piles.
If Kyousuke were here, he'd probably gather a bunch of underlings to clean everything for him. That lazy bum.
Thinking about him and about fleeting memories of Tokyo made the tedious chore a little less dull.
Maybe her recent kendo practice was paying off too, because the broom that used to feel heavy now swung effortlessly.
After finishing the plaza, she stowed the broom in the shrine storage room and grabbed a cloth to clean the stairs, handrails, and entrance to the main shrine hall.
Every carved detail was wiped with care, every bit of dust removed.
Then, she moved to the inner sanctum, where cleanliness mattered even more.
Stirring up dust here could be seen as a sign of disrespect to the gods.
She removed the old offerings, various foods and fruits placed on lacquered trays and carried them into the room next door.
Then, she carefully replaced them with fresh offerings prepared the day before, arranging them in neat order before the altar.
The removed offerings would later be eaten by the miko of the Miyamizu family, her, Yotsuba, and their grandmother.
It was part of the ritual.
In Shintoism, even something that mundane carried spiritual meaning.
Or maybe the gods just didn't want their shrine maidens to starve, Mitsuha mused, as she stepped back and inspected everything for imperfections.
'The apple should be turned so the fuller side faces the door. And I think I nudged the altar a bit earlier…'
After a few more adjustments under the gently streaming sunlight, she finally stepped back, hands on hips, and nodded in satisfaction.
Perfect. Today's going to be a good day.
The shrine maiden's smile stretched wide, her slightly messy braids bouncing as she moved though she didn't even notice.
Rolling her sleeves back down,
she straightened her posture and took a deep breath of the crisp morning air.
Her expression turned calm and solemn.
With slow, respectful motions, she bowed twice toward the altar.
Then, after two more deep breaths, she began to recite the Mōshitate:
"We humbly present this offering to the sacred gods of the Miyamizu Shrine."
"With reverence and gratitude, we give thanks."
"You, divine spirit, so merciful and generous, have granted us food, clothing, and shelter, answered our prayers, and brought peace to our family…"
The Mōshitate was their shrine's unique term for prayer—daily requests for the gods' blessings.
Honestly, being part of a shrine had its perks.
At least she didn't have to fight with other worshippers for the "first incense stick" of the day.
With a personal altar, her prayers were sure to get a fast-track response, right?
Even if her mind occasionally wandered, anyone who saw Mitsuha in this moment standing poised in her shrine, the early light bathing her would feel lucky just to believe in a place led by a shrine maiden like her.
Clad in a red tracksuit, the girl stood before the altar, bathed in golden light that streamed in from behind her.
Each strand of her hair shimmered, and the red-and-yellow cord tying it up seemed to radiate with an otherworldly glow.
Her lips, soft and pink like sakura petals, moved ever so slightly as a chant with a strange and solemn rhythm flowed from her mouth almost as if it connected her to a distant realm, to some divine presence.
Sacred. Majestic. Untouchable.
"Big sis!"
The sacred prayer was suddenly cut short by a clear, childish voice. Mitsuha's solemn expression crumbled in an instant.
'Ugh… now I have to start over…' she wailed internally, but when she turned around, her face had already softened into a gentle, affectionate smile.
"What is it?"
Yotsuba stopped just before stepping into the front hall, caught mid-stride.
As she looked at her sister, she momentarily forgot how to breathe.
The morning sun streaming through the doorway created a backlight effect, casting Mitsuha's figure in a divine glow.
As the sun rose higher, its colors shifted from golden-red to pale white an ethereal hue, like the kind seen in animated films during a holy moment.
Standing there in the light, her sister looked exactly like their mother.
The thought startled Yotsuba.
But just as quickly, it brought her back to herself, and she sucked in two deep breaths.
It was strange.
Their mother had passed away when she was so young, too young to have clear memories of her.
Even her mother's face was something she only knew from photographs.
And yet—
Just now, when Mitsuha turned around and asked what was wrong… it was like their mother had returned.
'Maybe I'm just lightheaded from climbing all those stairs without breakfast,' Yotsuba reasoned, trying to shake the strange deja vu.
But then, in that moment of lingering white light, she saw it—a memory?
A room heavy with the scent of antiseptic.
Their mother lying in bed.
Her mother's hand, her own, and Mitsuha's… all stacked gently together.
Her mother's hand was so thin, the bones clearly visible—but still warm.
"This isn't goodbye."
She saw it, her mother's face.
So warm, so kind. Her voice, soft as a breeze, seemed to speak directly into Yotsuba's heart.
She knew then: this was a message.
A message their mother had wanted the two sisters to deliver to their father.
"Yotsuba? Yotsuba!"
The voice calling her back belonged to Mitsuha, who was now shaking her gently.
Already tired and hungry from skipping breakfast and hiking up the mountain, Yotsuba felt like if her sister shook her one more time, she might throw up.
So she reluctantly let go of the memory.
But just before she fully snapped out of it, she saw them, her mother's eyes.
That same warm brown color, just like Mitsuha's. Just like hers.
"Big sis, your eyes… they look just like Mom's," Yotsuba said quietly, finally understanding why she had mistaken her sister for their mother.
"What are you talking about, silly? Both our eyes look like Mom's…"
Mitsuha's voice trailed off toward the end.
After all, Yotsuba had been so young when their mother died, she shouldn't have remembered.
'So how did she know? Maybe from a photo,' Mitsuha reasoned, brushing the thought away.
Steeling herself, she took up her role as the elder sister.
"You came at just the right time, Yotsuba. Let's recite the prayer together."
"Ugh, do we have to…"
Yotsuba groaned, regretting her decision to run up the mountain first thing in the morning to help.
'I should've just let her do all the work!' she thought, even as she stepped forward to stand beside her sister.
The two girls stood shoulder to shoulder, took a deep breath, and composed themselves.
Then, with matching serious expressions, they began to chant in unison.
One voice still soft and childish, the other more magnetic and mature, their prayer echoed through the quiet mountaintop shrine.
"We humbly present this prayer to the revered deity of Miyamizu Shrine…"
"With trembling hearts, we offer thanks."
"You have blessed us with food, clothing, and shelter. You answer our prayers and make our wishes come true…"
This time, Mitsuha slowed her pace, worried that Yotsuba might not remember the full chant.
But to her surprise, the little girl recited every word flawlessly.
Watching Yotsuba's round, still slightly babyish face try so hard to look serious, Mitsuha's heart swelled with tenderness and a pang of guilt.
Just last night, they'd been fighting over who got the last ice cream.
Now, standing here, it was like stepping into the past.
Years ago, it had been their mother beside her, patiently teaching her each line of the prayer, guiding her through the pauses, the breathing.
Compared to Yotsuba, she really had been blessed.
"One day, it'll be your turn to teach Yotsuba."
Her mother had said that in a soft, fading voice.
Even as illness ravaged her body, she insisted on passing down every bit of knowledge, every tradition.
Miyamizu Mitsuha hadn't forgotten.
With their mother gone and their father estranged, she had tried her best to become a worthy shrine maiden of the Miyamizu family.
She believed that if she worked hard enough, then maybe… just maybe, Yotsuba wouldn't have to carry the burden of this shrine.
Day by day. Year by year.
She never allowed herself to slack, always living up to the expectations of the role.
She feared that if she ever failed, the elders' eyes would turn to Yotsuba instead.
'No… I won't let that happen.'
Yotsuba deserved to grow up happy.
Elementary school, middle school, high school, college and let her go to a big city, get into a great company, meet someone nice, get married, raise a family… and never, ever be tied down to this backwards little town.
She could carry the Miyamizu name out into the world—free.
As for herself…
Thanks to Kyousuke, she had already glimpsed life beyond these mountains.
Seen it through his eyes. Felt it in his body. That was enough.
'Maybe the body-swapping thing will keep happening for the rest of our lives.' If it did, she could even help raise his kids.
'Wouldn't that be something?'
With that silly thought in her head, Mitsuha prayer now complete stepped out of the front shrine with her sister.
Next up was cleaning the inside of the shrine.
"Mitsuha! Yotsuba!"
A woman's voice called from outside, and Mitsuha clearly saw her little sister's ears perk up the second she heard it.
'Seriously, are you a rabbit or something?' Mitsuha thought, watching the reaction with a sigh.
'You like Sayaka that much? Come on, I'm your sister! We were getting along so well before, ever since that Kyousuke stuff happened!'
She watched helplessly as Yotsuba dropped her rag and dashed to the door.
"Sayaka-nee! What are you doing here?" Yotsuba shouted as she stepped outside, waving energetically toward the girl who had just crossed the final torii gate.
For people like them, who lived so close to the divine, yelling in a sacred space wasn't something the gods would mind too much.
In fact, maybe the gods even liked girls full of this kind of boundless energy.
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