Miyamizu Mitsuha felt completely unmoored, as if the ground beneath her feet had turned to shifting sand. The more Natori Sayaka and Teshigawara Katsuhiko described her actions from the previous day, the more her head spun. And then, as if some strange switch had been flipped deep in her consciousness, the memories of possessing that handsome Tokyo guy began to surface—gradually at first, then with increasing clarity.
What made her cheeks burn with shame was the realization of what that unfaithful scumbag had done while inhabiting her body.
Such vulgar things.
No wonder Yotsuha had looked at her with such disdain this morning. No wonder her little sister had made those strange comments about rubbing.
"Um, Mitsuha?" Natori Sayaka asked cautiously, studying her friend's rapidly changing expression. "You're not going to tell us you don't remember anything from yesterday, are you?"
Miyamizu Mitsuha turned to her with a face that was equal parts mortified and desperate. "I really don't remember! That wasn't me! That couldn't possibly have been me!" She pressed her hands to her burning cheeks. "I'm still dreaming right now, aren't I? This has to be a dream!"
Teshigawara Katsuhiko couldn't help but laugh. "Sorry to break it to you, but this is definitely the real world." He leaned in with obvious curiosity. "So you really were possessed by a fox spirit yesterday, weren't you? What did it look like? Was it majestic? Terrifying?"
"How should I know?! And it's not even confirmed it was a fox spirit!" Miyamizu Mitsuha shot back, flustered.
She had no intention of telling anyone about the handsome Tokyo scumbag. What if people thought she was crazy? What if they decided she was some kind of weirdo and isolated her even more than they already did? She already had enough trouble with classmates who looked at her strangely because of her father. She didn't need to add "claims to have swapped souls with a city playboy" to the list.
Natori Sayaka regarded her with an amused smile. "Don't panic. I think it must have been an excellent fox spirit—a really smart one. Otherwise, how could it have finished all your homework for you?" She paused, her smile widening. "Also, Mitsuha, when we get to school, don't be too surprised. You're kind of popular now!"
Miyamizu Mitsuha's headache intensified. "Are you sure it's a good kind of popular? Maybe I should just take the day off. Go home, sleep, pretend none of this happened."
Teshigawara snorted. "And risk getting possessed by the fox again while you sleep?"
Miyamizu Mitsuha shivered.
He had a point. If falling asleep caused the swap, then staying home and sleeping might just invite another round of whatever this was.
Resigned to her fate, she continued walking toward school.
As they passed through an open area near the school grounds, the three of them spotted a familiar figure. Miyamizu Toshiki stood on a small platform, dressed in a sharp suit with a red campaign banner draped across his shoulder. He was giving a speech to a small crowd, his voice carrying across the morning air.
Nearby, a few adults murmured to each other.
"It's almost certain Miyamizu will be re-elected this term, isn't it?"
"Absolutely. He and the president of the construction company are practically working hand in glove at this point."
Miyamizu Mitsuha's face burned with secondhand embarrassment. She knew what they meant—most of the town's workforce was employed by that very construction company. If you didn't vote for your boss's preferred candidate, well... you might find yourself looking for new employment.
The young girl, still innocent to the harsh compromises of adult life, had developed a strong aversion to her father's political career after years of enduring her classmates' sarcastic remarks and pointed looks. It didn't help that her father, after her mother Miyamizu Futaba had passed away from illness, had essentially abandoned the shrine and rarely communicated with his two daughters. The distance between them had grown into a chasm of misunderstanding and resentment.
Miyamizu Toshiki, mid-speech, suddenly noticed his daughter walking by with her head down. His brow furrowed, and he couldn't help but call out.
"Hey, Mitsuha! Lift your head up! What kind of way is that to walk?"
It undermined his image as mayor, frankly. He was the mayor—what did his daughter have to be afraid of? The death of his wife had convinced him that gods were unreliable. If he wanted to protect his daughters and give them a better life, he had to do it himself through hard work and political influence. When his wife got sick, the shrine's meager income hadn't been enough. He refused to be powerless again.
But Miyamizu Mitsuha didn't know any of this. She only felt the weight of watching eyes as her father scolded her in public.
"Mayor Miyamizu is certainly strict," someone murmured.
"Well, that's probably why he keeps getting re-elected," another replied.
Some adults were sensible enough to recognize Toshiki's genuine contributions. The paved road leading to the school, for instance—before his tenure, it had been a difficult mountain path. He'd changed that. He believed the inconvenient journey had contributed to his wife's death, and he was determined to eliminate such obstacles.
Miyamizu Mitsuha lowered her head further and hurried away. Natori Sayaka and Teshigawara Katsuhiko followed without comment.
"Hey, Mitsuha! You don't even greet your father? That's incredibly rude!"
Miyamizu Toshiki watched his daughter flee, frustration and helplessness warring in his chest. His wife had died too early. He had no experience navigating a relationship with a teenage daughter, and his work consumed every moment he might have used to learn.
After they'd put some distance between themselves and the campaign speech, Teshigawara glanced at Mitsuha's downcast expression and offered a small smile. "Well, the fox spirit has definitely left. Yesterday you were strutting around proud of your dad being the mayor—full of corruption vibes!"
Miyamizu Mitsuha's face went scarlet. "How could I possibly be proud?! That guy doesn't know anything about my situation! He just arbitrarily—" She cut herself off, realizing what she'd almost revealed.
Arbitrarily destroyed her image, that's what he'd done.
"That guy?" Natori Sayaka and Teshigawara exchanged knowing glances. Then, in perfect unison: "You really DO know the fox spirit!"
Natori Sayaka's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Hey, hey, Mitsuha, what does it look like? Is it beautiful? Mysterious?"
Miyamizu Mitsuha glared at both of them. "I advise you not to find out. Unless you want to be cursed."
They exchanged another glance and simultaneously grinned. "We're not afraid."
When they finally reached school and Miyamizu Mitsuha stepped into her classroom, every head in the room swiveled toward her.
The silence stretched for one heartbeat, then two.
"Yo, Miyamizu!" A boy who was usually one of the stars of their PE class called out with a grin. "You playing basketball with us again today? I still haven't figured out that move you did—'left hand, right hand, a slow motion'! You have to teach me!"
Miyamizu Mitsuha stood frozen in the doorway, utterly bewildered.
Left hand, right hand, a slow motion?
She didn't know how to play basketball at all!