Anime Crossover : Living in the Heart of Tokyo

"So, Mitsuha, can I call you that?"

"Do whatever you want."

"I'm pretty sure this is our first meeting, so why do you seem so familiar with me? You even called me a delinquent."

"Do you really not remember?" Miyamizu Mitsuha said, her voice tinged with frustration.

She knew it was probably the fault of that God, but she couldn't help feeling hurt.

"Hey, don't cry. It's not that I don't remember. Maybe there's another explanation, like you mistaking me for someone else."

"Impossible! It's you, Hojou Kyosuke. You live in the single apartment at 49 Sendagi, Room 701. You attend Higashi Middle School, and you're the biggest delinquent in the school..."

"Wait, wait, hold on. I've been wanting to say this for a while now—I'm not a delinquent."

"How can you not be? The first time we swapped bodies, I opened my eyes to a crowd of delinquents, listening to you lecture them. It scared me half to death!"

"Swapped bodies? What are you talking about? And today's my first day of school. Even if I were a delinquent, I wouldn't have gathered a gang that quickly."

"First day of school?! That's impossible!"

Mitsuha didn't answer Kyosuke's question. Instead, she shot up from her seat, slamming her hands on the table.

"I really did just give a speech as the freshman representative at the entrance ceremony today."

"That can't be! You've been at that school for ages! I even attended classes in your body!"

"Can you explain what you mean by 'swapping bodies'?"

Mitsuha's mind was spinning. What was going on? Why was this happening? Mechanically, she answered Kyosuke's question.

"We swap bodies in our dreams. My consciousness enters your body, and yours enters mine. We live each other's lives."

"That kind of thing... is it really possible?"

Though Kyosuke acted skeptical, he believed Mitsuha almost immediately. After all, as the protagonist, he had to have some special traits, right?

"If what you're saying is true..."

"Of course it's true! Why would I come all the way to Tokyo just to lie to you?"

"Alright, alright."

"Let's say we swapped bodies. But according to you, you've been at Higashi for a long time."

"Could it be that the 'me' who swapped bodies with you is from the future? That's why I don't remember anything now."

"How is that possible?"

"If body-swapping can happen, a little time travel isn't that far-fetched."

"Haha, I guess you're right."

As they talked, Mitsuha's mood lightened a bit.

After all, the person in front of her was someone she knew well. Even if he didn't remember, the familiarity was still there.

"Excuse me, here's your order."

The owner of the restaurant, Matsuyama, and his wife arrived with their trays.

The beef set meal was the main dish.

Kyosuke's portion included a large serving of beef rice, slow-cooked beef slices arranged like a volcano, topped with a secret sauce and three egg yolks.

There was also a generous portion of seared beef, thinly sliced and sprinkled with sea salt, and a big bowl of vegetable soup.

Mitsuha's meal was the same, but in a smaller portion. The tray also held her ice cream, cake, grilled fish, and iced coffee, with plenty of space to spare.

Kyosuke's special edition, however, was so large that it took two trays to carry everything.

"Kyosuke, you're out of school now?"

"Yeah, I'm here to trouble you again, Matsuyama-san."

"No trouble at all. Seeing you enjoy my cooking so much makes me happy. I'll leave you to it."

With that, Matsuyama left.

"Why didn't I know you could eat so much?!"

Mitsuha stared at Kyosuke's massive meal, which took up three-fifths of the table, her earlier questions momentarily forgotten.

"How would I know? You're the one who's swapped bodies with me, not the other way around. I need to eat this much to keep up with my body's demands.

Honestly, I feel bad for my future self. He's probably starving every time we swap."

"That's not possible! If I'm using your body, I'd feel hungry too! I'm not an idiot!"

Mitsuha now understood why Kyosuke had asked if she'd ordered enough food earlier. He was genuinely concerned she wouldn't have enough.

"So, it's pretty much confirmed. We swapped bodies, but it was the future me and the you from a few weeks ago?"

"Not a few weeks ago... how long was it?"

Mitsuha's voice trailed off. What was going on? Why couldn't she remember something so vivid? She quickly pulled out her phone, where Kyosuke had left diary entries.

"Look, these are the diaries you left on my phone."

"We agreed to record everything that happened each day so the other wouldn't mess things up when we swapped."

"We even made 'body-swapping rules.' Here, look!"

She unlocked her phone and opened the memo app.

The blue diary entries turned into garbled text, then rolled to the edges of the screen and disappeared.

"What's happening? The diaries are vanishing! Look!"

Mitsuha shoved the phone in Kyosuke's face, desperate for him to see the evidence before it disappeared completely.

"Uh, Mitsuha, there's nothing there anymore."

"What? How?"

Mitsuha slumped back in her chair, the chocolate she'd been eating now tasting bitter.

"If body-swapping can happen, a phone glitch isn't that big a deal, right? Besides, you still remember. You can just tell me everything," Kyosuke said, trying to comfort her.

"Right! Let me tell you about the first time we swapped. That night..."

What's going on? A wave of emptiness washed over Mitsuha, and tears streamed down her face.

Why are all my memories of Kyosuke disappearing?

"Mitsuha, what's wrong?"

Seeing the girl across from him suddenly break down, her face pale, Kyosuke quickly moved to sit beside her, gently patting her shoulder.

"Kyosuke! I can't remember anything! All my memories of you are gone!"

Mitsuha threw herself into Kyosuke's arms, her tears flowing uncontrollably.

"Mitsuha, calm down. Listen to me."

Mitsuha looked up, her hair—no longer tied with her cord—sticking to her tear-streaked face. She looked heartbreakingly beautiful.

Kyosuke scrambled to think of something to say.

"Have you heard of the grandfather paradox?"

"What's that?"

Seeing that Mitsuha's attention had shifted slightly, Kyosuke continued.

"The grandfather paradox is when someone goes back in time and kills their grandfather before their father is born."

"But that creates a contradiction: if you kill your grandfather, your father wouldn't be born, and neither would you. So who killed your grandfather?"

Good, Mitsuha had stopped crying.

"If the 'me' who swapped bodies with you is from the future, and you tell me what's going to happen, will the future still play out the way you remember?"

"That... makes sense. But why did my memories disappear?"

"Ah, right! Temporal correction force!" Kyosuke blurted out.

"Temporal correction force?"

"Exactly! To ensure that the future you and I meet correctly, your memories were erased."

Kyosuke spoke with conviction, feeling more and more like Yamauchi Sakura with her wild theories. Had he been infected by her?

"But even if the future Kyosuke meets me like before, my memories won't come back, right?"

"..."

Kyosuke's mind raced. What kind of plot was this? How was he supposed to explain this?

"Like you said, we'll write diaries when we swap bodies."

"I'll show you my diary and tell you everything that happened."

"By then, the timeline will have closed the loop, and my memories won't disappear. Maybe you'll even remember everything on your own."

"That's the only way. You have to write everything down carefully! Don't be like before..." Mitsuha's voice trailed off again, unable to recall what she meant.

"Let's eat. Your ice cream is melting," Kyosuke said, quickly changing the subject.

"Ah, my ice cream!" Mitsuha exclaimed, diving into her dessert.

The two ate in silence, each lost in their thoughts.

"You really ate all that? Kyosuke, are you a pig?"

Mitsuha stared in awe as Kyosuke finished his enormous meal, her eyes drifting to his stomach.

If she'd known, she would've eaten more sweets when they swapped.

"I do kendo training every day. It burns a lot of calories," Kyosuke said defensively.

"Oh no, I need to get to the station. The last train home is almost here."

Mitsuha, who had been admiring the restaurant's decor, suddenly noticed the clock on the wall and jumped up.

"Ow!"

She immediately sat back down, her feet—already sore from walking all day—now throbbing with pain.

"Maybe you should stay the night?"

Seeing Mitsuha wince, Kyosuke suggested.

"No way! What are you, some kind of pervert?"

Mitsuha's face turned red as she glared at him.

"Me? You don't even remember, do you?"

"I... I just know! I didn't even think before saying that, so you must've done something bad!"

"Alright, alright." Kyosuke didn't argue. Future me, I condemn you. You get the benefits, and I get the blame.

"Come on, I'll carry you to the station."

"..."

This time, Mitsuha didn't refuse.

She just lowered her head, her cheeks and ears turning bright red.

"Don't squirm."

"Mm," Mitsuha whispered.

Kyosuke easily lifted Mitsuha in a princess carry, carefully navigating the restaurant's obstacles as he carried her out.

Her cheek pressed against Kyosuke's firm chest, Mitsuha's face flushed.

'This is so different from when we swapped bodies', she thought, fragments of memories surfacing.

There were images of her—in Kyosuke's body—admiring his muscles in the mirror, striking poses...

"Are you okay?"

Kyosuke noticed Mitsuha's face was burning against his chest.

"Shut up! Watch where you're going."

Mitsuha snapped, then couldn't resist lightly touching Kyosuke's abs with her free hand.

'Next time we swap, I'm going to touch them as much as I want!' she thought.

Kyosuke wasn't faring much better.

His hands were holding Mitsuha's thighs, her smooth skin and soft curves providing an unparalleled sensation.

Both of them blushing, they made their way to the subway station.

At Sendagi Station, Kyosuke carried Mitsuha into the train car.

Fortunately, the rush hour was over, and they found two empty seats.

"You can leave me here."

Seeing Kyosuke wasn't getting off, Mitsuha said.

"It's not far. I'm not comfortable leaving you like this."

"Then... thank you."

Mitsuha carefully rested her head on Kyosuke's shoulder.

"If you're tired, you can sleep. I'll wake you when we get there."

"Do you think we'll meet again?" Mitsuha murmured, her eyes closed.

"What are you talking about? I'll come visit you this weekend. You're in Itomori, right? In Hida City?"

Mitsuha had mentioned it earlier.

"Yeah! It's not much, but Itomori has beautiful scenery. I'll treat you to Hida beef!"

Hearing Kyosuke's words, Mitsuha perked up, her low voice excitedly describing her hometown's specialties.

"Are you sure your feet are okay? Should I take you all the way home?"

At the station, Kyosuke watched Mitsuha limp and asked worriedly.

"Taking me home is too much. Who'd bring you home?"

Mitsuha blushed, though Kyosuke wasn't sure why.

"I asked a volunteer from the shrine to pick me up. Don't worry."

"Alright. Message me when you get home."

Kyosuke waved his phone. They'd already exchanged contact information.

"Mm!"

Mitsuha hugged her phone tightly. She'd already tested it—it worked! This time, she wouldn't lose him.

"Oh, and don't forget to watch the comet on Thursday night."

"What's so special about that?"

"You have to! I'll watch it with you from Itomori! I'll even pray for you at the festival."

Mitsuha put her hands on her hips, speaking seriously.

"Alright, alright. I'll watch it."

"Then... goodbye."

"Bye."

With a satisfied smile, Mitsuha boarded the train. Before the doors closed, she waved her phone at Kyosuke, promising to call later.