A deal?

That single word made the group's mood turn tense and heavy.

Busujima Saeko: "As expected—this will be a trade where he absolutely won't come out losing."

Couronne: "Yes… absolutely no losing…"

Couronne spoke from experience. She had traded only herself to secure peace for the human race.

Bibi Dong: "If Rei Ao acts personally, nothing will go wrong."

Rei Ao: "I can intervene—disrupt that exact moment, alter the meteor's trajectory, or shield specific groups of people."

Rei Ao: "I think you already understand the price of such a deal."

Rei Ao: "Treat this as the final insurance. I hope you won't need it."

His words were calm and unruffled, yet everyone in the group felt their weight.

No one doubted he could do what he said.

Miyamizu Mitsuha was stunned as well.

A deal… a price…

It sounded like the kind of bargain you'd make with a demon in a myth.

But…

She looked out the window.

The sun was sinking into the distant mountains, dyeing Lake Itomori a warm gold.

Thin plumes of dinner smoke rose over the quiet town; everything looked so peaceful, so serene.

In twenty-four hours, that peace would be shattered.

To protect all of this…

Mitsuha scrubbed the tears from her face; her eyes grew firm.

She drew a deep breath and replied in the group chat.

Miyamizu Mitsuha: "I understand… Thank you, Rei Ao-san. And thank you, everyone."

Miyamizu Mitsuha: "I'll try first—do everything I can to evacuate people! I'll give it my all!"

Miyamizu Mitsuha: "If… if it really doesn't work… then… then I'll…"

She didn't finish, but the meaning was clear.

Marcille: "You've got this, Mitsuha! You can do it!"

Couronne: "That's right! We're with you in spirit—go for it!"

Julis: "If you need concrete evacuation plans, say the word here. We'll brainstorm together."

Kasuga Hijiri: "May your courage bring a miracle."

Busujima Saeko: "Stay calm. Act decisively."

The chat flooded with messages of encouragement and well-wishes.

Reading those warm words from different worlds, Mitsuha felt a current of warmth rise within her, pushing back a little of the cold.

She wasn't fighting alone.

Miyamizu Mitsuha: "Thank you—really, thank you all! I… I'm going!"

She left the chat.

When she slid the door open, her little sister Yotsuha stood there with her hands on her hips.

"Big sis, you're so slow! Dinner's going cold!"

"Yotsuha…"

Looking at her sister's innocent face, Mitsuha crouched and hugged her tight.

"Eh? Sis? What's wrong?"

"Nothing…"

Mitsuha's voice caught, but she tried to sound normal.

"I just suddenly realized—you're really, really cute."

"Ugh! Saying weird stuff out of nowhere—gross!"

Face flushed, Yotsuha pushed her away and ran to the dining room.

"Grandma! Sis is acting weird!"

Mitsuha stood up. Her gaze swept over the familiar home and finally settled on Grandma and—oddly—her father, who had come home today.

Her eyes hardened with resolve.

Time was short. She had to move now.

First, convince the family.

It was going to be a sleepless night.

…

The mood at dinner was heavy.

A traditional Japanese meal lay neatly arranged.

The aroma of pan-fried fish filled the air, but Mitsuha had no appetite.

She drew a breath and set down her chopsticks.

"Grandma, I have something very, very important to say."

Grandma lifted her lids to glance at her, then went on sipping miso soup at an unhurried pace.

Her father merely grunted behind his newspaper, eyes still glued to the politics section.

"I… I had a dream," Mitsuha began, her voice dry with nerves. "A very real dream."

"I dreamed that tomorrow night a comet—meteor—splits apart and falls on Itomori, and the entire town is destroyed."

As soon as she finished—

"Pfft—"

Yotsuha couldn't help laughing. "Sis, did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed? How would a comet split and hit us? This isn't a manga!"

Grandma's hand paused over the soup. Her cloudy yet sharp eyes turned to Mitsuha, a slight frown forming.

Her father, Miyamizu Toshiki, finally lowered the paper, revealing a stern, rigid face. He pushed up his glasses, displeasure and scrutiny plain in his eyes.

"Mitsuha."

His voice was low and authoritative.

"This kind of nonsense has no place at the dinner table. Don't disturb everyone's meal. Is that how I raised you?"

"It's not nonsense!"

Mitsuha leaned forward, blurting out in panic.

"The dream was too real!"

"And the news said there'll be a meteor shower tomorrow!"

"The timing and place are too much of a coincidence!"

"What if it's true? We should at least get people to take shelter—go up into the surrounding hills!"

"Absurd!"

Toshiki slammed the table; the dishes rattled and clinked.

"Evacuate the entire town over a dream?"

"Do you have any idea how much chaos and damage that would cause?"

"Is spreading alarmist rumors all you've learned as the Miyamizu Shrine's Miko? Maybe we should just abolish the shrine maiden altogether."

He had never liked the shrine—or the so-called miko.

"It's not a rumor! It's—"

Mitsuha wanted to say it was a prophetic dream, confirmed by friends from other worlds—but she knew that would be even less believable. The words stuck in her throat.

"It's a possibility—one we have to take seriously!"

"A possibility?" He let out a cold laugh. "A 'possibility' based on a dream?"

"Mitsuha, you're a disappointment."

"Looks like the shrine really does lead people astray."

He didn't bother sparing Grandma's feelings as he sneered at the shrine's very existence.

"This conversation is over. Don't bring it up again—and don't you dare spread it outside. Understood?"

His tone brooked no argument; it sounded like a final verdict.

"Dad!"

"Eat."

Toshiki raised the paper again, sealing off any further eye contact.

Mitsuha's heart sank.

Her father's reaction was even harsher and more dismissive than she'd expected.

Counting on official channels to evacuate people clearly wasn't going to work.