Mitsuha Miyamizu turned her pleading gaze to her grandmother.

Grandma Hitoha Miyamizu kept eating in silence for a long while before she spoke slowly:

"Dreams… are the knots that tie gods and people together."

"What matters isn't the dream itself, but the message it conveys—and the intent it awakens in you."

There seemed to be something deeper in Grandma's words, but she didn't state outright that she supported Mitsuha.

"Grandma, you mean…"

"Do what you ought to do. Work hard for what you believe in."

With that, Grandma fell silent.

What she ought to do… what she believed in…

Mitsuha clenched her fists.

Yes—she couldn't just give up.

If her father wouldn't believe her and the official route was blocked, then she'd do it her own way.

She hurried through dinner, then excused herself, saying she didn't feel well, and left the table early.

Back in her room, she locked the door and grabbed her phone.

First, she called her best friend, Sayaka Natori.

"Hello? Mitsuha? What's up?" Sayaka's lively voice came through the line.

"Sayaka, listen—what I'm about to say is really important. You might think I'm being weird, but please, you have to believe me!"

She spoke at a rapid clip, laying out the prophetic dream and the meteor.

There was a few seconds of silence.

"…Mitsuha, are you… okay?"

"Have you been overdoing it getting ready for the autumn festival?"

Sayaka sounded worried—clearly unconvinced. And honestly, who would believe something like this?

"I'm serious, Sayaka!"

"Please! Even if you don't believe me, tomorrow night—around eight—could you find some excuse to take your family up into the hills a little ways away? I'm begging you!"

"Mitsuha, I…"

"Please, Sayaka—I'm begging you!"

Maybe it was the unprecedented desperation and earnestness in her voice, but Sayaka hesitated, then said:

"…Okay, okay. I'll try to persuade them tomorrow night. But Mitsuha, are you sure you're all right? Want me to come keep you company?"

"No! I'm fine! Thank you, Sayaka!"

After she hung up, Mitsuha let out a breath.

At least… she'd convinced one friend to try.

Next was Katsuhiko Teshigawara.

"Tessie! It's me!"

"Oh? Mitsuha? This is rare—you calling me first." He sounded amused.

"No time for jokes. Listen!"

She repeated the whole story again.

"…Huh? A meteor hitting Itomori?"

"Mitsuha, did you watch some weird sci-fi flick or something?"

His reaction was the same as Sayaka's.

"I knew you wouldn't believe me, but it's true!"

"Tessie, you mess around with gunpowder and stuff, right?"

"Could you, tomorrow night, try making a really big commotion up on the mountain?"

"Like set something off so people will go take a look?"

Her ideas tumbled out in a rush.

"Hey, hey! That's illegal! And doing all that over a dream is a bit—"

He sounded torn.

"Please, Tessie! This is the one and only request of my life!"

"If nothing happens, I'll take all the blame."

"If it does happen, you'll be the hero who saved the whole town!"

"…"

A long silence.

At last he sighed, half-annoyed, half-resigned.

"…Tch. Can't say no to you, can I. I'll set off some extra-large fireworks that might 'accidentally' go off."

"Thank you, Tessie!"

With those two calls made, Mitsuha felt a faint glimmer of hope.

But relying on just two friends wouldn't be nearly enough.

She sat at her desk, opened her notebook, and started hammering out plans.

Anonymous letters to every household?

No time—and no one would buy it.

Post online?

In a rural place like Itomori, internet use is low, and it would just look like a prank.

Use the shrine's broadcast system?

The key was with her father, and he would never agree.

Idea after idea surfaced only for her to cross it out herself.

Minutes slipped by. Outside, the sky went fully dark.

Anxiety and fatigue washed over her like the tide, but she didn't dare stop.

She remembered Rei Ao's words—

"Create some disruption or incident to draw people to the high ground."

Disruption… incident…

How could she get people to spontaneously move en masse to higher ground?

Her eyes fell on the calendar.

Tomorrow night was supposed to be the autumn festival rehearsal—lots of townsfolk would be up at the shrine helping out.

A bold—borderline crazy—plan began to take shape.

…

At dawn the next day, Mitsuha got up early with heavy dark circles under her eyes.

Her father had already left for the town assembly.

Grandma was sweeping the courtyard.

Yotsuha was still sleeping in.

Mitsuha finished breakfast quickly and told Grandma, "I'm not going to school today. I don't feel well—I want to go to the shrine to clear my head."

Grandma looked at her deeply, then simply nodded. "Go."

Mitsuha changed into her miko robes and hurried to the shrine.

Her heart was pounding; her palms were slick with sweat. She knew she was about to do something very risky.

At the shrine, she didn't start cleaning as usual.

She went straight to the storage shed where festival supplies and records were kept.

She rummaged around for what she needed—old loudspeakers, wiring, some tools…

Then she found her target—

a set of smoke bombs and smoke flares that had been used long ago for festival atmosphere, now a bit shabby but seemingly usable. They'd been phased out for safety reasons.

Her plan was simple, but dangerous:

At dusk, when the rehearsal drew people up the mountain, she would stage a "divine sign" or an "accident."

Light smoke flares to create a haze.

Use the loudspeaker to issue warnings.

Guide people farther up the mountain, and keep them on the high ground until after the meteor fell…

She knew it was clumsy, easy to see through, and might even get her punished.

But given the time and resources she had, it seemed the best way to save the most people.

All day long, she hid in the shed and the woods behind the shrine, quietly setting things up.

She tested the speaker batteries, chose good spots for releasing smoke, and rehearsed again and again what she'd say when the time came.

Her heart never stopped racing; her nerves were strung tight.

She checked the time over and over—

wishing it would slow down so she could prepare better, yet wishing it would speed up so there'd finally be an outcome.

Occasionally, messages popped up in the group chat—mostly friends checking in and asking for updates.

She only replied briefly, "I'm working on it," and didn't dare read more.

She was afraid that seeing all those encouraging words would make her break down—

and afraid that seeing Rei Ao's name would make her lean on him, shaking her resolve to do everything she could herself.

~~~

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