Elsewhere.

Mitsuha all but speed-walked with her head down, the heat on her cheeks refusing to fade.

She could feel Rei Ao's amused gaze beside her, which only made her more flustered, so she pretended to focus on the path.

She led him to a quiet little hill behind the town.

The view here was wide open—you could look down over all of Itomori and the beautiful Lake Itomori.

The setting sun dyed everything a warm orange-red, as pretty as a painting.

Only when they arrived, with no one else around, did Mitsuha finally let out a long breath and release Rei Ao's sleeve—so crumpled from her grip it looked ironed with wrinkles.

She turned to face him and gave a deep, formal bow.

"Rei Ao-san, thank you—truly, thank you so, so much!"

"Thank you for saving Yotsuha!"

"Thank you for giving us a chance to start over! I really… don't even know how to repay you!"

Rei Ao waved it off, lazy yet elegant. To him, it was a trivial errand—more importantly, he knew perfectly well this had been a trade.

"No need for that."

"I didn't act out of kindness. We made a trade and both got what we needed."

"I'm not so saintly that I do losing business."

His blunt, matter-of-fact words cooled Mitsuha's surge of gratitude a little. She straightened, pressed her lips together; the blush that had just faded crept back in. Twisting the hem of her clothes with nervous fingers, she spoke in a mosquito-soft voice, shy and unsure:

"Um… I—I know… so… should we… complete the trade now?"

It took all her courage to say it.

The terms of that trade—"unlimited usage rights to my body."

For her—young and inexperienced—even thinking about it was enough to make her burn up and throw her heartbeat out of rhythm. She didn't dare look Rei Ao in the eyes.

But the response she expected wasn't what came.

Above her, she heard a soft, teasing chuckle.

"Oh?"

Rei Ao's voice sounded unhurried, with a hint of playfulness.

"So eager already?"

"Seems you're more enthusiastic than I imagined, Mitsuha."

"N-not at all!"

Mitsuha's head shot up, her face so red it looked ready to drip. She flailed, trying to explain.

"That's not what I meant! I just… I just thought we should honor our agreement! I—"

Seeing her panic like a startled little rabbit, the smile in Rei Ao's eyes deepened. He suddenly reached out and brushed his fingers lightly across her burning cheek. The cool touch made her tremble; every word stuck in her throat.

"Easy."

He withdrew his hand and pointed to the sky. The sun was easing down toward the horizon, the clouds blazing with color.

"What you asked me to change isn't completely finished yet."

Mitsuha followed his finger, blinking. Not finished? But hadn't everything already changed?

"You asked to go back to the beginning of it all—not merely to restore Itomori," he reminded her lightly. "So I haven't adjusted the comet's trajectory yet."

"But there's still a while before it falls. In that time…"

He paused, his gaze returning to her, as if seeing straight through every thought.

"…let's spend some time together."

"After all, those future 'usage rights' are 'unlimited,' so we should at least get familiar with each other, don't you think?"

"Spend time… together?"

Before Mitsuha could fully unpack his meaning, Rei Ao casually raised a hand and snapped his fingers.

Snap!

With a crisp pop, space itself split open.

Right before them, out of nowhere, a door appeared—old-fashioned in shape, intricately carved, as if made from some warmly colored wood—standing by itself on the grass. Ripples like water shimmered in the air around the frame.

"What is…?"

Mitsuha stared, stunned by the surreal sight. Rei Ao didn't give her time to react. Smiling, he pushed the door open.

Beyond the door wasn't the hillside but a soft glow where nothing could be seen clearly.

Then, naturally, he took Mitsuha's hand and, before she could respond, gave a gentle tug.

"Ah!"

She managed only a short yelp before a soft yet irresistible force drew her through the doorway. Once she was fully inside, the door shut without a sound—and vanished as suddenly as it had appeared.

The hillside fell quiet again. Only the breeze moved through the grass, as if no one had ever been there.

…

It was like passing through a warm membrane of water. After a slight feeling of weightlessness, Mitsuha's feet landed on something firm yet cushioned. She stumbled; Rei Ao steadied her.

She looked around and her eyes flew wide.

This wasn't the little hill in Itomori at all—it was an extraordinarily spacious, luxurious room she had never seen before. The overall style was understated modern luxury, a soft, expensive carpet underfoot, a faint relaxing fragrance in the air.

"This is a temporary residence I created," came Rei Ao's voice from behind. He seemed right at home here. Releasing her, he strolled to a small bar in the center of the room and poured two glasses of crystal-clear liquid.

"Time flows differently here than outside. We can take our time."

"Time… flows differently?"

Mitsuha's mind was still reeling from shock after shock.

"Mhm." He handed her one glass, a meaningful curve at his lips.

"So we have a whole day… to spend together."

Her fingertips brushed his cool skin, and her heart skipped again.

Up close, his face was impossibly flawless; the depth in his eyes felt like it could pull a soul right in. Heat crept back into her cheeks. She had a vague sense of what "spend time together" might entail. Her heart drummed like a war beat.

What followed, for Mitsuha, felt like falling into a surreal, dreamlike reverie.