8: I Love You
After the door closed, John gave one bill to his partner in crime with a chuckle.
“Gwen will get mad when she finds out,” Peter said.
“She won’t, unless you tell her.” Looking at the $10 bills in their hands, he was sure Gwen expected the cheating; she deliberately created the opportunity for it.
Now, why would she do that?
“Let’s go; we might get late for the next lecture.” John looked at Peter, who also seemed completely oblivious to the matter.
“Yeah, let’s go.”
After the lectures ended, John made his way to the Empire State Bank, but found it closed. They stated some jargon about security checks and whatnot. In the end, he had to go home without money.
But thanks to the ten dollars he got from Gwen, he was able to buy two pounds of steak and keep some change. He had salt and pepper at home with a half-eaten stick of butter, so he won’t starve at least.
“Yeah, this is it.” Until today, he had never enjoyed steak this much.
Probably because of hunger, he found them irresistible today. Regardless, he started working on chapter 6 of Your Name. He had already written it last night and just needed to read through to catch any typos.
Thanks to the Hanma bloodline, his perception had become faster, and he found typos very easily now. Now, to mention the way his fingers danced on the keyboard, they were almost a blur now.
Today, he was feeling devious, so instead of one, he had decided to drop chapters 6 and 7 with an hour between them. Leaving the finale, chapter 8, for the next day.
“Now, let’s see how they act after this wombo combo.” John cackled while looking at the readers pouring in.
The poor souls had no idea what would hit them.
***
Gwen had just stepped out of the shower in her flat when the notification popped up on her PC. An email from Rivulta regarding the new update by JohnDoe6769, the author she had followed and accepted notifications for.
She didn’t even bother to blow dry her hair or wear the clothes messily thrown on the pink duvet. By the time she could understand, her chair slid her into the desk, and her finger gripped the mouse, already clicking the direct link to the post.
Adjusting the towel under her arms, her eyes followed the light but atmospheric words.
The POV had switched to Taki(Mitsuha) as she woke up in the cave. While talking about how she cut her hair, Mitsuha got out of the cave and saw the destroyed Itomori, realizing that she had died as the memories came flooding in.
“No beating around the bush, huh?” Gwen sucked in a sharp breath, wondering how Mitsuha would react to the information.
However, the scene cut back to Mitsuha(Taki) on a bicycle, making his way up the mountain. That’s when he gets pulled into a memory.
The memory of the day Mitsuha visited Tokyo, thinking that it was the day of Taki and Okudera’s date. Gwen’s heart started beating fast when she saw how Mitsuha found Taki on a train.
The only problem was that she realized this was three years before Taki had even known Mitsuha, way before the body switches happened. So, what followed was what she had expected.
‘I know Taki isn’t at fault, but I feel so bad for Mitsuha!!’ In the corner of her heart, no, she wholeheartedly hoped Taki would say something, anything.
And he did just that. He asked for her name. And Mitsuha gave him her name, alongside her ribbon, a piece of braided thread that connected the two across the river of time.
“If the chapter ends here, I will find this guy.” Thankfully for Gwen, the chapter didn’t end there.
It continued with Mitsuha(Taki) reaching the mountaintop and shouting her name at the top of his lungs.
Taki(Mitsuha) also did the same thing, shouting his name as loud as she could.
The bold and italics from the first chapter returned. Two people called for each other; they were in the same place, but in a different time.
Would they meet? Will they be able to get the answers they both wanted? Her mind raced as they got closer and closer, their hands passing by each other.
The questions burned through Gwen as she scrolled, and the answer arrived.
‘Twilight.’ She blinked at the word. It was already established as a time where one would meet with the supernatural.
It was the perfect moment for the two linked with supernatural phenomena. And they met for the first time, fully knowing the other.
This was the first time they had a proper face-to-face conversation. Mitsuha complained at him touching her chest. Taki's disappointment at her thinking he was hopeless at communication.
The banter between the two was as cute as she had expected. But all good things must come to an end, and as twilight’s end approached, so did the end of their meeting.
“This is so sweet…” Gwen felt her heart melting as Taki wrote his name on Mitsuha’s hand.
But that feeling soon turned to dread as Mitsuha vanished before she could write her name on Taki’s hand. That feeling kept stacking as Taki, who kept trying to memorize her name, tried to write it on his palm but couldn’t.
“What is your name?”
The chapter ended with Taki shouting, hoping the person he was looking for would hear him somehow, but that didn’t happen.
Gwen had the urge to punch through the wall, but she had just lost $20 today, and she didn’t want to increase on that number. In the end, she could only massage her face to calm her nerves as she skimmed through the comments.
Padoru—@imanahaq we leave it to you, big guy
David_Aderoju—Yeah, this is getting out of hand; we choose you, @imanahaq
Imanahaq—Don’t worry guys, I just finished renovating my basement, it has TV, fridge, and even a King-sized bed, all we need is @JohnDoe6769
Kds89—This doesn’t sound like a joke anymore
Dragon_knight240—I think they went past joking for a while now, lol
Gwen shook her head, still thinking it was just internet trolling. After clearing her mind and finally getting dressed, she was back on the computer, rereading the chapter.
One habit she had picked up while reading crime thrillers was picking up hidden details during the second or third read. Surprisingly, that habit had rewarded her in this work, a romance novel, as well.
The ribbon that Taki wore around his wrist, which actually belonged to Mitsuha, was mentioned from the first switch. So, Mitsuha’s visit to Tokyo three years ago was already established. Then the twilight poem came full circle, and the comet thread as well.
But what she needed answers for was why Taki forgot Mitsuha. Was it because she died? Or was it something else that caused it?
Finally, Gwen looked at the part where Taki crossed the river with the words ‘One has to leave behind something most precious to them before crossing.’
That’s where Taki got the sake Mitsuha had made and reformed the connection; to reach that place, he had to leave behind something precious.
Now, in the context of that scene, what was the most precious thing to Taki?
“Mitsuha.” Her lips muttered before she fully understood; it made perfect sense. The memory was the price to meet her again, even as they were three years apart on the line known as time.
“This is crazy…” Gwen blinked at the screen, but something popped up in the corner.
It was another notification from Rivulta, regarding an upload for Your Name’s new chapter. It was like she was rewarded for finding the perfect answer, and she clicked on it with a smile full of glee.
“A double release? So, this writer does have some conscience.” Gwen almost forgave JohnDoe for his cliffs before focusing on the chapter.
The scene looked hopeful with Mitsuha working hard to save Itomori. Her friends were giving their best, and even the part where she stood against her father.
But there was another point that filled Gwen with anxiety.
Taki wasn’t the only one who had crossed the boundary. Mitsuha had done it too.
And almost as if on cue, Mitsuha started losing her memories.
‘The name on your hand!’ If she could, Gwen would’ve reached into the novel and shaken Mitsuha.
Thankfully, Mitsuha had remembered that part as well; she looked at the hand for an answer. And she got one, just not the one she had expected.
“I love you.”
Those three letters had Gwen looking at the ceiling as her eyes stung.
...
Read 20 chapters head on P@treon.