harleyscars Page 94
Page 94
Your name.
...
Late at night, Natsuki lay in bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.
The digital clock on her bedside table showed that it was past 1 a.m., but no matter what she did, she couldn't feel sleepy at all—scenes from animated movies kept popping into her mind, and unconsciously, she would find tears sliding down her cheeks.
The once dry pillow was now soaked, which was unpleasant, but Natsuki showed no sign of moving.
"Sigh." In the silent room, this sigh was amplified infinitely. A glimmer of light gradually appeared in her eyes, as if she had made up her mind, and she picked up her phone.
"Are you asleep in 042? 78?"
The message was sent successfully. Xia Shu didn't expect a reply from Youzi, but a few seconds later, "No, you're having trouble sleeping too?" appeared on her screen.
"Yeah, after watching 'Your Name,' how could I possibly fall asleep..."
"So what are you doing now?"
"Lying in bed, lost in thought, my pillow is soaked. I might go find a new pillow later... I don't want to move right now." - Ling
"Me too, I don't want to move at all..." Long
A bitter smile tugged at the corner of her lips. It seemed that Youzi was in the same boat as her—or should she say, "truly a childhood best friend"? 8
"Ring ring ring~" The sudden ringing of the phone startled Xia Shu. She reacted quickly, pressing the volume button and glancing at the screen—it was Youzi calling. 5
"What?! Calling me in the middle of the night..." The moment the call connected, Xia Shu lowered her voice to express her anger to Youzi.
"Since we can't sleep anyway, let's chat for a bit!"
"What's the point of chatting! I have class tomorrow, if I don't go to sleep soon..."
(Talking on the phone at 1 a.m.? If Mom catches her, she'll probably think she's dating someone, right?) Thinking this to herself, Natsuki decisively expressed her denial, but her words were interrupted by a remark from Yuzu. 4
"Let's talk about [your name]. I know about it, you know. You want to have a good talk with someone right now, don't you?"
"..." Silence. After more than ten seconds of silence, Xia Shu gave up her insistence—just as Yu Zi had said, her mind was filled with thoughts of "Your Name," and if she didn't vent these feelings, she probably wouldn't be able to sleep all night! 7
"Okay, what should we talk about?"
"Oh, thinking about it, there are actually a lot to talk about, such as 'the studio's artists' artwork is as exquisite as ever, every screenshot is wallpaper-worthy,' 'the songs and background music are also incredibly beautiful, perfectly timed and tear-jerking,' etc... Which scenes in the movie moved you the most? Let me start. The final scene was indeed touching, but the scene that gets my highest score is still the one on the meteorite crater, where Taki and Mitsuha meet. Every expression, every movement, every word, is the ultimate tearjerker for me..."
At first, Yu Zi's voice on the phone was relaxed and cheerful, as if he were talking about "ordinary things." However, towards the end of his words, Xia Shu could hear his increasingly heavy nasal tone.
"Natsuki...can you recall that scene?...Taki, despite experiencing so much...regardless of others' incomprehension or the vast distance, he kept drawing the Itomori Town from his memories, searching solely based on that clue...but when he met Mitsuha at dusk on the meteorite crater, what did he say..."
"'Mitsuha, I've come to see you. It's been so long, you're so far away...' That's all he said. Can you believe how much my eyes welled up with tears when I saw that scene?"
The sobs of the traveler grew louder and louder. Xia Shu just quietly held her phone, listening to her cries, without any intention of comforting her or interrupting her.
Why? Because her eyes were also filled with tears.
How could I forget? How could I possibly forget? That scene wasn't just remembered by the wanderer; Natsuki remembered it too...
Chapter 0267 Only heart-wrenching plots can produce touching endings!
Relying on his memories, Taki Tachibana draws the town in his mind day after day—the only thing he can call a "clue".
From that day on, he was never able to switch bodies with Mitsuha again, and no matter when he dialed the number, he would get a "not in service area" message.
Whether it was due to the "sudden loss of contact" or "getting used to Mitsuha's presence," he decided to go find her, to find the girl in the small town.
He took the train, then switched to a bus. At each stop, he would take out his sketches of the town and ask people around him for their opinions, but without exception, they all shook their heads. His former colleagues and his friends were also traveling with him, but it seemed that they were just "sightseeing" more than anything else.
finally...
"Oh my, young man, is this Itomori Town? It's drawn so well."
The ramen shop owner recognized the place Taki had drawn, but just as he excitedly asked, "Is it around here?", he learned that the town destroyed by a comet three years ago had this very name!
"Dead? Three years ago? Dead? How could that be? Look, her diary is still intact..."
At that moment, all traces of Mitsuha's existence vanished rapidly. The diary entries she had written turned into gibberish, then disappeared one by one as if a clear button had been pressed, until finally, nothing remained.
...
"Yuzu, do you know what? When I saw that part, I was completely stunned... One second I was still thinking about 'Mitsuha and Taki switching bodies,' but the next second I was told that Mitsuha was already dead, and that it had been three years ago..."
Xia Shu sat cross-legged on the bed, listening to the faint sobs on the other end of the phone while talking to herself.
"At that time, I thought the teachers were bringing another tragedy, but thankfully, even though Taki's memory was fading and he had forgotten Mitsuha's name, he still chose to continue searching...."
"That's all thanks to the knotted rope... It was Mitsuha who went to see him three years ago and gave him the knotted rope she used to tie her hair, which allowed him to persevere..."
"The knotted rope embodies the flow, twisting, entanglement, restoration, and connection of time; that is the creation of spirit, that is time itself..."
Natsuki's soliloquy was interrupted here, and Yuzu's emotions suddenly became agitated: "Yes, yes, yes! After Taki drank some chewed sake, he seemed to be using it as a means to express himself as he watched Mitsuha's memories. Only then did he understand everything, whether it was their encounter three years ago or his feelings for Mitsuha..."
Natsuki wasn't angry at Yuuki's interruption. In fact, she was already recalling the scene she had watched in the movie theater—the images on the screen were breathtakingly beautiful, and the oppressive background music and Taki's calls made her forget to breathe.
Although several hours had passed since the movie ended, Taki's almost hysterical voice still echoed in Natsuki's ears.
"Mitsuha, you can't stay there!"
"Mitsuba, you have to leave that town before the comet hits!"
"Mitsuba, run! Mitsuba... Mitsuba... Mitsuba!"
Xia Shu silently closed her eyes. The girl on the other end of the phone seemed to be thinking about something—maybe it was a memory? She shut her mouth. Time passed by, and neither of them wanted to break the silence.
However, things couldn't go on like this forever. Seemingly having reminisced enough, Yuuki let out a satisfied sigh and spoke again: "Natsuki, honestly, if it weren't for the fact that 'Your Name' moved me to the point where I didn't know how to describe it, I would have given the film a huge thumbs down! It was just too heartbreaking. From the end of the first volume of the light novel, the subsequent plot was just too cruel..."
"Taki searches for Mitsuha but learns that Itomori Town was destroyed three years ago... Three years ago, Mitsuha went to find Taki, and the two met but did not recognize each other... Finally, they met at dusk, and although they promised to write each other's names, they still forgot each other... Ugh! So frustrating, that heart-wrenching frustration!"
The traveler's complaints brought a smile to Xia Shu's face as she looked out the window at the night sky—a scene strikingly similar to that in the movie: "That's why the final scene of the film is the most touching."
...
Mitsuha travels alone to a distant city to find Taki.
(Will my sudden visit to him cause him trouble?)
(Would he be surprised?)
(Will Taki hate me?)
The number you dialed is not in service area...
(You'll never see them again, will you?)
(What should I do if I actually see him?)
(Will it bother him? Will he feel awkward?)
(But is it possible... he'd be happy to see me...?)
The number you dialed is not in service area...
(I guess I won't see him again...)
(However, one thing I'm sure of is that if we were to meet, we would recognize each other at first glance!)
(You'll find out that the person who swapped bodies with me is you!)
(You'll find out that the person who swapped bodies with you is me!)
As the tram slowed down, Mitsuha glanced ahead absentmindedly and spotted a figure she recognized instantly.
Standing in front of someone, Mitsuha lowered her head to tidy her hair, which was slightly messy from running. When she felt "ready," she looked up at the person—Taki Tachibana, who was looking down at his notebook.
As she turned the page of the notebook, another page appeared, and Mitsuha opened her mouth in surprise—Taki hadn't even noticed her presence.
(Taki...) (Damn it)
(Taki...)
"Taki..."
"Hey?"
With an awkward smile, Mitsuha pointed to herself.
"That's me...don't you remember me...?"
"who are you?"
The other person's answer made Mitsuha feel wronged, and she turned her head away and looked up.
"sorry..."
(He's clearly Taki...)
(A strange girl...)
When the tram arrived at the station, Mitsuha followed the crowd out.
"Um! What's your name?"
"Three leaves!"
Untie the knotted rope from your head and throw it to the other person.
"My name is Mitsuha!"
And so, Mitsuha, who had swapped bodies with Taki three years in the future and met him, saw Taki who did not yet recognize her and handed him the knotted rope that connected the two of them.
Chapter 0268 At dusk, one can see non-human things!
Natsuki vividly remembers that when she watched this scene, someone in the back row even got so excited that they swore. As the saying goes, the deeper the love, the deeper the hate. It was precisely because everyone wanted Taki and Mitsuha to meet that they hated the "heart-wrenching plot" of the animated film "Your Name" so much.
Natsuki felt the same way, or even... more heartbroken!
It took Mitsuha so much courage to finally decide to search for Taki...
Each inner monologue clearly reveals Mitsuha's "worry," "fear," and... a tiny, hidden expectation deep within her heart...
(Would he be happy to see me?)
Mitsuha, who had such high expectations, was met with a stranger's question, "Who are you?"—At that moment, Natsuki almost swore along with the others!
(Even if you don't know her now, you still have to take a good look at her! Do you know how much she's sacrificed for you! She knew you were going on a date with your senior, and she silently cried in front of the mirror! You bastard! You bastard! You bastard! Okay, take a good look at her...)
Deep inside, a little voice seemed to be screaming hysterically, tightening its grip on Natsuki's heart step by step, making it hard for her to breathe...
Looking back now, I realize I was indeed a bit too emotional, but Natsuki still feels it was the right thing to do—she's a girl, and that's why she could truly feel the pain Mitsuha felt when she turned away and said "I'm sorry"...
"Natsuki?" The long silence caught Yuuko's attention. She softly called Natsuki's name into the phone, and the latter's dazed eyes gradually regained their light: "Sorry, I was just recalling the scene of our meeting on the train... Now that I think about it, if someone said to me, 'Who are you?', I probably wouldn't be able to control myself and slap them, right?"