The world began as a single bubble formed deep in the water.
A bubble?
Yes.
Think of the direction toward the deep is the past,
and the direction of the surface as the future.
As it rises, the bubble grows larger,
and before long, it splits.
We're in one of those split-off bubbles.
And the other bubbles we aren't in
are alternate worlds, which we call "parallel worlds."
Parallel worlds?
Worlds where you made different choices.
Although, the closer the parallel world, the less diverged it is from ours.
The only difference might be whether you had toast or rice for breakfast.
So, sometimes you can be Parallel Shifting without knowing it.
Parallel Shifting?
That's where you move into a parallel world.
You can go to one?
Your imaginality— Er, only your consciousness, that is.
You know how things you've lost sometimes turn up where you swear you already looked?
The Bunny in the Moon
It's thought that a large number of instances
of forgetfulness and misremembering are due
to Parallel Shifts you don't realize occurred.
The study of parallel worlds
is the subject of our research. Imaginary science.
Imaginary Science Research Institute
So, are there lots of parallel worlds?
That's right.
New ones for every choice we make.
We'd better get going.
Your mom must be hungry—
Remind Me
Message
Decline
Mayumi
Mobile
See?
Mic
Talkie
Audio Call
Video Call
Camera
Gallery
Yeah, sorry. We're just about to leave.
We could meet you at—
What?
I see. All right.
Yeah. Talk to you later.
She said that Yuno died.
What?
She darted into the street during her walk,
and was hit by a car.
The first time I made a big decision was when I was seven years old.
You
Me
To One Me Who Loved You
Love
Okay. Here we go.
Come on, now. Smile.
Entrance Ceremony
Hey, be careful—
Let's race!
Sorry.
Wait for me!
Grandpa got Yuno when I was born.
Koyomi.
Grandpa.
Oh, you came. Thank you.
Yuno, Koyomi came to visit.
I'm so sorry, Yuno.
Sorry I couldn't save you.
I-I'm sorry...
Imaginary Science Research Institute
The Elementary Schooler's Encyclopedia
Huh?
What's wrong?
Are you crying?
I'm not crying!
Yes, you are.
I said I'm not!
No, you're definitely crying.
Shut up.
I miss Yuno.
Who's Yuno?
My grandpa's dog.
You can't see her again?
No... 'cause she's dead now.
Yuno's dead now, so I'll never get to see her again!
Hey, come with me.
Hey! Where are we going?
Shh!
Or my mom will spot us!
What?
Your mom works here, too?
Yeah. Why else would I be here?
Huh...
Whoa!
What is this thing?
An IP Capsule.
If you get in it, you can go to parallel worlds.
What? Parallel worlds?
Worlds where you made different choices.
They differ bit by bit, like whether your rice ball was plum or tuna mayo.
You might be able to go to a world where Yuno's alive.
Okay, I'm closing it now.
H-Hold on!
What do I do once I'm inside?
Wish.
Think, "I want to see Yuno."
Wish?
My mom says it's important to believe.
She says only people who keep believing can change the world.
Uh... Hey!
There.
Does she really know how to use that?
Guess I'll give it a shot.
I want to see Yuno.
I want to see Yuno!
Yuno! Yuno! Yuno!
This is...
Yuno?
Yuno!
It's really you!
Cut it out. Hey.
Hey! Yuno!
Where are you going?
Yuno! Slow down!
I'm home... That's still what I should say, right...
Oh, sorry.
Welcome back.
I put your outfit in your room, so go get changed.
It'll be starting soon.
What will?
Shoudai-kun, was it?
Oh, yes. It's been quite a while.
Koyomi...
Grandpa...
Well then, I'll see you tomorrow, Mayumi-chan.
Thank you very much.
Oh, little Koyomi-kun cried so much!
Yasuto-san was truly a good grandpa.
Yes.
Yuno...
Koyomi. Time for bed.
Tomorrow's a busy day, too.
Mom...
Can I sleep in your room with you?
Ow!
That hurt...
Huh?
This is...
Oh, you're up, Koyomi.
Grandpa!
You're alive?
My goodness, that's quite a thing to say.
So I'm back, then...
What's wrong?
Nothing. Where's Mom?
She already left for work.
Oh.
You know, it was nice to have you sleep in my room like old times.
Grandpa,
make sure to live a long time.
What's gotten into you?
Not to worry. I've still got plenty of life left in me!
Yeah, I bet you do. It's just...
I'll come visit again.
"Then please light a fire," said the bunny.
The man did as he was told, gathering dry wood and starting a fire.
Hey.
You made it back?
Thankfully, yeah. Somehow.
I'm sorry!
The truth is that I wanted to Parallel Shift.
Huh?
I want to go to a world where my mom and dad aren't divorced.
But I need someone to operate the IP Capsule, so I tried to get you to help me.
I gotcha. So you helped me with my wish first...
But I hadn't thought about the coming back part.
I'm sorry.
Don't sweat it. I did get to see Yuno.
You did?!
Oh... Yeah, I did.
You saw her...
I'm glad.
I didn't really get it, though.
Get what?
The difference between being alive and being dead.
Isn't that just whether something has life in it or not?
I mean, yeah, but like...
It's just, the Yuno I saw alive was so fluffy, and warm...
But Yuno's grave was cold and quiet.
And Grandpa... I'm sure he also...
Maybe that's what having life is.
What?
If they're alive, they're warm and you can play together,
but if they're dead, they're cold.
It means their world has ended, and...
Um...
Their possibilities are gone?
Yeah, possibilities!
Yuno's warmth is the warmth of possibilities!
Being alive on one hand, or dead on the other.
I think the difference in warmth between the two—that's life.
You know, you're really something.
No, I'm really not.
Okay, so now it's your turn.
Huh?
The possibility where your mom and dad don't divorce.
So...
How do you work all that?
Just push stuff.
What?!
Press whatever seems right to you.
Well, that still worked for my Parallel Shift, so...
We'll give that a shot, I guess.
Okay, I'm closing it.
Stop thinking about how much you want tuna mayo or whatever, and make your wish.
You must be hungry, making a face like that.
Very funny.
And just what might you two be up to?
Oh, uh, we...
Mom!
What?!
I didn't know your mom was the director.
Yeah...
She started lecturing us,
In other words, the world is a macro bubble, and we are micro bubbles inside it.
and it basically turned into a lecture on parallel worlds.
Parallel Shifting is the phenomenon of micro bubbles swapping places.
Yeah, when she gets going on something, she loses sight of everything else.
The IP Capsule, an Einzvach's Cradle...
Dude, you're the same way, y'know.
Like mother, like daughter, I guess.
I'm not just "dude."
Huh?
Call me by my name.
Oh.
Um...
Shiori.
Shiori Satou.
My name's Koyomi Hidaka.
Nice to meet you, Koyomi-kun.
Nice to meet you.
Fire Hydrant
I wanna help somebody.
Huh?
You know, helping people. Let's find someone who needs help.
All right, but...
why this again all of a sudden?
I mean, summer break starts tomorrow, doesn't it?
That's not really an answer.
Koyomi-kun, do you hate helping people?
No.
I mean, if someone needs it, then sure, I'll help them.
Right?
So we need to find somebody.
Okay, okay.
We didn't find anybody.
No...
But hey, the fact no one needs help is a good thing, right?
That's true.
So why'd you bring up helping people, anyway?
I saw my dad.
For the first time since the divorce.
Uh-huh...
He said he loves me so much.
And said to be the kind of person
who can help others without expecting a return.
That's why you suggested it?
Yeah.
In that case, if I ever have a problem one day, help me out.
What's that look?
Is there a problem if it's me?
I mean, if it's you,
then I can't say, "My name's not important. I'm nobody special," can I?
Excuse me?
That's how helping without expecting a reward has to go, right?
You help someone you don't know, they ask your name, and then you respond,
"My name's not important. I'm nobody special."
That can't work if it's you.
Y'know, you're surprisingly dumb sometimes.
What?! How so?
Hey, dumb how?
The view is supposed to be pretty here at night.
Is it?
You can even see the factories back there.
I guess it's a little far, though.
Let's see for ourselves, then.
Huh?
Let's come here at night sometime before summer break ends.
Why not now?
Because I'm starving right now.
Good point.
Trying to help people every day like this really tires you out...
Huh?
What?
Crap. Seriously?!
Koyomi, I have something very important to discuss. Come to the Research Institute at 11. -Dad
Imaginary science starts with hypothesizing the existence
of a conceptual space called imaginary space.
Imaginary Science Research Institute
The world is produced by an overlapping of physical space and imaginary space.
That's the foundational idea of imaginary science.
In contrast to physical space, which is composed of elementary particles,
imaginary space is composed of imaginary elements,
You're here, too?
My mom told me to be here.
and differences in their changes give rise to parallel worlds.
Imaginary elements themselves have yet to be observed,
Sorry.
It's fine.
but evidence of them has been observed,
in the form of patterns traced by elementary particles.
We call that pattern
pattern
an Imaginary Elements Print.
"IP" for short.
Currently, Deputy Director Hidaka
is at the center of the effort to represent IPs numerically.
In equational terms,
Number of values of P
elementary particles
pattern
we get this, and further...
This would identify parallel worlds
by expressing the difference between IPs numerically.
Call the world we're in now 0.
The greater the number, the further away the parallel world.
That's the idea.
I kinda like it.
Question.
If you can identify worlds,
can you Parallel Shift to a particular world you want to go to?
That is a future possibility.
Right now, research is still working on intentionally causing a Parallel Shift.
But the ultimate goal of the IP Capsule is Parallel Shifting to specified worlds.
Like Optional Shifting.
Furthermore, changes in imaginary elements produce time.
Time doesn't give rise to change,
change itself is time.
Uh, so basically...
Question.
This isn't really boring, so I don't mind,
but did you call us here just for a lecture on imaginary science?
elementary particles
pattern
Oh, right.
Is this the important thing you wanted to discuss?
elementary particles
pattern
The truth is, Satou— Er, Director Satou and I...
Um...
We're thinking of getting married.
Whoa!
What?!
I had no idea.
Yeah.
Did you know?
No. I had no clue.
I do know they went to college together, though.
That does ring a bell.
The idea of having your dad be my dad...
That part doesn't bother me, but...
The Director being my mom doesn't bug me, either, but...
Still...
You know what?
I just...
sorta felt that one day...
I would marry you, Koyomi-kun.
But...
if we're going to be siblings,
marriage is out of the question.
Shiori.
Let's run away.
Where shall we go?
It doesn't matter to me.
Anywhere is fine, as long as I'm with you.
And for how long?
A week?
A month?
A year?
A decade?
In that case, I wanna get a house.
And fill it with our favorite furniture.
Beds Bedding
Adjustable Beds
We need a yard, too.
So we can have a dog.
A great big fluffy one.
And then one day, we'll be adults.
And then one day, we'll get married.
But until that day comes,
where can we go?
This isn't gonna work, is it?
No...
I can't wait to be an adult.
Where'd that come from?
Well, then we wouldn't get in trouble for staying out after dark.
We wouldn't be doing stuff like this if we were adults.
It's just like you said, Koyomi-kun.
It's really pretty.
There's a dream I had.
A dream?
A dream where my future self visits me.
And you know what?
My future self said that even in adulthood, and even as an old lady,
I'd be with you.
Oh.
She said when you're an old man, you'll go senile and forget me.
Then after that, I help you,
and I say, "My name doesn't matter. I'm nobody special."
You'll definitely go senile before me.
Then, will you help me when that happens?
I will.
You mean it?
I promise. If you're in trouble, I'll help you no matter what.
If only things could work out that way.
They will.
In that dream you had, I bet that was some parallel you Shifting over to—
Ah.
Then she wouldn't be an old lady, huh?
That's it.
Huh? What is?
Where we can go.
What do you mean?
A parallel world!
There must be a world out there where our parents haven't divorced!
Right.
In that world, my dad and the Director also won't marry each other!
And we won't become siblings!
Let's go, Shiori!
Yeah.
Once we're in the parallel world, where should we meet up?
How about... that spot with the view?
Got it.
Wh-What is it?
I-It's small, so we have to be this close!
Yeah.
But I thought you'd get in facing the other way.
I'll turn around!
It's fine.
Huh?
Don't.
Stay like this.
Okay.
Now we make our wishes, right?
Yeah.
When we were little, I Shifted by wishing to see Yuno.
So I just need to be thinking, "I want to marry Koyomi-kun"?
That's right.
And I'll be thinking, "I want to marry Shiori."
Koyomi-kun,
take me as your bride in this parallel world.
I will.
Let's get married in the parallel world.
How long are you gonna keep up the act?
We know you did it!
I keep telling you, it wasn't me. How many times to I have to say it?
Your fingerprints were found at the scene.
How do you explain that?
I don't know what to tell you. All I know is I wasn't there!
Mom?!
Shiori.
Why?
How come you're here, Mom?
Huh? Is that...
not allowed?
I mean—
A person's allowed to be in their own house, right?
"Their own"...
What is it?
You two aren't divorced, right?
What?
Dad...
Mom...
What's wrong?
Dad! Mom!
Hold on! Why the weird questions? Where are you going?
Sorry, I'm in a hurry.
It worked!
I have to go meet up with Shiori!
I have to go see her!
Koyomi-kun.
What gives? I'm back.
Everything was going so well.
Hey, wake up, Shiori.
The precision of the IP observations isn't great.
Yeah, and without detailed data, we can't obtain a numerical representation...
Shall we seek a consult?
With that person from our college?
What was it again? Kawa... Waka...
Wakakida?
What is it?
I just...
Hello!
Is anybody there?
Help, please!
Koyomi?
Shiori?
Dad!
She needs help!
Hey, what are you doing in here?
Shiori's not...
Shiori's not breathing!
How is she?
Is Shiori okay?
Her heart is beating.
More accurately, it's being kept beating artificially, but...
She isn't waking up.
She's in a state of brain death.
I'm sorry for not realizing how you two felt about each other.
But you two were mistaken about something.
Even if two parents get married, their kids can still marry each other.
There was never any reason
for you to have to run away.
Koyomi-kun...
Shiori?
I'm sorry.
I wound up as a ghost.
Conference Room
In Use
"Imaginary Element Fission Syndrome."
That's the name I've given to Shiori's condition for now.
At a glance, her state is no different from brain death.
However, they failed to find any damage whatsoever to Shiori's brain.
It has simply suspended functioning.
I suspect that's has to do with Parallel Shifting.
Continue.
Expanding on what Koyomi heard from the Shiori at the intersection...
Shiori faced a traffic accident in the parallel world
and Shifted in an effort to return here.
However, directly after this, Parallel Shiori's body died instantly.
Having no body to return to, Parallel Shiori's imaginality perished.
Because of that, Shiori's imaginality lost sight of its body,
Parallel World
World 0
accident
ghost
instant death
and it became the ghost at that intersection.
Parallel Shiori
I see.
Parallel World World 0
accident -> ghost
instant death <- Parallel Shiori
So the physical body's death overlapped with the timing of the Shift.
This is all because we used the IP Capsule on our own...
It was an unlucky accident.
To begin with, you can't Parallel Shift with that IP Capsule.
accident -> ghos
instant death <- Paralle
Parallel World World 0
What?
instant death <- Parallel
accident -> ghost
instant death <- Parallel Sh
instant death <- Parallel Shio
instant death <- Parallel Shiori
It's unfinished.
But—
You want to bring up that you used it to Parallel Shift once before, right?
That was most likely attributable to you.
You might possess a special trait that makes it easy to cause a Parallel Shift.
It was... me?
I see. Imaginality is constantly wobbling.
If we suppose that a Parallel Shift occurs when the amplitude exceeds a fixed value,
then the greater the original amplitude, the more easily a Shift can occur.
What if we managed to control the amplitude?
Then even an Optional Shift might be possible.
Is there a possibility Shiori-kun possessed the same trait?
The reason only Koyomi can see Shiori-kun may well lie with th—
Can we help her?
Is there a way to save Shiori?
If we could observe Koyomi's imaginary elements, control them,
and tether them to their original physical matter, her body,
then she might survive.
But imaginary elements exist in theory and haven't even been observed.
Then please, use me as a guinea pig!
If you study me and figure out how I Shift so easily, you might learn something!
Koyomi-kun...
It's my fault that Shiori ended up this way.
Because I was stupid and didn't know anything...
That's why she...
As I said earlier, this was an accident.
It's not anyone's—
I don't care what happens to me. Just save Shiori!
Calm down.
How could anyone stay calm right now?!
How can you two be so unemotional?
You should get mad and blame me!
You should hit me and curse at me!
Does what happened to your own daughter not affect you at all?!
Koyomi.
It's all right, Hidaka-kun.
It seems I'm always thinking with my head...
I'm a failure as a parent.
As am I.
I'm sorry.
But I mean it when I say I want to do something for Shiori.
Let me be involved, too!
Please!
I can't.
If something happened to you, too...
Please allow it, Satou.
Hidaka-kun...
Dad...
To make up for our parental failures,
can't we at least take his feelings into account this time?
You're right.
But you have to prioritize your schoolwork first.
I can't allow you to neglect your own life.
I attended school during the day,
Statistical Mechanics I [3rd Ed.] Statistical Mechanics II [3rd Ed.] Physical Science Vol. 1 [6th Ed.] Quantum Mechanics
then studied imaginary science at the Institute at night.
I devoted myself to learning everything I could so as not to repeat my mistake.
Entrance Ceremony
As a result, I scored highest on the test
to attend a prominent feeder school in the prefecture.
First Semester Exams
Subject Japanese Math English Social Studies Science
Top Ranked Students
1st Years
2nd Years
3rd Years
First Semester Exams
Subject Japanese Math English Social Studies Science
Even during all that, I went to see Shiori practically every day.
Parallel Shifting experiments were conducted late at night.
It was a measure taken to avoid accidents like Shiori's.
We conducted dozens of trials,
but to this day they haven't led to the observation of imaginary elements.
There is one thing I learned, though.
In each parallel world, Shiori was a ghost.
There was no world where Shiori survived.
Oh, Koyomi-kun.
Shiori,
I'm here from a parallel world.
You are? Oh, okay.
Between the me in front of you now and the me of this world,
is anything different?
I dunno.
You look the same.
I see.
A pigeon comes by here.
A pigeon?
Yeah.
By the bronze statue over there.
It's always alone, and it stays there the entire time it's light out.
Huh.
I wonder if it's waiting for someone.
Koyomi-kun, the last train's coming soon.
I'm gonna work a little longer.
You are?
Then I'll leave locking up to you.
Take it easy.
Have a good night.
It's so cold!
Even with a warm winter, it's freezing at night.
Isn't Koyomi-kun overworking himself?
He didn't go home yesterday, either.
It's a good thing for youngsters to work hard.
For the country and for our retirement years.
Our retirement years aside,
shall we have the Director talk to him before he damages his health?
The Director went to Fukuoka two days ago.
Besides...
When you think about how he feels...
That's not it.
The range will expand to infinity again.
The range of worlds where the same thing always happens.
Event... gravity...
Where am I?
Are you awake?
Koyomi.
Dad.
You're still here.
All-nighter?
Come with me.
Where?
The Director contacted me.
Shiori's body stopped her heart.
Koyomi-kun.
Sorry I couldn't come by for a while.
No, it's oka—
Did something sad happen?
Huh? No, uh...
I see.
There's somebody you'll never be able to see again, right?
Koyomi-kun?
It's okay. It'll be okay.
You have me.
I'll always be at your side.
Okay?
Shiori...
Why, Shiori?
Why...
Oh! Remember that pigeon?
What? Until noon?
Yeah. I only meant to take a nap, though.
What are we going to do with you, Koyomi-kun?
It tasted perfectly sweet, and the place was just darling.
I don't wanna hear that from you.
So I think we should go together next time...
What? You're so goofy.
C'mon! What're you looking at?
I see the Director came by,
even though she was invited to a conference in Munich.
Did she say anything?
An assistant?
She was recommended by an important professor Satou had while studying abroad.
The one in Munich?
Satou said she interviewed her while at the conference.
She's apparently exceptional and has a PhD.
Cool.
But I don't need an assistant.
I hear your research isn't making very good progress.
I'm sure she'll be helpful.
Even just having someone to talk to makes a big difference.
No, it won't.
Besides, isn't she older?
I'd have to mind my manners—
We're the same grade level.
That said, I was born in March, so my birth year is later than yours.
You heard her.
My name is Kazune Takigawa.
I look forward to working with you, Mr. Hidaka.
It’s easier for me to work alone!
I can't concentrate with people around.
Mentoring is part of heading a lab.
Mentor a PhD?
As a high school graduate?
She requested it.
Director...
Perhaps she's interested in the young genius scientist
who proposed the inevitable event radius?
Don't do that.
I won't force you.
But you can't get by in life if you're always rejecting others.
As a parent,
I'm worried about my son.
Mom...
You fight dirty.
Leave work at the proper time today
and take her to dinner or something to celebrate joining the Institute.
What a pain...
Koyomi, take a shower before the dinner.
Huh? It's that bad?
And shave and change your clothes.
And don't wear the usual worn-out one.
Closed To Vehicle Traffic
Are you sure this is where you want to go?
Yes.
Karaoke
Um, would you like to order food?
No.
Would you like to sing a song?
No.
I see...
Wait, then why a karaoke place?
I thought this would be a good place to talk.
Talk?
But first,
could we ditch the formality?
What?
I mean, we're the same grade level.
Actually,
we went to the same school.
We did?
I knew it. You don't remember.
You could really use some tact.
Um...
You gave the entrance ceremony speech, didn't you?
We were classmates in high school.
Not that you had any idea.
I tended to be absent a lot in high school.
And yet you were always ranked first. I never managed to take that spot.
First Semester Exams
Hidaka Koyomi
Takigawa Kazune
I was planning to show you up in college,
but then you joined a research institute for imaginary science,
headed by a lead figure in the field, Dr. Satou.
Not the sort of job a high school grad can get, no matter how outstanding.
I was disappointed in you,
convinced you used parental connections.
I—
But I was wrong.
A few years later, you proposed the inevitable event radius,
putting yourself at the forefront of imaginary science.
The Inevitable Event Radius
(Imaginary Science Research Institute)
News
Latest Technology
Research Studies
Opinion
Data Science
You were the real deal.
No, that was a just by-product of Parallel Shifting experiments—
You piss me off.
I studied abroad, obtained a PhD at top speed,
and got in via interview with Dr. Satou.
From now on, we're fighting in the same ring.
Be ready.
Right...
Okay, fine. Now that that's off my chest...
Hey. Sing something.
Huh?
Hey, are you okay?
Don't worry. No problem.
I'm totally fine.
Oh!
Wait. Hey!
Hurry, hurry!
Tie goes to the runner.
We're definitely out.
And next, over there!
I'll come by later.
Okay.
What?
You see it, too?
The ghost of the intersection.
You've never heard of it before?
It's just some urban legend, but y'know, sometimes I see it.
What do you mean? What do you see?
An indistinct thing shaped like a person, that's all.
Only sometimes.
Come on!
Huh?
Hold on a sec.
What's gotten into you? Hey!
Imaginary Element Fission Syndrome.
I see.
I joined the Research Institute to save Shiori.
Securing an IP...
Let's consider the IP Lock, which the Deputy Director is researching.
It's meant to stabilize imaginality and control Parallel Shifts,
but if adapted, it might be able to salvage her imaginality.
If we assimilated that with her body—
Shiori's body is already gone.
It held up for a few years, but that was it.
So, what's your plan?
Huh?
Since you're still at the Institute, you must have an idea, right?
I see.
You certainly are outstanding.
This is what I mean about tact—
I'm researching Time Shifts.
What?
I'll send Shiori's imaginality
into a world outside the event radius of her accident.
I'll Time Shift her to the point at which that world splits from ours.
But Time Shifts are considered theoretically impossible.
Exactly.
So I can't get a budget for it.
Misappropriation of research funds...
That's why you insisted on working alone.
I want to help Shiori, no matter what it takes!
Even now, she's at that intersection.
Unseen, unnoticed,
stuck there, always.
That accident took away Shiori's possibilities.
So, I'm gonna make it so the cause of her accident never existed!
I told you this because you can see Shiori.
Can you keep quiet about it for me?
You mean turn a blind eye?
Please.
I won't let this go.
But I'm to be a joint researcher on this.
A contest to see who achieves Time Shifting first: you or me.
Those are my conditions.
Got it.
Welcome aboard, Takigawa-san.
Glad to be on the team, Hidaka-kun.
"Hidaka-kun," huh?
That's what the Director calls my dad. "Koyomi" is fine.
It's what everyone else uses.
Then you can use my first name, too.
To our partnership, Koyomi.
Are you awake?
Koyomi.
Is something wrong?
It's nothing.
To being partners, Kazune.
Just you wait!
I swear I'll save you!
I swear it...
You've done enough for me, Koyomi-kun.
A whole lot of time has passed now, hasn't it?
You're a fully grown adult now.
Shiori?
I'm fine now.
Only for me...
For you to be living your life solely for me...
That isn't what I want.
What are you saying?
I promised, remember?
I'd help you no matter what.
Yeah, but—
Please!
I beg you, please don't say stuff like that.
I want to keep living solely for you, Shiori.
So please, don't tell me I've done enough.
Please, don't leave me all alone.
Please check your total and select a payment method.
Thank you for your visit.
National Research & Development Agency Imaginary Science Research Institute
Thanks for your hard work.
And thank you for yours.
Entry Management
Event Log Security Level Door Status
Detailed Info
User ID: 1027586 User Name: Kazune Takigawa Security Event: Entry Affiliation: 3rd Lab
Event Log
Date
Time
Door
Affiliation
Event
Kazune Takigawa, Deputy Head of Lab 3, correct?
One moment.
Oh, are you new here?
Yes. I was assigned here in October.
Everything checks out.
Go ahead, ma'am.
Thanks.
You always come here when you hit a wall.
Do I?
More importantly,
you haven't forgotten that this place is now government-affiliated, have you?
By becoming an administrative agency, there's no more risk of going under.
Though it's made convenience store trips a big hassle.
I guess we can't expect everything to be the same after a decade.
A decade...
So much has happened in that time.
Like straightening up the lab,
more straightening up,
and more straightening up.
Oh, come on. Is that all that comes to mind?
Direct observation of imaginary elements.
Optional Shifting achieved practical realization,
and imaginary science advanced dramatically.
Even the mystery with you and Shiori was explained.
Multiple imaginalities with coherence regions in their IPs
can perceive each other in imaginary space
If the degree of coherence is extremely high, communication becomes possible.
"The Correlation Between IP Coherence Regions and Perception in Imaginary Space."
Thanks to that our budget was raised. Good work, Doctor.
You could stand to be a little more grateful, y'know.
I am.
Really?
I am. Really.
Though, I haven't figured out Time Shifting yet.
I guess I'll go ahead and make it my life's work.
Your joke stunk.
That was cold!
Come on. You're a candidate for the next Director of the Institute.
Here.
What's this?
I've never seen it before.
You don't know it?
I had it recently and it was great.
Hey! What are you doing?
I went to the trouble of bringing a glass, even.
It doesn't make a difference.
It definitely does.
The bubbles... are sinking?!
Neat, right?
The viscosity of the beer exceeds buoyancy of the convecting bubbles
and they flow down along the glass.
It's called a Guinness Cascade.
The viscosity of the beer... Bubbles...
Viscosity...
The concept of imaginary viscosity...
Koyomi?
Buoyancy and imaginary density...
Overwriting of IPs and stabilization...
The world began as a single bubble formed deep in the water.
That's it.
The world is a macro bubble floating in the imaginary sea
and we are micro bubbles inside it.
Think from the standpoint of this fundamental concept.
First, extend the IP Capsule's functionality and compress the target imaginary mass.
Next, extend the functionality of IP Lock and secure the target imaginality.
If you create a vortex by overwriting the IP of the surrounding imaginary space
to generate a downdraft...
The now-smaller imaginality's buoyancy falls below the imaginary viscosity,
and it begins to sink into the imaginary sea.
After sinking to the split point,
it will fuse with the pre-split imaginality due to high coherence,
then regain its buoyancy.
Time Shifting is possible!
Shiori can be saved!
Yes.
Yes!
Congratulations.
You've pulled ahead of me again.
What're you talking about?
We discovered this together.
You really are amazing.
Kazune?
That's said, it's still an untested theory.
The contest isn't over.
Here's to Koyomi Hidaka!
Okay, I get it. I get it.
There's one thing still bugging me, though.
Was there a mistake somewhere?
Not about the theory. About the Shifted imaginality.
Once it fuses with the original imaginality,
there should be virtually no traces left, right?
If that's the case, then the Shifted imaginality...
Most likely won't retain its memories or personality.
Are you okay with that?
If it means Shiori will live in a world where she can find happiness.
And what is that world like?
It's...
a world where Shiori and I will absolutely never meet.
Koyomi, where'd you get that?
Dad bought it for me last time I saw him.
It's my present for my eighth birthday!
Yuno.
Bang.
You're too young to have this.
It says it's for ages 10 and up.
Yeah...
But the other kids have them, too.
You don't need to copy bad stuff from the other kids.
Grandpa!
Koyomi, is something wrong?
I'm never talking to Grandpa again!
Mom.
Yes, dear?
Can I take Yuno for her walk?
Go ahead.
But come back early so you can get ready for the wake.
Yuno?
Geez...
You can't just take off.
Hey! Yuno!
Stop, Yuno!
Wait! W—
Hey. Can you open this?
Open this lid.
Thanks.
Hey, wait a second!
Imaginary Science Research Institute
Imaginary Science...
This is where Dad works.
U-Um! Um, excuse me, ma'am?
I was really surprised to get a call from you all of a sudden.
You could have just called your dad since you were at the Institute.
I don't have Dad's cell phone number, though.
But you have mine?
I don't have it. I know it. I call it all the time.
What are you talking about? You're a goofball.
I'm home. Koyomi's visiting.
Visiting?
Hey there, Koyomi.
Is Mom in the kitchen?
She is.
It's been a while. Tell me, how've you been?
I'm in a different world.
If I'd known, I could've made something special!
Not that you ever need to call us first. This is your home, too, Koyomi.
This is a world where I chose to go with my dad.
And it's a world where Grandpa's still alive.
Right?
Right.
That's right. Come by any time.
Now then, I think I'll go give Yuno her supper.
Yuno, Koyomi came to see us today.
Grandpa.
Ah, Koyomi.
What is it?
Can I sleep in your room with you tonight?
Yes, of course you can.
So Yuno's gone.
Yeah.
There's no way we could make it so she's alive again?
Unfortunately, that's not possible. The dead can't come back to life.
Grandpa, I'm sorry.
I never got to say sorry after our fight.
Our fight?
Did we have a fight the last time you came over?
Did your old Grandpa scold you for something?
Even when that happens, it doesn't mean Grandpa doesn't love you.
Don't worry.
I love you, too, Grandpa.
Good morning.
Mom?
What is it?
Where's Grandpa?
The funeral people made him look really nice,
and now he's resting in the main hall.
Is something wrong?
Mom, yesterday I...
There's no reason to feel embarrassed.
This is a tough time.
It's perfectly normal to want some company.
Okay.
Now, let's get ready.
We've gotta give Grandpa a proper sendoff.
I brought fresh water.
Thanks.
Put it down there.
Now, take a look in the top section of that tall cabinet.
Okay.
Be careful, honey.
Yes, Grandma.
Mom, look.
Oh my. I'm amazed he saved this.
What do we do with it?
Well, it's not like we need to completely empty this room out,
so let's put it back and hold onto it.
Happy 10th birthday, Koyomi. Don't point this at people or animals. -Grandpa
Let's do that.
Koyomi.
What're you ignoring me for, Koyomi?
Huh? Uh, um... Takigawa-san?
First-Years First Semester Mid-term Exam Answer Sheet Math I
An unexpected error occurred. Program halted. Error Code (S0108)
Imaginary Science Research Institute
Hidaka
Can we do it tomorrow?
Right...
Tomorrow marks exactly one month of life left.
A world where you absolutely never meet her.
Hard to imagine you would wait until your death is on the horizon to ensure that.
Well, if I died before the Time Shift, it would all be for nothing.
It's the perfect time to do it.
Perfect, is it?
The lab will be empty all day.
The only thing happening will be what we're doing.
July 16th
Oita
Overcast then sunny
July
For two old retirees' unofficial experiment.
July 16th
July 17th
July 18th
Even with "former" added, the titles Director and Deputy Director have their use, eh?
So... I'm going to be a killer.
It's...
a world where Shiori and I will absolutely never meet.
What?
The event radius for Shiori's accident is inside the event radius for us meeting.
In other words, in a world outside that radius, the accident won't occur.
How do you intend to salvage her imaginality?
I don't need to.
Huh?
How can that be?
The correlation between IP coherence regions and perception in imaginary space.
Although the coherence is low,
it's true that your and Shiori's IPs have coherence regions.
However, the relationship Shiori and I share is not coherence.
It's imaginary entanglement.
During my repeated Parallel Shifting experiments,
No matter what parallel world I Shifted to, I encountered a ghost Shiori.
Just one of those times, I spoke to that Shiori.
However, the Shiori in our world remembered what we discussed.
Shiori had been Shifting along with me.
Oh! Remember that pigeon?
Our imaginalities probably became entangled when we Shifted together at age 14.
And so, if you Shift, Shiori will Shift, too.
Exactly.
I'll take Shiori there.
I see. I believe your theory is correct.
Still, Shiori is one thing, but you have a body.
What happens to your body in this world?
The same thing that happened back then, I imagine.
Imaginary Element Fission Syndrome.
Are you serious?
Did I need more tact?
That was your plan all along, wasn't it?
For the cause to have "never existed."
So what?
Haven't you thought of the people around you?!
What it would to do the Deputy Director or the Director?!
It doesn't matter, as long as I can restore Shiori's possibilities.
What meaning is there in a world where you both lose your memories and never meet?!
It doesn't need meaning!
I can't forgive myself for Shiori's misfortune!
I can't forgive this world where Shiori can't find happiness!
You've gone mad.
Probably.
If you want out, you can bail.
I'll do the rest myself.
I'm sorry.
I shouldn't have gotten you invol—
My tea's cold.
Get your house guest a fresh cup.
Oh. Sure. One moment.
Don't apologize now.
I'm doing this of my own volition.
I'm curious to see it.
Whether the bubble will really sink, I mean.
I see.
Not to mention...
To love someone so much it drives you mad...
I'm envious.
I'm sorry you had to wait so long.
What do you mean?
We met as kids and you suffered your accident...
It's been six decades since then.
It's truly been a long time.
Koyomi-kun?
Shiori,
this is farewell.
Today I'm going to take you to a world where you and I absolutely never meet.
You'll lead a new, happy life there.
You mean we'll never get to see each other again?
That's right.
Not ever?
Absolutely never.
We mustn't see each other.
That's... too much...
Please understand, Shiori.
The event of you experiencing Imaginary Element Fission Syndrome
is within the event radius of us meeting.
So, we—
I don't get it!
I don't understand any of this!
It has to be that way in order to save you.
No.
It'll be okay.
If you just don't meet me, you won't have to be stuck in this spot.
I hate this. I can't stand the idea of never getting to see you...
Shiori.
I hate it, too...
I wish I could be with you...
Fine.
I'll make you a promise.
A promise?
In the world where we'll lead new lives,
one month from now, on August 17th,
I'll come for you at this intersection, Shiori.
August 17th...
That's right.
We'll be going back to when we were 7,
so it'll be... 66 years from then.
July
July 17th
I'll come for you at this same time. 10 AM.
Will you really?
Yes. I promise you.
66 years...
It's so far off.
It is.
But that's the same amount of time we've gone through together.
We're just going to do it over again.
Can you remember my promise for that long?
Yeah.
I won't forget. I swear.
Well, then...
I have to go now.
Okay.
See you again, Shiori.
Yeah. See you again.
Koyomi-kun!
I'm glad I met you!
I love you.
A promise, huh?
In other words, I thought we could let that hope remain.
Indeed.
Is there anything you want to say?
Like my final words?
Hmm...
Let's see...
How beautiful.
Is it an aquamarine?
Oh.
Isn't it nice?
I got a matching ring.
It suits you.
Well, I'll close the Capsule now.
Thank you.
Thank you, Kazune.
Farewell, Koyomi.
May you find happiness.
So, I'm still alive.
Huh?
Schedule notes.
There is one entry on today's page.
10 AM. August 17th. Showa-dori Intersection.
An entry you don't recall?
Yeah.
I have absolutely no memory of it, but it was entered into my IP device.
I see. How strange.
Why not go?
Aren't you curious?
If you go there, you might remember something.
That's true. And it's in the neighborhood.
I'll be back in a bit.
Yes, dear. Be careful.
Hold on.
Your hat. I'll go get it.
Oh, that one's fine.
This one?
What is this place?
A promise...
That's right... There's someone who...
Shiori.
Koyomi... kun?
Sorry to keep you waiting.
You came for me?
Yeah. I'm here.
Let's get married.
Excuse me, ma'am. If possible, might I ask your name?
My name's not important. I'm nobody special.