"If I can't live in Tokyo… then let me dream in it forever."
A small, cramped town nestled among the mountains. A bus came only once every two hours. No cafes. No cinemas. No malls. Not even a dental clinic. But somehow, there were three izakayas.
Maybe such a place was peaceful and charming to the elderly. But for a high school girl like Miyamizu Mitsuha, it felt like being trapped in a snow globe—quiet, suffocating, and hopelessly boring.
"I swear, in the next life, please let me be a handsome guy in Tokyo!"
Her voice echoed dramatically as she stood on the mountain ridge with her best friends, Teshigawara Katsuhiko and Natori Sayaka. The sun dipped low behind them, casting the three in golden-orange light.
Sayaka and Teshigawara exchanged glances—then burst into laughter.
But Mitsuha wasn't joking. That night, as she tied her hair and donned the ceremonial miko robes of Miyamizu Shrine, the thought returned stronger than ever.
Even as she danced under the moonlit sky before the entire town—her movements elegant, shaped by years of training—her heart throbbed with embarrassment. Especially with her classmates watching below the stage, whispering and giggling. She wanted to disappear.
Or better—wake up somewhere else.
Thud!
"Oww…"
She clutched her head and sat up groggily, dazed.
Where did I fall from…?
Her eyes opened to an unfamiliar world.
A high ceiling adorned with an ornate chandelier. Pristine walls. Polished floors. A massive, snow-white bed beside her, fluffier than any futon she'd ever slept on. Her jaw dropped.
"…Huh?"
This wasn't her room. This wasn't even her house.
It wasn't anywhere in her small town.
Everything around her looked luxurious—like the set of a drama. Marble counters. Velvet chairs. Gold trim on the vanity mirror.
But when she ran to the window, her breath caught in her throat.
No mountains. No forest.
Instead—skyscrapers. Billboards. Endless roads lined with stores and people. And towering above it all, piercing the sky like a divine spear—Tokyo Tower.
"This… this is…"
She pressed her face to the glass, heart pounding.
"…Tokyo."
For a moment, Mitsuha nearly screamed with joy—but clamped her hands over her mouth. "Calm down, Mitsuha! Don't wake up! This is the best dream ever—I'm not leaving it early!"
She scrambled around, looking for her phone—but couldn't find it. Maybe dreams didn't have phones?
But wait—a sleek black smartphone sat on the nightstand.
Click.
The screen came to life.
"Wow… it's not a flip phone!"
She tapped the screen with wide-eyed curiosity. It was fast, responsive. Smooth as silk.
A group photo popped up as the lock screen. In it, a handsome young man stood in the center, his finger tapping the forehead of a blonde girl who looked adorably annoyed. Two other stunning girls flanked him, each smiling brightly.
Mitsuha's eyes were drawn to the boy. His smile was confident. Mischievous. Cool.
She unlocked the phone with ease.
This dream is really going all out…
She opened LINE and peeked through some messages.
Azuma: [Hello there!]
Mafuyu: [What's up?]
Azuma: [Can you send me a picture of you?]
Mafuyu: [Huh? A picture? What kind?]
Azuma: [Any kind. Cute, beautiful, doesn't matter. Just one of Mafuyu.]
Her cheeks turned red.
What kind of relationship was this?
Before she could ponder further, she spotted an app with a shopping cart logo. Amazon. She opened it—and nearly passed out.
Wacom Intuos Pro—573,000 yen.
Buy.
Alienware laptop—438,000 yen.
Buy.
Diamond earrings—982,000 yen.
Buy.
RTX 3090 Ti graphics card—Price unknown. Who cares. BUY!
Mitsuha laughed maniacally as she tapped "Buy" over and over again.
She even used fingerprint payment—and it worked.
A text popped up. Her balance looked like a phone number.
Yup, 100% dream. Time to go nuts.
After a flurry of impulse purchases that would bankrupt a real person, Mitsuha finally tossed the phone on the bed and stretched.
"Let's go out! There's no way I'm wasting this dream indoors!"
She flung open the door—and nearly ran into a girl.
Tall, poised, breathtakingly beautiful, with long black hair cascading past her shoulders. Her nightgown swayed gently as she tilted her head.
"Lonely-kun, going for a jog?"
Mitsuha blinked. "…Lonely-kun?"
The girl looked confused. "Hmm?"
Mitsuha panicked. Her instincts screamed—Nigerundayo! She took off in a sprint. "I'm going out!"
Behind her, two cats peeked out curiously as the girl stood bewildered in the hallway.
Stepping outside, Mitsuha took a deep breath of fresh, urban air.
Skyscrapers. Buses. Roads packed with cars and people. The scent of freshly brewed coffee wafting from nearby cafes. Her eyes sparkled.
"This… this is Tokyo!"
She thought back to the long-haired girl.
She called me "Lonely-kun"… and she was in the group photo.
Mitsuha gasped.
Wait a minute. The guy in that photo—the one in the middle…
That's ME!?
I'm the Tokyo prince surrounded by three gorgeous girls!?
Mitsuha's heart skipped several beats. Her face flushed with secondhand confidence.
"This is the best dream ever!"
She dashed down the street, unable to contain her joy. At first, she planned to head straight for Tokyo Tower—but then she spotted it.
A real café.
A beautiful one.
Outside, couples and students sipped drinks under umbrellas. Inside, soft violin music played from a stage where a lady in a ball gown performed.
She pushed the door open.
"Welcome! Table for one?" a waiter asked.
"…Y-yes."
She was guided to a plush seat. The menu was bound like a hardcover book. The desserts looked like works of art.
She ordered a grape parfait and a slice of cake.
When they arrived, she gasped. The parfait glittered like jewels under the light.
Click, click. She took pictures with her dream phone.
Then—first bite.
Cold, creamy, fruity heaven exploded in her mouth.
"So delicious…"
She giggled like a child.
But then—she noticed.
Eyes. People were staring.
If this were real life, Mitsuha would've shrunk back in embarrassment.
But this was a dream.
Let them stare.
Then—two girls walked over.
"Um… can I add you on LINE?"
The cuter one blushed as she held out her phone.
Mitsuha blinked. They're hitting on me?
She quickly pulled up her QR code. The girls scanned it and jumped excitedly.
Then—
A foreign-looking girl stepped forward. She had wavy silver hair and bright blue eyes.
"Hello. I'm Smithy A. Hasaka. Can I also add you on LINE?"
Mitsuha, stunned, could only nod.
Her dream just kept getting better.