69 Chapter 65: Farmer

At four in the morning, Minoru jogged along the lengthy road that wound its way through the vast cornfields of Itomori village.

Though his journey was driven by various motives—whether it was his curiosity about the peculiar occurrences in his children's books, his suspicion of magical forces akin to those on the red planet, or his family's quest to untangle the mystery of Aqua and Mitsuha's endless body switches—he acknowledged that this trip also served as a much-needed family vacation.

After thirty minutes of brisk jogging, he returned to the inn. The innkeeper, a kindly elderly man named Takashi, greeted him warmly as he checked in. Despite their late arrival the previous day, Takashi had graciously accommodated them with full hospitality.

"Good morning, Onii-chan," Takashi greeted with a smile. "It's impressive to see a young man like yourself still putting in the effort even during a holiday."

Minoru nodded in return. "Good morning, Mister. Yes, I believe in keeping up with my health, even on vacation." He couldn't help but notice the bandages adorning Takashi's hands. "I see you've been busy as well. What happened to the truck?"

Takashi chuckled ruefully. "Ah, just a little trouble with the throttle, I suspect. And a few days ago, the brakes nearly gave out on me. I've been trying to fix it myself, but I may need to take it into the city for repairs."

Minoru observed that Takashi had already purchased replacement parts but seemed unsure of how to proceed. "If you don't mind, I could take a look at it for you, Mister."

Surprised but pleased, Takashi's face lit up. "Oh?! Well then, please, I'd be grateful for your help, Onii-chan. But are you sure? I could just take it to the city."

Despite Takashi's initial reluctance, Minoru insisted on lending a hand. In no time, he had the truck purring like a kitten.

"Thanks, son. I didn't expect a youngster like you to be so capable," Takashi remarked, nodding appreciatively as Minoru smiled modestly in response. The term of endearment didn't bother Minoru; he took it as a warm gesture from the older man.

"Takashi!"

"What? Don't shout, old hag. I can hear you just fine, even at my age."

"Don't you dare talk back to me, huh?—Oh, good morning, Onii-san. I didn't realize you were up at this hour."

The voice belonged to Sakura, Takashi's wife and the co-proprietor of the inn. Before she noticed Minoru's presence, she switched to a more polite tone. It was a dynamic, one that spoke of years of marriage. Maybe he'll be like that too.

"Good morning, Ma'am," Minoru greeted with a nod. "I thought I'd take advantage of the early morning air—it's much fresher than in the city."

Sakura smiled warmly. "That's wonderful to hear, Onii-san. Takashi, why don't you go catch some fish? I'll prepare breakfast for our guest."

"Alright, now that the truck's in working order thanks to our guest, I'll go—" Takashi paused, turning to Minoru. "Actually, why don't you join me, son? I'll show you around the village."

Considering his investigation of the area, Minoru found the offer appealing. "That sounds great to me."

---

[Tomorrow, Sunday, April 14th, 2014, at 18:16, we're about to witness a historical moment as the Tiamata comet passes by Earth—]

"Mitsuha said she'll come here with her friends," Aqua said, looking at his phone.

"Give my thanks to her," Ai replied with a smile.

Speaking of recent events, Aqua and Mitsuha seemed to have returned to normal after two days of swapping bodies. Mitsuha decided to come to the inn and lead them to her grandmother's house.

"That being said, when did all of you get here?" Aqua looked around, puzzled, seeing everyone except Minoru.

"We're here because of the ghost. They're acting even more strangely, you know?" Ruby said, yawning.

"Huh? What happened?" Aqua asked, glancing at Ruby and then at Ai.

Ai sighed, smiling, and explained what had occurred; Ruby's sandcastle had shattered onto the floor, forming a pattern in binary code that indicated a specific location in Itomori, later recognized by Mitsuha as a sacred place for her family's shrine. Despite Minoru's initial intention to go alone, the family eventually decided to accompany him to Itomori.

"Ah... that's really weird," Aqua mused, wondering why this family seemed to be experiencing supernatural phenomena as if they were the main characters in a story.

"Anyway, if we're talking about this sacred place, then I know where it is since I visited it yesterday," Aqua recalled his trek through the mountains with Mitsuha's sister and grandmother to Miyamizu God's Temple in a volcano-like mountain.

"I think we should wait for Minoru-kun to come back," Ai suggested.

After some time, Minoru returned, and they all had breakfast together. Then, they packed their belongings to head to Mitsuha's house and meet her grandmother before they went to the outdoor camp. Also, thanks to the kindness of the inn's owner, they even lend their empty house in the center of the village which is very close to the lake.

At the same time, Mitsuha comes to pick them up from the inn.

"So, you're Mitsuha! It's nice to see you in person," Ai said, shaking Mitsuha's hand.

"Yes, me too, Ai-san! Oh, these are my friends, Teshi and Saya," Mitsuha introduced.

Ai glanced at the two behind Mitsuha. Teshi had tanned skin, thick dark eyebrows, a friendly smile, black hair distinctively shaved, and hazel-colored eyes. Saya had mid-length chestnut brown hair styled in two braids pointing upwards, straight bangs covering her forehead, light brown eyes, and a mole under her left eye.

"Hello, nice to meet you. My name's Hoshino Ai," Ai greeted them with a smile.

Judging by their reaction. They seemed unfamiliar with her, "Yes, nice to meet you, Hoshino-san," they replied with awkward bows.

"Ai, I'm done packing. Hm? Mitsuha... right?" Miyako arrived at the front of the inn with her bags, recognizing Mitsuha.

"Hello, Miyako-san!"

They exchanged pleasantries, and then Mitsuha noticed something.

"Uh... where's Yanagi-san and Ichigo-san?"

Ai smiled at her. "Well, you see, the President went to rent a car, and Minoru-kun is helping the villagers. Mister Takashi mentioned that their power plant was somehow damaged yesterday after the earthquake, so Minoru-kun decided to assist them."

She recalls Minoru as someone capable, yet struggles to overlook his other persona: a homeless and drunken individual. Feeling a sense of emptiness over Minoru's deceit about his past, she finds solace in the fact that despite his flaws, he possesses inherent goodness. Now, witnessing his contributions to society, she feels a sense of pride in his knowledge and helpfulness.

"Sigh... why didn't that old man do his job properly?" Mitsuha shook her head, her friends smiling awkwardly, leaving Ai and Miyako clueless.

---

After some time, Minoru returned with Mister Takashi, but the President still needed more time. Minoru occasionally chatted with Mitsuha and her friends before relaxing in the inn's engawa and gazing out the front yard.

"You look like you belong in this village, you know?" Ai's giggle interrupted Minoru's thoughts as she settled beside him, leaning her head on his shoulder, "So, did the power plant work now?" 

Minoru chuckled. "You shouldn't be asking Professor Moriarty that question."

Ai snorted. "Heh... alright, smart guy."

Silence enveloped them as they watched Ruby and Aqua playing by Takashi's truck, parked in the inn's lot. The wind gently brushed over them, rustling the vast cornfields. It was undeniably peaceful.

"Hey... what if we move and settle down here? Maybe becoming a farmer isn't such a bad career," Ai mused, her gaze fixed on her children.

"Why do you think that?" Minoru asked.

"I think you'd make a great farmer, and as your wife, I'd help you too. Let's see, let's do this after I retire and you get bored of teaching," Ai finished with a smile.

"A farmer, huh?" Minoru looked out at the expansive cornfields, his eyes unable to see the end. "That's not a bad plan." With a faint smile, he entertained the idea of retiring from his life as 001 and settling down as a farmer. Perhaps he could even use his famous mask as a scarecrow.

But it was just a "what if" scenario, a distant possibility. He knew he still had to work hard for it to become a reality.

As they relaxed on the inn's engawa, meanwhile, Aqua sat with his book, occasionally gazing up at the sky at the back of the truck.

"What the—" Aqua narrowed his eyes at the sky. "What is that?"

A shadowy object in the sky seemed to be growing larger and larger. Could it be a bird? But why was it making noise? The object grew closer, and Aqua's eyes widened as he glanced at Ruby.

"Watch out!"

Aqua screamed as the shadowy object passed overhead, its loud noise echoing as it flew past them.

"Aqua, Ruby! Are you both alright?!" Ai ran towards them, alarmed.

"Yes, I'm okay!" Aqua nodded.

"Wait, what was that just now?" Ruby asked, bewildered.

Then, they noticed Minoru approaching with his tech tools, placing them on Takashi's truck.

"Let's go!" Minoru said, grabbing Ruby.

"O-Okay!" Ai didn't question him, quickly ushering Aqua into the back seat.

Minoru turned the key in the ignition, the engine roaring to life as he kicked the throttle and pursued the object in the sky.

"Hey!" Mitsuha yelled as she watched the truck speed away, chasing after the flying object. "Is that a plane?" Teshi, her friend, chimed in as he paled, "That thing's flying towards..."

Back in the truck, Minoru's family watched in awe.

"Minoru-kun, what is that?" Ai asked, her eyes fixed on the object.

"It's a drone. I think it belongs to the US Air Force."

"WHAT?" Aqua's shock was evident. "That's definitely a drone."

As the drone veered, Minoru maneuvered the truck into the cornfield, leaving a trail behind.

"Alright, Ai, take the wheel."

"What?!" Ai's eyes widened.

"Trust me, Ai. You can drive. Do as I say, alright? And Aqua, look beside you."

Aqua spotted what looked like a stick police baton-like that connected to a laptop.

"I see it!" Aqua exclaimed.

"Good. I need you to point it at the drone."

"Wait, what exactly are we doing?"

"We need to hijack that drone before it crashes. If it does, many people in Mitsuha's village could die today." Minoru explains it coldly.

Ai, Aqua, and Ruby swallowed hard.

"Now, we have to act fast. Ai, drive. Aqua, help me with the signal amplifier. Ruby, I'll explain later. Alright family, move move!"

---

A/N:

As you suspect; this plot is taken from Interstellar. Yeah, it's fanfic alright. Anyway, hope you enjoy it, Lol.