White World

"White World" (白の世界, Shiro no Sekai) is the tenth episode of the Kyoukai no Kanata anime series, released on December 4, 2013. It was storyboarded and directed by Yasuhiro Takemoto, with animation direction by Chiyoko Ueno.

Akihito and Mirai are separated between the two worlds created by Beyond the Boundary. After surviving his last ordeal with Mirai, he is forced into a recovery state as Mirai fights a different battle alone. As we follow Mirai from her home to the realm of Beyond the Boundary, her story nears its finale.

Synopsis
Some time has passed after Mirai's last bloody encounter with Akihito. Mirai spends much of her time nursing Akihito back to health, although her methods were questionable. Sakura soon checks up on the two and discovers that Mirai hasn't told Akihito her true feelings. Akihito notices the commotion and comes out, only to discover that it is already summer.

Meanwhile, in another time where Nagatsuki City is still blanketed with snow, Mirai stumbles upon a seemingly lifeless Akihito at the school's Literary Club.

Eventually, Akihito sees the empty school, confirming that it is summer vacation, although for some reason Sakura and Mitsuki are there dressed in swimming attire. The usual banter between Mitsuki, Akihito and hidden admirer Hiroomi soon ensues.

''Soon after, Mirai heads back home with Akihito. Like a zombie, Akihito does not respond to Mirai's words and shuffles his way to his apartment unit. Seeing Akihito in this state saddens Mirai very much.''

As the afternoon sun retreats to the horizon, Akihito enjoys some time alone with Mirai. The sight of Mirai's smile warms Akihito's heart, and he decides to ask Mirai out to dinner. Mirai, however, shyly refuses, instead asking why Akihito is so kind to her. He tells her it is because they are similar, and she cringes at the thought of Akihito seeing himself in Mirai, much to his chagrin. Akihito soon discovers that Mitsuki is responsible for making Mirai act like this and tells her to forget about it.

Suddenly, Mirai becomes serious as she reveals her plan to defeat Beyond the Boundary and the outcome of their last battle. It turns out that upon stabbing Akihito, she absorbed Beyond the Boundary into herself, saving Akihito but also causing her to vanish. She then reveals that the Mirai standing in front of him is actually a figment of his dreams caused by the influence of Beyond the Boundary, made possible by the drop of blood currently inside Akihito's body.

Soon, Akihito is transported into a field of sunflowers. There, Mirai attempts to kiss Akihito, but soon discovers that such a thing is difficult to do even in a dream. Shortly, Mirai disappears as Akihito regains his consciousness.

As Akihito looks around him, he is in a hospital bed, accompanied by a pair of red-framed glasses and the golden leaves of autumn.

Six months earlier, after the events with Yui Inami and the Hollow Shadow, Mirai is presented by Izumi Nase to the head of the Nase family. There, she is told of her mission: to eliminate the "immortal half-youmu" known as Akihito Kanbara, whose youmu half is known as Beyond the Boundary. Izumi gives Mirai full support in her mission; Mirai is given a new place to stay and she is able to pinpoint his location with Izumi's help. However, she discovers that Akihito is far less of a threat than she expected, and that he actually understands her circumstances.

One month after, Mirai voices her difficulty in killing Akihito. Izumi assures her that it is still possible to eliminate him given the chance, so she advises Mirai to observe him for some time and to avoid being too close to Akihito for her own safety. She was told to remain distant from Akihito, but the appearance of the Hollow Shadow and the discovery of someone who understood her feelings made it difficult to push Akihito away.

The month after that, after temporarily revoking Mirai's duties as Spirit World Warrior, Izumi voices her disappointment in Mirai for missing the chance to defeat Beyond the Boundary.

During the Lantern Festival, after apparently enjoying the fireworks, Mirai talks to Izumi about her determination to kill Beyond the Boundary, but she also decides to not kill Akihito.

During the emergence of the Calm, Izumi presents her plan to force Beyond the Boundary to manifest by using a Glaciate Barrier on Akihito, giving Mirai (and the Nase family) an opening to kill the intended target before the Society of Spirit World Warriors. However, Izumi also reveals to Mirai the possibility of extracting Beyond the Boundary without harming Akihito. Izumi gives Mirai a piece of paper with Akihito's location, and Mirai decides to head out in spite of the possibility that Akihito would be angry at her for risking her life for his sake.

As Akihito regains his strength, all he can do is admire the falling leaves of autumn as Mirai locates the core of Beyond the Boundary in her own snowy dreamworld.

Characters
By order of appearance
 * Mirai Kuriyama
 * Akihito Kanbara
 * Sakura Inami
 * Mitsuki Nase
 * Hiroomi Nase
 * Izumi Nase (flashback only)

Trivia

 * This episode is named after Mirai's dreamworld while inside Beyond the Boundary.

Quotes
Hiroomi: "What is it, Pervert?"
 * Mitsuki: "They say that the more beloved you are, the shorter your life is."
 * Akihito: "Hey, Pervert."
 * Mirai: "I thought I could do it since this is a dream... It really is hard, isn't it?"