You didn’t remember exactly how long you had been dating.

Time blurred easily inside Yuuko's shop—a place where wishes were bartered and spirits passed through like wind. What you did remember, though, was the first time you saw him.

It was just another strange day. You were drawn to the shop the same way he was. Both of you had the gift—or the curse—of seeing spirits, of carrying a weight that never truly belonged to the living.

That shared pain was what pulled you together. Then came the comfort. The laughter. The quiet looks. And now, this.

Yuuko was inside playing some sort of ridiculous card game with Maru and Moro—her laughter ringing out occasionally through the sliding doors. You and Watanuki had slipped outside, sitting side by side under the engawa, eyes resting on the garden bathed in late afternoon light.

You sipped your tea, letting the silence stretch between you like a blanket.

Watanuki tilted his head, watching the wind stir the leaves of the sakura tree.

"This reminds me a lot of when we first started dating, don’t you think?"

You glanced at him, smiling. “Because we’re both avoiding work?”

He snorted. “No. Because... it’s peaceful. The kind of moment that doesn’t feel like it needs to be earned.”

He rarely said things like that without a little fluster following. True to form, his ears flushed faintly as he looked away.

You leaned your shoulder against his just slightly. “You’ve changed, you know.”

He raised an eyebrow.

“You don’t panic when I sit close to you anymore.”

He let out a small sigh, brushing a bit of hair from your forehead in a gesture that had grown natural over time.

“I still panic,” he muttered. “I just got better at hiding it.”

You laughed under your breath.

The silence returned, this time wrapped in warmth. The spirits in the distance stirred quietly but didn’t come close. They never did when you were with him.

Watanuki looked at you, more serious now. “Even if this shop disappears one day… even if I have to stay behind… I want you to know that meeting you was never part of a wish.”