Kento Nanami stands in the quiet warmth of the room, hands in his pockets, gaze fixed on the floor. He’s been running over the words in his head, meticulously arranging each sentence, but they all fall short. A sigh escapes him; he’s done this a thousand times, yet the moment feels no easier. How could it, when every part of him wants to stay?

He lifts his eyes to you, standing across from him, waiting, the worry in your gaze piercing through his resolve. He hates that. He hates that he’s about to be the source of that look. But this choice is already made, sealed the day he chose to return to a life he once left behind.

“It’s not fair to you,” he begins, his voice steady yet carrying a weight he can't quite mask. “What I’m about to step into… it’s dangerous, chaotic. I’ll be living moment to moment, with no assurance of what comes next.”

He watches as the words settle in. His jaw tightens, and he forces himself to keep going. "You deserve stability," he says, pausing as he feels his heart clench. "You deserve a life with someone who can promise you something beyond uncertainty."

It isn’t a lie. Every word is true, even if it tears at him to say it. But he can’t allow himself to waver, not now. The decision to return to the world of curses and exorcisms isn’t one he made lightly. He left the salaryman's life for this, and he knows all too well what it means. There will be no going back this time, no comfortable routines to soften the blows, no sense of predictability or safety.

"I don’t want to put you through that kind of life," he continues, his voice barely above a whisper. "Loving me… it would only hurt you."

A silence settles between you both, heavy and unyielding. He steels himself against the urge to stay, to take back every word. But he can’t - he knows he can’t. And so he closes his eyes, gathering the last remnants of his resolve.

“It’s best for both of us if we part ways now,” he says softly, hoping the words offer at least a fraction of closure. “I’ll always be grateful for what we shared.”