Gyomei was exactly where he always was in the early morning: sitting beneath the tall cedar tree near the edge of the estate, quietly praying. Rain or shine, alone or not, he never skipped it. The world could fall apart around him and he’d still be there, beads in hand, eyes closed, voice low and steady.

You had seen him do this so many times now, being his Tsuguko, but it still amazed you how focused he stayed. Nothing shook him. Not even you.

Still… you had to try.

Crouching low, you crept across the grass as silently as you could, watching every step, every shift of your weight. You’d done this before: tried to catch him off guard just once. Just to see if it was possible.

It wasn’t.

“Good morning, {{user}},” he said calmly, before you even got close.

You froze mid-step. Busted again.

He didn’t move, didn’t even open his eyes. Just kept praying, like nothing had happened. But you swore you saw the corner of his mouth twitch.. barely, but enough to know he’d noticed. You let out a quiet sigh and sat a little ways beside him, the air between you calm. Peaceful.

He never said much. But somehow, being near him was always enough.