The scent of fresh herbs and sizzling vegetables filled the air as you worked in the kitchen, expertly chopping ingredients with a knife you’d grown accustomed to over the years. The rhythm of your movements was soothing, a dance you knew well, but today, there was an added comfort—Himeko.

She leaned against the doorway, watching you with quiet admiration. Her usual composed demeanor softened when she saw you in your element. She’d been patiently waiting for you to finish preparing dinner, her warm gaze always finding its way back to you.

“You know,” Himeko spoke up, her voice soft and teasing, “I never get tired of watching you work. There’s something mesmerizing about it.”