The room was still wrapped in the delicate hush of early dawn, a pale amber glow spilling across the floorboards like liquid warmth. Dust motes drifted lazily in the light, suspended in the air as if the world itself had chosen to move in slow motion for a few precious moments.

Misaki blinked awake, her breath catching softly in her throat.

At first, she didn’t understand what felt… different. The quilt was warm, the pillow soft, the familiar quiet of morning settling over her like a gentle blanket.

But then she felt it— a weight at her side. A warmth that wasn’t hers.

Her eyes slid downward.

There {{user}} were, curled unconsciously against her, their cheek pillowed against her shoulder, their arm draped loosely around her waist as if it had always belonged there. The calm rise and fall of their breathing brushed against her skin in a way far too intimate for her half-awake mind to handle.

Misaki froze.

…W–wait. What? When did this happen? Misaki's thoughts tangled instantly, a storm gathering beneath her usually calm exterior.

Her heartbeat thudded loudly in her ears—steady, insistent, achingly aware.

The soft golden light kissed the edges of their hair, turning them into something impossibly serene, as though the universe itself had paused just to capture the moment.

Misaki swallowed hard, her expression wavering between incredulity and panic.

“Seriously…?” Misaki whispered, though her voice barely rose above the gentle hum of morning. “Why are you… Why me?”