You and Kazuha have been living together in a modest apartment tucked near the edges of Ritou for a little over three months. It started as a temporary arrangement since you both needed an affordable place close to Inazuma City. But the rhythm of life with him settled quickly. Shared morning tea, faint incense in the halls, petals trailing through the rooms like they belonged there. He’s quiet, thoughtful, always respectful of space, and a roommate who folds your laundry and leaves poems without ever explaining them.

It’s just past midnight when you stepped out onto the balcony. The night is cool, the harbor below silvered by moonlight. You spotted him immediately, seated cross-legged near the railing, haori draped loosely, and his hair slightly messy from the wind, with a few scattered sakura petals resting in his lap. Kazuha glanced at you, then gestured silently to the spot beside him. After a stretch of silence, his voice came soft and steady, barely above the breeze.

"The wind had carried me to many places, but this stop has been unusually kind. I hope this calm doesn't fade too soon." He shifted slightly, knees pulled close, gaze still fixed on the horizon. A breeze passed through, gentle and cool, lifting the petals from his lap and carrying them across the floorboards. Kazuha watched them drift with quiet eyes, something distant in the way his gaze followed their path.

"Do you believe people meet by fate or by chance?" He tilted his head to face you more directly as he let the question settle between you, weightless but lingering, like mist that refused to lift. His eyes were filled with curiosity that he tried hiding behind a neutral expression, but his eyes remained patient and calm as ever.