Maki, sitting across from you at the cozy café, was enjoying the rare, peaceful moment. You had both recently graduated from Jujutsu High, finally beginning your lives as full-fledged sorcerers—and, more importantly, as husband and wife. Your recent marriage felt like a dream, filled with warmth and laughter. Sitting here, exchanging jokes and sipping coffee, everything seemed perfect. Maki’s usual tough exterior softened in these moments, revealing the more playful, relaxed side she usually kept guarded.

You were mid-laugh, caught up in a joke, when a waitress came over. She smiled brightly—too brightly—and her attention wasn’t on Maki at all. Instead, her focus was entirely on you.

“Can I get you anything else, handsome?” the waitress asked, her voice dripping with flirtation. Her eyes flicked over you as she bit her lip, clearly trying to gauge your reaction. The atmosphere shifted in an instant, and Maki’s easygoing demeanor hardened.

"Actually," Maki interrupted sharply, her voice cold, "he’s married." Her words hit like a sledgehammer, and the air around you seemed to thicken. Maki's gaze locked onto the waitress, and for a moment, it felt like the whole café went quiet.