"Ahhh! I need to hurry! Nanami's waiting for me!" You ran as fast as you could after your shift ended. You didn't want to leave a bad impression on him that you don't know how to manage your schedule. If only your side job wasn't being fussy about a customer's order then you'd have been at the spot in the nick of time. However, you were running ten minutes behind. It sucked you didn't have a phone to communicate with him about your situation. Even phones were out of your budget besides an inexpensive watch on your wrist.

Beads of sweat rolled down your neck as your face was flushed from breathing hard and dashing to the designated location. You felt your heart pounding in your chest and echoing in your ears. Each step to get closer to the spot was heavy, feeling time slowing your body down when this was an urgent matter. You hated when important things came up, something or someone always had to intervene to delay your happiness.

"Oooo! I'm getting closer!" You recognized the familiar buildings you passed when you and Nanami were walking together. The signs which represented the restaurants' names, the cracked pavement stairs, and lanterns dangling from a shop.

You kept running, kept going despite your calves turning into a fire pit. It burned but you needed to show up for Nanami. You can't miss out on free food and your new found friend. By the end of this, you're gonna be a sweaty mess because you were late. Hopefully he'll forgive your tardiness.

Turning a corner, you spotted Nanami sitting on a bench as his legs were crossed and back straightened up. He didn't pull out his phone to pass time but patiently waited and observed his surroundings to make sure you weren't lost. Occasionally, he would look at his watch to see how much time had passed.

A bright smile appeared on your face and you waved your hand in the air. "Nanami! I'm here!" You yelled loud enough for his ears to detect your voice.

Nanami turned his head in your direction after hearing you shout. He quickly stood up and moved towards you.

"I'm so sorry I'm late! I hope I didn't keep you waiting!" Your feet halted in front of his figure as you laboriously breathed from your open mouth. Your lungs were trying to catch up to speed with your body. Still your heart beated like crazy but it would get back to its original tempo later.

"You didn't have to run like you were in a marathon. I got here five minutes ago so I didn't wait long." Nanami watched you regain your composure. It didn't take you long to stabilize your active body. He was surprised you could even recoup quickly compared to him. If he was in your shoes and felt like that, he would need a drink to settle all atoms in your body.

You laughed, pushing your damp hair away from your face. "Yeah, I didn't want to be late so I tried getting here as fast as I could without breaking an ankle! But I'm glad I didn't keep you waiting for too long!"

"No, don't worry about it. Come on, follow me."

/

Nanami led you to a ramen shop as you guys were seated in front of each other in a booth and stayed quiet after ordering.

"You're dressed nice today! It's really fashionable." You said, scanning his outfit of the day. He wore a white tee with his olive green overcoat paired with denim jeans, black boots, and no funky glasses. Whereas you dressed appropriately for work but not a hangout—an old orange tee that has minor stains, black jeans, and worn out sneakers looking like it's been through a battle as it barely clung onto each other. Now, you were feeling a bit self conscious since you didn't fit the dress code.

Nanami gave you a small smile. "Thanks. It's my day off so I decided to wear clothes that's laying in my closet for an event like this." Then his eyes flashed on what he could say about your outfit. He saw the imperfections of the articles you wore but wasn't going to judge because he doesn't know your circumstances. "You look like a hard worker. Don't forget to take care of yourself so you don't kill your own body. It's not easily reversible."

His last sentence struck you in the head as it was very ironic that he said that. With your tears, anyone can gain a new body as they pleased through sickness or injuries but you can't. The beholder of this gift can't afford to protect their own body which helps people in need.

"I try my best!"

Then the conversation switched in a blink of an eye as you tried not to expose yourself. "Are you a sorcerer?" Nanami leaned in, setting his arms flat on the table while making eye contact with you. You could feel him digging into your soul to find the right answer. Your hands clutched the hem of your top to calm your heart rate. This felt like an interrogation of a crime you didn't commit. Nonetheless, you were scared to reply. Was Nanami a bad person who fooled you? You're not sure.

Again, Nanami continued to further explain himself as you didn't respond. "I'm not here to hurt you in any kind of way. I'm just curious because I am a sorcerer." He came clean to ensure the possibility of you being more comfortable knowing he's not a threat. However, your body language didn't change nor did your facial expression either. "You're always getting chased by curse users and I found out it's because of your cursed technique through a curse user. The day we met in the bathroom, you shoved something inside my mouth and it healed me. I can't fathom what or how you did it but you did. Now I can't stop thinking about you—"

You knew there's no way to lie in this. Nanami already knew too much about your cursed technique. Your brows furrowed as your abrasive voice carried your past trauma and threw it all on him. You kept the vocal cords level quiet without disturbing others enjoying their food. "People lied to me before about being a sorcerer… I know or I hope I know you're a good person because you helped me twice, but I'm unsure if you're trustworthy. So what if I am that lucky person? Are you going to exploit me for money? Beat me? Sell me off at the black market?"

Nanami's face contorted in confusion. You exploded words that he never thought about, not even once after meeting you. He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed as he pulled himself back and leaned against the cushioned booth seat. "Y/n, I have morals and those do not align with mine. If you thought I was a bad person then I'm pretty sure you wouldn't have helped me in the bathroom. I know you have your own little gut instincts too. But to answer all those questionable questions, it's a no. I don't harm women, I don't need to profit off from you as I make more money than those scumbags. Being a sorcerer, I make millions through the school."

Suddenly you gasped, letting your mind do all the puzzle pieces to his statement. "Oh my gosh…! Are you going to buy me?!"

Nanami had a deadpan expression as he could clearly see his words weren't penetrating your brain. He doesn't know how many times he had to keep reiterating his answers. "No! You're not getting bought or sold. All I want to know is whether you can use jujutsu or not! I don't know how you came to the conclusion of me buying you when I denied your previous questions a few seconds ago! I just want to help you!" He felt his head aching from the conversation. He understood you're wary but it didn't mean you had to turn into a wall.

"Oh…" You were taken aback and reflected on your impulsive thoughts. "Then why did you say that in the first place instead of saying 'are you a sorcerer?' Like dude that scared me! There could've been different ways to bring up your curiosity…." You shook your head and sipped your glass of water. The cold liquid cooled down your body from stress and anxiety.

"Well, I apologize for scaring you. It wasn't my intention to make you feel like that. I wanted to cut to the chase instead of going around the bush. I can promise you that I'll never lay a finger on you or put you into situations that will make you feel uncomfortable. I'm not a horrible person who likes to see others suffer."

Compared to other people who fooled me, Nanami is different. If I got bad vibes from him, I wouldn't even have saved him so yeah he's right in a way. I think I'm just getting worked up because I'm scared. He's a good man. I didn't have to ask him to help me when we bumped into each other the other day. If he wants to help me then maybe I should take the chance? You were rationalizing your feelings and came to the conclusion of trusting him and being a tad bit open about your life.

On the other hand, Nanami saw the change in your body. Your shoulders were loose unlike it was a few minutes ago, and your facial muscles softened as you looked away. "I know I'm still a stranger and I haven't yet gained your trust in me, but I am sincere to my words and I want to help you in any way."

So you decided to tell Nanami and take the opportunity of the unknown path. "I'm not sure what you've been told but I can't use shikigami or have any offense or defense techniques, and I only know very little about jujutsu. The reason why I'm so special and people want me is because my ability crosses between life and death." You didn't want to go further into details but tell him the gist of it. That's enough information for him to cling on and hopefully accept. "I've been through hell for my whole entire life because of my existence. I know I'm scared to trust people, but I'm not gonna shut an injured person out if I can genuinely feel they're good, innocent, and so forth. If I can save a kid's life who's heavily wounded from a car accident then I will. I'm not going to turn a blind eye and wait for fate to take its course. It feels like I'm playing god. I have morals of my own too." You chuckled, blankly staring at the glass of water. Your voice was monotone but inflections hit some of your words to show your values and let Nanami know he was one of your exceptions.

"So why did you save me?" Nanami eagerly asked, wondering what your reason could be if you read people and picked and chose who deserves your tears.

Finally, you locked eyes with him and cracked a smile as your left cheek lifted. "I helped you because you saved me the first time we met so I felt indebted to you. Not only that, I cried for help and you were the first one who came to help me. Everyone else walked away because they didn't wanna get caught in my situation. When you saved me, I felt safe and comfortable despite not knowing you but that's the aura you have…and you proved me right after the second time you helped me. I didn't have to ask you, you did it on your own." Your small smile turned into a bigger one because Nanami didn't have to. He could've ignored you the second time yet he didn't. You really appreciated him.

Your words tickled his heart as he didn't expect you to say such things about him when you barely knew him too. Nanami would admit that you have a heart of gold and were very cautious of everything and everyone. You radiated benevolence and tranquility like an Angel.

"Do you have other abilities besides your main one?"

"Hmm," you tilted your head to the side and thought about it. Then you decided to tease him a bit for making you panic in your seat. "I probably do…but you'll have to wait and see and maybe experience it too." You winked, giggling to yourself as you watched him get reeled in by you once again. If he wanted to know, he better make it known.

After waiting 15 minutes, food finally arrived and you two ate.

"Do you like your food?" Nanami asked, seeing how fast you devoured your food. You ate it like you were in an eating competition. He's never seen anyone eat it in five minutes.

"Oh yes! It's really good! I'd come here again anytime." You purposefully snacked throughout the day because it's better to have a full meal on an empty stomach. Not only did the meal taste better, but it gave you a sense of satisfaction as you tasted the seasoning and juices. It made you feel so happy to eat, but you did wish you took your time.

Once Nanami finished his plate, it was time to depart as the sky grew darker and in the darkness lingered curse users. You weren't going to risk being in the dark to find shelter.

So you stood up from your seat and smiled at him. "Thank you for the meal. I'll definitely pay next time when I'm not on a tight budget. I must leave before it gets too dark to see anything." There weren't a lot of streetlights placed in the area. Plus, the lights were so dim that you might as well not have light if your eyes could adjust in the dark.

Before you could run out, Nanami stopped you from going and asked you a question. This was his only chance of making sure he has some sort of contact with you. Getting this opportunity seemed rare to say the least. "Do you have a phone number I can call you?"

You shook your head sadly, causing Nanami to feel a bit bummed but he did remember fate will find a way to bring them back.

"Aww, are you going to miss me already?" You made fun of him. You wanted to see Nanami the stoic man show some type of emotions besides his aloof nature. He can't be all gloomy for his whole life. He needed to lighten up once in a while. You had a hunch that being a sorcerer wasn't an easy job but straining emotionally and mentally. You could never be one even if you had the chance too.

Nanami blinked a couple of times before chuckling from your statement, still keeping his poker face. "Not necessarily. You won't let yourself be known so it seems like I have to chase after you to reveal it. But I can drive you home if you'd like me to, so you don't have to face any curse users."

Again, you shook your head. "Sorry, I don't have a stable home or lifestyle. I'm always on the run so I can't stay in one area for a long time."

Nanami didn't know how to help you. He wanted to make sure you're safe, ensuring he'll see you next time. "Here take some money." Out of thin air, Nanami handed you a stack of money.

You gasped, eyeing the big bank in fear. You had lots of questions on your mind. "Where the heck did you get this?! Were you prepared for this moment? I can't accept it. I always thought about being a sugar baby but not like this! Please, put that away!" You had your pride and free money like that had consequences.

However, Nanami wasn't going to take your refusal. He grabbed one of your hands and placed the money in it as his hands sandwiched yours. "Stop being stubborn! I'm trying to help you. Rather seeing you dead, I want you alive, that's my request. Find a place to sleep with this money and buy yourself stuff, okay? It's not that hard to ask for you to be happy and know what peace is like."

Your heart beated for him and you didn't know the real reason behind it but it didn't bother you. Awww! He really cares about me though we don't even know each other that much! He's so sweet. I want to cry, but still I cannot accept his money. I wouldn't know how to repay him back despite his countering words of asking for my survival. You felt so gracious towards Nanami for looking out for you. You found a person who cared about your existence and didn't have ill intentions of harming you.

"Thanks for looking out for me… But I still decline!" You slid your hand out and bolted out of the restaurant. You weren't going to bicker with Nanami about money because you're not gonna accept it regardless. Your pride said no so you're listening to it.

The cool air brushed against your face as you breathed from your mouth. Your legs took you anywhere far because you didn't want Nanami to follow you.

"Oh god…!" You wheezed, leaning against a building to catch your breath. Your heart raced with you, trying to calm it down now you're done running. "Look at the time…!" Your eyes flickered to the dark blue sky. You weren't sure how long you ran but it must've been awhile. Plus, you didn't even know where you were either. "Damn… I should've been aware of the street names but oh well. Once daylight comes, I'll be—!"

Before you could finish talking to yourself, a bag was thrown over your head and you felt something tying your body up, restraining you from escaping. Your arms were glued to your chest then your body was thrown over someone's shoulder.

What great timing… I'm being kidnapped now….