Yûko placed a gentle kiss on Watanuki's warm forehead as she stood up. She looked sadly at the boy, meanwhile Dômeki and Himawari walk happily to the park.

"You were well aware that Watanuki liked you. You blurted it out to him, you saw the shock in his eyes," Dômeki spoke, not looking at Himawari, who hung on his arm affectionately.

"He liked me, you love me, and I love you. I saw the shock in his eyes, but it was all too good news to me. I suppose it was a bit insensitive, though. Should we go back and apologize?" Himwari looked up at Dômeki for a response.

"Nah, I'm sure he's fine. He's got Yûko-san, after all."

"She's such a nice woman to let Watanuki stay while he's sick," Himawari laced her fingers between Dômeki's.

"And also a very peculiar one," Dômeki thought to himself, "How about some hot tea?"

Himawari shivered. "Oh yes, that sounds like a great idea!" She huddled close to him as they walked in the bustling area of the city.

Watanuki recovered over the next three days (though he was better, Yûko insisted that he stay longer) and he finally went to his apartment after work. He felt like Yûko had been treating him nicer than usual.

"Must just be because I was sick," he assumed confidently.

But Watanuki noticed that she had been oddly chipper towards him. She let him stop to get some tea while he was running around town with her dry-cleaning, but it seemed she made him do more work. Still, he stood firm that it wasn't anything big.

One week later, Yûko he sit down with her during dinner. She looked at him with her devilish smirk and said: "Congratulations, Watanuki. Your wish has been granted."

Watanuki was in shock. "I…I am? Really?" He stood up and danced. "Yes! I'm finally free of those terrible things I see every day!" He looked over at Yûko. "Oh um…I don't mean you…"

Yûko laughed and nodded. "Well, Watanuki, you're free to go and live as you will."

Watanuki bowed, gathered his things and left for what he thought would be the final time. Yûko waved, dressed in a heavy kimono, with layers of stiff cotton and silk.

"Yes!" Watanuki sang and danced like a fool on the way home. "Yes! I am free! No more demons! No more spirits! No more strange things! Yes!" He reached his apartment and stopped to find his key. "But this also means no more Yûko-san and more 'go home after school club' for me. Oh well…" He found his keys and unlocked the door. The apartment was cold as he walked in and set his things down. He turned on the heater and shivered as he took off his long school jacket. He sat down on the floor in front of the table. "Hmm, what am I going to do now? Himawari and Dômeki won't want to hang out like they used to now that they're a couple…maybe I should get a job somewhere, but where?" Watanuki thought and leaned over the table. "Hmm…Yûko-san…" As hard as he tried, he could not get his mind off of that witch. She was always there, whether he liked it or not and just like that…she was out of his life. "I could still visit her, but I don't need to, why do I want to?" He lied down with his arms sprawled out and sighed.

Yûko, meanwhile sat thinking to herself. "A contract is a contract, Watanuki has not been the first to make such a contract, and I have fallen for each of their charms. None of them came back, that means none of them felt the same way, but it is fate." Watanuki had left a mark in her that no one had etched in years, but it was different. She wished him back, but she grants wishes, she doesn't make them. She tried not to think about it as she got up to make dinner, something she hadn't had to do in a long time.

The next day, Watanuki applied for jobs at Duklyon Café and a small pastry shop down the street from his apartment. After school he walked home. He thought to himself as he walked. "I wonder if I qualify enough for the jobs. Working as a servant for a witch for a year isn't really work experience. I wonder how she's doing, I hope she remembered to water the indoor plants and only wash certain clothes in the washing machine and…" he stopped in mid-thought. He looked at his surroundings. "This is the way to Yûko-san's." He turned around and started walking the other way towards his place. It was a slow shuffle of his old shoes and it was full of sluggish uncertainty. He looked back expectantly, as if he were to see something. Abruptly, he spun around and sprinted. Schoolbag in hand, feet on the hard sidewalk, he could see his breath on the cold air, but he ran and ran and ran the route to Yûko's house.

"I want to see you." He kept thinking, and kept sprinting as if his legs were taking him to her house like they did the first time.

He reached the gates and ran through them, as they were luckily unlocked. He huffed and felt a stitch in his side as he knocked on the door. His heart was pounding fast and when faster as his witch opened the door. Yûko was surprised but did not show it, and it was quite as she didn't say a work to Watanuki.

"Yûko-san, I…" Watanuki panted.

"Come inside, won't you?" Yûko said in a so horribly casual way. Watanuki went inside and caught his breath.

"Yûko-san, I had to come back." Watanuki said after taking his shoes off.

Yûko stood in front of him with a devilish smile. "Don't play with a witch's heart, Watanuki dropped his bag and said, "I'm not," with great sincerity. He brought his hands up, cold and shaking, he put them on Yûko's face. He pulled their faces closer and put his chapped quivering lips on hers, so warm and supple, their eyes shut.

"You came back," Yûko said after the kiss.

"I never want to leave," Watanuki replied as his heart pounded still and his head dizzy. "Oh, please Yûko-san…" Yûko put a long finger on his speaking mouth.

"Hush, I'll see you tomorrow after school."

Watanuki smiled and blushed, and shivered.

"But before you leave, let's get you warmed up," Yûko laughed devilishly as she does so often.

She went into the kitchen and put a kettle of water on the stove. The she took Watanuki by the hand to her room and began to unbutton his school jacket as she shut the door behind her and turned off the light.

Fin