Yuzuru woke up feeling strangely content.

His eyes took in the features of the unfamiliar room he had been sleeping in, and he remembered just where he was.

And what exactly had happened last night.

Well. Guess it isn't so strange after all.

After experiencing the bliss known as love, he wouldn't be surprised if he was on cloud nine for an entire week straight.

Unfortunately, his impending need to get to work on time dragged him back down to reality.

He got up and performed his usual morning routine before creeping down the stairs, careful not to disturb the other residents.

Not that there were all that many in the first place.

However, as he finally reached the kitchen, his plan to be considerate was dashed.

Kanade was sitting down at the table, looking as unperturbed as always.

"Good morning."

"Oh! Uh, good morning," he replied awkwardly. "What are you doing up so early?"

"I wanted to see you in the morning."

"Oh." He felt himself blush. Even after their mutual confessions last night, he still found himself caught off-guard by how blunt this girl could be.

Then again, her straightforwardness and honesty were part of why he liked her.

"Wel – l, seeing your smiling face in the morning has brightened up my day too!" he responded with forced cheer.

However, just saying something like that made him feel horribly flustered.

Gah, get it together Yuzuru! Isn't it the guy's job to make the girl blush?

He felt his masculinity shrivel at that realization. And the worst part was: he didn't think she was even doing it on purpose.

She was simply saying what she genuinely felt, leaving him a bumbling mess while she remained unaware of the destruction she had caused.

Well, no one said a relationship would be easy. He was just going to have to tough it out.

"Anyway . . ." He composed himself as he walked deeper into the kitchen. "I have to start preparing for work, but I'll make breakfast for the both of us first."

"I'm coming with you."

He turned back to her with a startled expression. "Huh?"

"You've helped me a lot," she clarified. "So, I want to help you in return."

He waved his hands in front of him frantically. "You've already helped me plenty by letting me stay here! There's no need for you to trouble yourself any more –"

"But I want to," she insisted.

He felt his resistance fade in the face of her persistence. "Thanks, but . . . there's not much for you to do at the shop."

Her eyes remained steady. "I can help you set up, at least."

"And what about afterward? People will start coming in, and I know you don't like drawing attention to yourself."

"I'll just work on something else in a side room. Like composing a song."

He thought about it. "Hmm . . . well, if you insist. You can use my office for privacy."

She smiled. "Thank you."

He waved his hand dismissively. "It's not a big deal. And besides, I should be the one thanking you since you're coming to help me set up." He turned back towards the kitchen. "So, what do you want for breakfast anyway?"

"Mapo tofu."

"That's not a breakfast food!"

xxx

"Yuzuru, I've finished putting the pastries in the display case."

Yuzuru looked up from where he was sorting ingredients in the refrigerator. "Alright, I'll take a look." He set the last of the milk jugs into a neat row and closed the refrigerator.

"You finished awfully quickl –"

He stopped in his tracks. There was something terribly wrong with the scene in front of him.

He rubbed his eyes and opened them again, hoping that he was just seeing things.

Nope. Still there.

Kanade looked at him innocently. "Is something wrong?"

"Kanade . . ." he said. "Why is the double-chocolate croissant behind the label for 'banana bread'?"

She looked at the offending pastry.

"Oh." She paused. "I didn't know."

He sighed. Not only was the pastry he had mentioned in the wrong spot, but almost every other one was misplaced as well.

Most of his regulars knew the names by heart by now, but he would get strange looks if his display case was advertising coffeecakes as "blueberry muffins."

"Sorry," he said. "This is my fault. I forgot to tell you the name of each pastry."

One-by-one, he went through each of the pastries and its corresponding name. Kanade remained silent as she soaked up the information.

"Okay, do you think you have it?" he asked.

She nodded. "I think I understand."

"Good. Rearrange these, and don't be afraid to ask me if you think you have it mixed up."

He turned to the next task in his daily routine of morning preparation, which was checking over the coffee makers and espresso machines.

His old boss had ingrained the importance of caring for the machines in him early on. As a first-hand demonstration, the old man had forced him to drink a cup of coffee made from one of the oldest, most run-down coffee making machines he had ever seen.

He has ensured that his machines were in peak working condition ever since.

He scrutinized his coffee machine first, looking for any signs of rust or wear and tear.

"Everything looks fine."

After doing the same inspection for the espresso machine and deciding that its condition was fine as well, he heard Kanade calling for him.

"Yuzuru. I've finished."

Huh. That was fast. And she hadn't even asked him for help.

He hoped that she had remembered everything correctly and that he wasn't about to bear witness to another affront to prim and proper display cases everywhere.

"Alright, let's see how it . . . is . . ."

He stopped in his tracks. He had to be seeing things.

He rubbed his eyes and opened them again.

Nope. Still there.

"Is something wrong?" Kanade asked.

"Kanade . . ." He breathed out heavily. "It's beautiful."

Everything was in exactly the rightplace.

And not just that, but she had organized the pastries so . . . neatly.

Loaves of the same type were stacked on top of each other, barely a crust out of line. Muffins and its ilk were precisely lined up, as straight as it could be for something as variable as foodstuffs.

"I have never seen my display case look so good," he declared.

"Oh." Her cheeks held the slightest tinge of red. "Thank you."

However, his gaze noticed something that marred the perfection of the display before him. The recording equipment, strewn around the piano haphazardly, was a mess that broke the air of perfection that had exuded from the display case.

"Say, we should move all that equipment out of the way, shouldn't we," he mused.

Kanade glanced in the same direction. "That would be wise. Someone might trip over it."

"Right. Well, I have a storage room we can put these in for now. Mind giving me a hand?"

But Kanade had moved to help before he even finished his sentence.

"Hey, don't carry something as heavy as that with only one arm!" he called out.

"It's fine. I've seen Shiina carry heavier."

"That doesn't mean you should too!"

xxx

"Thank you, come again!"

Yuzuru waved as his latest customer exited the shop with a satisfied smile. Business had been picking up lately, which he was grateful for.

But for some reason, quite a few of his recent customers seemed to be dressed in suits and ties . . .

It was probably Yuri's doing again, wasn't it.

I should do something nice for her one of these days.

Speaking of women in his life, he should check up on the one closest to him.

She was probably thirsty after being cooped up in his office for so long.

He whipped up another cup of coffee and walked towards his office. As he entered, he saw Kanade sitting in his chair, hunched over a piece of paper with a pencil in hand.

"How's it going?" he inquired as he set the coffee down in front of her.

She glanced at the drink, then up at him. "Thank you." She took a sip. "I'm almost done."

"Oh?" He looked down at the paper, which was covered with symbols and other notation he couldn't make heads or tails of. "That was fast."

"I was inspired," she explained.

"By what?"

"By you."

His heart skipped a beat. He was amazed at how she could say such a line with a straight face.

He fought the blush that threatened to engulf his face. "W – well, I'm glad I could be of help . . ." he stammered.

She simply nodded in response. "Would you like to hear it?"

"Huh? I thought it wasn't quite finished yet."

"I would like to hear your thoughts on what I have."

"Well . . ." He glanced at the clock. It was getting late; he doubted that any more customers would arrive for today. "Sure. Why not."

They returned to the main room where the piano was waiting for them. Yuzuru had taken it upon himself to care for it as part of his daily routine, cleaning it and ensuring it remained free of dust and grime.

Because it was a reminder: of the girl who had captivated his attention on stage so long ago, and of the woman who he loved today.

To neglect it would be to neglect her.

And he would die before that happened.

A stream of notes cut off his train of thought. Kanade had sat down in front of the piano and was warming up by playing through a scale.

The final note sounded. "Are you ready?" she asked.

He chuckled. "I think that's supposed to be my line. But yeah; go ahead whenever you're ready."

She nodded.

And her fingers launched into motion.

The song was . . . a story. At least, that's how Yuzuru interpreted it. And the more he thought about it, the more he couldn't help but feel it was a song about . . . them.

The two of them. And how their relationship came to be.

It began with a quiet and subtle prologue, where they only knew of each other. The duration of the notes was long, almost absurdly so, making each one feel lonesome.

It transitioned into an explosive chance encounter, characterized by a breakneck tempo and rapid triplets.

The song then stabilized, settling into a more moderate tempo. They had now met and were beginning the start of their long-term relationship.

The song continued like this for a while, maintaining the same general motif while allowing a few divergences here and there for notable events.

The intensity of the piece grew, the beat accelerating like the pianist was cranking the metronome all the way up, climbing towards the climax –

Their confessions. That must be what it represented.

The song settled back down, taking on that moderate tempo once again. It continued like that for a little while longer, before cutting off.

"What did you think?"

Eyes of gold stared at him, awaiting his judgment.

But really, there was only one answer to give.

"It was beautiful," he replied earnestly.

She frowned, almost turning it into a pout. "That's what you always say."

"Doesn't make it any less true," he said good-naturedly. "Although . . ." He paused for a moment, uncertain as to whether he should continue.

But her silent gaze pleaded for him to go on, and she had wanted him to provide feedback in the first place.

"The ending," he began. "What did you have in mind?"

She tilted her head in thought. "I don't know yet," she confessed.

"You should write what you want and work to make it come true," he suggested.

"I see." She paused. "And what do you want?" she asked.

He closed his eyes as he pondered the question.

"I think . . ." he said slowly, "that the end should sound like the beginning. Slow and steady, almost peaceful. Only . . ." He smiled. "You should put the notes in pairs. After all, they aren't so lonely anymore, right?"

Slowly, she smiled. A beautiful, wonderful thing he was sure he would cherish for the rest of his life.

"I like that idea."

xxx

"Hey, hey, you guys won't believe it!"

A pink blur rushed through the door to the shop and came to a stop in front of them.

It was Yui, and while she seemed disheveled from her mad dash, that did nothing to detract from the wide grin she wore on her face.

"Hey – Yui – wait up, would you?"

A haggard Hinata stumbled through the door, beads of sweat dripping down his face. He was doubled over, panting for breath as he gave his girlfriend an irritated glare.

"Ah, you're just slow, Hinata!" Yui teased.

"You would be slow too if you just came out of a baseball practice where the coach seemed intent on drilling us to death!"

Yuzuru coughed to interrupt their bickering before it could devolve any further. "So, Yui . . . what were referring to when you first rushed in here?"

"Oh, right." She hit her palm with a fist. "You know that video you asked me to upload?"

Kanade looked up in interest from the sheet music she was working on at the mention of the video.

"Yeah? What about it?" Yuzuru asked.

"It's already exploded in popularity! I'm kind of jealous; none of the band's videos that we've posted have received anywhere near the same number of likes. All the comments are clamoring about wanting to know who the secret guest player was."

He raised an eyebrow in surprise. "I didn't think it would gain traction that quickly."

"You and me both!" Yui stuck her head closer to Kanade. "What's your secret, girl? Did you modify the piano? Campaign for views? Use some kind of special nail polish?"

As Yui's ideas grew increasingly outlandish, Kanade spoke up calmly.

"I just practice a lot."

"Agh, so innocent! What can I do in the face of such pure-hearted dedication?"

Yui paused in her tirade as she noticed that something was missing. "Hey, where did all the equipment go?"

"Oh, they were taking up a lot of room, so we moved them into the storage room," Yuzuru replied.

"Well, get them back out! We're recording another one; Hinata, you're in charge!"

"Why me?!"

As Hinata grumpily got the recording equipment out of storage, Yuzuru turned to Yui with a questioning look. "And why are you so eager to record another video of Kanade?"

"Because the popularity of Kanade's video spilled over to the band's videos as well since I uploaded them on the same channel. We hadn't seen such a spike in views in months!"

Yui was all starry-eyed about the situation, imagining all the attention her band was garnering from the situation.

Unfortunately, she was overlooking one crucial detail.

"Well then . . ." Yuzuru said humorously. "Do you want to record another video, Kanade?"

"Eh?" Yui snapped out of her daze as she realized her mistake. "Oh! Sorry, Kanade . . . I forgot to ask you if you were willing . . ."

The pianist looked at her without a hint of irritation. "It's okay. I don't mind playing for a recording again."

"Yay! Thank you, thank you!"

Yui bounced forward and hugged Kanade, who looked startled by the gesture but hesitantly returned the hug.

"Don't worry! I'll give you a share of the proceeds from the video; it's the least I can do!" Yui promised.

"But I already have a lot of money."

"It's the gesture that counts!"

"Hey!" Hinata hollered from the storage room. "Can someone help me out here? I'm way too tired to be carrying all this by myself!"

The two girls simultaneously turned to look at Yuzuru.

He rolled his eyes as he turned towards the storage room. "Coming, coming!"

As he left, he thought to himself:

Even though my body feels heavy from a long day of work . . .

He glanced back and saw the two of them chatting happily.

My heart feels lighter than ever.

xxx

"Phew, I'm beat."

Yuzuru strode into the living room of Kanade's house and collapsed onto the couch. After putting up with Yui's shenanigans for the past few hours while she tried to get a "few" recordings of Kanade (she had ended up with over half a dozen videos) had been tiresome. It was all he could do to make a quick dinner for him and Kanade before his body demanded rest.

"You must be tired too, right, Kanade? Yui was working you to the bone back there," he said.

She sat down on the couch next to him. "I'm used to playing for long periods of time."

Normally, he would have been flustered by their sudden closeness. But ever since their mutual confession, these scenes had lost much of their awkwardness.

In fact, he couldn't help but feel that there was an inherent rightness to their positions.

As if they were always meant to be close together.

No. The scene wasn't quite right yet.

His hand snaked around hers and clasped it tightly.

She looked at him questionably, to which he merely replied with a smile.

Slowly, she replied with a small smile of her own.

"By the way," he began, "you've stopped putting on concerts, haven't you?"

"Yes."

"Which means, technically, you're unemployed."

"Yes."

He rolled his eyes at her nonchalant attitude. "Shouldn't you be more worried about that?"

"I have plenty of money saved up," she replied.

"That won't last forever," he warned. "You should be thinking about a new career."

"A new career?"

"Yeah. You liked recording and uploading those videos of yourself playing, right?"

She nodded.

"Well, you could make a living off doing that if your videos become popular enough," he said. "It'll be hard; you won't be able to rely on Yui forever. You'll need to start recording and uploading those videos yourself."

"I see," she said thoughtfully. "In that case, I will ask Yui to teach me how to record and upload. Then, I'll do it all myself."

He chuckled. "So fast? She's going to be disappointed that she can't mooch off your videos a bit longer."

"I gave her some advice on composing," Kanade said. "I think she'll be fine on her own."

"Well, with a teacher like you, who could argue otherwise?" he said with a smile.

They fell silent after that, taking a moment to just bask in each other's presence.

Yuzuru wouldn't have minded if he could just stay like that forever.

"What about you?"

The sudden question caught him off guard. "Sorry?" he asked.

"What are your plans for the future?" Kanade asked.

Her gaze was resolute and unwavering; he didn't think he had any chance of dodging the question.

"What do I want to do?" he mused. "I suppose I'll just carry on as I've always had, running my shop."

"Don't you want to do something else? Something that will make you more successful?" she inquired.

He laughed. "I don't need to be successful. Just happy." He smiled as he thought back to the friends he had made running the shop: Yuri, who always liked causing him trouble but was always looking out for him; Hinata, who liked to complain to him about his problems, but was ultimately a reliable friend; and Yui, who liked to push him with her boisterous attitude, but was ready to help when needed.

And most importantly . . .

"Without that shop, I would never have met you. And you're all I need to be happy."

He stared at her intensely, his voice thick with passion. She had blushed at his comment, the faint red plainly obvious on her milky-white skin. Her golden eyes stared back into his own, as precious as the material from which they took their color. He felt drawn in, irresistibly brought closer like a man within reach of his lifelong dream.

So close, her scent was almost overpowering at this range. It was a fragrant smell, like a garden of flowers on a cool summer day.

He could see the desire in her eyes. The desire to be loved and acknowledged. The desire to be held by someone close to you and told that you were special, that you were important.

A desire that had been robbed from the both of them for all this time.

Until now.

His hand slipped from hers and instead joined his other hand around her waist. He leaned in –

Their lips met, and something as mundane as thought became far too troublesome to worry about when there were more important matters to tend to.