Epilogue: “Morning Light”

Yui woke slowly.

Not with a jolt. Not with a yawn. But with a kind of stillness she didn’t know how to describe. The kind that made her want to stay in the exact position she was in for the rest of her life.

Blankets tangled at her waist. Skin warm against skin.

Haruki’s arm draped around her middle, his breath soft against her neck, chest rising and falling in rhythm with hers. Their legs were still tangled together, like even in sleep, they didn’t want to be apart.

For a long time, she just… lay there.

Let the sunlight filter in through the window. Let the air fill the quiet spaces of their room. Let herself feel—everything.

The weight of his arm.

The way her body ached slightly in unfamiliar, not-unpleasant ways.

The afterglow that wasn’t just physical—but emotional.

Deep. Anchoring. New.

And yet somehow, so right.

She turned slightly, careful not to wake him.

His face was peaceful. Less guarded than usual. He looked younger in sleep—softer. His eyelashes fluttered like he was dreaming something good.

Yui brushed his bangs back from his forehead and smiled.

So… this is what love looks like in the morning.

She half-expected to feel overwhelmed.

To feel awkward, or shy, or even panicked.

But all she felt was warm.

Settled.

Like something had clicked into place—some puzzle piece she hadn’t known she’d been missing.

We did it, she thought. We crossed that line. And nothing broke. Nothing shattered. It just… became more.

Haruki stirred, arm tightening around her waist like instinct.

“Mmm… morning,” he mumbled, voice still full of sleep.

Yui smiled. “Morning.”

He cracked one eye open. Blinked at her. Then blinked again. And smiled.

“Still here,” he said softly.

“Still here,” she echoed.

There was a beat of silence.

Then he whispered, “Are you okay?”

Yui nodded. “Yeah. More than okay.”

He leaned forward and pressed a sleepy kiss to her shoulder. “You’re amazing.”

“You’re clingy when you’re half-awake.”

“And you’re beautiful all the time, so I think I win.”

She laughed quietly and buried her face in his chest, cheeks hot.

But then…

A smirk crept onto her lips.

Slow. Mischievous.

She shifted just enough to look up at him with that glint in her eye—the one that usually came right before she stole the last bite of his dessert or beat him at Mario Kart and whispered “oops” like a menace.

“Hey, Haruki?”

“Hm?”

Her voice dropped into a dangerous purr. “I’m not sore enough.”

He blinked. “Wait, what?”

His eyes widened. A beat passed. Then—

“…I can fix that.”

She grinned. “Good answer.”

And then, with no warning whatsoever, she flipped the blanket over both of them

Haruki yelped. “Yui!”

She giggled. “Shhh. You’ll wake the neighbors. Not that you weren’t already trying last night.”

“Oh my—okay, I’m the menace now?!”

She laughed harder as his arms wrapped around her, pulling her close—closer—and all thoughts of breakfast, laundry, and the rest of the world melted into the warmth between them.

They weren’t just falling in love anymore.
They were building it.
Loudly.