A Little More Time For Us

Akari's hands were trembling as she held onto mine, her breath short and panicked, but she didn't care about the eyes watching her anymore. Her grip never faltered. And without a word, she pulled me away from the crowd, past the curious stares, through the quiet alleys, and up the narrow stairwell that led to her apartment. Her pace was fast. Urgent. Like if she let go for even a second—I'd disappear.

We reached the familiar door. I had stood here a hundred times before. Always knocking, always teasing. But now... she didn't knock. She pushed it open like it was her last refuge.

She dragged me inside.

And I chuckled.

Just a few hours ago, I was here. Standing next door. At my place. But now... this was different. She wasn't dragging me into my home. She brought me to hers.

Funny.

I guess this was where I belonged now.

"Shiwei..." Her voice quivered as she gently closed the door behind her, the click echoing through the small room. "Please... tell me what's happening. Why... why did people just keep passing by you? Like you weren't even there."

I looked at her, and there was so much fear in her eyes that it shattered me.

I sat down on the edge of her bed and leaned back, arms spread, staring at the ceiling. "So it's come to this," I murmured. "You really saw me. All of me."

She stepped closer. "Are you... really disappearing?"

I didn't answer immediately.

Instead, I smiled.

"Akari," I began slowly, voice soft like wind brushing over water, "There's something I never told you."

She stood in front of me now, not speaking, just listening.

I sat up and looked at her, the smile never fading, even as my chest tightened. "I'm not exactly what you think I am. I'm not just a guy who happened to show up at the right time. I'm not someone you just randomly met inside a diner ordering food."

She furrowed her brows, but she didn't interrupt.

"I'm what you'd call... a Time Warden," I said. "A cosmic being, really. One of those entities tasked with watching over time. We don't interfere. We're not supposed to. We simply observe. Ensure the flow remains untouched."

I took in a breath and let it out slowly.

"But I broke the rules, Akari. Over and over."

Her lips parted slightly. "Why...?"

I laughed.

"You see. I was curious. I wanted to observe humans more closely. To understand them. I wanted to know what it meant to live, to laugh, to cry... to love."

Her lips parted. A breath caught in her throat.

"And then I met you."

She blinked.

"The first time, you were working really hard, smiling like an idiot while wiping the tables at Ricebowl Haven. I was thinking, "is she an idiot? there's no way you'll be having fun while working!" Yet you truly are. And then I notice this puddle of water you're about to step in. I already pictured out what will happen if you slip on it, so I decided to fast forward the time around the water to dry it faster." I chuckled.

Her hands came up to her mouth. Silent.

"Then there was the flowerpot. Fell from the apartment beside Ricebowl Haven. You were humming. Skipping a little. It would've hit your shoulder. Bruised you at best. Shattered you at worst. I stopped it mid-air, moved you a few steps forward."

My smile widened at the memory. "You kept walking like nothing happened. But I stood there, holding that stupid pot, laughing to myself."

Akari's shoulders began to shake.

I kept going.

"Then there's also a time where you were about to cross the street, and a car was speeding toward you. You weren't paying attention—looking at the sky, probably wondering if it'd rain. I paused time. Pulled you back just enough. You never even noticed. You just blinked and moved on"

She choked on a sob.

I looked at her gently.

"And that time on your bike... you lost control on the curve near our building. I saw it. Saw how you were going to slam into the neighbor's fence. So I froze the moment, I slowed down the time so I could yank you out of that bike before destroying other's property together with your face in the process."

I laughed again. "You thought you were a genius for pulling off that drift."

Akari covered her face with her hands, and the sound of her crying broke through the room like a thunderclap.

"I kept interfering," I said. "More and more. Every single time I told myself it'd be fine, she needs me. That I could still fix it all. That I'd just bend the rules a couple of times."

I looked down at my hands.

"But time keeps track. It always does. And now... I'm paying for it."

I held my hand up. It flickered faintly. Barely perceptible. But she saw it.

Her eyes widened.

"I'm disappearing, Akari. Slowly. Not all at once. It's the consequence of everything I've done. I used too much. For too long. I broke the very laws I swore to protect."

"No..."

She dropped to her knees in front of me and wrapped her arms around my waist, burying her face into my chest. "No... please... you can't..."

"I had to," I said, placing my hand on the back of her head. "I couldn't just watch you get hurt. Not when I could stop it. Not when I could protect you."

Her sobs grew louder. Raw. Painful.

"Don't go," she pleaded. "You can't just leave like this. You—You didn't even tell me. How could you—how could you keep this from me and act like everything was okay?!"

I smiled sadly. "Because I was happy."

She pulled back, tears painting her face.

"Happy?"

"Yes," I whispered. "I got to live in the same time as you. I got to see you smile. Hear you rant about customers. Watch you burn your tongue on hot soup. I got to love you. Even if it was borrowed time... it was the best time of my life."

She shook her head violently. "No. No. No. This isn't fair. You're not allowed to say goodbye! Not like this!"

"Akari..."

"Then stop! Stop using your powers! If that's what's killing you—then stop! Please! Just stop, Shiwei! Let time move naturally again. Stay. Stay with me."

Her hands gripped my shirt, knuckles white.

"I'll do anything," she said. "I'll be careful. I won't be clumsy. I'll look both ways when crossing the street. I'll never ride the bike again—I'll walk everywhere. I'll do anything if it means you'll stay. Just... don't use your powers anymore. Not even once. So we'll have more time... just a bit more... please..."

Her voice cracked on that last word.

And I couldn't speak.

Not immediately.

Because I wanted to say yes.

God, I wanted to say yes...

But I wasn't sure if the world would let me.

Still, I nodded. Slowly.

"Okay," I said. "I won't use it again. Not unless I absolutely have to. I'll try. I promise, I'll try."

Akari hugged me again, tighter than ever. As if her body alone could keep me tethered to this world.

I closed my eyes.

And for a while, we just sat there, in the stillness of her apartment. Two people—one fading, one begging for time.

***

Morning sunlight peeks through the curtains, gentle and golden, kissing my cheek like it's trying to coax me awake. But it's not the light that wakes me—it's Akari's voice. Loud, bright, and filled with energy.

"Shiwei! Get up! Get up! We're going on a date!"

Her voice slices through the calm like a song I never want to forget.

I blink my eyes open and see her standing there. Dressed in a cute sweater, her hair tied up in a way that made her look effortlessly beautiful, she beamed at me like I was the first snowflake of winter. Her smile—gods, that smile. She radiates joy, and I can't help but get pulled into her orbit.

"Come on, sleepyhead! You promised to make up for all the days we missed, remember?" she says, grabbing my hand and tugging me up from the sofa. My back still feels sore from sleeping there, but I don't mind. Not when she's looking at me like that.

I stretch lazily, chuckling under my breath. "Alright, alright... You're relentless, you know that?"

"And you're slow! Now move it!"

I stand up, letting her pull me by the hand. I let her take the lead—not just in this room, but in life. She's my anchor. My light. My reason.

I feel something heavy in my coat pocket and instinctively reach for it. My fingers graze the smartphone, and for the first time, I don't curse it. Instead, I clutch it gently and whisper, "Good job... Thank you."

Akari doesn't notice. She's already rushing ahead, dragging me along.

We step outside, and the air is cold but refreshing. Winter has started to bite, but the sky is clear. Blue and endless.

Akari, in all her silliness, pulls out a small bicycle helmet from her tote bag and plops it on her head with a triumphant grin. "This will keep me safe, right, Warden-san?"

I laugh, genuinely. The sound escapes me before I can stop it. "You're seriously underestimating how much chaos you can attract."

"Hey! That's not fair!" she pouts, sticking out her tongue.

"It's the truth."

We walk side by side down the busy streets. Her gloved hand in mine. She talks endlessly, telling me stories that veer from silly dreams to half-baked ideas for novels to what she wants for lunch. It's chaotic. It's loud. It's beautiful.

But as we walk, I notice the stares. Whispers. Eyes that follow us like shadows. Not us, actually. Just her.

To them... she's alone.

To them... she's talking to herself.

A girl holding no one's hand. Laughing with no one. Smiling at empty air.

It hurts.

It hurts more than I expected. I want to scream. To shake every passerby and say, "She's not crazy! The girl I love is not crazy! I'm real! I'm right here!"

But what good would it do?

So I stay silent. I grip her hand tighter.

And she... she doesn't even flinch. She keeps walking forward, eyes on me like the world doesn't exist.

As if I'm the only one who matters.

Maybe I am.

Maybe that's the tragedy of it.

We go to the arcade first. Akari drags me into a claw machine challenge, squealing as she wins a small bear plushie. She names it "Timey." I raise an eyebrow.

"What? You don't like it?" she grins.

"It's ridiculous."

"You're ridiculous."

We laugh.

We eat at a small ramen shop she likes—well, she eats. I just sit there, listening to her chew happily, slurping noodles like it's the best day of her life.

It probably is.

We visit bookstores, run down icy sidewalks, and stop by a photo booth. She insists we take a picture even though she knows only her image will be printed. She still puts an arm around my shoulder and flashes a peace sign.

I stand there, pretending. Pretending it'll capture me, too.

The photo that prints only shows her. Alone. But smiling.

She looks at it. Her smile falters for a second.

Then, she slips it into her wallet. "Still the best picture I've ever taken."

Eventually, the sun starts to dip. A soft amber hue blankets the streets as we walk hand in hand toward a familiar place.

The park.

The cherry blossom tree.

Where I confessed to her.

Winter has taken most of the petals. The branches are mostly bare now. But somehow, that makes it even more special. Like something rare. Fleeting.

She breaks away from me, running toward it with arms stretched wide.

I watch her, heart aching with every step she takes.

She stops beneath the tree and turns to me. Her smile is so bright I swear the sun flinches.

Then she cups her hands to her mouth and shouts—

"Shiwei! I love you!"

Heads turn.

People stop and stare.

A few shake their heads. Some laugh. Others frown in confusion.

But her eyes... they never leave mine.

I walk toward her. Slowly. As if the moment will break if I step too hard.

Tears blur my vision.

And I smile.

"I love you too, Akari."

She throws herself into my arms, and I hold her like I'm anchoring myself to the world.

Because I am.

I don't care if I'm disappearing.

I don't care if they can't see me.

She does.

She sees me.

And for now... that's enough...

It's all that matters...