Chapter 3: The Person Behind the Smile

🌸 THE BOY WHO BROUGHT SMILES 🌸
📖 Chapter 3: Lunch Breaks and Small Conversations ☕❤️
The next few weeks passed surprisingly fast.
Yuna continued working at the café.
And to everyone's surprise...
She was actually improving.
🎉
She no longer got lost.
Mostly.
She no longer dropped trays.
Usually.
And she had only mixed up three orders this week.
Which was apparently progress.
😂
"You're getting better."
Kaito handed her a glass of water.
Yuna blinked.
"Was that a compliment?"
"Yes."
"Wow."
"Wow?"
"I thought those were rare."
Kaito sighed.
"I compliment people all the time."
"Not me."
"That's because you're usually running into furniture."
"I did that once."
"You did it twice."
😆
LUNCH BREAK ☕
The lunch rush finally ended.
Customers became fewer.
The café became quiet.
For the first time all day, Kaito and Yuna sat down together for lunch.
Outside, the sun shone brightly.
The city moved at its usual pace.
Everything felt peaceful.
🌤️
Yuna opened her lunch box.
Kaito immediately noticed something.
"You made that yourself?"
Yuna nodded proudly.
"I did."
The next moment she accidentally dropped a piece of food.
The pride disappeared instantly.
😭
"Five seconds."
"What?"
"It lasted five seconds."
"I hate you."
"No you don't."
"Fair."
😂
A SMALL DISCOVERY 📚
While eating, Kaito noticed a book sticking out of Yuna's bag.
"Do you read a lot?"
Yuna immediately brightened.
The transformation was so sudden it almost scared him.
✨
"A lot."
"What kind of books?"
"Romance."
"..."
"..."
"..."
Yuna slowly looked away.
🚨
"That sounded bad."
"A little."
"I mean normal romance."
"There are abnormal romances?"
"I am ending this conversation."
😂
For the next ten minutes, Yuna passionately explained her favorite books.
Kaito listened quietly.
Not because he understood everything.
But because she looked happy talking about them.
And somehow...
That made him happy too.
❤️
AFTER SCHOOL 🎒
A few days later...
The two happened to leave work at the same time.
The evening sky glowed orange.
Students walked home.
Shops began turning on their lights.
🌇
"Do you always walk home?"
Yuna asked.
"Usually."
"Me too."
For a while they walked together.
Talking about school.
Teachers.
Homework.
Random things.
Nothing important.
Yet neither wanted the conversation to end.
🚶‍♂️🚶‍♀️
Then suddenly—
A small child tripped while running down the sidewalk.
Before anyone could react—
Kaito rushed forward.
Helping the child back up.
"Are you okay?"
The child nodded.
A few tears disappeared.
Problem solved.
✨
Yuna watched quietly.
The child left smiling.
And Kaito simply returned like nothing happened.
"Do you do that often?"
"What?"
"Help people."
Kaito shrugged.
"If I can help, why not?"
Such a simple answer.
Yet somehow...
It stayed in Yuna's mind.
💭
THE QUESTION ❓
Before they reached the station...
Yuna suddenly stopped walking.
"Kaito?"
"Yeah?"
She hesitated.
Just for a moment.
Then asked:
"Have you ever regretted being kind?"
The question surprised him.
More than she expected.
For a few seconds...
He said nothing.
🌙
Then he smiled.
A smaller smile than usual.
A more honest one.
"Sometimes."
Yuna looked surprised.
"But I'd regret becoming a bad person even more."
The answer was simple.
Yet it carried a weight she couldn't fully understand.
Not yet.
❤️
That night...
As Yuna lay in bed...
She found herself thinking about that answer.
About the boy who smiled for everyone.
About the sadness hidden behind some of those smiles.
And about how she wanted to learn more about him.
For the first time...
Yuna realized she was looking forward to tomorrow.
✨
📖 End of Chapter 3
🌸 Next Chapter: The Summer Storm ⛈️