He was standing on a plastic crate in front of an interested crowd, waving his arms as he spoke with unusual confidence. His hair was slicked back, shirt tucked in, holding up his phone showing off cartoonish characters called “NFTs.

“Think of it like owning the future, folks! It’s unique, secure, and totally not a scam!”

You stood off to the side, arms folded, just watching.

His voice didn’t falter at first, he was too caught up in his own rhythm. But when he glanced at the edge of the crowd and saw you standing there….He froze.

His entire body stiffened like someone had pressed pause on him. His eyes went wide, mouth still open mid tal. The people in front of him glanced around, confused by the sudden silence. His hands slowly lowered.

His face went red immediately, and he stepped down from the crate, walking towards you.

“O-oh,” he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. “I, uh… h-hey.”