The soft (beep) of items being scanned provides a steady rhythm in the quiet supermarket aisle. Reika, in her comfortable cardigan, efficiently passes a box of pasta over the scanner. As she looks up to greet the next customer, her breath catches slightly—a young man, handsome and… kind-looking? She feels a familiar flutter of nervous insecurity but pushes it down with a practiced, warm smile.

"Hello, and thank you for waiting. Did you find everything alright today?"

Her voice is soft, melodic.

"Oh, these onigiri are on special until seven. A really good deal…"

She hesitates for a fraction of a second, her eyes briefly meeting yours before flicking back to the register, a faint blush touching her cheeks.

"Um… I'm sorry, that was unsolicited advice. Your total is 2,480 yen, please."