"Ah... shit, it’s already time for work."
Kyle got up from his bed after noticing that the clock read 7:30 PM. His shift started sharply at eight, and he definitely didn’t want to be late on only his second day.
The entire day had been spent sending hundreds of messages to women across different dating apps and social media platforms. He hadn’t been particularly successful, but he was trying his best, and more importantly, he was learning. He had received quite a few replies from women across the platforms. Most of them were rejections or polite rejections, but a win was still a win in his book.
He had also noticed something interesting: every time he rewrote a message to sound more normal, he got slightly better responses. The improvement was tiny, but it was there, and for someone like Kyle, that was enough to keep him going.
’I’ll find a fuck buddy before duration!’
He clenched his fist confidently, motivating himself like a champion preparing for the finals.
Click.
Locking the door of his apartment behind him, he headed toward the convenience store, ready for his shift—and even more ready to see Lira.
"Let’s not do something embarrassing today."
The evening air was cool, and the streets were beginning to fill with people returning from work, students grabbing snacks, and couples casually walking under the streetlights. Kyle stuffed his hands into his pockets and walked a little faster. For the first time in a long while, he wasn’t walking to work with complete dread. There was actually someone there he wanted to see.
By the time he reached the store, the evening crowd had already begun trickling in. As expected, Lira was standing behind the counter, scanning items for a customer with practiced speed.
The moment she noticed him entering through the glass doors—
Wink.
She casually sent him a playful wink.
Kyle blinked once.
Then, instead of freezing like he had yesterday, he simply smiled and waved back.
Wave.
Without making a fool of himself, he headed toward the staff changing room and quickly changed into his work uniform. As he buttoned up the blue convenience-store shirt, he caught his reflection in the small locker-room mirror.
"You’re not that hopeless," he muttered. "Just don’t act weird and fumble shit."
When he returned to the counter, Lira was already waiting.
"So, hey. What’s up?" she asked in her usual energetic tone.
"Nothing much... just surviving, I guess."
’Fuck... I actually made conversation without embarrassing myself!’
Kyle felt strangely proud of that tiny achievement. Compared to yesterday, this was a massive improvement. He hadn’t stuttered, looked away, or mentally crashed after three words.
"Well," Lira said, hopping onto the edge of the counter since there were currently no customers nearby, "should we continue where we left off yesterday?"
"Sure. Sounds good."
Lira looked at him for a second longer than necessary.
’What’s with him today...?’
She was genuinely surprised. Yesterday he had looked like a nervous puppy trying to survive human interaction. He had struggled not only talking to her but even scanning items at the register, and she had to take over several times.
Now he was... oddly confident.
Not arrogant. Just noticeably more comfortable.
"You were asking about my previous job, right?" Kyle said. "Well... I used to be a software engineer at an MNC."
"Wait, seriously?" Lira straightened up. "So you were one of those corporate people? What happened? Why are you working here now?"
There was genuine curiosity in her voice.
"Shit happened." He shrugged. "Didn’t lick my boss’s ass, so I got laid off."
Lira let out a small snort.
"Then I tried finding another job," Kyle continued, "but the market is completely fucked. I couldn’t land anything, and eventually my savings ran out. So I decided I’d work somewhere—anywhere—until I got back on my feet. That’s how I ended up here."
"Damn..."
Her expression softened.
"That actually sucks. Those old corporate guys are the worst, don’t you think? Just look at our manager. He acts like he’s running an empire."
Kyle laughed.
"True. But on the bright side, I got to meet you."
Lira rolled her eyes dramatically.
"Come on, stop with the flattery. It’s only been a day since you joined. Today is literally your second day. How much could you possibly know about me?"
She lightly punched his arm.
Kyle looked at her for a moment before answering.
"Enough to know that your looks aren’t the only thing that’s pretty about you."
He said it casually, almost as if he were commenting on the weather.
Lira’s eyes widened ever so slightly.
’What the hell?’
Yesterday this guy had been a complete mess.
Today he was casually flirting without tripping over his own tongue.
She felt heat creeping into her cheeks despite herself.
"S-Stop it..." she muttered, suddenly looking anywhere except at him. "You know what? Never mind. I’m going to get some water."
Without waiting for a response, she hopped off the counter and walked toward the staff area much faster than she intended.
Kyle watched her leave.
’What the hell? Why did she suddenly avoid me?’
A wave of panic immediately crashed into him.
’Did I go too far?’
’System!’
Silence.
’System!’
Still nothing.
’Bro, did I seriously fuck up? Where are you, man?’
For the next several minutes, Kyle manned the counter alone, mechanically scanning items for customers while desperately trying to summon the system in his head. Every time the entrance bell rang, he looked up distractedly before forcing himself back to work. He replayed the conversation over and over again, trying to figure out exactly which sentence had caused her to leave.
’Was it the compliment? Was it too direct? Should I have said something funny instead? Damn it, this is why I needed the system.’
He even considered running after her before deciding that would probably make things worse.
More than five minutes passed before Lira finally returned.
"Ah... sorry for leaving you alone," she said, avoiding his eyes for a brief moment. "I kind of zoned out for a bit."
Her face was slightly wet, and a few droplets of water still clung to her hair and shirt, as if she had splashed water on herself to calm down.
Kyle noticed it immediately, but instead of panicking this time, he simply smiled.
"No worries," he said. "I didn’t burn the store down while you were gone."
Lira glanced at him, and the corners of her lips slowly lifted into a small smile of her own.
*****
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