Yuri set the tray down with a clatter that was slightly louder than he intended. His pulse was acting like a Janjan engine in a rainstorm—unreliable and racing for no reason.90Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCdi0LseERC
90Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡckNanYNW8d
"Ginger pork, large rice, and gyoza," he announced, his voice gruff.90Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYawh44jX2X
90Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHlrNcD5FcF
He waited for the "St. Cerasus reaction." Usually, girls from that school picked at their food with silver forks, whispering about calories or the "unrefined" atmosphere of a family diner.90Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZB4XDc9b9j
90Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCV5NtjuQne
Selina, however, looked like she had just been handed a trophy.90Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW3X2duVR1Q
90Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKwSeJVdWCd
"It looks... beautiful," she whispered. She picked up her chopsticks, performed a quick, enthusiastic “Itadakimasu!” and dove in.90Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYjOiLD1K8D
90Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAZAaLpbA0k
Yuri didn't leave. He found himself rooted to the spot, ostensibly to "wipe down the counter," but really, he was watching her. She took a bite of the pork, her eyes fluttering shut. A soft, genuine hum of delight escaped her.90Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW33boq3L0Z
90Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKFXOEm2gxn
"This is it," she mumbled through a mouthful of rice. "This is exactly the flavor."90Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgaWwH1P5pz
90Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAcqGzAu4s6
Yuri paused his cleaning. "Exactly what flavor? It’s just standard ginger sauce. My old man’s recipe."90Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuj7jD8Lg04
90Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2mh64c0iZZ
Selina swallowed and looked up at him. There was no fear in her gaze—only a piercing, bright sincerity that made Yuri want to look away and stare forever at the same time. "It’s the flavor of someone who cares. You can tell when a chef is just cooking for a paycheck and when they’re cooking because they want someone to feel better."90Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjPf6pePfju
90Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjarHkHaCMe
Yuri felt a sharp pang in his chest. Cooking because I want someone to feel better? He hadn't thought about it like that. He just did it because it was the only place he felt he wasn't being stared at.90Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYJ2V4jOGfp
90Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmLK37G8Qe1
"You’re weird," Yuri muttered, though the edge was gone from his voice.90Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYP2a8s7NTD
90Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ39Yl2y1VzX
"I get that a lot!" Selina laughed, reaching for a gyoza. "But I have a very good memory for things that matter. Especially people."90Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuFBv0GFkZr
90Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYdvBf2IO9p
She paused, her chopsticks mid-air. She leaned in a little closer, squinting at Yuri’s face. The sunlight from the window caught the violet in his hair, making it glow like a neon sign.90Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSQahzCQu2e
90Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5ICpcts2vS
"You know, Yuri... have you always lived in this district?"90Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡughk4hSnw5
90Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJiAeXN3DQA
Yuri stiffened. "No. We moved away for a few years when I was in elementary school. Came back for middle school. Why?"90Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUW7A2t2FOX
90Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6o4sAj9o44
Selina’s smile softened into something nostalgic, something private. "I used to have a friend when I was really little. Well, I thought of him as a friend. Most people thought of him as a 'troublemaker.' He had eyes just like yours. Very intense. Very... brave."90Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6jDhZeHwmp
90Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡML7ASWxT6d
Yuri’s heart did a slow, heavy thud. He remembered the preschool sandbox. He remembered a group of older kids pushing a girl down because she had a "fancy" ribbon in her hair. He remembered the red mist of anger that had stayed in his vision even after he’d chased them away.90Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg4HMDDLri3
90Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC7isekEgd5
"I don't remember much from back then," Yuri lied, his voice cracking slightly. "I was a brat. Probably the kind of kid your parents told you to run away from."90Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ftAY4k7HB
90Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡapSc8RKX1o
Selina didn't flinch. She just took another bite of her rice, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "My parents did tell me that. But I never was very good at listening to people who don't know what they're talking about."90Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQFOmeLlZpC
90Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlgNiENoMcV
She finished the entire "large" portion of rice in record time, leaving the plate sparkling clean. She stood up, smoothing out her St. Cerasus blazer, and placed the exact change on the counter.90Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG5GwaKfwPg
90Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOufehoMnKw
"I'll be back tomorrow, Yuri," she said, waving as she headed for the door.90Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpPb8yJXjqs
90Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDemrVpSrS2
"The daily special is mackerel tomorrow," Yuri called out, his voice sounding more like an invitation than he meant it to. "Most girls from your school hate the smell."90Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyhPoLM6vMR
90Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfytVURFULN
Selina paused at the door, looking back over her shoulder. The sunset framed her, making her look like a character from a high-budget romance anime.90Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwFzl29PDNr
90Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkfk3IkDJIl
"Then it's a good thing I'm not 'most girls,'" she winked. "See you tomorrow, Hero."90Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqRizHkBI9d
90Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6eI2bcM0QP
The door clicked shut. The bell chimed.90Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6lmxpfGL76
90Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjQiQ5BPlhb
Yuri stood frozen behind the counter. He looked down at the empty plate she had left behind. Hero.90Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM2BqO1YAJR
90Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡORZPX0ASzV
Nobody had called him that in fifteen years.90Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEDWF1vKg9m
90Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7s01cGfeeE
Across the street, a group of students from his school walked by, loud and rowdy. They saw Yuri through the window and immediately looked away, quickening their pace.90Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmlICfpsNW7
90Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkFhR5GVKm8
Yuri didn't care. He picked up Selina’s empty plate, a small, barely visible smile finally breaking through the "scary" mask he had worn for a decade.90Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpy2YMOs9RK
90Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡljOfGK132J
1234 copyright protection86ＰＥＮＡＮＡqYdRhfQxHw 尼90Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlBaDYmMQvH