Alvaro turned to his grandmother, who was adjusting her glasses while starting the engine.
"Um… Grandma, I'm going to the stationery store for a bit. I need to buy some supplies—my correction tape ran out, and most of my pens are jammed," she said awkwardly, scratching the back of her neck.
Her grandmother glanced at her briefly before focusing back on the road.
"Hm, alright then. Let's just go to the nearest store. There should be one around here," she said, her voice calm but warm.
Alvaro nodded and leaned against the window as the car started moving. The scenery outside blurred past—rows of houses, small shops, and the golden afternoon sunlight spilling through the clouds. She wasn't really paying attention to any of it, though. Her mind drifted elsewhere, lost in thought, in that quiet way people do when they're tired but don't want to talk about it.
After several minutes, they arrived. Her grandmother parked the car near a modest stationery shop. Luckily, there wasn't any parking attendant, so they didn't have to pay.
"Alright, go ahead. I'll wait here," her grandmother said, keeping the car engine idle.
Alvaro grabbed her wallet and stepped out. The air outside was slightly warm, and the little bell above the door jingled as she entered the store. Inside, the faint smell of paper, ink, and new plastic filled her nose. It was quiet except for the hum of the air conditioner and the light music playing from an old speaker.
She walked slowly along the aisles, glancing at shelves filled with pens, notebooks, sticky notes, and all sorts of small trinkets. Her eyes caught sight of a pen set—sleek, minimal design, and surprisingly cheap.
"Pretty cheap," she murmured to herself as she reached for it.
Just as her fingers touched the box, a voice interrupted him.
"Hey— I saw that first, you know!"
Alvaro blinked and turned her head. A girl stood beside him, wearing a white hoodie and denim skirt. She had sharp eyes but a soft voice.
"Oh, sorry, but I grabbed it first," she said simply, holding the pen set in her hand.
Apparently, that was the last one left on the shelf.
The girl frowned slightly, clearly not pleased. She crossed her arms and stared at her for a second longer than she probably meant to.
Alvaro froze for a moment. SHe had never been glared at by a girl before—it caught her off guard.
"U-uh… sorry," she quickly said, realizing what she'd done. "I didn't mean to glare."
"It's fine," Alvaro said, softening her voice. She gave a faint smile and held out the pen set to her. "Here, you can have it."
The girl blinked, surprised.
"S-seriously?" Her eyes widened slightly, her expression shifting from defensive to embarrassed.
"Yeah. Seriously," Alvaro replied.
"Thank you so much!" she said, finally smiling—an honest, bright smile that made her seem completely different from a moment ago.
Alvaro looked away quickly, pretending to browse another shelf. SHe spotted a similar pen set nearby but frowned when she saw the price tag.
Tch—this one's expensive… what a waste. I shouldn't have given it to her. Now I regret it, she thought, sighing quietly.
In the end, she decided not to buy any set at all. Instead, she picked up two ordinary pens and one correction tape.
At the cashier, just as she was about to pay, the same girl ended up beside her again.
She seemed nervous this time, scratching her cheek. "Uh… sorry again. Because of me, you didn't get the pen set."
Alvaro glanced at her, her expression unreadable for a moment. Then, she smiled faintly.
"Ah, it's fine. Don't worry about it."
The girl nodded, smiling awkwardly. "O-okay…"
After paying, Alvaro left the store without looking back. The doorbell jingled behind her as she stepped out into the warm air again. She walked back to the car, her hands in her pockets.
"You took quite a while," her grandmother said the moment she got in.
"Yeah— sorry, Grandma," Alvaro muttered, frowning slightly as she buckled her seatbelt.
"Alright," she replied, her tone patient but amused. She started the car again, and the two drove off down the quiet street, heading back home where someone had been waiting for them.
---
Meanwhile, inside the store…
The girl—Kaori—stood frozen for a few seconds, clutching the pen set in her hands.
Ugh! I shouldn't have accepted it! Why did I even take it?! she scolded herself internally, puffing her cheeks out in frustration.
After paying for her items, she stepped outside, the sunlight hitting her face. She took out her phone and scrolled through her contacts before calling someone.
"Jenna, can you give me a ride home? You're still out, right?"
"Eh… sure," Jenna's voice came through the phone, light and casual.
Kaori sighed in relief. "Thanks, i owe you"
She waited near the entrance, watching people pass by—families, students, couples. The breeze tugged at her hair, and for a moment, her mind drifted back to that short encounter inside the store.
That girl—with short hair, a slightly raspy voice, and a serious look—wasn't like most girls she had met. She had this calm yet strangely composed aura, almost like… a boy's.
Weird, Kaori thought, tapping her chin. She didn't even look angry when I snapped at her. Just quiet… and polite.
Her lips curved slightly. Kinda cool, actually.
She blinked fast, then shook her head. No, no, no—what am I even thinking? It's not like that!
Just then, a car horn snapped her out of her thoughts.
"Kaori! Over here!" Jenna called, waving from her car window.
Kaori smiled in relief and jogged over. "Ah—okay!!" she shouted back, hopping in.
As soon as she sat down, Jenna glanced at her sideways, smirking. "You look flustered. What happened? Someone annoy you in there?"
Kaori groaned, covering her face. "Ugh, don't even ask. I argued with a girl over a pen set."
Jenna chuckled. "Over a pen set? Really?"
"She was the one who picked it up first, but I said I saw it earlier…" Kaori muttered, embarrassed. "But then she just—gave it to me. Like it was nothing."
"Aw, that's kinda sweet," Jenna teased. "Maybe she just didn't want drama."
Kaori pouted, looking out the window. "Still… she was weirdly calm. Like, too calm. I thought she was mad, but she just smiled instead."
The car moved smoothly down the street. Kaori clutched the pen set in her lap, her reflection faint in the window glass.
Somewhere far down the same road, she caught sight of a familiar car leaving the area—Alvaro's grandmother's car.
Kaori blinked. That girl…
She didn't know her name.
And that "girl" didn't know hers.
But both of them left the store that day with something small—
a simple, awkward moment that somehow stayed in their minds a little longer than expected.