The soft chime of Hana's phone broke the quiet atmosphere of the ramen shop. She was in the kitchen, carefully stirring a pot of broth when she glanced down at the message preview. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the sender's name: Ryo Kobayashi.
Ryo: I won't be able to come to the shop for a while. Got a lot of jobs on my plate. I'll be thinking of you, Hana.
Hana's cheeks flushed with a mix of happiness and sadness. He's thinking of me... She couldn't help but smile to herself, her heart fluttering at the thought of Ryo taking the time to message her despite his busy schedule. It wasn't much, but it was enough to make her day.
"Hey, Hana! What's with the big smile?" Mei's voice cut through her thoughts as she entered the kitchen, a mischievous grin plastered on her face.
Kenta, following close behind, raised an eyebrow. "Did someone finally confess their feelings to you?" he teased, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
Hana quickly turned her phone screen away, but not before they caught a glimpse of the name.
"Ryo, huh?" Mei winked, clearly amused. "You've got that smile that's almost impossible to hide. What's going on?"
"Nothing!" Hana quickly replied, but her smile was too big to deny. "He just... sent me a message."
Kenta and Mei exchanged knowing glances before bursting into laughter. Mei playfully bumped Hana's shoulder. "Ooooh, so the silent customer has finally sent a text! Guess you're not as mysterious as you thought, Ryo!" she teased.
Hana laughed nervously, trying to hide her face behind her hand, but her grin only grew wider. "He just said he won't be coming for a while because of his work. That's all," she explained, though she couldn't stop herself from feeling giddy.
Kenta smirked, nudging Mei. "Sounds like someone's in trouble now," he said, his tone teasing. "Hana's gonna be waiting by her phone for his next text!"
"Don't say that!" Hana protested, though it was clear she was trying to hide the excitement in her voice. "I'm not... I just... I just wanted to know he was okay."
Mei winked playfully. "Sure, sure. We all know what you really mean. You're totally crushing on him!"
Hana flushed even redder. "I'm not!" she stammered, but the more she denied it, the more obvious it seemed to both of them.
Just then, the sound of the door chime interrupted their conversation. Hana turned, expecting a customer. But when she saw who it was, her heart skipped.
"Well, well, what do we have here?" Kai stood in the doorway, looking every bit the part of a mystery man, with his usual cool expression. He strolled into the shop, scanning the room before his eyes landed on Hana.
"Hey, Kai," she greeted, trying to calm her nerves from the sudden rush of thoughts about Ryo.
Kai gave a nod of acknowledgment and strolled to the counter. "I've been craving your ramen today. Thought I'd drop by and have a bowl."
Hana smiled, glad to see a familiar face, even though her heart was still racing. "Of course! What kind of ramen would you like today?" she asked, reaching for the ingredients.
"Just the usual," Kai said with a grin. "But I'll take it extra spicy today. Been needing something to wake me up."
As Hana got to work on his order, Kenta couldn't resist chiming in. "You know, Kai, I was thinking. If you're craving ramen, maybe you should stick around for a while. Who knows, you might catch a glimpse of a certain mysterious customer who's been texting Hana," he teased, a knowing smirk on his face.
Kai raised an eyebrow at the mention of Ryo, though he didn't seem particularly interested. "Not here for any mystery," he said casually. "Just ramen. And maybe some peace and quiet."
Mei snickered. "Come on, Kai. Don't play coy. I know you've been hearing all about Hana's 'special customer.'"
Kai gave a nonchalant shrug. "Ryo, huh? He's not my concern. I'm just here for lunch."
Hana, feeling a bit embarrassed now, tried to change the subject. "Here you go, Kai. One extra spicy ramen, just the way you like it."
"Thanks," Kai said, taking the bowl from her with a grin. "This looks amazing. You always know how to make it perfect."
As Kai dug into his ramen, the conversation turned away from Ryo, and Hana felt her nerves settle. Still, a part of her couldn't help but wonder about Ryo. She'd sent him a message earlier, but the feeling of waiting for his reply lingered in the back of her mind.
Kenta leaned over to Mei, whispering in her ear. "I think Hana's got it bad. Did you see the way she was smiling when she talked about him?"
Mei grinned mischievously. "I'm starting to think Kenta's right. Our Hana's definitely got a crush."
Hana overheard them and immediately turned red. "You two are impossible," she muttered, though she couldn't suppress the smile that tugged at her lips.
As the conversation died down, Kai took out his phone, slyly capturing a video of Hana sitting behind the counter, still flushed from her earlier reaction to the message. In the video, Hana's shy expression was priceless as she tried to pretend she wasn't embarrassed by the teasing.
He smirked and immediately sent the video to Kenta and Mei with the caption: *"Caught in the act. Hana's got it bad."*
"Now that's going to be a fun one to rewatch," Kai muttered to himself, as he took another bite of his ramen.
Mei and Kenta both immediately pulled out their phones, grinning like cats who had caught a mouse. "This is gold," Mei said, showing Kenta the video. "We've got the proof right here."
Hana sighed, trying to hide her face behind her hand, but the teasing was inevitable. "Kai, I swear…"
"Don't worry," Kai said with a smirk, "your secret's safe with me... for now."