The city shifted around him.
Same streets.
Same plazas.
Same cold morning air biting at his fingers.
But Jun moved differently now.
Not faster.
Not louder.
Just—lighter.
The brewing kit sat on the cloth like always.
The kettle steamed.
The dripper bloomed.
The motions hadn't changed.
Maybe Jun had.
Maybe the world had noticed.
Just a little.
He brewed a cup without looking for customers.
Brewed because brewing steadied him.
Because the flow mattered more than the sale.
Because craft wasn't something you waited to be noticed—it was something you built even if no one was watching.
Footsteps slowed nearby.
Not rushed.
Not curious.
Familiar.
Jun glanced up.
A woman stood a few paces away, coat bundled against the wind, holding a phone loosely in one hand.
She smiled awkwardly.
"You're the guy," she said.
Jun blinked.
Lowered the kettle.
"From the picture," she added, tapping her phone screen briefly.
"It popped up online. Someone said you brewed like you were... listening to the coffee or something."
She shrugged.
Flushed slightly.
"I dunno. Thought I'd try a cup."
Jun didn't answer immediately.
Didn't freeze either.
He just smiled softly.
Bow of the head.
Offer of the hand.
The same way he would offer a cup to anyone else.
He brewed carefully.
More carefully, maybe.
Not because she might post about it.
Because even one pour deserved to be brewed right.
The cup filled.
Steam lifted.
The woman cradled it like something fragile.
She paid double the asking Notes without blinking.
Sipped.
Closed her eyes briefly.
Jun didn't ask what she tasted.
Didn't need to.
He reset the dripper for the next customer that hadn't arrived yet.
[System Log: Passive Visibility Echo – Early Artisan Presence Noted Online (1 Instance)]
[Background Reach: 5 Viewers]
Five.
Five wasn't a crowd.
Wasn't a movement.
But it wasn't nothing either.
It was enough.
Enough to keep pouring.
Enough to keep steady.
Enough to remind Jun that sometimes—
being caught doing your craft right mattered more than chasing noise.
The plaza breathed around him.
Footsteps hurried past.
The day spun forward.
But Jun poured slower.
And somehow—the city seemed to notice.
Just a little more than yesterday.
Logged User: Stylsite08
Path: Stillness to Mastery
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