Tearing Up the Old Rules
The mom had told me not to pick up anything weird. Yet today I was trying to pull off a "convenience store daily experience" gig, acting like a total slacker and dodging all responsibility. Luckily, I managed to convince the villain to hand things over to the secretary.
“Make sure to prepare the spot next time.”
“Yes… first I’ll just step away, then we can meet later…”
As soon as the villain disappeared, Kim Gichan and I let out a sigh of relief.
Dealing with his nonsense was exhausting.
“…By the way, what should we do with the broken door?”
“The facility management guys always send someone over.”
Kim Gichan answered while frowning. He looked unhappy about it.
“Why? Is he that bad?”
Every time he came, he’d complain and nag me.
There was even a repair guy at the convenience store I used to work at.
But Kim Gichan’s reply was completely unexpected.
“No. The guy is super nice and good-looking, and he works efficiently too…”
“So why not?”
What’s the problem if he’s efficient and pleasant?
Kim Gichan’s answer blew my expectations out of the water.
“Well… he’s handsome.”
“…Jealous?”
“You’d be jealous too. Just try experiencing all the women staring at that guy whenever he shows up.”
“Is it really that bad?”
If it’s that level, I’d be even more curious.
“Anyway, I submitted the repair request today… he should show up around Friday.”
“What about the Backroom until then?”
“What else can we do… First we’ll seal the hole and use it temporarily. And make sure no other customers enter the Backroom.”
Kim Gichan scratched his head.
“By the way, the villain’s power is no joke. I’ve never seen the Backroom iron door ripped open like that.”
“It doesn’t look like handiwork. Probably some kind of magic.”
“Yeah… probably?”
There was a brief silence.
“…Kid, how does it feel to have your soul ripped out by the villain?”
“Stop with the crazy talk and go check the counter, bro.”
***
The next day, Kim Gichan called me over.
“I thought about it all night and decided I should tell you this.”
“What is it?”
“Even though it was you who asked and the villain ripped off the door this time… there will definitely be damaged goods or disturbances in the store in the future.”
That’s true.
In this Sanctum City, where all kinds of beings gather, a store won’t stay intact for a whole year.
Something big is bound to break soon.
“If there’s a fight or threat inside the store, press this.”
Following Kim Gichan’s gesture, I looked down. Under the counter was a big, shiny red button installed upside down.
It looked like something I’d only want to press once in my life. A button that triggered human instincts.
“What happens when I press it?”
I swallowed hard.
Kim Gichan, hearing my question, suddenly cleared his throat as if delivering a line from a movie.
“…You. What do you think is the most effective way to neutralize power? It’s having more power.”
“More power…!”
I never thought I’d hear a word like that at a convenience store.
A big red button calling out “more power” to overpower force.
I suddenly wanted to press it.
“…But if I press it, I’ll be in danger too, right?”
“Well… given your history, I can’t promise for sure, but at least from what I know, it probably won’t happen…”
At this point, I started doubting myself.
Is this the fourth day at the Sanctum City convenience store?
“Simply put, it’s a city security call button. Convenience stores have so many different species that conflict is likely.”
“I see.”
Still, I hadn’t seen anyone fight while I worked here.
“So what counts as a fight? I’ve never pressed this button during shifts.”
Kim Gichan stroked his chin and seemed to search his memory.
“About three months after I started. Two beastmen suddenly fighting in the display area over there.”
“Were they drunk? What species were they?”
“A dragon and a tiger.”
I blinked.
“What?”
“They were tearing up the place like crazy… Ugh, it only cost how much to fix the broken items.”
“…Ow…”
Hold it.
I can’t let myself snap right now or I’ll become just like Kim Gichan.
But…
“…Who won?”
Who won? They wrecked two display cases and called security right away.”
“Cries…”
The conclusion of the dragon-versus-tiger match was unfortunately “prison.”
“Anyway, if something like that happens, press the button. But don’t press it for minor stuff…”
“I don’t want to press it either.”
“Yeah, not pressing is the best. Anything else I should tell you~”
I agreed with Kim Gichan, but I felt a strong intuition.
Maybe my gut was telling me something.
I could only hope that one day I’d have to press that button…
“And here.”
What Kim Gichan handed me was… the employee manual.
“The one you got on your first day, right?”
“I revised and strengthened it after you died in the Backroom. Now you won’t get cheated out of anything because of the real manual. So stop looking at it like garbage~”
Apparently the glare I gave it yesterday worked. I took the revised employee manual and reviewed it again.
“I really moved all the important stuff to the front and added references and tips. I suffered a lot~”
“Hmm. You’re a decent senior now.”
“Is that really what you’re saying…?”
Of course.
Because of who I died for.
Anyway, at least I won’t die from a safety accident because of missing info.
That gave me some peace.
***
“Kid, take out the trash that fell while cleaning the tables.”
After the morning rush passed and it was quiet, we cleaned the tables.
If we didn’t do it early, we’d be overwhelmed with trash when customers returned.
“I’ll go throw it away.”
“Okay~”
I carried two tied-up trash bags and stepped out of the convenience store, turning right.
Next to the store was Florance’s flower shop, with a narrow alley between them.
It was also the spot of the trash collection area and where Kim Gichan died a year ago after smoking a cigarette and getting killed by Florance.
… Wait, so Florance is the type who casually kills humans like the villain.
“Oh my, Jinho.”
“Whoa! Y-yes?”
Startled by his soft voice right beside my ear, I dropped the trash bags. When I turned, Florance was smiling at me with wide eyes.
“Fufu, ahaha. I was wondering what you were thinking about so deeply that you didn’t notice me calling right next to you.”
Florance covered his mouth shyly and smiled, a sight no one would guess was male.
But… he was male.
A male who could easily kill one human…
“Ah, no. Nothing. Hahaha…”
“You were sorting the trash. Sorry for interrupting.”
“It’s fine. It’s not like it’s urgent work.”
I picked up the fallen trash bags again.
“Jinho, isn’t working at the convenience store difficult?”
Florance tilted his head and asked.
“Gichan wasn’t able to adapt when he first started coming to the store.”
“Ah… yes…”
I already knew that.
That was also why he died smoking cigarettes all the time…
“Working at the convenience store isn’t that hard…”
How do I explain that my life is constantly on the line from outside factors without sounding boring and pretentious?
“…I’m trying my best.”
In the end, that was the best I could say.
“Fufu. Good attitude.”
Leaving Florance’s faint smile behind, I walked into the alley.
Where the Backroom should have been inside the store was now clean with no space behind the walls.
“Ugh. The more I think, the more goosebumps…”
I shook my head and threw the trash bag into the back trash area.
“…Eek.”
Is it even allowed to use a weird space like this as a warehouse?
I threw the rest of the trash bags into the area.
Whoosh.
“Uhek.”
“……”
Hmm.
That wasn’t my imagination.
There was someone in the trash area.
A drunk?
In the convenience store I used to work at, drunks who passed out in front of the store were common, especially in entertainment districts.
I went into the trash area to check who it was.
“…What?”
First, it wasn’t a drunk.
The figure slumped against the trash bag…
was a young human girl.
On Earth there were basically only humans, but in Sanctum City they were rare.
The first thing that caught my eye was her clothes—a white robe that looked brand new but was dirty from rolling on the ground. She also wore a veil like nuns do.
“…A nun?”
I poked the overturned body with my foot. The girl let out a “Uuu…” groan and twisted.
She looked like a teenager.
A strand of light blonde hair peeked out from under her messy veil. Her face was covered in dust and grime, but even so she had a gentle beauty.
My eyes lowered and followed the robe that flowed over a chest as impressive as Rafa’s, though not quite as large.
“Excuse me. Are you okay?”
“U…”
The girl tried to say something. I crouched down.
“My… my stomach… hurts…”
Gurgle gurgle.
From her belly came a sound like she hadn’t eaten in three days. Until yesterday the area was empty. Maybe she collapsed after wandering here at night.
“Something to eat… I’m so hungry…”
Watching the girl clutch her empty stomach and beg, memories of convenience store part-time jobs on Earth started coming back.
… Mainly drunks who got sick and collapsed and asked for help.
“Let me see, which 112 was it…”
No, this wasn’t 112.
“Sigh, does the facility safety department even handle this?”
I only knew that department so far.
“Wait just a moment… for the little lamb… it’s so cold… have mercy…”
Drunks are annoying. They cause trouble because they can’t control themselves.
But what’s scarier than a drunk?
Right.
“Please don’t… it’s so cold… I’m so hungry…”
… A sober person causing a scene.
***
…
Ding.
[Gift added]
[…Access denied!]
[Trial ends (2/4)]
Ping!
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