Convenience Store Villain Log - Chapter 1
The Dimensional Control Bureau
The Dimensional Control Bureau
was bustling with the numerous visitors today
“Number 452~!”
After picking up a ticket and waiting about twenty minutes, I heard a response from the counter side
I quickly sat Maria in front of the counter
“Hello, are you here to register as a plane drifter?”
“Yes, this side.”
The employee at the counter skillfully laid out a few documents in front of Maria
“We’ll do it with some simple questions, so please fill in only the circled parts here?”
If I just fill out those papers, my work is basically over
I don’t know exactly how they manage plane drifters, but since this is Sanctum City, it must have a fairly good system
I looked at Maria answering the employee’s questions
“Do you have a religion?”
“Yes!”
“…”
“…”
The employee stared at Maria, but she was smiling brightly while waiting for the next question
Unable to hold back, I blurted out a word
“You have to say what the religion is.”
“Ah! I serve the Outer God!”
Maria clapped her hands and answered with a holy expression
The employee looked at me
The meaning in that gaze was more than enough to understand without telepathy
I nodded
That’s right
This girl is a bit off her rocker
The employee exchanged a brief glance with me for just a couple seconds, then soon turned to search something on his desk
“Hmm… the category of ‘Outer God’ is quite broad, do you happen to have any other titles or names you’re called by?”
“The Outer God is the Outer God!”
“So… aliases, titles, or…”
“But the Outer God is the Outer God…”
“…”
Please don’t look at me
I picked her up and immediately regretted it
The employee’s confused gaze made me quickly deny it harshly
Please don’t get involved any more
I didn’t even bring you into the room!
“Well… generally, the person who first discovered and reported a plane drifter has priority for guarantor rights until the registration process is complete.”
“… Then what happens if not?”
The employee raised his hand and pointed left
It was the [Temporary Residency Zone] separated by partitions
A cloth was hung at the entrance so you couldn’t peek inside
At that moment, three armed personnel hurriedly lifted the cloth and entered the residency zone
The inside was glimpsed for a second
There, various races from different dimensions gathered in a chaotic crowd
They were squeezed together with no space between their arms
It was so suffocating that I couldn’t help flinching
But what caught my eye was the people inside fiercely fighting
It looked like an elf, and through the open entrance, intermittent sounds of quarreling could be heard
“Hey, where did the world tree come from attacking?!”
“It’s not ‘where,’ it’s being grafted on!”
“Do you believe that? That’s not grafting, that’s the heavenly realm!”
“This is going to die!”
The following shouts and the cheers of the remaining residency zone residents
And the armed employees suppressing it
“… You have to wait inside?”
If I enter and just breathe, I’ll get crushed by the fighting happening right next to me
The employee, having read my reaction, answered with a troubled expression
“That’s why we strongly recommend guarantors to plane drifters
I hesitated slightly
What should I say… ethical… or moral responsibility
If I hadn’t come here in the form of a work contract, I would have had to live there with Maria just like her
… Even if I want to throw her in, is sending Maria inside correct?
I couldn’t speak up readily, but the employee added
“Those who support the guarantor will be provided with various benefits within Sanctum City
So usually, the person who discovers and brings the plane drifter becomes the primary guarantor
“I don’t think I’ll ever get to receive those benefits…”
What benefits could I receive while working at the convenience store
If it meant I wouldn’t die, it might have been tempting
At that moment, the employee lowered his voice and whispered to me
“And… it’s a small amount, but we also provide a fixed living support grant?”
I looked at the employee for a moment
“… How much?”
“Ten thousand Luos per day
Whoa
That’s a surprisingly large amount…
On top of the employee’s words, Maria eagerly tried to appeal herself
“Jinho-ssi! Not only material things, but while I’m with you, I can pour out the blessings of the Outer God to my heart’s content… ugh.”
Ah.
Be quiet for a bit
“Uuu… it really is…
Maria, who had her forehead tapped and her speech blocked, pouted
“How long does it usually take to process plane drifter registration?”
“Generally, it’s completed within two business days
“Do I have to provide housing and living environment during the protection period?”
“Yes
Since the races are so diverse, there are no exact standards, but… it’ll be a basic living environment survey later
I looked at the per-person 10,000 Luos… no, Maria
She was still smiling happily with question marks floating above her head
I asked the employee a few more things
“After processing is complete, then?”
“Our staff will contact you, and after handover, we provide housing and jobs until each plane drifter’s home dimension reopens
In short, we take good care of you so you don’t starve, and when a spot opens up in the management bureau, we’ll hand you over
“You can think of it as the residency zone functioning only during the temporary stay period
“How is the payment done? Can I do it in cash?”
The employee looked at me with a troubled face, thinking I was asking too much
And then turned his gaze to Maria, but…
“Jinho-ssi, I want to eat the delicious things you gave me again
The triangular kimbap must have left a deep impression
I held up two fingers
“I’ll give you two
“Two!”
The employee nodded, looking exasperated at the sight of the person involved jumping up and down
“Then you’ll be the guarantor?”
“Yes
In any case, I’m not a suspicious person
“The guarantor’s workplace is CS25 in Sanctum City… I believe it was a shopping plaza near the fountain, correct?”
“Yes, next to the flower shop
“Yes, the simple procedures are finished
Maria Anquines, since the items that need to be confirmed properly are filled out, please visit again next week to receive a precise dimensional check
The employee showed a hint of fatigue
If I made him more tired, I’d probably get a sharp look
***
After completing the procedures, we left the Dimensional Control Bureau
“Jinho-ssi, now I want to eat something that looks delicious even if I die!”
As soon as we came out of the Dimensional Control Bureau, I looked at Maria pointing at the cotton candy while jumping around
… I really should have just thrown her into the residency zone
I regretted it in thirty seconds
No, 10,000 Luos… childishness can be endured
And I had promised to buy it for her before entering
I took Maria in front of the cotton candy machine
“One cotton candy, please
“I hear it’s called cotton candy… to think there’s a food that looks so fluffy and melt-in-your-mouth… ugh
Maria who received the cotton candy, as if it was amazing, put her hand in the hole, then licked the stuff on her fingers
My eyes were already big anyway, and seeing the size of the cotton candy made them even bigger, so I felt uneasy
Sure enough, Maria started gathering her hands towards the lizard selling cotton candy
“Outer God who watches from beyond the dimensions, this creature who serves your fate… overflowing with wisdom and weakness…”
“No blessing-giving from anywhere allowed!”
“Eek
It was already my second “chap” today
After quickly apologizing to the surprised owner, I took Maria to the fountain in the central square where the convenience store was visible and sat her on a bench
Maria, who had eaten the cotton candy mindlessly with a lot on her mouth, looked at me
“Jinho-ssi seems to be very interested in me
“That’s a shame
After all, if I look away, I might cause an accident somewhere
Honestly, based on unpredictability, I’m even more anxious than the Demon King
“If I eat all that, I have to go back to work
“Go back to work? Then I’ll cheer you up…”
“I’ll pay with money
I flatly rejected Maria who was trying to gather her hands
“Uuu… why don’t you like blessings…?
“Don’t give blessings from anywhere…”
I had intended to give a simple warning, but it didn’t seem to register with Maria
“But all the disciples of my dimension want the Outer God’s blessings…? And receiving blessings is a good thing, right?”
“That side was disciples, here there are no people believing in this Outer God or whatever it is
“… Jinho-ssi also don’t want to receive blessings?”
“Not right now
If it was a normal prayer, I might not have cared, but since I saw it actually affecting objects, I had no idea how Maria’s blessing would affect me
I don’t want my body to suddenly glow from receiving that
“Then tomorrow!”
“I said so
I sighed
If I don’t understand why I shouldn’t casually give out blessings, I might not do my job well even if they assign me other work at the Dimensional Control Bureau
Of course, that’s not something I need to worry about, but…
Suddenly, Maria who was holding my hand tightly opened her mouth with a bright smile
“Jinho-ssi
Don’t worry too much
Even if I don’t know what for, I’ll help you!”
… It’s because of you, but thank you, Maria-ssi
“First, let’s go back to the convenience store
Maria’s treatment will be discussed after closing…”
“Yeah
Going back to the convenience store
“Yes yes
So if I ate all that—
“Jinho-ssi, I didn’t say that
I was taken aback
In response to Maria’s calm answer, I turned my head to the other side
The scenery with the fountain and shopping plaza in the background
Among the passing beings, there was someone in a familiar outfit
A dress that seemed to be burning red, and black horns sprouting like wrapping hair
And a predator’s purple gaze looking down as if at prey
“If the girl came to you with something, hmph
The Demon King, with arms crossed, looked at me and Maria
He was smiling
The same sharp smile as when I made a mistake yesterday
“What is the ‘that’ next to you?”
I was startled
… Why
Why am I angry…?