Chapter 11
Chapter 11
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: The Sisters of the Label Library
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I headed straight back to the shop the moment I woke up.
You're back.
Instead of replying to the shop, I immediately flipped open the book.
Even a brief exchange felt like a waste of time.
The sooner I opened the book, the easier it would be to glimpse and manipulate the future ahead.
I hadn't dared to open it in the library itself, not knowing what variables might arise, but here, there was no danger whatsoever.
As I opened the book, the letters within rose into the air, carving out space around me.
Two massive pillars slowly formed from above, eventually slamming down into the floor and generating marble tiles beneath them.
When I looked around, the shop had vanished from my surroundings, replaced by an endless expanse of the Label Library.
"Greetings. Welcome to the Label Library."
And there, amid the empty space between bookshelves, stood a silver-haired girl in a retro-style dress.
The three sisters of the Label Library—the librarians of this place.
"I am the librarian here. More precisely, the present."
Why one person but three sisters? The reason was simple.
Three entities shared that single body.
As I thought, a discordant voice soon emanated from her mouth.
"I'm the past! Nice to meet you!"
Gone was the dignified tone from moments ago; this was a bubbly, cheerful voice.
"Me... future. Nice to work with?"
And finally, the future, with its oddly cryptic feel.
"Hello. I'm the Merchant."
"Yeah! You look the part!"
Back to the bubbly voice—the past.
I had no idea how she could tell just from my plain clothes.
But each of them saw me from a different vantage: my past, present, and future selves.
To put it simply, the past saw my childhood self, while the future glimpsed some distant version of me far beyond now.
"But your past is all blank? Like it's got holes punched through it."
"Pardon?"
"Past speaking first."
"Yeah! But make it quick!"
It might look like she was talking to herself, but they were conversing between one another.
"So, Merchant. What brings you to our library?"
"Future. I need the optimal future."
"Me! Me! I knew it!"
"Past."
"Eek... Sorry..."
"Sigh... Merchant, apologies. What exactly do you need in a future?"
"Oh? Ah, the business card—"
I gave a quick summary of the future I required right now.
"Hmm. Quite the tall order. Past, care to explain?"
"Sure thing! The business card is like... a map to the shop, and the shop is—"
The past, having read me like a book, provided the backstory in my stead.
"Understood. Thank you. Future, is it possible?"
"Yeah. Exactly one way. Possible."
The future delivered genuinely hopeful news.
"Really possible?"
Honestly, the conditions were so strict I hadn't expected both to pan out—salvaging even one would have been a win.
"Yeah. Possible. But time's short."
"Time?"
"Time doesn't flow here. No issue. But act right after leaving the library."
"Ah."
"Then, with feasibility confirmed..."
Nothing in this world came free, and buying a glimpse of the future demanded a hefty price.
"Let us commence the transaction. The price is—"
The price was a portion of my past memories.
"Waaait!! I've had something to say since earlier!"
"Past! Why interrupt constantly? Ahem. Speak. But it had better be important."
The present's demeanor seemed to shift for a split second, but it was nothing major.
"Ugh, fine! Remember what I said earlier?"
"Yes? That my past is blank."
"Right! Exactly. Your past has gaps everywhere. Like Swiss cheese."
What?
Did I lack memories from before possessing this body?
"No, more like... jumbled up? It's wild! How's your mind even holding together? Your memories feel off at all?"
This made even less sense.
"For example, I can see you going to the convenience store clear as day, but nothing after—about what you did at home. Like that part got overwritten by something else. Think hard. There must be something weird..."
Something weird.
Nothing came to mind, though.
The only odd thing lately had been a string of minor slip-ups.
And if memories were gone, fine—but overwritten? What did that even mean?
Hmm... No clue, no matter how I racked my brain.
As I pondered, the past delivered bad news.
"Anyway, point is, your past won't cut it as payment for the future."
"What? Can't you just scrape together whatever's there?"
"Would you buy and read a novel missing chunks in the middle?"
"Well..."
"Vital information indeed. Thank you, Past. Merchant, I'm sorry, but in this state, a deal seems impossible."
No deal was absolutely not an option.
I had to think fast.
In the game, memories were the only choice anyway—no other options even appeared.
But this was reality. As long as it made sense, any deal was on the table.
Why did they take memories as payment?
To fill the library's books, of course.
The three sisters of the Label Library were librarians and collectors of tales.
So, what would be the ideal trade for tale collectors?
An endless supply of stories.
"How about this deal instead?"
"What kind of deal?"
"Help me this time, and in exchange, I'll visit monthly to share stories from my shop's customers."
"Intriguing, to be sure. But we can't vouch for their worth matching the future's price."
Damn.
Even I knew it felt too light for foreknowledge.
"My customers' tales will be riveting, I assure you. If this deal works out, I'll bring more than you expect."
"However—. Wait, Present. Take that deal."
Just as the present began to speak, the future seized control of her mouth.
"Pardon? Future, what do you—. Ah, not this. Future's never wrong. Very well. We'll proceed with the transaction."
I had no idea what the future saw in me to greenlight it, but it was done.
"We'll provide future intel; you visit once a month to share stories. Agreed?"
"Yes, agreed."
"Yay! Time to draft the contract?"
With that, the past pulled a book from the shelf.
"This proves your contract—and it'll hold your future tales."
I knew the drill. A contract, plain and simple.
But not just any contract—it incorporated my past as collateral.
"Sign here. Real name."
I signed lightly.
"Contract complete! Anticlimactic, huh?"
"For the record, breaking it erases your past and existence with it."
I knew that too.
Skip monthly visits, and poof—I'd vanish.
A bit unsettling, but the library held no real threats, so no huge burden.
Though I would need to return this book in two weeks, so prep for that.
"And finally."
A single sheet tore free from the book's middle.
"This. Your requested future. Again: act immediately upon leaving."
With those words, the library crumbled, and I was back in the shop.
⚙ FUTURE RECORD ⚙ Yesterday, 9:07 AM: Connected door to Sweetie's Candy Shop, gave business card to first customer. Today, 11:23 AM: Yesterday's customer returns. Another buys an item afterward. Tomorrow, 1:47 PM: Tale Management Bureau staffer who received card arrives. Why are you just standing there?
To follow the future's advice to act fast, I brushed off the shop's words and read the paper.
Sweetie's Candy Shop was no special tale—just a background spot in the game.
The mix of past, present, and future tenses matched the game too, so no big deal.
I knew "yesterday" here meant today as well.
Still, wasn't the info kinda skimpy?
Felt a little scammed.
"Shop, what time is it?"
9:02 AM.
So what's that paper, and why're you freezing up?
Well, it wouldn't lie, at least.
Time to move.
"Connect the door to Sweetie's Candy Shop."
Got it.
So what's the play here?
I sank into thought, trying to decipher the info's intent.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Warm sunlight filtered through the window, rousing the girl deep in sleep.
Choi Yu-na, daughter of Choi Seong-min.
Yu-na glanced sideways.
The clock read 8:40, and Grandma was still asleep.
Yu-na quietly slipped out of the room so as not to wake her.
The living room was a mess—probably from that guest who'd come home late last night.
Yu-na headed to the master bedroom.
To check if her parents were up.
Through the narrow door crack, she heard her mom's voice.
"What about the candy— What the hell— And after what you did to Mother—"
The words were muffled, but even to young Yu-na, the bad vibe came through loud and clear.
From what she caught, "candy" kept coming up.
Yu-na realized: Dad must've snuck some candy, just like Grandma had with the snacks.
'Mom probably wants some candy too!'
Then a bright idea hit her.
'If I buy candy, Mom and Dad will both be happy!'
Yu-na had pocket money saved up bit by bit, and a nearby snack shop she visited often.
She quietly changed and slipped out of the house.