Chapter 20
Chapter 20
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: That Place Was Always Thursday (1)
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Blink-
Blink blink-
Today, as usual.
Flickering on and off wildly.
The sign of the '99 O'Clock Convenience Store' asserting its presence.
Just staring quietly at that sign.
It felt just like...
Looking into my complicated heart.
"......Haa."
Stumble-
A few minutes ago.
Due to the heartbreaking expenditure of fifteen million won.
With legs limp like a soft-bodied animal, it took me until the convenience store's main entrance.
10 minutes.
I ended up wasting that precious 10 minutes.
So, with the hope of picking up a good treasure equivalent to 'Vita50000' today to make up for that wasted time.
Step-
I stepped into the convenience store.
Ding-
The bell echoed throughout the space, and the convenience store interior was shrouded in thick darkness, as always.
Thick darkness... shrouded.
It felt just like looking into my heart.
Step-
Leaving my heavy heart behind. I headed toward the only lit display shelf in this place.
The moment I arrived at the display shelf.
What entered my sight was.
A lone blank receipt, pitifully placed all by itself on the shelf.
Dangling, just a single blank receipt.
Placed on the shelf.
No sign of any other treasures besides this one.
...Dream?
Am I hallucinating right now?
No matter how I thought about it, this couldn't be everything.
It shouldn't be everything.
If I consider that this building is a 'convenience store' right now.
The only hypothesis that came to mind immediately was one.
-Item stocking time.
Only after a set amount of time passes.
Do new items get stocked on the display shelf—that kind of assumption.
But to verify this assumption.
A minimum of 12 hours.
Only after securing that much time could I confirm the hypothesis I'd just come up with.
So, how many minutes did I have left right now?
Roughly 47 minutes.
....
....
....
I'm screwed.
*****
Remaining time: 47 minutes.
I didn't give up after that, either.
Believing that there had to be an 'In/Out Ledger' somewhere in the convenience store where I could check the item stocking time.
I began quickly scanning my surroundings.
First, I meticulously checked the counter and every single empty display shelf, determined not to miss even the tiniest detail.
Not even a single speck of dust on the shelves!
I didn't let it slide.
But...
The counter and display shelves yielded no results whatsoever.
"......Next."
The next place my footsteps took me was.
The warehouse where the convenience store items were stored.
Honestly, it was the most promising spot, so I planned to search it even more thoroughly than the display shelves.
I grabbed the warehouse door handle and turned it right away.
Click-!
?
Click-
Click click-
Click click click-!
....
Whatever else, I could confirm one thing.
The warehouse door was firmly locked.
In the situation where I'd gotten nothing from the display shelves or the warehouse.
The only place left was...
The bathroom-slash-cleaning-supplies closet.
"......Yeah."
There's a saying: 'The darkest place is under the lamp.'
I didn't give up and began rummaging through the narrow bathroom-slash-cleaning-supplies closet inch by inch.
And, as was only natural, the only thing I found there was.
A foul, stinging stench assaulting my nose.
....
....
....
I'd achieved nothing meaningful anywhere.
I walked back to the one display shelf that was lit up.
Plop-
And sat down right there.
I decided to just wait for the items on the display shelf to change.
Hoping for a miracle in the interim.
After that.
Exactly 40 minutes passed.
Dazed and squatting in place.
Staring endlessly at the display shelf—what I'd been doing.
Let me tell you one thing I could definitely realize.
'Just get some sleep.'
Fatigue already seemed to be creeping in.
I checked the time again on the smartphone in my hand.
▓:13:46
The hour hand—since I'd fallen into this space, the font had glitched out, so I couldn't make it out.
The only things I could check right now were.
The minute and second hands.
▓:13:47
Watching another precious second tick by.
I recalled the time when I'd first stepped foot inside the convenience store.
▓:30:12
Adding to that.
The 10 minutes it took to walk to the convenience store.
Approximately, the total time I'd spent so far was.
53 minutes.
Yeah...
Now, at most, the time I had left was.
7 minutes.
Less than 10 minutes remaining.
'Looks like this is...'
Over.
No chance of browsing new treasures this round.
And even if I wanted to buy the 'Blank Receipt' currently on the display shelf.
The current price of the Blank Receipt was.
9000P.
The points I had on hand right now.
6000P.
Way short.
And while I was lost in these useless thoughts.
Another precious minute slipped by.
Now the time I had left was.
6 minutes.
"......Haa."
The anxiety that whatever mission came next wouldn't be any easier than the Ghost Story Restaurant started to overwhelm me.
Beep-!
?
In that instant, the sound from the counter POS machine drew my gaze there naturally.
I was certain I hadn't found anything at the counter.
But the moment I saw the POS machine suddenly activate, my heart began to pound with inexplicable anticipation.
All my focus locked onto the POS machine, and as if responding to my expectation.
A repetitive voice poured out from it in succession.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
[New items have been stocked.] [New items have been stocked.] [New items have been stocked.]
!
With the voice echoing three times in a row.
My gaze turned nowhere else but.
To the sole lit display shelf—I checked it out.
Just moments ago, flanking the spot where the 'Blank Receipt' had been, new items now revealed themselves to my eyes.
Looked like my faith had gotten through.
So today onward.
I'd believe in God.
Amen!
Now I wouldn't have to leave empty-handed.
But... what was this nagging feeling?
...Tick-
!!
Time!
I immediately checked the time on the smartphone in my hand.
Remaining time.
3 minutes.
!
No time.
Right now, whatever it was, I needed to grab something I could get my hands on.
My gaze dropped not to the items on display.
But to the prices listed below.
?????
:3000P.
?????
:38000P.
?????
:15000P.
Blank Receipt.
:9000P
Expensive!
The only thing I could afford right away at full price was.
At best, that one item for 3000P.
But I couldn't exactly call the 3000P item a steal, either.
The points I had on hand right now were.
6000P.
It'd cost half of the points I possessed.
The rational saver in me was just starting to wake up, thinking, 'Why not save the points this time and buy next round?'
Rrrrring-
!!
A phone bell ringing from outside the convenience store.
'Saving my ass!'
A brand-new treasure right now.
Was as good as a new lifeline for me.
Saving?
You must be nuts?
In a situation this deeply tied to my future survival.
Saving?
Saving mentality?!
Passing up something I could afford? That was as good as saying I wanted to die today.
Rrrrring-
For now, pay first.
Worry later.
Grab-!
I snatched up the treasure marked 3000P and bolted straight to the counter.
"Please process the payment!"
Standing there in the empty counter space, I urgently requested the checkout, and soon an effect sound came from the POS machine.
Beep-
[Please insert your card!]
I promptly shoved the welfare card—somehow already in my hand—into the card reader.
[Payment completed!] [Please take your card!]
The moment the payment completion announcement ended, as I quickly grabbed my welfare card and the purchased item.
Click-
The phone connection tone that had been blaring noisily until just now cut off.
And the odd vibe coming from my left ear—I turned my head that way.
There...
A receiver floating in midair, and a voice that sounded extremely familiar flowed from it.
『I will now convey the mission details.』
📜 MISSION BRIEFING 📜
Identification Code: Tyui-D-113
Mission Location: That Place Was Always Thursday
[Main Mission Procedures]
-Rescue 1 missing newbie.
-On failure: Judged as insufficient ability. Proceed with dismissal.
*****
A moment ago, as I stood in front of the convenience store counter.
Pitch-black darkness descended.
And once more, the light from the illuminating lamps passed through my retinas.
'Crazy... barely made it.'
I let out a sigh of relief.
I'd succeeded in buying something from the convenience store by the skin of my teeth.
If the payment had been even a little slower, I might not have been able to take the item with me.
I finally began examining the true nature of my purchase.
I'd been gripping it so tightly, afraid it might fall, so I checked the slightly crumpled treasure's condition.
The treasure I'd bought this time was.
A bundle of arrow-shaped stickers.
Outwardly simple in appearance, nothing particularly special about these arrow-shaped stickers.
I stared at the arrow stickers clutched in my hand.
'This......for 3000P?'
My eyes sparkled.
Considering the utility outlined in the gallery, it felt like I'd scored it dirt cheap.
Of course, there weren't a ton of stickers.
Even so, no doubt it was a treasure worth more than 3000P.
'Great start this time?'
I was reveling in satisfaction with my shiny new treasure when.
Pum-papum~
Pumpara-bam bam bam~
?
I lifted my head at the raucous tune blaring from the speakers.
And confirmed what sort of place I'd landed in.
Tyui-D-113.
That Place Was Always Thursday.
A place suited to the word 'memories.'
A space now etched into everyone's memories.
The nostalgic spot where I'd spent my foolish youth with countless peers.
School.
And soon, the blaring song faded, replaced by a clear, refreshing female voice.
⚙ ANNOUNCEMENT ⚙
[First, ██ Ability Test.] ['Language Section' will now begin.]