88 - Supermart Shenanigans
"There are really a lot of people here."
"It's Saturday, so even more crowd than usual. The marts are all closed this Sunday, so everyone's stocking up."
I'd come to the large supermarket with Professor Cheon early Saturday morning to do the shopping. Weekends were for sleeping in, not rising at the crack of dawn like on weekdays, so it hadn't been easy.
"What time did your friends say they'd come?"
"Haru said she'll probably make it sometime after 6 p.m. Yuna, I'll pick up by car beforehand."
"Anything you want for dinner?"
"Anything's fine. Something fresh."
"Always with the fresh stuff. Thanks to you, Nami, I've tried every recipe out there. At least your appetite's come back—that's a relief."
"How much longer for the potions? I'm so hooked on them now, it's like..."
"The approval from the FDA's taking forever. Hang in there just a bit longer, alright?"
Products made by directly processing mana often had harmful effects on the body. Even a mana-enhanced brain booster could be whipped up and sold with current tech, but the side effects kept that from happening. Right on cue, I spotted a corner selling ginseng tonic aimed at exam-takers. I got the strict national regulations on mana potions, but it still left a pang of regret.
We looped past the fruit and veggie section, then the meat counter, and ended up at the snack aisle. I handed over the shopping cart I'd been pushing and headed off to pick out snacks for the pajama party.
"How much should I get?"
"Just enough to snack on. We've got dinner too, remember."
"Got it."
Professor Cheon split off to browse more ingredients for dinner. Snacks—it's been ages since I last had any. My absolute favorite was sfogliatine glassate, or Nunettine for short. Sure, humans called it "human feed" derogatorily, but that's just because it tasted so damn good.
Not here, huh? Sadly, in this parallel world of 2051, it seemed the Illuminati or some secret society had wiped it out, unable to stomach the idea of human livestock. Total bullshit—it probably just got discontinued for lack of sales.
As I entered the crowded snack corner buzzing with people, a big fat sign caught my eye.
SNACK INFINITE SCOOP EVENT!
They still ran these events? It was a periodic stock-clearing gimmick, and folks were frantically stuffing bags to squeeze in one more. Most managed four or five, but savvy ones hit seven. Shame none were my taste.
Amid the aunties and uncles, a little kid was grunting, jamming snacks into his bag. It looked ready to burst on the other side. Then the pile collapsed, and he plopped down, eyes welling up.
"Need a hand?"
"Sniff... Huh?"
"Hand over the bag?"
The checkout would catch any overt magic or aura use anyway. But holding it together till then and releasing at the last second? That should be fine.
"Pass me the snacks you want one by one, and sis'll pack 'em."
"This one's not going in..."
"Tch, hurry up and give it here."
Static electricity trick. Induce dielectric polarization in the bag to make the snacks stick together—precise aura control to keep it stable. Five in, and the bag was maxed out.
"Keep going?"
"Yeah, stack 'em on top."
Each time I placed one, I'd infuse aura into the surface. Before the kid even set the next down, it'd slide right into place and stick.
"No more, sis! That's enough!"
At fifteen, the kid balked. I could've gone higher—pity.
"We set a new record, right?"
"Yeah!"
I handed back the towering bag and returned to the aisle, where Professor Cheon waited.
"Still picking?"
"Home run balls? Perfect for munching during movies."
"Sweet needs salty balance."
"Then these too. Here."
Next stop: clothing section. Time to stock up spare outfits for spring and summer. But the real goal was more pressing.
"Hope they have a good variety of animals."
"It's a mart—not a specialty store."
Pajama gifts for Yuna and Haru: animal ones. At first, I wasn't sold on them, but now anything else felt wrong. The fabric had grown on me, like sleeping on the wrong pillow. Hard to explain—call it an attachment garment. Too good to hog; I wanted the kids in on this comfort ASAP.
"Looking for something specific?"
"Hmm..."
Cats jumped out at me—no need to ask.
"Got any bear or pig animal pajamas?"
"Not on display, but I'll check the stockroom. One moment!"
While the clerk was gone, I peeked at Professor Cheon's haul.
"Dinner stuff?"
"Thinking tortillas and strawberry canapés. Sound good?"
"Kids'll hate the bell peppers. Skip those."
"Haha, got it. Nami doesn't like bell peppers, huh?"
"No, it's the kids...!"
"But mushrooms are fine, right?"
This guy's not even listening. Couldn't curse him out to his chuckling face, so I laughed along. Truth was, I hated bell peppers too.
* * *
"Yeah. Oh, Yuna—hold up before you hang up."
"No need to bring pajamas."
"Not that. Got you animal pajamas as a gift."
"Cool. Talk later."
I'd left a text for Haru since she had her own phone. Phone call with Yuna done, we prepped to head home.
"Brings back memories. We had pajama parties at school when I was a kid."
Professor Cheon let go of the wheel, eyes closing in reminiscence. He'd stubbornly driven manual before, but since I moved in, it was self-driving only.
"You pulled an all-nighter at school?"
"Yep. Staying up late with teachers and friends, watching movies—it was a blast. Hard to believe that's 40 years ago."
"Sounds kinda fun. But our class might struggle. The boys and girls don't get along."
"Haha, that's universal at your age. Once they start playing, they mesh fine."
"Maybe."
"Home, then lunch. After, clean the oven—it's filthy from last time. Bathroom too, while we're at it."
For someone who'd lived alone so long, Professor Cheon was shockingly domestic. Bachelors usually trashed the place, but he'd probably enjoyed cozy tea times solo. My arrival hadn't changed much.
"Nami, checked your account—it's loaded. What kind of streams get that much donations?"
He'd peek at my broadcasts sometimes. I'd always clam up on the username and platform.
"Raising... cats? In a game? Something like that..."
Direction had shifted to Adella-rearing anyway.
"Like Nintendogs and Cats?"
"Nintendogs...? What's that?"
"You wouldn't know. Huge hit from my childhood. Handheld game where you raised puppies and kittens."
"Ohhh, think I get it."
Vague memories from my past-past life flickered.
"No VR back then—how was that fun?"
"It was. Felt real—walks, contests, all that. Fun to play, but not so much to watch. Trends are tough these days."
"Pet love's timeless, though. Ever had a dog or cat, Professor?"
"Did. Pomeranian named Choco. Wanna see pics?"
"Sure, curious. Choco, though?"
"Why?"
"Sounds weird. Like naming a person Cyanide..."
"Hahaha, yeah, now that you say it."
He pulled up a gallery pic. Over a thousand shots—clearly cherished. Scrolling showed endless memories; Choco dominated his life. Rare non-Choco pics: magic circle screenshots, hiking with lab grads. No family shots. He had a sibling below, but they weren't close.
"Crossed the rainbow bridge over ten years ago. Losing a long-time pet ain't easy. Haven't had another since. So Nami—you gotta outlive me, got it?"
His solo years amplified those Choco bonds. Life-changer. Family void filled by the pup.
"Ever think of marriage back then, Professor?"
This world had hit rock-bottom birth rates at 0.6 once. If he was from that era, skipping marriage wasn't odd.
"Did. Loved someone, thought of marrying."
"Not meant to be?"
"Not fate... Anyway, Nami—hungry?"
"Huh...? Yeah."
"Big dinner tonight, so lunch is simple: mackerel grill and seafood pancake."