29. Let's Do It Together While We're at It
29. Let's Do It Together While We're at It
Vacation is over.
Naturally... the students came to the convenience store early in the morning to grab breakfast, and the day began with them ringing up this and that.
"Hello~ Sajang-nim."
"...?"
"By any chance, is this a drink that's okay to have when working out? Like, what if I drink it and get even thirstier...?"
"...No. It's not like that. It's not carbonated, it's just a sweet drink."
"Ah, then please ring this up for me."
In the midst of that... I was a bit surprised by a rather unusual customer who showed up first thing in the morning.
Iris, a student from the same village as Noah.
It was just... very strange that she came by alone without Noah for once.
Before I knew it, I had hesitated before answering her question.
Seeing as she mentioned working out, could it be because of Noah?
Because that was the case when the two of them came by last time.
"Hehe, thank you. Have a good sale~"
"Yes, thank you...?"
And after finishing the transaction, the customer even offered such kind words with a bright greeting, which was unusual.
Perhaps it was because among the many customers who usually visit, there weren't any students or faculty who spoke so brightly.
Honestly, it was to the point of being a bit unusual.
It was morning, after all, and everyone was quite tired, so they usually weren't in such high spirits.
"Is that what youth is?"
Hmm.
I had to admit, once again, that I was quite old.
I mean, I never really was that bright in the past... but she was definitely a bright kid.
It was quite fascinating.
Unlike adults who have been worn down to the bone, she clearly possessed that specific radiance of a young girl, and she was kind too... and a girl like that was showing signs of liking him.
"How on earth does he not know?"
Noah was truly a fascinating guy.
He has a childhood friend who is that bright, kind, cute, and sweet.
How he ended up preferring an ajumma 11 years his senior is... fascinating in many ways.
Maybe he saw some magazine with weird tastes when he was little?
Even aside from just being young, he felt like a kid with a fundamentally very kind personality.
"Tsk tsk...."
I just hoped he wouldn't end up losing such a childhood friend for no reason later on.
Of course, Noah is... quite handsome compared to most kids his age.
Not that that would likely happen, though.
.
.
.
"Sajang-nim, I got a stomachache because of something I bought here."
"When did you buy it?"
"Did I buy it two weeks ago...? Ah, no, I think I bought it last week?"
"......."
A student who suddenly showed up while I was working was holding an empty wrapper and saying that.
They were shouting those words earnestly, as if they were angry.
But that didn't mean I should act like a fool in response to this.
"When did you eat it?"
"I ate it the day before yesterday, and my stomach has been hurting ever since. You must have sold me something weird. Can't you at least give me a refund?"
"Hmm...."
Ate it the day before yesterday.
I see.
I see.
It was definitely a rice ball I sold two weeks ago, and the wrapper clearly had the expiration date written on it.
So, simply put, they were pulling some bullshit. And some very stupid bullshit at that.
The current grade levels probably don't really know about my personality.
After all, I've been living as a diligent convenience store owner, and I usually treat all customers with polite language.
They probably just think of me as a 28-year-old ajumma, a Snow Woman owner.
"A refund, you say?"
"Yes, a refund. Because of you, my stomach hurt so I couldn't even come to the Academy, and I suffered a lot. Hurry up and refund this. Otherwise, I'll spread rumors all over the Academy... you know what I mean, right?"
"Hmm...."
But before now... at least right after I opened the convenience store in the Academy.
I showed my personality quite openly and directly many times.
Back then, there were many students who weren't used to the convenience store, and the noble students were a bit lacking in education regarding this store.
They kept doing nonsense and bullshit in my store just like they did at other shops outside.
I also gave them plenty of behavior that matched those actions.
"Hey."
"...What, do you think I'll back down just because you started using informal language?"
"Do I look like an idiot to you?"
"......I, I never said that. What are you doing by yourself?"
"I run this small shop here by myself. Since I'm a woman here alone without security or other staff, do I really look like an easy target?"
"You shouldn't say...."
This guy had already started the shit first.
The sight of him whining to me because he ate food he bought two weeks ago late, got a stomachache, and shat himself.
Is there really any need for me to remain a kind store owner after seeing that?
I don't think so.
Rather, I think it's right to return this bullshit with the same level of bullshit.
"You're a student at the Academy, and you don't know that food goes bad and rots? Or did you think I wouldn't know that either?"
"Uh, uh......."
"It's not like you're a retard."
"Th-that is......."
I really tried to be a good adult when dealing with the kids.
Because that's what an adult is.
And it wasn't good for an adult to show uneducational behavior to kids.
So I held back inside the Academy, and even when Noah very, very occasionally said things that looked down on me, I let it slide, but.......
There's no need for me to keep holding back in a situation like this, is there?
They are openly pulling a kind of scam, and doing this kind of thing.
"Hey. Think about it again. Did you get food poisoning because I did something wrong? Or is it your fault?"
"......."
I decided to give them a chance, just one last time.
It's something I always think about whenever Noah does weird things to an ajumma, though.
Because they really are just kids.
Yeah, they're kids after all.
Just 17, 18, 19-year-old kids.
Not even giving such kids a chance... that's not something an adult should do, right?
I gave them one last chance.
"......I'm sorry."
"Get lost. If you do this again, I'll make sure you never see the warm sun again."
I said that, sent him away, and the guy ran off just like that.
It was quite annoying that he left the wrapper of what he'd eaten behind until the very end, though.
"Tsk."
But at least he got lost.
I decided to calm my anger in my own way.
If there had been many other students around, I would have tried to calm down as much as possible and said something, but fortunately, there weren't many students yet.
"Should I smoke some Mana Herb too?"
It's similar to a cigarette, but instead of the bad components in cigarettes, it contains various components including mana.
Since cigarettes don't exist and such Mana Herb exists in this world.
Naturally, there were quite a lot of people in the world who smoked Mana Herb.
Compared to cigarettes, it's relatively less addictive and probably not bad for the body.
There was no need to absolutely forbid it either....
The downside would be the high price, but it's not like I don't have the money.
"......."
It's not like I've never smoked it at all.
I've tried it once or twice when I was in a bad mood from a lot of stress in the past, and I could understand why people use it for its unique refreshing sensation.
"Though it's a bit repulsive because it's artificial."
I just suddenly felt bad, so that thought crossed my mind without me realizing it.
I didn't actually intend to smoke it again.
I just thought of... another way to relieve my bad mood for a moment.
Like that, I spent time with my chin in my hand, tapping the counter with my finger.
Because I was in a bad mood for the first time in a while due to a real jerk.
I ended up continuing to act like that without realizing it.
"......The start of the semester really is a flawed culture."
How could so many jerks appear right after the semester started, when there weren't that many last semester?
"Tsk."
When times like this come, I have to admit the necessity of having a hobby.
If I had even a light hobby, I could have relieved my mood a little in this situation.
The problem is that I always only work, and I don't even have any particular hobbies... so it was quite ambiguous.
"A hobby.... A hobby......."
Come to think of it, the motto of this life was clearly, 'To live as thinly and as long as possible.'
How did I end up living without even a hobby?
When I was young, I had nothing to do while living in the Snow Woman Village, in the middle, I was busy getting good grades at the Academy, and after that, I was busy working as an Adventurer to open the convenience store, etc.......
"Noona, why are you suddenly talking about hobbies?"
"...Ah."
Then, before I knew it, more time had passed than I thought.
Noah showed up at the convenience store.
I had been thinking to myself and completely forgot that he was coming in.
"Noona?"
"...Just, since I'm only doing business every day. I was just a little bored, that's all."
"Aha."
The guy who had come in at some point was acting like that with a face not much different from usual, an innocent expression.
It's funny how he's so tall and has such a big build overall, yet his expression is peacefully out of place.
Of course, there's no need for him to look violent just because he's tall.
He's quite pretty... it felt a bit different from his large, muscular body.
"Then how about doing some exercise? Like running."
"Why, because your hobby is exercise. Are you trying to say we should do it together while we're at it?"
"Oh."
"...Sigh."
What's with the "Oh"?
It was truly absurd how he said such ridiculous things so casually.
But if I took up exercise as a light hobby... well, it would be decent in its own way.
At least it would be better than the daily pattern of home, convenience store, home, convenience store.
Even if I don't do it with a guy full of ulterior motives.
"...Ah, or."
"Or?"
"Please teach me some studying."
"......What?"
I naturally thought he would say something ridiculous again.
But what came after the ridiculous words was, unexpectedly... something quite normally reasonable.
Really, unexpectedly.