Mastore 95 - Dumpster

Magic Realm Convenience Store – Ch. 95

Fast-track promotion, i'll give it a shot (4)

I tried calling twice at 20 minute intervals, but the line was always busy.

Figuring she'd contact me later on her own, I put down my smartphone and spent the dawn lost in thought. By sunrise at 6 a.m., a total of eight visitors come by.

"Got any makgeolli?"

"We had plenty in the evening, but customers drank it all up so there's hardly any left now."

"Ah, damn."

“What a shame.”

"Just give us whatever's left, then."

These seven are the dwarves who had just finished some road construction outside...

"Before we head back, there are a few things I need to tell you."

The remaining one was the elf officer. Judging by her half-faded golden hair, it seemed like she hadn’t even closed her eyes while waiting in her car.

I figured saying anything would only lengthen her shift, so I simply nodded as much as possible. First, there were a total of 11 suspicious individuals who had shown up throughout the night.

“The last one came by at 5 a.m., and no one else has shown up since. So it’s safe to assume this is over for tonight. And.”

She said that they would start investigating the money bag case as soon as she returns, and that she would come back as soon as it started so I shouldn’t worry too much. I nodded this too, but....

Honestly, it’s impossible not to worry. Even if the police begin their investigation, the guy who sent someone to retrieve the money bag or the one coming to fetch it wouldn't know about any of this, would they?

They won’t know the money bag has been taken to the police station, so they’ll just keep coming to the convenience store, demanding to know where it is. Sure, tonight the officer kept watch, but it’s not like she can do that tomorrow or the day after

"I understand what you're worried about, but... they probably won't come back anymore."

The officer added this while I was deep in thought.

“We’ll find out soon enough. They will, too.”

"By 'they,' do you mean the black market guys?"

“Yes, those guys.”

Her tone was heavy with distaste.

She didn't seem inclined to continue so I didn't press further and just made a mental note of it. Those guys will know that the police are investigating, and therefore, they won’t come back.

“The investigation will start right away, and we’ll come back with a report… Besides that, there’s one more thing I’d like to ask you personally.”

“Yes, go ahead.”

“Is anti-magic work keeping you busy these days?”

Keeping me busy? I briefly wondered why she was asking me this.

Last night, the officer mentioned that anti-magic specialists are generally extremely busy. She had said tracking was difficult too, and the tracking process seemed challenging enough to unconsciously make one crave a cigarette.

But conveniently enough, one such specialist appeared—me. Judging by how I’m juggling convenience store work on the side, it doesn’t seem like I’m that busy and although I don’t want to say it myself, my work is pretty clean.

I think this is why she asked the question. If the police were to request my cooperation, would I be willing to accept? Since he asked indirectly, I decided to respond in kind.

"I'm not too busy, just considering what commission to take on. Because of the quota."

“Quota?”

"Ah. If I want to maintain my license, they tell me I have to do two government jobs every month. Whether it's Magic Bureau work, Fire Department work..."

Or the Police Department. I deliberately left that part unsaid. She could figure it out on his own.

“I have things to do, so I’m thinking of choosing work that won’t wreck my health.”

Simply put, I’m saying I’ll cooperate. Police work is still technically government work, right?

This kind of work is just a side job for me, and I'd like to keep it as comfortable as possible. If I can cherry-pick jobs that are easy on both my body and mind, that would be ideal. But life doesn’t always work out that way. My life specifically.

Rather than procrastinating and ending up stuck with an unpleasant task, I figured it’d be better to grab a relatively comfortable one from the get-go. Like working with this officer, for instance...

She seems considerate. Even her roundabout way of asking if I'm busy—to my ears, it sounded like a question asked with the intention of accommodating me as much as possible.

My mention of health is my minimum condition. Sure, I'll dispel magic if asked, but don't expect me to smash a hardened criminal's head in alongside them. I’m a baby when it comes to stuff like that.

“Is that so?”

This officer seemed to understand what I meant as she immediately nodded without any further questions. Without tapping her head with her baton, she gave a respectful bow.

"Thank you for answering. I'll be off now."

"Sure. Take care."

"Have a good day, Boss."

She left with a faint smile and a greeting, and the police car departed a little later. The time then was around 6:20 a.m.

For the next four hours or so, I handled the usual weekend morning customers and did some work. Then...

Manager arrived 10 minutes before the shift change. Through the shop window, I could see her continuously rubbing her eyes and looking incredibly sleepy.

"Good morning, Manager-nim."

"Mmm... morning. Good morning."

"Did you not sleep well?"

“Not that, I just went to bed late. I was on the phone with Yoonha.”

So the person Manager was talking to last night was Yoonha Noona.

After grabbing a bottle of water from the display and gulping it down, he told me Yoonha Noona had been pulling overtime for the past few days and was totally out of it.

"Noona's still doing overtime? She said May would be an easy month herself.”

“It’s not overtime. One of her office colleagues is hospitalized, so she's covering their workload. She's on duty today."

"Geez. Noona really needs to do something about her workaholic tendencies."

"I told her that! But she just brushed it off."

After downing the rest of the water, Manager shivered from the cold water as if it made her dizzy. Afterwards, seemingly more awake, she asked me in a clearer voice.

“Oh, Chan-ah. . What happened to that money bag yesterday? Did the owner come to pick it up?”

"They found it safely. The officer that is."

“? Not the owner?”

I do the handover shift right away. That the money bag wasn’t actually a lost item, but an underhanded scheme used by people smuggling money through the black market. And that our convenience store had just been unlucky enough to end up as the drop point.

After dealing with several shady customers who came looking for the money bag, I found it and reported it to the officer, and that was that. She said she would come back later. Then I added,

"Remember when you mentioned the trash bag yesterday? Turns out it was a money bag with concealment magic on it."

Right after I said that, Manager, who had been quietly listening, asked.

"And Chan helped them with the concealment magic?"

“Yes.”

“You’ve worked hard. Having Chan as an employee makes things so much easier.”

Despite the praise, Manager's voice was brimming with irritation.

Her expression was even more severe—every corner of her face was tightly packed with discontent. Eyebrows furrowed with all their might, lips jutting out in a pout.

It was clear as day that Manager was extremely angry. But since she’s not someone who gets angry easily, her expression looked more like a high school girl sulking.

As a subordinate, it felt like the right time to match her mood.

“Pardon me, but it seems you’re on fire right now, Manager-nim.”

“It’s not that bad, but yeah, I’m mad.”

“I see.”

"As Chan knows, my convenience store isn't someplace where people can just casually do illegal transactions."

“That’s absolutely right.”

"This place is precious. It’s my store, and Chan’s workplace.”

The more she thought about it, the more upset she seemed to get. She started lightly kicking at the tiles underfoot, like someone would kick an empty can. My personal thought is that we should be thankful we weren't directly involved in the crime, but...

But that’s just my small-minded civilian perspective. Manager is a magician who has done many things, so her perspective may be different from mine. Or maybe she has bad memories of the black market.

"What did the officer say she’s going to do with the money bag?"

"She said they’ll start investigating as soon as she return. She also mentioned she’d come back personally if there’s any progress."

“Did Chan hear by any chance when she was coming?”

“I didn’t hear that... but I had a feeling she will back as soon as possible.”

She did say she would come once the investigation started. Upon hearing that, Manager folded her arms and fell deep into thought, muttering to herself.

“Three days… maybe four if it takes long.”

"Manager can estimate that?"

“I’ve helped the police a few times before.”

I’m starting to wonder if there’s anything Manager hasn’t done. Give it a few more months, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she casually says, ‘Back in the day, I helped build fighter jets too.’

"I’ll be there when they come back. I want to hear things firsthand, too."

“Sure. But, Manager, since you’ve worked with the police before, would you mind listening to my story for a moment?”

"Of course I can. What is it?"

“I’m thinking of taking on some police work myself.”

When I mentioned my conversation with the officer, Manager's response was quite positive.

“As long as it’s not something dangerous, I’m all for it.”

"May I ask why you're supportive of it?"

“In my case, it was a good experience. I got to eat with detectives at the station, meet some bad guys, and things like that.”

It started with the intent of gaining diverse experiences, and apparently, Manager had all sorts of unique encounters over several months. After hearing that, I couldn’t quite see how eating with detectives and meeting criminals would help enrich one’s life experience, but…

It seemed like there were other untold stories too because she suddenly paused mid-sentence, lost in thought. I left her be, and after a brief pause, she came back to her senses and finished her words.

“I stopped because undercover investigations were too exhausting, though.”

"And you were free to quit whenever?"

"Yeah. It wasn’t a contract, just a cooperative arrangement. Wouldn't it be the same for Chan?"

The idea of being able to walk away freely is appealing. I'm not sure if it'll be a good experience for me, but I don't think there's any need to expect anything when I’m just trying to fill a quota.

No, wait. If I think about it, there is one thing. The elf officer.

I've never seen that officer visit with a normal-looking face. If helping out reduces her workload, those dark circles might fade a little too…

That in itself might feel rewarding. After sorting through my thoughts, I gave Manager my answer.

"Then I'll do it, Manager-nim."

“Good. Now, head home. It’s shift change time.”

* * *

After sleeping and coming to the store the next day, there was another strange thing in front of the utility pole.

“Did you sleep well, Chan?”

“I slept well, Manager-nim. But, uh, sorry to bring this up right after getting here.”

“Un.”

“That centaur outside.”

I asked while looking at the centaur bound to the utility pole, thoroughly wrapped from head to front legs in blue tape.

“Why exactly is he tied up out there?”




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