Mastore 105 - Dumpster

Magic Realm Convenience Store – Ch. 105

Pure Meeting with a Chihuahua (4)

I had tried my best not to disturb Chihuahua while talking with Elena, and I think I did a pretty good job. If our voices had been loud, he would've told us to shut our traps, and if we'd touched him, he would've tried to bite immediately.

Because of that, I had no idea why this Chihuahua was shaking with so much anger. I just answered.

“I told you earlier, we’re talking about work―”

“No, punk, did the job just fall out of the damn sky? I'm asking how you two ended up doing this together?"

“I have a quota to fill, but why do you keep asking about that?”

“Fuck, why are you curious about why I'm asking?"

Is this even a conversation? Is this how conversations work?

I feel like I’m going crazy. But as I kept looking into the Chihuahua’s eyes, I realized he wasn’t moving at all, his bloodshot eyes wide open.

Meaning his gaze carries purpose. If I don't answer this question, he'll really make me a candidate for rabies vaccination.

And knowing this guy, he absolutely would. After thinking deeply, I rephrased my answer.

"How we ended up doing this together... well, it just sort of happened."

"Just sort of happened my ass, did you slap each other with kimchi the moment your eyes met?"

“It wasn’t that fateful of a meeting, just… um…”

It was because I cleaned up after Elena when she got drunk and threw up, but I didn’t want to bring that up for both our sakes. I dodged the question.

"She came often at night to talk, and we matched for work, so it turned out like this."

“Why did you start talking, punk?”

“Why are you being like this, Customer. Seriously, why are you so curious about this?”

At this point, just take the hint, man. I don’t want to talk about it.

I tried to change the subject again, but the Chihuahua didn't answer my question and instead glanced behind me. For some reason, it seemed like he was looking at Elena.

A moment later, a short ‘Ah’ came from behind. Then, Elena carefully spoke up.

"Um... Chan."

"Just a moment. No, Customer, at least tell me why you're curious—"

"Forget it, you piece of shit.”

With that, he retracted his bared teeth, turned back around, and started typing on his laptop again. Fine, do your thing.

"Go ahead."

“Um, there’s something else I’ve been curious about for a while…”

“When do you mean by ‘a while’?”

“The second time we met.”

Second time means when the succubus came to the convenience store asking for a resignation letter. It was something that happened very early in my employment, and it’s still vivid in my mind.

"I clearly remember you were completely out of it then."

"That... Back then! Work was a bit tough, anyway! Then!"

“Yes, that time. You said work was hard.”

“...Yes.”

I heard she got a job at a pharmaceutical company making love potions, but she said the work wasn't quite what she'd imagined. That it didn't seem like the true love she was searching for.

“I wanted to vent somewhere. But I don’t have many friends, and I’m a bit introverted, so…”

“You didn’t have anyone to talk to.”

"Yes. So that day too, I was just going to head home, but... Chan come to my mind."

"...I see."

“To be exact, it was what you said when you helped me into a taxi. You told me, ‘Love is fun when it’s a hobby, but when it becomes a job, it’s not fun anymore.’”

I remember. I also remember that I wasn't being serious then. I thought by the next day, she’d kick her blanket a few times and completely forget all about my love rambling, thinking, ‘Why did I say that to a convenience store clerk?’

“Chan were the first person who ever said something like that to me.”

“Me?”

"Yes. I can't even bring up such topics casually. Everyone just dismissed me, saying a succubus has such strange thoughts. But Chan listened..."

She said that when she came to find me that day, she had felt half fear, half hope. Fear. What if she mustered the courage to come, and I ignored her like everyone else?

Hope: but maybe, just maybe, he would listen to my story once more.

“So―well, this got a bit long. Anyway, what I’m curious about is…”

“Yes.”

"Back then... why did you listen to my story?"

All that talk about true love. Why did I listen to it seriously?

It was part of my job. I’m a convenience store clerk, after all. Dealing with difficult customers is part of the job, and honestly, looking for a resignation letter at a convenience store does count as difficult customer behavior.

But I can't give that answer now. The intoxication would kick in. So I organized my thoughts and answered based on what I felt during that love consultation.

"Because you seemed sincere. When you talked about love."

“Well, I was genuinely curious—”

“You’re 24 this year, right?”

“My age is… yes.”

"At that age, I had never been sincere about anything."

My first job after graduating high school was as a gas station ‘gunman’.

(D: It's industry slang/jargon where workers who operate the gas pump are called "gunmen" because they handle the "gun-like" nozzle of the gas pump.)

It wasn't because I had some grand ambition to become a national marksman. I needed money. That was all. Then I got fired because they said they had too many part-timers…...

I immediately found another place and started working again. Maybe because I was young, I could do that back then. Six months at the longest, three months at the shortest.

I worked mechanically, got discarded like a spare part, then found another machine to slot myself into.

I lived like that for almost 10 years. I don’t think I lived wrong. Like everyone else, I needed money, so I just earned it. That's all.

But here’s the thing. Even if that’s all life is, after living for 10 years, you start to look back. How have I lived? After looking back dozens of times, there are moments—very rare moments—when I feel like something’s missing.

"That was then. Had I ever sincerely wanted something, tried to obtain something, like this succubus?"

"It... It wasn't that serious..."

“Then Elena must be an incredible actress. Really convincing that too. I fell for it.”

It seemed sincere to me, so I was envious, and deep down I found it admirable...

At the same time, I was worried. Even if it was sincere, the world isn’t so kind as to accept an individual’s sincerity.

“Finding true love… honestly, it’s a pretty far-fetched idea, isn’t it? You’ve probably been treated like it’s nonsense too.”

“That’s… Yes. I have.”

“I thought it must’ve been hard. If that keeps repeating and breaks Elena's spirit, that... um... sense of loss? I thought that would be just as significant..."

I thought it would be regrettable. For Elena, and for me.

"Since I couldn't live that way myself, I wanted Elena at least to find the answer she's looking for. Wanted to help a bit. That's why."

“....”

“That’s why.”

That’s right. That’s what I thought back then.

The intoxication didn’t hit me. I guess I wasn’t lying.

After finishing, I was feeling awkward and avoiding eye contact when Elena suddenly raised her voice.

"Um, excuse me! Chan!"

“Whoa, you startled me. Call me gently, please.”

“Oh, sorry. It’s just, um… how was work yesterday?”

“Huh?”

"Yes! I'll listen to your story too!"

For some reason, she seems overflowing with enthusiasm. Anyway, about yesterday's work... um...

"Yesterday, well, nothing speci— ugh."

“Ah.”

Another wave of intoxication hit me. Damn it, do I have to talk about this too?

"...Yesterday, some difficult customers came and gave me trouble."

“Huh? Are you regular customers?”

“Yes. It was twelve orcs—”

“Hey, punk.”

This guy keeps interrupting when I’m trying to have a conversation. I turned around and saw the Chihuahua’s laptop was gone. He had a bag slung over his shoulder.

"Heading out?"

“I already left earlier, punk. Are you messing with a kobold?”

“Yes, yes. Are you going home?”

"Yeah. Recommend me some coffee. Two cups."

“Can’t you just have what you had earlier?”

"It's bitter, you little punk."

Then why drink black coffee if you're complaining about bitterness? I should probably ring this one up before we continue talking.

"Elena. I'll be right back after handling this transaction."

“Yes.”

After getting her approval, I grabbed two coffee packs from the display without thinking. Since he'll curse no matter what I give them, I got two of what Elena and I had earlier.

When I brought them over, the Chihuahua handed me his card and even asked for service.

“Put them in ice cups.”

“I told you, that’s self-service. And if I pre-fill ice cups, how would you carry them?"

“Punk, do you think bags are just for show?”

Fine, I’ll do it your way. I opened two ice cups, poured the coffee in, and put them in a bag.

When I handed it over with two straws, the Chihuahua turned around and walked with heavy steps. Not to the front door, but to the table where I was sitting.

When he placed the coffee on the table, Elena tilted her head and looked up at the Chihuahua.

“Huh?”

"What. You with the pink hair."

"...Please stop with the mean words..."

Elena’s earnest protest went in one ear and out the other as the Chihuahua left. After throwing away the leftover packaging at the counter, I returned to the table and explained.

"That person randomly gives me things all the time. Then spouting curses if I don't eat them."

"Ah... so, these are also for us to drink?"

“Seems like it, but I’m not sure. He’s a weird guy. If you’re really grateful, maybe thank him if you see him again.”

I mentioned this since they come quite often, but Elena shook her head vigorously in rejection.

"I, um, have a fur allergy."

“Then there’s nothing we can do. The intention’s there, so let’s just take the coffee.”

“Yes.”

“So… we were talking about the twelve orcs earlier.”

* * *

After that, I just talked about my work.

“Wow, that werewolf elder must be amazing.”

"It's just speculation, but yeah. Seems like he were quite the fighter in his younger days."

I started with yesterday’s events, talking about how someone swiped 2 million won worth of gift cards, how a bunch of soldiers came and cleaned out the cigarettes, and how there’s a little dragon kid who’s a regular.

"Aw, how cute..."

“If you saw him in person, you’d melt. She’s like a walking cotton candy.”

We spent about an hour like this, just talking about my work, and I started to worry, ‘Is convenience store work really that interesting?’

I asked directly, but no matter how many times I asked, the answer was always the same:

“No? It's super fun!"

The intoxication didn’t hit me. Well, I guess my job does seem a bit comical from the outside. Anyway, whenever customers came in, I'd go handle the counter, and Elena would note things down on her tablet...

“Wow, I’ve never heard of a fairy working at a tobacco company.”

"Me neither. But Elena, it seems we're about out of time."

"Already? Aw... Ah!"

She was startled when she saw the clock on the wall. Must not have been checking the time at all. She checked her tablet with a panicked expression, then relaxed in relief.

“Thank goodness. I think we’ve roughly met our target.”

"I must have told quite a lot of lies. Sorry about that.”

“No, it’s not just about checking lies. We also need to see if side effects occur even when we’re being honest.”

After thinking for a moment, I nodded. If side effects kept occurring during honest conversation, people would suspect 'Is this person always lying?'

“Since this was our first meeting, we kept it simple with just conversation time, and there were no abnormal reactions.”

"I'll take that as meaning I earned my keep. First test went well. So…”

For the next meeting, we agreed I’d contact her first. Even this meeting was hastily arranged because I hadn't answered her call.

"Yes, I'll wait for your call, Chan. And, um..."

“Yes.”

“You don’t have to only call about work. You can call me anytime. I mean—”

What we’re doing now is pretending to be in love. If we’re pretending to be in love, it makes sense to call each other even if it’s not about work, right?

Well? I wasn’t sure, but it seemed like she mustered up a lot of courage to say that, her face red. It sounded logical to me.

"I'll try as much as I can. During the day I need to sleep after work, so at night."

"I, um, stay up really late so don't worry."

"I'm not worried. I’ll figure it out. Well then, Elena. Um..."

"Yes?"

"I had fun. See you next time."

I meant it. She laughed a lot and nodded along while listening to my stories. It even made me think that all the hard work at my job wasn’t entirely in vain.

"No, what are you saying! I enjoyed it too! Well then—"

See you next time. She responded and left with hurried steps.

After that, I sat at the counter and stayed up until dawn. While doing so, there was one strange thing. Every 30 minutes or so, a certain phrase kept replaying in my head?

With slight tears in her eyes, hands neatly clasped together. What Elena had said to me:

[Do you…

Every time it replayed, I felt it viscerally. Thinking, well, a succubus really is a succubus, and then—



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