Mastore 114 - Dumpster

Magic Realm Convenience Store – Ch. 114

The Gate's effect on convenience store clerk (2)

Their eyes had rolled back, and some were even foaming at the mouth occasionally. I answered with whatever first came to mind.

"Did they eat some poisonous mushrooms or something?"

"I'm not sure. But that wasn’t all."

They weren't completely unable to speak, but the occasional things they did say were all equally bizarre.

"So... they said this one smells of stardust. Also, they complained that this one’s eyes were too cold and annoying and that they wanted to play by rolling their front paws..."

“How on earth did you escape from them?”

"At first, they mercilessly bit and tore at this one's tail. This one curled up and endured it. But then, all of a sudden, they jerked their heads up and…."

He said he left. Not a single word or action is done in a sane manner. Among the possible reasons they had been acting this way...

“Hey, Mongmong. Are all those Black Wind Gang dogs show exactly the same symptoms?"

"Uh... I believe so."

“How many were there?”

"Hmm... about twenty...? But why are you asking about this?"

Because, aside from rabies, nothing else made sense. Drooling, eyes rolling back, occasional foaming at the mouth. These match exactly with the symptoms of rabies.

Except for one thing. The inability to make noise. Rabid dogs can only bark softly, if at all.

“Also, the infection rate is extremely low. It’s unlikely for twenty dogs to get it at once.”

“Wow… how do you know all this, Boss?"

"I watched a documentary a long time ago. I saw how infected animals behave... but I don’t really want to remember it.”

Not that I even needed to. Those Black Wind Gang dogs did speak, even if their words were nonsense. In any case, let’s assume they're not infected with rabies.

Even in this world, it’s unlikely that poisonous mushrooms would be left growing in a public park. If my common sense from my world doesn’t apply here….

“....”

“Boss?”

Magic. Some kind of magic spell that somehow made them violent, that's all I can think of.

No, honestly, even that doesn’t make sense. Why were the park's stray dogs under a spell and even if they were, why did the mage cast a spell on the stray dogs? Because they’re of the cat gang?

No matter how I thought about it, my level of knowledge about this world just wasn’t enough to find an answer. I admitted it honestly.

“I think I’ll have to ask someone else about this, Mongmong.”

I want to give a proper answer if possible. It was a matter that affected this guy's sleeping place for tonight, and beyond that, his livelihood. Mongmong immediately shook his head at my words.

"No. I'm extremely grateful just that Boos gave it some thought."

“…Alright.”

After that, a moment of silence. I waited, thinking he might speak first, but the dog just hung his bald tail down dejectedly and said nothing. So I spoke first.

“Mongmong.”

"Speak, if you would."

“I’m sorry for getting angry. I mean it.”

I want to be someone you or Hana can rely on. To do that, I'll overcome my fears. I'll fight and win to secure my territory. I'll become stronger.

Honestly, I thought it was nonsense. Because I didn’t want this guy to become someone I could rely on.

Living well outside. That was enough for me. I don’t want to see him getting hurt and bitten. It’s probably the same for Hana….

I thought he hadn’t considered this at all. That's what I believed earlier, and once I believed it, I reflexively became angry. Now I can roughly guess why he acted that way.

It’s not that he didn’t think about it. He just couldn’t.

"...Boss. May this one make a confession?"

"Go ahead."

“About the challenge this one issued… thinking about it now, it wasn't really for the Young Miss or for you."

"Then?"

"It was for this one's sake, I think. This one think needed some excuse, even if it was for you two, to muster the courage. This one wanted to become stronger, even if it meant doing it that way.”

This fellow mentioned two things earlier. That he wants to be someone we can rely on, and so he'll fight against what he fears to secure his territory.

It sounded reasonable at first, but when you dig deeper, the meaning changes subtly. I understand wanting to be something dependable for me or Hana, but could anyone rely on someone who recklessly charges ahead and himself?

I can’t. He probably realizes that now. That's why he's confessing to me now. He did this because he was frustrated with himself, not to relieve someone else’s frustration.

“You once said, Boss, that this one talent might be understanding the words of other mystical creature and animals. I tried to use that to survive in this city. But...”

"It was useless, right? They're all hungry."

"…That’s right…."

Starving wild beasts facing food only have two things to say. Get lost, this is mine. Or if you've got a problem with that, let's fight.

No matter how clever he is, this Pomeranian was never going to win that fight. He must have backed down countless times.

And through that, he realized. His talent might help in society, but it's of no use at all for life on the streets.

"I haven't mentioned this yet... but this one hasn't been able to walk in the park these past few days. The Black Wind Gang dogs have been causing quite a bit of trouble.”

"You could've at least hinted at it."

"How could this one do that? This one still has some pride..."

He lowered his head again, looking bitter, and continued speaking.

"It's quite amusing. When this one first left home, freedom was all this one desired, but now this one can’t figure out what’s what. Whether this one is truly experiencing freedom now, or if what this one felt that first day was genuine freedom at all."

You wouldn’t say something like this unless it’s been weighing on you for a long time. After speaking, whether he's short of breath, or just feeling numb...

He looked up at the night sky outside the shop window. More precisely, he looked up at the moon.

As I watched him, I remembered. This guy had said it himself. That on the first day he left home, looking up at the moon while walking under the night sky had felt so wonderful.

"That was freedom, Mongmong."

"Do you think so, Boss?"

“Yeah. Back then, your voice was so bright. Don’t you believe me?”

"This one does believe. No, this one wants to believe it. That's why this one made excuses inwardly, I think. That this one needed to become stronger quickly, even if for Miss and Boss's sake."

“....”

"Now this one understands clearly. That this one was merely being greedy. That it was just to hide my impatience. This one is sorry, boss."

Mongmong’s confession ended there. Even after finishing his words, Mongmong continued looking up at the moon.

I gave him a big pat and decided to share the thoughts I’d been holding onto. Starting with sincerity.

"I get why you're like this, Mongmong."

"Do you?"

“Yeah. It’s like watching your dream slip away right in front of you. You're still chasing it, but at the same time, you’re questioning, ‘Is what I’m chasing really my dream?’ That’s what you said, right?"

"...That's right."

“When you get to that point, you usually can’t even think straight. The fact that you told me about it is a big deal, Mongmong.”

I couldn't tell anyone.

For the same reason. Because of that damned pride, I clearly knew I was clinging to an unattainable dream, yet I lived with my mouth shut.

But looking back, I always find myself thinking—if I had swallowed my pride even once, would I have lived that way? Even if talking to someone wouldn't have solved the fundamental issue...

Maybe I could have gotten some comfort. Because it’s the thought that someone genuinely cares about you, without any ulterior motives.

"Have you had thoughts exactly like mine, Boss?"

"Not exactly the same, but similar. After all, I didn't skip through life either."

"Well, that makes me curious. What kind of dream did Boss—"

“Don’t ask me that. I’m more curious about your opinion. What do you want to do?”

In the end, there were only two choices. Go back or go forward. When I asked, Mongmong lowered his head for a moment before finally answering.

"This one thinks I want to try as far as I can go. Up until now, this one hasn't made any real effort, you see."

“It’s not that you didn’t try, this rascal. Your direction was just wrong.”

"Direction, you say?"

“Yeah. If you were human or some other race, I’d tell you to hit the gym and start strength training, but…"

This is where the problem starts. I want to find a fundamental solution. It couldn’t have been easy for him to muster the courage to say this, so I want to show him it was worth it.

But even though this guy is a mystical creature, he's still a Pomeranian. He can regenerate his body and speak well, but he doesn’t even know how it works.

I figured the best approach was to find someone who could teach him.

It's just a thought, but Manager talked to me about this before. What mystical creature handle is “something similar to magic but not quite magic—a third kind of thing.”

So he advised me to try talking with a mystical creature. I remember trying to speak with one before.

“Hey, Mongmong, remember when I told you to visit the zoo with the phoenix?”

"Of course, this one remembers. This one even tried to go there directly..."

“But you couldn’t?”

"The path was so treacherous that this one couldn't even attempt it. This one is sorry."

This is downtown. I had no idea how far the zoo was in a straight line, but there had to be at least a hundred crosswalks to get through on the way.

Thinking about that now, I realized I had been way too irresponsible with my words. It's not like you can meet a spiritual creature just because you want to, nor will the flying whale appear again just because you want him to...

—Wooooong.

"Hey, Mongmong. Wait a moment. Gotta answer this call."

"This one can wait all day if needed."

I hope it doesn’t come to that. I pulled out my phone from under the counter and checked the caller. It was Noona. I picked up the call, but I couldn't hear a human voice, and all I could hear was the sound of the wind blowing.

“Noona. Noona?”

[^&$#come!]

“Noona! I can’t hear you over the wind noise!”

[~!# I said!!]

“What do you want me to do?!”

As soon as I asked, I heard the sound of a container rattling outside. The ground trembled lightly, and the lighters displayed on the counter rattled as a result.

And animals are sensitive to earthquakes. The moment the ground rumbled, Mongmong immediately crouched down, pressing his tail against the counter and shouted.

"E- Warthquake! Boss, quickly get under the counter—"

“Hey, Mongmong, stay down for a bit.”

I hugged him, smoothing down his bristled fur, and set him down. When I went outside afterward, I immediately saw Noona standing on top of a container.

She was riding the same Pegasus-like horse I had seen before. Looking in my direction, Noona pushed up the goggles on her head and said with a grin,

“Get ready to receive your package.”

So that’s what she was trying to tell me over the call. I was about to greet her, but something came to mind, so I asked instead.

“Noona. Can I ask you one thing?”

"No, I haven't seen you in ages and you're not even going to greet this Noona? That hurts my feelings, you know."

“Because it’s important.”

“What is it?”

I asked right away.

"That horse you're riding, is it possibly a mystical creature?"

"This? Yeah. A spiritual creature. But why are you asking about this?"



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