Mastore 123 - Dumpster

Magic Realm Convenience Store – Ch. 123

It may be easy to enter as you please, but when leaving... (1)

The equation formula is messed up.

Starting with these words, Manager's explanation went something like this: Due to one of several possible reasons, the equation formula set up in the convenience store has become tangled, and as a result, teleportation is impossible not only to the world where I lived but to all places.

After saying all this without pausing for breath, Manager immediately continued with her next explanation.

“I wrote down the coordinates to Chan’s home on the first day and kept them separate. Since there's no issue other than the tangled formula, Chan’ll definitely be able to get back home. So stay calm, okay?”

Is it a requirement for great mages to speak for a full minute without breathing? It's obvious that Manager is having a harder time staying calm than I am...

After thinking for a moment about what to say, I decided that offering something helpful would be better than just comforting her. So, I spoke right away.

"Noona came by yesterday, Manager."

“…Huh? Yoonha? Didn’t she take yesterday off?”

“Yes. A squirrel used Squirrel Thunder, and a turtle dove flew in and destroyed the shelves. I was going to include that in the handover report.”

This time I gave the explanation. Harmful pests appeared in the store yesterday and did harmful things, and with the help of the Elder and Noona, we barely managed to resolve it.

“After that, noona mentioned that something like a core gate might appear near our store. She said she didn’t know what kind of trouble it might cause.”

“…Ah.”

“Does this have something to do with the formula getting messed up?”

I couldn’t think of anything else. The only significant change that happened in a day was this.

After hearing my explanation, the manager briefly muttered ‘So that's it’ and slumped her shoulders. It seemed this was one of the reasons she had mentioned earlier. After a moment, she asked,

"Did Yoonha say when it would be resolved?"

“I don’t think Noona knows either. She only said it's still at the speculation stage. And she mentioned something about an embargo on the information?”

“…That makes sense. Yoonha must be really busy today…”

She murmured regretfully and then sunk deep into thought again.

I completely understood why. Throughout my night shift, I had also been trying to comprehend the current situation using the common sense of my own world, and by morning, I had reached a certain conclusion.

Simply put, a storm was heading toward the convenience store. The difference is that this isn't a simple storm but a storm of space and time, but anyway.

What store owner wouldn’t be deep in thought if their shop was about to be swept away by a storm? But now I know this isn't what Manager is worried about.

"You don't need to worry so much, Manager-nim. I'm not particularly concerned."

“....”

“If today had been my first day of work, I probably would've been kicking up a fuss, yelling that I'd see Manager-nim in district court….”

But now I'm calm. To a degree that surprises even myself.

I’m not entirely sure why. It’s a bit complicated. Maybe it's because my senses are dulled from staying up all night, or because my mental fortitude was burned to ashes by the Flying Squirrel Thunder and there's nothing left...

Or maybe it’s because I’ve reached a state of enlightenment, or something. Whatever it is, I don’t feel like overanalyzing it. Because that’s not what’s important right now.

“Remember what we talked about when I went to the storage room two days ago? Even if one of us loses their cool, as long as the other stays calm, we’ll figure it out.”

Only after I said this did Manager look up at me. Her gaze seemed almost apologetic. Not really wanting to see that look, I turned my head away.

After a brief silence, Manager quietly spoke.

"Fixing this isn't difficult at all. It just takes some time."

It was the same professional tone I'd heard back when we worked with the elf police. When I looked back at Manager, she had returned to her usual self.

Except he was slightly more serious.

"I made a promise to myself. No matter what happens, I'd make sure Chan clocks out on time."

“That’s so touching. When did you make such a promise?”

“On your first day. Chan, you really wanted to go home back then, remember?”

Wouldn't all convenience store clerks feel the same? If you’ve worked a full 12-hour night shift and can’t leave, what clerk would stay sane? It would be legal to empty the POS machine's cash and run away.

"It was a very serious promise I made to myself, but it's broken after just a month."

"Well..."

“That’s why I was upset. I feel like I've only been showing you the worst side of me these days...”

"It's okay to show me that side. How many times have you put up with my whining until now?"

As I spoke whatever came to mind, Manager smiled slightly and responded.

“It’s because Chan treat me comfortably like that that I can be this way.”

"I'm glad you feel comfortable. But exactly how many days will this take?"

“A day at the earliest, two days at most.”

After that, we talked as casually as we usually did during handovers. Pulling back the curtains again, unlocking the front door again. Just with slightly different content.

“We can just rewrite the tangled equation formula. The issue is that the formula needs to undergo inspection.”

"The approval you received when opening the store won't work?"

“Nope. Proof-of-purpose procedures are mandatory.”

When creating a new teleportation equation formula, you must absolutely have it verified that this formula is indeed being constructed to spatially transfer a convenience store.

“If you don’t, someone could arbitrarily move buildings like single-family homes at will. You could steal an entire house if you wanted.”

“Oh my.”

I understood immediately. Imagine going to see someone’s house that was stolen, only to come back and find your own house gone too. Wouldn’t you burst into tears the moment you saw it?

Aside from proving its intended use, there were other considerations, like exactly where to define the boundary between the store and the ground, and whether nearby public facilities or neighboring stores would inadvertently be relocated as well.

“If I finish and submit it this afternoon, we’ll get the results by tomorrow morning. So, at most, one day.”

“The process seems pretty complicated. Are you sure you can handle it?”

If it’s too much, don’t push yourself. I tried to hint at this, but Manager tilted her head and asked in return.

“It’s not complicated at all?”

If she says so, I’ll take her word for it. It’s not like I have basic knowledge of spatial movement magic or know any mages who do…

Afterward, Manager crossed her arms and looked up at the ceiling as she continued speaking. This time, it was closer to muttering to herself.

“…But just in case, let’s say two days.”

"What?"

"Nothing, just talking to myself. What do Chan want to do now?"

It felt like she was hastily changing the subject, but I didn’t push it further. This was indeed something that needed to be discussed right away.

I can't go home today. That means I have to sleep somewhere in this world. Only then would I even be able to think about whether or not to come into work the next day. It's not like I'm a hunter.

For a moment, I thought about lying down on the familiar convenience store table to sleep, but I didn’t think Manager would like that. I didn’t like the idea either.

After excluding the storage room for similar reasons, my options had become very limited.

“Is there a sauna nearby? I was thinking I could endure 12 hours there and come back."

"I don't like that idea. Chan can't go home because of my mistake, so Chan should at least sleep somewhere proper. Hmm..."

Manager firmly expressed her disapproval. She immediately opened the POS machine, lifted the cash drawer, and pulled out a yellow envelope from underneath. Now it was my turn to express my opinion.

"It's fine, Manager-nim. I've already received so much, why are you trying to give me more?"

“I knew you’d say that, so I took it out. This isn’t my money, Chan. It’s from that person who bought a ton of gift cards before.”

"...Ah, 500,000 won. I remember." (Around 340 dollars. And 2 million should be 1.360)

There had been a land deity elder who bought 2 million won worth of gift cards and left 500,000 won as a tip, saying ‘good job’. Given the amount, I'd thought he would come back for it at some point...

“It’s been over a week and he hasn’t come back, so I’m pretty sure he intentionally left it for Chan to use. What does Chan think?”

“Honestly, I thought the same thing. But didn’t we agree to use it together?”

"Or I could just give you money."

"...I'll use it well."

If I didn’t accept it, Manager would probably pull out her own wallet. After taking the envelope, I casually asked a few questions.

"Is there a place with lots of accommodations near the store, Manager-nim? That would be easier to check out and enter."

“There’s nothing like that around here, but you can take the subway a bit further out. Or should I look into it for you?”

“It’s fine. I’ve done this plenty of times.”

When I used to go on business trips for my company, one of my weekly routines was finding accommodation with the superior who traveled with me. The rooms couldn't cost above a certain amount, the interior decoration had to be decent, and so on...

I figured this world wouldn’t be much different. After quickly checking my phone battery, I bowed my head to Manager.

“I’ll find a suitable place and settle in, Manager-nim.”

"Okay. Don't worry about anything, just get a good rest during the day. Okay?"

“Yep. See you tonight.”

* * *

After leaving the store, I sat down on the bus stop bench. During the early morning hours, I’d always stare at this bus stop while working, but this was the first time I’d actually sat here.

Sitting there, I briefly looked around the street. It feels somehow awkward to still be in this world at this hour.

At this time, I would always be walking the streets of my world. Whenever I left the convenience store and heading home, I would always glance at the small clock tower midway along my route to check the time.

That clock tower always showed around 10:15. Right now, it was 10:30. E Every minute and second from now on was uncharted time, something I’d only ever imagined in passing.

Thinking about it too deeply would have been pointless anyway. To move the entire store through teleportation, there couldn’t be a single customer inside. Otherwise, that customer would be dragged along to my world, wouldn't they?

If that customer asked, ‘Where are we going right now?’, what would you say to them? Should I say it’s a surprise party for the 1,000,000th customer, and the gift is a trip to another world?

That’d be funny, sure. For this reason, the store's teleportation was impossible unless it was right after 10 o'clock when customers were sparse, and I had always chosen the former option between going home and illegally staying in another world. I need to sleep to go to work the next day.

I had imagined that the opposite scenario might eventually happen, but never did I dream it would happen like this.

Nor did I ever imagine the streets would be this dead. The street I had walked in my imagination was more lively and ordinary than this...

“…Ah, whatever.”

Here I am, with no place to sleep, thinking all sorts of things. I immediately took out my phone and turned on the screen, and there were several messages I hadn't seen until morning. From two people.

The sender of the first message was...

"What the."

Decard. That guy who was my license exam proctor. Current professor of Anti-Magic Studies at the Academy District, and now serving as my mentor—a vampire.

Moreover, he was a guy who lived life his own way to an extent that was practically unimaginable to me. With a sense of foreboding, I checked the message, and it contained exactly two lines:.

[I assume you've finished your shift by now.]

[Call me as soon as you see this]



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