Mastore 167 - Dumpster

Magic Realm Convenience Store – Ch. 167

Contrary to expectations (5)

Although Noona grumbled at my request, she still granted it.

"This punk, how dare you make an A-rank hunter run errands for pet food on her day off?"

"Then what do other A-rank hunters do on their days off?"

“I get nagged at while playing games at home. Mongmong-ah, you too want to go together and come back?"

"I shall do so, Miss Yoonha. It seems I must dry my fur a bit."

With that, the two of them headed outside, leaving just me, the estimated 3-to-4-month-old invisible kitten, and the fire-sensor-type sprinkler that showed no signs of stopping. Now how the hell do I stop that...

After some thought, I loosened my grip and lifted the kitten toward the sprinkler.

"Hey. You turned it on, so you turn it off."

“Meow!!”

The water stream hit something invisible and formed a shape, which looked exactly like a cat.

“Hissss, nyaaaang!!”

You should never do this to a normal cat, because the water in their ears could cause inflammation. But this one’s a magic cat, right?

So surely it’ll block the water from entering its ears with magic or something. And sure enough, this thing hates water so much it thrashed wildly.

How far from ordinary was it? Enough that it created some kind of translucent barrier around my hand that blocked water. As if that wasn't enough, it even made the sprinkler’s water gradually die down until it stopped completely.

Now I’ve figured out how to handle it. I tried speaking towards the translucent barrier.

“You don’t do to others what you don’t like done to you, man, got it?”

“Meow....”

Looks like it got the message. After that, I attempted the same thing with the sink, washbasin, and shower faucets, and it worked out well. Finally, the gas pipe.

I checked where gas might be leaking from, and at one place among the gas valve hoses, there was one hole the size of what looked like a needle poke. It seems this guy made it while playing pranks with magic.

I solved this too by shoving the cat's face toward it, and with a hissing sound, the covering around the hole gathered to one point. The gathered covering sealed the hole cleanly.

I thought about this while looking at it. It was said that this guy kicked out all the tenants and workers who came to visit. The process must have been similar to what I just experienced.

Normally there should be water stains or mold remaining on the floor or wallpaper, but I hadn't seen any of that at all. Unless the landlord cleaned it as soon as water filled up....

"Hey. You, can you also clean up water on the floor?"

“.....”

Now it was exercising its right to remain silent. Or maybe it was just exhausted.

I lowered it to the floor while still gripping its scruff, and the moment its paws touched water, it flinched, making a splashing sound and creating small ripples.

After that, the water began being sucked toward the bathroom all at once like a receding tide. All the water that had filled the gaps in the flooring, wallpaper, and under the sink too.

In an instant, the house interior became dry and fluffy. As I stood there, looking at the now-dry veranda gap, the front door opened again and Noona and Mongmong came in.

Mongmong immediately started shaking off water, and Noona came in holding a phone in one hand and a shopping bag in the other. She glanced around the house and widened her eyes a little.

"What’s this? Did you clean the entire house in that time?"

"The cat did it. Also patched the gas leak while we were at it.”

"Seriously? You told it to clean, and it cleaned?"

Cats are among the cleanest pets. After using the bathroom, they shake off their paws, and they spend a fourth of the day grooming their fur.

I wonder if this magic is an extension of that tendency, but honestly I'm not sure. I just shrugged my shoulders and that was it, then Noona put away her phone and plopped the bag in front of my nose, continuing,

"I told Unnie about the cat, and she said just pet food wouldn't be enough, so she packed various things."

“Manager-nim? Manager-nim raised a cat before?”

“Not Unnie, but Unnie’s friend. She packed a food bowl, bottled water, and snacks. I was gonna help clean up the house when I got back, but…”

“What, you’re leaving?”

“Gonna go wash up. It’s my rare day off and I’m not about to walk around looking like a drowned rat.”

Noona said as she hugged Mongmong. Mongmong had just finished shaking off and was blinking at the house, when Noona gently petted his head and said,

"Mongmong. While we're at it, let's go wash you up too."

"No, when did the house become... what did you just say, Miss Yoonha?"

"Let's wash together, I said. You reek right now, soaked like this."

"...I see."

Mongmong has a trauma from washing. Before running away, his previous owners had scrubbed him against a washboard like laundry.

Since his look at me seemed like he wanted me to dissuade Noona a bit, I appropriately played along.

“Buy some dog shampoo at the store on your way, Noona. If you wash him with regular soap, he’ll get a skin condition.”

“You must not be, Boss...!”

“That I didn’t know. Have you ever had a pet before?”

"Not that, but I worked part-time at a pet shop. Text me later, Noona."

“Okay. Let’s go, Mongmong.”

After that exchange, Noona picked up the mutt, who had flattened himself to the floor, and headed out, then now it was really just the two of us left. My hands starting to go numb after holding the scruff of its neck for over ten minutes.

After changing grip with the opposite hand, I tore open the pet food packaging and filled the cat food bowl with pet food. I put the cat down in front of the full food bowl and quietly watched.

A few kibbles rustled. One piece lifted slightly and dropped repeatedly, then finally disappeared into what must have been the cat’s mouth. It seemed to lick it several times with its tongue before putting it in its mouth.

After this, it began eating hastily. I could tell by the sound.

"Wungnyangnyangyang..."

Mongmong had said this guy smelled like a trash can. With nothing to eat in an empty house, it must’ve gone out and foraged in trash cans every time it got hungry.

I took my hand off of the cat and it was absorbed to only eating without making a fuss. I read what was written on the food bag and spoke to the cat.

"Hey. That's high protein, kitty."

“.......”

"Cause another scene, and I’m cutting your rations."

If I let it out, I have no idea what kind of trouble it’ll get into, so it looks like we’ll be living like this for a while. At least it's a well-behaved when comes to eating...

* * *

After confirming the food had stopped decreasing, I tossed everything except my boxer briefs into the dryer and went to sleep. With not a single towel in the house, I had no choice but to wring out a t-shirt to dry myself off.

When I woke up, it was dark outside. I turned on the light and checked the food bowl first, and the amount of kibble had dropped way more than the last time I saw it. The emptied plastic bag was covered in claw marks.

"Purr… Purr…."

A rumbling purr was coming from inside the room connected to the living room. Considering cat habits, it was probably hiding away from me to sleep.

As I was looking, it occurred to me that I hadn't given it water. After additionally tearing open another food bowl and filling it full with bottled water and pet food, I took out clothes and got dressed.

It was 9:30. If I didn't start getting ready now, I'll be late. I called into the room.

"I left food and water in the living room, so from now on, don't dig through the trash and just eat your food. Got it?”

“...Purrrr....”

"I'll buy a litter box tomorrow, so do whatever you want today.”

I did everything I could. Thinking that, I stepped outside and made my way out of the alley where the two-room building stood. As soon as I entered the main intersection, a pretty spectacular sight unfolded.

The street was dazzlingly bright. Streetlights, neon signs, department stores, and along the sidewalks stretched restaurants, bars, household goods stores, and countless other buildings.

With so many schools clustered together, the commercial district would naturally be well-developed. I had only guessed this in my head, but now I can clearly feel it.

Just two months ago, I would never dreamed that I would be living in a place like Hongdae. I walked further to a scramble intersection.

While waiting for the pedestrian signal to change, I listened to the voices coming from all directions.

"How'd your aptitude test go? If I'm unlucky, I'm gonna have to transfer to non-magic department."

"They say I have aptitude for electric magic, but I'm on thin ice too."

"Hey you fuckers, I'm at the crosswalk right now, where the hell is this restaurant? Is there even any meat left for me?"

"Yes, Professor-nim… Yes. Urgent matter, yes. The magic potion reagent is insufficient, you say? Come back, you say? Yes......"

"Manager-nim. For that matter, we should contact the dwarf workshop we're collaborating with—"

Various different species are continuing each one's story. Two kobold high schoolers sulking about failing the aptitude test, an orc apparently heading to a BBQ spot to meet friends, a grad student still suffering after 10 p.m., an office worker who seemed to work in metal-related products company.

Among them, I tried concentrating on the story of the orc who was looking for a restaurant, but the meat that this orc says he eats seemed to be frog hind legs. The hell, why are these guys who are over 2 meters tall gathering to eat frog legs?

"You haven't even eaten half in an hour? Okay, just wait. I'm coming to eat the rest."

Must be some pretty big frogs. The traffic light turned green, and I crossed the street half-swept along by the crowd.

While walking, I bumped my thigh against a dwarf’s shoulder, but the shoulder was like a stone boulder, so I bounced off and almost fell over. As I stumbled, the dwarf turned around and gave a quick bow.

“Oh. Sorry.”

“No. Is ok.”

It was such a natural response that I just gave a small nod in return. As I passed by, stray thoughts filled my mind. What is my species, where am I from, what is my identity?

No one seems to care. Well, if none of the customers cared about this issue during all my time working, how could they suddenly start caring now....

With this feeling, it seems like living in this neighborhood itself won't be much of a problem going forward. Once I sorted out the resident registration, lease, and insurance, that is.

I kept walking until I reached a spot where the Academy District’s castle was visible. The subway station entrance in front of the convenience store also came into sight, and among the crowd, I saw several non-humans entering the store.

As I entered the store, I saw three or four customers browse the aisles. Manager also looked my way at the sound of the bell.

"Ah, Chan’s here. Sleep well today?"

“So-so. Manager-nim, how was the day shift today?"

"It was no joke. Take a look."

Manager points to the POS machine. I checked the sales, and they were about 1.5 times higher than what would typically be recorded around this time at the intersection.

"High schoolers flooded in. Guess they were celebrating finishing their big test."

"I overheard some kids talking on my way here. Two of them looked on the verge of depression."

“The ones who swarmed in here were all like that. If there was a kid who said they did well on the test, the rest would beat them with backpacks.”

"That's the same in this neighborhood too."

“But Chan, has the problem been resolved?”

"Uh... yes. I was actually about to tell you."

fed it and watched it, and it slept well. It seems like it won't cause any problems as long as I keep feeding it well. I asked him right after explaining.

"That cat in my house, it's a mystical creature, right?"

“Based on what Chan and Yoonha said, I’d say 99% sure. The rest, I’ll have to see for myself to confirm… but Chan.”

"Yes."

“Let’s avoid talking about that one when there are other people around. If someone overhears, it’ll definitely lead to some kind of trouble.”

Just when it finally started behaving, now what problem?

Just as I opened my mouth to ask this, the front door bell rang and another customer came in. They glanced our way, then put their bag down on a table and stood in front of the register.

Then, they just stared intently at the two of us. When we both remained silent, this person blinked their silver eyes a couple of times and then spoke.

"Hello, Oppa."

"Looks like a problem did arise as you said, Manager-nim."

"Well, this isn't the problem I was talking about…."




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