Mastore 169 - Dumpster

Magic Realm Convenience Store – Ch. 169

Even the Ambiguous Guy Gets Close (2)

I had no idea why she suddenly decided to make a phone call. And what did she mean a notebook wouldn't work... No wait.

"Hey, you're trying to use magic right now, aren't you?"

"Don't talk to me. I need to concentrate."

"Don't concentrate! Why are you even bothering with this situation in the first place?"

This kid probably isn't trying to cause harm with her magic, but since I don't know what kind of magic she's using, I have no idea how things will unfold. More than anything, this isn’t even her business to begin with.

I told her we would handle it ourselves, but she fiddled with her phone and responded to me, like her call had already ended.

“I still need to talk more with you, Oppa. But they’re being annoying.”

“No, if you do that, they’ll just get even more annoying, you know?”

“That won’t happen. I’ll just take a few pictures real quick.”

She then turned on the camera and took several photos of the front entrance area, sent those photos somewhere.

Then, she made another call, and as soon as the ringing stopped, she uttered just one line before hanging up.

“It’s the convenience store in front of the subway station here.”

Then she slipped her phone back into her pocket, sat down, and that was it. Just quietly watching the sprawled-out troublemakers with her legs crossed and chin propped up.

She seemed to think she had done something, but her actions had been so unassuming that I had no clue what she was trying to pull.

“What did you just do?”

“Just wait three minutes.”

Her leisurely manner had a nuance of 'you'll see,' but I couldn't just stand by and watch. Those wasted underage brats were getting more ridiculous by the second.

“One pack of cigarettes for 10,000 won. That’s a fair deal, right?”

That goblin guy is now trying to make a deal with the store manager. Since goblins are a species that inherently values money, I wondered if this drunken behavior was an extension of their species' characteristic belief that money solves everything.

Or maybe he was just so drunk he couldn't see straight. Even as one goblin half-collapsed on the table, Manager stayed calm.

“Well, if we’re going to make a fair deal, wouldn’t you need to be an adult first?”

“Now that’s unfair. I have the money right here, and the thing I want to buy is right there. It’s not like I’m going around causing trouble.”

"It's not a matter of telling or not telling. It's a matter of conscience."

"Then how much is that conscience worth. 20,000 won?"

"4,500 won is plenty for the money, and you just need to show your resident registration card along with it."

Smiling sweetly while saying everything that needed to be said. At Manager's response, the minor goblin guy started to tap impatiently on the tabletop, and the floor situation was a problem in itself.

"No, fuck! This is a convenience store, not a damn bar!”

"What. What? Here, sing... Didn't we say we were going to a karaoke?"

"But what's he doing. Is he buying cigarettes? Right now?"

"Hey! I have some so don't buy any, just come out!"

Sprawled on the floor, each of them was spouting off a line, and the more I watched, the more I could only think that they were a collection of absurdities. I approached the register and called out to the goblin from behind.

“Excuse me.”

"Wh... what is it."

"If you're done with your transaction, I'd like to check out too."

I wasn’t in uniform, so I wasn’t a store clerk.

My plan was to talk to him first, and if things went well, I would pretend to help him up and drag him outside. But this goblin guy started trying to make a deal with me too.

"You're an adult, right. Buy me some cigarettes."

“What did you say?”

"I said, buy me some cigarettes. I'll give you a fee for your trouble. How about it?"

Wow...

Even in my world, there were a few lunatics who asked me to buy cigarettes for them, but not like this. What the hell is going on in this world?

While I was thinking about whether I should just call the police. I heard the front door bell rang and then came a near-screaming shout.

"Are these crazy fuckers out of their minds!!"

I looked towards where the shout came from, and goosebumps rose on my arms. An orc with a face full of wrinkles stood firmly in front of the main entrance, holding a billiard stick in his hand.

Judging by how he was huffing without pause, he must’ve sprinted all the way to the store. At the sound of the shout, one of the troublemakers looked up at the front door, his face turned ashen as he nudged his friend and muttered.

"Hey... hey. The student dean is here, right here."

"Who's here?"

"The student dean is here, you moron!"

"Let's go to karaoke, to karaoke!! When I'm talking, fucking—"

The orc looks at a centaur tapping his hooves on the ground with a look of disgust, then pokes his buttocks with the end of a billiard cue stick.

A clear chalk mark was left on the poked buttock. He hadn't brought the billiard stick to beat these guys up, he must have really been playing billiard until just now.

"Ow! Whi- Which bastard poked... huh? Teacher?"

"All of you get up. Right now."

Finally realizing the situation, the drunkards clumsily staggered to their feet. Then they all cowered, and it was nothing short of comical to see the centaurs and minotaur standing there with their front hooves drawn together.

"Get outside."

The way they obediently followed orders made me think their high school must be pretty strict on discipline. Five out of six left like that, and only the goblin at the register remained.

I thought this one would be the most normal since he was the only one standing, but hearing what he's saying now, this one was the most abnormal.

"I'll give you money, so can't you reduce my demerit points?"

“You gotta be shitting me.”

After refuting him with a single phrase, the orc lifted the prostrating goblin and practically shove him towards the front door. Watching the goblin grumble as he left, the student dean orc bowed his head toward Manager.

“We apologize for any inconvenience caused by our students.”

"Not at all. Kids can be like that."

"Thank you for your consideration. If by any chance..."

In the middle of his sentence, he fumbled in his pocket, took out his wallet, and handed something to Manager. It was a business card.

"If those kinds of kids show up again, I would appreciate it if you could contact me at this number. And, if I may ask..."

"Yes."

"I came here after receiving a report with a voice-modulated call. When I received the call, I thought it was a prank call, but photos were attached along with it...."

Hearing this, I immediately looked toward the table, and as soon as that kid Na Yuri met my eyes, she immediately averted her gaze. She even change her voice in the process?

"I'd like to convey my thanks to that person, but do you happen to know who it is?"

“…No. I don’t know. I’m sorry.”

Manager seemed to understand something unusual had happened, but didn't say anything more and simply bowed her head. The orc bowed his head even deeper than Manager.

"I’m the one who should apologize. Well then…"

With a string of bows, he adjusted his grip on the stick and exited the store, leaving me, Manager, and the kid Na Yuri, who was watching the orc go out with her chin propped up....

And one other customer standing by the beverage display. A rabbit kobold who seemed so shocked by what happened that he dropped the item he was holding.

He stood there spaced out for a while, then snapped out of it and rushed outside. When I picked up the dropped product to check, it was a 100% carrot juice vegetable drink. Is this stuff any good?

“It took exactly three minutes for that orc to come, Oppa.”

"Yeah. Is that so."

"Just like I said, right?"

I hadn't timed it, but if she says so, I'll take her word for it. After putting the beverage back on the display, I returned to that kid. This time with Manager too.

I was about to ask what had just happened, but Manager spoke first.

“Yuri. Did you call that teacher who just came?"

"Yes."

"And how did you know he was nearby and his phone number?"

"I asked. Someone I know."

A reply with several pieces of information left out. Like, how did she find out the school those uniform-less kids went to, and how did she know the student dean from that school just happened to be playing billiard nearby?

Why did this guy's magic work so well this time? He was complaining earlier during the day that his magic wasn't working because of me.

"Who is this person you know?"

“That's a secret.”

"Then can I guess?"

"Huh?"

"I used to do a bit of magic back in the day. I know pretty much all magic."

(D: You know, I’m something of a magician myself kekeke)

It seemed this was a development she hadn't managed to ask her acquaintance about, as a slightly flustered expression appeared on the kid's face. Since she's a kid with almost no expression changes, she must be even more flustered inside than I can imagine.

"First, it's not information-gathering magic, is it? There’ve been people who came here in the past to pitch products who tried to use that kind of magic inside the store, so I set up my own security."

“.....”

"It didn't trigger those, and since you're using phones or notebooks, it's not fully perfected yet, and judging from the fact that it works well even next to Chan, it’s not a target-specific magic.”

She listed her thoughts without pause, and since the kid had nothing to argue back with, she simply kept listening. As for me, being a novice in magic, I listened with the feeling of learning.

"And... this might be unpleasant depending on who hears it, so if you agree, I'll say it then."

"You can say it, Unnie."

"It's magic that can't be used unless you're mixed-blood of multiple races. At least four races."

She says the human bloodline is the strongest. Next would be elf, spirit, vampire.

Other than that, she said she would have to think a bit more. When Manager said this part, to me she seemed somehow....

"Why?"

"If I'm right, this isn't magic someone can use with normal mana without preparation. You were probably only able to use it because different types of mana just happened to mix the right way?”

"...Well, I'm not sure."

"It seems I was right enough for you to be evasive. Honestly, I’m not completely sure either. In the old days, there were hardly any mixed-blood species."

She sounded like she was enjoying this situation. About as much as when she first encountered my constitution. After saying this much, Manager paused to catch her breath before asking.

"Still, I think I can tell you what I've roughly guessed. Want to hear it?"

It was a question posed as if she knew what kind of reaction it would elicit, and it looked that way to my eyes too. As the kid heard Manager's words, an emotion flickered across her face.

Fear. That face you make when you feel like a secret you’ve been hiding is about to be found out. I must have had the exact same expression when this kid mentioned the world I used to live in.

"…No. I think I’m okay."

"Then let me give you just one last piece of advice. You can't live relying only on that magic."

“.......”

"You can be betrayed by magic you coincidentally became able to use. You might suddenly become unable to use that magic... And, like me, someone might figure it out, even if just a little."

“.......”

"That’s all from me. Didn’t Chan say something earlier?”

I did, but after hearing this conversation, I forgot what we had been talking about. I asked Manager.

"Let's do it later. But, so what kind of magic is it that she's using? Manager-nim."

"I'll go with no comment. It's not certain either, and if I say it, this kid will probably be very upset."

"I understand that, but as you know, Manager-nim, this is a bit—"

“Oppa.”

This kid suddenly cut into the conversation. I looked down at her and asked.

“What.”

"We were talking about work earlier, weren’t we? I said I had d never talked about work before."

"Uh... yeah, we were."

"Actually, I've never worked a day in my life."

That seemed likely. Just from the way this kid talks, it would be hard for most part-time jobs to handle her. Though she would probably follow instructions well...

"But earlier, I saw that Unnie seemed really busy."

"Our store is usually about that busy. If anything, right now is more manageable...."

"So about that, are you perhaps hiring employees here?"

After hearing this, I didn't understand for a moment and asked again.

“Employee?”

"Yes. For example, someone like me."




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