Chapter 29
After our night drive taking in Taepyeong City's nightscape ended, another new day eventually arrived.
“That dullahan didn't do anything to you, did she?”
The manager examined me from head to toe, checking to see whether anything had been torn off.
“There wasn't an incident where your neck got separated, was there?”
“Manager, people die if their heads get cut off.”
“Ah, right. Hahaha!”
The manager was a vampire, so their standards were a little strange.
They were relieved when I told them nothing had happened.
“It would be troublesome if my excellent vassal disappeared!”
After finishing the handover, the manager clocked out.
The manager seemed to be in a good mood lately.
I thought I might be able to start another refreshing day.
“Customer! You need to pay before you eat that!”
“I'm going to pay anyway, so why are you being so stingy?”
A pig-faced man of a customer was chewing on a loaf of bread without even tearing open the plastic wrapper before casually tossing his card.
After sending off the moneyfolk customer who couldn't even control his own appetite, what appeared next was—
“Hehehe, the colors are nice. I'll set them up like this.”
“Excuse me! You can't rearrange the merchandise however you want!”
It was an obnoxious customer who completely rearranged the drink display however he pleased, as if he had some kind of obsessive-compulsive disorder.
As soon as I dealt with one, another obnoxious customer appeared.
I didn't have a moment to rest.
“Hoohehe, I-I said I was going to organize it however I w-want, so w-what's it to you?”
His eyes were slightly rolled back, so I sent him away as politely as I could.
I thought he might pull out a knife at any moment.
I swear, even undead customers like skeletons and zombies seemed much more polite.
“Hey, hand over your ID.”
“Ah, hyung. I gave it to you last time. I really am twenty, you know?”
“You didn't give it to me last time, and it's obvious from your face that you're not twenty, so get out.”
“I-I really do go to a university over there!”
“What department?”
“……L-Liberal arts?”
“Get lost.”
A group of minors pretending to be adults as they tried to buy alcohol.
On top of that—
“Excuse me…… Give me just one of these.”
“Kitty. Catnip is classified as medicine for cat beastkin, so I can't sell it to an underage beastkin. Run along.”
“No! I'm all grown up! My whiskers are long too!”
Then there was even a cat beastkin trying to buy catnip individually.
“Sorry, but adult cat beastkin have a choker that proves they're adults. Could you show me yours?”
“Uuugh……”
“Off you go?”
The thing that made working here as a convenience-store clerk so damn difficult was—
Every species had things you could sell to them and things you couldn't.
It wasn't simply a matter of not selling alcohol and cigarettes to minors.
I couldn't sell items with holy effects to undead,
I couldn't sell catnip to cat beastkin like just now,
and I couldn't sell chocolate to dog or wolf beastkin, although chocolate made with imitation cacao was fine.
When selling alcohol to dwarves, they sometimes got angry if I gave them beer under seven percent.
And mages and shamans had to be sold special mana-infused cigarettes instead of ordinary ones.
There were just too many things to keep track of.
Rather than a convenience-store clerk,
should I say I had to play the role of a Daiso lady?
Like some kind of specialist who had memorized which products were in which aisles
and who they could be sold to.
“It's really hard doing this alone.”
The manager might have been able to handle it alone, but for an ordinary human like me, it was a little overwhelming.
Still, I had gotten fairly used to it by now and could manage things decently.
Sometimes, though, things got a little difficult during rush hour.
“Excuse me! How long do I have to wait?”
“Can I buy this?”
“Aisle twelve has dark-attribute items, right?”
It was a little awkward to deal with questions like these while I was in the middle of checking someone out.
“I knew it would be hard work since the hourly wage is so high.”
Jingle-.
“Two packs of cigarettes.”
An old man with rabbit ears casually tossed a black plastic bag onto the counter.
Inside the bag the old catfolk had handed me was a pile of ten- and fifty-won coins.
I'm screwed.
This was the customer I least wanted to deal with at this hour.
The customer who paid for things with a pile of coins.
If I counted them, I would miss serving other customers.
“Haa…… Just a moment.”
“It's exactly nine thousand won. There's no need to count it.”
“I still have to do my job. Please wait.”
“Tsk, young people these days have no flexibility.”
If any money was missing, I would be responsible for all of it.
Once I finished counting the coins, I felt as if my soul had been sucked out.
“It is nine thousand won.”
“I told you it was! Hurry up and hand it over. I don't have time.”
“…Yes.”
“The part-timer here has no head for work. Tsk.”
The catfolk customer clicked his tongue loudly enough for me to hear as he left.
Endure it.
I had to endure it.
I already knew that making a living off someone else's money wasn't easy, didn't I?
After surviving one wave of customers, I let out a heavy sigh and opened the convenience-store gallery.
I understood why people gathered in this gallery.
It was comforting to have somewhere to share even a little of these hardships.
[Title: Ah, fuck, I almost got the register smashed with an axe after giving a dwarf domestic beer]
Author: Convenience-Store Clerk Life
He went completely ballistic, asking if low-alcohol beer was piss water. What the hell am I supposed to do? I followed the manual, though ㅠㅠ
[Comments: 2]
Hammer Is Coming: It is your fault for giving a dwarf Taepyeong beer.
ㅇㅇ : └You're a dwarf, aren't you? You fucking bastard.
[Title: An elf nuisance came in today and asked me to wrap her purchase in leaves instead of a plastic bag. Isn't she a crazy bitch?]
Author: ㅇㅇ
She went on a rant about how we had to love nature, and when I said we didn't have any leaves, she said she'd file a complaint with headquarters. What a crazy bastard lol
This isn't the Elven Forest.
“Pfft.”
A snort of laughter escaped me before I knew it.
I wasn't the only one getting worked to the bone.
Seeing things like this was comforting.
“Good work, everyone.”
It was while I was sympathizing with the various cases of obnoxious customers.
[Title: Emergency at the convenience stores near Hunter Tower today. That bastard's shown up.]
Author: ㅇㅇ(118.235)
I just got a message from the guy working at the convenience store in front of the Fridel Guild.
The Fridel Guild failed its Tower raid this time, so that pissed-off Emotional Trash Can has apparently started making the rounds again.
Nuisance level five. You know who the Emotional Trash Can is, right? Be careful.
[Comments: 15]
Mage Tower Night Shift: Ah, fuck. He's the guy who brings in something he bought somewhere else, then makes a scene demanding a refund, claiming he bought it here.
Newbie Shredder: He's just throwing a fit so he can use Emotional Trash Can on an easy target like a part-timer.
ㅇㅇ(223.39) : └Seriously. He finds one thing to nitpick, hurls a barrage of abuse, flips over the displays, and takes out his stress.
Stop Buying Huge Cups: He came in while I was working last time, and it was absolute chaos ㄷㄷ
ㅇㅇ : └Level five is that bad?
Watcher of Light: If he's level five, there's no answer. He's a Hunter, so if you're an ordinary person, just do whatever he asks. The Fridel Guild will compensate you.
Shonen Manga: If he causes any more trouble, call the manager immediately. A level-five nuisance can't be stopped by a part-timer.
My brow furrowed as I read down the post.
‘Nuisance level five?’
A nuisance I absolutely had to avoid.
They were bad enough that you were supposed to accommodate them, as long as it wasn't something like a refund.
But this nuisance was apparently bad enough that I could even give him a refund?
Just how severe was this guy?
The Death Knight who had come to our convenience store had been level five.
Even he had been someone they told me not to bother refunding.
If this guy was a level above him—
‘Then isn't he level six?’
I immediately checked the list of level-five nuisances posted in the gallery announcements.
The name on the list was—
-Emotional Trash Can.
-Not a frequent case. He's a Hunter who tackles the higher levels of the Tower, and he appears occasionally when a raid fails.
-He doesn't appear often, but when he does, he's an absolute nightmare.
-Just do whatever he asks.
-You can even give him a refund.
-Sometimes, if you're lucky enough to have a Hunter among the customers, they deal with him. Otherwise, don't try to act tough.
He was a man with a snake's face.
Despite being indoors, he had a cigarette between his lips, and his cheeks were slightly flushed as though he were drunk.
His eyes were unfocused and bloodshot.
Wearing the leather armor Hunters used, he glared at the person he was facing.
“His eyes are fucking vicious.”
He had the kind of face that looked like it would hit you if you made eye contact.
“There are so many lunatics in this world. Does being a Hunter mean you can do anything?”
I was clicking my tongue and memorizing how to deal with him when—
Jingle-.
“Hey, part-timer.”
Along with the sound of the bell, the smell of alcohol and the acrid scent of gunpowder swept into the convenience store.
Leather armor covered in dust and blood.
Eyes bloodshot and red enough to look ready to strike someone at any moment.
In the snake-headed man's hand was a bottle of top-tier mana potion sold exclusively at other Hunter marts—something our store didn't even place orders for.
“Ah.”
Fuck.
Why did it have to be our convenience store?
They said the odds of running into him were incredibly low!
Why did it have to be our convenience store!
Come to think of it, our convenience store was the closest one to the Tower.
It had been inevitable that we would meet.
He staggered toward me on drunken feet.
Bang!
He slammed the potion bottle down so hard it seemed the glass counter would shatter, then growled.
“Hey, I bought this here. Give me a refund.”
The level-five nuisance the gallery had warned about
the Hunter searching for an Emotional Trash Can had finally found his way to my counter.
Choose what a model part-timer should say here. (2 points)
1. Tell him to fuck off according to the official manual.
2. Say you understand and take out the money.
3. Ask him to wait and call the manager.
4. Check the item and exchange it for a similar one.
5. Answer the question with a question.
The answer was, of course—
3.
Taking out the money immediately was one option, but in a situation like this, calling the manager was the best course of action.
The gallery had actually said to choose one of two options.
Either give him a refund immediately or call the manager.
I chose the latter.
The manager would agree right away.
Besides, hadn't the manager told me to call them anytime there was a problem?
They had even given me their phone number. I might as well use it.
If I was lucky, the manager might be able to resolve this situation themselves.
“May I contact the manager? I can't issue a refund at my own discretion.”
“…Do I have to wait for that, too?”
“I'm sorry, sir. I'm truly sorry. But this requires the manager's authorization, so I'll get their permission and resolve it immediately.”
I put on my professional customer-service smile.
They say you can't spit in a smiling face.
“Don't try anything pointless.”
“Of course, sir!”
When bowing, bow as deeply as possible.
I was good at this one thing back at the factory.
“Hurry up. I don't have any time.”
Thank goodness.
It was just as I was holding up my smartphone with the growling man standing in front of me.
Jingle-.
The door opened, and—
“Huh? What's going on here?”
The female customer who had bought World Tree pollen from me entered.
A beastkin customer wearing a black cap pulled low over her head and a mask covering her face.
“Haaah, who the fuck is butting in right now……”
The Emotional Trash Can whipped his head around and was about to spit out an angry curse.
But the profanity that was about to leave his mouth never reached its conclusion.
The moment the Emotional Trash Can's gaze landed on the customer whose face was hidden by a black cap and mask,
his shoulders gave an involuntary jerk.
“W-wha? Why is she here?”
The snake-headed man, who had been radiating enough murderous intent to kill someone just moments ago, began to panic.
The flush drained from his alcohol-reddened face, leaving it as white as a wax figure.
The masked female customer came briskly over to the counter.
“What? Aren't you Mr. Sarimosa from the Fridel Guild?”
“N-nice to meet you……”
“What brings you here?”
“Ah, well, it's, um……”
“Don't tell me you're picking a fight with a part-timer and making a scene demanding a refund again?”
“H-hahaha, why would I do that? I just came to b-buy something.”
“But isn't the thing in your hand a mana potion sold at Uni Convenience Store in front of the Fridel Guild?”
She then smoothly picked up the bottle of top-tier mana potion that the nuisance Hunter had slammed down.
“I see. You came to get a refund.”
“Hic!”
The nuisance Hunter's shoulders shot up as if lightning had struck him.
“Th-that's, I-I didn't……”
“If not?”
What was going on here?
The nuisance everyone in the convenience-store gallery had feared was completely powerless before a female customer who didn't even reach his shoulder.
As if she were a predator.
‘They say you shouldn't judge people by their appearance in Taepyeong City.’
That must be true.
The masked female customer toyed with the potion bottle, smiling with her eyes.
The Emotional Trash Can trembled at the gesture.
“I-I must have been terribly mistaken! I drank far too much…… I must have lost my mind! I'm sorry! I've committed a sin worthy of death!”
“Leave quickly. I didn't come to the convenience store to watch something like this.”
“I-I'm sorry.”
“If you understand, then hurry up and go.”
“Yes, ma'am!”
The snake-headed man couldn't even answer properly before fleeing with his tail between his legs.
He left the mana potion bottle sitting on the counter.
“You work hard, dealing with customers like that.”
“Thank you.”
“Not at all. I only did what I had to do.”
“You must be a powerful person, aren't you?”
“Pardon? Ah, well……”
Flustered by my question, she averted her gaze.
As if she were someone who wasn't supposed to let anyone discover that she was strong.
“In our line of work, I'm his superior. So naturally……”
“Ah.”
I knew what she meant.
I'd learned through working life that physical force wasn't the only thing capable of putting pressure on someone.
The power that came with one's position was often stronger than a fist.
If that was what it was—
it made sense.
“You saved me. I was wondering if I would have to pay for it out of my salary.”
“That was a close one. That potion costs a million won per bottle.”
That expensive?
This potion?
“Wow…… It doesn't even look like it holds a hundred milliliters……”
“That's how it is with top-tier mana potions.”
“Ah, did the Tower raid you mentioned go well?”
She smiled brightly at my question.
“Thanks to you. You saved me.”
“I'm glad to hear it.”
“Speaking of which, I brought you a little present.”
The customer handed me a paper bag.
“Please take it. It's my way of thanking you.”
“No, but I already paid for the item last time……”
“Please accept it.”
Please accept it.