Chapter 7
“Good eveninggg…….”
The lizardman staggered inside.
With a lizard's face, hands, legs, and even a blue tail, the lizardman looked oddly out of place in a suit.
It really drove home that Taepyeong City wasn't the Earth I knew.
“It's hot. Where are the ice creams?”
“The freezer's over there.”
“Thank youuu…….”
The lizardman headed toward the freezer, fanning himself with his hand.
He stood in front of it, let out a deep sigh, and promptly collapsed facedown.
Apparently, customers like that showed up from time to time.
-Among customers with ectothermic traits, like lizardmen, dragons, and lamias, some rub themselves against freezers or heated cabinets. Let them do it for a bit, then say something and they'll stop.
-Those folks can't regulate their body temperature, so it's an instinct they can't help. Don't consider that level of behavior a problem customer.
He'd said it was an unavoidable instinct because temperature regulation was difficult, right?
The lizardman employee had been lying facedown on top of the freezer without even noticing that his suit was getting wet. Then he seemed to come to his senses, opened the freezer, and took out two ice creams.
“Thanks for your concern.”
Embarrassed, he scratched his head and brought the ice creams to the counter.
“Here.”
Beep-!
-This item is part of a Buy One, Get One Free promotion.
A refreshing electronic chime spread through the store along with the barcode scanner's beep.
“That'll be 2,000 won.”
“Have one of these.”
The lizardman handed me one of the ice creams.
“This?”
“Yes. It's hot today, isn't it? Have one while you work, too.”
“Thank you.”
They said lizardfolk were kind despite their fierce appearance.
I could see why that rumor had spread.
“Thank you.”
“Take care.”
Some of the stress from dealing with the problem customer earlier seemed to melt away.
Right. People heal wounds inflicted by people.
Not every customer was a problem customer.
The proportion was pretty high, but there were plenty of good customers like this, too.
Maybe I could say I felt a little more energized.
When there were no customers, I opened the gallery.
[Title : How to Deal with Undead-Type Problem Customers / Comments (23)]
Smack them with holy power
-You bastard, that really kills them!
-└ Are you an undeadphobe?
[Title : How do you deal with a problem customer who starts shit first thing in the morning claiming to be a hunter? / Comments (5)]
As the title says.
-If you're stronger than a hunter, just knock him flat.
-└ If I could do that, I'd be a hunter.
[Title : (ㅇㅎ) One Big-Sis Pic a Day / Comments (88)]
Today it's beastfolk.
-Damn, that's hot.
-Look at that figure lmaoooo
-Fuck, furries OUT
-When's lamia big sis showing up?
-I like humans.
-Cow beastfolk have the best boobs.
-Chubby halflings have the best boobs.
-└ ????
-└ You should hold your breath a little longer.
The gallery was packed with bored convenience store part-timers coming in to chatter among themselves.
Most of it was the sort of thing you could read while turning your brain off.
One post caught my eye as I browsed the gallery while eating the ice cream a customer had given me.
[Title : [Chatter] Is yesterday's brand-new newbie still alive?]
A post referring to me.
Without thinking, I clicked it.
[Title : [Chatter] Is yesterday's brand-new newbie still alive?]
Author : Night Shift from the Mage Tower
This convenience store is pretty damn tough to work at. Don't tell me you've already run away?
I heard the Death Knight was active today, and since none of the other branches have said anything, it sounds like he went to the branch where the newbie works.
Did he sample Level 5 and die?
[12 comments]
NewbieShredder : Protect the newbieee~!!!
└ㅇㅇ(223.39) : Try living up to your username…….
DemonKingLover : There's no way they'd quit just from tasting that once, right? Even if the Death Knight is a pain in the ass, he's not impossible to deal with.
ㅇㅇ : If that guy harvests your soul, you die.
LightWatcher : └ That's because that bastard's undead. Just look at the username—obviously a Demon King's lackey.
DemonKingLover : └ Lay off the racial slurs.
LightWatcher : └ I didn't insult the race. I just named the race that was already an insult.
Beneath the post genuinely worrying about me, an established user presumed to be undead and a user with MAX undead hatred were having an intense flame war.
ㅇㅇ : Still alive. Thanks for worrying about me.
Night Shift from the Mage Tower : Oh, looks like it's manageable.
ㅇㅇ : I'm just doing it. Convenience store work isn't hard.
Night Shift from the Mage Tower : Have you met the Death Knight?
ㅇㅇ : I have, but I handled it fine.
Night Shift from the Mage Tower : That's a relief.
It was right after I posted that reply.
Ding!
A private message arrived along with the notification.
An anonymous user.
Looking through the chat history, I saw that it was the same user who had given me pro tips for dealing with problem customers.
-Anonymous User : You generally shouldn't send messages that can identify your location.
-ㅇㅇ : Ah, can that alone identify me?
-Anonymous User : Yeah. There are more than one or two convenience stores in Taepyeong City, so it wouldn't be easy to pinpoint you, but some people in there have worked nothing but convenience store jobs for years.
-Anonymous User : So, whenever possible, don't reveal information like that.
-ㅇㅇ : You saved my ass. Thanks.
-Anonymous User : Enjoy the gallery.
From tips for dealing with problem customers to advice on using the gallery.
This user had been helpful in all sorts of ways.
I should be careful about exposing information.
I'd thought it was enough not to reveal my race.
‘Come to think of it, if they figure out my location, that means they can learn my personal information, too.’
I needed to be more careful.
I was still adapting to this world, after all.
That was when.
Brrring, brrring!
The phone on the register rang loudly.
-Good evening~.
The manager's voice came through the receiver.
Her voice was groggy, as if she'd only just woken up.
“What is it?”
-Min-cheol, I got a call saying today's food shipment will arrive a little early. Can you handle it? It's nothing special. Just check that the right number of items arrived and put them on the shelves, like I showed you during your orientation.
That's all.
It wasn't difficult.
“What time will it arrive?”
-It should be here in about thirty minutes. That's when customers start coming in, so Jinjo will get ready and head straight to work, too, but I wanted to call and let you know in advance, just in case.
“Understood. I'll take care of it when it arrives.”
-All right.
Thirty minutes later.
A heavy engine roar that pounded against my eardrums rang out.
Vroooom-!
Thinking a large truck was coming, I went outside, only to doubt my own eyes.
“It's not a truck?”
A gigantic dark navy bike, boasting sleek curves and a massive body.
But what drew my eyes even more was the rider straddling it.
A tight black leather jacket and snug pants.
And a plunging neckline that exposed her cleavage.
Her long, slender legs stretching down over leather riding boots and her smooth body line were undeniably captivating, enough to steal anyone's gaze.
The driver, wearing a black full-face helmet, looked at me without revealing even a glimpse of her face.
Was that flickering inside her helmet a blue flame?
“Hunter Tower branch. I've got your delivery.”
A husky, chic woman's voice, tinged with a mechanical quality, rang out from inside the helmet.
“Ah, are you the one Manager Jinjo mentioned?”
“That's right.”
“Ah, yes. Thank you for your hard work.”
As I awkwardly approached her, the helmeted rider stared intently at me.
“Is something wrong?”
“…Human?”
“…I am. Is something the matter……?”
“Interesting. I haven't seen a human in ages.”
Humans really must be rare.
Everyone who saw me seemed to have something to say about it.
‘How strange. Humans are rarer than a species with lizard heads.’
She looked me over silently, then tilted her head.
“Aren't you afraid of me?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean exactly what I said. Aren't you afraid of me?”
“…I'm not scared.”
If anything, I was embarrassed about where to put my eyes.
I didn't know where to look because of the leather jacket and pants that showed off her figure so perfectly.
To make matters worse, the crop top beneath her leather jacket had such a deep neckline that her cleavage was laid bare.
Looking up meant staring at that stark-white cleavage.
Looking down meant staring at her prominently lifted ass.
“Really? How strange. Everyone points at me and says they're scared when they see me.”
“That can't be. You're incredibly attractive.”
“……”
The helmet turned toward me.
The tint was so dark that I couldn't see inside, but perhaps she was looking at me with a startled expression.
“What an interesting human.”
She soon opened the delivery box attached to the back of the bike.
Every time her slender arms moved, three or four shipping boxes as tall as I was rose into the air as lightly as feathers.
Those huge shipping boxes had all fit inside that tiny delivery box on the bike?
Was that even possible?
“Wow……”
As I stood there with my mouth hanging open at the unbelievable sight, she snapped her fingers.
At that moment, a white sheet of paper fell before my eyes.
“That's the shipment list. I'd like you to check it.”
“Ah, yes. Understood.”
Even while I checked the items, she continued taking the cargo out of the delivery box.
I didn't even have time to marvel at the strength coming from such a delicate-looking body.
In just three minutes, she had finished unloading all the goods.
“What? You got here early.”
It was Manager Jinjo.
Wearing a blue convenience store vest, she came in rubbing her eyes, her face disheveled as if she'd just woken up.
“Didn't you sleep?”
“Uuugh……. I was admiring the figure yesterday and didn't even realize it was getting dark. This is your fault. When you bring over such an amazing limited-edition figure, how could I not keep rolling the game?!”
“How is that my fault?”
“Of course it is! Jinjo was originally a proper adult who always went to bed early and got up early!”
Hmm.
It seemed more like the manager's poor sleep schedule was her own fault.
But I had no intention of talking back to my employer.
She was the owner responsible for my livelihood, after all.
You had to listen to the owner.
“I'm sorry.”
“Y-you really don't have to apologize. I was just saying it. It's actually a good thing, isn't it? I get to see my most treasured possession, even from afar. Jinjo is grateful to her retainer.”
The manager, her face haggard, stretched and let out a long yawn.
“Hwaaahm.”
The manager approached the delivery rider and asked,
“You didn't do anything strange to Jinjo's retainer, did you?”
“Of course not.”
“If you lay a hand on Jinjo's retainer, I won't let it slide, no matter who you are. Jinjo and her retainer are connected by a very strong bond!”
At the manager's declaration, made with a tightly clenched fist, the delivery rider turned her face toward me.
“A strong bond, huh……. I see. Are you something like Jinjo's retainer? No wonder you weren't afraid when you saw me.”
“No, I'm just a part-timer paid by the hour.”
“An hourly part-timer? Then why did Jinjo say you're connected by such a strong bond…….”
“Ah, well, about that.”
I was about to tell her about the mobile gacha game we shared when—
“E-enough! T-there's no need to reveal our little secret to someone else!”
Manager Jinjo hurriedly cut in and clapped a hand over my mouth.
“Mmph!”
“…It seems you formed common ground over something useless again.”
“It isn't useless! Do you have any idea how important it is?!”
“If it's something like that, you can tell me, can't you? If it isn't trivial, that is.”
Provoked by her cool taunt, Manager Jinjo jumped in indignantly.
“No! Absolutely not! You wouldn't understand it!”
“…Don't bully the employee; take good care of him. He seems like a capable part-timer. Oh, and if Jinjo is making you work too hard, consider working under me. I'll make sure you get plenty of allowances.”
The delivery rider snapped her fingers as she spoke, and Manager Jinjo cut in.
“W-what are you talking about?! This is a divine workplace that provides top-of-the-line, fully furnished room and board, along with lavish blood stipends! How dare you try to poach Jinjo's retainer?! If you've finished the delivery, hurry up and leave!”
“Just kidding. Give me the receipt.”
The delivery rider held out her hand in an utterly unfazed voice.
I quickly signed the paper I was holding and handed it over, and she took it with her leather-gloved hand.
“Shipment confirmed. I'm off.”
Without a hint of reluctance, she turned around and lightly mounted the bike with her long legs.
Before starting the engine, Lumina turned her helmet and swept it over Manager Jinjo.
“By the way, Manager.”
“W-why are you calling me?”
“Why don't you wipe the drool from your mouth? It's unbecoming.”
“Eek! J-Jinjo doesn't drool in her sleep!”
The manager jumped in surprise and vigorously wiped around her mouth with her sleeve.
But there hadn't been any drool around her mouth to begin with.
“Heh-heh.”
A low, alluring laugh spilled from inside the helmet.
Lightly ignoring the manager, who was huffing in embarrassment, she gave me one last look.
“Oh, and you, part-timer.”
“Yes?”
“Looks like I'll be seeing you often from now on. How about we exchange names?”
“My name is Kim Min-cheol.”
“Min-cheol……. That's an unusual name. I'm Lumina. We'll be seeing each other often.”
When I dipped my head, she continued.
“And thanks for the compliment about being attractive. I haven't heard that in a long time. I quite like you, human.”
“Have a safe trip.”
“See you next time, Min-cheol.”
Vroooom-!
When she twisted the throttle, the heavy engine roar shook the lot.
The gigantic bike vanished, leaving a long trail of blue-flame afterimages.
I let out a short admiring exclamation as I watched the bike recede.
“She's cool, in so many ways.”
“Grrr……! How dare she toy with Jinjo and ride off! I absolutely won't let her off next time!”
The manager huffed, flailing her fists in frustration, and looked rather cute.
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