Magic Store 39


They say that magic gets stronger the more you use it.

I guess it's like a pitcher’s shoulder.

It’s uncertain if my constitution is directly related to magic, but from the manager’s perspective, who has lived as a magician, my condition could only be hypothesized in connection with magic.

Based on that premise, she came up with this theory: the more I use my anti-magic constitution, the more it will inevitably develop.

The distorted appearance of the wallet could be a byproduct of that process.

I understood it this way, but the manager herself seemed uncertain.

"Or maybe you’re just getting used to your constitution as you live in this world... Honestly, I have no idea. I’ve been a magician for a long time, but I’ve never seen anyone, human or other species, with the anti-magic abilities you’ve described..."

"Is it that unusual?"

"Yes. You’re research material. For decades."

"Oh."

One wrong move, and I might end up living off seolleongtang in the underground labs of the National Intelligence Service.

"It’s been about a week since you started working, right?"

"It’ll be exactly one week after I finish my shift."

"Then, hmm... should we call it growth? Anyway, the pace is fast. It would be good to at least understand the cause, even if we can’t prepare a countermeasure..."

What reassured me was that the manager didn’t seem to have any ulterior motives.

She just looked at me with genuine concern.

She’s a really good person.

To reassure her, I shared my thoughts.

"From what you’ve said, I’m not the only anti-magic expert out there. As long as I don’t expose myself, it shouldn’t be a big deal, right?"

"Hmm..."

"I don’t want to become a research subject either. Right now, only you and Yoon-Ha Noona know about this. And you wouldn’t draw my blood for research, right... Manager?"

"...Will you let me if I want to?"

"No."

"Oh..."

Seeing her head droop, it seemed she had at least thought about it a little.

Honestly, I really don't know.

In my world, I was just one of the billions of people working part-time jobs and living ordinary lives.

I can’t even remember the last time someone called me special.

Wasn't it back in middle school when I got a perfect score on a music performance test?

Since we’re on the subject, I should check this out as well.

It can’t be that I'm the only one among all those people who can travel between worlds.

"Manager, I have a suggestion."

"Go ahead."

"Could we maybe visit places like Yeongdeungpo or Hongdae later, by setting them as coordinates?"

"Yeongdeungpo? Hongdae? Are those names of magical artifacts or something?"

"They're places. I'm not sure of the etymology, but lots of people are always there. I can't believe I'm the only one who can travel between worlds. It’s worth checking out."

There aren’t many people where my studio apartment is, but in those neighborhoods, thousands of people come and go every day.

It should make for a decent sample.

The manager thought for a moment and then responded.

"I’m curious about that too."

"Really?"

"Yes. Are there really that many people?"

"To put it simply, imagine all the different species in this world turned into humans."

"Oh... can I visit sometime too?"

"Of course. There's a lot of good food there. Though I've never had the chance to try any myself."

Of course, there was one condition.

There are only the two of us working at this convenience store, so if we both go out to eat, who will look after the store?

This place is open 24 hours, after all.

Because of this, we decided to do the experiment when we get another part-timer, making it a combined lunch trip.

It wasn’t urgent anyway.

"But seriously, haven't we received any applications for the part-time position?"

"None. I can't figure out why. It's not like the store is haunted..."

I have a guess as to why.

This location is just terrible in terms of feng shui.

Not only is it in the middle of a busy intersection in the city, but there's also an alley nearby packed with fusion pubs.

Who in their right mind would want to work part-time here?

It's not even like there's a job crisis since COVID-19 hasn’t hit this world.

Considering the frequency of troublesome customers, there’s probably an underground water vein here too.

But hiring part-timers isn't something I can control.

At best, I can avoid saying anything ominous, or worse jinxing the process.

"Well... someone will come eventually, right?"

"Yeah, I guess... Oh, Chan, it's about time for you to clock out."

"Yes, ma'am."

And making sure I don't miss any shifts.

Just as I was about to leave, I remembered something I hadn't mentioned to the manager yet.

"Manager, remember the succubus who came by before?"

"Yeah."

"We had this conversation…"

She tried a dating app, which was a disaster.

After she turned it off, we talked about her preferences, and just before leaving, she seemed to remember something, and her expression got really peculiar.

"Then she asked if she could come by again, and I said sure, but Manager?"

"......"

"Manager??"

"Oh..."

The store manager, still holding her head, muttered softly.

"Hang in there."

Hang in there?

What on earth does that mean?

____

I woke up at home, and Monday evening had arrived.

Ah, Monday - my favorite.

During the night shift at the convenience store, Monday is probably the least bad of the weekdays.

Monday evenings have a certain quality to them - that urge to just forget about work, go home, and relax with some food and drinks.

Thankfully, this special Monday vibe seems to carry over even in this other world.

The customer flow wasn't too heavy, either before or during my shift.

However, something utterly baffling had appeared.

"Manager, what is this?"

There was a semi-transparent sticker or film on the storefront window.

At first I thought it might be some kind of anti-bug magic, but the manager gave a completely unexpected answer.

"The government ordered it. To cover up the windows."

"Huh? Why?"

"They said it's to make cigarettes not visible."

Huh?

What kind of nonsense is this?

Apparently, this world also has nationwide anti-smoking campaigns, and the government officials had come up with this brilliant idea - "If people can't see cigarettes, they'll think about smoking less, right?"

I'm not sure which idiot proposed this "out of sight, out of mind" law, but it somehow got passed, and now here we are.

I asked the manager, "Are the higher-ups in this world actually camels?"

Camels are known to bury their heads in the sand when they sense danger, believing that if they can't see the threat, the threat can't see them either.

Seems like the same flawed logic is at play here.

How is this any different?

How many non-smokers are really going to see a cigarette display and suddenly think, "Oh, I'm bored, maybe I'll try smoking"?

That's just a ridiculous notion.

If this was just happening to someone else, I'd probably just shake my head at the sheer camel-like logic.

But now, as an employee here, I have no idea what to make of it.

The outside world is blocked off, just...gone.

Looking at the manager, it's clear she's not too thrilled about this either.

"It's not great, to be honest. I feel kind of trapped in here."

"Can't we just rip this off?"

"Nope, apparently we'll get fined if we take it down and don't put it back up."

I figured that the manager has already investigated that.

I bet burning down the entire cigarette factory would be way more effective, but oh well, can't avoid the fines.

Setting that aside, I asked the manager about anything else I needed to know.

There was one notable thing:

"Hey, Chana, the police are supposed to come by later."

"Oh, did you call them? When are they coming?"

"Apparently after 10pm. They want to talk to eyewitnesses, and since you're coming in for your shift, they said they'd stop by then. Think you can handle talking to them?"

"Uh, I'm not sure. I've never done anything like that before."

I've never had any dealings with the police, let alone cracked jokes with them.

And now I'll have to give a statement in this other world.

"Don't worry too much, I'll be here with you."

"But you must be tired, you should just go home. As long as I don't lie, it should be fine, right?"

"I'm still a bit concerned, so I'll just hang around."

"But when exactly are the police coming? You said after 10pm, but how soon after?"

"Well, it's just after 10 now, so they should be here any min-"

Suddenly, the sound of a motorcycle engine could be heard outside.

Looking out, I saw a police motorcycle pulling up to the curb.

So much for them coming "after 10pm."

The officer dismounted and came through the front door, the baton on their belt swinging as they approached us.

As they removed their helmet, a cascade of black-tinged blond hair spilled out, and a pair of pointed elven ears emerged.

It was the same female elf officer from before.

She looks like she hasn't slept in days - the dark circles under her eyes are much more pronounced, and the ratio of black to blond in her hair has shifted significantly.

Despite the sleepy expression, her voice was clear as she introduced herself.

"Officer Luvel reporting. I'm here regarding the attempted robbery and illegal magic item possession charges."

"Yes, that's correct, Officer."

"The employee who was present at the scene would be you, correct?"

She looks at me as she says this, and I get a sense this is about to get serious.

"Yes, that's right."

"I'd like to hear the details, if you don't mind."

"Okay."

With a nod, the elf officer pulls out a notepad.

At first, the questions are fairly straightforward - the time of the incident, the items that were nearly stolen (mostly groceries, it seems).

"It was around 9:30am, and the items were mostly everyday necessities..."

I suppose dealing with all the craziness in this other world has made me less anxious about these kinds of situations.

The words flow easily.

The other questions cover the commonalities between the stolen goods, my description of the suspect.

Finally, she asked:

"And what was the situation like when you apprehended the robber?"

"Huh?"

The officer's question seemed a bit vague, so I asked her to clarify.

Pausing for a moment, she tapped the end of her pen against her forehead, then spoke up.

"The details will have to be investigated at the station, but this wallet appears to have had various magic spells placed on it."

Ah, I see now.

"Though it seems they've all been dispelled now. Do you have any insights on that?"

"Hmm..."

I do have an explanation in mind, but I'm not sure if it'll fly.

I can't very well lie, so I just decided to be straightforward about it.

"As soon as I touched it, it just...activated on its own. I'm not sure why."

The officer fell silent for a moment.

"...I see. Well, we can review the CCTV footage if needed."

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