Convenience Store Worker From Another World Chapter 114

Episode 114. The Gate’s Effect on the Pyeondol (2)

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Their eyes were rolled back, and some of them were even foaming at the mouth. For now, I answered whatever came to mind.

“Where did they pick up poisonous mushrooms and eat them?”

“I don’t know. And that’s not all.”

It wasn’t that they couldn’t speak at all, but the things they said intermittently were all incredibly bizarre.

“So… you said that I smelled like stardust. You also said that the snow was cold and irritating, and that you wanted to play by rolling your front paws…”

“How on earth did you escape from them?”

“At first, he bit the tail of the real thing without hesitation. The real thing resisted by crouching down. Then, out of the blue, he suddenly raised his head and… .”

He said he left. There is nothing that can be said or done in a sane manner. If there is any possibility among the reasons why he has been doing this… .

“Hey, Puppy. Are all those Black Wind Sect dogs showing the same symptoms?”

“Uh… I think so.”

“The number of people.”

“Um… about twenty… ? But, why are you asking this?”

I thought there was no other answer than rabies. Drooling from the corners of the mouth, rolling eyes, and occasionally foaming at the mouth. These are exactly the symptoms of rabies.

Except for one thing. They can’t bark. Dogs with rabies can only bark softly. Or they can’t bark at all.

“And, the rate of transmission is incredibly low. It’s a disease that’s hard to catch in groups of twenty.”

“Huh… How do you know that, sir?”

“I saw a documentary a long time ago. I saw how the kids who got it behaved… I don’t really want to think about it.”

I don’t think it’s necessary to recall it. Those Black Wind Sect guys did speak, even if it was in a strange sentence. Anyway, let’s say they didn’t have rabies.

Even if it were another world, there would be no way I would let poisonous mushrooms grow in the city park. If the common sense I brought from my world doesn’t work…

“… … .”

“president?”

Magic. Anyway, I think he became violent because of some kind of magic. I can’t think of anything else.

No, honestly, this doesn’t make sense either. Why were the park’s wild dogs under a spell, and even if they were, why did the wizard cast a spell on the wild dogs? Because they’re cat people?

No matter how much I think about it, it’s a question I can’t come up with an answer to with my level of knowledge in this other world. I said it honestly.

“I think I need to ask this too, Puppy.”

If possible, I would like to give a proper answer. This guy’s sleep today, and even his livelihood, were at stake. The dog immediately shook its head at my words.

“No, that’s not true. I’m so grateful that you even thought about it.”

“…okay.”

After that, there was a moment of silence. I waited, thinking that he would speak first, but the dog just hung its bald tail and didn’t say anything. I just spoke first.

“Puppy.”

“Please tell me.”

“I’m sorry I got mad. I meant it.”

I want to be someone who can be relied on by me or someone else. To do that, I will overcome my fears. I will fight and win to secure my territory. I will become stronger.

Honestly, I thought it was ridiculous. I didn’t want this guy to be relied on.

Living well outside. That was enough for me. I didn’t want to see anyone getting hurt or bitten. I’m sure that guy would be the same way… .

I thought this guy didn’t think about it at all. I thought so before, and when I thought so, I got angry reflexively. Now, I can guess why he acted that way.

It’s not that I didn’t think about it. I just couldn’t.

“… Boss. May I make a confession?”

“uh.”

“I threw down the gauntlet… Now that I think about it, I don’t think it was for the sake of you or the boss.”

“then?”

“I think it was for the sake of the main character. I felt like I wouldn’t have the courage if I didn’t make excuses for the two of you, so I think it was because I wanted to become stronger even that way.”

This guy said two things earlier. He wants to become a dependable being, so he’ll fight against fearsome beings and secure his territory.

At first glance, it sounds plausible, but if you dig deeper, the meaning changes strangely. I understand that you want to be something strong for Nana Hana, but can you rely on someone who will harm your own body and blindly attack you?

I can’t do it. I think he knows that now. That’s why he’s confessing to me now. He did this because he was frustrated with himself, not to relieve someone else of his frustration.

“The boss said that my talent was understanding the speech of other spirits and animals. I tried to use that to survive in this city. But… ”

“It would have been useless. Wouldn’t everyone be hungry?”

“… That’s right… .”

When starving beasts are faced with food, they have only two words to say: Get out, this is mine. If you dare, let’s have a go.

No matter how hard you try, there’s no way this Pomeranian could win a fight. He would have backed down countless times.

And then I realized that my talents might be helpful in society, but they were of no use at all in life on the streets.

“I haven’t said anything yet… I haven’t even been able to take a walk in the park for the past few days. The Black Wind Sect guys have been causing quite a bit of trouble.”

“Why didn’t you tell me that, even subtly?”

“How could that be? I still have pride in my opinion….”

He lowers his head again as if he feels bitter, and continues speaking at length.

“It’s funny. I wanted freedom so badly when I left my house, but now I can’t figure out what’s what. I wonder if I’m enjoying freedom now, or if what I felt on the first day was truly freedom.”

I wouldn’t be able to say this unless it was a long-held concern. I wonder if I’m out of breath after saying it, or if I feel choked up…

I looked up at the night sky outside the shop window. To be exact, I looked up at the moon.

As I look at it, I remember. This guy was like that. He said that the first day he left home, he went for a walk under the night sky and looked up at the moon and it was so nice.

“That would be freedom, punk.”

“Do you think so, sir?”

“Oh. At that time, your voice was really bright. Don’t you believe me?”

“I believe in it too. No, I want to believe it. That’s why I made excuses in my mind. I need to become stronger as soon as possible, for the sake of the young lady and the boss.”

“… … .”

“I understand now. I was just being greedy. I was trying to hide my impatience. I’m sorry, sir.”

Mongmongi’s confession ended here. After finishing his speech, Mongmongi continued to look up at the moon.

After patting her body, I decided to say the words I had been thinking about one by one. First, my sincerity.

“I understand why you do that, puppy.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. It’s like the dream is flying away right before your eyes. You keep chasing it, but you also start to have doubts like, ‘Is what I’m chasing really my dream?’”

“…exactly.”

“When it gets to that point, you usually don’t even think about it. The fact that you even told me is amazing, punk.”

I couldn’t tell anyone.

It was for the same reason. I too have clearly lived with my mouth shut, knowing full well that I was clinging to an impossible dream because of that damn pride.

But looking back, I always think, if I had just bent my pride even once, would I have lived that way? Even if I had told someone, the fundamental issue wouldn’t have been resolved…

I think at least I could feel some comfort. It was not because of malicious intent, but because it meant that someone was genuinely thinking of me.

“Have you ever thought the same thing as me, sir?”

“Not exactly the same, but similarly. I didn’t skip life either.”

“Oh, I’m curious about that. What kind of dream does the boss have—”

“Don’t ask me that, I just want to know your opinion. What do you want to do?”

There are only two choices in the end. Go back or go forward. When I asked, the dog, who had lowered its head for a moment, answered.

“I want to try as much as I can. I haven’t made any effort yet.”

“It’s not that I didn’t try, Inma. It’s that I went in the wrong direction.”

“Direction, you mean?”

“Yeah. If you were human or a different species, I would tell you to go to the gym and do some strength training….”

This is where the problem starts. I want to find a fundamental solution. It must not have been easy to have the courage to say this, but I want to let you know that it was worth it.

But even though this guy is a spirit, he’s still a Pomeranian. He’s good at regenerating his body and speaking, but he doesn’t know how to do it.

I think the right way to approach this is to find someone who can tell you.

That’s what I think, but the store manager has talked about this before. What the spirits deal with is ‘something that is similar to magic, but not magic, a third thing.’

So, try talking to the spirit, he advised. I remember trying to talk to it once.

“Hey, Puppy. Do you remember when I told you to go to the zoo where there’s a phoenix?”

“Of course, I remember. I even tried to go there myself….”

“No?”

“The road was so rough that I couldn’t even try. I’m sorry.”

This is downtown. I don’t know how far it is to the zoo in a straight line, but there are probably at least 100 crosswalks to cross.

Thinking about it now, I feel like I’ve said some really irresponsible things to this guy. It’s not like you can meet a spirit if you want to, and it’s not like the flying whale will show up whenever you want it to…

-Woooooooo.

“Hey, puppy. Just wait a minute. I’m going to answer the phone.”

“I can wait all day.”

I don’t want to go that far. I took out my phone from under the counter and checked the caller. It was my sister. I pressed the answer button, but I couldn’t hear a human voice, and all I could hear was the sound of the wind blowing.

“Sister. Sister?”

[ ^&$#go! ]

“Sister! I can’t hear you right now because of the wind noise!”

[ ~!# said!! ]

“What do you want me to do?!”

The moment I asked the question, a thud was heard from outside. The slight shaking of the ground caused the lighters on display on the counter to shake.

And animals are sensitive to earthquakes. The moment the ground shook, the dog lay down on its stomach, pressed its tail against the counter, and shouted.

“Earthquake! Boss, hurry up and get under the counter-”

“Hey, Puppy, come down for a minute.”

I swept away the hair that was standing on end and hugged her. After that, when I went outside, I saw my sister climbing onto the container.

I saw you before, riding on a Pegasus-like horse. My sister looked at me, lifted her goggles, and smiled as she spoke.

“Get ready to receive the package.”

That’s what we talked about on the phone. I was about to say hello, but something immediately came to mind, so I asked.

“Sister. Can I ask you something?”

“No, it’s been a while since I’ve seen your face, but you didn’t say hello? You’re making me sad.”

“Because it’s important.”

“What is it?”

I asked right away.

“Is that horse that my sister is riding a spirit?”

“Hey? Oh. A spirit. But why are you asking this?”