Convenience Store Worker From Another World Chapter 186

Episode 186. Love Comes Back, Like a Boomerang (4)

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It seems that the old lady has misunderstood. Just before she spoke, Elena’s phone started ringing. Elena checked the phone screen and looked at the two of us.

“Excuse me, I need to take a phone call!”

I told him to do so. He pressed the receive button and started saying, “Yes, team leader.” Then he answered, “Yes, yes,” or looked outside, or nodded. Why would he nod when he couldn’t even see?

After answering for about ten seconds, he hung up and said as if he was sorry.

“I’m sorry, but I heard that most of the seniors have arrived… I think I should go.”

“That’s what I originally came for. Why do you have anything to be sorry about? Where are you?”

“You just met me at the subway turnstile… .”

“Then I guess you should leave now. I’ll see you later.”

“Yes. And, there.”

“It was nice meeting you, Miss Elena. Have a nice weekend.”

After listening to the elder’s words, she bowed her head, put her chair away, and walked out the main gate. After walking to the station entrance, Ms. Elena quietly looked at the number board.

Then, it disappeared to the left of the shop window. I guess that wasn’t the exit where we were supposed to meet. I was quietly staring at the direction it disappeared in, and the old man said.

“You are quite an unusual person.”

“What do you mean?”

“It is the fact that you listened to my story with interest.”

He added this to his explanation from his experience as a designated driver. He said that when he received calls from drunken succubi and drove them for them, sometimes the succubi would jokingly talk to the elderly people. They would ask if they were single or had a girlfriend.

“Ah… you. Did you ask your elder about that?”

“Yes. I’m already married, so I just laugh it off, but sometimes… .”

It is said that there are some immature succubi who get interested in the topic of marriage and delve into it.

At that time, the old man would have been drunk anyway, so he wouldn’t have remembered, and he would have been bored, so he would have answered indirectly without causing any problems… .

“Most succubi lose interest halfway through. When I ask them if they find my story boring, they all give similar answers. They say that if it were me, I wouldn’t love them that much.”

And then, in a voice that was soaked in alcohol, they each tried to preach their own way of love to the elder. The story is that most of the succubi I met had firm values about love.

“It didn’t seem like that to Ms. Elena. Rather, I got the impression that she was lost.”

I also sympathize with some of it. Succubi have firm and open values about love, which is similar to the common sense I have brought with me from my world. They say that when they call a designated driver, they first ask if I am single, so it must be true that they are open-minded.

But, Ms. Elena is far removed from that common sense. She says she wants to be in love, but it seems like she doesn’t really know what kind of love she wants.

So I guess I’ll listen to what other people say too. I’ve never heard the reason, so I can’t even guess…

“Did you two talk about this too?”

“I did, but I didn’t get a clear answer.”

Honestly, we’ve talked a lot about what love is and what not, but since we’re both single, there’s bound to be limits. What can I say when I don’t even have clear values in the first place?

I just said whatever came to mind, and we became close and started working together. When I told him, the old man thought about it for a moment and then he spoke.

“I heard that the two of you work together. What kind of work do you do together?”

“I’m helping develop a new drug. It’s a drug that helps couples be honest with each other, but….”

I was going to explain the process in detail, but the moment I thought about it, I couldn’t speak. It’s like they’re testing a drug that makes lovers honest, so they’re pretending to be lovers, what the f*ck…

“Huh. What do you mean?”

“I’m dealing with the side effects of the medication, but I’m still in the learning process so I don’t know much about it.”

I was too embarrassed to speak when I was sober. The old man still looked puzzled, so I immediately changed the subject.

“Well, when you were talking on the phone earlier, you said something about a young man you knew.”

“Um… Oh. That’s right. We didn’t have any problematic conversations, so don’t worry.”

“That’s not why I asked. I just thought… I thought you might have talked about what we talked about before.”

A few days before the flood, when a stray bird flew into the store window and smashed it. I had a conversation with my elder brother right before that. He was a comrade from his military days.

The old man seemed to want to see them again, and rather than hesitating endlessly, I said something like, ‘I hesitated, but I think you’ll like it if you come see me.’

I haven’t heard what the old man thinks about that yet. When I told him, he took off his hat without saying a word, put it down on the table, and answered me.

“I’d like to visit you once… I don’t know if you’ll welcome me, but I think you’ll have no problem asking after my well-being as a subordinate. Besides that… .”

“yes.”

“He said he would respect my opinion even if I refused.”

Still, he said he was puzzled. “You’re saying something I haven’t said to you in decades, honey.” To this, the old man replied, “A young man pushed me on the back.”

Starting with that answer, I talked to him for a few minutes and he said he had a good impression of me, but it was a bit burdensome for me. No, what would I have to say to a guy who scans barcodes?

“It’s a good thing to have a young friend,” he said.

“That… yes.”

“Even if it’s not you, it’s fortunate that you have a friend you can confide in.”

I don’t know if the word friend is the right word for me, but I’m glad that I helped you calm down. The old man sighed faintly after saying this.

“But I can’t think of a way to find you, so… .”

“Don’t you know where they live?”

“Yes. Because of the nature of the unit, the information about the unit members was confidential.”

Of course, that would be the case. It was an important task to protect the important personnel. If the information leaked out, they could visit the families of the people in the escort unit and use it as a weakness.

“… Still, I think there is one person who is not far away.”

“Are you talking about the academy district here?”

“Yes. I remember one of them talking to me when I was on a mission in this area before the city was built. He was talking about his hometown… .”

Before the war, his family home was in this school district, but it seems like it was completely destroyed during the war. He seemed to have a vague memory, so he didn’t say anything, but he repeated it with a little force.

“That seems right. He said that when he gets older, he wants to spend his time leisurely in his hometown.”

The old man said that he missed me, but it was a bit strange for me. It was a thought from a long time ago, so I guess it could have changed by now… .

I’m not saying I’m denying it. I have good memories – I’m saying I shouldn’t just sympathize, but think about it in my own way. You don’t have to have two heads and think in only one direction.

Since it’s something I have to help with anyway, I want to help in my own way. I may not be able to do it to the same level as the old man helped me in the sewer before, but I’ll do what I can.

Even if I try, it’s not like I can do anything other than asking for help from those around me. How can I do this in my own way?

“… Ah. This.”

While I was thinking vaguely, a message rang out from the old man’s phone. The old man looked at the phone screen and then handed it to me with a half-embarrassed, half-satisfied expression.

“Look. This is my granddaughter.”

I think your partner just sent me a picture. I took a look because you showed it to me, but the picture is… no.

“What do you think? Isn’t it cute?”

The kid is objectively cute. He’s wearing pajamas, his gray hair is down to his waist, and his teeth are protruding. He looks like he’s good at sports.

The problem is that the situation in the photo is not cute. The child had just fallen out of bed and was lying on the floor with tears in her eyes, and her toenails were sticking out of her hands.

In the corner of the photo, the bedsheet is torn in half. Judging from the circumstances, it seems like the child tried to roll off the bed, clawed at the bedsheet, and the bedsheet couldn’t hold it, which is why it ended up like this. That’s what bothered me the most, so I mentioned it first.

“Sir. Isn’t this a torn bed?”

“Don’t worry about it. There are plenty of bed sheets at home.”

He answered as if it was nothing. Then what?

“There is a kid who comes to the store often, and he is comparable to that kid, sir.”

“… You said it was comparable?”

The old man’s eyes became sharp, and it felt like he was saying, ‘How dare you compare me to my granddaughter?’ Even considering that he was a loser, I wanted to say this. You can compare yourself later, old man.

“There’s a little dragon kid who comes to the store often. He doesn’t have many friends, so I thought it would be fun to introduce him to someone… .”

I asked my grandfather for permission. Since we both have canines, shouldn’t we make canine pairs or something?

Since the old man who couldn’t sell his clothes still had a sullen expression, I said I would show him the photo later. After you see the photo, you will know what kind of answer it is to be compared to that child.

“By the way, did your partner just send you this photo?”

“Yes. Right now… the baby is crying, so they’re trying to comfort him.”

“Oh. I guess it’s time to go in.”

He must have noticed that the baby was crying and he was just outside. When I suggested it, he got up from his seat and placed the hat that was on the table on his head.

“It was nice to see you after a long time, boss.”

“Me too. If you need any help later, please feel free to let me know. I will do my best.”

My constitution may not be useful for finding people, but if I do something, I’ll probably find a place where I can use it. He nodded to my words, looked at his phone, and went out the front door.

After that, the sound of feet hitting the ground disappeared, and now I was left alone in the store. I checked the time on the wall clock. 11 p.m.

We talked for a long time. I returned to the counter and looked outside. Most of the pedestrians seemed to have gone their own way, so they were empty. I stared blankly and sent a text message to Ms. Elena.

[ Please leave a schedule when you decide on a day to work later ]

[ Anytime but tomorrow is fine ]

Since he said he didn’t come to talk about work, I didn’t bring it up. He’s probably grilling meat in front of his seniors right now, so I’ll check later.

Next, two lines to Officer Iruel.

[ What should I do with the store manager tomorrow? ]

[ Please message me when it’s decided ]

I got a reply in less than 10 seconds.

[Just prepare comfortable clothes]

[ I will see you tomorrow at 9:30 PM ]

I checked, turned off my phone screen, and thought about it. What about casual clothes? Am I going to end up running around trying to grab that bag of money?