WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Arsène
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ I Became the Convenience Store Clerk the Rankers Are Obsessed With ◈
Chapter 4: Tips for Dealing with Problem Customers
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Being fed on by a vampire didn't feel very good.
Actually, it did.
The shiver when the manager leaned in and her lips touched my neck.
The warm breath I felt each time she drank.
There was even something melancholy about the sensation of having my blood sucked.
It was a strange, ticklish feeling that could drive a person crazy.
I thought I understood why victims in vampire novels and movies went back to get bitten again.
The problem was how weak I felt afterward.
“Haah...”
Having finished feeding, the manager closed her eyes and let out a deep breath.
“That was the finest thing this True Progenitor has tasted in all her life. How long has it been since I last drank human blood? It's just so wonderfully pure. Nothing like the blood of animals or other species...”
She savored the taste with a blissful expression, then wiped the blood from her lips.
Smack. She even sucked the blood off her finger, reluctant to waste a drop. Watching her, I felt my knees go weak.
Seeing that, she grinned and helped support me.
“A little tired? That's because I drank your blood. You know how you suddenly feel exhausted after donating blood? The anemia will leave you quite drained, so eat a proper meal and get plenty of rest.”
“Understood.”
“I'll show you your room. Come with me.”
“What about the store?”
“We can simply say I stepped away for a moment.”
The manager led the way to the stairs near the store's stockroom.
Before going up, she took two crisp bills from her pocket and held them out to me.
“Here you are.”
“This is...”
“The bloodsucking allowance I promised earlier. This True Progenitor does not lie. I'm paying you in cash right away, so keep it safe. Well done.”
Two 50,000-won bills.
Cold, hard cash.
My head had been a little foggy after losing blood, but the kind smiles of those two Shin Saimdangs snapped me wide awake.
She really gave me 100,000 won. Without even deducting tax!
'Maybe I could ask her to take some every day.'
This was the sweetness of capitalism.
So sweet.
I hummed as I followed the manager upstairs.
“This is where you will be staying from now on.”
Click.
The door opened, revealing the room inside.
“Wow...”
A short gasp escaped me.
Honestly, I hadn't expected much from accommodation provided for a part-time worker.
I'd imagined a tiny room in a cheap boarding house, or a slightly roomier studio at best.
A moldy little room attached to the stockroom was about the most I'd expected.
But instead...
It was a studio with clean wallpaper and a spacious double bed.
It came fully equipped, right down to a TV and a PC.
It was much better than my old rented room. No, there was no comparison.
“This is my room?”
“Do you like it?”
“Yes, it's amazing. Are you sure I can live here?”
“Of course. A trusted subordinate's resting place is as good as part of this True Progenitor's own domain. It ought to be at least this fine.”
The manager cleared her throat, looking proud.
“I'm not treating you this well because you're human. Nor is it because your blood tastes good, so don't concern yourself with such things. O-Of course, it would be even better if you ate plenty of salmon and meat to keep your blood healthy. Ahem.”
Apparently, she'd really liked my blood.
“Now, let me help you unpack.”
“Oh, that's all right! I've only got one backpack. You don't need to do it yourself...”
“Now, would you refuse this True Progenitor's generosity? Hand it over.”
Once I'd gotten the job, I'd brought all my belongings with me.
There hadn't been much I could call mine at my old place anyway, so I'd barely had anything to pack.
Besides being perfectly capable of unpacking on my own...
'There are some things I'd rather not show anyone.'
Everyone had secrets they didn't want people finding out about.
That was why I'd wanted to unpack alone if possible.
But then...
Thud.
“Huh?”
“Ah.”
As the manager and I tugged at the backpack, something fell between us.
Along with some clothes, an object carefully wrapped in bubble wrap dropped to the floor.
'No.'
She couldn't see that.
Absolutely not.
It was the one luxury item I'd brought with me, unable to bring myself to sell it even when I'd been kicked out for falling behind on rent.
A limited-edition figure from the mobile collectible RPG [Stella Echo].
A limited-edition figure modeled after the limited rate-up character released for the game's second anniversary.
A limited-edition figure of which only ten had been given away in a drawing for players who'd bought “truckloads” of premium currency.
My only luxury item, which I'd been lucky enough to win after buying two truckloads.
I hurried to pick it up, but I couldn't beat the True Progenitor's speed.
“You dropped this. I'm sor... Huh?”
The manager froze with the figure in her hand.
She stared at it without moving a muscle.
'I'm screwed. Is she secretly laughing at me for being an otaku?'
I squeezed my eyes shut.
I couldn't even imagine what a vampire who must have lived for hundreds of years would think of a pretty-girl figure.
As I nervously watched for her reaction...
“Th-This is...!”
The manager's lips trembled.
A strange light flashed in her red eyes. Then she suddenly turned to me and shouted.
“You! You know this game too?”
“...What?”
“Th-This! Isn't this Asteria of the Firmament, [Stella Echo]'s second-anniversary limited rate-up character? And it's the limited-edition figure released along with her! This True Progenitor couldn't get one because they were given away in a drawing. H-How on earth did you...?!”
The name of the game I knew and detailed information about the character poured out of the manager's mouth.
No, hold on.
She was a True Progenitor.
She wasn't even human.
How did she know this game?
“M-Manager? You know this game?”
“Of course I do! Do you have any idea how much I spent last week trying to get enough copies of that damned Asteria to max her out? And that drawing for the figure... To think you actually have it...!”
Looking completely overwhelmed, the manager stared at the figure as though it were a sacred treasure, panting with excitement.
“H-How could you wrap something so precious in nothing but bubble wrap? Something like this belongs in an acrylic case! Taking the utmost care of it is the bare minimum! What would you have done if it had gotten scratched?”
“...”
“I'm jealous! So terribly jealous! If this belonged to me, I would treasure it.”
Her eyes turned toward me.
“Now, this True Progenitor has a very good offer for you...”
“No.”
“Huh?”
“You were going to ask me to sell it to you, weren't you? Absolutely not.”
“H-How did you know? Do you also possess a discerning eye that can read minds, like this True Progenitor...?”
“Nothing like that. It was written all over your face.”
“Oh.”
“Anything else, maybe. But not this.”
I hadn't sold this figure even after the factory went under and I had no money coming in.
It was the only collectible RPG I played, and she was the character I'd lovingly built up in it.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say I played the game for her.
That shining pink hair, those mechanical accessories.
There was something about those blue eyes that really touched an otaku's heart.
“Urgh...”
The manager flinched, apparently caught off guard by my firm refusal.
“Ugh... I wanted this so badly... To see it in person and still be unable to have it...”
She bit her lower lip as she admired the figure. Then her eyes flashed.
“In that case, I'll help you keep it safe so you can display it with as little risk of damage as possible. With something far better than this bubble wrap!”
“If that's all...”
“Haah, haah...! This beautiful sculpt! These brilliant colors! To think the very thing I've longed for was in your hands!”
Her eyes gleamed with far more greed as she looked at the figure than she had when she'd been drinking my blood.
“Manager.”
“What is it?”
“How much did you spend trying to get that?”
“...Don't bring it up. I don't even want to remember. It was the worst day of my entire vamp-life.”
“Did you buy more than ten truckloads?”
“...”
“Don't tell me it was even more than that?”
“It... was.”
“Then, don't tell me...”
“D-Don't ask! This True Progenitor has nothing more to say! Th-That day does not exist for me!”
This woman.
'She's a gacha addict.'
Was a vampire allowed to be like this?
* * *
After work, I looked at the gallery floating in the air.
A new power I'd gained after getting this job, I suppose?
My new ability, the gallery.
Despite the late hour, it was bustling with posts.
People were chatting about all sorts of things or discussing the problem customers they'd dealt with that day.
'Come to think of it, I've only lurked. I haven't posted anything.'
I'd been able to see this gallery ever since coming here and getting a job at the convenience store.
As long as I kept working here, I'd probably keep relying on it.
'I should at least say hello.'
[Otherworld Convenience Store Minor Gallery]
[Title: Hey, I'm new here. Teach me your ways.]
Author: Anon
Just got hired and started working.
Pretty surprised by all the unusual species around here.
If you've got any useful tips for working at a convenience store here, I'll take all I can get, yep.
I posted it and stretched. Less than a minute later, comment notifications began ringing like crazy.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
[Comments]
-Newbie, hey.
-Newbie incoming!
-Hey, don't you know it's good manners for a newbie to buy everyone a borgar?
-└ You just want a borgar.
-└ Gasp!
-So what species is our newbie? Personally, I'm hoping for beastfolk.
-If you're undead, go somewhere else. People here aren't too fond of undead.
-└ Better than an elf.
-Newbie, you're not a knife-ear, right?
-└ What's wrong with elves?!
-└ Grandpa, go get some rest.
It was absolute chaos.
Nobody welcomed a newbie like the veterans.
Well, well.
This was very nice.
But why were they so curious about my species?
'It's not some kind of species discrimination, is it?'
Apart from the dislike of elves, there hadn't seemed to be much discrimination between species.
-Are you human, by any chance?
One gallery user asked whether I was human.
That suddenly reminded me of the manager's reaction when she'd found out.
'A human? Hired!'
The memory of my first day, when I'd gotten the job simply because I was human.
Hadn't even the elf been shocked to hear I was human?
Humans were practically an endangered species.
'I don't think I need to mention that I'm human.'
How should I put it?
I couldn't shake the feeling that it would be like stirring up a hornet's nest.
So, in reply to the questions about my species, I wrote:
-A little respect for my privacy, please.
-Tsk, you're so fussy.
-It is sensitive personal information.
-Honestly, their species isn't what matters, is it?
-True.
Fortunately, it seemed I didn't have to reveal it. Everyone more or less moved on.
It was all so strange.
This city.
This community that had suddenly appeared before my eyes.
Nothing made any sense.
What kind of city was Taepyeong City, anyway?
'No idea.'
Let's not try to understand it.
I'd come to a world like this. There was no reason the common sense I'd lived by would still apply.
“I found a job with a good hourly wage. That's enough.”
I casually replied to the veterans welcoming the newbie.
-Thanks for the welcome, yep.
-└ Which convenience store are you at?
-└ What's your species?What's your species?What's your species?What's your species?
-Everyone's going nuts over a newbie.
-Lick.
Just then, a new notification appeared.
Not a comment, but a private message.
-Ever run into a problem customer at work?
Friella came to mind.
She'd brought a World Tree branch and tried to barter with it.
Could I call her a problem customer?
She'd been a little troublesome, but it felt a bit unfair to call her a full-blown problem customer.
I replied that I'd seen something along those lines.
-lololol figured. There's a way to deal with problem customers for each species.
-This is where we share that stuff.
-Want some tips for dealing with problem customers at the convenience store?
Tips for dealing with problem customers?
Footnotes:
Shin Saimdang appears on South Korea's 50,000-won bill, so her two smiling portraits are the manager's 100,000-won payment.
A “truckload” refers to a large purchase of in-game currency, commonly the largest available bundle, rather than an actual truck.
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