Chapter 50:
It’s My First Time Working Late Nights at a Convenience Store, and If I Keep Getting Demon Lords, Kappa and Other Oddballs as Customers, I’m Giving My Two-Weeks’ Notice
It’s my ninety-first night of running the graveyard shift at my local convenience store.
It’s snowing heavily on top of being freezing cold, so I’m in a rush to get the garbage sorted so I can get back inside.
My manager gave me his usual “call me if you need me” line from his cozy spot in the break room.
He was all bundled up for winter, too.
He had on one of those traditional quilted jackets (in red) over the top of his uniform, along with a knit hat. His head looked nice and warm, at least.
Ayame’s out there, somewhere, even in this awful weather. I try to get her to come inside on days like these, but she keeps refusing, saying that she doesn’t want to be a bother. When it snowed just before Christmas, though, I could at least get her to go home by reminding her that it would be a real shame if she caught a cold just before our date. Especially since I don’t usually get much time off.
So, she left me with a big, pink bunny that I’m pretty sure she crocheted herself and told me to think of it as her stand-in. I thought that might’ve been my Christmas present, but she also gave me a blue bear keychain on the day — as a good luck charm, to keep me safe.
I think the keychain’s part of a matching set, since a similar-looking pink bear has since appeared on Ayame’s red bag.
That was the first handmade present I’ve ever gotten, actually. It was really sweet.
“...Man, it’s cold out here...”
With the trash taken care of, I rub my hands together to warm them up as I head back inside, when...
“’Scuse me, sir! Would you like to buy a straw doll?”
A bright, female voice stops me in my tracks. I turn, and standing out in the middle of the cold is a young girl who’s got to still be in grade school.
She’s wearing a hand-me-down dress that’s seen better days, holding a basket stuffed full of, well, straw dolls.
“...Uh, wait. You’re going around selling those?”
Seriously, what’s a kid her age doing out here this late?!
“Yep, that’s right! You light ‘em on fire, and they’ll warm you right up!”
Hold on. They’re meant to be burnt to a crisp? ...Isn’t this basically how the story of the Little Match Girl goes?
The little girl gives me a big grin, but I can see that her hands have gone red from the cold. Just how long has she been wandering around trying to sell those dolls?
“...Why don’t you come inside?”
I gesture over to the automatic doors, but she shakes her head in decisive refusal.
“Why not?”
“I’m not allowed to go home until I’ve sold all the dolls in my basket.”
“...I mean, this is a convenience store, so it technically doesn’t count?”
“Nope! I won’t go inside! I won’t, I won’t, I won’t!”
The little girl stomps her feet, adamant about staying right where she is. I gnaw the inside of my cheek, worrying over what to do next.
It’s not like I can just head back inside the toasty warm store and leave her out in this frigid air. I kneel down on the cold concrete, to bring myself eye level with her, softening my voice.
“...Why can’t you go home until you’ve sold everything?”
“Because my mom said so. If I do, she’ll get angry. My family got hit with a curse that made us poor. Then my mom started acting kinda weird. That’s why I’m selling these dolls — to try and break the curse.”
Oh my god. Doesn’t that mean this little girl’s homeless? Toys like that just don’t sell anymore. They haven’t for centuries.
Ding-a-ling-a-ling...
“Haru? What are you doing out here? It’s snowing!”
My manager comes dashing out, having ditched his extra winter gear to look more professional.
“Uh, well...”
“...What is this child doing here?”
My manager’s eyes widen at the sight of the girl dressed in a ragged dress who seems...removed from reality, somehow.
“U-Um, would you like to buy a straw doll, mister?”
The poor kid looks like she’s about to cry. ...Yeah, my manager has that effect on most people. Still, she’s determined to give her sales pitch.
“I most certainly would. How much are they?”
My manager takes one of the dolls from her, careful not to handle her blistered hands too roughly.
“One hundred fifty yen.”
“That’s wonderful. I don’t have too many friends, so it would be nice to have someone new to play with.”
Smiling, my manager pulls his change purse from his pocket, digging through it for the right amount.
“...Oh, wow! I-I don’t know what to say! Th-Thank you, mister! That’s the first one I’ve ever sold!”
The straw doll seller looks up at my manager, positively beaming. On one hand, I’m glad that she’s so happy about the sale, but on the other...
“Well, why don’t you come inside for now?”
“Wait, Manager.”
I pull him aside just as she starts to shake her head, explaining the situation.
“Is that so...?”
Without missing a beat, my manager immediately offers the girl another option.
“You know, that’s a splendid basket. Would you sell that to me, too?”
She glances down at the heavy object in her hands, frowning slightly.
“Um, there’s still a bunch of dolls in there, though...”
“Oh, I’ll pay for those as well. I’d like to have all of them.”
The girl’s head snaps back up, as the progression from startled skepticism to grateful relief plays across her face.
“After all, there’s no such thing as too many friends. ...How much would that set me back?”
Her eyes are swimming with tears as she sniffs loudly, her face scrunching up each time.
“I-I’m not sure, I... I n-never thought anyone would ever b-buy that many...”
The young straw doll seller is full-on sobbing now, blubbering and barely coherent.
“Wait there, I’ll be right back.”
My manager rushes off, coming back about a minute later with five crisp ten thousand-yen bills, which he hands to the little girl.
“Here you go. Take this home to your mother. That ought to dispel your curse.”
“Really? Just like that?”
“That’s right. Everything’s going to be fine.”
“Oh, mister... I-I can go home now...!”
She breaks out into another brilliant smile, looking like a huge weight has been lifted from her tiny shoulders.
“Thank you! I’ll never forget you...!”
A huge gust of wind whips up the snow into a whirling gale...and just like that, she vanishes.
“...Haru, was that...?”
“...I think so.”
He scrubs his eyes as he stares out into the blustering storm, as if he’d just woken up from a dream.
My manager and I stay standing outside for some time, gazing into the darkness, oblivious to the cold.
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