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“It is time.” I announced.
I had managed to master this world’s concept of time. I now knew that the phone in my hand could also display the clock, and I understood the time my school got out and when I’d be expected to show up at the job. As that time approached, I went to my sister’s room and knocked on the door. It took three times before she answered with an agitated feral noise. She glared at me as if expecting me to flinch. Although she was trying to intimidate me, I didn’t budge and met her eyes.
“Whatever.” Kio finally crossed her arms and looked away. “You need a ride, right?”
“Correct.”
It was good that she succumbed with just a look. If I had to escalate as I did with Hina the previous night, I couldn’t guarantee things would go as smoothly. A person had two distinct reactions to a challenge. They would either fight or flee. I had the sense that Hina was more passive, and would retreat. However, when it came to Kio, I was suspecting things would come to blows. With my current body, I wasn’t confident I could win.
I would need to work on increasing my physical ability it seemed. At the very least, I knew that the base material was sufficient for the job. After all, this was the body of the hero from another world. Once I was of sufficient strength, I could definitely fistfight my sister. In the meantime, I might end up taking a loss or two. However, I couldn’t step back. Whether it was women or demons, if they saw a weakness, they wouldn’t hesitate to exploit it.
Kio grabbed her keys and shoved past me. I moved aside to avoid her shoulder. She didn’t comment on my skillful dodge nor did she look back. She continued to walk toward the front door and I followed her out and to the car. Our family could only afford one car, seemingly. I was already impressed with this much. A vehicle that could take you at speeds faster than a horse? Was that not a miraculous item that should be reserved for only the wealthiest? Yet, even this modest family could afford it.
As I approached the car, the door burst open to the house next to me and an overweight girl came running out. She wasn’t wearing her typical black garb. She was wearing grey sweats and tennis shoes. The sweat stains under them told me that she had been physically exerting herself recently. It was almost like she had been at her window waiting for me to come out. It must be a coincidence. I left the car for a moment and approached her.
“Lana, I’ll be going to work soon,” I warned her that I didn’t have much time for talk.
“I see… you’re really going, that place… with that cute girl.” She didn’t look pleased, although I couldn’t guess what her problem was at the moment.
“I need money,” I responded.
“Then… here!” She shoved something into my hands.
As she did this, she distinctly avoided looking in my direction, and her face was completely red. I looked down at it. There was a small handkerchief wrapped around something. I opened it up to reveal a vial, not unlike the vials that old witch sold at that shop.
“What is this?” I asked.
“P-pe…” She looked away to the point her back was near to me.
“Pep?”
“It’s the… blood… you wanted.”
“Blood…”
“Period blood… from a vi-virg…. It’s what you wanted!” She spun around, her face suddenly looked aggrieved.
My eyes widened, and I looked at the bottle again. There was a bit of blood in there. This reagent could be useful for some spills. I didn’t know why she was so upset about it though. Why give me a gift and then get angry about it? I slipped the vial into my sleeve and nodded at the girl. I could show my appreciation for minions and allies.
“Very well, I will grant you a gift as well.” I declared.
“A gift?” Her angry expression slipped slightly.
“Yes, I’ll give you something you seem to desire.”
“Something I… that!” She shook slightly. “I-it’s too soon.”
“Nonsense. I think you will be rather pleased.”
“Wh-what are you going to give me?” She asked.
“Ba!” I held up a finger. “It’s not good to give away the surprise. I will give you a hint though. By the time I’m done with you, you’ll need to get new clothes.”
“Ah!” She let out a squeak.
“Stop wasting my time!” Kio’s agitated voice came from the car as she started it.
“I apologize. We will need to go. Keep doing what you’re doing. You’re going to need the physical exercise to handle it.”
“H-h-handle!” This time the voice was even higher.
I shook my head at her strange reaction and then turned to the car as Kio honked the horn. I got into the passenger side and closed the door, leaving Lana completely dazed. She must like the idea of getting a present. The gift I planned to give her was a potion that would help her lose weight quicker. It worked best for a body exerting itself, so it was good she was exercising. Once she lost some weight, she’d also need to get new clothing. Did she perhaps guess what I was going to give her?
I had heard this world already had such things as weight loss brews, so giving her my own concoction wouldn’t raise any alarms. Of course, I didn’t know how effective those potions were. Mine would cause someone to lose about ten pounds a week if taken daily. Naturally, that depended on the diet and exercise of the person taking it.
As we drove away, silence permeated the car. As always, such a thing didn’t bother me much at all. However, I noticed Kio occasionally shooting me a side-look while keeping her eyes on the road. I lifted my hands and rubbed my temples. Dealing with people was exhausting.
“What is it?” I asked.
Kio jumped slightly and then put her eyes back on the road, but after a second, she gave me another sidelong look. “Is that your girlfriend?”
I raised an eyebrow in her direction. “The neighbor? No, she is merely an acquaintance.”
“Oh…” She responded, and then after a few more moments of silence. “A guy asked me out. I’ll be going on a date with him next Friday.”
“Okay,” I responded, not sure why she was telling me this.
Thankfully, I didn’t have to continue the conversation with her, as the car pulled into the familiar market street which contained all of the familiar shops from the other day. Having already formed an opinion on Kio, and also recalling Lana’s uneasy behavior, I decided it would be best if Kio didn’t watch me enter the store. I understood enough to know that my mother likely wouldn’t approve of such a working environment, and Kio would be one to immediately inform her if she found out. Thus, I had her drop me off at the corner, and I proceeded slowly as I watched her car leave out of sight.
Only once I couldn’t see her car anymore did I pick up the pace and enter the store. The door’s bell rang as I entered the store. I didn’t see anyone in the front to welcome guests. I continued through the store, finally seeing light coming from the crack in a backdoor. I continued forward, opening the crack and looking in. This appeared to be an inventory room. The sound of something being shifted led me to look in the corner.
Someone was on all fours, her head poked between some boxes. She seemed to be trying to get something from the back. Her butt was sticking out the back and shifting back and forth as she was looking for something. She was wearing tight jeans which displayed her posterior nicely. Skylar was an undoubtedly attractive girl. I wasn’t particularly moved by such things though. At her age, it was no wonder she was attractive. In seventy or eighty years, most of that beauty would be gone, so what was the point anyway?
“Do you need help looking for something?” I grew tired of waiting on her.
“Huh? Ow!” She had lifted her head when I spoke and ended up banging her head on the bottom shelf.
She immediately pulled herself out of the rack, rubbing her head with a pained look. She looked at me with an accusatory expression.
“Did you lose something?” I asked.
“Yes… it’s just… never mind. You shouldn’t sneak up on people!”
“The bell rang,” I responded.
“That…” She blushed, her rosy cheeks framing her delicate face. “I didn’t hear it.”
“I’ve come to work. I’m prepared to begin my training.”
“Ah, okay… I mean, it’s not really much. Bob isn’t organized very much.” She walked over to a desk in the corner of the storage room that was covered in papers and trash as if to punctuate this fact.
She looked in the drawers, pushing aside a mass of ledgers, empty pop cans, and fast food wrappers that likely belonged to the owner. She finally found what she was looking for, picking it up and handing it to me. I glanced at the cover with interest.
“Employee handbook.”
“Ah… yeah… that should have any protocols or procedures in it. Why don’t you read that, and I’ll take care of the register?”
I flipped open the handbook, to find a sticker with this store’s logo put on top of the logo of another store. It seemed like such a handbook was appropriated by the owner. I too believed in reusing valuable resources. At first, I thought this man was lazy, but my opinion of him improved.
“I will do this task promptly,” I stated.
“R-right… well, tomorrow is when the truck arrives with fresh inventory. We’ll be extra busy that day. Otherwise, you can do whatever. Clean up, handle visitors, stock the shelves. As long as the place isn’t too much a mess when Bob comes he doesn’t really care.”
“Very well.”
She nodded one more time awkwardly and then retreated to the front. I ignored her absence as I sat down and began to engross myself in this book. I had spent my life memorizing countless tomes filled with spells and recipes. One could say that my ability to memorize fine details, particularly of meaningless jargon, was at a level that couldn’t be compared. For about two hours, I memorized the employee handbook from beginning to end. If asked, I could repeat every line verbatim.
During that time, I did hear the bell ring a few times, as well as Skylar speaking to customers. However, I mostly ignored most of it as I focused on my studies. As I stood up and stretched, preparing to take my pre-approved and mandatory fifteen-minute break, I heard a noise from the front of the story.
“No… stop…”
Frowning, I walked to the door and opened it quietly, looking out into the storefront. There was a balding middle-aged man in the store. He had a perverted grin on his face and his eyes were locked on Skylar. She was turned toward a display case of Blu-rays, trying to pretend that he wasn’t standing far too close. He was heavily breathing down her neck, and his groin was pushed up against her hip. Skylar looked extremely uncomfortable, but this man didn’t seem to be getting the hint.
“What other videos would you recommend?” He asked. “What’s your personal favorite?”
“F-favorite… I um… like all of them?” She tried to offer an answer to placate him.
“Hehe… aren’t you a little slut.” He licked his lips.
“Don’t call me that… I don’t like it.”
“Eh? But don’t you really like sex? Why else would you work here? I bet you like getting on your knees. I bet you like a hard thing in your mouth.”
“I already told you to stop.” She looked like she was about to cry.
“Oops!” He made an exaggerated gesture, the item in his hand falling to his feet. “Oh no, can you help me with that?”
“C-can’t you pick it up yourself?”
“What are you saying? I have a bad knee. Are you going to make a customer aggravate his condition because you’re too lazy to pick it up?” He asked accusingly, a malicious grin on his face.
“N-no…” she responded, looking uncertain.
Cautiously, she crouched down to grab the item. She had been so focused on avoiding looking at him, that she didn’t notice that he had been fumbling with his belt, and had pulled his thing out. As soon as she crouched down to its level, his hand came out, looking to grab her head.
Just as he was about to touch her, I grabbed his wrist. Using the employee handbook, I put it into between his exposed member, and Skylar’s line of vision.
“Sir, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”
“Huh? What?” Skylar had just grabbed the item and noticed something was happening.
Skylar looked up to see the man’s hand hovering close to her head. She jerked back, standing quickly. Her eyes noticed me holding the handbook, but she wasn’t able to see anything indecent. The middle-aged man shot me an angry look.
“What the hell? Who are you?”
“I’m a new employee for this establishment.”
“Oh?” His eyes narrowed as if he caught me. “Well, I’m friends of your boss, so if you want to keep your job, you’ll just stay out of it.”
I glanced over at Skylar. “Are you alright?”
She bit her lip reluctantly, not meeting my eyes. “He’s telling the truth. He’s Bob’s drinking buddy.”
“Hehe… see, even she understands.” He grinned. “So, screw off!”
“Section 12, Paragraph 1. In compliance with all federal, state, and local anti-discrimination and harassment laws and regulations, employees are permitted to enforce protocol in the event of policy violations to guarantee the safety of individuals therein.”
“Huh?”
“The employee handbook!” I declared, my eyes flashing. “You violate this store’s sexual misconduct policy.”
“Sexual misconduct? I’m just having a little fun!”
“No. It’s sexual harassment, and she doesn’t have to take it.”
“You punk!” He swung with his free hand, causing Skylar to let out a cry.
I dodged his strike and then twisted his wrist. I forced him to spin around, holding his wrist up behind him with one hand. He cursed and spat as I forced him forward, away from Skylar. With my free hand, I opened the door, and then when I let go of his hand, I kicked his ass, causing him to stumble out the door.
“If you do not wish for law enforcement to be involved. I suggest you leave the premise immediately.” I raised my chin. “Although, if you’d rather fight, I will oblige!”
He spun back, only then finally putting his thing away in a flustered state. “I’ll have your job. I swear.”
“I have only ever killed for two reasons. One is to protect my life, and the other is to protect my work. If you wish to come for either, then be prepared to face hell!”
“You’re crazy! This isn’t over. You’ll pay.” He shouted as he ran away.
I crossed my arms disdainfully. “I’ve been paying my whole life. Prey there is never a time I come to collect.”