Chapter 15: The Unmanned Store’s Surprise
Stepping out of my rundown studio, the cool dawn air greets me once again.
The dark world is gradually brightening with the morning sun.
The pitch-black sky, now tinged with faint sunlight, is slowly turning blue.
The villa complex, which felt eerie and deserted when I first arrived, doesn’t seem so bad under the gentle dawn light.
‘Still weird that there’s not a single person around, but whatever, it happens.’
Sure, I’ve gotten used to it and find it cozy enough.
But objectively, this villa complex is too dilapidated.
It’s so run-down, you’d believe it if someone said every building here was already marked as ‘abandoned.’
Plus, in the distance, I can faintly make out a large-scale city.
With a ‘metropolis’ like that nearby, who’d willingly choose to live in a dump like this?
The more I think about it, the more obvious it is that there’s no reason to stay here voluntarily.
‘I’ll check out that city later… once the motel’s operations stabilize.’
If the motel’s running smoothly, my relationships with the heroines will likely be pretty close by then.
‘A movie theater date… I’ve always wanted to try that…!!’
The thought of enjoying a movie theater date—something I never got to do in reality—with the shy guest or other captivating heroines.
It makes my steps toward the convenience store even lighter.
Lost in daydreams and random thoughts, I cross the villa complex in about three minutes.
“Oh, there it…”
Following the manual’s map, I arrive at an open area, but for some reason, there are two convenience stores.
Wondering if I misread, I check the manual’s map again on my old phone’s camera.
Buzz…
‘That’s odd… The map clearly shows only one ‘unmanned 24-hour convenience store’ here…’
I examine the map closely, but it confirms only one unmanned store in this area.
‘Look at this, another mistake. They didn’t check properly, confusing people…’
I sigh at the manual’s outdated or incorrect information.
To make matters worse, it’s unclear which of the two stores is the one the previous owner marked.
A faint anger rises at the former owner’s sloppy work.
‘Sigh… What’s the point of blaming the guy who’s already gone? Calm down…’
Given the previous owner’s lazy nature, I half-expected the map wouldn’t be updated.
A mislabeled convenience store is a minor issue, so I let it go.
‘Alright, which store should I pick…?’
I have two options.
One is ‘Mimesis Convenience Store’ across the street.
The other is ‘Convenience Store 24,’ right next to me, inside the villa complex.
‘Which one’s better…?’
After some thought, I decide to visit ‘Mimesis Convenience Store’ across the street, even if it’s a bit of a hassle.
Arriving at Mimesis Convenience Store.
‘Wow… A clean convenience store…!!’
I’m certain I made the right choice.
Crossing the street was a bit of a chore.
But this store, likely newly opened, is spotless and tidy.
It’s clearly better than ‘Convenience Store 24’ in the villa complex, which looked disorganized from a glance.
Up close, I realize the store’s scale is larger than I thought.
‘This is less a convenience store and more a small mart.’
I can’t just stand here staring at the exterior.
I approach the automatic doors and step inside.
Buzz.
Ding!!
The doors slide open smoothly, detecting my movement, and a clear bell rings inside.
“Welcome.”
“Huh…!?”
At the same time, a greeting from a ‘clerk’—something that shouldn’t exist in an ‘unmanned 24-hour convenience store’—comes from behind me.
The thought of someone behind me freezes me in place at the entrance.
Convenience Store: Several convenience stores are near the motel. All are ‘unmanned’ and operate 24 hours. Please take note.
The manual clearly stated that all nearby stores are ‘unmanned.’
So, what’s this voice speaking to me from behind?
“Welcome, customer. Thank you for visiting Mimesis Convenience Store.”
The cold, female clerk’s voice rings out again.
Its emotionless, ‘mechanical’ tone adds to the pressure of the situation.
But standing here facing forward won’t reveal the truth.
I cautiously turn my head to face the clerk.
“…Huh?”
“Welcome, customer. Thank you for visiting Mimesis Convenience Store.”
“A robot…?”
What I see is a female android greeting me mechanically.
Only after confirming the mysterious voice do I understand.
The manual didn’t lie.
It said ‘unmanned,’ not that there were no clerks responding.
‘So that’s it… That’s why it’s ‘unmanned’…!!’
I was foolishly thinking of an ‘unmanned checkout.’
“Welcome, customer. Thank you for visiting Mimesis Convenience Store.”
“Oh, uh! Nice to meet you too. Clerk? Miss? What should I call you…?”
“Question detected. Deriving optimal response.”
Whirr.
“This unit is a sixth-generation ‘Anis Simuloid’ tasked with ‘managing’ and ‘defending’ this store. For ‘consumer-level’ customers, please address me as ‘Viata.’”
“Got it…!”
I only half-understand, except that her name is Viata.
“Affirmative. Customer’s query resolved.”
Whirr.
“Entering standby mode. Enjoy your ‘shopping.’”
The clerk android, introducing herself as Viata.
Returns to the counter with a smooth mechanical hum and freezes in place.
‘A female robot clerk? That’s wild…’
If not for her blue-tinted metallic skin, I’d believe she was human—so high-quality.
This moment makes me realize this game’s world has a far more advanced tech setting than I thought.
Leaving my encounter with Viata behind.
I grab a basket by the counter and head into the store.
“Wow… It’s huge…?”
The interior is much larger than it looked from outside.
It’s practically a small supermarket with a dazzling variety of items.
Groceries are displayed in abundance.
Even I, who’s not prone to impulse buying, nearly lose myself to the tempting array and toss items into my basket.
But I hold back.
Right now, I’m here to reward myself for today’s hard work.
And to buy ‘instant food’ to motivate myself for tomorrow.
‘No cooking tonight…!! Hold it together…!!’
I pass the meat section, fresh fruit section, snack aisle.
And even the liquor section.
Finally, I reach the frozen and instant food section.
‘My studio has a microwave… I’ll grab some dumplings… Oh, a bento too. Maybe something with soup…’
After much deliberation.
I carefully select three instant items under strict judgment.
Large frozen dumplings, a katsu salad bento, and a cup of ramen.
I head back to the counter.
Buzz…
Approaching the counter, Viata starts moving again with a mechanical hum.
I set the basket down, and she scans the items before speaking slowly.
“Total: 25,500 won. Please present your payment method.”
“…Oh.”
That’s when it hits me.
‘Wait… I’m broke, aren’t I…?’
It feels like ages since I arrived, but it’s only been day one.
I spent all my money acquiring the motel and haven’t earned anything yet.
The only currency I have is the two gold coins left by the high-class guest who took the ‘doll lady.’
‘But in this era, no way they’d accept gold coins as payment…’
“No choice then… I’ll have to find a place nearby to exchange these coins…”
As I resign myself and reach for the basket to return the items.
“Question detected. Deriving optimal response.”
Viata, interpreting my muttering as a question, begins providing an ‘optimal’ answer in her mechanical voice.
“This location offers services for acquiring, purchasing, and exchanging various ‘precious metals’ into usable currency.”
“Oh…! So you’d accept something like a gold coin?”
“Affirmative. However, if it’s not pure gold, its value may be significantly lower.”
Fortunately, Viata’s response suggests the gold coins can be exchanged.
‘Two coins… Should I exchange just one for now?’
“Could you exchange this one for cash? I don’t mind if the value’s low.”
It’s a gold coin from a high-class guest.
It’s a shame I can’t analyze its value or sell it at the highest price.
But I need to eat for tomorrow’s work.
I settle for getting enough cash to buy these instant foods.
“One gold coin confirmed. Initiating value analysis.”
Viata takes the coin, her eyes glowing blue as she analyzes its ‘composition’ and value.
[Initiating value analysis.]
[Analyzing…]
[Warning: Hazardous elements detected in the coin.]
[Warning: Hazardous elements detected in the coin.]
[Data contamination! Evacuate the area immediately!!]
[Data contamination!!! Evacuate the area immediately!!]
[Attempting reboot. Failed.]
[Repeating, attempting reboot.]
[Reboot@@&#!&^@#%!]
[…Initialization complete.]
“Initialization complete.”
“What? Initialization? What’s that mean…?”
“Contamination level high. Forcing shutdown.”
Buzz…
With her final words of ‘initialization complete,’ Viata, staring at my coin, powers down.
“…Wait, what about my money?”