Starting a Night Shift Part-time Job at a Convenience Store

On the counter were an extraordinary amount of sake bottles, chuhai cans, and one-cup drinks. Plastic cords for packaging. A cutter knife. And a 1-liter bottle of soy sauce…

The person who put them down was a middle-aged man in not-so-clean attire.

Shallow breathing, a scrawny frame, sunken cheeks, dark circles under his eyes, and sweat beads developing on his skin. His hunched back was like that of a wilted plant. The man withdrew a crumpled bill from his pocket and dropped it on the counter. He stared up at me and waited for the check.

An odd atmosphere prevailed in the store, and the middle-aged man was the center of attention at once. Their eyes subsequently fell on me who stood in front of the middle-aged man.

I myself wasn’t an idiot.  Even I could tell that the individual who came before me did not just bring these products to the checkout for the purpose of packaging.

Tons of liquor and these plastic cords. A cutter knife and a bottle of soy sauce.

When I was hired, the manager showed me the “be careful if someone tries to buy something” list.

It was the worst combination ever.

This person―

Tension reigned throughout my body. The suspicious stares of the customers were piercing through me.

What should I do?

For the first time, I was experiencing something like this. Nothing like this has ever took place before, until now. Nevertheless, I assumed that it must have happened due to the nature of this place, and then out of the blue, this happened.

Furthermore, it was right before my eyes.

“…”

I stared at the counter, frozen.

This was not written in the manual. What should I do?

Should I just settle the check and put everything in a bag… And then send the customer off as usual?

―No, impossible. But what should I do? 

Should I inform the customer that the products could not be sold? As my struggle persisted, my eyes locked with those of the middle-aged man. His eyes were suffused with hesitation and uncertainty.

What on earth was he using these for? You were…

Various words flooded through my mind in a matter of seconds, causing me to forget to blink.

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