--- London England, Year 2022 ---
"Thank you, please come again. :)"
*Dingling
256th customer today, it's a bit like counting sheep. :/ Pheww, smiling 24/7 is such a chore, my face hurts. Standing at 5ft10, with short pure blonde hair and sapphire blue eyes a man of average looks stands behind the counter staring out into nothingness.
"Leon snap out of it, smile. Customers want to see you smiling, it's psychology. What you're doing will only scare away children!"
"Yes, Sir" I salute my boss and smile in his direction.
"Good lad, clean up on aisle 4 while you're at it."
:(
So yeah, I'm currently working in a small minimart, living the glam life at 21. You'd think after getting a degree in Computer Science I'd be well off but...well things don't always pan out the way you want, particularly in the modern world. At least if you don't have good family background or ridiculous amounts of money.
Though with all its downsides, such as the baby sick and occasional "violent" shopper working here sure has its perks.
A sudden scent of roses passes by my nostrils.
*Sniff*Sniff
"Awh now that is the good stuff..."
"Did you just say something Leon?" Amy stares directly into my eyes with those big round Heterochromia eyes, swirling with red and purple. Silky blonde hair which usually hangs down to her hips tied up in a neat bun.
"Uh nothing.. have you seen the mop, I need to mop yo.. Aisle 4 up." I reply stammering alittle.
Phew, close one, there Leon.
"Uhh right, yeah. It's at the back by Aisle 6... Good luck" Amy smiles at me and my heart feels like it physically melts.
"Thank you"
Amy walks away carrying some stock swaying seductively with each step, though that might just have been my imagination.
*Shakes Head*
"Heh, better get back to work."
Nothing particularly interesting happens throughout the rest of my shift. I get shouted out by a customer or 2 and help an old lady with her things. I glance at Amy a couple of times when she walks by the counter, helping out customers with their things, the young men seem particularly fond of getting her help though so do some young women. Aside from that, I put pegs in my mouth to hold up my smile... well that last bit was slightly exaggerated.
*Dingling
"Boss, I'll be off for the evening. Take care of yourself, you too Leon"
"Will do"*2
Amy smiles at us and walks out the shop door, after she turns around I longingly stare at her back as she slowly disappears into the distance.
"Heh one day maybe, but not yet. Gotta work hard so I can properly support myself and help my family let alone thinking about a girlfriend or anything."
"Hehe, no chance kid but if you need any advice, Big Boss Steve is always here to help."
Boss Steve smiles in my direction, clearly amused by my actions.
"Heh, maybe you're right but I have to try. 4 years working together, I've been saving as much as I can, so hopefully I can make something of myself. Only then will I have the courage to ask her."
"Heh, you sure work hard kid I can't deny that so who am I to judge. I'll be rooting for you at least but don't get your hopes too high. Something awfully mysterious about that young lady."
"I know she's magical"
"Not what I meant kid, she seems too good to be here. I don't know, I just get a more aloof vibe from her than she might like to show. Anyway, enough of that. Good job today, now go on, go home and get some rest I can finish here."
"Thanks, boss, you're a legend."
"Hahaha, legend is it. I like the sound of that, just remember this legend when you get to that high and mighty place ey." After laughing heartily Boss Steve shows a genuine smile towards me.
"You're a good kid, always stick to that."
"I will boss, right I'm off cya later."
"Yeah clear off ya hear, hahaha"
*Dingling
Boss Steve is such a nice guy, he can be tough sure but he's a good guy at heart.
Right, better head home before it gets too dark. Queue the walking montage...oh yeah this isn't a movie...oof.
Lights begin to flash all around under the deep auburn sky. Small skyscrapers tower along the road, taxis rush past at a blistering snail's pace along with all the other cars jamming up the street.
"Ah, smells like city. Smells, like engineering. Smells like, sh**."
As I continue walking, the scene slowly begins to shrink around me. The number of people begins to thin out until I reach the foot of my apartment building.
I walk to the front door and open it with my right hand. Entering, a rather run-down lobby area.
"Evening Janice, how have things been?"
The old lady behind the reception desk smiles at me, but although she may look small and old when she gets serious only Hercules could possibly stop her. Trust me, I saw her clear out this dude who was like 6ft5 and had like bodybuilder level muscles but one lady and her broom he was out of here tail between his legs.
"OH Laddy, eye it's been a'right. Been quiet as usual, nothing noteworthy, my husband Trev has been a bit ill lately though. Had to take a little time off work, how about you lad? How's it going with that girly, what's her name Emma? Amber? Amy?"
"Yeah, it's Amy Janice, no progress yet. Got a lot more to do before I approach that hurdle. All good here just, work, work, work only way to survive in today's world. I do wish I could do...more but just gotta try my hardest. I'm glad everything's okay though, give my well wishes to Trevor. Cya Janice."
"Have a nice evening Leon."
I walk towards the elevator and tap the ground floor button.
*Ding
As I get into the elevator I click floor 5. Once there I get out and walk along the corridor to apartment 512. Turning my keys I open the door to my apartment.
"Ahh, home sweet home."
A plain bare apartment appears before me. A compressed kitchen with basic appliances on the right tucked into the corner. A somewhat spacious living room with a bed up against the left wall and TV on the right with a small couch, as well as a coffee table between.
At the "far" end, a full-length glass window/sliding door goes out onto a very narrow balcony where some washing can be seen hanging up to dry.
I walk over to the Kitchen and open the fridge to see what I have stocked. Hmm, not much in here, let me try the cupboards. Closing the fridge I stand up and open the cupboard above and am greeted by a great holy blinding light.
"What is that? OMG"
As the light begins to fade, a great mighty cup of ramen stands before me shimmering gloriusly. I'm saved.
*Pop*Chee*Simmer
"Itadakimasu"
*Num*Nom*Slurp
"Mmm so good. Slurps and its silky smoothness just melts into my mouth. Ahh bliss"
***
"Ah, that was good, better clear up." Taking the bowl to the sink, I give it a good once over and put it back into the cupboard.
"A good days work and a satisfying meal. Better get some fresh air before getting to bed."
Walking over to the glass door, I slide it open all the way and step out onto the balcony. After quickly checking if my clothes are dry, they aren't. I lean on the bannister and stare out at the cityscape before me.
"Hah, I do wish things would have been different. All my intellect gone to waste, simply because of the society we live in. I will change things, hard work goes a long way and with money as well as my mind I'm sure I can make something of myself. Whatever that may be."
*Twinkle
"Huh, what a pretty looking star... wait is that thing getting bigger?" I stare closely at the shining white object in the sky, confused about its origin. "Could it be a meteorite, well if it is I'm fu**ed anyway so hopefully not. Oh, maybe it's the oh mighty Ramen-kun god come to bless my future endeavours!"
The light continues to grow until it covers most of my vision, it starts to become blindly close.
"Oh sh**"
*Bam
It slams right into my face, launching me back through the open door and onto the firm floor. Disappearing without a trace, as I start to feel my consciousness fading I hear something clearly within my mind.
- Welcome Host, The Kardashev System will now assimilate with the Host's body. Host consciousness will shut down to ease assimilation, estimated time to assimilation: 9 Hours -
"Wh-at th-e fu** wa-s tha..."
*Slam
Unconscious and away with the mighty Ramen faeries, our story truly begins.
---Author Notes---
Hello, everyone LordJ here. This will be a long story, updates will probably be only once a week initially, releasing on Saturdays or Sundays 7pm UTC, though this may increase down the line.
I really appreciate any feedback as I am a novice/new writer, though keep it positive, constructive or both if possible. Let me know if something doesn't look good or something sounds wrong/doesn't make sense. I really appreciate it.
I will review each chapter a few times, even post-release to look for slight errors and fix them if there are any. Just so I can keep quality high.
Thank you for reading my book, I love all my readers and thank you for your support. :)