Just because it's morning doesn't mean there aren't any problems.
I'm not talking about drunk troublemakers.
Those guys, even after causing a ruckus drunk, will slink back into their homes as the morning sun rises, like vampires shrinking from the light.
So, you hardly see them in the mornings.
What I'm referring to are office workers.
More precisely, the flustered office workers who don't know what to do.
These office worker customers who come in after 8:30 AM tend to become unintentional, mild-mannered troublemakers.
Their appearances may be different, their behavioral patterns and genders may vary, but they have one thing in common...
"Sir, how would you like to pay?"
"Huh? Ah, credit card. I'm a bit out of it right now..."
These customers are generally out of it.
"That'll be 3,000 won. Shall I bag that for you?"
"Huh?"
"Shall I bag that for you?"
"Ah, no, no. I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you because I'm so out of it."
"Sir, you'll need to take your card with you."
"Huh? Oh, I'm sorry, I'm really..."
It goes something like that, and there's more...
A female customer with floppy ears like a Labrador comes rushing to the counter, placing a lunchbox, sandwiches, and milk on the counter.
She seems to be of a similar species to that Chihuahua from earlier, but her appearance is much more human-like.
Thinking she's probably about 10% Kobold, I scan the barcodes and tell her the total.
She immediately handed me a 10,000 won bill.
"The total is 9,600 won. Shall I bag that for you?"
"No need for change, thanks for your hard work!"
Without even waiting the 3-5 seconds for the change, she scoops up her items and rushes out of the convenience store.
Judging by her drooping tail, she must have been running late.
There was another case like this.
A customer came running up to the store entrance and started frantically pulling on the closing door handle, as if the door wasn't opening.
I looked over and our eyes met.
He gestured to the handle, indicating the door wasn't opening.
I went over and opened the side door for him.
With an awkward expression, he came in, quickly grabbed some items, and rushed out again.
But this time, he forgot his card?
"Sheesh..."
Most of the customers who come in at this time are so out of their mind, so I have to keep my wits to avoid these kinds of situations.
But I'm starting to feel sleepy too. It's been a while since I've had an overnight shift...
I pulled out a sticky note, jotted down the date and time the customer was here, stuck it to their card, and left it on the counter.
They probably won't come back until lunchtime or after work, so I likely won't be able to hand it back to them directly.
I'll have to pass it on as a handover item.
As soon as 9 o'clock hits, the convenience store becomes eerily quiet.
The intersection has turned into a desolate scene, fit for a Western movie, with barely any passing cars or pedestrians.
If I force myself to look around, I can only spot the occasional fried pancake left by a drunkard, scattered cigarette butts, and some discarded cans.
With no foot traffic, the convenience store is naturally dead quiet.
I've been keeping my manager's phone turned off since the early morning, just dealing with customers.
Sitting in the chair and looking at my smartphone, I saw a text message from 8:50 AM.
[Not feeling sleepy?]
I could just spread out a mat and crash out right here.
But I didn't show any outward signs of that.
As I replied to her question.
She replied back instantly.
[It's been a while since you've had an overnight shift. You've been working hard.]
Even normally, I don't sleep much at night, so I think I can tough it out.
[You really should be getting proper sleep. I know it's not my place to say, but...]
I know. I just couldn't fall asleep, that's all.
I haven't been able to sleep much lately, worrying about finding a job.
Of course, I can't expect to sleep like a baby tonight either.
I'll probably just dream about juggling blood packs and horseshoes.
[Then shall I make you a sleep potion of some kind?]
A sleep potion?
[We do sell some at our convenience store, but the effect is a bit weak since they're mass-produced.]
Just as I was reading this message, the doorbell at the front of the store rang.
I glanced up towards the entrance, but I didn't see anyone.
The convenience store bell sometimes rings on its own for no apparent reason, so I assumed that was the case and turned my attention back to the phone.
I heard those are kind of like sleeping pills. Don't you need a prescription for that?
[Haha, is that how it is where you're from? Why's that?]
In my world, there are so many people who use sleeping pills not just temporarily, but permanently to remain asleep.
But this is a different world, isn't it?
Where I'm from, sleeping pills are sometimes used for...other purposes. Permanent sleep, and all that.
[Ah, I hadn't thought of that.]
We don't actually do that much, it's just an occasional thought. I'm not sure if it would even work on me.
I already knew my physiology was a bit strange, and the potion would likely be magically engineered, so I doubted it would have any effect on me.
But the manager seemed intrigued by the discussion.
[Hmm, well, we could try it and see if it works, couldn't we?]
You're really going to make one?
[Don't worry, it won't take long. I'll make one for you to try before your shift ends.]
I get the feeling the manager has a curious nature.
"Excuse me..."
I heard a soft, muffled voice calling me.
I looked up towards the entrance again, but still saw no one.
I wasn't imagining things, so I started scanning the area, and that's when I noticed two little horns protruding from the counter in front of me.
I stood up to get a better look, and there stood a small girl, looking up at me with a tense expression.
But this girl... was completely white.
Her hair, her skin, even her eyebrows were pale white, though her prominent eyelashes were vividly white.
She had small wings on her back, also white, and a disproportionately large, drooping tail, also white.
Her outfit didn't match, though - she wore red shoes, a pink side pouch, and black socks.
"Uh..."
The little girl hesitantly gave me a little bow.
"Hello there."
"Ah, hello."
I greeted her.
But there were still clear signs of tension, and it seemed very difficult for her to speak to me.
She seemed shy.
"Umm... that is..."
"What are you looking for?"
I used casual speech instead of formal speech, as I felt the child would be more comfortable that way.
After hesitating for a moment, the child gathered the courage to ask me.
"Do you happen to have some origami paper?"
Wouldn't it be better to look for that at a stationery store?
But strangely, I did have a memory of seeing origami paper.
Racking my brain, I pointed to the third corner.
"Why don't you try looking up there in the third corner?"
"Okay."
She walked into the third corner, and it took over 30 seconds for her to come back.
Wondering what was going on, I went to check, and found that the origami paper was on the top shelf, out of their reach.
Straining on her tiptoes and reaching up, she turned to me with a slightly whimpering voice.
"I'm sorry, I can't reach it..."
"I see..."
After getting her the origami paper, we walked to the counter together and I scanned the barcode.
It was 1,500 won. The child rummaged through their pink pouch for a while and pulled out a crumpled 5,000 won bill, handing it to me.
As I looked down at the child, I suddenly realized something.
This child seemed like a dragon kin.
Salamanders and dragons are both classified as reptiles, but this child felt different from a salamander.
While salamanders are similar to snakes, this child seemed different from them.
With a troubled expression, the child swallowed and asked me again.
"Um... by any chance, do you have scissors too?"
"There should be some. Wait here for a bit."
I clearly remember seeing a box cutter, but I wasn't sure about scissors.
As I headed towards the box cutter area, the child seemed to not have heard my instructions to wait there and followed closely behind me.
So, we looked for the scissors together.
They were displayed next to the box cutters. 3,600 won.
"Here they are."
"Okay. But... it's over 3,600 won..."
I recalled the child had earlier shown me a 5,000 won bill.
The origami paper and scissors together would be 5,100 won, so with only a 5,000 won bill, she wouldn't have enough.
"I don't have enough money..."
"I'm sorry, child. I don't set the prices."
My guess seemed to be correct, as the child looked very uncomfortable.
After a moment of thought, an idea occurred to me. With the leftover change from other customers, I could just give her the 100 won.
"100 won would be fine, I can just give that to you."
"No, you don't have to give it to me."
"But I feel like I should, since you don't have enough."
"My mom said not to just take other people's money. It would be a big problem."
"And what kind of work does your mother do?"
"She works at a company."
"I see."
I had thought the dragon scales I sell at night belonged to the dragons who do farm work, so I assumed all the dragons in this world just wore straw hats and hoed the fields.
But it seems there are also normal dragons who work at companies. Without a car, being able to fly must make their commute very convenient.
After that, I kept asking questions, perhaps because I was sleepy or felt bad for the child's discomfort.
"So, what are you planning to do with the origami paper and scissors?"
"I learned something at kindergarten yesterday."
"Oh, learned something."
"There's not just Children's Day, but also Mother's Day."
Come to think of it, next month is May. I'm neither a child nor a parent, so I haven't really paid attention to these holidays.
"I knew about Children's Day, but I was surprised to learn there's also a Mother's Day."
"It is quite surprising."
"On Children's Day, my mom always gives me gifts. I've never given my mom a gift for Mother's Day... So, I wanted to..."
It seems the child wanted to make a carnation with the origami paper and scissors to give to her mother.
I hinted that they could just do origami without needing scissors, but the child showed me her small hands and replied:
"I'm not very good at origami..."
Her tiny hands had sharp white claws protruding, so it's no wonder they'd have trouble folding paper, let alone not tearing it to shreds with those talons.
Dammit, just when I think I'm getting a handle on this world, these ridiculous situations keep popping up.
"I'm sorry about that..."
"No, it's because I can't do it well..."
There was a brief silence.
The child seemed conflicted.
She wanted to gift something to her mother but didn't have the money to buy the scissors.
But I seem to recall there being some scissors here that she could use, even if they weren't for sale...
"Hey kid."
"Yes?"
"Would it be okay if I let you borrow the scissors?"