Ericson’s Convenience Store. A popular corner store found in Richardson Cove, the lower-income side of Lancaster. Not more than a ten-minute walk from where I live.

It has just about everything you would need. Ready to eat lunch and dinner sets, bathroom necessities, school supplies, etc. No cigarettes or alcohol, though.

The owner wants to set a proper example for his daughters, which is fine by me. I need to afford my MMO and gacha addiction, after all. It would be uncouth of me to give into lesser temptations.

“Yo, Lawrence! I thought I would come check on you.”

Ryce Ericson. He’s a little over a decade older than me, but he makes his salt and peppered hair work. He also stood almost half a foot taller than me and seemed to keep in pretty good shape.

“Mr. Ericson. Thank you for checking in on me.” I said with a slight bow.

“Come now. There’s no reason to be so stiff. Hahaha!” He gave a burst of resounding and boisterous laughter and a sudden pat on the back.

“Oof!”

“Haha, sounds like you need to build some back muscle. If you’re up for it later, the boys and I like playing basketball while the kids are at school.”

While the two of us were talking, I noticed Bridget had teleported into the store. It's refreshing seeing her different facial expressions. This one was surprised.

“Hm? Do we have a customer?”

Ryce turned to see Bridget in her pajamas while nabbing strawberry milk.

“Huh? Bridget? When did you come down?”

“I couldn’t sleep, and I came down for something to drink.”

“Drinking milk isn’t going to help you sleep. You know that.”

Ah, father-daughter banter. I usually only see it in anime these days.

“What are you even doing awake, dad?”

“I was checking on Lawrence to make sure he was adjusting well.”

“And even if he weren’t, I would have told him in the morning.”

Ryce passed me a thumbs up, and I returned it. That’s when Bridget returned to her usual scowl.

“Great, the old guys are teaming up against me.”

“It’s called being a responsible adult.”

Ryce placed a hand on my shoulder. “A man after my own heart! Ever since their mother left, my girls had become a handful. As a neighbor, I hope I can look to you in my time of need.”

“Oh-uh… I’m sorry to hear about your wife.”

“Ah, don’t worry about it. She’ll be back from her mother’s in a week or two.”

I see. So, she gets her misleading way of speaking from her father. Speaking of. Looks like she teleported away while Ryce had his focus on me. She took the milk with her, too. I’ll need to remember to restock that and adjust the inventory.

“Bridget? I sware that girl. One moment she’s there, the next, she isn’t.”

“Kids are becoming craftier these days. If you want, I can loan you my copy of the Bansenshūkai.”

“Is that like one of those LN books kids read these days?”

“No, not really. It's something I picked up from my ninja academy days. Your daughter actually came in and left using techniques referenced in the book.”

“Ninja academy, you say. Are you able to throw ninja stars? Maybe I should take you out for darts across the street at Greg’s. We’d be able to make a decent about of pocket change.”

The way he’s talking about it… It's undoubtedly a change of pace.

“I don’t think I’m that good. I actually lost a bet trying to curve a shuriken. I got it to make a right then left turn, but before it hit its target, it curved upward and landed straight down.”

“Damn, even that’s impressive! Why didn’t you put down ninja graduate on your resume?”

I didn’t expect him to take it that seriously. Now I don’t have the heart to tell him that it was just my uncles teaching my cousins and me.

“It’s not something I’m supposed to brag about. My uncle wouldn’t even let us wear our gi or training gear out in public. The strong do not seek conflict and such.”

“You’re uncle sounds like a wise man. Anyway, think about joining me for a game or drinks later. I’ll introduce you to the other old guys in the neighborhood.”

“Thank you for the offer, but I plan on going to sleep after my shift.” A couple new episodes will also be awaiting me when I get home.

“Sleep is essential. Another time, then. If you need me, I’ll be in the back. And don’t worry about the milk my daughter took. She’s one of my three great treasures, after all.”

***

And with that, my graveyard shift continued. I’m surprised Mr. Ericson can keep the store open twenty-four-seven. Hours passed, and I've only served four people toward the last hour of my shift.

But, it was in that last hour I learned when the real work began.

“Alright, new guy. You’ve familiarized yourself with the inventory, but the hard part starts now.”

“See ya later, dad.” Rainy and Bridget were both in their school uniforms as they left. From the looks of it, Bridget never actually went to sleep.

“Take care, girls—I mean it, Lawrence. You must be ready and vigilant.”

It didn’t take me long to realize what he meant. We restocked our breakfast and lunch set less than ten minutes ago, and the store was flooded with students and office workers.

The way they cleared out and fought for their food was like watching a plague of locus. I know I’m still new, but the way Mr. Ericson deftly cleared out his line of customers. I was starting to feel embarrassed.

Apparently, Mr. Ericson’s prices were so attractive that even people from Crystal Gleam and Angel Grace come down here, starting their morning early for cheap yet moderate-quality meals.

“Gods, I am tired.”

I dropped into a folding chair in the back room. I’m surprised Mr. Ericson still had the energy to move around. Eventually, we had to restock mid-rush, and I had to man the counter on my own.

“Good work out there. Here’s your reward! Our ever-popular lunch set A and a delicious protein drink. Trust me, this one’s pretty good.”

“Thanks. I humbly accept.”

“You said you were going to sleep after this. Make sure you don’t eat it before going to bed. Otherwise, you’ll be stiff when you wake up later.”

“And thank you for the advice as well.”

Ding Ding Ding!

“Sounds like we have some stragglers. Think you can handle them?”

“Should be easier than the rush we just cleared out.”

I stood up and stretched. Actually, I felt like I was going to fall over. I held onto the table to keep myself from collapsing, but apparently, I couldn’t hide my discomfort well enough.

“Hm, I know the symptoms of dehydration when I see them. I still need to punch in some numbers, but once you’re done with them, you can head home. And make sure to get a glass of water. I can’t have my best worker passing out on his way home.”

“I’ll be sure to, thank you.”

Two kids were already waiting at the counter when I stepped out. Both of them were wearing St. Agnes elementary uniforms. Rich girls and their hair, though. One is rocking twin tails, and the other has her hair in a bun with a braid across her front and ringlets coming down her side.

The twin-tailed one seemed to be eyeing me like she’s seen me on a wanted poster before. The other one ignored me and didn’t look up from her phone.

“Hurry and ring us up! We’re going to be late for school!”

Get to the store sooner next time! Are you even going to make it back to Angel Grace Heights in time? Either way, I kept that to myself and rang them up as quickly as I could.

***

“What do you think? Could you read his heart?”

“No, I couldn’t. A powerful darkness was blocking it. In fact, that entire store was heavy. We would have been at a disadvantage if we fought in there.”

“Seriously? Is it a den of darkness? Is he a minion of Darkness?”

“It certainly seems that way.”

“If they weren't such cowards, we’d be able to find all of them quickly and put an end to them.”

“This coming from the girl who almost fell to the darkness herself.”

“Never mind that. He’s leaving. Time to go to work.”

***

A few more days of that, and I’ll be able to collect my first paycheck. I wonder if the weekends are easier. Probably more people through the night, but no morning rush… I don’t work weekends, do I?

“Hold it right there, fiend! Magical Girl of Darkness, Christina Heartly, is here to put an end to your evil and vile ways!”

“And I am Wilhelmina Lockhart, Heart Seeker.”

… Maybe if I pretend I don’t know what they’re talking about, they will leave me alone and go home…

“Look, I’m sorry I couldn’t check you out faster but isn’t this just going to make you more late?”

“Silence, fiend! Surrender and hand over the Crystal Heart you have in your possession!”

“Look, I have no idea—”

Christina was the first to act. Her clothes instantly changed into a purple ballerina leotard with a raven feathered scarf with both ends fluttering in the wind. Her phone transformed into a bec-de-corbin.

I’ll admit, I’ve been letting my guard down recently. Her weapon was already in swing by the time I reacted.

“Hmph, I’m surprised you were able to dodge. That a lazy has-been like yourself can move so quickly must mean you’re a minion of darkness in disguise!”

Seriously, what the hell is with kids these days? The other one had already transformed as well. She had a white-feathered hair ornament in her hair and wore a white and pink ballerina outfit with a wide-rimmed tutu.

Still, I wasn’t able to dodge the attack completely. I noticed a trickle of blood crawl down my left eye. Just as I rubbed the blood out, she took advantage of my flatfooted state. The hammer of her bec-de-corbin was in a horizontal swing when I brought my arm up to guard.

The attack knocked me off my feet, and I tumbled to the ground as I tried to grab the Earth.

“You have no way of defeating us, especially if you can’t use magic. Hand over the Crystal Heart, and you may live to see yet another day.” Christina demanded in a cheerfully sadistic tone as she brandished her bec-de-corbin.

“Like I said! I don’t have it!”

“I can sense that you’re lying. We can sense it coming from you—the Crystal Heart. You will hand it to us, or we can tear it from your soul.”

I tried to stand. My legs are feeling pretty sore about that landing, blood is covering my left eye, and my right shoulder might be dislocated. Everything’s fine, right?

Look inward. Find the treasury and remove the relique.

I was in my mind palace. The treasury was filled with objects of no real value. The ninja headband I wore when I practiced with my cousins. A dao that I once used to practice swordsmanship with.

There were a few other things as well. My old dueling deck. My collector’s edition set of the Cardcaptor’s manga. The PlayStation my papang bought me for my birthday when the console first came out.

“You should transform quickly. Time is still moving outside, albeit slower.”

It was fun walking down memory lane, but she is right. I could see in front of me that Christina was ready to bring her crow’s beak down on me.

I made my way to the back of the treasury, where the relique was kept. A small shrine, really. It hasn’t been taken very good care of. Maybe I can come back and fix it sometime.

I pulled the crystal from its resting place and clutched it against my chest. This crystal shall someday become the seed that will grow into a mighty tree. One that will purify land, sea, and sky.