266 – The Academy Convenience Store -2-

On the evening of her fateful encounter with Ricardo.

Sitting alone in the Misamo conference room, Shuen clenched her fists, lost in deep thought.

“Are you alright?”

“Huh…?”

“That was close. You almost ruined your pretty face.”

“Yes…”

“Be careful where you’re walking.”

“Scorching.”

Ricardo’s face kept flashing in her mind, making Shuen stomp her feet and scream out loud.

“Argh!!! So annoying!”

“Why didn’t you just push me away instead of standing there!“

“Shuen, you fool, you idiot, you mutt.”

Shuen was spewing frustration, blaming her past self for not being able to firmly refuse. It was one thing to accept help from a stranger, but from that man, surrounded by bad rumors.

“Ugh…!”

She was irritated.

‘It was that man, wasn’t it?’

With his red hair and fierce demeanor.

A man rumored to devour people alive. ‘Ricardo.’

He was a man known only by rumors.

The man incessantly cursed by the president of Misamo, and the one who, devoid of any sense of justice, tormented his peers and was at the center of every incident that stirred up storms in the academy.

Shuen believed the rumors about Ricardo because he had heard from a senior at Misamo that they had been beaten up by him in a back alley. Surely, he was a devil in human’s clothing.

“It wasn’t a novice’s touch… A voice that resonates with the hearts of women. Gestures that seem genuinely concerned… A dangerous man indeed.”

Shuen shivered, preserving his innocence.

“It’s no wonder Histania Hanna fell for him. I can’t fathom how he broke through her defenses, but it’s clear it was all premeditated.”

Unwittingly acknowledging Ricardo, Shuen took time to ponder about him.

Eyes like a wolf.

A fierce jawline.

A voice that drips with charm.

Yes, this man is…

‘An incubus…!’

Shuen had a fondness for fantasy.

Shuen knew nothing about Ricardo.

The fact that Hanna liked him and the rumors spread by the seniors were all Shuen knew about Ricardo. At the banquet where he had a chance to meet him, Shuen missed it as he was holed up in the restroom, so there was no connection with Ricardo at all.

Shuen nodded, trembling.

“He’s definitely a devil.”

Shuen didn’t want to get involved with Ricardo.

The man everyone at ‘Misamo’ hated. And there was nothing good about being entangled with a man even the virtuous senior Mikhail disliked.

He didn’t want to lose his life out of curiosity.

“I really am a fool.”

But.

“I don’t want to see my friend fall apart.”

‘Crack’

Friendless Shuen clenched his fist, resolving to rescue Hanna from the clutches of the incubus. After all, protecting the members as the vice president of Misamo was his mission.

“I, Shuen, will not forget today’s disgrace.”

Shuen clenched his fist, thinking about Ricardo.

‘I must inform the members first. He has returned.’

***

Three days later.

At the [Convenience Store] that opened in the academy.

Despite the sudden opening, the convenience store was well-finished, and I, utilizing my past life’s experience, was manning the counter.

“Um… Hana.”

“Yes?”

“There are no customers.”

Hana, dressed in a blue uniform and organizing the stock, responded with a bright smile to my listless voice.

“It’s rather nice…”

“What?”

“Ah… never mind.”

Hana glanced at me and then shyly smiled, murmuring, “I wish it could stay like this.”

I smiled faintly at Hana’s words and stretched languidly.

“I should have brought a book if I knew it would be like this. I thought the grand opening would be super busy, but I didn’t expect no one to show up.”

“But still, 30 people came. I’ll give you a shoulder rub, so cheer up!”

“Haha… thank you.”

Hana approached me and muttered softly.

“It’s still strange, though. It’s the first time one of the stores you’ve opened has had no customers.”

“Exactly. Even if I am at the counter, the word should have spread.”

“Ah… could it be.”

Hana bit her lip, her expression turning cold.

“Could it be because of those foxes?”

“Those foxes?”

“Yes, you might not know, sir, but there’s a group called Misamo.”

“Ah… I’m aware of it.”

“What? How do you know…?”

Before Hana could finish, the sound of schoolgirls chatting echoed down the corridor.

-Giggle…! So, I said to him… Huh? What’s this place?

-Let’s just go.

-Why? It looks like a new snack bar. Let’s check it out.

-No, let’s just go.

-Ah~ Let’s go see why~

-No, I don’t want to! Let’s just go. They say that demon is over there.

I smiled bitterly at the girls’ conversation.

“Ah… It seems the rumors have already spread.”

Hanna rolled up her sleeves and walked towards the door.

“I’ll catch them.”

“Haha… Please, let it be.”

“But those girls insulted the master!”

“It’s okay. It wasn’t something I hadn’t heard before. Just think of it as hearing it early.”

Hanna clicked her tongue and massaged my shoulder again.

“Aren’t you upset?”

“About what?”

“The strange rumors about the master.”

I chuckled softly and shook my head.

“It’s not a made-up rumor. So…”

“I know it’s all lies! They just think whatever suits them…”

“No. You might not know, Hanna, but I was really a bad person when I was at the academy.”

“Another lie.”

“Haha…”

At Hanna’s words, I burst into laughter and leaned on her shoulder. Even with poor grades, this kind of daily life didn’t seem too bad.

“Thank you, Hanna.”

“Not at all.”

‘And about Misamo…’

In the novel, they were portrayed as a rather amusing group.

Sometimes they would bring laughter with their quirky actions, and when Mikhail was in trouble, they would come together to help him out, appearing as a pretty decent gathering.

‘But experiencing it firsthand… It’s a bit different.’

I snorted with laughter and shook my head.

“It seems I was wrong about getting the opening buff.”

I had tried to gather customers early on to quell the rumors, but seeing how the bad rumors have already spread, it seems I should give up on the easy path.

“Hmm…”

-Ding-dong-dang-dong.

“It’s time for you to go now.”

“It’s okay. Missing one class won’t bother the professor.”

“I’m not feeling good about this.”

“Uh… Do I really have to go?”

“You do.”

I sent Hanna away with her eyes as pitiful as a rain-soaked cat and walked towards the display shelves. Then, I started restocking items from the storage. After all, some customers had come and gone.

“Here’s the toothpaste.”

“Here’s the cosmetics.”

“Here’s the beverages.”

I chuckled at the sight of items that hadn’t sold at all.

“The triangle kimbap didn’t sell.”

The triangle kimbap, which I thought would be the bestseller when planning the convenience store, was still in its place, defying expectations.

I thought it would bring in decent profits as a convenient food that captured both portability and taste, but the dismal performance made me smile bitterly and sigh.

“Well, you can’t get full on the first spoonful.”

There was no need to be hasty.

There was plenty of time.

After tidying up the stock, I sat on a chair, idly passing the time. Personally, I wanted to bring a lady to man the counter, but since this place was an academy, that wasn’t possible.

-Excuse me… This has expired.

-Dammit! I’ll eat it myself, just pick something else!

-But there’s no kimbap at the same price.

-Just take anything!

‘…’

It seemed like a bad idea to have the lady man the counter, academy or not.

Feeling bored in various ways, I sighed and passed the time.

-Ding-a-ling.

The moment the bell above the door rang, I greeted the entering customer with a bright smile.

“Welcome. This is SU.”

“Ah..”

“Huh?”

I opened the door and greeted the entering guest with an awkward smile.

“I didn’t expect you to come.”

I knew him.

And he knew me, a familiar old acquaintance.

I offered an awkward smile to the trembling eyes before me.

“It’s been a while, Mr. Mikhail.”

Mikhail looked at me with shaking eyes and said,

“Why are you here…?”

“Ah…”

I showed him the name tag pinned to my chest with a small smile. It turned out that way.

“I’ve been working here for a while.”

“Working…?”

Mikhail looked around and asked me,

“What is this place?”

“Ah… this place is, well…”

“Ah…”

As he listened to the story, Mikhail nodded and avoided my gaze. Still uncomfortable with me, Mikhail, avoiding eye contact, wandered restlessly around the convenience store.

“Are you looking for something?”

I stood next to the uneasy Mikhail and reached out to the shelves. Standing in front of the chocolates and snacks, I smiled kindly at Mikhail, who paused for a long time to look at me.

“…”

“Mr. Mikhail?”

“Uh… what?”

“This is quite good, want to try it? It’s a snack from ‘Forest Friends,’ bitter yet sweet, it helps with concentration during study.”

“Candy..is it?”

“Yes, there’s also jelly, and I’ll give it to you for free, want to try?”

“Just like that?”

“Yes.”

I smiled broadly at the bewildered Mikhail. After all, no one dislikes freebies.

It was also a chance to keep an eye on the fan club.

Mikhail took the candy I handed him and looked at me with trembling eyes.

“Why…?”

“Just because I wanted to give it to you. The midterms are coming up, aren’t they? You’ll need some sugar, so think of it as a bribe and accept it. It would be great if you could promote us in the process.”

“…”

“Ah… Do you dislike it because it’s from me? I can send someone else, just let me know your dorm number…”

“No…! It’s okay. I’ll just take it.”

Mikhail stood silently for a long while, staring at the candy he had been handed. His ambiguous reaction to the mandrake-flavored sweet made me laugh awkwardly as I spoke to him.

“If you come often, I’ll make sure to give you some on the sly, away from the boss’s eyes.”

“Uh… Thanks.”

“And please, make sure to promote us.”

I grasped Mikhail’s hand and pleaded earnestly. I needed Mikhail’s help to keep a check on Misamo, even if it was uncomfortable for both of us.

With a heavy heart, I held Mikhail’s hand tightly.

An hour must have passed.

-Ting-a-ling.

“Welcome…? Oh.”

“Ohoho…”

A purple drill entered the convenience store, pushing the door open.