Magician of Cote

Vol-1 Ch-4 The Stalker

"Noodle cups. They have so many kinds."
These were definitely one reason I'd come to the convenience store.

"So, do you really like this kind of stuff? I don't think they are good for your health."

"I have never tasted these before."

"Really, not once!" her expression showed her disbelieve.

"My parents were very strict about my diet. They wouldn't let me eat any unhealthy stuff, but now that I am free, I can try everything."

I didn't want the conversation to stop so I tried to use witty joke.

"If you're looking for something a cut above the rest, how about this razor with five blades? I bet it'd do the job."

"Why in the world would I want to shave with that?" she replied, clearly astounded by my joke.

I grinned smugly and pretended to shave an imaginary beard, but for some reason she didn't laugh.

Far from it. Instead, she looked at me with pity.

"I know that you wanted to try a joke, but your humor needs some work and also you can't say that to a woman you just met, they could take the wrong way."

It looked like my jokes failed colossally with women.

"But you didn't." I tried helplessly to salvage the situation.

"Yes, because I knew you didn't mean it that way and also I know you."

I sighed and gave up.

"Hey. What's up with this?"

While looking around the store, desperate for a new topic, I'd found something strange. Some toiletries and food had been tucked away in the corner of the convenience store. At first glance, they appeared to be the same as the other items, but there was one big difference.

"Free?" Matsushita apparently also thought it was strange, so she picked up one of the items. Daily necessities like toothbrushes and bandages had been stuffed into a clearance bin and labeled "Free." The bin was also marked with the proviso "three items per month." These were obviously different from the store's other goods.

"Hey, shut it! Just wait a sec! I'm looking for it right now!"

A sudden, loud voice drowned out the store's peaceful background music.

"Come on, hurry up. You have a line of people waiting on you!"

"Oh, yeah? Well, if they have any complaints, they can take it up with me!"

Apparently, trouble was brewing by the monitor. A dispute had broken out between two young men who were glaring at each other. I recognized the one with the thoroughly ill-tempered look on his face. It was the student from my class, the guy with the red hair who said his name was Sudo. He had his hands full of noodle cups.

"What's going on here?" I asked.

"Huh? you?" his scowl is back.

"Calm down, It sounded like there was some trouble, what happened?"

"After class I went to my dorm room and I forgot my student ID card and my phone. Forgot that it pretty much acts as our money from now on, too." I looked at his empty hands. He'd put the noodle cups away. He started to leave, probably heading back to the dorms

"I can pay for you. I mean, it'd be annoying if you had to head all the way back to the dorms. You can pay me back tomorrow in class."

"That's true. You're right, it'd be absolutely annoying. Thanks man."