“A citizen ID…”
Standing outside the Public Security station, Cael looked down at the rigid plastic card in his hand and couldn’t help thinking about how surreal his day had been.
He’d crossed into the world of Zenless Zone Zero, gotten caught in a Hollow expansion, helped Hoshimi Miyabi take down the high-risk Ethereal Dullahan, and then gone to get an ID.
A New Eridu citizen ID…
So he was officially a legal citizen of New Eridu now?
Evening had already begun to settle over the city.
The enormous billboard in Lumina Square lit up, displaying an advertisement for real estate.
Cael took one look at the prices and nearly blacked out.
Property in the central district cost 100,000,000 Dennies per square meter.
That many Dennies wouldn’t even fit in a truck!
Could Astra Yao afford that?
What about Bunny Zhao?
Alice?
…Maybe only Nangong Yu could afford one of Siv Real Estate’s properties at a hundred million Dennies per square meter.
Still thinking about it, Cael headed toward the Lumina Square metro station, planning to take the train to Sixth Street.
Sixth Street, Random Play.
The video store carried a faint smell of old newspapers mixed with plastic cases, while the hanging lights overhead cast a warm orange glow across the room.
A cute girl with short blue-gray hair and a gray-haired young man were sorting through the various videotapes on the shelves.
Several round Bangboo held brooms as they cleaned the floor.
“Wise, how much did the store make today?”
Belle stood on tiptoe as she pulled a videotape from the highest shelf.
It was so high up, and the tape had been rented so rarely, that a thick layer of dust had accumulated on its case.
Wise thought for a moment.
“Two people signed up for monthly memberships, and six tapes were rented out.
After subtracting the Bangboo charging costs…
our net income was around 20,000 Dennies.”
“Twenty thousand?
That feels pretty low.
Is there any way we can increase revenue?”
Belle sighed softly.
Wise closed the ledger, looking troubled as well.
“Not losing money lately is already an improvement.
Remember when we first opened?
We were operating at a loss every single day.
That was real despair.
“We have too many tapes, and they’re all mixed together.
There’s another huge pile upstairs.
I bought some of them from secondhand markets, and the content is all over the place.
Some of them are even adults-only.
Watching every single one and sorting them properly would take forever.
“And…
some of the tapes we’ve rented out never came back.”
“So basically, we’re short on staff.
Didn’t you put a hiring notice outside?”
Wise shook his head slightly.
“No one’s contacted me yet.
Maybe I should change it to a daily-pay part-time position.
Students from the nearby schools might be interested that way…”
“Maybe the salary you posted is too low?”
“…Maybe, but 150,000 Dennies a month is already the most we can afford right now.”
Jingle—
The bell over the video store’s entrance rang while the two were talking.
Wise looked toward the door in confusion.
The store was already closed.
Who would be coming this late?
“Belle, could you get the door?
It might be a customer.”
“Sure.”
Belle dusted herself off and opened the door.
Standing outside was a black-haired young man in a T-shirt and shorts.
He was somewhat slender, with gentle features and a pleasant smile that made him seem unusually approachable at first glance.
He doesn’t look like a bad person…
Belle thought.
“Hello.
Can I help you?”
“Hi.
My name is Cael Veyne.
I saw the hiring notice outside.
Are you still looking for someone to work at the video store?”
Belle’s lake-green eyes widened, and a delighted smile immediately appeared on her face.
“Wise, come quick!
Someone’s here about the job!”
She reached out, grabbed Cael by the wrist, and pulled him into the store as though she were afraid he’d change his mind and run away.
Only after doing so did Belle realize how rude that probably looked.
“Hello.
I’m Wise, the manager of this video store, and this is my sister, Belle.
She helps run it too.
She got a little excited just now, so please excuse her.”
Wise poured Cael a cup of hot tea as he explained, speaking gently with an apologetic smile.
“It’s fine.”
He really was polite.
No wonder he had such a reputation for being a natural charmer.
Cael casually examined the layout of the store.
It was noticeably different from the playable version he’d seen in the game.
The real Random Play was actually larger and much more cluttered.
Then he noticed a Bangboo peeking in from near the entrance.
Was that Eous?
Or No.
18?
Cael soon looked away and turned his attention back to Wise, who was sitting across from him on the sofa.
“My name is Cael Veyne.
I’ve been looking for work recently, and when I saw the hiring notice outside, I decided to come in.”
“I see.
As you can tell, our store isn’t particularly large, but we have a lot of videotapes, and plenty of them still haven’t been categorized.
“There are also regular cleaning duties, and when customers come in, you’ll need to recommend tapes based on their preferences.
Belle and I simply don’t have enough time to handle everything ourselves.
“We provide accommodation but not meals.
The salary is 150,000 Dennies a month.
Would that be acceptable?”
Accommodation included, but no meals.
One hundred fifty thousand Dennies a month—roughly 1,500 by Cael’s old-world standards.
The pay was a little low, but it was still far better than having to rent his own place.
He’d just seen a small property for rent near a convenience store, and the monthly rent alone was 200,000 Dennies.
“So I’d have to handle food myself?”
“Yes.
Or you can cook for yourself if you know how.
There’s actually a kitchen behind the video store, but neither Belle nor I can cook.
Usually, the most we manage is instant noodles.”
Cael didn’t hesitate.
“Sure.
No problem.”
Hearing him agree, the visibly nervous siblings both relaxed slightly.
After confirming that there were no issues with Cael’s new identification, the three of them signed an employment contract.
Wise then led Cael upstairs.
“This is my room, and Belle’s is over there.
Yours is this one.
It’s a little small—it used to be a storage room, and we only cleared it out a few days ago.”
Wise opened the door.
Cael looked inside.
The room was about ten square meters.
It really wasn’t large, but for one person, it was more than enough.
The bed and bedding were already prepared and neatly folded.
Several movie posters and prints decorated the walls, giving the room a fitting video-store atmosphere.
“It’s already pretty late, so you might as well stay here tonight.
Tomorrow morning, I’ll show you around the store properly.
As for your actual duties…”
Wise smiled somewhat awkwardly.
“There’s quite a lot, and it’s pretty varied.
We’ll just handle things as they come.”
“Oh, right.
The restroom and shower are both behind the store.
Just go through the door on the first floor.”
“Got it.”
Cael answered with a smile and watched Wise head downstairs until he disappeared around the corner.
Only then did Cael return to his room.
He stood by the window and looked out over the quiet, peaceful Sixth Street.
A trace of nostalgia appeared in his eyes.
Downstairs, Belle immediately pulled Wise into a corner as soon as she saw him return, lowering her voice.
“So?
What did he say?”
“He said he’s fine with everything.”
“Really?
That’s great.”
Belle patted her chest and let out a relieved breath.
“But…”
Wise looked puzzled and fell into thought.
“I don’t know why, but something about him feels a little strange.
Did you notice it too?”
“Strange?
You’re overthinking things, Wise.”
Belle poked him in the arm.
“He didn’t object to the work, the salary, or the room at all.”
“What’s so strange about that?
Maybe he really needs money.
And we’re providing accommodation.
That’s actually a pretty good deal.”
“That’s not what I mean.”
Wise shook his head.
“Did you notice the way he looked around after entering the store?
The way he looked at us, and even the way he looked at Eous…
“There was this strange sense of familiarity and nostalgia in his eyes.
Like he was seeing old friends again.
“Belle, have you ever met him before?
Because I’m certain this is my first time seeing him.”
Belle thought hard for a while before shaking her head.
“No.
I’ve never seen him before.”
“…Then let’s keep an eye on him for now.”
It really helps the fic grow!