19 – 19. How did you fix it to the horizon coordinate system? (2)

Each observed universe has its own unique number.

Universe-1221 is also the 1221st observed universe, so it is labeled with the number ‘1221’, and Universe-1 is known to be the first to successfully observe other universes.

It is not certain whether Universe-1 was actually the first to observe other universes, but at least, most multi-universe companies, including U.C. Convenience Store, belong to Universe-1.

And ordinary universes have a similar basic structure.

Universe-1221 also has almost the same things as the religions and cultures in other universes, except for the significant divergence in directionality due to the influence of magic. It could be said that Universe-1221 is not much different from the typical modern era of the 21st century.

Moreover, in one universe, there were various time periods and parallel universes, so there were cases where it seemed almost the same when encompassing all the densely connected universes that spread from roots to roots.

There were even cases where universes were divided by as little difference as the appearance of ants, whether antennae were attached to their heads or their buttocks.

So, I asked about the observation method of the universe that Universe-1 uses and the criteria for company dispatch in various universes, but Universe-1 summarized the tens to hundreds of thousands of questions that had been passed down from various universes into a single answer.

[“It’s a company secret. Additionally, if you repeat the question even after receiving an answer, we will collect all the companies and observers dispatched to that universe.”]

[Main Administrator of Universe-1 ‘■■■’]

Eventually, no one could refute the answer.

If I unnecessarily bothered the administrator who connects one universe to another, it was certain that the universe I was in would be permanently severed.

Moreover, severed universes could not obtain information about external threats from other universes.

The destruction of a universe.

That was simply a phenomenon where the living creatures in that universe became extinct.

There were reasons for the destruction of the universe beyond extinction.

†††

-Kim Hyun-woo-

[So, is this also a special duty?]

-Store owner-

[Yes, Mr. Kim Hyun-woo’s special duty is to clean up the area. If necessary, Mr. Kim Hyun-woo will be called, so it’s not every day.]

I went up to the second floor through the emergency exit stairs.

I didn’t even know there was a second floor in this convenience store, but what was even more surprising was the appearance of the room above.

The fireproof door that tightly closed the entrance to the second floor automatically opened as I approached, and as I walked along the corridor, this room came out.

It seemed like someone had lived here.

No, there must have been someone here until recently.

It’s a room full of traces of human life that is hard to believe people actually live in.

Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to explain the various snacks, drink bottles, and trash overflowing on the desk.

So, the conclusion is for me to clean up this room.

Why would I suddenly be told to clean a room that seems like even the king of unemployed people worse than a pigsty would live in?

Is this some kind of special task…?

Was this even related to the convenience store?

More importantly, what is this place and who lives in such a disgustingly dirty way that it’s hard to believe people actually live here?

-Kim Hyunwoo-

“Why do I have to clean up this pigsty in the first place?”

I asked the manager because I couldn’t understand it at all.

Of course, compared to the special tasks I had seen before, this was actually somewhat normal.

It’s normal… What should I say, the space inside the waste basket in the storage room would probably be cleaner than here.

-Manager-

“I’m sorry for the pigsty. We haven’t had the time to clean because we were monitoring Kim Hyunwoo.”

But judging from the reaction, is this the room that the manager uses?

I looked around the room again.

Come to think of it, there were underwear and socks scattered around that definitely didn’t seem like they belonged to a man.

And the manager I saw earlier in the storage room, I couldn’t make out their appearance because of the noise, but they looked like a girl.

Even snakes wouldn’t shed their skin like that…

-Manager-

“So please clean it thoroughly. For laundry, use the washing machine in the multipurpose room and mix the detergent and fabric softener in the appropriate ratio…”

So why are you passing on the task of cleaning your own room to me?

-Kim Hyunwoo-

“Are you kidding me? This has nothing to do with the convenience store, right? And even if it did, shouldn’t it be set up so that cleaning is done automatically like in the store?”

Furthermore, U.C convenience stores maintain a clean state without specifically cleaning.

To be precise, no matter what happens in the convenience store today, by the next day, all the traces disappear and it returns to its usual clean and neat appearance.

Unless it’s urgent, there was no need to clean.

So why are you making me do it in an inefficient way when there is such a convenient function?

-Manager-

“That’s just one of the store maintenance functions supported by the headquarters. Using U.C convenience store’s special functions only for your own benefit is embezzlement.”

Then, is it not embezzlement to have the convenience store part-timer clean his own room as he pleases?

-Manager-

[Yes, I am the one who hired Kim Hyun-woo, and I oversee everything from his salary, health, to even his mental well-being. So, it’s alright to ask him to do these things.]

Disgusting.

Not only is the room dirty, but his character is also dirty.

The room and his character were equally filthy to the point where it made me wonder if he intentionally made the room messy.

There was no need for further explanation when he would pass even personal matters on to others.

-Kim Hyun-woo-

[Then, what about the convenience store work? It’s alright for now because it’s not official work, but what if later I have to work 24 hours with no consideration for human rights? Would it be okay to close the store?]

-Manager-

[It’s okay. It won’t happen frequently, and even if you close the store for an hour, there won’t be any problem. After all, I am the store manager.]

Ah, that’s right.

As the name on the messenger implies, he was the owner of this place.

Come to think of it, even ordinary convenience stores sometimes close their doors in the early morning due to a lack of part-timers or personal circumstances.

-Manager-

[And for Kim Hyun-woo, this might be a good thing. You will have about an hour for cleaning, and after that, you can have free time for rest. In the future, when you work for 24 hours continuously, wouldn’t even 10 minutes of complete rest be important?]

The problem is whether the cleaning will be done within an hour.

Right now, there are cigarette butts, cacti made of cigarette butts, and various cans of drinks scattered all over the desk with multiple monitors.

There are more than just one or two monitors, so I wonder if he’s playing multiple games at once.

-Kim Hyun-woo-

[It might be better to call a cleaning service.]

-Manager-

[Showing my personal space to others is an unpleasant thing. It would certainly be more efficient in terms of performance and time, but personal emotions are sometimes not considered for efficiency.]

-Kim Hyun-woo-

[But am I not someone else? If you think about it, it might be better to hire cleaning professionals.]

Upon hearing this, the manager read my message and silently chewed on it.

Talking about emotions and efficiency, but he simply finds cleaning bothersome and I seem to be the only suitable person nearby to do it.

He really knows how to make use of people efficiently.

“…One side is space junk, and the other side is human trash?”

Whether it was this or that, the fact that it was trash instinctively struck me.

However, I had no choice, so I had to accept it.

Fortunately, cleaning had its merits, in a way.

After all, I didn’t have to scrub the floors of a convenience store or perform other menial tasks, and I didn’t have to check inventory or place orders for goods, so I considered this job to be relatively acceptable.

It’s definitely smaller than a convenience store.

That being said, I can’t help but feel like this mess was deliberately created.

Could it be that I’m acting out of spite because of what that son of a… said earlier?

Given the circumstances, there are enough reasons to be suspicious.

Although his tone may seem businesslike, the young store manager’s way of thinking seemed somewhat similar to mine.

†††

Indeed, clearing the mess left by that pig, which used to be our home, was quite a laborious task.

After finishing a cleaning job that took over an hour, I descended the creaky stairs.

Maybe it’s because I haven’t moved my body for two days, but my back hurts, my neck is stiff, and today, my mind also needs some rest.

Cleaning aside, there is still something green echoing in my mind.

I’m pretty sure it asked me to save it.

It didn’t seem to have eyes or a mouth, but it sounded like it was pleading earnestly, gazing at me with a pitiful look.

“He said it was a doomed universe…”

Perhaps it wanted to escape from that doomed universe.

I don’t know the full details, but it seemed likely.

It gives me a somewhat uneasy feeling…

– Store Manager –

[You’re surprisingly good at cleaning, aren’t you? I should have had you do this earlier.]

From Noble mtl dot com

I was startled by the store manager’s message, which interrupted my deep thoughts.

Could it be that this young store manager has more tasks for me?

If so, I will grab that mop and head to the second floor immediately.

After all, for unruly youngsters, a dose of discipline is essential.

– Store Manager –

[Thank you for your hard work. You can go home now and take some rest. Dealing with the cosmic waste disposal must have been quite mentally taxing. Take a good rest and I hope you start your convenience store shift tomorrow in good spirits.]

Thankfully, that doesn’t seem to be the case.

After closing the store manager’s message, I entered the break room.

As I opened the door, a faint aroma of tea leaves wafted through the air.

“What’s this?”

The source of the fragrance was the red tea on the breakroom desk.

It still seemed warm, judging by the steam.

Beside the red tea was a cookie, one I hadn’t seen in convenience stores before.

It looked quite well-made; I wondered which company produced it.

And there was also a small note placed on the cookie.

– Manager –

[It will help you organize your thoughts. They are merely imitating the presence of the self. Mr. Kim Hyunwoo, there’s no need to burden yourself with them for no reason.]

This wasn’t a message left through the system; it was a note written by hand.

“…”

I sat silently and had the red tea and cookie.

So, I thought it was a chocolate chip cookie, but when I tasted it, it turned out to be a raisin cookie.

Why, though?

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