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To an interloper’s point of view, Chuuya looked like he’s about to hold-up MiniMart.
He perhaps—in his all black outfit and shades (it’s 12AM, goodness)—looked stupid. Not to mention that he’s lurking behind some shrubbery in order to observe the store whilst obscuring himself. All he needed was some binoculars in hand and he’ll complete his shady stalker get-up.
When did it start? As silly as it sounds, it was when Chuuya heard the rumors about the newly-constructed convenience store in the outskirts of their neighborhood, MiniMart, being operated by vampires. The first time he heard it, Chuuya snorted. Who wouldn’t have, anyway? Whoever came up with that must be some delusional teenager who’s still caught up in the last installment of The Breaking Dawn.
Speaking of which, MiniMart’s customers had a hasty influx, consisting mostly of female young adults. Said young adults came out of the convenience store either dazed or giggling, but both describing the whole experience soul-sucking.
If there’s anything soul-sucking about buying cup noodles and canned soda, Chuuya didn’t know.
It was a few weeks later that the rumors got a bit out of hand. Weeks prior, it was only the giggling groups of teenagers but then, out of nowhere, almost everyone in their neighborhood, including the grandma beside Chuuya’s home, has been whispering about their first-hand soul-sucking experiences with each other in hushed tones as though telling a secret. A secret that every single one knows, Chuuya may add.
In fact, Chuuya managed to hear bits and pieces (the gossips were just that loud, it’s not as if Chuuya’s listening on purpose, really) and was able to get the gist of the whole story. The people of their neighborhood—somehow—was able to gather evidences that might actually lead them to the truth about the enigma surrounding the convenience store. Said pieces of evidence are:
- MiniMart only operates at night. The store closes before dawn.
- The man on the counter was so damn pale (and hot, as the gossips tell but Chuuya wouldn’t acknowledge it because if he was hot, then the man should be flushing and not pale, okay?) and apparently, he’s always seen with droplets of “blood” on his uniform.
- They have a separate fridge for mildly concerning dark liquids labeled as grape and strawberry juices.
But those were just suspicions. Even with thousands of them, it won’t make a fact.
Said shreds of evidence were outright silly, in Chuuya’s opinion. What if the people working there use skincare products that get side effects when exposed to sunlight (Chuuya used one before, it was awful)? And geez, of course, if one works during night shifts, they won’t get enough sunlight, which explains the pallid complexion of the cashier. And droplets of blood? They already said it themselves, MiniMart has a lot of stock of grape and strawberry juices. What if counter man here snuck to get one bottle per night every night and some dropped on his shirt?
Anyway, that still didn’t explain why Chuuya is in his current situation. It was because they ran out of stock of grocery today and Chuuya’s stomach was growling for a midnight snack. It just happens that MiniMart is just a few blocks away. The reason doesn’t have anything to do with his curiosity (despite the fact that Chuuya could have simply tapped few numbers on his phone and call for a take-out instead).
Back at the situation at hand, Chuuya saw a pair of girls coming out from the store, both awestruck beyond relief and comprehension. Chuuya took that as a cue to stand up, brushed the imaginary dust on his pants, and placed the shades in his pockets in an attempt to look less shady.
Chuuya passed both girls—still in an ungraceful statuette state—and pushed the welcoming doors of MiniMart only to come to a complete halt once inside.
There was a man behind the counter, gulping on a bottle of dark liquid Chuuya’s too far gone to recognize, head tilted back. Involuntarily, Chuuya’s eyes followed the stray drop that escaped those parted lips, trailing the impossibly pale chin to the equally impossibly pale neck wrapped in bandages. As if noticing his presence, the man brought the bottle down in favor of smirking towards Chuuya, those sharp amber eyes settling on Chuuya a little too intensely.
“Good evening, welcome to MiniMart.”
Chuuya swallowed upon hearing the voice. It looks like he’ll be craving for midnight snacks for a long time.