Multiversal: The Shop

I need votes, give it to me. I hope you do.

—

The kids were playing with their new pets, it's safe to say that they like them, especially Ruby.

Unlike normal animals, these monsters are intelligent enough to understand language; right now, I'm the only one available for babysitting.

As their mother was busy with the upcoming movie, and as the protagonist, she had a lot of scenes to take, and some locations of the shooting were simply not for toddlers to go to, or else these two wouldn't be there.

While they may have the mind of an adult, at least for Aqua, their bodies are weak and easily get sick.

They might be a future first-rate magus, but they're still toddlers, no matter how amazing their future is; if they can't get past infancy, then it's no good.

Also, my sister and her fiancé aren't here at the moment, as the revelation of the shop made her excited at the possibility of finally exterminating every dead apostle of earth, which were the cancers of humanity that she hoped to remove.

Lorelei also asked me to give them a discount, to which I agreed, but with the condition that I would only give them a discount if they spent a total purchase reaching at least a million credits each time they bought in the shop.

To which she readily agreed; kudos for her not asking me to give it to them for free, but then again, that's just the way she is.

My sister was prideful enough to the point that it was probably humiliating for her to ask me to give her free stuff; asking for a discount was already her limit.

If this was my sister before she dated Shirou, there's no doubt asking for a discount is a foreign thing.

With Shirou as her fiancé, she discovered the joy of discounts.

But that's a story for another time; for now, the kids needed milk to drink.

As they're toddlers, they can't eat solid food yet; no matter how old they may be mentally, their physical bodies are still infants, so they have to eat liquid foods.

"Hey kids, there's no milk in the kitchen. I'm going to get some outside."

The two gave me a particular look, which was odd, and suddenly Ruby spoke. "You're not going to disappear forever after you leave us right?"

My face twitched with her words. I was honestly offended by that comment, and then I took the phone from her hands and said. "No social media for you little girl."

"Hey! Give it back!" Ruby shakily stood up with her weak knees but ultimately failed as her muscles weren't completely developed yet.

But before she could fall, I caught her and replied. "No, I won't give it back. Watching the media, especially the Western ones, gives you brain rot."

"A what?" Aqua looked confused at the term.

"It's another definition of a mentally ill person," I explained it to him in a terminology that he could understand.

"Oh!" That, he understood.

He was an old man before he reincarnated, so new-gen terms are quite confusing to him; I mean, it wasn't like I don't understand where he's coming from as there was a time when new-gen terms confused me.

"Anyway, my daughter I won't leave you, especially when your aunt would drag my ass back to you if I ever did leave." I wouldn't dare to think about the consequences, but even without that threat I'm still not going to leave.

I'm an asshole, not a deadbeat.

Ruby still wasn't convinced. Meanwhile, my son was chill, like 'I don't give a fuck' kind of chill.

"Or, I could just create milk with my magic like before," I suggested to my children, and their faces were filled with absolute disgust.

"No way! The milk you create with magic tastes nothing! It would have been bearable if it tasted plain, but it doesn't taste anything! The only thing I could taste was the sticky liquid that entered my mouth!" Ruby complained about my man-made 'milk.'

The way she said it drained the blood out of my face, thank god that we're alone or else this type of phrasing would get me straight from jail.

She made it sound like I made her drink my manly liquid or something, even Aqua wasn't spared and could only show his dumbfounded face.

"Ruby! Don't say it that way! People would misunderstand you if you said it like that!" I really needed to teach her how to control her words; if this continues, sooner or later, someone would be sent straight out of jail due to misunderstanding.

Not that the police could keep me there, the point is, I don't want to be a victim of such misunderstanding.

It would literally be a life-and-death sentence to my public reputation.

Ruby didn't seem to understand what she did at all, isn't she supposed to be a teenager mentally? Why the heck is she worse than an elementary student in terms of common sense?

"You know what, let's forget that this conversation ever happened; either way, I'm going to the convenience store nearby." With a sigh, I left the kids and went directly to the store to buy some baby milk powder.

While my magic can create, apparently, it can only replicate but not the taste; that's why even if I make the most appetizing food in the world, it would still taste nothing.

I suppose you learn new things every day, a flaw in my magic that I never thought about; it seems that even this miracle isn't perfect.

—

"Welcome." 

An employee greeted me as soon as I entered the store. Japanese are like that, too polite; it was definitely weird to get used to at first as a Westerner, but living here in Japan for years made me used to it.

I only gave a subtle nod and went directly to the shelf where the baby milk powder was, then my greatest hurdle came.

"Which brand is better…this tasty-looking one or the one that says premium..?" While I was trying to pick between the two, another customer entered the store.

Then after some time, I realized. "Wait, I'm rich, why do I have to choose?"

Then I took every single one of the baby milk powder brands available on the shelves and put it into the store basket.

As I walked out of the shelves, I almost bumped into someone, but thanks to my haki, I avoided that exact scenario; it would be really embarrassing if it did happen.

"Oops, that was close, sorry bout that."

"Aha-ha, it's fine man." Replied the stranger.

Then I looked at the man with a smile then froze as I saw his entire appearance.

That familiar orange, black & white tracksuit, sharp-looking eyes,, and that wacky hairstyle that no one has anymore.

The guy noticed how I froze and couldn't help but ask with concern. "H-hey, are you alright?"

Quickly snapping out of it, and immediately thought of an excuse that sounded natural. "Ah, yes sorry. I thought you looked familiar, although you look younger and don't wear glasses."

This time it was the guy who froze after I mentioned those specific words, which is exactly the reaction I was hoping for as I know exactly how to make him tick.

But he quickly got over it and tried to play it cool, but failed due to the obvious strained smile. "Ah, yeah, that, you must be talking about my father…he's really popular, huh…even a foreigner knows him; guess another that his son fails to achieve.."

He muttered the last sentence, but I heard it clearly but chose to ignore it. "Oh, I see. That makes sense, but I don't really know him as I just saw him passing by once; right, I'm Alexander, by the way. Call me Alex as my full name, rather a mouthful; what's yours?"

Words seemed to calm him down, realizing that I didn't know his father the way he thought I was, but he was also confused as to why I was trying to strike up a conversation with him openly as he wasn't someone interesting, unlike his father.

But regardless, as a Japanese person, it's in his core to be polite and reply in kind. "Natsuki Subaru."

I gave him a hand, to which he was confused for a bit before realizing what I was implying. He took it, and we did a handshake. "Nice to meet you."

"...yeah, nice to meet you too..?" Subaru looked absolutely confused at this moment, wondering why a stranger was talking to him.

"Anyway, you must be wondering why I'm talking to you." I decided to be blunt about it.

Subaru was surprised by my blunt approach, but regardless he nodded as he was too curious as to why I did.

"That's simple, I simply find you interesting, even more than your father," I said.

Subaru's body trembled at my words, as if he couldn't believe that I said that, it must be the very words he was hoping to hear for the longest time.

For a long time, he has had a massive inferiority complex when it comes to his father, compared to his amazing father, while he, the son of such an individual, was nothing.

That's why he longed to be special in some way, it's also the very reason why he was so delusional when he was first summoned to another world.

Thinking that he was someone special or at least deluded himself to be special, which backfired rather quickly as a result.

Being a shut-in and otaku doesn't help him either.

At that very moment, I decided to help Natsuki Subaru in my own way, as he simply didn't deserve the fate that was about to befall him in the future.

Right now, I decided to become his friend and slowly build his confidence.

Subaru, not realizing that he was getting emotional because of a simple act from a stranger, replied. "Thank you."

"I don't know why you're thanking me, but you're welcome." I pretended not to know why he became like this.

Subaru just nodded, as if he was expecting that answer anyway. "Sorry for that, but those words meant a lot to me. I'm grateful."

"Why are you sorry? You did nothing to apologize for, but since you're grateful to me, why not show that gratitude by hanging out with me?" I grinned at his direction.

"Huh? I mean, I don't mind hanging out with you but where?" Subaru was greatly confused at how fast the things were moving, but he went along anyway.

"Well, that's for you to find out." 

Thus, I dragged him along to have some fun that a normal teenager would do.

—

Subaru deserved more than being a simp to a naive girl who doesn't even know that kissing doesn't make one pregnant.

I genuinely like him as a person and character, as he's very 'real' unlike those two-bit personalities that the new gen Isekai protagonist has.

Support me on [email protected], even if it's just for a month I'd be grateful.

[email protected]/charlottes143