When did this even happen?
At first, I hadn’t realized that the ATM had started working again. It wasn’t until the third time I dusted and wiped down the machine that I realized it had come back to life.
It wasn’t a big deal, to be honest, the machine was not something I thought about much. It took care of itself for the most part, and my only interaction with it normally was to wipe the screen during the regular cleaning sweeps.
After noting that the ATM stopped working following the earthquake, I hadn’t given it another thought. Then, when it came back to life, I hadn’t even noticed, I just instinctively went back to wiping the touchscreen during my regular cleaning, as I had before the disaster.
Of course, as soon as I realized that it was operational again, I tried it out. Just like the One Mart app, I was able to see my bank balance, but was unable to deposit, or withdraw any funds. This made it pretty useless in my opinion, and I wondered why it had come back to life at all.
I felt that ever since the earthquake, there was some level of intelligence behind the changes to the store. Just as the stock of products had run out, the store conveniently created a new delivery dock, something that no store I had ever heard of had, and just like that, store operations could continue.
Now, instead of the dynamic delivery schedule that we used to have, dictated by the AI’s prediction of customer habits and schedules, the store seemed satisfied with setting up just three set deliveries each day, one at 10:00, one at 13:00, and one at 16:00.
This schedule made sense, as 11 AM was when the largest group of people arrived, and no one would come after 5PM. Monster attacks in the area were becoming rare, but a fear of going out at night had become ingrained into the newly developing local culture.
The new delivery schedule adjusted not only to the behavior of the customers, but also to the fact that I was the only employee, and that I was working a set double shift schedule. In other words, it was the perfect setup to take advantage of the new delivery dock.
Adjusting to my working hours was one thing, but where were all the new products coming from? It’s as though the AI was inventing new ways to keep the store open, and magically creating the means to meet the needs of the customers, but how it even knew what those needs were, was a mystery.
That’s why the ATM starting up again was puzzling to me. I thought through the functions of the ATM and couldn’t see any practical value in having it around anymore.
Other than working like a generic bank ATM, which was its primary purpose, it could also be used to purchase tickets to events and attractions. I punched the buttons on the touchscreen, and while the ticket menu was there, all the sales options were greyed out. I could still see the different items, but there was no way to buy a concert ticket or theme park pass currently.
I now found it a little bit annoying that the machine had reactivated. If its return did bring any changes, it would be to increase annoying questions from customers who would want to know why they couldn’t access their bank accounts. It was a complaint magnet. At least when the screen was blanked out, no one even thought to ask me why.
Maybe I should just put an “Out of Order” sign on it anyway.
Then I saw another menu option and it all became clear to me.
[Wanma Digital Wallet]
That’s right!
The ATM could also be used to manage a Wanma Digital Wallet account. So few people had used the digital wallet before, I had never even noticed the function in the ATM menu. Just like the phone app, you could check your balance, but there was one thing that you could do using the ATM that was not possible with the app.
[Charge Account]
I hit the button and was pleased to see a charging screen open. I ran back to my locker and pulled out my wallet. I still had a few bills inside, so I took out a 1,000 yen bill and slid the wallet back in the locker. Then I ran back to the front and pressed the charge button on the ATM.
The small door slid open below the screen, and I dropped the bill into an open chamber, then I pressed the “Close Door” button.
A few seconds of odd mechanical shuffling sounds later, my digital wallet balance had indeed increased by 1,000 yen. I was overjoyed. This was a game-changer.
It had been a few days since I had discovered that the online store in the One Mart app could indeed be used to special order items from the online store. Whatever was ordered would be delivered during the next scheduled delivery.
Once I realized that I could use the online ordering system, a floodgate of possibilities had been opened, not just for me, but for everyone who currently had a working phone and a Wanma Digital Wallet.
After a successful test of an inexpensive food item, a package of my favorite cookies that were never stocked in this store for some reason, I had tested the system in earnest.
I told myself that I needed to try various items out before telling others, so that no one was disappointed if things didn’t go to expectations, but to be fair, I was just eager to see what I could do now.
I used my next order to address a few quality of life changes that had been bothering me.
T-shirts X2, Cotton 100%, White, Size, M: 650 yen, total:1,300 yen
Underwear X2, Mens, Boxers, Size, M: 500 yen, total: 1,000 yen
Socks, One Size, three pairs, total 950 yen
Men’s Slacks, Dark Olive, Size, L, 4,200 yen
Camping Adult Sleeping Bag, Envelope type, Waterproof, 5,000 yen
Travel Pillow, Inflatable, 1,950 yen
13,100 (Tax inclusive.)
- 3% Promotional Discount
-
10% Employee Discount
11,397
FREE Pickup delivery to Store #11,512
This order allowed me to finally retire the low-quality disposable clothes that I had previously bought, and replace them with more comfortable and durable ones that we only sold online.
I also now had the blanket I had been wanting since I started sleeping in the back room.
Convenience stores in general were kept at a constant, slightly cool temperature. This was to help keep food items cool and extend the time we could leave fresh food items out, as well as to discourage bacteria growth.
The back room was also kept at a lightly uncomfortably cool temperature. It wasn’t so bad when I was working, but the nights were quite chilly, and my coat made a poor blanket.
The sleeping bag was the best solution I could have thought of. Comfortable, and more than warm enough, it also packed down into a small, easy to carry pouch that I could easily take with me, should I need to leave the store.
There were many other items I would have liked to get, but this modest shopping spree managed to put a noticeable dent in my digital wallet.
The survivors outside had little luck when it came to scavenging for food, however, cash did not rot like bread and vegetables. Whether it came from their own reserves, or from searching through destroyed stores, businesses, and abandoned residences, finding money had not been the biggest challenge they had faced. For now, at least, many people have been able to find sufficient money to purchase the items they wanted and charge up their digital wallets.
For me, however, that was not an option. While I had water and power, my ability to gain funds was depressingly unchanged. I could make around 16,000 yen after taxes, each day by working a double shift. Now that I no longer needed to pay any of my bills, my available income was good, relative to my old razor-thin budget.
Unfortunately, while buying things from a convenience store may be convenient, it was not a cheap place to shop, even with my discount. I had already spent a disturbing amount of what I had made, just buying food and a few extra supplies.
Now, as I scanned the many items in the camping supplies and home sections of the online store, I felt the pain, as my meager account balance would not come close to the amount I would need to ever shop freely.
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After splurging for the past few days, ordering some of my favorite foods, then upgrading my wardrobe and turning the sofa into a passable bed, I realized that I needed to commit myself to being more disciplined with my purchases. I was on a fixed income and needed to limit myself to only getting things that I truly needed, which would significantly improve my living conditions, and provide a high value to cost return.
I bought a jar of instant coffee to cut down on the number of canned drinks I had squandered a lot of my income on. I promised to improve my diet, taking advantage of the fresh salads and vegetables, while cutting down on high-carb and salty foods. I needed to eat healthier, taking into account my forced shut-in lifestyle.
I contemplated some exercise equipment, but after seeing the prices, I decided instead that refilled water bottles made great dumbbell replacements. Vitamins should help keep my immune system running even without sunlight and a balanced diet, so I bought a large bottle of daily multivitamins.
Still, having the ability to order what I want, and have it delivered directly to me, was a suspiciously convenient arrangement, considering the conditions outside.
Wanma’s priority has always been to optimize store operations, and it appeared that having me continue to work as a component in this machine was part of that mission. The fact that a more comfortable living environment had been created for me lent weight to that theory. The improved living area in the back seemed to echo that.
I had everything I needed to survive, in relative comfort even. The store could now replenish its shelves, and could also sell a larger variety of products. Now that the ATM had been reactivated, all the pieces needed to dramatically increase the productivity of this store were in place.
With the online store, customers with working phones and funds in their digital wallets could order whatever goods they wanted, and only needed to come inside to pick up what they already paid for.
Not only that, but now customers could use the ATM to refill their account, even when I was not on duty. Charging wallets and ringing up purchases were the two main customer-facing tasks that I had, and now both had been fully automated. Meanwhile, it appeared my new duty was to sort and bring out the special orders to the front of the store. Something I anticipated might become my main responsibility, once people found out what was possible.
You think of everything, don’t you? You damned mutt.
That day before, I sent word to the Governor that we needed to talk. He arrived the next morning. This time, he came only with two of the public servants from the temporary base that they had set up in a nearby school.
I found this curious when I heard about it. After all, both the Prefectural Government Office, and the City Hall were not far from here. Both were large complexes and I was sure they were outfitted with bunkers and emergency supplies.
Mr. PTA Mom, who had stopped by a few times, had been the one to explain what had happened, and it was the first time I got an inkling of the scope of the disaster. What had happened that night, was not just an earthquake. It was an unprecedented disaster, unlike anything that had ever happened.
While he had not seen it himself, the former game designer explained what his wife had described, and it was terrifying. Most of the city had been hit by a major earthquake. Nearly every tall building had fallen or collapsed, which indicated a disaster more powerful than any in generations.
That was not all, however. Entire sections of the city had been completely erased. Giant craters, some nearly a kilometer wide, and so deep that no one had dared to try to enter one yet, had redefined the landscape. The center of the city, including the municipal buildings, evacuation centers, and thousands of residents, had simply vanished.
I recalled the earthquake alerts, right before things went crazy. They had said that the entire country was at risk. It was easy, now, to believe that the whole country did get hit, or even the entire world.
I found myself increasingly worried about my family, as well as frustrated by my inability to contact them. It had now been more than two weeks, and still, there was no word from anyone beyond the prefecture’s border.
No one had heard from the actual Prefectural Governor, the Mayor, and most of the government officials in the area either. The Lieutenant Governor was truly the highest official known to have survived. The lack of electricity, transportation, or clear roads had effectively isolated every person from their local community. We seemed to be alone.
While I spoke to the Governor, more of his people arrived. They stayed outside and were evaluating the building across the street. He explained that they wanted to set up a secondary command center here.
This made me both happy and nervous. It was a good idea to have somewhere secure nearby, as the time limit on customers in the store made prolonged visits inconvenient. It also meant that there would be people stationed outside, watching me all the time. I had complicated feelings about that.
During this visit, we ended up speaking for several hours. He had to take breaks when his shopping time ran out, and I had to occasionally clean the store or help customers. Like before, he waited patiently for me to explain things, then asked pointed questions.
“Where does the money go when you put it into the register, or into the ATM? Is it still in the machines, or does it just disappear?” He asked, after I showed him the digital wallet charging option on the ATM.
This was a question I had been deliberately avoiding thinking about, along with the true origin of the products that I had ordered.
The cash drawer was completely inaccessible to me, as was the deposit receptacle in the ATM. When a customer gave me cash, I simply placed any money that I received in a receiver, which automatically sorted the currency, counted it, and dispensed the proper change from a box on the side of the register.
I knew that banks used to send security guards to collect the money from the register and service the ATM on a regular basis before, but despite having collected over a million yen in currency so far, there was still no sign that the cash box was full.
It was another obvious question with no answers. Thankfully, he took my lack of any substantive answers at face value, and did not push.
We spent a lot of time just looking through the online store offerings. He asked me questions about how the store was curated, and what was typically available in the store, and what was not. Some of the questions I could answer, but most I was unsure, or had no idea at all.
“Did you notice something about the types of goods available?” He asked me.
I shook my head, not knowing what he was alluding to.
“There are sporting goods, and cooking supplies, but there is nothing that could be considered a weapon. No baseball bats, or cooking knives. No axes or crossbows. Not even a fruit knife.”
The observation was so strange and specific, that I immediately scrolled through the store, looking for anything that could be considered a weapon, but just as the old man had observed, there were indeed no dangerous items. The closest thing I could find were cans of bug spray.
“I suppose it makes sense. The nature of the convenience store business is to provide comfort. You sell practical items, along with luxury goods and even things that do nothing but provide emotional care.”
I looked around the store, and then scrolled through the list of products on the register screen. The old man was right, of course. This was a core concept that was mentioned in the training when I started this job.
The value of the convenience store was to give people a safe oasis in the complicated world. We stocked comfort foods that ranged from healthy, home-cooked style meals, to sweets and junk food. We always had that thing you forgot and needed in a pinch, like a sewing kit, an extra toothbrush, or a detergent pen to clean that pasta sauce from your dress shirt or blouse.
Even the new expanded range of items in the online store seemed to align with this philosophy. Things that you needed, and items that made you feel safer or less stressed.
“I feel like I should be grateful, but it also makes me worried about the future.”
“Worried?” I asked, as a chill itched up my back.
“What will things be like in the future? This store is offering up many things that we desperately need right now, but along with that, it also can provide things that we secretly want, as well, even if they aren’t the most practical at this moment.”
He went over to the refrigerator and pulled out two plastic bottles.
“Water. We need this to live, and right now, we simply do not have enough clean water. Thankfully, you have been providing us with extra water from the store’s supply, but frankly, we need more. On the other hand, we also have this.”
He put the water on the counter and lifted up a bottle of soda.
“To a man dying of dehydration, this might look attractive, but this is the last thing you should choose. But to a person who is struggling, who is depressed or lonely, a comfort item like this might be irresistible, even if it’s not as practical.”
He put the soda back into the refrigerator, but kept the water.
“It’s not my place to tell people what to do with their access to this amazing store. I want to use this place to make sure we have enough to help the largest number of people get through this disaster, but I am not in a position to tell people what to do.”
He turned his sharp eyes to look at me. He looked tired, but also determined. I could see why people have been following him, turning to his leadership. I could also see the heavy weight on his shoulders, and felt, as he spoke, a portion of that weight moving over to me.
“I can’t tell people what to buy. I can’t control what is available in the store. It’s all up to the AI. Once people see that they can order things freely, that they can even charge up their wallets on their own, I really won’t have any control…”
“Yes, I know. It is the same for me. Perhaps there is nothing either of us can do. Just watch and see what type of animal man is. We have located a lot of money, and there is no other use for it now, but it appears that once we use it here, it is gone. It will not recirculate. Eventually, it will run out. For now, there is little choice. I will inform the group leaders about what you have shared with me. They will make their own judgments.”
He looked at me like he wanted to ask me something, but after a moment, he seemed to change his mind.
“Let’s test this out, shall we?”
I helped the Governor put in an order. I was surprised that his “test” comprised of some of the most expensive items in the store.
Camping Stove, One Burner, 9,800 yen
Butane Fuel Canister X4, 5,600 yen
Solar Folding Lantern, 3,500 yen
Water Purification System, 25 liter capacity, 20,990 yen
Water Purification System Replacement Filters, 500-liter capacity x3, 2,500 yen each, 7,500 total
Durable Work Gloves, Fire, Cut, Resistant, Size M, 3,000 yen
Men’s Steel Toe Work Boots, Size 9, 10,000 yen
Emergency Whistle, Orange, 10pcs, 7,800 yen
He selected the items in quick succession. Despite this being the first time he had seen the online store, it appeared that there was already a wish list of desired items that he drew this test order from.
After submitting the order, the Governor thanked me for the information, and then left to go back to the main base. When the items he had ordered arrived, two men emerged from the building across the street to pick up the order. They took the large box filled with everything the Governor had purchased, into the mostly intact office building, which I assumed they were going to be occupying from now on. My new neighbors.
I tried to prepare myself for the shift in the landscape that would come after word spread about the online store.
I was not ready.
The following morning, the same two men emerged from the office building just as I was ending my overnight shift. They entered the store, and I told them I was going to be off until 11AM, but they replied that it was no problem.
Then they placed a large black duffel bag on the floor next to the ATM. I watched in awe as they proceeded to load two million yen onto four digital wallets.