I am Amano Tsukiko. A normal mid-twenties woman working on a low income desk job. I live in an apartment in a suburban area on Yokohama, and it's pretty near to my workplace.
Life is simple even if it's somewhat boring. I go to my work, work my eight to twelve hours shift, and after that I go back home to prepare for my work tomorrow. It's already a chore, and I became used to it.
Sometimes I complain about it, but it's not like I hate my life or anything. I am working to help my family living on the provinces. They work hard to raise me, so it is just right for me to reciprocate now that I can work.
I don't have any definite hobbies. I sometimes watch what's popular on the internet, or read some magazines to learn about the latest fashion trends but other than that, I don't have anything. It's not like I am interested in anything. More like every thing I take interest in are superficial.
I personally see myself as someone who is the definition of average and boring. I don't have any above average talent, nor am I smart. I am not a hidden heiress of some tycoon, and I am not famous. I don't even have a boyfriend, which might be weird in my age, but for me I am just not interested.
Anyway, that's anything for me. I already accepted it in my life that I am not someone special. I'm just another person among the many crowds living in a society. There is no grand purpose on my birth. No great destiny I have to fulfill or something.
That's what I believe until now.
I don't know if I am dreaming or not. I can still feel my breathing, and pinching my cheeks definitely hurt. Still, the surroundings feels so bizarre and unrealistic that I am still trying to process whether it is real or not.
Around me is a blank space. It's like I am standing in a third dimensional perspective of a blank canvas. Just in front of me is another oddity within this pure white area.
There is a white counter with a cash register on it. It's a counter usually seen in a convenience store. Beyond the counter is a robotic machine. The robot beyond the counter looks like the typical robot in scifi films, the one with a singular red eye, circular head, and a body that makes it look like an oblate spheroid. It has extendable thick wires as limbs, with two wrench-like appendage as it's fingers. It's mouth is a glass of some sort with a slight flow of wave displayed in it.
"Congratulations, Amano Tsukiko. You have been chosen to become an eligible customer of the Shop of the Gods. This is a shop where you can buy everything if you are willing to pay the price for it. Money, belongings, life force, anything you own can be used as a payment to use our services!"
The robot's glass monitor mouth fizzles in a chaotic seismic wave as I hear its voice, which surprisingly sounds feminine. It's unlike the digitized voice that I imagined.
But anyway, shop of the gods? Can buy anything if I am willing to pay for it?
... I am slowly leaning that I am still dreaming, even if I can feel things clearly. It's words are so unbelievable.
... But if this true, I should at least humour this robot, right?
"Do you want to purchase something?"
Its question brings me back to the present.
... Fine, I think I should do so.
"Okay. You said I can buy everything right? How about the next winning lottery numbers? Can I buy that?" It said I can buy everything, so how about that?
"You will have to pay with something of equal value. With a simple scan of your life, I know you have insufficient funds for that kind of thing. The only way you can pay for that is through your life force, your luck, or selling someone that is important to your life. Are you going to proceed with this purchase?"
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... What? No way!
Even if this is a dream, I don't want to sell anyone important in my life. My life is also important. Even if I don't have a lot of interesting thing going on with me, I don't want to die quickly. Also, I think it might be a bad idea if I just sell my luck. I don't know what it actually entails, but I think luck is important?
"... Wait, there are a lot of lottery types in this world. How will I know if the number you gave me is the one I am thinking about?"
"I will give you a catalogue of available products depending on the value of your payment."
Wait, it can do that?
I see. So it won't just trick me into giving me products I am not asking for. It will show me the products that I can buy with my preferred payment.
"... Let's say I did proceed with my purchase, what are the available things I can get from that?"
"As you are asking for the next set of winning numbers for the lottery, this will be the available set of numbers you will get."
After saying so, I almost jump in fright when a floating digital panel suddenly appears in front of my eyes. I quickly manage to calm myself after a short while and look at it.
... Wow, it shows the names of every lottery tickets from every part of the world. Their price are also stated besides them.
Thirty years of lifespan!? Nope, I don't want to shave my lifespan just for a winning lottery!
... Well, I am considering it though, but not right now!
I shake my head, and the catalogue vanishes on my sight.
"Would you like to resume browsing our products?"
... Well, it says I can buy anything with what I have.
"... Can you limit it to my financial account?"
"Of course. Here are the list of products you can buy with your available money."
After it says so, the digital panel comes back. This time it lists a lot of categories. There are the normal ones like food, appliances, vehicles, structures, and drinks. Then there are the weirder ones like talent, abilities, fortune, and other unbelievable stuffs.
I look at the weirder stuff and expands the category, seeing the services it will provide me.
The power to wake up always well-rested, the power to memorize more things, the talent for pen spinning, the talent for maintaining balance on any situation, the fortune of always arriving in time on any planned occasions, the fortune of always finding coins in the middle of the road, etc.
The cheapest of them costs 50,000 Yen, while the most expensive one will cost all of my fortune.
There are others, but my eyes honed in on the first one. The power to wake up always rested? That sounds like a godly power!
I haven't felt that for a long time. I always wake up still feeling tired even when I sleep in eight hours. I always dream of having the time to just sleep all day and night for at least a single day. Not like I can do it even in my day off, because no one will take care of me if I decided to laze off.
The cost is five hundred thousand yen. That's almost everything in my savings.
But I think this will be worth it. If I can get this kind of ability, then my life will feel like it's in heaven!
"I'd like to buy this." And so I chose that power without any hesitation.
----------------------------------------
... It's true. The one I thought a dream was actually real!
Since I woke up, I felt as if all of my fatigue was gone. The soreness of my shoulders and back had vanished as if it was lie, and I haven't felt lightheaded at all when I woke up.
This was a first since I started working.
When I stand up and move around, I feel like I am young again. Walking feels like I am floating on air. It's the kind of fleeting feeling that I only remember having when I am a child.
"Wow... so this is how what's feeling well-rested was...!?"
This is such a miracle. How is this possible!?
"Oh right!" I almost forgot, I immediately take my phone lying above my drawer, and open my bank account.
Looking at my savings, I see that it's 500,000 Yen lesser than what I remember yesterday. Looking at the payment history on my bank, I found that it had been sent by an anonymous simply called Unknown.
I'll have to work for at least two months to get that back, and that's not including my leisure expenses and my monthly aid to my family from the province.
That's fine. If I live frugally, I can get that money back.
For now... that shop of the gods.
That robot whom introduces herself as Teller after I ask her (she says she is a girl), says that I can always visit the shop by simply thinking about it. I can also leave the shop by my will alone. I already tried it, so it is why I wake up like this.
... I don't have a lot of things in my life, but I think with this new power, I can work my ass off and sleep it off. I will recover from my fatigue with my new power.
I don't know what's actually happening, but I am grateful to whoever give me the chance to become a customer of this fantastic shop. I will use this to improve my quality of life, and help out more to my family!