There was a soft knock, three gentle taps of knuckles on the plastic waste bin in front of Ashen.
He froze in panic for a brief second.
Ashen didn't think anyone had seen him climbing over the bin earlier. He had been careful, or so he thought.
Knock.
The gentle sound came again, echoing lightly through the quiet night.
He didn't know what to do. Sleeping outdoors isn't illegal in this world, right? He wondered.
Truth be told, Ashen didn't know much about this world at all. That was exactly why he wasn't too excited about being caught.
"I am not dangerous, young man. You don't have to be afraid of me," a man's calm voice said.
The tone was soft, careful. The kind of voice that carried peace instead of threat.
Ashen still didn't move. He didn't trust easily.
Staying quiet forever wasn't an option either. Slowly, he got up and revealed himself.
An old-aged man, probably in his late sixties or early seventies, stood there watching him. His eyes were kind but curious.
"Young man," the man voiced politely, "I saw you climb over the waste bin. What were you planning to do?"
Ashen didn't answer right away.
Should he tell the truth? That he was looking for a place to sleep? That didn't sound like the best idea. But staying silent wasn't helping either.
Grrrruuuu...
His stomach growled loudly, breaking the tense air. The awkward sound made Ashen want to disappear into the ground.
"I have something back at my shop that I can give you," the man narrated, pointing to a small store across the street.
It wasn't a surprise he saw Ashen. The store had a clear glass wall, anyone inside could easily see out, and anyone passing by could see in.
Ashen hesitated. Go with a stranger who offered food?
Grrrrruuu.
His stomach growled again, louder this time.
"Can you… uh, lead the way?" Ashen said reluctantly.
Suspicious? Yes, completely. But he didn't have a choice. Hunger overruled fear.
The man smiled a little, clearly amused by Ashen's cautious attitude.
He led the way to his store, motioning for Ashen to sit on one of the chairs outside while he went in.
Through the glass, Ashen watched him move around. The store was small but clean, shelves filled with instant noodles, snacks, and bottled drinks. It looked like a convenience store.
It is a convenience store.
A few moments later, the man picked up a cup of instant noodles and came out holding it along with a jug of hot water.
"Do you eat this?" he asked.
Ashen nodded quickly. He would eat anything edible.
The man opened the cup, poured in the water, and placed it before Ashen.
Then he sat down on the chair opposite him and watched as Ashen devoured the food like someone who hadn't eaten for days.
"What's a young guy like you doing near a waste bin at this hour?" the man asked.
Ashen looked up briefly. The man's face was calm, showing no sign of mockery or bad intent. He seemed genuinely curious.
"I was trying to find a place to sleep," Ashen replied, still slurping his noodles.
"Sleep? Near a waste bin?" the man repeated, sounding surprised.
"It's not illegal, right?" Ashen asked, unsure.
The man glanced at his thin clothes barely enough to keep out the cold.
He planned to sleep outside in that? The man thought. The poor boy could freeze to death.
It wasn't rare to hear stories about people dying from cold at night. Ashen looked small and fragile, definitely the type to suffer from it if left alone.
"Do you not have anywhere to stay?" the man asked.
Ashen looked up, still chewing. "Nope, I don't."
The man sighed softly. The boy looked like a teenager, and that made it even harder to understand. What kind of parents would allow their son to sleep outside like this?
"What about your parents? What do they have to say?" he asked.
Ashen paused for a moment. His hand holding the chopsticks stopped midair. He met the man's eyes briefly, then returned to eating.
"I see…" the man murmured quietly.
No place to stay, no family, and clearly starving. The picture was easy to understand.
"That settles it," the man exclaimed after a moment's thought. "Say, do you want to work for me?"
Ashen stopped again. He blinked and looked up. "Work for you?"
"Yes," the man nodded. "At my store."
Ashen turned his eyes to the convenience store. His expression was wary. "Are you… hiring?"
He hadn't seen any 'Help Wanted' sign earlier, so why the sudden offer?
"I wasn't before," the man said, smiling slightly, "but now I am."
"Why?" Ashen asked.
It wasn't that he didn't want a job. In fact, he had planned to look for one when morning came. But the sudden offer was suspicious.
"I'm the owner," the man said simply. "I can hire whoever I want, can't I?"
Ashen stared at him. It was strange, but not threatening.
"If you take the job," the man continued, "you'll have a place to sleep and three meals a day. As long as you jus—
"I'll take it," Ashen interrupted quickly. "The job, I mean. I'll take it."
The man blinked, then chuckled softly. The boy's eagerness after hearing about food and shelter was almost childlike.
"But, uh… what exactly will I be doing?" Ashen asked, scratching his head.
The man laughed. Ashen's confused expression was so honest it was almost funny.
"It's nothing hard," the man explained. "You'll just watch over the store during the day and night. Basically, you'll act as the store manager in my place. I'll come by now and then for inspection."
Ashen couldn't believe his ears. A job that gave him food, shelter, and didn't require him to go outside? It sounded like a dream.
"I haven't asked," the man exercised after a pause, "what's your name?"
"I'm Ashen," he replied quickly.
The man nodded. He was about to ask for his family name, but then remembered... Ashen had none.
"Well, nice to meet you, Ashen. I'm Eric Dekan," he said warmly. "Your new boss."
Eric stretched out his hand for a handshake.
Ashen hesitated for a moment, his gaze thoughtful and slow, then finally reached out to shake it.
"Nice to meet you too, Mister Eric," he said softly.
For now, it seemed like Ashen could safely cross job scouting off his list of things to worry about.
The next task? Information gathering.
He still had a lot to learn about this world and particularly about himself.