"Snap out of it, Hanzawa-san."
Sjal clapped her hands, pulling Hanzawa, who was lost in thought, back to reality.
"Don't space out, let's start working! Boss, what are we doing today?"
Rin pointed to the tightly closed door of the shop "The usual, let's organize the latest videotapes in the workroom first. A lot have piled up and haven't been categorized yet."
"Alright!"
Sjal responded and expertly led Hanzawa towards the workroom door inside the shop.
Hanzawa noticed that this door was extremely heavy, like a vault door, and couldn't be opened from the outside.
Just as he was wondering how to open this door, Sjal stepped forward and knocked on it.
The next second, a slit opened in the peephole on the door, revealing a pair of eyes that looked like they were from a screen.
"Mmm-hmm, mmm-hmm." Bangboo #6 chirped twice at Rin.
He watched Rin nod.
With a soft whir of machinery, the door opened from the inside.
The smoothly shaped Bangboo opened the door and stepped aside to clear the way.
"A robot?"
Hanzawa took a step back in surprise.
"Is the technology in big cities already this advanced? Even video stores are using robots to work?"
Back in his hometown, even automatic doors were a novelty.
"This is Bangboo #6, responsible for guarding the workroom and simple transportation."
Sjal seemed long accustomed to it, explaining casually before walking inside.
Hanzawa quickly followed, curiously taking a few more glances at the quiet Bangboo.
So cute, if only I could have one too. But it must be very expensive, I definitely couldn't afford it.
The workroom was larger than expected, but a bit messy.
On a large table, many videotapes were haphazardly stacked.
"Here, this is our job."
Sjal pointed at the pile of videotapes.
"Sort these by type: action films with action films, horror films with horror films, romance films with romance films... The label paper is in that drawer over there."
Hanzawa-san looked at the pile of videotapes and subconsciously picked up a few boxes to examine them.
From the cover design and titles, these seemed to be common movies, and the names sounded familiar, but the cover content left him utterly confused.
For example, a videotape titled "Final Destination" had a cover that didn't feature the skeletal grim reaper he imagined, but a small boy with large, black-rimmed glasses and a slightly exaggerated head-to-body ratio, holding a magnifying glass at a murder scene.
Is this the children's version of "Final Destination"? Or a reboot? The art style is so strange...
He then picked up a box of "Fast & Furious."
The cover showed the interior of an antique porsche 356a car.
Two men sat in the driver's and passenger's seats, one burly with sunglasses, the other with a full head of silver hair and fierce eyes.
But unlike the imagined racing scene, the car's interior had been specially modified, the steering wheel was replaced with bicycle handlebars, and a set of pedals was added under both the driver's and passenger's seats.
The two men inside the car were currently pedaling furiously, their expressions grim, as if they were racing someone.
From the rearview mirror, it was clear that a Mercedes sedan was indeed chasing closely behind them.
What is this again?!
"Fast & Furious" Human-Powered Edition?
A sequel sponsored by an environmental organization?
Hanzawa was frantically complaining internally.
What made his scalp tingle the most was a videotape called "Battle Royale."
The cover only showed the upper half of a scene, which looked like a bathroom.
It featured the same two actors from "Fast & Furious."
The silver-haired actor was leaning over the edge of the bathtub, his face flushed, with a subtle expression.
The burly man with sunglasses stood in the bathroom water, his face contorted in a grimace.
Since only their upper bodies were shown, and the water in the bathroom was pixelated, the image was filled with unsettling imaginative space.
Hanzawa's face burned
This, this definitely isn't a proper movie, is it?!
Beika truly lives up to its name as a big city, it's so inclusive!
"I can't even look at this..."
Hanzawa covered his eyes with his hands, yet couldn't resist peeking through his fingers.
He was deeply drawn to these videotape covers, and a strong curiosity welled up within him.
He picked up that videotape and cautiously asked Sjal.
"Miss Sjal, these movies... they look so special! Are they sequels or special editions? Can I, can I borrow them to watch?"
Sjal was expertly sorting another pile of videotapes and refused without looking up.
"No, Hanzawa-san. These are not officially released films, they are special collection editions and are not for loan. Don't ask so many questions, hurry up and categorize them!"
Hanzawa was greatly disappointed by this and had to reluctantly put down the videotape and bury himself in work.
As he categorized, he couldn't help but guess at the content of these movies in his mind.
The sorting work continued for some time.
After finishing, Sjal checked the time.
"Alright! The videotapes are sorted! Hanzawa-san, next you can mop the floor and wipe down the shelves.
I have another part-time job, I'm going to set up a stall in the commercial street to sell oden! I'll be back to check before closing time!"
With that, she rushed off in a flurry.
Rin still sat behind the counter, reading the newspaper, not saying a word.
Hanzawa sighed and resignedly picked up the cleaning tools to start working.
Although the work was tedious and cleaning was tiring, looking around the neat and bright video store, he felt a rare sense of peace.
Cases often happened when working part-time in other places, a calm place like a video store was rare.
Just as he was engrossed in wiping the shelves, a customer arrived.
"Welcome..."
Hanzawa instinctively looked up to greet them, this was a basic quality for a shop assistant.
It was a young girl with little expression. She held a videotape in one hand and a half-eaten Big Mac in the other.
"I'm here to return a videotape."
Anby's voice was flat. She placed the videotape on the counter and took another bite of her hamburger.
Rin greeted her and started chatting with her, they seemed to be acquaintances.
Seeing this, Hanzawa, wanting to show his initiative, stepped forward.
"Hello, customer, let me handle this!"
He picked up the videotape, preparing to register its return.
When he saw the title of the videotape, the corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily.
"Catching a Blade Barehanded, I Tear Apart the Devils[1]"
The cover showed a burly man tearing apart a devils.
"A war movie."
Hanzawa couldn't help but mutter softly,
"Movies nowadays are getting more and more ridiculous, not realistic at all. How can someone tear a devils in half with their bare hands..."
Anby, who was eating her hamburger, stopped chewing when she heard this, tilted her head in thought, and then replied in a very serious tone.
"Hmm, it's indeed very inefficient."
"Eh?" Hanzawa was startled.
Anby nodded, as if sharing practical experience, and added.
"Tearing by hand wastes too much time, and it's easy to get your hands dirty. There are more efficient ways to handle it."
Hanzawa: "???"
Is that the point?
[1] in fact its not a Devils. Maybe some of you know the real context, let me give you some hint. Something that has a very high Chinese nationalism