An Awkward Encounter at the Convenience Store

“Hmph hmph hmph,” the girl hummed, her head swaying slightly, still wearing headphones and seemingly lost in her musical world. “Only children choose between options; today, I want them all! Let’s see how many SSRs I can pull when I get back…”

Shen Jingyi swiftly recomposed her expression, her professional cashier’s smile returning as she swept the towering stack of cards from the counter into a shopping bag. “Thank you for your patronage,” she began, “that will be…”

Observing Tang Xingwan lift her gaze to the register, then efficiently scan and complete her payment, and noticing the absence of other customers in the store, Shen Jingyi pursed her lips. “It appears you’re safe and sound,” she murmured.

The awkward scene from yesterday afternoon flashed through her mind: the appearance of the disaster beast, her impending transformation, and the unfortunate collision with this very girl.

So much had transpired yesterday that Shen Jingyi hadn’t had the chance to worry about Tang Xingwan’s safety. Now, seeing her apparently uninjured, it felt like a small mercy amidst misfortune.

Yet, in response to Shen Jingyi’s attempt at conversation, the girl merely furrowed her brows slightly, her face settling into a look of utter bewilderment.

‘Did this cashier just say something to me?’

Moreover, the cashier before her stirred a peculiar sense of surprise in Tang Xingwan—a feeling of familiarity, yet an inability to immediately place who she was.

‘Had they met somewhere?’

The strange intertwining of unfamiliarity and recognition was merely one of Tang Xingwan’s impressions, however. Her other, more succinct observation was simply: ‘beautiful’.

Though the girl wore a standard convenience store uniform, it did nothing to conceal her aloof elegance and striking beauty. Even the faint smile gracing her lips seemed less an expression of warmth and more a polite gesture designed to maintain distance.

Simply by standing there quietly, she exuded an aura of grace and inviolability, a distant and unapproachable presence.

‘Ugh… she’s undeniably beautiful, the kind who’d be hugely popular at school, but I definitely don’t want to get involved with such a ‘cool and aloof’ older sister…’

‘Besides, why is she staring at me with such a peculiar gaze…’ Tang Xingwan grumbled inwardly, instinctively adjusting the headphones on her head, her delicate brows knitting together.

“…”

Noticing the odd expression on Tang Xingwan’s face, Shen Jingyi paused, then pointed with a hint of exasperation to her own ear.

‘Oh, right! I’m still wearing my headphones, no wonder I couldn’t make out what she was saying…’

Realization dawning, Tang Xingwan quickly pulled off her headphones, sticking out her tongue sheepishly. “Uh, I didn’t quite catch that… what did you just say?”

Before Shen Jingyi could reply, Tang Xingwan’s wandering gaze drifted over her face for a moment, and then, as if a switch had been flipped, her forgotten memory finally resurfaced. She gasped, covering her lips with a small hand. “Woah—it’s you! I never expected to run into you here… what an amazing coincidence!”

“My apologies, I’m a bit prone to face blindness (TL Note: A condition where one has difficulty recognizing familiar faces).”

“It’s alright,” Shen Jingyi replied, offering a polite, faint smile as she repeated her earlier words. “It looks like you weren’t hurt.”

“However, regardless of what you intended to do at the time, rushing towards an area where disaster beasts are present is an extremely dangerous act, you understand?”

A serious glint flickered in Shen Jingyi’s eyes, her tone akin to a teacher admonishing a mischievous student.

“Ah, haha, you’re absolutely right,” Tang Xingwan conceded, “it was indeed quite dangerous…”

As if the memory of that awkward moment resurfaced, Tang Xingwan scratched her head with a hint of embarrassment.

“Indeed, I hope you’ll take it to heart.”

Shen Jingyi nodded gently. “I haven’t introduced myself yet; my name is Shen Jingyi. I truly hope, Tang-xuesheng (TL Note: A respectful term for a fellow student, often used in schools), that you won’t engage in such dangerous activities again.”

‘Shen… Jingyi?’

‘That name sounds a little familiar too…’ Tang Xingwan mused, feeling as though she’d heard it somewhere before. Yet, despite a thorough search of her memory, she couldn’t pinpoint the answer she sought.

For a girl more engrossed in ACG (TL Note: Anime, Comics, and Games) and idol culture, the popular figures and exemplary students of her actual school held absolutely no allure.

Watching Tang Xingwan silently twirl a strand of hair around her finger, clearly deep in thought, made Shen Jingyi feel a pang of awkwardness.

‘My name… is there something wrong with it? Why has she gone silent? Could it be that my reputation at school is actually quite poor? Surely not? I’ve never really paid attention to such things before…’

What made Shen Jingyi even more uncomfortable was when Tang Xingwan, after a prolonged period of contemplation, fixed her with an intensely earnest gaze and spoke with profound sincerity:

“Shen Jingyi, what a lovely name… Are you from our school?”

‘Ugh.’

The words had barely left her lips when Tang Xingwan instantly realized the utter foolishness of her question.

‘This ‘Shen Jingyi’ already knows my name and called me ‘Tang-xuesheng,’ so she must obviously be from the same school as me. What on earth am I even saying…’

A flush of embarrassment crept onto Tang Xingwan’s pretty face as she pursed her lips, murmuring, “My apologies, I’d like to retract that last statement…”

‘Tsk, if only real life were like a dating sim game! No need to agonize over how to start a conversation; I could just mindlessly click through options!’

‘But in real life, how do normal classmates greet each other? Should I be a bit more enthusiastic?’

“Ohayo (TL Note: Japanese for ‘Good morning’)! What a wonderfully sunny day it is! It’s truly a pleasure to meet you! Shen… xuesheng (TL Note: A respectful term for a fellow student, often used in schools)?”

Upon hearing this, the faint, polite smile vanished from Shen Jingyi’s face. Even her usually composed self couldn’t help but feel a slight twitch at the corner of her lips when confronted with Tang Xingwan.

‘This girl named Tang Xingwan… she’s already so jumpy and dramatic, but why does she also talk so strangely?’

‘Here I thought I was already terrible at handling social interactions… I never expected to encounter such a master today?’

Seeing her reaction, Tang Xingwan’s smile grew increasingly rigid, and her enthusiastically raised thumb drooped limply.

‘Oh, this is so, so awkward… Couldn’t you say something to break the tension?’

An uncomfortable silence stretched between them, and Tang Xingwan could even feel the puzzled glances of the two other store employees.

Fortunately, the chime of the door announcing new customers provided Shen Jingyi an opportune escape from the awkwardness. She offered Tang Xingwan a polite nod. “I still have work to do,” she stated, “let’s chat another time.”

“Oh, oh, alright, we’ll talk again if the opportunity arises…”

Hearing this, Tang Xingwan instantly snapped out of her daze, clutched the large bag of cards to her chest, and fled as if on wings.

‘Chat next time,’ she’d said, but both girls tacitly agreed in their hearts that it would be best if there were no ‘next time,’ and ideally, no further interactions with each other ever again.

‘Never mind, stop thinking about her. We won’t be seeing each other again anyway, will we?’

‘I should just finish my work quickly… Miss Bai is looking for me this afternoon; it’s the perfect time to tell her about the amusement park…’

With a heavy sigh, Shen Jingyi, having silently reminded herself of her duties, plunged back into her work.

Yet, as her mind drifted to that capricious young lady, Shen Jingyi suddenly had a thought: despite their seemingly disparate personalities, Bai Muxue and Tang Xingwan… shared a subtle, almost imperceptible similarity.

‘Ugh, is that just my imagination?’