Chapter:20 Hoarder

With the majority of her shopping list checked off, Renko headed to the cashier to pay for her items. The cashier raised her eyebrow at the combination of snacks, drinks, and seemingly random items in her basket.

"Late-night cravings and DIY projects, huh?"

Renko nodded, acknowledging the cashier's comment with a sly grin.

"Yeah, you know, the usual late-night cravings and a bit of home improvement. Gotta be ready for anything, right?"

The cashier chuckled as she began to scan the items, clearly amused by Renko's response.

[10*Snicker Bars - 10*¥2,000: ¥20,000]

[25*Kit Kat - 25*¥250: ¥6,250]

[5*Red Bull (24 Cans) - 5*¥6,250: ¥31,250]

[10*Pocky Chocolate Sticks - 10*¥250: ¥2,500]

[10*LOTTE Choco Pie - 10*¥750: ¥7,500]

[12*Baum Roll Price - 12*¥250: ¥2,500]

[5*Box Cutter - 5*¥500: ¥2,500]

[2*Disposable Latex Gloves Box - 2*¥5000: ¥10,000]

[4*Thick Knee Pads - 4*¥1,500: ¥6,000]

[2*Safety Goggles - 2*¥1,000: ¥2,000]

[Total Items: 82]

[Price: ¥91,000]

Renko reached into her bag, pulled out her wallet, and handed over the cash. The cashier quickly processed the payment, and after a brief moment, handed Renko her receipt.

[Thank You For Shopping at SunMart!]

"Thank you! Have a good day,"

Renko said, gathering her purchases into four paper bags.

As she left the convenience store, Renko glanced at her watch. It was still early in the afternoon, and she had some time before the day turned into night. With her shopping list completed, she considered what to do next...

'Oh wait, I still gotta acquire some additional stuff. But I will have to go to a different shop instead of returning or she might get suspicious.'

Which was a lie, she simply didn't wanna return to the store or she would look like an idiot. 

Renko decided to visit the other convenience store a couple of blocks away, but before that, she needed to stuff all these items in her inventory. 

[Inventory]

[Weapons:

1* Inferior Cursed Bayonet (2.5/5): Semi-Fourth Grade Cursed Tool

6* Junk: Broken Flintlock Pistol

1* Flesh-Cleaver (14/15) - Grade Four Cursed Tool

3* Junk: Broken Flintlock Musket

2* Junk: Broken Bayonet

5* Box Cutter (5/5): Makeshift Weapon]

[Protective Gear:

2* Disposable Latex Glove Boxes (100)

4* Thick Knee Pads 

2* Safety Goggles]

[Consumables:

108* Snicker Bars

25* Kit Kat

5* Red Bull (24 Cans)

10* Pocky Chocolate Sticks

10* LOTTE Choco Pie

12* Baum Roll]

[Money: ¥1,119,200]

[Bank: $3,490,200]

Satisfied with the organization, Renko closed the inventory interface. With her purchases neatly tucked away, she headed towards the other convenience store, fairly certain that no one saw her stuff four giant paper bags in thin air... or not.

Across the alley, she took shelter in to store her purchase. Next to her was a fancy ramen shop where a white-haired woman sat staring at Renko with twitching eyes.

Renko shook off the uneasy feeling and continued on her way to the second convenience store. The woman's intense gaze lingered on her back but she didn't sense it since there was no ill intention behind it, but a mere curiosity.

As she entered the second convenience store, she thought of all the things she might find in the second store.

'So, a first-aid kit, a flashlight, a lighter, rope, and some other stuff I might need.'

[Welcome]

Once again she perused the aisles of the second convenience store, looking for the specific items but she spotted a somewhat peculiar shelve and stopped to browse it. It had incense sticks, ritual candles, blessed water, sacred salt, and whatever the hell a two-bit occult practitioner uses.

[Incense Sticks (Pack of 10)

Description: Fragrant incense sticks for various rituals and spiritual practices.

- Drowsiness +25%

Price: ¥500]

'What the fuck?'

Still, Renko added two packs of incense sticks to her basket, envisioning their potential use in enhancing her sleep.

[Ritual Candles (Pack of 5)

Description: Colored candles for ceremonial purposes. Each color is believed to have a specific significance.

- Blue: Jasmin

- Red: Rose

- Violet: Lavender 

- Brown: Sandalwood 

- Green: Eucalyptus 

Price: ¥1,000]

'Hmm, whatever.'

She placed two packs of Ritual Candles in her shopping basket before approaching the aisle filled with medicines. But after browsing through the medicine's introductions, she recognized one fact... she can't use medicines to heal her HP.

[Flashlight

Description: Portable flashlight with adjustable brightness. Batteries included.

Illumination range: 30 meters

Price: ¥2,500]

'Always handy.'

She added a flashlight to her basket, thinking about the possible scenarios where additional light could be crucial.

[Lighter

Description: Basic disposable lighter for various purposes, including lighting candles and starting fires.

uses Price: ¥125]

Renko grabbed two lighters, thinking they might come in handy for various situations.

[Rope (5 meters)

Description: Strong and durable nylon rope for various uses, including climbing or securing objects. 

Durability: 5/5

Price: ¥1200]

'Just in case.'

She added a coil of rope to her growing collection of items. Renko then headed towards the counter, ready to pay for the additional supplies.

"Welcome to QuickMart! Find everything you need?"

"Yep, just a few things."

'How many Marts does this place have?'

The store clerk nodded, eyeing the assortment of items in Renko's basket with a curious expression.

[2*Incense Sticks (Pack of 10) - 2*¥500: ¥1,000]

[2*Ritual Candles (Pack of 5) - 2*¥1,000: ¥2,000]

[1*Flashlight - ¥2,500]

[2*Lighter - 2*¥125: ¥250]

[1*Rope (5 meters) - ¥1,200]

[Total Items: 8]

[Price: ¥6,950]

Renko handed over the appropriate amount in cash, and the cashier processed the payment quickly.

"Thank You For Shopping at QuickMart!"

"Thanks, have a great day,"

Renko said, taking her newly acquired items and leaving the store.

[Inventory Update]

[Weapons:

1*Inferior Cursed Bayonet (2.5/5): Semi-Fourth Grade Cursed Tool

6*Junk: Broken Flintlock Pistol

1*Flesh-Cleaver (14/15) - Grade Four Cursed Tool

3*Junk: Broken Flintlock Musket

2*Junk: Broken Bayonet

5*Box Cutter (5/5): Makeshift Weapon]

[Protective Gear:

2*Disposable Latex Glove Boxes (100)

4*Thick Knee Pads 2*Safety Goggles]

[Consumables:

108*Snicker Bars

25*Kit Kat

5*Red Bull (24 Cans)

10*Pocky Chocolate Stick Boxes

10*LOTTE Choco Pie Boxes

12*Baum Roll

2*Incense Sticks

2*Ritual Candles (Blue: Jasmin, Red: Rose, Violet: Lavender, Brown: Sandalwood, Green: Eucalyptus)]

[Tools:

1*Flashlight

2*Lighter]

[Other Supplies:

1*Rope (5 meters)]

[Money: ¥1,112,250]

[Bank: $3,490,200]

With her shopping list now complete and her inventory updated, Renko considered her next move.

'Alright, time to head back home.'

... or not.

[Whetstone

Description: A fine-grained stone used for sharpening cutting tools. Can be used to slightly increase the damage and durability of a blade as well as restore the durability of the same.

Durability: 150/150

Bonus: +2 Damage

Price: ¥5,000]

"Two of those please."

"Sure thing!"

The shopkeeper hurriedly packed the two whetstones and handed them to her. She handed him a ten thousand yen bill.

Of course, she was far from done. If she hurried enough, she should be able to get some good deals on freshly baked goods.

Rushing through the now corded streets, Renko glanced at her watch.

[12:15 PM]

Renko reached the bakery just in time for a lunchtime rush. The aroma of freshly baked bread and pastries filled the air as she entered.

'Let's see... I need some durable snacks that won't get squished in my inventory.'

[Bread Roll (Pack of 5)

Description: Soft and fluffy bread rolls, perfect for a quick snack or light meal.

- HP +15 per roll

- CP +10 per roll

Price: ¥800]

'Soft and fluffy, huh?'

Renko added four packs of bread rolls to her basket, the fact that they were far from durable was lost after reading the word 'soft & fluffy.'

[Sweet Potato Buns (Pack of 6)

Description: Delicious buns with a sweet potato filling. A delightful treat for any time of the day.

- HP +20 per bun

- CP +15 per bun

Price: ¥1,200]

'Interesting.'

Though she did say no more sweets, what's the harm in having some just in case? She grabbed three packs of sweet potato buns. There was still so much stuff in there that she hadn't tried, but she felt that she already passed the limit of her sweet tooth.

"Welcome to Baker's Delight! Find everything you need?"

"Yeah, just a few snacks."

[4*Bread Roll (Pack of 5) - 4*¥800: ¥3,200]

[3*Sweet Potato Buns (Pack of 6) - 3*¥1,200: ¥3,600]

[Total Items: 7]

[Price: ¥6,800]

"Receipt?"

"Sure."

With the bakery items secured, Renko made her way back home. It was hard, harder than ever to stop herself from buying all the useless junk she took a fancy to. It seems like her habit of being a hoarder had followed her in this world as well. But it seems that her battle against her desires was lost only once more,

[Mevius Mode 3 (Box of 10)

Description: A narrow cylinder containing a combustible material, tobacco, that is rolled into thin paper for smoking. The most common method of tobacco consumption.(Effect lasts for 30 Min)

- HP Regen: -0.1/Per Min

- CP Regen: +1/Per Min

Price: ¥450]

'Well, I see this as an absolute win.'

"Boss, five packs of Mevius"

The shopkeeper looked up at her in confusion,

"Students shouldn't smoke ya' know."

Ah, the usual excuse of hyping up the price through moral complication

"500 Yen."

He smiled mischievously,

"550 and ya' got yourself a deal."

Renko shrugged, that wasn't too expensive, same as the money dropped by a fly-head.

"Sure"

[10*Mevius Mode 3 - 10*¥550: ¥5500]

Sometime later, Renko finally managed to reach her apartment after struggling through the endless wave of hurdles known as temptations. She passed by a supermarket, a hardware store, a blacksmith... the hell's a blacksmith doing in a city! 

Anyway, she finally reached home without any deviations, a feat that took a great deal of concentration, and as soon as she was inside, she started to unpack her purchases and began to store them. At this point, her kitchen began to feel more like a storeroom than anything. 

'Hmm, not bad for a day's work.'

Renko took a moment to glance at the clock in her apartment.

[1:30 PM]

She still had quite some time before the sun began to set, and decided to make herself a quick lunch. And by quick she meant cup noodles.

[Sweet & Sour Cup Noodle

Description: A simple, readymade dish that only requires warm water to be prepared for consumption. Truly... the shame is immeasurable!]

[Cooking: +5 EXP]