Conversations at the Konbini

The piercing glare from the fluorescent lights overhead illuminated the aisles of the konbini, creating shadows across the rows of neatly stacked snacks and beverages.

The air was filled with the faint hum of refrigerators and the soft rustle of plastic wrappers as customers browsed the shelves.

The bell by the door chimed as the customers walked about, and an old TV on a nearby shelf droned on in the background.

"A group of partygoers has been rushed to the hospital after overdosing on what authorities suspect to be 'heatwave,' a new and deadly substance making its way through the city," the news anchor's voice echoed through the store.

The report detailed how a group of young people had been found unconscious outside a local club, showing signs of a recreational drug overdose.

Beside the television stood the cashier, an old woman whose weathered hands busied themselves with restocking shelves.

She glanced at the screen with a shake of her head and a weary expression as she watched the news. A customer approached the counter, his expression filled with concern as he set his items down.

She glanced up from her task, a fond smile lighting up her wrinkled features. "Haru-chan, it's good to see you!" she greeted warmly, her voice filled with affection as she greeted the customer by his familiar nickname.

Haruki Sakurai, a 32-year-old police officer, returned the smile as he approached the counter. "Good evening, Obaa-san," he replied.

Haruki, dropped his items on the counter —a bag of crispy onigiri and a bottle of chilled green tea— his thoughts were distracted when a loud shout came from the news.

"Such a shame, what young people are doing nowadays," she muttered, her voice tinged with disappointment.

He hummed in agreement, furrowing his brow as he watched the blurry images on the screen. "Your total comes to ¥400, Haru-Chan," the old woman said, her voice warm.

As he reached for his wallet, she continued, "You know, back in my day, things were different. People had respect for themselves and each other. None of this nonsense with drugs."

He smiled, he had heard about "back in her day" to have lived in it. He paid in silence, "Arigatou, Obaasan," he inclined his head politely as she handed him his change. 

Just as he turned to leave, the old woman's voice stopped him in his tracks. "Say, Haru-chan, are you married yet?" He paused, a faint smile playing at the corners of his lips.

"Not yet," he chuckled, shifting uncomfortably under her searching gaze. "Still searching for the right one, I suppose."

The old woman clucked her tongue disapprovingly. "A strong alpha like you should've been snatched up long ago. And what about your brother? Has he found himself a bride yet?" 

His smile became a bit strained, "Brother is very busy with work."

Obaa-san sighed wistfully, her gaze drifting to the glass doors where the people were hurrying past.

"Time waits for no one, Haru-chan," she remarked softly. "I've watched you boys grow up, you know. Running around the neighbourhood causing trouble."

"Why are you talking like this? You still have plenty of years ahead of you, Obaa-san," he reassured her, his tone filled with amusement. "Don't you worry You'll outlive us all."

"Nonsense," The old woman waved off his concerns with a dismissive flick of her hand, "It's only natural that I should want to see your children grow too before my time is through."

He chuckled nervously, shifting on his feet. "I'll keep that in mind." 

Suddenly, she leaned in closer, "So, tell me," she began, her eyes twinkling with a mischievous glint. "Are you partial to men or women?" 

Caught off guard by the unexpected question, Haruki stuttered in shock, a nervous laugh escaping his lips. "Oh, Obaa-san, you-you shouldn't worry about that," he stammers, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

"There you go again, alphas shouldn't stutter" She sighed dramatically, shaking her head. "Such a shame. I have a lovely omega niece, you know. Around your age, and still single. Maybe…"

 "Ah, that won't be necessary! I really have to go now!" he exclaimed hastily, his voice raising with panic. 

Realising he needed to make his escape before he was roped into another matchmaking session, Haru-chan hastily gathered his belongings and bowed respectfully to Obaa-san. 

"Sumimasen, Obaa-san, but I must be on my way," he apologised, "Mother says thank you for the tea leaves!" He called out as he made for the door.

"Don't you dare run off! I am still talking to you!" Obaa-san called after him.

Stepping outside, he squinted against the bright sunlight, using his hand to shield his eyes against the glare of the midday sun, its rays beating down on the pavement.

He sighed heavily, he just wanted something to eat and nearly got married off. 

"It's so sunny today," he murmured, hurrying down the street.

Just as he turned the corner, a group of men with leather jackets, pierced ears, and dyed hair entered the store, their laughter ringing out even with the noise of the bustling street.

His thoughts then drifted back to Obaa-san's persistent matchmaking efforts. While he appreciated her well-meaning intentions, her relentless pursuit of finding him a partner often left him feeling weird.

It wasn't like he didn't want to get married and start a family but he was just busy. As an officer, he barely had time for himself, much less another person.

At least that's what he had been told by most of the people he had tried dating.

The pressure to settle down and start a family weighed heavily on him, especially as he approached his mid-thirties. It was only a matter of time before the government stepped in to do the matchmaking themselves.

In a country where only 20% of the population was Alpha and 10% Omega, the government began to regulate matches to make sure people with compatible genes were put together.

Everyone underwent reevaluation till they reached their thirties, which was usually when their hormones balanced out and whatever sub-gender they had was their lot in life.

Being the strongest, exceptional sub-gender, Alphas received a lot of privileges from the government, be it scholarships, sponsorships, business loans and the list goes on.

This clear favouritism led to most families wanting to have alpha children, which in turn led to a hike in Omega exploitation and forced breeding.

That marked a dark period in County X's history and other nations had to come in to put an end to it.

Now Omegas were protected and highly loved, almost to an obsessive level. 

Omegas were seen as blessings in some families as it was sure that an Alpha would want to marry their child. There were instances of kidnappings and forced mating but not too many. This also led to the high rise of prostitution in some places. 

The cycle never ended. 

Haruki sighed as he reached his apartment complex and walked over to the elevator. He paused as he stared at the sign in front of it that read, out of service, please use the stairs.

"What the hell? I was just on it," he grumbled as he made his way to the stairs. The stingy landlord was ripping them off with the rent yet still couldn't fix the basic amenities in the building.

He had half the mind to send someone from the precinct over to have a "chat" with the landlord.

He finally made it up the stairs and reached for his pocket to get his keys. He frowned as he checked the left pocket, then the right.

'Nothing.'

Where did I drop it?

His eyes widened as he realized it was at the Konbini. Fuck, he was going to have to climb all those stairs again.

While he was fit and in shape from his superior Alpha genes and worked as an officer, climbing all those stairs was just annoying.

He groaned as he made his way back down.

It took him a shorter period as he jogged over to the konbini without thoughts to distract him. As he entered, he found Obaa-san standing behind the counter as usual but she frowned and kept looking towards the freezer section covered by shelves.

"Back already?" She asked, looking at him.

"I think I left my keys here," he said, walking over to her.

"Silly boy, I'm sure you got home before you realized, huh?" She scoffed, looking to the side.

"You know me too well," Haruki smiled, cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

She shook her head and reached for something under the counter, "here you go, don't forget it next time," she scolded, but her mind seemed elsewhere.

By the freezer area precisely.

Haruki frowned, "what's wrong Obaa-San?" He asked, noticing her strange behaviour.

Before she could answer, a commotion erupted from the back of the store, the sound of shelves rattling and objects crashing to the floor startled them both.

Without hesitation, Haruki sprang into action, his training taking over as he rushed towards the source of the disturbance.

Turning the corner, what he saw made his blood boil.

The group of men stood menacingly over a trembling teenager, their expressions twisted into leers as they taunted him. Haruki frowned, why would grown men be harassing a teen?

As he got closer to them, he understood why.

The teen was an Omega.

Haruki's eyes narrowed as one of the men grabbed the Omega's arm and pulled him roughly.

Haruki's jaw clenched in anger at the sight of the bullying, his protective instincts flaring up.

"Is there a problem here?" he demanded, his voice firm and authoritative as he stepped forward, his presence and scent commanding attention.

The men turned to face him, their expressions morphing from amusement to hostility as they sized him up. One of them, a burly figure with tattoos snaking up his arms, stepped forward to confront Haruki, his eyes narrowing with disdain.

"What's it to you, punk?" he spat, his tone dripping with contempt.

Haruki remained unfazed, his stance firm as he met the Beta's gaze with steely blue eyes. "I suggest you leave before things escalate further," he warned, his voice calm but his scent said otherwise.

He had the height advantage over all of them and stared them down, pressing on them with his scent.

For a moment, tension hung thick in the air, the silence punctuated only by the hum of the refrigerators and the distant sounds of traffic outside.

Then, with a grunt, the men begrudgingly backed down, casting one last venomous glare at Haruki before slinking out of the store.

As the adrenaline began to fade, Haruki let out a long breath, his muscles relaxing now that the immediate threat passed.

He turned to the trembling teenager, offering a reassuring smile. "Are you alright?" he asked gently, extending his hand to help them.

He unconsciously let out his scent to calm the teen down.

The teenager nodded, their eyes wide as they accepted Haruki's assistance. "Thank you, sir," they whispered, their voice trembling with relief.

"It's alright," Haruki looked at the thing clutched in the omega's hand and understood what had happened. The idiots probably caught a whiff of an omega in pre-heat and began acting like fools.

The omega noticed where his eyes were and tried to hide the drugs. "It's ok," Haruki waved them off, "you don't need to hide those, it's completely normal to take care of your health," he smiled gently at them, eyes crinkling.

The omega's cheeks flushed as they bowed their head and murmured another soft "Arigatou."

"Don't mention, I'm an officer. It's my duty to serve and protect," he said, noticing the omega had stopped shaking.

"Come on, let's get you off the floor," Haruki said, "Do you live close by? Do you need an escort?" He asked as they walked to the counter.

"I-I live close by," the omega whispered, bowing to Obaa-San who still has a worried frown on her face.

He stepped aside to give them a moment, smiling as he watched Obaa-san give the omega some sweets.

He followed the omega out of the Konbini and into the streets. They talked on the way, it turns out the teen just wrote their college exams and was feeling anxious.

"It's ok! It's like that for everyone! I'm sure you did great," Haruki assured them, not noticing the way their blush deepened.

"W-we are here!" The omega announced, Haruki looked at the house, which seemed pretty standard. So nothing suspicious yet, he took note of the address so he could have someone at the precinct check-in. 

"Great! Have a nice day!" Haruki said, turning away.

"Wait!" The omega grabbed his arm, and Haruki frowned at the heat of his palms. 'Was it normal to be this hot during heat?'

"You can come in if you don't mind," they said, shifting shyly from foot to foot.

'Hell no,' Haruki thought, he wasn't about to catch a charge.

"No thank you, I have somewhere to be," he said, prying their hands off him.

"Oh," the omega pouted, scent souring. Haruki twitched as his alpha stirred, wanting to comfort them. "That's fine, thank you again," the omega bowed.

"You're welcome," Haruki also have a small bow, waiting to make sure the omega went inside before leaving.

He sighed as he made his way to his apartment again and had to climb the infernal stairs, cursing his landlord all the way to his doorstep.

As he stared at the keyhole something occurred to him.

"Ahhh!" Haruki shouted, hands on his head.

He forgot the key at the konbini again.