Want to be human, but cube-like

Today is the same as yesterday.

There were absolutely no customers.

not even one.

Alex sat blankly in front of the counter for the entire day.

From the moment passersby begin to walk by in the morning until dusk, when the streetlights along the street begin to light up one by one.

She didn't change her posture at all, only occasionally glancing up at the strangers passing by outside the glass door.

They're all round too. It seems like all the creatures in this world are round, even their feet are thin and round. It's really strange.

Won't they fall because they can't stand properly?

Alex's thoughts wandered aimlessly in her mind.

Yesterday, she fell countless times in order to get used to her body before she could walk freely.

After all, it was always her manipulators who controlled her movements in the past, and Alex never had any autonomy in this regard.

Rather, from the moment she became conscious, she didn't know what autonomy was. She had long been used to the feeling of being controlled, not needing to think or move, just waiting.

They live a very easy life.

So, she finally understood that when no one is controlling her, when she has to make her own decisions about what to do, she feels so lost.

While she was pondering, two more passersby walked by. When they reached the shop, they stopped and looked at the sign hanging on the glass door. They glanced inside and saw Alex's figure. Seeing that the shop was empty, they hesitated, exchanged a few words, and then turned and left.

This isn't the first time it's happened. Why do these passersby hesitate when they reach the door, and then turn around and leave, even though they seem like they're about to come in?

Another thing she didn't understand; Alex simply couldn't comprehend what this situation meant.

In fact, she started operating the business yesterday with the idea that since she was already in this burger shop, she might as well keep running it for now.

But just like today, yesterday I sat there all day and didn't make a single sale.

She had checked, and there were indeed some materials in the warehouse that someone had prepared in advance, enough to make some basic tomato, cabbage, and egg burgers.

And she did indeed write all the ingredients on the menu as instructed in the task book.

Thinking this, Alex took out a book with a brown cover and a blue string tied to it from the counter.

This was the only item she carried with her when she appeared in this world, or rather, the only item in her quick access bar.

Upon opening the first page, the first thing you see is the "Start Your Journey" task section.

She raised her delicate index finger and gently tapped the counter icon on the target, then tapped the other side, where the two rows of rewards were located.

No matter how I poked at it, there was no response. I couldn't get the hoe, the seeds, the bucket, the spawn egg, the bone meal, or that block that I didn't know what it was.

Turn to the second page, "[How to run your burger shop?]" The long explanation below clearly outlines the specific process of opening a shop.

Once you've set the burger ingredients and the menu at the counter, you can open for business.

Could it be because she didn't use the tools specified in the task sheet to set the menu?

I glanced at the paper and pen I had casually found inside the counter, and then at the few items in the task sheet. No matter what I did, I couldn't get them out. They seemed to be just tools for opening a shop, simply for drawing pictures.

Clipboard, feathers, list filters.

How is she supposed to find these things?

Alex lowered her head in distress. Her mother had always been the one to handle the crafting of items. Although she had watched, she had almost never memorized the crafting process. She was fine with the basic items, but these were clearly items from mods, and she had no idea how to craft them.

Therefore, apart from knowing that feathers could be obtained from chickens, she had no idea how to obtain the other two items.

As night deepened, Alex stretched, stood up, and looked at the burger shop that hadn't seen a single customer in the past two days.

How about we go out and explore tomorrow?

She hesitated, deep in thought.

Like a child who has never left his mother, for the first time, he breaks away from the protection of his elders and faces this unfamiliar world alone.

A sense of fear welled up from the depths of my heart.

The last time I experienced this feeling was when I was building an Enderman farm in the End, and due to my mother's carelessness, I fell into the void.

Because of her high position, the fall took a very long time. She could hear her mother's cries of panic, then her helpless wails, then her grumbling about leaving behind her enchanted Netherite armor, and finally a calm smile that showed she had seen through life and death.

Although I was looking at the pitch-black void at that time, and had no idea when I would start losing health points, I was terrified.

However, because she could always hear her mother's voice, she didn't feel much unease, nor did she feel anxious because she couldn't see the future.

But now, this unease and anxiety have finally caught up with her.

Yesterday, this feeling of unease made her hesitate to take a step outside.

Today, this anxiety makes her want to get rid of her current confusion.

If we just take that first step, maybe we can find a way to solve the problem we're facing right now?

However, let's take a look around first. After we have a good understanding of the surroundings, we can go out and explore tomorrow.

Alex, who hadn't yet found a sufficient reason to force herself to go out, was convincing herself of this.

Then I opened a mini-map in my mind.

Then, his gaze paused.

Because not far from the back alley of her burger shop, Alex spotted a red dot.

This is a hostile creature.

This was the first time in two days that Alex had encountered hostile creatures in this world.

She had confirmed last night that even if she turned off all the lights and reduced the illumination to zero, no hostile creatures would spawn in this world, just like in peacetime mode.

But what is this?

It appeared within 128 meters of her, and it was unclear whether it was because of her that it appeared, or whether it simply wandered over from somewhere else.

Should we go and see what this is?

However, I have no supplies on me right now, except for a small knife I found in the kitchen...

After arriving in this world, Alex spent two days in a hamburger shop, never leaving the shop's premises to collect resources. Although she dismantled everything in the shop, they all seemed to be decorations and equipment that could not be synthesized or disassembled. She couldn't even find a single plank to use for crafting a workbench.

Yesterday, Alex tried to remove a piece from the bottom of the roadside tree by the entrance, but it turned out to be an unknown item that couldn't be synthesized or disassembled, so she had to put it back.

This round world is really hard to understand...

Before Alex could decide whether to go out now, she suddenly noticed that behind the red dot creature on the map, there seemed to be a small blue head following.

Based on the green color indicated by the outline light, this should be a neutral passive creature.

Just like the passersby she saw outside the shop during the day.

However, it looks a bit more refined, like the portrait of a special NPC. Its area on the minimap is slightly larger than that of a regular villager, which reminds Alex of the NPCs with special functions in some mods in other worlds in the past, who would all have this form.

Like the bright red hostile creature, this was the first time she had seen a special NPC's portrait appear on the minimap.

But she doesn't seem to be in very good condition right now.

You could vaguely see that beneath the blue hair tied with a black ribbon, a pair of amber eyes were surrounded by thick dark circles, as if she hadn't slept in a long time. Her mouth was slightly open as if she was muttering to herself, her gaze was blank, and she seemed to have no self-awareness at all.

But it was indeed moving steadily following that bright red dot.

Should we go and bring her here?

She might have some clues.

After hesitating for a moment, seeing that the blue icon was about to follow the hostile creature out of the area highlighted on her minimap, Alex made her decision and turned to go to the kitchen to get the small iron knife.

"Even if they're not useful NPCs, it's not bad to capture them and put them at the front desk as decorations, after all, their portraits are so exquisite... They might even be used as villagers for breeding later."

She remembered that when her mother used to build buildings like taverns, she would always put a villager inside, pretending it was a front desk employee.

"We don't have a boat, so how are we going to get her back later?"

Volume 1: Chapter 3 Wait till you die!

How long will this kind of life continue?

At an age when they should be freely enjoying their youth, they leave school, enter society, abandon all past friendships, and resist any help they can get, whether it is well-intentioned or malicious.

What are you insisting on?

A while ago, my good-for-nothing father was taken to the police station again for theft, and in order to get him out, I spent all the savings I had that might have been enough to support myself for a while.

He wanted to work part-time, but because he was under sixteen, he couldn't sign a contract. Even when he tried to do day jobs that didn't require a contract, he was repeatedly rejected because he was a junior high school student.

The only options available are low-paying odd jobs such as delivering newspapers or cleaning.

Yesterday I found a newly opened burger shop, which looked very deserted. I was thinking of trying to apply for a temporary job as a kitchen helper, but I was scared away by a young woman who suddenly picked up a table as if she was going to smash it at me.

She appears to be a tall, beautiful woman with a gentle personality, but her behavior is frighteningly strange.

Shoko Toyokawa, after finishing a day's work, walked home and recalled the events of the past two days.

Because she couldn't find a more suitable job yesterday, she had to wear a mascot costume and hand out flyers all day today.

Xiangzi didn't like this job, even though it paid a little more than other odd jobs and didn't require him to show his face or greet others with a smile.

But spending the whole day cooped up in a mascot costume is truly torture.

The drowsiness caused by lack of sleep, combined with the fatigue accumulated from tiring work, eroded the girl's body, making it impossible for her to even maintain a steady pace.

If I hadn't been scared away at that burger joint yesterday, but instead mustered the courage to ask, would I have been able to get a relatively easy job?

This superfluous thought only flashed through her mind for a moment before she turned her attention back to calculating the time.

Just hang in there a little longer. Once March is over and I graduate from junior high, I'll meet the requirements and be able to apply for part-time work. At that time, I'll be able to sign a stable salary contract, and life should be easier than it is now.

But, what then?

Suddenly, an indescribable emotion welled up inside me.

It was a heart-pounding feeling that almost took her breath away, accompanied by fear of the future, which instantly overwhelmed the girl's bewildered heart.

Unable to abandon her father, who had been expelled from the family and left alone, she chose to move out of the Toyokawa residence and live with him in a small rented room. However, her father, who had completely given up on himself, drank heavily at home all day and even resorted to theft, disappointed Shoko time and time again.

The burden of life thus fell entirely on the shoulders of this girl who was only fifteen or sixteen years old.

How long can she endure this kind of life?

Even if she finds a stable part-time job later, will that be enough? Will it be sufficient to support her and her father's livelihood?

Looking up, under the dim streetlights, in the quiet alleyway, the shadows, as dark as an abyss, seemed to be the future she was about to step into.

That is a future from which we cannot see the future.

Did i do something wrong?

If I hadn't stubbornly persisted and hadn't chosen to believe that my father would pull himself together, would that have been the right thing to do?

Her thoughts slid into endless self-loathing, her eyes gradually became numb and lifeless, and her limbs seemed to be wrapped in threads, like a puppet being manipulated by something, taking steps in an unknown direction.

Would it be better to die?

Will my father be stimulated by my death and pull himself together again?

Mom, are you waiting for me over there?

"what……"

She opened her lips, as if to pour out all the pent-up frustration in her heart.

"right here……"

Pessimistic thoughts kept popping up.

"No one knew, it happened so quietly..."

Overwhelmed by grief, she lost all reason.

"Die here..."

"Wait until you die!"

But the next moment, a clear and melodious voice came from behind, interrupting Xiangzi's increasingly heavy thoughts.

She was suddenly startled.