Minimarket (ENG)

The smell of freshly made cup ramen, the air conditioning blasting on low, the chime of the doorbell whenever a customer walks in, and the background music Samantha picks out for the convenience store—I wouldn’t trade any of it for the world.

Maybe I’ve lived the exact same day for the last 459 days, but there’s something special about it. Maybe it’s the peace and quiet, knowing what’s going to happen, or even better, making tiny adjustments. Like having a different conversation with Samantha, going out back to play with the stray cat, or drinking coffee on the rooftop while watching the same beautiful sunset.

[Young Agent J, don’t you think you’re rambling a bit too much?]

“Well, Hall, I’m just trying to figure out what to say for the log.”

[Agent J.K.12 was eating at his temporal anchor point—which happened to be a convenience store]

“Hall, you’re making the narration sound way too dry and boring. Let me try something else for the log.”

The guy you just heard was Hall. That boring narrator is an artificial intelligence assigned to monitor me 24/7, plus help me save my logs so I don’t lose my grip on time. You know how tricky time travel can be.

[As Agent J finished his instant ramen, muttering to himself as he messed around with the log]

“Hey! Don’t make me sound so boring. Anyway, what else can I put in the log and report?... Right, I’m currently at my anchor point. A lot of temporal agents pick a high-end hotel or a fancy restaurant as their anchor point, but since this is a time loop, the day just keeps repeating. Maybe that’s why I picked the convenience store—all the food, the junk food, and the oddities, like those hot dogs endlessly spinning on the rollers. At least this way I know I won’t get bored.

What do I do for a living? That’s a pretty loaded question, but practically speaking, I’m a timeline fixer. Which sounds insanely cool... until you realize my main job is saving cats, moving rocks, or picking up trash. All this monumental effort just to prevent what people usually call ‘butterfly effects,’ since any tiny anomaly could mess up the perfect future being built. And I’m not even kidding: the Association was founded after we discovered a dog triggered World War III. At first, I thought it was an inside joke, but finding out it was real really underscores how critical it is to handle the timeline properly to avoid total catastrophe.”

[Young Agent J, don’t you think putting all that into the log is a bit redundant?]

“You always have to remind yourself why we do what we do, so you don’t lose your way among all these redundant tasks. Though I do appreciate these little breaks in the loop. Maybe I should go talk to Samantha and see what we end up chatting about today—just like the other 287 times I’ve done it before.”

I can never actually move forward, since the loop always resets me back to the exact same day. This probably goes against a few Association rules, but we have so much in common. Plus, despite repeating the same day over and over, she always manages to bring up different conversation topics. She knows a ton about pop culture, and even though it feels like casual chit-chat, she helped me understand a lot about this era. I remember once, out of curiosity, I bent the rules a little and checked on her 20 years into the future. Turns out she finished her degree, got married, had two daughters, and owned a chihuahua (why a chihuahua, though?)... Anyhow, I guess I developed feelings for her after seeing her knack for turning small talk into something so deep in such a short time. But I can’t break Association rules, nor can I mess up her peaceful life and future...

Just as I was wrapping up my inner ramblings along with the last of my ramen broth, the convenience store’s entrance bell chimed twice.

[Agent J, two individuals have just entered the store.]

“It’s probably Mr. André and his wife. They always buy cat food around this time in the loop...”

[Negative, Agent. Mr. and Mrs. André will arrive in 15 minutes. These individuals have never entered the store before. They are not in the loop records.]

When Hall mentioned that, something inside me felt off. A subtle alarm bell went off in my head, putting me on high alert. I decided to approach cautiously, keeping low and taking measured steps to crouch behind a display rack to get a better look at them. My first impression confirmed it: I’d definitely never seen them before. That only spiked my instincts further. A time loop had never broken before—this was bad, really bad. Holy shit, loops don’t just break, that’s what they’re built for.

They looked edgy, consumed by paranoia, which only ratcheted up my own tension. I didn’t know what to do; there had never been a protocol for a loop breach. I was torn between taking action or waiting for the Association to step in. All I could do was watch.

As I observed, I saw one of them rush frantically toward the counter, pulling down the ski mask he’d been wearing like a beanie to cover his face, and drawing a gun on Samantha, demanding the cash. The other one stayed by the door, acting as a lookout.

“Hurry up, bitch! Throw the cash in a bag and don’t even think about pulling anything stupid!”

The guy was completely unhinged, whereas Samantha remained remarkably composed.

“I heard you, no need to shout,” Samantha said, her voice unnervingly calm, taking control of the situation.

I just grit my teeth, praying for it to end quickly. I wanted Samantha to just hand over the money so she could walk away completely unscathed, letting the timeline flow naturally.

[Agent, we have no active protocols for this scenario. A loop has never been breached before. I recommend abandoning the timeline and reporting to the Association.]

I ignored him, my eyes locked on the tense scene as my pulse hammered faster and faster, even though Samantha appeared fully in control of her emotions. Out of nowhere, an alarm blared, and my body reacted instantly, surging toward Samantha. The alarm sent the guy into a panic; without thinking, he cowardly pulled the trigger just as Samantha tried to dodge the bullet. It all happened in a flash—I could only watch as the guy grabbed the cash off the counter and bolted out the door with his partner.

I let them go. I vaulted over the counter, my only focus on Samantha. I rushed to her side as she clutched at her neck in sheer desperation. Tearing off my coat, I pressed it hard against her neck where the bullet had hit.

“Hall, scan Samantha’s body and analyze the bullet damage. Fast!”

[The projectile has severed the carotid artery and jugular veins. Bleed-out will occur within minutes.]

“Dammit, shit! Find a way to save her!”

[Even if the wound were cauterized, irreversible brain damage due to oxygen deprivation has already begun.]

I could only watch helplessly as the life slipped out of Samantha right in my arms. That expressive, cheerful gaze of hers was now filled with sheer agony and terror. Rage and grief crushed me; I never, in my wildest dreams, thought I’d see that look in her eyes. I’d seen her laugh, look bored, yawn, or occasionally cry whenever she played a sad song or read quietly during her shift. But this... this was different. It felt like a piece of my soul was shattering completely to see her like this.

I refuse to ever see that look in her eyes again. I can’t let the timeline stay like this.

“Hall, prepare a jump five minutes back.”

[Young Agent J, we are strictly forbidden from tampering with a time loop or taking actions not authorized by the Association. The risks to the timeline—and the violations of protocol—are entirely unknown—]

“I won’t say it twice, Hall. Prepare the jump. Now.”

I squeezed my eyes shut, consumed by rage and burning tears after witnessing such a traumatic scene. In the blink of an eye came that familiar sensation of sinking underwater, followed abruptly by the sensation of breaking through the surface to open my eyes.

The smell of instant ramen rushed back to me, but it didn’t feel the same anymore. Everything felt like the calm right before a massive catastrophe. My heart was pounding out of my chest, and my eyes stung from holding back tears. Without overthinking, I stared intently at the door, determination in my eyes and adrenaline surging through my veins.

Within minutes, those damn thieves walked back in. Knowing what was coming, I moved stealthily, creeping as close as possible to the bastard near the register without drawing his attention.

“Hall, map out and simulate the next sequence: time my strike to disarm him as he draws his weapon, shoot his partner in the knee to neutralize him, then repeat the action on this bastard. Give me the odds.”

[Simulation indicates a 93% success rate. The assailants will survive the assault, and your actions will not trigger a butterfly effect.]

The moment Hall confirmed it, my body moved on instinct. Hall took control of my motor functions, turning my precision machine-like. Seconds before the alarm went off, I was already behind the robber. As he drew his gun, I seized his arm and fired a shot directly into his partner’s knee. Then, I squeezed his wrist far harder than necessary.

[Young Agent J, excessive force is prohibited. You risk fracturing his wrist bones, which will incur severe disciplinary action from the Association—]

My anger was taking over, so I took a deep breath and stuck to the plan I’d mapped out with Hall. I watched the guy drop his gun; in one fluid motion, I snagged the weapon and shot him in the knee too.

I watched him hit the floor before firing a warning shot into the air to flush them out immediately. I couldn’t help but feel a twisted satisfaction watching both thieves scramble—or rather, limp—out the door as fast as they could.

(I doubt those guys will ever try robbing anything again in their lives.)

I turned to Samantha, a wave of relief washing over me seeing her unharmed. She stared at me in complete shock. I wanted to stay and explain, but I knew time was against me.

“Hall, initiate jump back to headquarters.”

I offered Samantha a genuine, relieved smile and gave a small wave.

“Goodbye...”

I stood there for a few seconds... and nothing happened.

[Young Agent J, your temporal travel privileges have been revoked, and you have been discharged from duty following four severe infractions, including breaking a time loop.]

Breaking a time loop...? But I didn’t even... whatever.

Still somewhat bewildered, I stepped toward Samantha, who was still frozen in shock from everything that had transpired. Keeping that same relieved smile on my face, I spoke up:

“I know it’s a lot to ask, but please don’t call the cops. Let’s turn off the alarm, lock up for a second, and please... just hear me out in the backroom.”

Samantha looked at me with a mix of confusion and shock, as if her brain was trying to choose between running away or trusting me. I watched her hands, trembling slightly, reach out to shut off the alarm.