Convenience Store Woman

At home, Shiraha waits impatiently after having looked for work for Keiko. He tells her that she must find a job to support them both. Keiko feels depressed and visualizes what is happening at Smile Mart: The night shift workers make ads and replenish the cup noodle shelves, but she is out of this flow of time. The convenience store sounds are gone too, leaving only those of her apartment. Keiko asks Shiraha to get himself dinner and goes to bed.

Unable to sleep, Keiko steps onto her moldy balcony. As a convenience store worker, she always justified needing sleep for the good of the store—but now, she cannot understand why anyone would sleep. She sits, looks at the clock inside, and imagines what is happening at the store at 3 am. She looks at her nails and hair—trimmed and washed to store regulation—and notes the recent burn on her hand from frying croquettes. Though the night is cold, she stays outside, staring blankly at the purple sky.

After a night of fitful sleep, Keiko wakes up and finds it is 2 PM. Two weeks have passed since her final day at Smile Mart. Keiko notices Shiraha is gone and announces that she’s lost her sense of time: She sleeps whenever she feels tired and eats when she wakes up. She’s filled out job applications, per Shiraha’s orders, but no longer knows what standards to live by.

Shiraha still sleeps in the bathtub, coming out during the day to eat food and go through job postings. He seems to have more energy than he did when Keiko was working. Keiko spends her days inside a closet, coming out only to eat and never putting her futon away. She gets some water and notes that the water in a human body is replaced every two weeks: This means that all the water she used to buy at Smile Mart has already run through her body. Keiko has grown more hair on her face, arms, and legs; without the store’s standards, she no longer feels the need to shave. Every few days, Shiraha insists that Keiko go to the public shower that she used to visit every day.

Shiraha’s cell phone buzzes, and Keiko figures he must’ve left it at home. It continues ringing, and she sees the screen read “Wife from Hell.” Keiko answers and hears Shiraha’s sister-in-law yelling that she always knows where Shiraha is; however, she calms down upon hearing Keiko’s voice. She tells Keiko to tell Shiraha that she hasn’t heard from him since she received a measly 3,000 yen last week. She threatens to take Shiraha to court. Keiko hears a baby crying in the background and wonders if she should start relying on animal instinct since she no longer has a manual to follow. She asks Shiraha’s sister-in-law if having a baby is good for humanity, and if she and Shiraha should have one as quickly as possible. After a long pause, the other woman says they shouldn’t consider it: She cruelly adds that a “loser” and a convenience store worker not having a baby would be the best contribution to humanity that they could make. She hangs up after reminding Keiko to tell Shiraha about his debt.

Keiko is relieved that she does not need to spread her genes—but is still worried about what to do until death. Shiraha returns with frozen meals and sees that she is awake. For the first time in a while, they eat lunch together. Keiko puts food in her mouth but cannot make herself swallow, seeing no reason to nourish her body.

A month has passed since Keiko quit her job. Keiko is dressed in a pantsuit that she has not worn in 10 years and has her hair tied back; she heads for a job interview at a temporary staffing agency. Keiko’s money is depleted, and she hasn’t left the apartment for a long time. Shiraha insists on taking her to the interview and waiting until she finishes. With an hour to spare before the interview, Shiraha goes into a convenience store to use the restroom. He tells Keiko to wait, but she enters after him, hearing the familiar chimes and “Irasshaimasé!” of the employees. Keiko sees that it is almost time for the lunch shift and that the two young women behind the counter have badges indicating they are trainees.

As Keiko watches the happenings of the store, the store’s voice streams into her. She hears the sounds as music once again, and they make her cells vibrate. She instinctively senses what the store needs and begins rearranging display cases. Keiko even says “Irasshaimasé!” to a customer. She notes that it is Tuesday, new products day, and wonders how the workers could have forgotten the most important day in a store’s week.

One of the girls at the counter eyes Keiko, and Keiko gestures vaguely as if to show off a name badge and calls out “good morning.” Keiko assumes the girls must think she’s from the head office because of her suit, but notes that they shouldn’t be so easily duped in the first place. Keiko overhears women commenting on the products she just rearranged. She notes that a convenience store is more than a place where people buy things they need; it is also a place where people can discover new things they might like. Keiko sees that there is not enough water in the refrigerator, even though it is a hot day and water sells well. She hears and understands the store telling her what it wants.

An employee comes over to compliment Keiko’s display and says that one of the part-timers did not come in. Keiko advises refilling the refrigerators and freezers and cleaning the doors. Keiko suddenly hears Shiraha and responds to him as if he were a customer.

Shiraha drags Keiko out of the store and asks what she is doing. She replies that she heard the voice of the store, that she was born to hear its voice. Shiraha looks scared as Keiko reiterates that she is meant to be a convenience store worker. He reminds her that society will never tolerate her, that she’d be better off working to support him. Keiko calls herself a “convenience store animal” and says she cannot go with him (109). Speaking in the voice of the morning chants, she tells him that the “human” her would probably be better off with him, but the “animal” part of her has no use for him. Shiraha says she is not human, and that she will regret her decision. Keiko notes how sweaty his hand is and wants to clean herself right away, as it is discourteous to be unclean for customers.

Keiko cancels her interview and looks at her reflection in the store window, feeling like she has purpose for the first time. She says “Irasshaimasé!” and thinks of the hospital window through which she saw her newborn nephew. Her cells tremble in unison with the music playing on the other side of the glass.