The city streets were glistening after a fresh bout of rain as Eli pulled out his phone . The air was heavy with the scent of damp concrete and blooming night jasmine from a nearby bush. He checked the delivery address on his phone:
[Order #459 --- Dreayes Apartments – Unit 6C – Tower D.]
It was a run-down building with faded paint and flickering lights in the hallway. The kind of place where the elevator rattled like it was held together by hope and rust. Eli opted for the stairs.
As he reached the sixth floor, he was greeted by loud, high-pitched anime music blasting from behind the door of Unit 6C. The hallway echoed with dramatic Japanese dialogue and over-the-top battle cries.
He knocked.
The music paused. Then the door swung open with sudden energy.
Standing there was a man in his late twenties, wearing a full-on anime hoodie printed with the face of a wide-eyed magical girl. His messy hair stuck up in every direction, and thick-rimmed glasses sat low on his nose. His room behind him looked like a shrine to all things anime: shelves packed with figurines, posters covering every inch of the walls, and a life-sized body pillow lounging on the couch.
"Oh! You're here!" the man said, wide-eyed and way too enthusiastic. "You came just in time for the finale episode of Moonlight death Angel Season 7! Want to watch it with me? It's the one where Kiyomi showed great strength before sacrificing her soul to save the Spirit Realm!"
Eli blinked. "Uh… I've got more deliveries to make."
The man nodded gravely. "Ah, the burden of responsibility. I get it. That's what Kiyomi would say too."
He snatched the food from Eli and hugged the bag like it was sacred.
"Here, take this!" he said, stuffing a 1,000 yuan note into Eli's hand. "And may the spirit of the Moonlight Order protect you on your journey!"
Eli took a cautious step back. "Thanks… you too?"
As he turned to leave, the man yelled after him, "Wait! If you ever want to start your anime awakening, I have a spare 'Battle Angel' headband and the collector's edition blu-rays! Free of charge!"
"Thanks I, guess" Eli said clearly nervous and confuse by the situation he was in.
Eli picked up his pace, hurrying down the stairs two steps at a time. When he got to the bottom Eli sighed and thought to himself "What a strange order, that guy was clearly an otaku. Atleast he gave a good tip, two orders and I have gotten 2,000 yuan in tips, my luck his good today"
Eli checked the time and realised that it was around 10:30 pm and he can still get more orders, so Eli went on the delivery app to look for an order, not to long after he finally received one.
Eli pulled up to a sleek high-rise called "Titan Heights," the kind of place where rent was probably triple his monthly income. He double-checked the order:
[Order #642 – Apartment 12B – Protein Palace.]
He rode the elevator up, the faint hum of pop music playing overhead. The moment the elevator doors opened, Eli was hit with the overwhelming scent of—was that protein powder and men's body spray?
He knocked.
The door swung open and a shirtless mountain of a man stood there, drenched in sweat, veins bulging like they were trying to escape his skin. A towel hung around his neck, and in his hand was a half-finished protein shake.
"You the food guy?" the man asked, his voice booming with intensity.
Eli held out the order. "Yeah. One grilled chicken salad with extra chicken, double quinoa, and no dressing."
The man snatched the bag like it was holy.
"YESSS!" he shouted. "You're saving my body build right now, bro!"
Eli blinked. "Glad I could help?"
"Dude. You don't even understand. This is meal five out of nine today. I've got leg day in twenty minutes, and if I don't hit my protein target, I'll lose all my gains!"
The man looked Eli up and down, then clapped a massive hand on his shoulder.
"You ever thought about bulking? You've got great bone structure, bro. You could be shredded in, like, six months."
"I—I just deliver food," Eli said, slightly terrified.
The man reached into his pocket and pulled out a 1000 yuan note, then paused. "Wait."
He turned around, rummaged through a giant tub of protein powder on his counter, and came back holding a sample-sized packet of Pre-Workout Thunderstorm: Watermelon power flavor.
"Here. Take this. On the house. Changed my life."
Eli accepted the packet like it was radioactive.
"Thanks," he said, backing away.
"Remember!" the man shouted as Eli fled toward the elevator. "No pain, no gain! Chicken is life!"
Back on his scooter, Eli stared at the packet in his hand and sighed.
Eli chuckled to himself. "I think I'll stick to rice bowls and quiet customers."
Eli went home after a very tiring day.
Eli thought to himself " this delivery job was weird today " Eli went to the fridge although there were not alot of items in the fridge, he only took out a plate of noodles which was already cold. After eating he decided to calculate the amount of money he got today from delivering food. So Eli reached into his pocket and found out he had recieved 300 yuan in tips and 600 yuan from the delivery app. Eli knew that he had to pay rent tomorrow so this will save him Eli thought to himself as he lay in bed dozing off.