Yomi Yuki was seriously considering quitting.
Not because of the hamster the size of a retriever. Not because a man named Vorath Malen had almost crushed her with cosmic pressure. And not even because her boss clearly got some sick joy out of watching her flail.
No—she was considering quitting because the broom they'd handed her this morning was sweeping by itself.
Yomi glared at it as the bristles shuffled dust into a neat little pile. "Yeah, okay, so I'm officially being replaced by a stick. Love that for me."
The Shopkeeper didn't look up from their tea. "You complained yesterday. Now the broom complains for you."
Yomi opened her mouth, shut it, and muttered, "I hate this job."
Astri—her not-pet, not-bonded, galaxy-eyed stalker—padded across the counter and leapt to Yomi's shoulder. Tail curled around her neck like a scarf made of smugness.
Yomi sighed. "You know you're supposed to live in a cage, right? Like, that's the whole point of a pet shop?"
Astri purred louder, galaxies spinning. Clearly, she was above rules.
The door chimed.
This time, flames rolled across the floor tiles, followed by a cloaked man stomping through, smoke hissing from his robes. "I require a phoenix chick," he boomed. "For my son's birthday."
Yomi glanced at him. Then glanced at the tiny flame crawling along the hem of his cloak. "…Let me guess. Your son is a walking fire hazard?"
The man puffed up proudly. "He is a volcano spirit."
"Of course he is." Yomi pinched her nose. "Fine, aisle four, next to the salamanders. Try not to set the hamster off, he sneezes weird."
As the man lumbered away, Astri batted at his smoky robe like it was her new toy. Yomi caught her just before she singed her whiskers.
Before Yomi could breathe, another portal shimmered open—this one dripping silver light. An elf stepped through, hair like spun glass, robes crisp and elegant. She moved without sound, her gaze sharp.
"I have come for a fox," the elf said simply.
Yomi checked her clipboard. "Cool. Tall, glowing, judgmental. Got it. Right this way."
The elf stopped at a cage where a tiny silver fox slept curled in a ball. It woke, stretched, and pressed its nose to the bars. The elf smiled softly, as if she'd been waiting years.
Yomi scribbled notes. "Alright, that'll be—"
The elf cut her palm with a knife, letting glowing blood drip into a waiting crystal on the counter. The crystal pulsed, drinking it up.
Yomi nearly dropped her pen. "Wait—wait wait wait. What the hell is this?!"
The Shopkeeper's voice drifted over like it always did, perfectly calm: "Rule Three. Payment is not always money."
Yomi stared at the crystal, horrified. "Blood? BLOOD? That's a normal payment here?!"
The Shopkeeper sipped their tea. "For her, yes."
The elf bowed gracefully, fox tucked against her shoulder, and vanished through the silver portal.
Yomi muttered, "I'm definitely underpaid."
The next customer wasn't so graceful.
A squat, scowling man slammed his hands on the counter. "I'll take the winged rabbit. And don't think you're charging me more than five gold for it."
Yomi flipped the clipboard. "Uhh… yeah, no. That's not how it works. The Emporium decides the price."
"Don't play games, girl. I'll haggle." He sneered, tossing a pouch of coins down.
The Shopkeeper finally set their cup down. "Refusal to honor the Emporium's price destabilizes the exchange."
The walls hummed. Cages trembled. Portals sparked, colors dripping unstable into the air. The man paled, but still shoved the coins forward.
Yomi backed away. "Okay, um, Shopkeeper? Do we maybe want to… handle this before the store explodes?"
The Shopkeeper's calm gaze slid to her. "It's your responsibility. Remove him."
Yomi froze. "Excuse me?! I'm not built for magical eviction duty!"
The man shouted something about scams, grabbing the pouch. The unstable portal behind him snapped wide, colors swirling like teeth.
Before Yomi could even scream, Astri leapt from her shoulder. The kitten's fur shimmered, galaxies blazing. She flicked her tail once—light bent—and the portal slammed shut around the man like a door snapping.
He was gone. Just… gone.
The shop fell silent.
Astri padded back, tail curling smugly as she hopped into Yomi's arms.
Yomi's hands shook. She looked at the Shopkeeper. "Did… did she just—did my cat just eat a customer?!"
The Shopkeeper lifted their tea again. "Seems she's already chosen."
Yomi stared at Astri's galaxy eyes glowing up at her, purring louder than ever.
"…Yeah. I'm doomed."