Short Short: The Prime Day Final Judgment — Faced with half-priced appliances, humanity's true nature is put to the test #Surreal
At midnight, Mariko was gripping her smartphone.
Amazon Prime Day had begun.
She had already decided what to buy.
Just replacement heads for her electric toothbrush.
The item, which usually costs 3,000 yen, was marked down to 2,480 yen. It was a necessity, and there was no reason to hesitate.
Mariko added the item to her cart.
Then, a message appeared at the bottom of the screen.
Customers who viewed this item also viewed these.
A cordless vacuum cleaner.
Mariko thought about it.
It was true that her current vacuum was a hassle because she had to keep switching outlets. Every time she moved to a different room, she had to unplug it. She was losing minutes of her life just doing that.
She added the cordless vacuum to her cart.
The next thing displayed was a robot vacuum.
Why not eliminate the time spent cleaning altogether?
It had suddenly taken a very assertive tone.
Mariko added the robot vacuum to her cart and removed the cordless vacuum.
However, when she read the reviews, it said, "Not suitable for homes with a lot of items on the floor."
Mariko thought, isn't the reason I need a vacuum in the first place because there are so many things on the floor?
Another review said, "It changed my life."
If a single vacuum cleaner could change one's life, perhaps her life until now had been lying on the floor.
Mariko left the robot vacuum cleaner behind.
Then, a notification for a flash sale arrived.
"Eleven minutes remaining. Electric pressure cooker, 42% off."
Mariko, who hardly ever cooks, thought that was exactly why she needed it.
The reason she doesn't cook is that cooking is a hassle.
If she had an electric pressure cooker, she could just put the ingredients in and the meal would be done.
The problem was that she would still need to buy, wash, cut, and put in the ingredients.
Isn't that basically cooking?
While Mariko was hesitating, the remaining time dropped to seven minutes.
"Ending soon"
The screen began to reproach her.
"Only three left"
Someone she didn't know was about to buy it.
She didn't know their face or name, but suddenly she didn't want to lose.
Mariko added the electric pressure cooker to her cart.
At that moment, the screen went dark.
"Starting purchase eligibility screening"
"What is this?"
A solemn voice emanated from her smartphone.
"You have purchased a yogurt maker, a foam roller, and a futon dryer in the past three years."
Mariko gasped.
Everything was something I had bought on Prime Day.
《The last day the yogurt maker was used was four days after purchase.》
"That's because... I ran out of milk."
《The foam roller is currently being used as a base for hangers.》
"The shape was just right."
《The futon dryer is unopened.》
"I plan to use it in the winter."
《It is currently July.》
The examiner was merciless.
The items purchased so far were lined up on the screen.
A high-performance blender.
A smart scale.
A posture correction cushion.
A tablet for learning English.
They were all things I had bought thinking, "If I have this, I can change."
《I have a question.》
The voice dropped an octave.
《What you are trying to buy, is it the product? Or is it a future version of yourself who has mastered the product?》
Mariko could not answer.
The remaining time on the electric pressure cooker had reached thirty seconds.
Twenty-nine. Twenty-eight.
Mariko looked at her cart.
Replacement brush heads.
A robot vacuum.
An electric pressure cooker.
A luxury pillow.
A foldable treadmill.
A set of one hundred emergency whistles that she had no idea why she had added.
Total: 126,840 yen.
Twenty. Nineteen.
Mariko took a deep breath.
Then, she deleted everything except the replacement brush heads.
A light of blessing shone on the screen.
《You have passed the screening.》
"I did it."
《You possess the power to buy only what you need.》
Mariko felt a little proud and pressed the purchase button.
The order was confirmed.
Immediately after, a new screen appeared.
《For you, who passed the screening, we have a special offer.》
The screen glowed gently, and a new product was presented.
《A smart storage box that can hold only what you truly need.》
Regular price: 12,000 yen.
Prime Day exclusive: 5,980 yen.
Only one left.
Mariko quietly added it to her cart.
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