Supermarket Sale Day

Federation, San Andreas, Chinatown.

Moonlight streamed through the branches of the plane trees lining the street, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

Pedestrians were few and far between.

Luke checked the time. It was 7:47 p.m.

Then he raised his head and looked out through the serving window.

There were seven or eight tables in the restaurant. Only the one in the far-left corner was still occupied, by an elderly man.

Not bad. The supermarket closed at nine, so he should make it.

Today was the supermarket sale day.

Ever since Auntie, who was promoting a sale at the supermarket, had added him to its promotions group chat, Luke had kept a close eye on the messages.

That morning, Auntie had posted a flyer in the group. Luke opened it: "Supermarket Sale Day! Milk and dairy drinks from half price, big discounts on major brands, special price on beef shoulder..."

Beef shoulder on special!?

Luke's eyes lit up.

He counted on his fingers. It had been a long, long time since he'd eaten beef shoulder.

He'd been thinking about it ever since his shift began that morning.

After work, he had to stop by the supermarket and buy some.

Besides, years of experience had taught Luke that if he arrived just before closing, he might get lucky and find buy-one-get-one-free boxed meals.

A box of Curry Pork Cutlet Rice normally cost 13.80. During the evening sale, that same 13.80 bought two boxes.

You couldn't beat that value.

Once the old man outside the serving counter paid his bill, Luke could clock out.

The owner had no strict rule about closing time. After the evening rush, if there weren't many customers left, Luke could leave as long as he let the owner know.

He was only a temp, after all, and the pay wasn't high. The owner could hardly ask too much of him.

Luke had lost his job three months earlier and hadn't found another one, so he'd taken temporary work at this Shaxian Snacks to get by.

Luke was still thinking about the discounted beef shoulder and Curry Pork Cutlet Rice when another customer walked in.

Luke looked up. It was a burly Blond Man in a tight blue suit.

The outfit looked familiar, but Luke couldn't remember where he'd seen it.

"What can I get you, sir?" Luke asked.

The Blond Man seemed surprised by Luke's calm tone.

There was actually someone in the world who didn't recognize him, Homelander.

Still, Homelander didn't make an issue of it. With a smile, he said, "Duck leg rice, please."

"Sure." Luke took a Dinner Plate from the sterilizing cabinet, filled a bowl with rice, and went to the serving counter.

He added a slice of braised tofu, a sausage, some greens, a spoonful of pickled mustard greens, and finally a duck leg, then poured sauce over it.

A standard Shaxian duck leg rice was ready.

Luke set the plate on the table in front of Homelander. "Your duck leg rice, sir. Enjoy."

Homelander nodded slightly, took a pair of chopsticks from the bamboo holder, picked up some rice coated in sauce, and put it in his mouth.

Mm. Pretty good.

A few years ago, if a passerby had seen this, secretly photographed it, and posted it online, it would have caused an uproar.

The mighty Homelander ate duck leg rice?

By now, though, it was nothing unusual. A quick search online would turn up heaps of photos of Homelander eating duck leg rice at Shaxian Snacks restaurants across the country.

Of course, meeting Homelander anywhere and getting a photo with him was still something a person could brag about for the rest of their life.

After all, this was Homelander: the most powerful superhero in the Federation's history, the spiritual leader and undisputed centerpiece of The Seven.

He was society's strongest safeguard against disorder, the scourge of evil forces everywhere.

Countless teenagers idolized him, and most adults trusted him completely.

And now this unprecedented superstar sat in an unremarkable little restaurant, quietly eating duck leg rice.

Aside from his strange outfit, he looked no different from anyone else.

It was a common sight now, but the first time someone photographed Homelander eating duck leg rice, it had caused a sensation.

It had even made the front page of The New York Times.

Homelander ate duck leg rice? People had been shocked at first, then found themselves liking him even more.

After competing to cover the story, the major media outlets had dug into its deeper meaning.

Behind the spotlight, Homelander—the nation's idol and a superstar—lived just like an ordinary person.

It showed that he was "approachable" and "down-to-earth."

With the media singing his praises, the "approachable" label stuck, and his popularity soared to new heights.

Later, whenever people talked about public figures being "approachable" or "down-to-earth," they often mentioned him alongside the only son of a wealthy Asian businessman.

Wang Sicong liked roadside food stalls; Homelander liked duck leg rice.

In the next public satisfaction survey after the story "Shocking! Passerby Spots Homelander Eating Duck Leg Rice" broke, Homelander's approval rating jumped eight percentage points from the previous survey.

Naturally, Vought International, the parent company behind The Seven, had helped push the story along.

Whatever the case, Homelander's popularity and reputation reached a new peak.

For Homelander, eating duck leg rice wasn't just about maintaining his image.

Duck leg rice really was delicious.

Homelander finished his duck leg rice, pulled a napkin from the dispenser, wiped his mouth, then got up and headed for the door.

Luke had been staring blankly at the time on his phone.

He was getting anxious. Every minute he arrived late at the supermarket was another minute in which the boxed meals might sell out.

He certainly wasn't the only one with his eye on the evening sale's Curry Pork Cutlet Rice.

No one could resist a buy-one-get-one-free boxed meal, especially someone as strapped for cash as he was.

And then there was the beef shoulder, marked down to an absurdly low price.

That deal was available only on Supermarket Sale Day, once a week.

Miss it today, and he'd have to wait another week.

With every passing minute, Luke grew more anxious.

He desperately wanted the last two customers to finish eating and pay so he could tell the owner and make his escape.

Then he saw the tall, burly Blond Man stand up.

Finished already?

The man's speed surprised him. What he did next surprised Luke even more.

He walked straight out.

Luke hurriedly stood up. "Uh, sir!"

Homelander stopped when he heard Luke's slightly anxious voice from inside.

"You haven't paid for your duck leg rice!"

(End of chapter)