939 An Instant Hero
Vending machines?
What was that?
Everyone stood forward and read the printed instructions in shock.
And then, their shock turned into glee, almost making them jump ecstasy.
So these things weren't display boxes?
There were a total of 10 metal boxes lined up with various items in them.
~~Graaaummmm~~
Eyla's belly grumbled from intense hunger as she started at the vending machine before her.
Oh, what the hell.
She stepped forward and decided to give it a try.
She was racing against time and didn't have any more minutes or seconds to spare.
Some who were in her exact situation also felt courageous and stepped in front of the other vending machines to try as well.
.
There were short detailed steps painted on the machine, telling people what to do.
[Insert Bay. Pick Number and Punch On KeyPad. press Enter. Wait For Goods and Change.]
Eyla's eyes lit up and glowed with determination as she tried to hold back her excitement and wonder.
It was similar to the excitement she felt when driving a car for the first time.
No! It was similar to the thrill she got when using any Baymardian machine for the first time.
No one ever knew what to expect, which caused their hearts to leap in awe every step of the way.
Looking at the Vending machine, all sorts of theories popped in her head.
Did this mean that whatever she chose would be given to her?
But how?
Did the machine have hands somewhere within?
Would the hand reach out and give it to her personally?
Would it shake her hands?
Her lips formed in a silent 'O' as she gaped at the machine, uncertain whether to shake the hand that came out later.
Anyway, the machine was her hero today.
She didn't want to stand along the long lines at the Cafeteria because it was still morning, and many people would still be there.
Everyone had different class schedules.
Some came to school now, even though their first class of the day was probably in the afternoon.
Others only had a single class but came for group work and assignments.
But it was these people that typically lined up for amongst them, who were in a rush.
The lines always had all sorts of people, some hurrying, some patient, some just teachers, staff and so on.
She dared not stand on the lines now.
Her hunger was almost nearing its max, and she honestly thought that she might have to go to class and die from it all.
But who would've known that the heavens would be merciful to her?
She looked at the vending machine as her saviour.
.
Bays, Bays, Bays, Bays.
She took out her little purse in her bag and quickly found the Bay bills she needed.
Her eyes glowed as she followed the instructions carefully and inserted the money with trembling fingers.
'Alright. Take the bill, and insert like this with this part going in first... This is correct, right?'
Eyla spoke to herself as she repeatedly went over the instructions so as not to mess up.
And bust like that, the machine devoured her money greedily when several green dots flashed just above the insertion slot.
Soon, she heard something move within the machine.
Rumble Rumble Rumble.
Could it be the hands?
Bam!
Like magic, the large chocolate bar dropped down.
So no hands?
Looking at it now, she felt very embarrassed about her period theory.
No, the hands might still be there, but just hidden within the massive box-like machine.
Hmhm.
With that, she tossed those thoughts out of the way, reached in with her trembling hands and grabbed the chocolate bar.
Chocolate. Chocolate.
No more hunger.
Her joy went off the roof as she firmly held onto the chocolate bar in her hands.
She looked at the chocolate bar as if she had birthed it.
Could this be what mothers feel after delivery?
That's right.
Hunger had completely engulfed get min rendering her stupid.
Who could blame her?
The wave of acid had already welled up in her belly, causing it to sing hymns of Hunger here and there.
She felt like she could eat an entire cow and still feel hungry.
She dared not get anything that would make any crunchy sounds.
She wanted something with high sugar content and energy to stabilize her for the time being.
She decided that one wasn't
Shrrrrrrrrrh.
Her change Came out; a 5-Bay paper bill and three 1-Bay bills.
She took the money and felt like one chocolate bar wouldn't be enough to suppress her hunger through 2 courses.
So she got some nuts and dashed to another machine to get a drink.
Success!
All this took a few minutes because she didn't know what to do.
She looked at her watch and dashed to her class which was nearby.
On the way, she also saw several hallways that had vending machines too.
Some had just 1 vending there, while others had 2 or more.
She looked at these vending machines in awe.
And when she finally got to class, she was already 14 minutes late.
Safe!
She sat down at the back of the class, panting heavily, and secretly took out her chocolate bar while pretending to be serious.
~~Shree~~
She paused in embarrassment at the noise the chocolate wrapping made.
Damn.
Was she going to die in hunger? No way!
'Cough!'
~Shreeiiwwww~
She coughed to disguise the sound, broke a piece of chocolate off and threw it in her mouth.
Success!
Her hunger was successfully suppressed.
Thank you, vending machines.
.
And so, just like that, Vending Machine-Kun had saved the day.
But she wasn't the only one who noticed Vending Machine-Kun's work.
All around the city, within several establishments, many people had discovered the joy of these vending machines.
Be it at work, school, stores or the train stations and other places, the vending machines brought solace to many who were in a pickle.
"Look! It really does dispense food! Look at this beef Ramen cup?"
"F***! The Hufflepuff Pizza store is awesome! They have Pizza vending machines in their stores for those who prefer to get a few sliced but don't want to wait for long. It honestly saved my day."
"Damn. I'm impressed. I was just about to park my car when I realized I didn't have the exact anoint for the parking box meter. But then, I saw this thing that said, Money Changer, and it saved my life!"
"Me too! It changed my 20 Bay bill and changed it into 10, 5's and a few 1 Bay Bills. How awesome is that?"
Everyone was very pleased with both machines, even the tourists and visitors were delighted with them as well.
It just made life easier.
Now, they could get something from the vending machines in their hotels even after mealtime.
Not everyone liked getting room service here and there since it costs extra.
Of course, they could always go out during the day and stock up their hotel fridge with microwavable food and other snacks.
But now, why go that far when the vending machines with some of these items were here?
This was good!
.
And so, both machines became an instant hit.
