I Became the Cute One in the Troubleshooter Squad

It was a serious situation.

A situation so grave that there wasn’t room for lighthearted jokes. It was nothing short of an emergency.

How serious, you ask? Serious enough that even Tesseract couldn’t stay still and was fidgeting nervously.

This wasn’t something I could simply let slide.

[ Mweing? Mama, did you call me? ]

Oh, sorry. I didn’t call you because I needed anything….

Anyway, there are things that kids don’t need to know!

I poked Tesseract lightly with telekinesis for a bit of fun and then retreated into the cramped closet to put myself back into a serious mood.

Let’s think. What day is it today?

Right, it was Thursday, just as Tesseract said.

More specifically, it had been exactly five days since Aisha’s request was completed…

And it was now three days past the time Greg was supposed to return.

Actually, since it’s already evening, if I sleep and wake up, it’ll be the fourth day.

After mulling over all of this, I finally buried my forehead into the soft blanket in frustration.

Greg… Why aren’t you back yet! You said you’d come back!

“What are you doing in there, part-timer? You’re making a racket.”

“…!”

Oh, nothing at all!

I carefully opened the closet door and shook my head at Raven, as if to say I wasn’t doing anything.

Then I shut the door again and folded my arms neatly to avoid getting scolded further.

Setting aside Raven’s scolding for now, this was something I couldn’t just ignore.

Because if Greg didn’t return… I wouldn’t be able to leave the problem-solver’s office.

‘That other place pays better. When Greg gets back, I was planning to stop freeloading here and find a proper room….’

One of the biggest reasons for this urgency was that working at the Crowley Problem-Solvers didn’t pay much.

Even though I came in the morning and left in the evening, it barely felt like pocket money.

Of course, it wasn’t like Raven was exploiting me or anything.

Raven wasn’t exactly well-off himself, and on top of that, he was letting me stay here out of kindness.

Expecting to be paid more would’ve been shameless.

It wasn’t as if he was treating me like a pushover. Naturally, I didn’t complain about the low pay.

It was just that paying rent for a separate place while working here was clearly unfeasible.

I wasn’t sticking around here for no reason. I really didn’t have a choice.

‘Greg needs to come back soon so I can do something about this. Honestly, it’s ridiculous that I’m still living in Raven’s place like this!’

My grand dream of relaxing in a quiet corner of NightHaven, far from troublesome events, seemed to have vanished into thin air.

I desperately wanted to leave this central area, which felt like the epicenter of chaos, and move somewhere I wouldn’t get tangled in the original story. 𝔯Ａℕỗ฿ÊṤ

…Huh? You’re asking why someone with that attitude is calmly holed up in a closet?

Well, I still had to do what needed to be done. Who knows—tomorrow might bring the end of the world.

That’s why I was feeding Tesseract the remaining energy from the rift, preparing just in case something unpredictable happened.

Rather than criticize me, you should be praising me for doing my duties diligently even in the midst of this confusion.

Got it? You get it, right?

[ Mama, yummy! ]

Oh, really? Was it good?

I curled up like a pill bug on the blanket and secretly took Tesseract out of hiding.

Seeing its lively form faintly glowing even in the darkness made me smile involuntarily.

Was this what it felt like to raise a child? It was so cute that I felt like feeding it another meal.

‘But why am I “Mama”? When I ask, it just says, “Because Mama is Mama!” It’s such a mystery….’

Anyway, life has been like this lately.

If Greg contacted anyone, it wouldn’t be me—since I didn’t have a terminal—but Raven instead.

Every so often, I would poke at Raven like a bird pecking with its beak, asking if Greg had sent any messages.

Then, when yet another day passed without any news, I’d roll around in the closet in the evening and eventually fall asleep in my room.

The next morning, I’d wake up and repeat the same routine all over again.

Considering the original story, something big would probably happen soon….

But all I could hope for was that it wouldn’t happen before I managed to leave this place.

Suddenly, a good idea popped into my head.

I’d saved up a bit of money after working for a month. Maybe it was time to get my own terminal.

In the cozy darkness of the closet, I sparkled with excitement at my brilliant idea.

***

The next morning, Friday.

Alice, feeling gloomy at the possibility that Yuria might leave soon, came to work with a heavy heart.

Seeing Yuria dashing down the hallway with a mop, Alice’s eyes widened.

“…!”

“Oh, good morning, Yuria. You seem energetic today!”

“…!!”

It was strange.

Until yesterday, Yuria had been wilting like a plant that hadn’t been watered properly. But how could she be so lively, like a toy with freshly replaced batteries, overnight?

Alice quietly passed by Yuria, who was energetically mopping the floor like she was dancing, making sure not to interrupt her.

She then leaned close to Raven, who was sprawled out on the sofa, and whispered half-inquisitively.

“Y-Yuria… why is she like that? Did Greg contact her or something?”

It was a natural question to ask.

It was obvious, even at a glance, that Yuria had been downcast due to Greg’s lack of contact, despite his one-month promise having long since passed.

And yet, she was now practically bouncing with excitement overnight? The only reasonable explanation would be that the issue had been resolved.

But, contrary to Alice’s expectations, Raven answered bluntly.

“…No? He hasn’t contacted her. She’s been like that since morning. Must’ve had something exciting happen.”

“What? She’s like this even though Greg hasn’t contacted her?”

Alice tilted her head in confusion, clearly unable to comprehend Raven’s explanation.

She knew well that Yuria was the kind of person who couldn’t hide her emotions, almost like a transparent glass bead.

But even so, Yuria wasn’t someone whose mood would change so drastically for no reason.

This had to have some sort of cause.

Alice glanced at Yuria, who was darting around the office like a whirlwind, and tapped her lips with her finger in thought.

“Something… feels suspicious. There’s definitely some absurd mystery hidden here…!”

“Suspicious? She probably just had some good news and got excited.”

“No way! Yuria isn’t that simple—ah!”

“Calm down. If something big happened, she’d come talk to us. You’re being overprotective.”

Raven, ever the one to get annoyed when it came to Yuria, lightly tapped Alice on the top of her head to stop her from spiraling into overdrive.

“If you’re really that curious, stop guessing and just ask her what’s going on.”

His words were a pragmatic reminder that trying to deduce someone’s feelings without communication could only lead to misunderstandings and misconceptions.

“Right… You’re right, Jin. If I just keep guessing, I’ll end up with some weird conclusion. Thanks, I’ll go ask her directly!”

“Yeah. I’m curious too, so make sure to ask her.”

“Hehe, got it.”

Alice smiled brightly at Raven’s nonchalant response and cheerfully made her way toward Yuria.

Without beating around the bush, she asked directly why Yuria was so upbeat.

“….”

“Hm?”

“…!”

Yuria, clutching the mop in her arms, tilted her head as if in thought, then brought her index finger to her lips in a playful gesture.

It was a clear sign that it was a secret.

“Oh, I see! Alright then, let’s do our best today!”

Alice gave Yuria a warm smile, thinking how adorable she was, and then walked a full circle around the office.

When she got back to Raven’s side, she covered her mouth with her fist and wailed.

“Waaahhh, what do I do, Jin! Something’s definitely going on with her!”

“Hey, hey, calm down. She doesn’t look upset—she looks happy. It’s probably something good, so relax!”

While Alice continued her near-desperate wailing, Raven sighed, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

Just then, David arrived for work right on time.

Noticing Yuria, who couldn’t seem to keep still, he greeted her casually as usual.@@novelbin@@

Then, spotting Alice crying next to Raven, he approached her and commented in his usual teasing manner.

“Did something happen to Yuria? Until yesterday, she looked like someone who’d eaten spoiled pizza, but now she’s glowing like someone whose stocks just doubled in value.”

“I don’t know. Nothing happened!”

“Mmhph… W-We don’t know…”

“In that case, this is… a mystery case!”

“Please, don’t you start too. Dealing with Alice is hard enough already.”

Raven pressed a hand to his forehead, exasperated at the two troublemakers so early in the morning.

Alice, who lost all sense of calm when faced with something cute, was one thing.

But even David, ever since the Aisha case, seemed to have loosened a screw or two.

At this rate, there wouldn’t be a single sane person left in the office.

Raven glanced over at Yuria, who had now swapped her mop for a duster and continued her enthusiastic cleaning spree.

She didn’t seem to have a grand reason for being in such a good mood.

Still, just in case, he figured it might be worth checking in with her later.

Little did he realize, the reason for Yuria’s excitement was her plan to buy a terminal.

Raven simply let out a small sigh at the whirlwind of chaos in the office.