I Became the Cute One in the Troubleshooter Squad

The place I followed Tara into—a woman with round glasses, freckles, and a sexy sleeveless tank top—looked like a third-rate junk shop with nothing remarkable about it.

The shelves were lined with what appeared to be cheap items hastily assembled from parts scavenged at some landfill.

Even for the northern slums, this shop was tucked into a corner, giving off an unmistakable air of decrepitude.

“Well, I doubt there’s anything here that’ll catch your eye… but if you’re curious about anything, feel free to ask. I’ll explain everything in detail,” Tara said as she casually plopped down behind the counter and rested her chin on her hand.

Her friendliness seemed oddly out of place for a shop selling such shoddy goods.

I gave her a slight nod and wandered around, eventually picking up two items: a broken key and a small safe, just big enough to fit in my palm.

When I brought them to Tara, her eyes sparkled momentarily behind her glasses.

Then, she scanned me up and down with a slow, deliberate gaze that sent a chill down my spine, like I was prey caught in the sights of a lioness.

“This… you’re someone who knows what you’re looking for, aren’t you?”

“Alright then. I’ll show you right away.”

Her reaction to the broken key and the small safe wasn’t random.

Handing her these items was a signal—a sign that I’d been introduced by someone she trusted and was here to see the real goods.

Tara rose lightly, her tough and composed demeanor unwavering. 

She walked to one side of the shop and yanked down on a dusty lever attached to the wall.

Kuuuuung.

The ground trembled as the floor opened up, revealing a hidden staircase leading underground.

Wow, this is seriously cool.

While I marveled inwardly, I forced myself to stay composed.

This wasn’t the time for Yuria in her fox mask persona to act like a giddy child. I was currently a mysterious guest under the goblin mask.

Breaking character now wouldn’t fit the role. Stay cool, stay in character.

“Alright, please follow me this way.”

“…!”

Despite my effort to rein in my excitement, Tara brushed aside the dust with her hand and descended the stairs, motioning for me to follow.

Step, step.

The underground space I entered behind her was an entirely different world.

The room was filled with mechanical gadgets and weapons of all kinds, neither overly lavish nor underwhelming.

There were extraordinary-looking telescopes, cybernetic axes, and eight-legged cleaning robots. Instruments with gun barrels, chairs seemingly made for giants, and TVs that flapped like film reels. ȒἈɴỔΒĘṨ

The sheer variety of mechanical items defied categorization, each one moving seamlessly around the room.

Even the faint LED lights spilling from the ceiling and the thin mist rising from the floor contributed to the vibe of a secret base brimming with dreams.

Wow… is this heaven?

If I had enough money, I’d have bought everything in sight.

The sheer allure of the space made my mouth water.

Honestly, I felt like throwing down a blanket and spending hours playing with each and every item here.

I sidled over to a shelf where a gun with no visible magazine was displayed.

Next to it was a hastily scrawled note that read:

[This gun operates on electricity. Never use it underwater! Charger and battery included.]

This wasn’t something an ordinary person could handle easily.

While admiring the handwritten note—clearly Tara’s work—I checked the price of the electric gun.

“…!”

What the—? This price is ridiculous. It’s worth several months of pay from my office job.

The exorbitant price snapped me out of my dreamy haze like a splash of cold water.

All the excitement that had built up in my chest evaporated in an instant.

Reality check: most of the items here were way out of my financial reach.

As they say, financial discipline is the quickest cure for indulgence.

I nodded solemnly, my rationality now firmly in control, and glanced toward Tara, who was quietly seated in a corner.

Still, most of the items here are worth their price. It’s not every day you get a chance to buy something made by a master mechanic.

I mentally reviewed the information I remembered about her from the original story.

Tara was a pure-blooded human, a rarity in Nighthaven.

Her shop, though called a “general store,” was closer to a specialist mechanic shop.

If Greg Visk’s antique shop dealt with curios and collectibles, Tara’s shop dealt in all things mechanical.

She was once a renowned mechanic in Germany, crafting all sorts of devices, but she ended up in Nighthaven after being framed as a criminal by someone she considered family.

She eventually settled in the northern slums, using her skills to repair and sell discarded machines.

Later, she took in a child, raised them, and eventually ended up in a reverse age-gap relationship with them. It was a sweet love story with a happily-ever-after ending. Good for her.

Backstory aside, only two facts mattered to me.

First, Tara was a skilled mechanic who ran a shop reliant on loyal customers.

Second, there was a device here that even I could afford with my pocket money.

Wait… there it is!

After meticulously scanning the shelves, I finally spotted what I’d been searching for: a flat terminal with a touch screen.

At a glance, it looked like an ordinary device, but the answer lay in the price tag.

Its pristine appearance, with no visible scratches on the screen, and sleek design were on par with a new product.

However, its price was nearly a third of similar models, so cheap it was suspicious.

The description confirmed my hunch: while the device was flawless in appearance and durability, it had an unexplained bug that occasionally occurred.

I needed something like this. It was a perfect solution to my identity problem at a bargain price.

Confident, I handed the terminal to Tara.

“Oh, that… Is just one enough? It’s only the terminal; you’ll need to get an illegal chip from the black market to use it for communication.”

“…!”

“If that’s fine, I’ll box it up for you.”

With a rustle, Tara packed the terminal and its accessories into a tidy box.

Handing her the cash I’d received from Raven, I took the box and hugged it tightly, as though it were the most precious thing in the world.

A clean, no-hassle transaction.

Eager to get home and open it up, I turned and briskly headed for the stairs.

Hehe, I can’t wait to try it out.

Suppressing my giddy excitement, I climbed the stairs. But just as I reached the top, I heard a faint buzzing sound.

What’s that noise?

Looking in its direction, I saw Tara furrowing her brow slightly.

“…?”

“Oh, it’s nothing. I think someone just showed up outside. You can take your time leaving.”

“…!”

It’s fine. I was already planning to leave now.

Shaking my head slightly, I ascended the stairs and left the shop.

Tara, who ran this shop relying on her regulars, didn’t need rumors spreading because of me. I’d bought what I needed—time to leave quickly.

As I exited, Tara followed and raised the lever, sealing the secret staircase once again.

But I barely paid attention to the now-hidden staircase.

Something more pressing had my full attention: the commotion outside.

An all-too-familiar voice drifted in from beyond the door.

“Why are you stopping me from going in? Is there something you don’t want me to see?”

“N-no, it’s nothing like that…! It’s just that she’s busy right now…!”

“Busy? She’s busy, yet she’s accepting other customers? What’s with the discrimination? I’m a customer too. This is unfair!”

“S-sorry! I’m so sorry!”

A low male voice that had become annoyingly familiar lately.

Why is he here?

After confirming that the secret staircase was properly concealed, I unlocked the door.

On the other side stood a man with messy black hair, slouching in a cocky pose.

“….”

“Oh. Uh… hello?”

You’re not fooling anyone with that act.

Seeing Raven—who had clearly been tailing me—I closed my eyes in exasperation.

How did he manage to follow me so flawlessly?

In front of someone for whom my goblin mask disguise was utterly meaningless, I couldn’t help but sigh.@@novelbin@@