I Became the Cute One in the Troubleshooter Squad

Two people stood frozen on opposite sides of a door.

What was I supposed to do about this awkward atmosphere? It was a truly troublesome situation.

In the end, it was Raven who moved first, breaking the silence.

He cleared his throat softly, then glanced around the inside of the shop with feigned nonchalance.

“Hm, what kind of shop is this? Maybe I’ll buy something….”

“….”

“Alright, fine. Let’s go. Let’s just go.”

What’s with this ridiculous attempt at playing dumb? Unbelievable.

I grabbed Raven’s hand before he could slip away and dragged him out of the shop.

Why did I even bother putting on a robe and a goblin mask if this was how it would turn out?

One of the reasons I’d come all the way to the northern slums was because Raven rarely ventured here.

Meeting him here so openly could only mean one thing—he had been tailing me for quite some time.

What’s the point of trying to hide when I’d already been caught from the start?

“Customer! You can get a full refund if you return within a week! Don’t forget to come back if you change your mind, alright?”

“…!”

“And you, get over here! Let’s have a talk about forgetting to charge the customer. Of all things to forget!”

“S-sorry, Master Tara! I’m sorry!”

Tara’s voice carried loudly from the shop’s entrance as I waved at her before heading off with Raven, leaving the northern slums behind.

I could hear the young man with the blond hair getting a scolding from Tara as we walked away. 

Well, if he sold items without collecting payment, that was his problem to deal with.

Leaving the slums was much easier than entering.

Raven casually dealt with the thugs who tried to pick fights along the way.

“Hey, hand over everything you’ve got—ack!”

“Whoa, Jason just dropped like a fly…. P-please, go ahead! Sorry we didn’t recognize you!”

“Yeah, good job.”

“….”

Seeing Raven casually slap away heavily built thugs with bulging muscles was a stark reminder of how far beyond ordinary humans he truly was.

After walking for nearly an hour, we finally left the northern slums. We caught a bus back to the area near the office and went into a familiar franchise café, sitting across from each other. ℟ãƝộ𝐛Êṣ

The situation couldn’t have been more awkward—me, caught sneaking into the black market, and Raven, caught tailing me.

“Hm. I’ll have a choco latte. What about you, part-timer? Your usual apple mango drink?”

“…!”

I nodded eagerly.

Raven loved sweet things, especially anything chocolate. I, on the other hand, had a penchant for fresh, sweet fruit drinks.

The apple mango drink—combining the rich sweetness of mango with the refreshing tartness of apple—was my favorite item at this café.

Wait, now’s not the time to be excited about a drink.

I snapped out of it, swallowing the saliva pooling in my mouth. Planting my fists firmly on the table, I glared at Raven.

Why did he follow me without permission? Was he picking a fight?

My aggressive posture and piercing gaze must have conveyed my message loud and clear.

Raven, who had just used the table’s QR code to place our order, scratched his cheek sheepishly.

“Well, uh… sigh. To be honest, the others were making a fuss.”

“…?”@@novelbin@@

“Alice and David. They were so worried something might happen to you that they kept nagging me until I gave in. I’m sorry for following you without saying anything.”

“….”

Of course, that’s what happened.

I should have known he wouldn’t follow me of his own accord.

Though I’d gotten a bit closer to Raven lately, we’d only known each other for a month. For someone as emotionally distant as him to go out of his way for me was unlikely.

But if Alice, with her overprotective tendencies, or David, who had connections to Sabrina, had insisted, it made sense.

It was ironic that neither of them was here now. Maybe they’d divided their roles efficiently.

If that’s the case… There’s no reason to be mad. He followed me because he was worried. As long as he didn’t notice my telekinesis, it’s no big deal.

When I stayed too long in the shop and didn’t come out, Raven had likely checked on me out of concern and happened to catch me at the wrong moment.

As long as his actions stemmed from kindness rather than suspicion, I couldn’t hold it against him.

Besides, Raven wasn’t the type to harbor strange thoughts.

Even if my telekinesis slap looked like someone fainting out of nowhere, he wouldn’t automatically assume I was a psychic.

…He wouldn’t notice, right?

No matter how sharp Raven was, he’d never seen me in ghost form. There was no way he’d figure it out, right?

[ “Your deep chocolate latte and apple mango juice are ready.” ]

As I readjusted my posture, a service robot approached with our drinks.

Raven’s drink was a warm latte with a giant chunk of chocolate melted inside, while mine was a chilled apple mango juice with mango chunks floating in it.

Both of us quietly sipped our drinks without saying a word.

It wasn’t just because I couldn’t speak. Raven wasn’t the type to initiate small talk, leaving such things to Alice.

At this rate, we’d finish our drinks in silence and head back to the office.

Then I noticed the box containing the terminal I’d bought.

This awkward atmosphere could use a distraction. Let’s open this up.

As I pulled the box from the bag on the chair next to me, Raven, who had been gazing idly out the window, turned his attention to me.

“Oh, right. You went all the way there to buy that. What is it, anyway?”

“…!”

“Wait, it’s just a terminal?”

When I opened the box, a sleek white terminal slightly larger than my palm lay inside.

Its minimalist design reminded me of myself for some reason, and I couldn’t help but feel drawn to it.

Raven, however, squinted skeptically at the terminal.

“You went all the way to the black market for a terminal? Seriously?”

Well, just watch.

I pulled the terminal from the box and powered it on by connecting the included charger.

In no time, the screen lit up with a message asking for initial setup.

Skipping through the setup process, I pressed the “Set Up Later” button.

[ “Welcome! Are you ready to explore the world with Echo?” ]

As the final message appeared, the terminal revealed its name: Echo.

Yes! Finally, my very own terminal!

I fidgeted with Echo, excitement bubbling up inside me.

Raven, smirking at my enthusiasm, pointed to the QR code on the table and suggested I place an order.

Sure, no problem.

I opened the camera, scanned the QR code, and tapped on the screen to order a cake, chocolate latte, and cherry cola.

A notification confirmed the order, and Raven burst into laughter before snatching Echo from my hands.

“Hey, give that back!”

But instead of teasing me, Raven froze, his voice trembling.

“Wait, hold on. Did you just place an order with this? How…?”

“…?”

You told me to try it, didn’t you?

I tilted my head, feigning ignorance, but couldn’t suppress a smirk at his dumbfounded expression.

Raven checked the terminal again, confirming there was no chip installed. 

His fingers tapped the screen and flipped the device over, as if trying to figure out how it worked.

He looked exactly like a programmer watching code that shouldn’t work miraculously function.

It wasn’t surprising, though.

Using a chipless, barely functional terminal to connect to the internet and place an order defied logic.

Raven’s flustered reaction wasn’t unexpected.

I, on the other hand, already knew the secret.

Heh. Did you think I’d walk all the way to the northern black market for nothing?

I reached out for Echo, and Raven reluctantly handed it back, his face still puzzled.

As Echo returned to my hands, a cheerful voice rang out.

[ “Mama! Friend!” ]

For a brief moment, Echo’s screen flickered before returning to normal.

Raven seemed to sense something was amiss, but before I could reassure him, a chilling memory surfaced in my mind.

This terminal was featured in one of the story’s horror episodes: The Haunted Terminal.