I Became the Cute One in the Troubleshooter Squad

"You, you...! What are you doing here?"

Alice closed the distance between herself and the woman in a flash, her eyes wide with shock.

Her reaction was as if she had just encountered someone who absolutely shouldn’t have been there.

But whether Tamamo noticed Alice’s astonishment or not, she casually swayed her thick lavender tail in an enticing manner and responded nonchalantly.

"It’s a bit of a complicated story… but next semester, we’re planning a school trip to Saint Maria Hotel, so the student council came here in advance for a site inspection. Believe it or not, I’m the next student council president."

"Heh, heh… Tamamo, it’s only been a year, and you’ve already become the student council president. That’s amazing…."

“Nihyahaha! Just lucky, I guess. And you, Alice-chan?”

"I’m here with some friends. It’s Night Week back in Nighthaven."

“Wow, that’s awesome! A holiday during the year-end? That’s perfect for a trip! I’m so jealous!”

There wasn’t a hint of pretense in her pure, unfiltered joy—it was disarmingly genuine.

Thanks to Tamamo’s carefree energy, Alice seemed to have calmed down from her initial shock.

Her tone was much more relaxed as she continued the conversation.

"I’m surprised. I never thought I’d run into you here, of all places."

“Well, that’s my line. Do you know how shocked I was when I went back home during summer vacation and heard you’d suddenly moved to America? Your old contact number was out of service, and there was no news about you…. And then, to run into you here? I couldn’t believe it.”

"Uh, well… I had my reasons…."

"Hmph. I know you, Alice-chan. You’re a diligent person. I’m sure you had a good reason for leaving so suddenly, but… still, I was a little hurt."

“Ugh… I’m really sorry.”

Alice scratched her cheek awkwardly, avoiding eye contact as if she couldn’t even come up with an excuse.

It made sense that she’d feel guilty for leaving without a word, especially to a friend.

Still, it was clear Alice felt particularly subdued standing in front of Tamamo, who was noticeably shorter than her.

Perhaps Tamamo sensed something odd about Alice’s demeanor.

From behind, Raven, who had been quietly observing the interaction, furrowed his brows slightly, as if he were questioning whether their friendship had truly been all sunshine and rainbows.

But Tamamo simply pulled out her device from her pocket and cheerfully spoke up.

"Alice-chan, this must be fate! Let’s exchange contact info!"

“Ah, uh, y-yeah! Let’s do that!”

“Hehe, done! I’ll definitely send you a message, so make sure to reply, okay?”

“Of course, I will!”

In a fluster, Alice fished her device out of her coat and exchanged contact information with Tamamo.

Once their devices confirmed the exchange, Tamamo clasped hers in both hands like a precious treasure, grinning as if she had just acquired something priceless.

“Ah, um, by the way… you two must be…?”

It seemed that she had only now noticed Raven and me, who were standing near Alice. Tamamo’s curious eyes sparkled as she turned her gaze toward us.

Or at least, she intended to address us.

But before she could get another word in, a tall blond boy suddenly appeared and stepped between us.

“President, there you are. What are you doing wandering off without saying anything?”

“Ah, Vice President-kun… why now of all times?”

“I apologize for interrupting, but… we need to go immediately.”

“What? No way!”

Clearly displeased at being interrupted, Tamamo puffed up her cheeks, her irritation evident.

She seemed eager to strike up a conversation with Alice’s companions and establish some sort of connection.

However, the blond boy, who Tamamo referred to as Vice President, bowed politely and responded.

“The disciplinary committee president has gotten herself involved in an unnecessary commotion….”

“Oh no! That’s bad…! Oh, uh, Alice-chan! I’ve got to go now!”

“Uh, okay. Take care.”

“Nihya-ha! We’re at the same hotel, so I’ll see you later! And you two, I’ll come back to introduce myself properly!”

“Vice President-kun, hurry up and lead the way!”

Tamamo nudged the Vice President forward and quickly left with him, a clear sense of urgency in her steps.

She must have been deeply worried about the disciplinary committee president causing trouble.

What a whirlwind of a person.

As I tightened Raven’s still-warm coat around myself, lost in thought, Raven approached Alice, who seemed bewildered by the sudden turn of events.

“Judging by her uniform, she’s from that famous academy. What’s the story between you two?”

“Hmm… we’ve been childhood friends since elementary school. I haven’t seen her in almost a year, though.”

“Huh, I see. From the vibe, I wouldn’t have guessed you two were close.”

“…Huh? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Well, you give off the vibe of a delinquent gyaru, and she’s more of a straight-laced honor student. Gyarus and model students don’t usually get along, do they?”

“Who are you calling a gyaru?!”

Gyaaaooo!

Alice roared at Raven with fire in her eyes, practically seething.

But I kind of understood what Raven was getting at.

If Alice’s vibe was that of a carefree, sexy, and mysterious freestyler gyaru, Tamamo’s was the complete opposite—crisp, white uniform and a flawless, composed demeanor of an honor student.

The contrast was undeniable.

Of course, sometimes opposites attract, and that difference could be what made their bond stronger.

But judging by Alice’s embarrassed and flustered reaction, it didn’t seem like she enjoyed the comparison at all.

“So, what’s the deal?”

“Ugh… well, we were supposed to go to the same school, but I didn’t get in, so we kind of drifted apart. Then I had to run away and come to Nighthaven, and I couldn’t leave her a message.”

“Huh. Sounds complicated.”

“Aaagh, enough about this! Ugh, where is David’s group already?! We’ve been waiting forever!”

“We just got here.”

“EEK!”

Alice jumped a height equal to her own at the sudden low voice cutting through her frustration.

She had leapt so high, with no preparation or leverage, that I couldn’t help but wonder just how powerful her leg muscles were. Was she part rabbit beastfolk or something?

While I idly marveled at Alice’s athleticism, she clutched her chest as if trying to calm her startled heart and turned to face the source of the voice.

“D-D-David?! And Reine? And Sabrina, too?!”

Standing right in front of Alice was none other than David’s group, the very people she had been desperately waiting for.

In fact, their faces had been visible near the entrance around the time she exchanged contact information with Tamamo.

But with her mind so preoccupied, Alice hadn’t noticed them approaching.

Still, no one had expected her to be this startled by their sudden arrival.

David, sensing her shock, rubbed the back of his neck apologetically and spoke.

“I’m sorry we’re late. There was a disturbance on the tracks—someone was causing a commotion, and it delayed the train. Thankfully, there were officers on board who managed to resolve the situation, but it took some time.”

“We’re sorry for making you wait in this weather,” Reine added, her tone genuinely remorseful.

“Oh, come on, it’s not like you were late on purpose. Let’s just head inside already—I’m dying to unpack my stuff,” Raven chimed in, brushing it off casually.

There was no helping it if the delay was due to something unavoidable, like a commotion on the tracks. What could anyone do to prevent that? It wasn’t like they could predict the future.

I sent David a reassuring glance as Sabrina, who was clinging to me with her round beastfolk ears twitching, tugged me this way and that.

I wasn’t sure if David fully got the message, but we hadn’t waited long enough for it to be a big deal. Hopefully, he and the others wouldn’t feel too bad about it.

With everything settled, we entered the bustling Saint Maria Hotel and finally made it to our reserved rooms.

“Here it is! The Saint Maria Hotel Premier Suite that I booked!”

Alice’s energy seemed to have fully returned after riding the elevator up and enjoying the view on the way.

With her usual bright demeanor, she tapped the card key against the door, throwing it open with a flourish.

The sight that greeted us inside was absolutely dazzling.

“It’s huge!”

“Wow, this is incredible. Truly worthy of a luxury hotel. The price makes sense now.”

The room was ridiculously spacious—large enough that it seemed comparable to the size of our entire office.

From the marble flooring to the intricate designs on the ceiling, every detail exuded opulence, as if no expense had been spared.

But it seemed Alice wasn’t done showing off.

She dashed into the suite with an excited bounce, beckoning us with a wag of her finger.

“Hehe, that’s not all! There are two bedrooms and bathrooms! And over here—check out the wine cellar, a kitchen where you can whip up light meals, and even a veranda where you can relax and take in the ocean view! Isn’t it amazing?”

“It’s very impressive,” Reine commented with a warm smile.

“…Alice, you really wanted to stay here, didn’t you?” Raven remarked, giving her a teasing look.

“Ugh, y-yeah, so what?! Is that a problem?!”

Alice’s face flushed crimson as she shouted back, clearly flustered by the way Raven and Reine looked at her with a mix of amusement and fondness.

To be fair, Alice usually acted mature and composed when I wasn’t around.

But she was still technically a minor—not even an adult yet. It made sense for her to get this excited, especially since she had successfully managed the reservation herself.

Still, it seemed she was embarrassed to have been treated like a kid by the two actual adults in our group.

Alice, clearly frustrated, shot Raven a fierce glare as if to get back at him.

Well, this is nice. Expensive hotels really do have their charm. The ocean view is fantastic too.

Leaving Raven and Alice’s “Round 3” bickering match behind, I quietly stepped inside with Sabrina.

The first thing that caught my eye was the spacious living room and the wide-open view of the ocean through the window.

The unobstructed expanse of sea stretched all the way to the horizon, filling my chest with a sense of liberation.

Yeah, this is exactly why people vacation by the sea.

Crossing my arms, I admired the scenery and nodded in satisfaction.

By the time I was done soaking in the view, it seemed Round 3 had fizzled out.

Alice, after checking out the bedrooms, approached Raven with an apologetic look on her face.

“Jin, I’m sorry… but since you paid so much for this room, I feel bad saying this. The larger bedroom will have to be used by the four of us girls. It’s a matter of numbers….”

“It’s fine. I’m not heartless enough to shove four people into the smaller room. Besides, the smaller bedroom is more than roomy enough for the two of us.”

“Even the smaller bedroom is several times larger than my own room. This really is an extravagant hotel,” David added, sounding impressed.

Due to the group size, the women—Alice, Reine, Sabrina, and me—were assigned the larger bedroom, while the men—Raven and David—took the smaller one.

Personally, I didn’t care which room I ended up in, but Alice seemed intent on keeping me close, so I didn’t bother voicing an opinion.

Once the sleeping arrangements were settled, Alice clapped her hands lightly to grab our attention.

“Hehe… thanks for understanding. So, how about we head out for a meal? It’s a bit late for lunch, but we can have a late dinner anyway.”

“Sounds good. Let’s go—I haven’t had a decent meal in a while,” Raven said, practically licking his lips.

“…!”

Alice seemed set on tackling lunch first, even though it was already a bit late.

Well, it’s true that you need a full stomach to really enjoy yourself.

Raising my hand enthusiastically, I signaled my full agreement.

At a high-end hotel like this, the food was bound to be delicious, right?

Just thinking about digging into some expertly cooked meat had me practically drooling already.