I Became the Cute One in the Problem-Solving Team

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As I barely returned, facing the snowstorm on this cold day, the base I painstakingly set up had turned into a freezer.

In that bewildering situation, I blinked in shock and finally let out a soundless scream.

It was because a sudden gust of cold wind blew in from the opposite side and seeped through the gaps in my clothes.

Ah, the wind is so fierce up here!

I sniffed and tightly wrapped my coat around myself, cautiously surveying the dark, windy surroundings.

After finding the cheap portable lantern I’d picked up from the back alley among the mess on the floor, I thumped it with my fist until it lit up.

“…Oh dear, what a disaster.”

In the faint light of that flimsy lantern, the wreck of my base came into view.

It looked like someone had poured snow inside as if someone had carelessly flung it in from outside.

I turned my back to the bone-chilling wind and carefully stepped back to examine the surroundings of the base.

After a brief investigation, I realized that the cause of this catastrophe was a shattered window.

What in the world happened while I was out? Snow and wind were freely entering through the gaping hole without permission.

What a bolt from the blue this is! Why did this happen?

I cautiously peeked through the glass. There, I noticed the broken outdoor unit, awkwardly lying below.

“Could it be that it fell because of the heavy snow? That it broke my window?”

My eyes instinctively narrowed.

How can I be this unlucky?

Even if this area is deserted and poorly maintained, it’s still too outrageous for an outdoor unit from the next house to break my window!

I stomped my feet in frustration over this utterly unfair situation, then slumped my shoulders in resignation.

I couldn’t turn back time. What was done was done.

Instead of lamenting my bad luck, I should think about how to resolve this situation.

“…Well, I guess it worked out fine. Moving was a hassle anyway. With this forced reason, it’s no choice but to move.”

At least I was grateful that I didn’t have any strong attachment to this base.

After all, the reason I didn’t call this place my home but a base was that I wanted to ensure I wouldn’t leave any lingering regrets when moving someday.

Thus, the solution was simple.

I just had to pack up everything inside and find a new base.

Of course, this building had no floors without issues, and I would have to rummage through other buildings extensively.

The western maze has plenty of buildings; could there really be a place that isn’t swarming with odd individuals like this one?

“Anyway, I was already considering moving because it was getting chilly. I’ll just think of this as moving the schedule up a bit. This much… huh?”

Crunch.

A foreboding feeling crept up my fingertips as I confidently grasped my sleeping bag.

The sleeping bag that had warmly embraced me until this morning now felt dry and cold as ice.

…It’s frozen, isn’t it?

I instinctively sensed that the sleeping bag was in a state of no return.

Could it be because of the frigid wind blowing through my base? A chill ran down my spine.

After checking all the items in my base for about five minutes, I had to admit it straightforwardly: a significant problem had arisen for me.

“Most of my stuff is wrecked. I’ll have to throw away the bed and sleeping bag. My clothes too, aside from the winter pajamas and coat I’m wearing, and the maid outfit at Greg’s store….”

It seemed that shortly after I began working at the office, the window had gotten a hole.

After a heavy snowfall, when the snow melted, it looked like it refroze afterward.

Thus, bedding, furniture, clothes, fabric, towels, and household supplies…

Most items I had diligently collected over the past months were now frozen as if submerged in water and placed in a freezer.

Huh? Can’t I just thaw them out and dry them?

When exactly would I find the time and place to thaw them all and dry them out?

Besides, if there was a place warm enough for them to thaw, I wouldn’t be having such a hard time!

“What should I do? How am I supposed to sleep tonight? If I sleep out in this weather, I’ll definitely turn into frozen food. Should I gather snow and build an igloo?”

I crossed my arms and continued pondering.

For now, it made sense to give up on those frozen items.

I couldn’t crawl into a sleeping bag frozen solid.

So now, was I to search for a new base with nothing but my bare body?

Isn’t this a huge problem?

…Wait, thinking it over, it wasn’t such a hopeless situation.

I still had one way left to scrape by.

As I thought so, I subtly pulled out the key to the general store from my coat pocket.

“If I rely on the general store, I could manage to get through a night…”

But it wasn’t really a preferable choice.

Greg was my benefactor. I didn’t want to rely on him too much.

This key was a token of trust given to me by Greg.

Let’s turn the tables. How heavy must have his heart been to give a key to a stranger whose face he didn’t even know?

Honestly, if I sold the key to the general store and vanished without a trace, it would be a stab in the back for him, leaving him helpless.

Of course, I had no intention of doing that at all. Still, he took on that risk by handing me this key. I had to reciprocate that trust in kind.

“And I’ve already taken too much from Greg. If I take more, I might just die from guilt.”

He helped me when I was a fugitive ghost. I received sturdy clothes I couldn’t buy with money.

Furthermore, I got a face-covering artifact as a gift and even a job at the office?

To be honest, with a little exaggeration, he could easily be called a savior in my life.

But using the general store like it’s my home without permission?

No way. Even if Greg forgave me, I couldn’t forgive myself.

As long as my hot conscience lived within me, it was utterly unacceptable.

‘…If it really comes down to it and I might freeze to death, I’ll have no choice. But I’ll keep this as a last resort.’

No matter what, my conscience is more important than my life.

When the time comes, I’ll consider it as a last-ditch option.

I held the key tightly in my hand and then slipped it back into my coat pocket.

Now, where should I spend this night amid the swirling snowstorm?

It was time to brainstorm ideas desperately.

The desire to not inconvenience Greg burned within me.

*

“Still no news about the ghost? Even the tiniest thing would be fine…”

“Well, I don’t know. At least I haven’t heard anything. You can ask Gilbert across the street. He’s really into rumors and knows a lot about that stuff.”

“Ah… Thank you. I appreciate it.”

Having just asked and was on her way back…

Alice muttered to herself as she stepped out of the store and let out a small sigh.

It had been over two weeks since the blood night incident, and she had been searching for the ghost since then.

But still, the ghost seemed to have vanished, leaving no trace anywhere.

Could it be that after that day, the ghost slipped away from Night Haven?

Chasing after the ghost felt like being a boy chasing after a rainbow.

“Again, no yield today… Haah, should I extend the interval to once a week…?”

If the ghost had already left the western maze, then what Alice was doing now would indeed be in vain.

Her fervor to uncover the ghost’s identity dwindled each day.

Grrr.

Alice’s stomach growled. She had missed her chance to eat while searching for the ghost.

Deciding to postpone her meal for tomorrow, she directed her weak steps toward a nearby restaurant.

“…Three cheese steaks, please.”

“Yes, it’s a bit long, should I cut it in half?”

“No, please don’t cut any of it.”

“Three cheese steaks! Here you go!”

Alice received three sandwiches the size of her forearm and stepped out of the shop.

She then tore open one of the wraps and bit into the sandwich.

Although it seemed like a fair bit for her average female frame,

the way it was sucked down her mouth was a sight to behold, gathering the gaze of passersby as if it was a magic trick being executed.

Munch munch. Eating while getting hit by the snow is quite an experience.

As she thought this and walked towards the exit of the western maze, she spotted a girl who didn’t seem like she should be there.

‘…Yuria?’

Dressed in her usual black coat with the silken, flowing silver hair, and the faint outline of a fox mask,

even from a distance, Alice recognized her at once.

Why was she wandering in such a dangerous place?

As she pondered this, Alice remembered that when Yuria first came to the office, she had been with Greg.

“Since Greg’s shop is closer to the western maze… could she have lost her way for a bit?”

The notion that Yuria might live in the western maze didn’t even cross Alice’s mind.

It couldn’t be helped; to Alice, Yuria was merely the precious youngest member of the office.

Besides, considering her noble lineage, it was hard to conceive of a young girl like her living in such places.

But as Yuria’s back drew closer, Alice’s expression grew increasingly serious.

The snow piling on her body, and her shoulders trembling from the cold, indicated that she had been wandering around here for a while.

Why on earth was she wandering alone in such a cold and perilous place?

Feeling a pang in her heart, Alice rushed towards her.

“Yuria!”

“…!”

Startled at the approaching Alice, Yuria turned around.

Whatever she was feeling inside, she bore an expression as if she had just seen someone she wasn’t supposed to.

That’s exactly what I want to say. Alice, biting her lips slightly, reached out with her warm hand to touch Yuria’s ear and neck.

‘Cold! How long have you been out here?’

Yuria’s ears… no, her body was ice-cold.

So cold that Alice gasped in shock, her pupils trembling.

Quickly, Alice took off her outer garment and wrapped it around Yuria.

Due to her high body temperature, white vapor billowed from Yuria, but Alice had no time to care about that; she hurriedly checked Yuria’s condition.

“Thank goodness. The trembling has stopped.”

Since she no longer shivered, it seemed that Alice’s coat was warm enough for Yuria.

Phew, having exhaled softly, Alice bent her knees and made eye contact with Yuria.

“Are you alright? Are you feeling less cold now?”

“….”

“Why are you wandering around all by yourself? Are you lost?”

But Yuria turned her head slightly, showing no reaction to Alice’s inquiries.

Was it too troubling to answer? Or was she feeling some kind of discomfort?

After a moment of deep contemplation, Alice cautiously asked Yuria once more.

“Yuria, do you live around here?”

“….”

“…Could you guide me to where you live?”

“…!”

“Don’t tell me, you’re wandering without a home….”

“….”

Alice felt a shock, as though she had been hit on the back of the head, at Yuria’s crystal-clear response.

Thinking back, it was indeed strange.

Why did Yuria, at her young age, need to work?

If she had a family, or at the very least a guardian, there would be no reason for her to.

Did she want to earn pocket money? She had thought it casually.

But to think this was a fight for survival, Alice couldn’t find the words to continue.

Thus, feeling as though her heart was being torn apart, Alice gazed at Yuria with a resolute expression and declared.

“Yuria, come to my house today. I won’t take no for an answer. Just know that.”

“…!”

I will definitely take you to my home.

This was a truly bewildering declaration for Yuria as she, frustrated at not finding a new base, was about to crawl into Greg’s general store.