I Became the Cute One in the Problem-Solving Team

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A sudden proposal from Alice to provide me lodging at the Fixer Office.

No matter how I thought about it, it was a suggestion I should straight-up refuse.

Staying at the Fixer Office felt no different than walking into the epicenter of an impending explosion.

I was already on edge working part-time at the office; actually settling down here?

That was like throwing caution to the wind—an incredibly foolish act of risking great danger for the sake of small comfort.

So, without much thought, I was about to shake my head at Alice.

If only her worried eyes hadn’t suddenly caught my attention.

‘…Now that I think about it, isn’t it strange? Why the Fixer Office, specifically, not her own home?’

A small sense of unease crept in.

Was there really a reason for Alice to want me to stay at the Fixer Office?

Just because she liked me?

No, if that were the case, she could just invite me to her own house.

There was no need to bring up the hassle of the Fixer Office.

Before outright refusing, I should at least hear her reasoning.

I tilted my head lightly, expressing my curiosity about why she said such a thing.

I wondered if my expression of doubt reached Alice.

She bent her knees down to match my eye level and carefully asked, “Yuria. I don’t know the details, but are you planning to wander around the west labyrinth after work today like yesterday?”

Well, of course. I needed to have a place to go.

I nodded slightly, as if affirming Alice’s words.

The reason I gave up yesterday and headed to the general store was that it got too late, and…

I figured it was better to incur debt than freeze to death in the blizzard.

Yet now that I had somehow survived the night, I was thinking of wandering around again after work today to find a decent place.

I couldn’t continue living the life of a homeless person, devoid of a home and a bed.

While I was lost in my thoughts, she let out a small sigh, looking as if she couldn’t be helped, and continued, “And if you can’t find a place like yesterday… you’ll go to Greg’s general store?”

“…!”

What? How did she know!

I looked at Alice, startled by her ghostly deduction.

But Alice didn’t seem phased by my surprise; she scratched her cheek apologetically and just offered an explanation.

“Sorry, I happened to find the key while cleaning the coat yesterday. If you think about it, walking along the path where we met leads right to the general store.”

“…”

“But I don’t think Greg’s general store is really a good place for you to stay.”

Ah, so it was the key I hadn’t noticed while she was taking off the coat.

I felt relieved knowing she hadn’t peeked into my mind, but I partially agreed with her words.

She wasn’t wrong.

The general store was just a working shop, and objectively speaking, it wasn’t a great living environment.

The only places to lie down were a wooden table or the sofa, and I certainly couldn’t expect a blanket or pillow.

I’d have to use my coat and piles of clothes as a makeshift blanket and pillow.

I wondered if my weak modern body would even feel refreshed from sleeping, or if it would just accumulate more fatigue.

But… that was all in comparison to having an actual home.

If I compared the dilapidated warehouse to the general store or even the street, well, at least there was heating, and you could lock the door.

Honestly, there was no comparison; it was practically paradise. Much better than spending a winter on the streets.

As I looked at her with my hands on my hips as if asking what the problem was, did my stubborn demeanor deepen her worries?

After a moment of silence lost in thought, Alice gently ran her hand through my hair and said, “Yuria… you don’t like owing others, do you?”

“…”

“We’ve only known each other for about two weeks, but I can tell by watching you that sometimes you can be a bit foolishly stubborn about repaying favors. I think you’re actually a really kind person.”

…Me, kind? That was logically absurd.

I wasn’t nice; I was just a scaredy-cat who was emotional and impulsive.

I wanted to push off all the fears of the future onto someone else.

If someone would end up hating me, I’d rather they not think of me at all.

I hope anyone who puts in effort gets rewarded for that effort someday.

I want the people who like me to always be happy and free from suffering.

A coward and fool, selfish and petty, who seems to exist everywhere in this world.

So, no matter how I think about it, I didn’t deserve such embarrassing compliments from Alice.

‘I-I want to run away… I can’t handle this atmosphere!’

The psychological embarrassment, distinct from the shame of receiving pajamas and underwear from Alice yesterday, burned my neck and ears.

I wanted to escape the place without looking back and plunge my head into cold water.

I’d rather be teased like usual; why was she making me feel so embarrassed!

I leaned slightly against Alice to steady myself, tapping my forehead gently against her shoulder.

Ah, enough of this. If you have something to say, hurry up.

Anyway, whatever it is, I’m not planning to stay at the office!

Conveying this feeling, I silently protested.

“Pfft. Ah, what I mean to say is, you don’t have to think of it as being in debt. If it’s Jin, he’ll only charge you for food at most.”

“…”

It’s not about the money…

I shook my head in her embrace, filled with Jin’s energy.

Well, it was something she couldn’t even imagine.

How could she know I was someone reincarnated from reading a comic where Raven was the protagonist?

So, for her, my very reasonable choice must have seemed like childish stubbornness.

But still, this was a matter of life and death for me.

‘Still… thanks for offering first. It’s only been two weeks since we met, and you’re showing so much care for a temporary part-timer you’ll soon part with.’

Even if I’ve had various embarrassing experiences because of her, at least I could feel her sincerity.

And it made me realize how much I didn’t want to get entangled in the original story again, making my wish to keep distance look pathetic.

What do you mean by a ‘kind person’? If she knew my true feelings, she’d surely look down on me.

But my mind was still set; I intended to refuse Alice’s proposal to stay at the office.

I wasn’t sure if Raven had discussed things with her before.

As I wrapped my emotions tight, trying to calm down, the door behind me suddenly swung open.

Emerging was none other than Raven.

“What’s up? You two still here doing this? I need to use the restroom, so get out. It’s cramped.”

“Oh, right.”

Raven gestured for Alice and me, who were half-embracing each other, to step aside and strode toward the restroom as if he were in a hurry.

Then came the refreshing sound of water through the closed door.

The once affectionate atmosphere of the hallway was instantly shattered with that cool sound.

“Ahh, refreshing. Hoo… so, what have you two been discussing for so long?”

“Jin, about that…”

Glancing briefly.

Alice carefully looked at me, as if seeking my permission to reveal my situation of being homeless.

Wait, were they not informed about my situation yet?

I hesitated a moment at Alice’s expression, then shrugged as if it didn’t matter.

There was no need to boast about it, but there was also no reason to hide it in shame.

Who cares about being homeless? Isn’t it common for houses to collapse during heavy snow?

“Actually, that’s…”

Anyway, receiving my casual approval, Alice succinctly explained to Raven about what happened yesterday.

She started from how she had briefly visited the west labyrinth and ended up meeting me on the street, taking me in for a night at her home.

At least the privacy of me sleeping in bed while hugging my teddy bear PJs was left out; that was a relief.

“Hmm, I see. So, part-timer, is it true you have no place to go?”

“…”

“Oh dear, that’s unfortunate. With the cold like this, it’d be better to find somewhere quickly to avoid catching a cold; the rent is already high these days…”

“Hang on a minute!”

Raven casually mentioned that as if losing interest and started to walk away.

Alice, looking flustered, jumped up in a hurry and grabbed his shoulder.

She must have never expected Raven would brush it off so nonchalantly.

Oh dear, I saw this coming.

“Is that all?! It’s impossible to find a place without a penny in this weather!”

“Well… it would be tough.”

“And yet!”

“So what do you want me to do? You seem to need no help. Helping someone who hasn’t considered the receiver’s perspective is sometimes worse than violence.”

“Ugh… you’re right, but…”

As expected, the fixer won’t help unless asked!

I rolled my eyes, trying to remain inconspicuous, rooting for him inwardly.

Meanwhile, Raven let out a light sigh and said, “And if I’m helping, why not just let you sleep at your own house? There’s no need to come to me. You shared a bed last night, right?”

“That’s… we have circumstances. It’s not just me living there, my sister is too.”

“Uh? That’s true.”

“I can’t have my sister meet Yuria. This is for both our sakes. I just… don’t want to burden her.”

“Eh.”

“…?”

How’d that even work out?

Both Raven and I shared a moment of confusion as our gazes briefly met in the air.

Then, seemingly deciding to gloss over that part, Raven scratched his head and said, “Well, it’s just as it is. The part-timer doesn’t need help specifically, and I don’t want an annoying brat tagging along for my happy little time. Things that neither wants shouldn’t happen, right?”

“Hah, I’m not forcing anything. I just… want to persuade Yuria to change her mind.”

The atmosphere gradually tilted towards respecting my wishes.

No, thinking about it, the answer had been the same from the start.

Alice, who had tried to forcibly bring me home yesterday, seemed to no longer want to push me into making a choice.

Raven, as one of the parties involved, wouldn’t push either if I said no.

As long as my thoughts didn’t waver, the possibility of me staying at the Fixer Office was virtually zero.

‘Just a light-hearted incident, huh. Then I’ll have to rush around again tonight.’

I let my shoulders relax slightly, shedding the tension that had been built up.

I had worried that something that absolutely shouldn’t happen might occur, but it was such a relief to see things start winding down.

Suddenly, as I lightly closed my eyes from fatigue, a very faint whisper tickled my ear.

It felt like fragments of words that had trailed off midway; emotions lingering faintly.

I tilted my head in confusion, turning towards the source of the sound.

There stood Raven, showing signs of wanting to head back inside.

“…”

“Hmm? You got something to say? Oh, wait! What’s going on?!”

Instinctively sensing something was off, I quickly seized Raven.

And as I got closer, the voices became clearer, leading me to slip my hand into his pants pocket.

As he looked shocked with surprise at me rummaging through his pocket, I quickly grasped the source of the sound and pulled it out.

“Yuria?!”

“What is this…? When did this get inside your pants?”

What I pulled out was a thin metal shard no bigger than a pinky nail.

And I quickly realized its identity.

‘This… it’s similar to a Tesseract, something from the dimension invaders.’

A ticking time bomb of sorts, something entirely out of place here.

My expression hardened, growing serious.

It seemed that… I needed to rethink things.