I Became the Cute One in the Problem-Solving Team

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Shoveling snow piled by the roadside is no easy task.

Setting aside the tediousness of having to clear the snow one by one with a broom or a shovel, if left alone too long, it hardens into an ice block.

Once the snow is firmly frozen to the ground, you can’t break it apart with a broom or plastic shovel; you’ll need a solid pickaxe or metal spade!

That’s why on snowing days, you don’t casually head outside to clean the snow whenever you feel like it.

‘Is this how it’s done?’

But that wasn’t really applicable to my situation right now.

Telekinesis works differently from regular physics.

It feels as if invisible, countless tiny hands are grasping and moving the objects.

Therefore, if I could somehow apply this, clearing the frozen snow from the ground wouldn’t be as hard as I thought.

I lightly tapped my foot and shot my telekinesis in the direction I was looking like an arrow.

Then, the ice that was firmly frozen to the ground was forcibly ripped away and scattered in the air like jewels.

And once again, *bang!* I stomped my foot down hard, causing the floating ice fragments to split cleanly to the sides like a giant’s hand had swept them away.

It was an astonishing sight, reminiscent of Moses parting the Red Sea.

I quietly watched the result of this feat, which would take an adult man thirty minutes, finished in five seconds.

‘…Yep. It’s clear. Just comparing it to yesterday, both the output and accuracy have noticeably increased.’

Early in the morning, I was clearing the snow loudly in front of Greg’s general store.

After bringing an unidentified piece of metal to the Tesseract last night, it felt like my telekinesis had significantly strengthened, so I wanted to experience that change firsthand.

And the results were crystal clear.

If the output of my telekinesis yesterday was about 10, I’d say today it felt more like 12 or 13.

After months of struggling in the alleys, the rise in output matched my recent growth, causing me to tilt my head in confusion.

‘Hmm… I’m not quite sure what’s happening. What kind of reaction occurred between the fragments and the Tesseract? And why did I, who was just sitting still, get affected too?’

But wait, if the Tesseract and the fragments reacted, why is my telekinesis growing stronger?

Lost in thought, I pulled the Tesseract from inside my maid uniform.

Yet, the Tesseract remained still, as if it were deep in slumber, showing no signs of activity.

If my eyes weren’t deceiving me, something had emerged from the fragment and seemed to be sucked into the Tesseract; perhaps that wasn’t enough to wake it up.

‘…Still, I feel like I see a clue. If I continue to gather similar fragments and pass them to the Tesseract, someday, something will change, right?’

Having sorted out my thoughts, I tucked the Tesseract back into my arms and walked through the snow-less street towards the office.

First things first, I needed to find out why Raven had those metal fragments.

Then, I might be able to discover a way to wake the sleeping Tesseract.

This way, in addition to investigating the threat of the Invaders, it would be a kill-two-birds-with-one-stone situation.

And considering my telekinesis was getting stronger, it could truly turn out to be a three-for-one deal.

In the chilly morning air, where my breath formed white clouds, I could clearly see where I had to focus.

*

“Ah, the part-timer is here! I was waiting.”

“…?”

As I returned to the office wrapped in my coat, Raven, dressed in his usual suit, was lounging on the sofa, casually speaking to me.

He must have been snoring away in his room until just a moment ago, but he had already gotten up, washed, and changed clothes. But why was he waiting?

As I tilted my head, showing my confusion, Raven looked at me with indifference and spoke up.

“Did you skip breakfast? Let’s eat together.”

“….”

Ah, come to think of it, I had indeed skipped breakfast.

With no real reason to decline Raven’s offer, I nodded eagerly.

Breakfast consisted of fried eggs and crispy bacon made from eggs and bacon that was rolling around the fridge.

It felt less like a proper meal and more like a makeshift dish a newbie in society would whip up.

However, it was more than sufficient for me, who didn’t have a picky palate.

“…!”

“Are you going to wash the dishes? Go for it. There’s a dishwasher over there, so just throw them in.”

“….”

Wait, there’s a dishwasher at home? I was all set to wash the dishes as a reward.

Feeling a bit let down, I wiped the grease off the frying pan and dishes, then carefully placed them in the dishwasher and pressed the button.

Yeah, when I think about it, this is way easier than putting on gloves to wash everything by hand.

I nodded at Raven’s wise insight and stretched lightly as I headed to the sink.

And as I brushed my teeth, I soon realized that the office had become noisy again.

It seemed Alice and David had arrived for work.

“Yuria! Good morning!”

“…!”

“Good morning!”

“….”

I returned waves to Alice, who was sending unusually fiery glances and David, who greeted me solemnly.

Then, I settled down in my usual position on the sofa.

As the receptionist, I didn’t have much to do until a client arrived.

Usually, I would sit here quietly, blinking my eyes.

Soon after, Alice stealthily came over and plopped me onto her lap, wrapping her arms around my shoulders to prevent my escape.

It was the most unbearably intimate skinship that had us pressed against each other.

But perhaps because I was now familiar with this?

I distinctly remember the first time it happened, I got the chills and ran away in a fluster. Now, I simply sat there, munching on snacks on the table as if it were the most natural thing.

Honestly, it wasn’t like Alice had been doing this for just a day or two. After two weeks of this, it was inevitable to adjust whether I wanted to or not.

But did something seem off with Alice, who was sniffing my hair as she cuddled me?

In a somewhat gloomy voice, she muttered softly, “You smell like Raven…”

“Well, we use the same shampoo and body wash.”

“What have you done to my precious Yuria?!”

“I didn’t do anything, you silly! Please, just don’t say stuff like that in front of others. I feel like I’ll immediately get interrogated by the cops. The future of the office is at stake.”

Raven, feeling drained, scratched his head and flopped onto the opposite sofa.

Then, he reached out and snatched a handful of the chocolate rings I had been munching on, starting to chew away. Wait, why are you taking what I was eating?

I looked at him in disbelief as he chomped on my snacks, seemingly oblivious to my expression.

“Oh, hey, Jin. You’ve changed your clothes a bit, huh? It seems… thicker than usual.”

“What? You just noticed? I changed into this yesterday. It’s winter wear.”

“Oh… I wasn’t really paying attention yesterday…”

*Eep!*

Having my ear nibbled while burrowed in Alice’s lap, I heard something that didn’t sit right with me.

If I looked closely, there was indeed a difference. Yesterday, the shape and color looked similar, so I hadn’t noticed, but upon closer inspection, it seemed thicker.

Overhearing the conversation, it seemed Jin had taken out a winter suit that had been sleeping in the closet because it was way too cold….

‘Closet? Did you just say closet?’

It smelled fishy.

Considering those suspicious fragments that I didn’t get a chance to properly check out yesterday, if I couldn’t connect those dots, I’d just be a fool.

What’s up with that closet anyway? I feel like it must have been mentioned somewhere in the original work, but I can’t quite remember.

‘Today, while Raven’s gone to shower, I should take a look at that closet. There’s definitely some kind of secret hidden in there!’

As I organized my thoughts, I secretly made a plan.

Yesterday, I calculated that it took around 5 minutes to finish showering.

The closet should be roughly big enough to fit two large wardrobes. With 5 minutes, it shouldn’t be too difficult to see what’s inside.

As I continued my inner dialogue, time passed and guests started arriving as usual.

Maybe because Raven wasn’t widely known yet, we didn’t get any tough requests.

Plus, with Raven’s outstanding skills, any trouble that came up was swiftly resolved at the spot. Both the success rate and satisfaction of requests were close to 100%.

Perhaps it was also due to the increase in people at the office that Raven seemed a bit more motivated than usual.

If this trend continues, he’ll surely rise as the dark horse in Night Haven’s fixer scene soon enough. Well, I’ll probably be working at Greg’s store by then!

“Oh, thank you, young man. You’ll really be rewarded someday.”

“It’s nothing. Thank you for entrusting me with the request. Now, please, take care.”

After the final request to find a missing Mia wrapped up, work was finally over.

Alice, who was ready to leave, looked at me with regret.

“Goodbye, Yuria… I’ll see you tomorrow. I wish I could spend the night here…”

“Then stay the night. I won’t stop you.”

“Haha, it’s my sister’s return day, so I need to take care of that. I’ll be going now!”

“…!”

“Take care. Say hi to Lily.”

“I’ll head out too.”

“Sure, see you tomorrow!”

Ever since she stayed overnight last time, Alice seemed to have friendly rapport with me, leaving with a bright smile. David also gave me a casual wave before leaving.

Just like that, the once-bustling office was enveloped in a sudden silence.

I usually prefer quiet over noise, but still, it felt better for the office to be lively.

“Then, let’s head inside too. Haaam… what should I have for dinner?”

“….”

After seeing Alice and David off, Raven slowly walked back inside with casual movements.

Today’s fixer duties were over.

But my work wasn’t done yet. Actually, it could be said that the real start was just beginning.

Dinner was a bento ordered from a nearby shop.

It was a well-grilled large fish served over rice, a type of Japanese donburi. It was delicious.

And after dinner, after accepting my unspoken wish to take my turn in the shower, he finally walked in.

I stealthily slipped into Raven’s room and hastily opened the closet.

I had about 5 minutes left.

There was no time to hesitate.

‘…Oh.’

But if there was one unexpected thing, it was that Raven was not particularly tidy.

Before my eyes lay a chaotic mess in the closet.

Boxes and items were haphazardly thrown in, creating an utter disaster.

How could I possibly examine this within 5 minutes?

I had no choice but to screw my eyes shut as a wave of dizziness washed over me.