I Became the Cute One in the Problem-Solving Team

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One of the outskirts of Night Haven, the western maze.

Objectively speaking, this place wasn’t really a good living environment.

Was it perhaps because construction companies and enterprises shoved their way in, building structures without a thought?

The result was an absurdly complex layout and excessively elongated forms that were vulnerable to all kinds of terrorist activities.

Eventually, due to indiscriminate biochemical terrorism from an unidentified group, Night Haven had no choice but to implicitly withdraw from here.

Thus, the western maze became a part of the underworld, home to those who had been pushed out of fierce competition in the mainstream, or those whose identities they couldn’t reveal for various reasons.

Most of the complicated buildings that lost their owners were used freely as bases for criminal organizations. Among the remaining ones, the homeless and weaker factions took residence.

For outsiders entering, finding a place to stay was no less than a hassle.

What’s worse, those who made their home here were mostly beastkin factions that were closer to brawn than law.

Thanks to the companies and police, order was somewhat maintained outside, but here, it resembled a lawless zone much more.

Unless you had a solid backing, you could easily lose everything you had and end up as a slave.

It was as if there was nowhere to express your grievances.

But all environments and conditions vary with time and circumstance.

Maybe it’s that you stand out too much.

Or perhaps you possess a superpower that’s hard to reveal.

Or you might be an illegal immigrant with no identification whatsoever.

For various reasons, I had no choice but to enter this underworld, and from my perspective, the environment of the western maze had more advantages than disadvantages.

There were no CCTVs, so I could secretly use my powers without getting caught, and if I took down a bad guy, there was no one to come after me.

Moreover, the beastkin were quite picky about their tastes, so the food here was, on average, delicious.

Like a puzzle that has its perfect match, the western maze was nothing short of an ideal locale for me.

“Hehe, I found some clean cardboard. If I spread this on the floor, it should be less cold, right?”

I returned to my makeshift base with the cardboard I found on the street.

My newly secured base was an office in a high-rise building.

Spacious it was, but it seemed like a long time since anyone had touched it, as abandoned desks and trash lay around haphazardly.

Of course, I hadn’t bought it; I had accidentally stumbled upon it while passing by.

With nearby buildings blocking the sunlight, only shadows crept in.

There was no electricity, no running water, no heating.

And since there was no elevator, I had to climb several flights of stairs to get here.

Even the homeless and small organizations seemed to ignore this place as it was considered a dump.

But those restrictions didn’t concern me much.

There were no items that needed electricity, and I could just wrap myself in cloth if it got cold.

As for the stairs, I could just fly in using telekinesis.

This was several times better than sleeping curled up like a shrimp on the rooftop until now.

The inn here was unpredictable in terms of when it would be targeted, so even if I slept, I wouldn’t feel refreshed.

“If I pierce a hole here and fix the wire… Done!”

I laid down the cardboard, which was taller than me, and pulled in some wires I found on the floor to secure it.

Then, stacking thick fabric I had picked up from the trash on top of the cardboard…

I had successfully made a makeshift bed, no longer needing to use the fabric as a sleeping bag.

For someone not particularly skilled at crafting, it turned out rather well.

Maybe my desire for a bed had sparked my creativity.

“…It’s quite hard.”

Of course, when I carefully sat down on it with my butt, it wasn’t particularly soft.

It was a significant improvement compared to the cold, hard ground, though.

But I felt like I would wake up with aches all over from sleeping on something so hard.

“Well, considering that the materials are just cardboard and some blanket-like cloth, this is the best I can do. But where on earth can I find softer materials?”

Clean items are rare, and soft items are expensive.

And a combination of both being clean and soft is typically absent here.

Unless I planned to do a heist at a furniture store outside the underworld, it was realistically impossible for me to create a cozy mattress.

“…If only I had just a bit more money.”

I sighed while contemplating.

So far, my looting had only happened once a day, at most twice.

In reality, that was enough to make enough money for a meal for the day.

Anyway, I would eventually have to come out when Night Haven stabilizes, and I would have to leave all my money and valuables behind when exiting the underworld.

There was no particular reason or will to accumulate a lot of money.

But… right now, I really wanted a decent bed.

Imagine waking up in a fluffy bed that swallows your whole body. How happy would that be?

How great would it be to lie on the bed, hug a blanket, eat snacks, and sandwiches?

“…Should I just buy a bed? Yeah. If I can just get that, I won’t need anything else.”

Let’s not be greedy about anything else, let’s just aim for the bed.

With a firm goal in mind, I casually glanced out the window.

Beyond the window was another building uncomfortably close.

And as the red sunset dipped beyond the horizon, it reflected in the glass of that building.

Night would soon fall.

Using telekinesis, I pulled a nearby piece of cloth toward me.

The white fabric wrapped around me gently, familiar and soft, and without hesitation, I threw myself out the window.

As my body plummeted, I glided slowly like a feather thanks to my telekinesis.

And the dark alleys of Night Haven unfolded before my eyes.

Today, should I aim for just five targets?

The glint in my eyes, searching for prey, sparkled brighter than usual.

*

Is winter coming?

The night air of Night Haven was quite cold.

It felt notably chillier than when I had just reincarnated here.

During the day, it might be alright, but at night, it was a bit burdensome to walk around in lightweight clothing.

“I’ll need to stick some hot packs inside the cloth later.”

I preferred warmth over the cold.

I suppose I ought to make proper countermeasures for the cold when winter arrives.

Bam!

“Cough!”

Anyway, that’s that.

Today marked the fifth day since I vowed to acquire a bed.

The process had been fairly smooth.

It was quite surprising how many people engaged in shady dealings in this back alley.

It was easy to meet my daily target of five without much trouble.

I would go about hitting and robbing as I moved through the scene, then return to repeat the same.

So far, no one had ever dealt with my telekinetic slap.

This was simpler than lying down and eating rice cakes.

“Well… I’m not even planning on fighting anyone who could handle my telekinetic slap.”

Thud.

The telekinetic slap landed squarely on the top of a man’s head.

The man who was intimidating a woman crumpled to the ground helplessly.

Strangely, he was wearing a motorcycle helmet.

Unfortunately, my telekinetic slap was effective only if there was some space on the top of the head.

Even with a helmet on, it wasn’t an issue for knocking him out.

Situation resolved. I naturally approached the unconscious man and rummaged through his pockets.

What came out was an oddly clean wallet.

“Is this leather? I could sell this separately to Greg.”

This was the most expensive wallet I had come across in the back alley so far.

Most wallets seen around here were either tattered rags or made from low-quality leather with unknown materials.

This, however, looked undeniably like genuine leather or at least something of similar high quality.

If I closed my eyes and sold it off… my dream of owning a bed would certainly be three steps closer!

“…No. I might get caught. I shouldn’t be greedy here; I’ll just take the cash.”

Memories of the time I was chased by a vampire for taking a ring came to mind.

Of course, unless I was exceptionally unlucky, I wouldn’t get caught for just one wallet.

However, little greed can bring about great misfortune. I decided to just let go of the wallet.

After shoving the cash I had acquired into my pocket, I stood up.

By now, the woman who had been trembling was nowhere to be seen.

This was quite common.

About half of the victims would thank me, but the other half would run away while I rummaged through their pockets.

I couldn’t care less about that.

Whether they ran away or not, my priority remained the money lying on the ground.

Now, shall we go?

As usual, I tried to hurry and leave the scene.

If anyone passing by noticed, I might stir up unwanted gossip.

And once attention was drawn to me, it would likely become bothersome to move.

But just then, someone approached my alley at an incredible speed.

“Whoa! Where are you! Where are you! Ghost!”

Thud! Thud! Thud! Whoosh!

“…!”

“Here it is! Finally, finally!”

Emerging from the alley was a water-drenched blonde man.

His head was soaked, flattened down, and some bubbles clung to his scalp.

The wet gown covering his entire body suggested he had just been bathing.

‘What on earth is this guy doing? A weirdo?’

Caught off guard by the sudden turn of events, I blinked in confusion.

The soaked man suddenly pointed at me and shouted.

“I knew you existed! I’ve been looking for you, ghost!”

“….”

Why, why?

Feeling bewildered, I unconsciously took a step back.

What kind of man wanders around back alleys in such a state in this cold weather?

He was bursting with individuality to the point of explosion. I couldn’t possibly want to approach him.

‘Original character? No… if my memory serves me right, there wasn’t anyone who looked like that.’

If there had been someone with such a distinct personality in the original, I wouldn’t have missed it.

Which means he was genuinely just a bizarre person.

In that case, this wasn’t the time or place to chat.

“Allow me to speak with you for a moment… Wait! Don’t run away!”

No way. Why would I?

I turned my back to the man’s desperate plea and sprinted down the alley.

Of course, my raw running speed was pretty slow.

So I pushed off from the ground with telekinesis to quickly accelerate.

Thanks to that, I turned the corner in just two breaths and made my way deeper into the alley.

‘Please, don’t chase me.’

I fervently hoped the man wouldn’t come after me.

I didn’t want to attack someone who wasn’t doing anything bad.

Besides, avoiding a weirdo wandering around in a gown in the back alley was obviously the right call.

After all, wise people avoid unnecessary fights.

Not that I’m calling myself wise, though!

*

“Oops… he got away.”

Victor, a bounty hunter with foam still lingering on his head, scratched it in frustration at the ghost that had suddenly vanished.

How unfortunate to receive news of a ghost while leisurely bathing!

As a result, he had hurried out in his gown with no equipment at all.

A gun… it wasn’t something he intended to use against a ghost.

But at the very least, he should have had his grappling gun that he usually used for travel.

Could he possibly chase after a ghost in this state?

He couldn’t help but sigh.

“Mr. Victor, your trademark spiky hair is gone. Perhaps that’s why you look especially slimy today.”

“Oh, my assistant. Sorry. I asked you to act as a victim, yet I let the ghost slip away.”

“It’s okay. It wasn’t really challenging work anyway.”

At that moment, a tall, leggy woman approached from behind the man and spoke.

She was Victor’s assistant.

Her role was to act as a victim who would be attacked by the man, allowing the ghost to approach.

Given her expertise in special disguise, she could alter her face and figure with ease.

Pretending to be someone else was as simple as breathing for her.

“Where’s the apprentice?”

“Right there, lying on the ground. The motorcycle helmet probably didn’t help much.”

“That was the apprentice? That ghost must be tougher than the rumors say.”

Victor rubbed his forehead at the sight of his underling sprawled out on the ground in a motorcycle helmet.

Despite appearances, the apprentice was an elite from a mercenary guild, noted for having a bright future.

Among novice scouts, he was strong enough to be counted on one hand, yet he had been knocked out in one hit.

Victor mentally adjusted the strength level of that ghost and casually glanced at his assistant.

“Sigh, isn’t there any way, assistant? I’d hate to just give up like this. Moreover, I have a feeling that the ghost won’t show its face again starting tomorrow.”

“There is… a method.”

“Oh, as expected of my nice assistant! You’ve thought of something!”

Victor and his assistant shared hushed discussions of plans in the back alley.

Dozens of minutes later, they were able to encounter the ghost once again in a distant alley.

“Found you! Ghost, let’s talk!”

“…!!”

The sudden appearance of the blonde weirdo, who was supposed to be separated.

The ghost, startled, took off running deep into the alley.

Naturally, Victor had no intentions of letting him go and quickly followed suit.

Thus began the unexpected night-time chase.