I Became the Cute One in the Problem-Solving Team

About 20% of the city’s land was magically burned to a crisp in the so-called Belmont incident.

Luckily, there were no casualties, probably because the affected area was an abandoned slum.

The incident seemed to be resolved quickly compared to the scale of the damage.

Raven had been helping the police from the early hours of dawn until midnight the next day, almost a full day.

After handing over the case to the investigators and fixers, he returned to Night Haven.

Perhaps it was because someone had subdued Werewolves all over the slum.

This added credibility to his claims, making persuasion easier. Ahem, who could have done such a thing? No idea.

Anyway, Raven arrived in Night Haven a day later than us.

He gathered everyone at the office, looking like he was about to drop dead from exhaustion, and explained the situation.

Alice, with a small sigh of relief, spoke up.

“Yesterday, when no one was at the office, I wondered what was going on… You really went through a lot.”

“I already knew from the messages I received, but I’m glad no one got hurt.”

“Ugh, I wish I could’ve helped too!”

Belmont is a city where non-humans can’t just come and go as they please—it’s a hassle for them.

Since Alice had no choice but to stay behind, she seemed really disappointed.

Unlike David, who heard the news midway and helped through hacking, she couldn’t contribute at all until the incident was over.

Of course, Alice hasn’t fully blossomed her talents yet, so she’s weaker than even Greg.

Maybe it was better that she wasn’t there.

…Wait, is that too harsh?

“Well, things worked out in the end. And… even if you were there, would you have been any help with two Chilhooks around? Go get stronger, rookie.”

“Ugh, hitting me right where it hurts… I’m sorry for being such a useless amateur!”

“Speaking of Chilhooks, they’re among the strongest in all of Night Haven. Honestly, someone like me or Alice would’ve just gotten in the way.”

“Uuuugh…”

Unlike me, who kept my thoughts to myself, Raven is pretty blunt.

He immediately hit Alice with the cold, hard truth.

But Alice is the type to get fired up when faced with a wall, determined to overcome it.

Maybe giving her this harsh reality check is the best way to motivate her.

Alice, looking utterly defeated, slumped her head and leaned her forehead against my temple.

Raven shook his head at her and wrapped up the situation.

“Let’s end this discussion here. Those guys… the Liberation Army made too much noise this time. They probably won’t show themselves so aggressively for a while, especially in Night Haven, with *that person* around.”

“That person… are you talking about the Dragon Mayor?”

“Yeah. Unless they’re planning an all-out war, they won’t dare pick a fight recklessly.”

Night Haven has the Dragon Mayor, Tempest, a one-man army.

Leading the city, he’s a prominent pro-human figure who opposes the Liberation Army’s ideology.

The Liberation Army won’t retaliate easily unless they’re ready to take on massive risks.

With that, Raven turned to the woman who had been quietly sitting on the sofa.

“So, what’s your plan from here? We probably can’t help you much beyond this.”

The woman he addressed was…

The striking beauty with gray hair and narrow eyes was Karen.

Karen had decided not to return to her hometown, where she had almost been kidnapped by the Liberation Army, and instead stayed here.

At Raven’s remark that it would be hard to help her, she scratched her cheek and replied,

“Ah, I… feel a bit ashamed, but I decided to stay in Night Haven and work at Greg’s shop. Since he’s working as an emotional consultant. It feels like I’m his go-to for repairing artifacts that come in often…”

“Hmm, really? That’s good to hear.”

“If you ever need something fixed, don’t hesitate to ask. I’ll take a look at it for free, anytime.”

“Kehehe, looks like I’ve got myself a great deal here. I’ll make sure to drop by without hesitation when the chance comes.”

“Hmm, of course.”

Karen’s race was the spider Beastmen, Arachnae, known for their special eyes and exceptional magical aptitude.

Given her skill in repairing complex artifacts on her own, it seemed she had decided to work at Greg’s shop and live in Night Haven.

Greg’s general store mainly dealt in old antiques and artifacts, so having Karen as an employee to assess their condition would double the synergy.

In other words, this was undoubtedly a win-win situation for both her and Greg.

‘So… is this a happy ending? No one got hurt, Karen escaped the Liberation Army’s threat, and Greg gained a new employee. I was really surprised since this didn’t happen in the original, but it’s such a relief.’

In Alice’s arms, which were holding me tighter than usual, I quietly recalled the original story.

In the original, Karen’s first appearance was as part of the Liberation Army.

Over there, since Greg’s glasses never broke, she received no help and ended up being captured and forced to work.

Not only did she repair artifacts, but she also left an impression with her stylish fighting skills.

However, when the Liberation Army completely collapsed, she was freed and returned to her hometown, ending her appearance.

With the Liberation Army destroyed and the villain group shifting to the Invaders, her already minor role disappeared entirely.

But who would’ve thought her connection would lead her to work at Greg’s shop?

The future is truly unpredictable.

‘I guess I need to adjust my thinking too.’

Come to think of it, maybe I shouldn’t stress too much about sticking to the original story.

At this point, with Raven and Chilgeuk having already fought, predicting the future doesn’t hold much meaning.

How much sooner the enemy attacks will come, how the personnel arrangements will change—it’s all out of my hands now.

In other words, instead of passively going with the flow like this, maybe I need to prepare more actively for what’s to come.

‘So… yeah, let’s pull myself together. It’ll all work out.’

Honestly, I was a little scared.

If you asked what I was scared of… well, everything?

But that feeling didn’t last long.

I glanced around and slowly calmed my uneasy mood.

After all, what I want is a scene where no one is sad and everyone is happy.

To protect that difficult dream, I’ll have to work hard until I collapse.

“…”

“Huh? Ah, right.”

I shifted my head slightly in Alice’s arms and looked at Greg.

He seemed to notice my gaze immediately, turned to look at me, and nodded as if he understood what I meant.

And as if he still had more to say, Greg…

Just as I was about to quickly bring up the topic…

Suddenly, Alice hugged me tighter and spoke with a nervous expression.

“Um, uh… Mr. Jin? Mr. Greg?”

“Huh?”

“Hmm?”

“So, uh… since Mr. Greg is here, does that mean Yuria is going back? That’s how it is, right?”

Her words made me slightly flustered, and I lifted my head.

There, I saw Alice with a look of deep disappointment.

It was a face that clearly showed she didn’t want to let me go.

She looked so fragile, as if one wrong move would make tears pour down her face.

Raven glanced at me, then shifted his gaze to her and spoke awkwardly.

“Well, what can we do? We can’t pay much here. It’s better for her to work with Greg anyway.”

“Ugh… no! Yuria! Don’t go!”

“It’s a shame. Thanks to Ms. Yuria, this dull office felt a bit more lively.”

“…Huh? Mr. David. Are you saying I’m as dull as the guys here?”

“Ahem, the more I look at you, the more I feel that way. Sometimes you seem even more laid-back than David.”

“Mr. Jin! What are you talking about?!”

Gwahk! Alice, still holding me tightly, growled fiercely at Raven and David.

The intensity was so strong that the two flinched and avoided eye contact.

I could kind of understand where they were coming from.

She was definitely a stunning beauty, both in figure and face.

But there was something a bit airheaded and innocent about her.

She felt more like a younger sister than a woman.

Surprisingly, even by the end of the original story, there was no romance among the office crew.

So their harsh evaluation of Alice was probably inevitable.

Wait, but what did I do to make the office feel more lively?

Alice is way cuter and prettier than me. They must be blind.

I gently stroked Alice’s arm, which was wrapped around me, and quietly looked up at her.

Then, Alice, trying to hold back her tears, scrunched up her face and hugged me tightly. Ugh, it hurts.

“Ahem, calm down, Alice. It’s better to listen to what we have to say first.”

“Huh?”

“What?”

Greg cleared his throat and tried to stop Alice, who looked like she was about to dig a hole in the ground.

It seemed like the conversation wouldn’t progress properly if this continued.

But the office crew looked at him with puzzled expressions.

What could he possibly have to say here? Their faces were full of doubt.

And when the attention was somewhat gathered, Greg brought up the conversation he had with me yesterday to Raven.

“Raven. Could Yuria stay at the office like before?”

“…What are you talking about?”

“She seems to want to settle down here. She has nowhere else to go. I asked if my place would be okay, but she seems to prefer it here.”

“…!”

I nodded in agreement from within Alice’s embrace.

Then, as if he couldn’t believe it, he twitched his eyebrows and stood up abruptly.

“Ah, I see. Now that I think about it, she doesn’t have a home… Wait, then how will she work?”

“She’ll work at my general store on weekdays and live here like before when she’s done. She’s even willing to pay if possible.”

“Ah… Sigh, that’s… Taking money from a kid is a bit…”

“Mr. Jin! There’s no need to hesitate! Are you really thinking of coldly throwing Yuria, who has nowhere to go, out onto the streets?”

“Hmm, I’m in favor for now.”

“Hey, you guys, why are you agreeing on your own? This is my office!”

Raven was shouting loudly, pointing at Alice and David.

It seemed he was a bit conflicted about me settling into the office.

Quitting the part-time job but wanting to stay at home felt a bit ambiguous.

Hmm, still not possible?

Honestly… what I’m really after is the rift, more than anything else.

That thing inside the closet. It’s incredibly rare.

Let’s think about it. If I hadn’t fed the rift energy to the Tesseract, I wouldn’t have been able to protect Greg.

So, I really wanted to feed energy to the Tesseract again to prepare for such events in the future.

And they’re good people. I don’t want to intentionally distance myself.

The original work… with a bit of effort, can’t we get through it together?

‘Ugh, thinking about the future makes my head hurt… But I don’t want to ignore it and hope it turns out well. I’ll do everything I can to protect these people.’

In other words, settling here is, in a way, a step towards the future.

It’s something I absolutely don’t want to give up.

Well… I won’t force it if it’s not possible.

If they say no, I’ll quietly step back. But I’ll understand and accept it.

Glancing around.

I nervously waited for an answer, quietly looking at Raven.

As if reading my gaze, he clutched his head as if a headache was coming, closed his eyes tightly, and flopped down on the sofa, shouting.

“Ah, really! Fine! I get it! Just take care of it, okay?”

“…!”

“Mr. Jin!”

“But forget about the money! You’re just working at the store on weekdays, right? Then help clean the office on weekends. That should be enough!”

It’s done!

I straightened my back at the perfect permission.

Alice, as if everything turned out well, patted my shoulder and shared my joy.

Even though I’ll quit the part-time job, I can still meet them as usual if I stay at the office.

It seemed she was satisfied that we weren’t physically too far apart.

Hehe, I don’t dislike it either.

I smiled brightly along with the office crew, happy inside my mask.

The Tesseract hidden in my clothes also seemed very happy about the fact that it could eat.

The last day as a part-time worker ended with such good news.

It was a happy ending for me too, so I was very relieved.