I Became the Cute One in the Problem-Solving Team

Fixers, especially the unknown ones, often have deep ties to the underworld.

The reason is simple. There’s no place with as much demand for fixers as the underworld.

Think about it. A fixer is essentially a globally recognized, high-performance errand service.

But ordinary people living normal lives don’t really need the help of such fixers.

How often does a corporate worker, living a repetitive daily grind, end up in a situation so dire that they need someone else’s help?

And even if a problem arises, most of the time, the police can handle it.

Spending a fortune to hire a fixer is a once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing.

But for those living in the underworld, it’s a different story.

This is a world where knives and fists are closer than the law, a harsh wilderness.

Fixers, who take on requests as long as you pay, are like reliable mercenaries.

Plus, they can’t even expect help from the police here.

For them, a fixer is a literal problem-solver, someone who can turn a desperate situation around.

For fixers too, if they don’t make a name for themselves, they won’t get lucrative jobs.

So, the underworld feels like a highly attractive blue ocean even for unknown fixers.

“Your name was Yuria, right? You don’t like candy much? How about chocolate? It’s pretty expensive, what do you think?”

‘And this guy is also a fixer who mainly takes requests from underworld residents. A medical fixer who treats anyone as long as they pay…’

I carefully observed the man handing over candy and chocolate, trying to lower my guard.

A rugged man with scars, one side dyed blue, the other white.

If my memory serves me right, his name was probably Crow.

In the original story, he was a skilled, eccentric doctor who was often the first to be sought out when a sick client appeared.

An open-minded drag artist who didn’t care about gender.

I knew he was quite a famous figure in this industry.

Hospitals in Night Haven always left traces one way or another.

And unlicensed private doctors often couldn’t be trusted for their skills.

Crow, a verified fixer with excellent medical skills, naturally stood out.

Wait, what if it’s not Crow but someone with a similar appearance?

…A rugged male doctor with a unique hairstyle and a feminine tone?

There shouldn’t be two of those in this world. That would just be wrong.

“…Mr. Crow. Can you just check my condition already?”

“Oh my, so cold. I just want to be friends with this cute kid…”

According to Alice, who was holding my shoulder, it was indeed Crow.

Thank goodness. The world isn’t messed up after all.

I quietly accepted the candy he handed over, even though I was thinking thoughts that would hurt his feelings if he heard them.

Despite his appearance, his skills are top-notch, so it wouldn’t hurt to get along with him.

Looking at the wrapper of the candy he gave me, it was a mint-flavored one.

Handing me something like this… Should I be glad it’s not ginseng candy?

“Uh, a check-up? I don’t really have any pain or anything.”

Come to think of it, that was weird. Isn’t the hospital a place you go to when you’re sick?

Suddenly struck by this thought, I turned my head back and looked at Alice, who was holding my shoulder.

Then, she flinched at my gaze and hunched her shoulders as if feeling guilty.

Seeing that, it seemed she thought I was mad because I was tricked into coming to the hospital.

Well, I was a bit shocked, but I wasn’t really mad…

What do you take me for? Do you think I’m a literal child?

“Why, what’s wrong?”

“…?”

“Huh? Why did I come to the hospital? Well… you’re supposed to come to the hospital even if you’re not sick! You know, for regular health check-ups and stuff!”

“….”

Is that so? Thinking about it, she wasn’t wrong.

There are many cases where diseases or conditions progress without any symptoms, and you only realize it too late.

Sometimes, if you catch it early, medication can solve it, but if you wait too long, you might need major surgery.

Checking your condition in advance isn’t logically strange at all.

Besides, I’ve never been to a hospital or anything since becoming Yuria.

‘But thanks to the Tesseract, I probably don’t have any health issues… Isn’t this all just a waste of time?’

A few months ago, when I got seriously injured by Drakel, the Tesseract healed all my wounds.

I probably haven’t been injured since then, so I wonder if the check-up will even mean anything.

Still, looking at Alice, it was probably something Raven or Greg asked for.

Whatever, I’ll just get the check-up. If it comes out that I’m healthy, that’s good, right?

I put down the stuff I was carrying nearby.

Then, as if to say I’ll stay still, I lightly tapped Alice’s arm to let go.

Luckily, she seemed to get the message.

She carefully let go of my shoulder and took a small step back.

Now that I was free again, I raised my arm energetically and looked at Crow.

“…!”

“Oh my, such a lively kid. Hehe. Well then, shall we start by taking off the mask? I’d like to keep the lady’s secret, but… it’s a bit in the way for checking your condition. Really sorry about that.”

“….”

Ah, yeah. The mask would definitely get in the way of a health check-up.

It’s a private hospital anyway, and there are no other patients. No real reason to hide it.

After a brief thought, I nodded as if to say “got it” and lightly took off the fox mask.

Then, a warm breeze hit my bare face, and Crow’s eyes widened in shock.

It was as if he had been hit by an unexpected surprise attack.

“Oh my, oh my, oh my? How… how can someone be this cute?”

“C-Crow?! If you keep that up, it might come off as threatening!”

“Ah, sorry. I get carried away… I just can’t resist cute things.”

Whoosh!

Before I knew it, Alice had pulled me into her arms and turned her body to shield me.

As if to protect me, she glared at Crow with dagger-like eyes.

It wasn’t strange for Alice to react like that.

Crow’s wide-eyed expression, with veins popping, was quite threatening.

If I saw that face in a dark alley at night, I’d definitely think it was a threat.

No way, is this person also a severe cuteness enthusiast like Alice?

I sneakily peeked out from Alice’s embrace to check Crow’s expression.

Then, as soon as our eyes met, he winked at me with a face dripping with honey. So awkward.

“Hehehe, I was really surprised. Ah, how wonderful it would be to have a child like that! I totally get why you wear a mask! Yep, treasures should be hidden well away from people’s eyes!”

“…Are we really okay leaving Yuria with this person?”

“….”

Well, even if he looks like that, he’s not a bad person by nature, so it should be fine, right?

I looked up at Alice and smiled lightly, as if to say I really didn’t care.

“Huff…! That, that face is cheating!”

“…?”

Alice tightly closed her eyes and turned her head somewhere far away.

Still really likes my face, huh? Shouldn’t you be getting tired of it by now?

She looked pretty cute with her ears bright red and sweating.

Not long after, I was able to free myself from Alice’s embrace.

He must have a schedule too. It’s better to stop fooling around.

I followed Crow, who was walking ahead, with a melting face.

“Alright, then… I was asked to check your condition. I’ll make sure there’s nothing wrong with your body overall. Do you have any allergies or medications to avoid?”

“….”

“None, huh? Got it. Sit here for now. Let’s check your eyes first.”

But still, the title of the underworld’s renowned doctor isn’t for nothing, right?

Crow, who sat me down on the chair, began the examination with a very serious expression.

He carefully shone a light into my eyes, inserted a stick into my ears and nose.

He told me to open my mouth, then carefully examined my throat and teeth.

He also placed a cold stethoscope on my body to check my heart and lungs.

He measured my weight and height, took pictures in various positions with a CT-like device.

He measured my blood pressure and finally drew blood with a scary-looking syringe.

As if the comprehensive test results were in, he spoke in a very serious tone.

“…There’s nothing wrong. You’re healthy… no, your physical condition is so ideal it’s almost unnatural.”

What the heck. Then why are you making such a scary face?

As I moved only my eyes to check the situation, Alice, sitting next to me, tilted her head and asked.

“Ideal? Isn’t that a good thing?”

“…Sigh, the human body naturally becomes unbalanced, you know? Miss Alice, when you eat, you chew five times on the right side, so you should chew five times on the left too. Do you do everything like this?”

“Um, that’s… no? How could I?”

Alice narrowed her eyes as if just imagining it was tiring.

You just do whatever’s comfortable. Why bother with such tedious things?

Crow nodded as if he expected her answer and continued.

“Right? The human body is divided into right and left sides. Naturally, one side gets used more. That’s how the body loses balance. It’s not bad or strange. It’s just… natural.”

“But Miss Yuria is different.”

“Different, you say?”

“Yeah. Her body is in an ideal state with no imbalances whatsoever. Maybe… no, never mind. I almost asked something unnecessary. So, should I send you the results, or do you want me to print them out?”

“…Please print them out. And can I get the files separately?”

“Sure. No big deal. I’ll send the test results to Raven later.”

Crow stood up without hesitation, as if this was no longer his business.

I guess my test results were that shocking.

I couldn’t easily figure out what he was about to say.

But looking on the bright side, isn’t it much better than being in pain?

Hehe, having no pain and being in the best physical condition. Maybe it’s the best compliment?

As I nodded to myself, satisfied with the not-so-bad results, Crow, holding thick papers, called Alice over from inside.

“Me, me?”

“Yeah. Can you come over for a sec? I need to talk to you for a moment… Yuria, can you just sit there and have some snacks? The adults need a little time alone.”

“…”

Hmm, a conversation only for adults?

It’s a bit… intriguing. Judging by the way they’re subtly glancing over here, it’s probably about me.

Well, normally I wouldn’t care and just sit quietly, but…

Since Alice sneakily brought me to the hospital, I felt like being a little mischievous.

‘Echo. Can you listen in on what Alice and Crow are talking about through her terminal?’

[Yes! I’ll try!]

Our excellent assistant M seemed to immediately act on my request, playing music with no time limit on the screen.

I guess Crow and Alice’s conversation will be heard through this sound now.

I adjusted the volume so it wouldn’t leak and carefully brought Echo to my ear.

Then, I immediately heard their voices, faintly in the distance.

[“As requested, I carefully examined Miss Yuria’s throat. But she’s perfectly healthy, with no issues affecting her speech. So, her inability to speak isn’t due to any throat problem. It’s probably psychological or…”]

[“Is it… a curse?”]

[“…It’s embarrassing to say this as a doctor, but… yeah. There’s a high possibility she’s under some kind of curse.”]

…Seriously? I’m cursed?

I couldn’t help but blink in shock at the conversation between Crow and Alice.