I Became the Cute One in the Problem-Solving Team

It’s already been three days since I was tricked by Alice and met Crow, the doctor.

Which means, it was the first weekend after Greg returned to Night Haven.

Looking back at what happened during that time… yup, absolutely nothing happened.

I wake up early at the office, have breakfast with Raven, and then head to the general store for work.

At the store, I sit quietly at the counter, greet customers, and during free time, I clean the floors or wipe down items.

After having lunch with Greg and Karen, I spend the afternoon doing similar tasks and leave work early in the evening.

Then, I return to the office, have dinner, roll around in the closet for a bit, and sleep in my room.

Compared to when I’m at the office, it’s just an endlessly ordinary routine.

But oddly enough, I didn’t find it boring or dull.

If anything, having a daily routine full of spectacular requests would be the weird thing.

Honestly, I quite like this. The office is a bit too stimulating for me.

‘From what I’ve heard, there was a huge mess even while I was gone. Like stopping a gas leak or something?’

Yeah, they really went through a lot.

Thinking that to myself, I took a big bite of the bacon and cheese toast I made.

The salty and sweet flavors spread in my mouth, and a natural smile crept onto my face.

Today, I tried making it myself with the ingredients in the fridge. Maybe I’m better at this than I thought?

Feeling extremely satisfied, I quietly swung my legs back and forth on the chair.

Then, Raven, who was eating my homemade toast across from me, suddenly spoke up.

“Not going out today?”

“…?”

“You always go out on weekends. I was wondering if you had plans today.”

Oh, really? Did I really go out every weekend?

I tilted my head, trying to recall.

Now that I think about it… ever since I started living here, I don’t think I’ve spent a single weekend quietly at home.

Either Sabrina or Alice would lure me out to play, or just last week, I ended up going on a trip out of nowhere.

Right. If that’s the case, then this is the first relaxed holiday I’ve had.

Nodding as if agreeing with his words, he chuckled and said,

“So, you’re not going out. Just asking. …Oh, by the way, there’s something I wanted to ask.”

“…?”

“Does your general store close during Night Week? It starts next Friday, right, Night Week.”

Night Week.

It’s the year-end holiday period designated by the Dragon Mayor.

Of course, it’s not an official national holiday or anything.

It’s just a recommended rest period operated by Night Haven itself.

Do what you want—rest or don’t rest.

But businesses that let their employees take time off during this period get a little extra benefit.

Maybe it’s because the Dragon Mayor, with overwhelming power and support, declared it so.

Before anyone knew it, Night Week became a big event where the entire city takes a break for about a week.

‘For ordinary office workers, it’s a break, but for places like restaurants or movie theaters, it’s probably the time to work their butts off.’

But that’s a good thing in its own way.

In these special cases, profits…

This whole stretching thing had its own significance, you know.

Of course, it’s kind of amazing that the city itself can create such a holiday.

But when you slap the name “Dragon Mayor” in front of it, it somehow makes sense, and I started to feel like I was really becoming a resident of Night Haven.

Anyway, I should probably answer the question I was asked.

Am I taking a break during Night Week? The answer was yes.

– “I’ll close the shop for a bit during Night Week. You guys should go out and have fun then.”

– “Uh… I don’t really have anywhere to go. Can I come hang out?”

– “Well, even if we’re not open for business, I’ll keep the door open. Feel free to drop by if you’re bored.”

– “…!”

I recalled a memory from not too long ago.

Greg’s statement that since the shop would be closed during Night Week, there was no need to come to work.

Maybe because Karen, who’s new to this unfamiliar place, is here.

But it seems she’s planning to spend her time at the general store instead of completely closing up.

Well, I’m not going to work anyway. I nodded to Raven, saying I’d probably do the same.

Raven, looking relieved, scratched his neck and asked me:

“So, how about we all go somewhere together during Night Week? Alice has been bugging me to ask you.”

“…!”

“We’ll probably go with David’s group, take a car, and head out of Night Haven. It’ll be a nice little change of pace.”

Oh, that sounds serious.

If it’s David’s group, will Sabrina and Raine be coming too?

That definitely sounds fun. It’s like a year-end trip with everyone.

Well… considering his luck, there’s a high chance we’ll get caught up in some kind of incident.

But that’ll make for a memorable experience too. It’s not like we won’t be able to solve it.

After rolling my eyes as if pondering, I nodded, saying it sounded good.

Did he get the message? Raven let out a small sigh of relief.

Alice must’ve been pressuring him hard.

I suddenly wondered how she would’ve reacted if I’d refused. Not that I would, though.

Then a question popped into my head.

It’s great to go on a trip, but where are we going in this cold winter?

I flailed my arms, gesturing to Raven, asking where we’re going.

He looked puzzled for a moment, trying to interpret my body language, then quickly understood and replied:

“Ah, where are we going? Hmm, probably near the sea? Obviously, we’re not going in the water in this weather. We’ll book a hotel with a view of the winter sea and hang out there. Alice really wants to check out the pool there.”

“…!!”

Wait, did she buy that swimsuit for this?

No wonder she was staring at it so intensely with those scary eyes…

I got chills just thinking about Alice’s meticulous, almost terrifying planning.

But at least we’re not going into the sea in this weather.

I sighed in relief and stuffed the rest of my toast into my mouth.

“The toast was good. Tasty.”

Raven swept the remaining crumbs into his mouth.

He said something nice while putting it in.

This guy, he’s praising me like this so I’ll keep cooking from now on, huh?

Even though I finished eating, I stared intently at Raven, who had started reading the newspaper while still sitting in his chair.

I’m used to eating alone, so it wouldn’t really matter if I left first.

But it was still nice that he stayed until the end. I should finish eating quickly too.

After finishing my toast, I put both Raven’s plate and mine into the dishwasher.

I added a bit of detergent and pressed the button firmly. The dishwasher started bubbling and working.

In just two hours, the dishes will come out spotless and dry.

As expected, good technology is a must for a comfortable life.

“Yawn. What should I do today? Maybe I’ll check out some new movies I’ve been meaning to watch.”

“…”

After making sure the dishwasher was safely cleaning the dishes, I headed to the office and saw Raven sprawled on the couch.

Maybe it was because he wasn’t wearing a suit but a warm, fuzzy pajama set. He looked even more like a lazy adult than usual.

But then again, everyone probably feels like this on their day off.

I quietly watched Raven from a distance, then turned around and slipped into his room.

‘I don’t really have anything to do, so maybe I’ll just chill in the closet. I should also feed some rift energy to the Tesseract.’

I slipped into the cozy closet and used telekinesis to connect the Tesseract to the rift.

Then, like plugging in an electric device, energy started filling up the Tesseract.

Last time, I gathered energy for two weeks and could only maintain an adult form for about five minutes.

I wanted to save up at least a month’s worth, just in case.

[Nyom nyom nyom… Tasty! Power’s filling up!]

I guess the Tesseract gets happier as it absorbs energy.

It shouted so energetically in its usual cheerful voice that my head was buzzing.

Yeah, eat well and grow strong.

There’ll definitely be a day when your power is needed.

After sneakily checking on the Tesseract, which was happily munching on rift energy, I flopped onto the bed, which had become even more fragrant after what seemed like a recent wash.

Then, lying upside down, I took Echo out of my pajama pocket, placed it lightly on my forehead, and thought,

‘Echo, show me something fun to watch.’

[Ah, yes! I’ll play a video that’s been popular lately!]

Zzzzzziiing.

Without any input from me, the screen on Echo turned on, and a video started playing.

Is this how people with AI assistants feel?

It’s so convenient not having to choose anything yourself—it’s like being spoon-fed.

The video was a vlog about raising a cute lizard from another world.

It was so cool when it blew adorable little flames from its mouth. I want one!

Next was a video of beastmen guys doing a weird challenge.

After that, a video of sexy elf ladies playing traditional elf instruments.

And then…

Next up is a succubus’s video unraveling a funny story from another world…

“…No, why is it only non-human races? No matter how much you talk about discrimination, non-human races are still popular, huh.”

Still, the content was fun.

As it was chosen by the masses, it’s safe to say that while it’s nothing extraordinary, the entertainment value is definitely guaranteed.

It was a list that made me understand why I handed it over to Echo.

But still, it didn’t quite match my taste.

It was fun, sure… but, hmm, was that it? I couldn’t shake off that feeling.

Ah, maybe I just don’t fit in with the trends of this era. It made me feel a bit sad.

As I was thinking that, rolling around on the bed with Echo in my hand, a sudden curiosity shot through my mind like an arrow.

Come to think of it, Echo can clearly interfere with the internet using supernatural methods.

So, how far can Echo go? Is there a limit?

“I’m curious. Should I try it? Echo, can you create an anonymous account that won’t be traced, other than my own?”

[Ah, um… Yes! I’ll try!]

“And leave a comment on the video I just watched. The content doesn’t matter.”

[Uh… A, a comment? Then, is it okay if I copy any random content around?]

“Huh? If that’s what you want, it’s fine.”

[Ah! Th, thank you!]

Is this really something to be thanked for?

I tilted my head for a moment, feeling puzzled, but soon decided it didn’t matter and waited for Echo to post the comment.

Not long after, a comment was posted from the anonymous account Echo created.

The content was a bit random and out of place, but I couldn’t hide my excitement.

Wow, it worked. I didn’t expect it to be able to post comments on posts too. It’s got skills!

Then, a fun idea suddenly popped into my head.

If it can wield power in the internet world… maybe I can play a little prank?