I Became the Cute One in the Troubleshooter Squad-Chapter 85: Yuria Repays a Favor - Interlude

Approximately 20% of the city’s area was left scorched black by magic in what became known as the Belmond Incident. Thankfully, there were no casualties, and the affected area was an abandoned slum, which likely contributed to the swift resolution of the case despite the scale of the damage.

After assisting the police from late night to the following day at midnight, Raven handed the case over to investigators and Fixers before returning to Night Haven.

Perhaps it was because someone had taken the liberty of neutralizing the werewolves scattered across the slums that his explanations carried credibility and made the persuasion process easier. Ahem, who could have done such a thing? No idea.

Regardless, Raven arrived back in Night Haven a day later than the rest of the group. Exhausted and looking like he was about to collapse, he gathered everyone at the office and explained the situation. Alice, relieved to see him safe, let out a small sigh of relief as she spoke.

“I was worried when no one was at the office yesterday... You must’ve had a rough time.”

“I already heard what happened through the message you sent, but I’m glad no one was hurt,” another chimed in.

“Ugh, I wish I could’ve been there to help!” Alice exclaimed.

Belmond was, after all, a human-dominated city where non-humans like Alice couldn’t freely come and go. Since she had no choice but to stay behind, she was visibly disappointed.

Unlike David, who managed to help remotely through hacking, Alice hadn’t been able to contribute anything before the incident was resolved.

Of course, Alice’s abilities hadn’t fully blossomed yet, and she was still weaker than Greg. Her absence might have actually been a blessing in disguise. ...No, that might be a little too blunt.

“Well, it all worked out in the end. And honestly... even if you’d been there, what could you have done in a fight against two Abyssal Extremes? Go improve your skills first, rookie.”

“Ugh, right to the heart... Fine, I’m sorry for being such a weakling!”

“The Abyssal Extremes are among the strongest, even in all of Night Haven. Honestly, neither Alice nor I would’ve been much help in that situation.”

“Ughhh...”

Unlike me, who only thought such things internally, Raven was far more direct. He delivered the blunt truth to Alice without hesitation.

But Alice was the type who thrived on overcoming obstacles. Perhaps a dose of harsh reality was the motivation she needed.

Alice, looking deflated, rested her forehead against the top of my head, which she had been hugging tightly. Watching her, Raven shook his head and began wrapping up the discussion.

“Let’s leave it at that. Those Liberation Army bastards... They made too much noise this time. They probably won’t show themselves so openly again for a while. Especially not here in Night Haven, with that person around.”

“By that person, do you mean the Dragon Mayor?” Alice asked.

“Yeah. Unless they’re planning to go all out, they won’t dare pick a fight.”

Night Haven was home to Tempest, the Dragon Mayor—a one-man army and a staunch advocate for human-non-human coexistence.

For the Liberation Army, launching an attack here would be an enormous risk. Concluding his thoughts, Raven turned to the woman who had been sitting quietly on the sofa.

“So, what about you? What’s your plan? I don’t think we can do much more for you at this point.”

The person he addressed was Karen, a striking woman with luxurious gray hair and perpetually half-closed eyes.

New novel 𝓬hapters are published on freёwebnoѵel.com.

Karen, who had nearly been abducted by the Liberation Army, had decided not to return to her hometown and was still staying in Night Haven. At Raven’s question, she scratched her cheek awkwardly before replying.

“Well... I feel bad about it, but I’ve decided to stay in Night Haven and work at Greg’s shop. Since he’s working as an appraiser, I thought I could help by repairing the artifacts people bring in.”

“Hm, that sounds like a good arrangement.”

“If you ever need anything repaired, don’t hesitate to ask. I’ll take care of it, no charge.”

“Ha, that’s a pretty sweet deal. I’ll be sure to take advantage of it whenever I get the chance.”

“Of course.”

Karen, an arachne with exceptional eyesight and unique magical abilities, was skilled enough to repair even the most complex artifacts. Working at Greg’s shop in Night Haven seemed like a mutually beneficial arrangement.

Greg’s shop primarily dealt with antiques and artifacts, so having Karen inspect and repair the items would undoubtedly boost their business. It was a win-win scenario for both of them.

‘So... a happy ending, huh? No one was hurt, Karen escaped the Liberation Army’s threats, and Greg gained a new employee. It’s a surprising turn of events, but I’m glad it worked out.’

Resting in Alice’s tight embrace, I thought back to the original storyline.

In the original, Karen had first appeared as a member of the Liberation Army. Without Greg’s glasses breaking, she never had the chance to help anyone and ended up being captured and forced to work.

Though her stylish combat abilities and artifact repairs left an impression, her story ended when the Liberation Army was destroyed. She returned to her hometown and disappeared from the narrative as the villains shifted to the Invaders.

Who would’ve thought she’d end up working at Greg’s shop? Life has its surprises.

‘I guess I need to change my mindset, too.’

At this point, it felt pointless to rely too heavily on the original story. With Raven already clashing with the Abyssal Extremes, predicting the future seemed meaningless.

Enemy attacks might come sooner, character placements might shift, and events might unfold differently. Everything was now beyond my ability to anticipate.

Maybe it was time to stop being passive and start preparing more actively for the days ahead.

‘Alright... let’s get myself together. Everything will work out fine.’

To be honest, I was a little scared.

What exactly was I scared of? Well... everything, maybe?

But that feeling didn’t last long. I glanced around lightly, letting my unease settle.

What I truly wished for was a world where no one was sad, where everyone was happy.

To protect something that difficult, I’d probably have to push myself until I collapsed.

“....”

“Hm? Oh, right.”

From Alice’s embrace, I shifted my gaze toward Greg. He seemed to notice my look immediately and turned to meet my eyes, nodding as if he understood what I meant.

Just as Greg opened his mouth, ready to say something, Alice tightened her hold on me. Her anxious voice broke the moment.

“Uh, um... Jin? Greg?”

“Hm?”

“What is it?”

“So... now that Greg is here, does that mean Yuria has to leave? She’s going back, right?”

Her words caught me off guard, and I tilted my head up. Alice’s face was filled with sadness, her expression so clearly reluctant to let me go that it seemed like tears might burst from her eyes at any moment.

Raven looked at me, then at Alice, before speaking with a troubled tone.

“Well, we don’t have much money to offer here, and working with Greg would probably be better for her.”

“No! Yuria! Don’t leave!” Alice wailed.

“It’s unfortunate. Thanks to Yuria, the office has felt much brighter,” David added with a small smile.

“...Huh? David, are you implying that the rest of us make it dull around here?” Alice snapped.

“Heh, the more I think about it, the more you do feel like one of the guys, Alice. You’re probably rougher than David himself.”

“Jin! What are you even saying?!”

Alice roared at Raven and David, all while keeping me tightly held in her arms. The intensity of her glare was enough to make both of them flinch and avert their eyes.

I couldn’t help but understand their reaction, though. Sure, Alice was stunningly beautiful, with an impeccable figure. But her innocent and somewhat scatterbrained personality made her feel more like a little sister than a woman.

Even in the original story, there hadn’t been any romantic subplots involving Alice and the office members. Their comments about her weren’t entirely unfounded.

Still, what had I even done to make the office brighter? Compared to Alice, who was far cuter and more lovable, I didn’t think I contributed much at all.

I patted Alice’s arms to comfort her and looked up at her gently. She scrunched her face like she was trying not to cry and hugged me even tighter. Ugh, it was starting to get hard to breathe.

“Ahem, calm down, Alice. Let’s hear what Greg has to say first,” Raven interrupted.

“Huh?”

“What?”

Greg cleared his throat, stopping Alice from practically drilling into the ground in frustration. He probably realized that the conversation wouldn’t progress otherwise.

The rest of the team looked at Greg curiously. Their expressions clearly asked, What else is there to say?

Once everyone’s attention was on him, Greg finally shared what we had discussed yesterday.

“Raven, is there any chance Yuria could continue staying at the office like before?”

“...What do you mean by that?”

“She seems to prefer staying here. I asked if she’d be fine living at my place, but it looks like this place suits her tastes better.”

“...!”

I nodded firmly from within Alice’s arms, affirming Greg’s words. Raven’s eyes twitched in disbelief before he abruptly stood up.

“Oh, right... She doesn’t have a home, does she? But what about work?”

“She’ll work at my shop on weekdays and stay here after work, just like before. She’s even willing to pay for room and board.”

“Uh... that’s... taking money from a kid feels a bit...”

“Jin! There’s no need to even hesitate! Are you seriously thinking of throwing Yuria onto the streets when she has nowhere to go?” Alice protested fiercely.

“Hm, I support the idea as well,” David chimed in.

“You guys... why are you deciding this on your own? This is my office!” Raven shouted, pointing accusingly at Alice and David.

It seemed he was conflicted about letting me stay. Maybe he found it awkward that I’d stop being an employee but still live here.

Would this not work after all?

Honestly, I had my reasons. Beyond everything else, my main goal was the rift energy. The rift stored in the closet—it was incredibly rare.

If I hadn’t used that energy to fuel the Tesseract, I wouldn’t have been able to protect Greg.

I wanted to be ready if something like that happened again. Feeding the Tesseract energy was my top priority.

And honestly, I liked these people. I didn’t want to intentionally distance myself from them.

The original story... maybe we could overcome its challenges if we worked together.

‘Ugh, thinking about the future is exhausting... But I don’t want to look away. I’ll give everything I have to protect these people.’

Staying here was, in many ways, a step toward that future. It wasn’t something I was willing to give up easily.

But if they said no, I’d step back. I wasn’t going to force it. I could understand and accept their decision.

I anxiously glanced at Raven, waiting for his response. He rubbed his forehead like he was dealing with a headache, then suddenly collapsed onto the sofa with a groan.

“Ahhh, fine! Alright! She can stay!”

“...!”

“Jin!”

“Don’t worry about the money! If she’s working at the shop on weekdays, then help clean the office on weekends. That’ll be enough.”

It worked!

I straightened my back in excitement. Alice patted my shoulders with a smile, clearly thrilled as well.

Even though I’d quit as an employee, staying here meant I’d still see them regularly. Alice seemed relieved that I wouldn’t be too far away.

Hehe, I didn’t dislike the arrangement either.

From behind my mask, I grinned alongside the office members, who were just as cheerful. The Tesseract hidden in my clothes seemed pleased too, as if it could already sense its next meal.

And so, my last day as an office employee ended with great news.

This truly felt like a happy ending.