Chapter 187
Chapter 187
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 187
Chapter Title: Fixer vs. Charismatic Phantom Thief vs. Just Yuria (1)
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Several days had passed since the Spring Flower Festival.
Perhaps because the festival, held in Nighthaven, had been remarkably incident-free.
The news and papers were full of praise for the various economic benefits it had brought.
After all, people had flocked in from outside and spent money like water over the weekend.
The city's higher-ups must have been smiling from ear to ear.
However, perhaps because our general store had been closed all weekend with its owner away,
I didn't really feel the influx of customers that most other shops had experienced.
Most visitors from out of town would have just enjoyed the festival and left.
And those who stayed to sightsee usually didn't venture into the back alleys. I suppose it couldn't be helped.
‘Well… people who aren't planning to buy anything are just a hassle. Our store mostly deals in expensive antiques and artifacts. Not the kind of things tourists would buy on a whim.’
Thinking about it that way, maybe I should be glad I didn't have more work to do.
Still, I wish the store did well. Not that it's doing badly now…
As I continued to mull this over with my arms crossed, I suddenly flopped sideways.
To think I was still dwelling on this after coming home from work.
I felt a little embarrassed at how completely I'd immersed myself in the store's perspective.
Of course, the general store is a very precious place to me in many ways.
So it was only natural for these thoughts to pop into my head.
Still, I decided it was best to focus on resting when it was time to rest.
After rolling around energetically in my cramped closet, I slowly sat up.
My eyes were immediately drawn to the crescent-shaped object floating in the air.
‘So, when is this thing finally going to wake up? It's been like this for weeks…’
The Tesseract and the Echo couldn't hold any more energy.
So, all the energy coming from the rift was now being transferred solely to the object.
And yet, instead of waking up, it just kept consuming energy like a leaky jar being filled with water.
This endless wait was nothing short of frustrating.
But what could I do? All I could do was wait.
Sighing softly, I turned on the Echo's screen and waited aimlessly for the object to awaken.
‘It's already so late… I should stop here for today.’
I wasn't sure how long I'd been rolling around in the closet with the Echo.
When it was about time to sleep, I hid the object in my blankets and left the closet.
Unlike the Tesseract, which was a necklace, or the Echo, which was a handheld device everyone carried,
the crescent object was bulky, like a disc broken in half.
Rather than risk losing it by carrying it around carelessly,
I decided it was safer to keep it tucked away in the closet.
‘It's not like a thief would break into the agency.’
And even if one did, Raven would surely teach them a lesson.
After tucking the object deep into the blankets, I opened the closet door and carefully stepped out.
Even though it was the middle of spring, were the nights still chilly?
The air outside the closet made my shoulders shiver.
It wasn't exactly cold, but it was definitely cooler than the cozy warmth of the closet.
"Good night, kid. It's a bit chilly tonight, so make sure you cover up well so you don't catch a cold."
"Okay."
Raven, dressed in his pajamas, spoke to me as I crawled out of the closet.
Perhaps because I so often crawled into the closet, his reaction seemed completely unfazed.
He was lying in bed, though, and seemed to have something on his mind.
My toes wiggled with curiosity about what was wrong, but… I soon dropped it.
I felt bad about interrupting him if he was busy with Fixer-related work.
I waved both arms to return his greeting, then padded lightly back to my room.
Looking back, up to that point, it had been a perfectly peaceful day, no different from any other.
*
The next morning.
As always, I changed into my maid outfit at the agency and headed to the general store.
Was it because I'd slept more soundly than usual? Or was it just one of those days I wanted to feel that way?
My steps, bathed in the morning sun, felt unusually light.
When I reached the general store, Greg and Karen were already there, meticulously checking the condition of the merchandise.
The moment I opened the door, they seemed to sense my presence and greeted me warmly.
"Good morning, Yuria."
"Mhm!"
"Did something good happen? You seem excited."
"...?"
Excited? Am I?
I tilted my head, puzzled by his rather unexpected comment.
But if someone as perceptive as Greg said so, I suppose it must be true.
So why was I in such a good mood on a day that was no different from any other?
After pondering the reason for a moment, I quickly found the answer.
"...!"
"Hm?"
"Oh, my."
What other reason could there be, except that I was happy to see them?
As if to prove my point, I scampered over and hugged both Greg and Karen.
They both seemed a little surprised by my sudden affection.
But since it wasn't an entirely unfamiliar gesture, they chuckled and hugged me back.
"It seems today is just a good day for you, Yuria."
"I suppose so. Everyone has days like that."
"Hee hee."
It seemed they both realized my good mood wasn't for any particular reason.
Right, you can have days where you just feel good for no reason.
Alright, let's have fun at work today, too!
Filled with energy, I started my work with sparkling eyes.
Making sure the floors and display cases stayed clean.
Showing customers where the restroom was when they asked.
Or headbutting suspicious customers in the back to apprehend them on the spot.
Perhaps because I worked so hard and with such passion,
time flew by, and before I knew it, it was lunchtime.
"It's been a quiet day. Hmm, the time is..."
"Just about time for lunch. Right, let's take a break and get something to eat."
Lunch was a crucial ritual to pause work and satisfy our hunger.
Clutching my rumbling stomach, I left the counter and plopped down on the plush sofa.
Karen naturally took the spot next to me, smiling down at me.
Greg asked Karen and me, sitting side by side, what we thought about ordering sandwiches for delivery.
It was an offer with no reason to refuse.
After a brief exchange of glances, we immediately agreed.
"Yuria will want her usual steak sandwich. Karen, what about you...?"
"Could I have an egg sandwich, please?"
"Of course. Alright. I've placed the order. They said it'll be here in ten minutes."
Ten minutes to get to a remote place like this.
I was secretly impressed by the professionalism of Nighthaven's delivery drivers.
Or maybe it's because we're regular customers who've ordered many times. They might be giving us special attention.
Anyway... a steak sandwich. That sounds delicious.
I swallowed hard, drool practically running down my chin at the thought of the sandwich's taste.
I'm going to demolish that sandwich today.
As I giggled to myself behind my mask and leaned my head lightly against Karen,
a story from the TV, which had been on the whole time, suddenly caught my ear.
[ "...And for our next story. The internationally renowned figure, 'Silver Cat,' is making headlines once again. Silver Cat is well-known for her method of announcing her activities on social media, sending a direct, taunting message to the owner of the item she plans to steal before committing the crime. Calling herself a 'phantom thief,' she has gained immense popularity for her unique approach. Her target this time is the 'Purplian.' As a legendary jewel said not to exist in reality, this has drawn even more attention..." ]
Hearing this, my head naturally turned toward the TV.
The reason was simple. Silver Cat, the phantom thief, and her target, the Purplian.
They had appeared in the original story, briefly clashing with the Fixer Agency.
Perhaps because my reaction was so obvious,
Greg and Karen also turned to look at the news screen, wondering what was going on.
The story seemed to pique their interest as well.
"Wow, she's stunning. Is she a cat-type metahuman? I can see why she's popular."
"...No matter how beautiful she is, a thief is a thief. The thought that she could steal from our store is utterly unpleasant."
"Ahaha... That part is certainly a bit problematic..."
What good is a pretty face with such bad conduct?
Greg shook his head as if to say that no matter what, this was just wrong.
Since he dealt with extremely valuable antiques and artifacts,
it was impossible for him to feel any goodwill toward a thief.
However, I could completely understand his reaction.
In reality, Greg and Silver Cat were so incompatible they were like oil and water.
‘A collector and a thief could never be on good terms. The thief might not see it that way, but the collector certainly would.’
A thief has no reason to dislike a collector, but a collector has every reason to dislike a thief.
So, while I chuckled at Greg's serious assessment, I wasn't particularly worried.
The truth is, Silver Cat was a righteous thief, someone who stole from the wicked and gave to the unfortunate.
It was hard to say she was truly evil at heart.
So, there was no chance Silver Cat would steal from Greg, who never did anything wrong.
It was no exaggeration to say there was no situation in which they would come into conflict.
‘Aside from the brief confrontation when Raven takes the job to protect the Purplian around this time, they won't have any reason to dislike each other... Well, he'll handle that part just fine.’
I sorted through my memories of the original story and organized my thoughts.
They wouldn't get involved, and it wasn't a big deal. There was no reason to dwell on it.
It was a judgment based on perfectly logical reasoning.
But reality always has a way of surpassing imagination.
When I returned home after work, I was faced with a shocking discovery.
"...?"
"Looks like a thief broke into the agency. Kid, check if anything of yours is missing."
"...Huh."
"Don't tell me something's gone?"
Along with the Purplian that Raven had been temporarily guarding...
the object I had hidden in my closet was gone.
Even if she was a righteous thief, to steal my completely unrelated possession!
This was absolutely unforgivable.