Chapter 23
Chapter 23
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: The Fixer Agency's Temporary Part-Timer (1)
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The human brain is designed to render one speechless in the face of mental shock.
Perhaps the intense stress stimulates the survival instinct, suppressing the non-essential function of language.
Or perhaps language is pushed down the brain’s list of processing priorities to deal with negative emotions first.
Or maybe a psychological defense mechanism kicks in to protect me from the traumatic experience.
Well, there are various theories, but in the end, they all lead to one conclusion.
A powerful shock turns a person into an idiot.
And so, having become an idiot, I blinked blankly and thought.
‘The general store is closing…? Then, what about me?’
It was a refreshing morning, thanks to the Tesseract, with not a hint of fatigue in my body.
The moment I arrived for work, Greg delivered the shocking news that he would have to close the shop for a while.
It was utterly bewildering.
The day after I’d parted ways with my ghostly self, what kind of bolt from the blue was this?
No, boss. What am I supposed to do!
I have to work to eat! Take responsibility!
As I scurried around Greg distractingly, demanding a detailed explanation.
He placed a hand on the top of my head to stop me and spoke in an exceedingly calm voice.
“First, calm down. There was a small incident while you were away. A few vampires suddenly showed up.”
“…!”
So vampires had come to the shop.
And from the way he said it, it wasn't just one or two, but a whole horde.
That made a little more sense.
A group of vampires was generally a much trickier opponent than a single one.
Using blood as a physical medium, their magic grew more powerful the more of them there were.
So, even for Greg, one of the strongest orcs around, it must have been difficult to protect the shop completely.
“Well… they were mostly small fry, so I managed to stop them from doing anything to the shop by pounding them with my fists, but.”
…Or not?
From the sound of it, he had driven them all away with brute force.
Come to think of it, for a shop that had supposedly been wrecked, the general store looked perfectly fine.
A few windows that should have been there were gone, and there was a small hole in the wall. That was about it.
Visually, it didn't look nearly damaged enough to warrant closing for an extended period.
I tilted my head, wondering why he needed to close, and Greg answered my unspoken question with a bitter smile.
“Why am I closing the shop? Hmph, a few things got caught in the crossfire… Of all things, an important appraisal artifact ended up broken.”
“…!”
An appraisal artifact? You don’t mean the glasses with the appraisal magic?
My eyes widened in surprise as I looked up at Greg.
For the glasses to break of all things… That explained why he was closing the shop.
It meant that the most crucial part of our business, appraising items, had come to a halt.
To use a restaurant as an analogy, it was as if all the kitchen knives had become unusable.
Of course, he could compromise and serve dishes that didn't require knives.
But rather than lower the quality, he’d probably decided it was better to close the shop and get new knives.
‘Ugh, hmm… Of all things, that had to break. Now I can’t even throw a tantrum about wanting to work. Still… can’t it be fixed quickly?’
Clinging to a sliver of hope, I cautiously looked up at Greg.
Alright, I’ll admit it.
Closing the shop? Okay. There’s a good reason for it.
So, when would this closure end?
Three days? A week? Surely it wouldn’t be as long as a fortnight.
As if he’d instantly understood the meaning behind my gaze, he stroked his chin thoughtfully and replied.
“I think we’ll have to be closed for at least a month.”
“…!!”
A… month?
My hands trembled at the period, which far exceeded my expectations.
A month is too long.
With the money I have saved up, I can only last about four days.
This can’t be happening! I’ll starve to death!
Growing desperate, I tugged on Greg’s sleeve and protested vehemently.
But was it truly unavoidable?
He gently detached my hand from his sleeve and added.
“Fixing an artifact is expensive. If I go to a craftsman in Nighthaven, it’ll cost hundreds of thousands of credits just to start, and it could take several months. So, while the shop is closed, I plan to visit an acquaintance overseas. Considering the travel time and the time to fix the artifact… even a month is cutting it close.”
“…!”
“You want me to take you with me? Yuria… do you have a passport?”
“…”
…A passport? Of course, I don’t.
Having completely lost my momentum, I just hung my head, dejected.
I mean… hearing the story, it really was unavoidable.
It wasn't that there were no skilled craftsmen in Nighthaven capable of fixing the artifact.
But for someone like Greg, who didn't have many connections in the city, the craftsmen he could access would charge exorbitant fees and take an unreasonable amount of time.
So, to save both time and money, going to an artifact craftsman overseas was a perfectly rational decision.
If I were in his shoes, I would have temporarily closed the shop and left Nighthaven too.
But… what about me, left behind here?
I’d planned to work here to make a living, even giving up being a ghost without a second thought…
As I stood there feeling a slight sense of betrayal, my head hung low as I kicked at the floor.
Greg chuckled and unhesitatingly stroked the top of my little head.
Don’t touch me! I’m sad right now!
When I, looking uncharacteristically venomous, rejected the pat and glared at Greg’s hand as if I were about to bite it.
He spoke in a nonchalant tone, as if wondering what I was so worried about.
“Hmph. Don’t worry so much. We haven’t signed a contract yet, but you’re still my employee. Of course, I have something in mind.”
“…!”
“Follow me. I’ll introduce you to someone trustworthy who can give you a job while I have the shop closed.”
What did he just say…!
My mind failed to process it for a moment, but then I was overcome with gratitude for Greg’s heavenly grace.
I knew I could count on you! The best boss of this era, so devoted to his employee!
As if I’d never been sad a moment ago, I followed Greg with a bright smile behind my mask.
Well, I didn’t know who this trustworthy person was.
But if Greg was recommending them, they at least wouldn’t be a scummy boss who’d cheat me out of my pay.
It felt like a warm ray of sunlight was breaking through the dark clouds that had filled my vision.
“By the way, Yuria. You seem to have gotten a bit more charming lately.”
“…?”
Then, Greg tossed the comment at me out of the blue.
Charming? Me?
Frowning as if to ask what nonsense he was spouting, I belatedly recalled what I had been doing.
Circling around Greg like a little kid.
Looking up at him pleadingly, or bouncing on the spot.
Tugging on his sleeve, or shaking my head to brush off his hand…?
…No, no, no.
It was just because I couldn’t speak. My non-verbal expressions had just increased a little.
They were merely supplementary actions for smooth communication. It couldn’t be helped, you know? Try being unable to speak yourself!
*Thump, thump.*
Feeling grumpy for no reason, I threw a punch at Greg’s thigh.
Who’s being charming now?
Does that mean everyone who gets their gums numbed to have a tooth pulled is a cutesy talker with a lisp?
Of course, Greg’s skin was as hard as a rock, so it only hurt my fist.
I felt unfairly accused.
***
Walking through the bustling streets of Nighthaven during the day felt incredibly awkward.
Since falling into this city, I had spent most of my time in the Western Labyrinth, and when I first arrived in Nighthaven, it had been night, not day.
This was probably the first time I was brazenly strolling down the street like this.
‘Wow… so many people.’
The streets were a chaotic mix of people, like a tidal wave, clearly marking it as a major city.
And it wasn’t just the number of people; there were holographic advertisements everywhere, enough to make me drool.
What was particularly striking was that most of the people I saw were metahumans, each with their own unique characteristics.
It was all so fascinating that I felt I could spend hours just sitting on a bench and people-watching.
“Yuria, don’t wander too far, or I’ll lose you. Come here.”
“…”
Did he notice I was distracted by my surroundings?
Greg held out his hand, as large as a pot lid, as if telling me to take it.
…Hmm, to be honest, I didn’t really want to.
It wasn’t that I disliked Greg, but his earlier comment about me being more charming was bothering me.
Of course, I had no intention of fawning over anyone, not at all, but…
Once you become conscious of something, you start to worry about every little action.
It was like how you suddenly become aware of the position of your tongue or the act of swallowing saliva when you think about it.
‘Still, it’s better than getting lost here.’
But it would be strange to be stubborn in a situation where there were so many people it was dizzying.
A person should live rationally, logically.
To look as unlike a child as possible, I lifted my chin and calmly took Greg’s hand.
There, how’s that? Better this time?
“Heh… Ahem. Let’s go then.”
“…?”
What was that? Did he just laugh? Was I imagining it?
I blinked in bewilderment before starting to walk, matching his pace as he moved forward.
Was it because he was about twice my height?
For every one of his steps, I had to take four quick ones, but thanks to him walking as slowly as possible, it wasn't too uncomfortable.
And after walking like that for some time.
As we reached the edge of the commercial district, where the number of people started to thin out.
Greg stopped as if we had arrived and looked up.
Naturally, I followed his gaze and lifted my head…
And I froze like a statue at the sight before me.
‘Huh.’
I knew this building.
No, perhaps I had known since we first set foot on this street.
Thinking back, it was only natural.
How many people could a gruff, workaholic orc with almost no social life possibly know?
And among them, who would have a suitable job that would take in a homeless child as a temporary employee?
It was laughable that I was only realizing it now. Was the effect of turning into an idiot earlier still lingering?
‘This… the Crowley Fixer Agency… is where the main character is.’
The main character’s agency.
My mind went blank from the surprise attack that came when I was completely unprepared.
And unfortunately for me.
As if to drive the final nail in the coffin, a second shock immediately followed.
“Oh? Mr. Greg? Yuria? What are you two doing here?”
“Pink-hair, we meet again. Is Raven inside?”
“Um… Jin lives here, so he’s probably inside? I was just on my way to work myself.”
Sakuragi Alice had shown up at the worst possible time.
And to top it all off, Greg’s comment about looking for the main character followed like a finishing blow.
No way, the trustworthy job Greg mentioned was…
‘A part-time job at the Fixer Agency?!’
They say an unlucky person will break their nose even when falling backward.
This was the moment all my hard work avoiding the main character’s party turned to dust.