Chapter 44
Chapter 44
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: My House Collapsed. I Cried (7)
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A sudden offer from Alice for room and board at the Fixer Agency.
No matter how I looked at it, it was an offer I had to refuse immediately.
Staying at the Fixer Agency was, for me, no different from walking into the epicenter of an imminent explosion.
Just working here as a temporary part-timer was nerve-wracking enough, but to actually live here?
This was the definition of being penny-wise and pound-foolish. A stupid act of risking a great danger for a small comfort.
So, without much thought, I was about to shake my head at Alice.
That is, if Alice's eyes, filled with worry, hadn't suddenly met mine.
‘…Come to think of it, that's strange. Why the Fixer Agency and not her own home?’
I felt a slight sense of unease.
Was there really a reason for Alice to make me stay at the Fixer Agency?
Simply because she likes me?
No, if that were the case, she could have just told me to stay at her place.
There was no reason to go through the trouble of bringing up the Fixer Agency.
I should at least hear her reason before I refuse.
I tilted my head slightly, showing my confusion about why she’d said such a thing.
Did my expression get through to Alice?
She bent her knees to meet my gaze and carefully asked a question.
“Yuria. I don't know the details of your situation, but you're planning to wander the Western Labyrinth after work today, just like yesterday, aren't you?”
Of course. I need a place to live, after all.
I gave a gentle nod, affirming Alice's words.
I only gave up and headed to the general store last night because it had gotten too late.
And because I figured it was better to be in debt than to freeze to death in the blizzard.
But now that I'd somehow made it through the night, I planned to look for a decent spot again on my way home from work today.
I couldn't live as a homeless person without a house or a bed forever.
As I was thinking this, she sighed softly with an expression that said I was hopeless and continued.
“And if you can't find anything, just like yesterday… you'll go to Greg's general store?”
“…!”
What, how did you know!
I stared at Alice in stunned surprise at her uncanny deduction.
But Alice didn't react much to my shock, simply scratching her cheek apologetically as she replied.
“Sorry, I happened to find the key when I was tidying up your coat yesterday. And thinking back, the general store is just down the road from where we met.”
“…”
“But in my opinion, Greg's general store doesn't seem like a very good place for you to stay, Yuria.”
Ah, so she found the key while I had my coat off.
I was relieved that she hadn't read my mind, but I also halfway agreed with what she said.
She wasn't wrong.
The general store was strictly a place of business, so objectively, it wasn't a great living environment.
The only places to lie down were a wooden table or a sofa.
I couldn't even hope for a blanket and pillow, so I had no choice but to use my coat and a pile of clothes.
For the weak bodies of modern people, sleeping there probably wouldn't relieve fatigue but just add to it.
But… that was only when comparing it to a proper house.
Compared to an old warehouse or the streets, the general store… it had heating and a locked door.
Honestly, it was a paradise. Better than surviving the cold on the streets.
So I put my hands on my hips and looked at her as if to ask what the problem was. Perhaps my firm stance made her ponder more deeply.
After being lost in thought for a while, Alice gently stroked my hair and said.
“Yuria… you don't like being indebted to others, do you?”
“…”
“We've only known each other for two weeks, but I can tell from watching you. You're almost foolishly determined to pay back anything you receive. I think you're a very kind girl, Yuria.”
…Me, kind? That was logically incorrect.
I wasn't kind; I was just a coward who was also emotional and impulsive.
I want to push all the scary things the future holds onto someone else.
If you're going to hate me, then just think of me as nothing at all.
It would be nice if those who work hard are eventually rewarded for their efforts.
I want the people who like me to always be happy and never suffer.
An egotistical, petty coward, an idiot, a fool you could find anywhere in this world.
So, no matter how I thought about it… I wasn't the kind of person who deserved such embarrassing praise from Alice.
‘I-I want to run away… I can't handle this kind of atmosphere…!’
A psychological embarrassment, different from the humiliation I felt from the pajamas and underwear yesterday, made my neck and ears burn.
I wanted to run away from here without looking back and dunk my head in cold water.
You should just tease my body like you usually do! Why are you making me so embarrassed!
To keep from collapsing from the dizzying sensation, I leaned slightly against Alice and tapped her shoulder with my forehead.
Ah, that's enough. If you have something to say, say it quickly.
No matter what you say, I have no intention of staying at the agency!
I filled my actions with that meaning and made a silent protest.
“Phuhu. Ah, so… what I'm trying to say is that you don't have to think of it as a debt. In fact, Jin would probably let you stay for just the cost of food.”
“…”
It's not about the money…
I shook my head wearily from within her embrace.
Then again, she couldn't possibly imagine.
How would she know that I was someone reincarnated from another world after reading a comic starring Raven?
So what was a very rational choice for me probably seemed like a child's stubbornness or immaturity to her.
Even though, for me, my life is on the line.
‘Still… I'm grateful she offered. We've only known each other for two weeks, and she's going this far for a temporary part-timer who'll be leaving soon.’
Although I'd had many embarrassing experiences because of her, at least her feelings came through clearly.
And it made my attempt to keep my distance, not wanting to get entangled in the original story, seem like trash.
How is this the behavior of a kind person? If she knew my true intentions, she'd despise me.
Still, my mind hadn't changed. I was going to refuse the offer to stay at the agency.
I didn't even know if she'd discussed it with Raven.
As I was trying to suppress my budding excitement and calm my emotions, the door behind me suddenly opened.
And the one who appeared was none other than Raven.
“What. You two still here? I need to use the bathroom, so get out of the way. It's cramped.”
“Ah, yes.”
Raven told Alice and me, who were half-hugging, to move, then strode urgently toward the bathroom.
And from beyond the closed door came the sound of a refreshing stream of water.
The somewhat tender atmosphere of the hallway was thus refreshingly shattered.
“Aah, that's a relief. Phew… So, what were you two talking about out here for so long?”
“Jin, well…”
A glance.
Alice looked carefully at me, still in her embrace, as if asking for my permission.
It seemed she was asking if it was okay to tell him that I was currently homeless.
What, you mean she hadn't even told Raven yet?
I hesitated for a moment at her question, then nodded as if to say it didn't matter.
It wasn't something to brag about, but it wasn't something to hide in shame either.
What's the big deal about being homeless? Houses collapse sometimes when it snows, right?
“The thing is…”
Anyway, after receiving my cool permission, Alice briefly explained to Raven what had happened yesterday.
From stopping by the Western Labyrinth on an errand to running into me on the street and letting me stay the night at her house.
Thankfully, she omitted the private details about my teddy bear panties and us cuddling in bed. That was a relief.
“Hmm, I see. Part-timer, is it true you have nowhere to go?”
“…”
“Well, that's too bad. It's cold, so you should find a place quick before you catch a cold. Rent is expensive these days, too…”
“W-w-wait a minute!”
Raven said this dismissively and showed signs of leaving, as if he'd lost interest.
Alice, looking flustered, quickly stood up and grabbed his shoulder.
Her reaction suggested she hadn't expected Raven to be so dry about it.
Tsk, I knew this would happen.
“I-is that all?! There's no way she can find a place in this weather without a single penny!”
“Well… it'd be difficult.”
“But!”
“So what do you want me to do? She doesn't seem to want any help. Besides, help that doesn't consider the recipient's feelings can sometimes be crueler than violence.”
“Ugh… that's… true, but…”
A Fixer who won't offer help unless it's wanted!
I tried to be subtle as I rolled my eyes, cheering him on internally.
Meanwhile, Raven sighed lightly and said.
“And if you want to help, you can just let her stay at your place. Why does it have to involve me? You said you slept together last night, didn't you?”
“That's… complicated. I don't live alone; my sister is there.”
“Huh? Right.”
“I can't let my sister and Yuria meet. It's for both their sakes. Because… I don't want to have to cut down my sister.”
“Eh.”
“…?”
How did it come to that?
My and Raven's questioning gazes met in mid-air for a moment.
Then, as if deciding to just move past it, Raven scratched his head and said.
“Well, whatever. The part-timer doesn't really need help, and I don't want a kid hanging around my house, ruining my precious alone time. Things neither of us want shouldn't happen, right?”
“Haa, I don't intend to force her either. I just… want to persuade Yuria to change her mind.”
The mood was gradually shifting toward respecting my wishes.
No, come to think of it, there was only one answer from the very beginning.
Alice, who seemed to have had a change of heart after forcibly taking me home yesterday, didn't seem to want to push her choice on me this time.
And Raven, one of the parties involved, was the type who would never do it if I said no.
As long as I didn't change my mind, the possibility of me staying at the Fixer Agency was practically zero.
‘Just a little incident, I guess. Looks like I'll have a busy night wandering around again.’
The tension drained out of me, and I let my shoulders relax.
I was worried something that should never happen might occur, but now that it was seemingly resolved, I felt truly relieved.
Suddenly, as I closed my eyes in fatigue, a faint whisper reached my ears.
It was like fragments of language, words that seemed to stop halfway, with only a faint sense of emotion remaining.
I tilted my head, wondering what it was, and turned toward the sound.
At the end of that direction was Raven, who looked ready to head back inside.
“…”
“Hm? What, got something to say? Wh-whoa! What are you doing!”
Feeling some kind of instinctive premonition, I urgently grabbed Raven.
And following the fragments of language that grew clearer as I got closer, I quickly shoved my hand into his pants pocket.
While Raven was flustered and shocked by me putting my hand in his pants, I quickly grasped the source of the sound and pulled it out.
“Yuria?!”
“This is… What the, when did this get in my pants?”
What had been in his pants pocket was a thin metal fragment, smaller than a pinky fingernail.
And I immediately realized what this fragment was.
‘This… it's like a Tesseract, an item from a dimensional invader.’
A piece of a ticking time bomb, something that shouldn't exist at this point in time.
My expression automatically hardened and grew serious.
It seemed… I might have to change my mind.