Chapter 50
Chapter 50
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: There's a Secret in that Closet (4)
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The day after the closet incident, which still made my face flush just thinking about it.
I woke up early, cleaned the general store, and returned to the agency. The moment I opened the door, the rich smell of oil made me swallow hard.
Was he cooking?
As I stepped inside, my mouth watering, I saw Raven grilling sausages until they were perfectly golden brown.
His hair was a messy bedhead, as if he hadn't washed up yet, and he was wearing surprisingly cute pajamas that didn't quite match his disheveled look.
It seemed he hadn't been awake for long.
I hurried over to Raven and tugged on the hem of his clothes.
I couldn't just stand around doing nothing while living off his charity, so I intended to help with whatever I could.
“Oh, what is it? You want to help?”
…!
“In that case… can you put the forks and knives on the table? I’m almost done, so there isn’t much else to do.”
My head turned to follow Raven’s gaze.
A toaster was running. Sausages and toast for breakfast, then.
I was too late to help. I'll have to come back earlier next time.
Understanding the situation, I scampered over and set the table with forks and knives for two.
Once everything was ready, the meal that followed was exceptionally quiet.
Raven tended to focus on his food when he ate, and I couldn't speak in the first place.
For a while, the only sound was the clatter of knives and forks against plates.
Just as Raven was wiping his mouth with a napkin, he suddenly spoke to me.
“Yuria, something just occurred to me about yesterday.”
…?!
“Hey, hey. Drink some water. Are you okay?”
Cough, cough!
Raven’s sudden mention of yesterday's incident made me choke on my food.
I managed to calm my coughing by gulping down the water he offered, but I couldn't help feeling flustered.
Why is he bringing that up now? Didn't it seem like he was just going to let it go?
No, maybe on second thought, he decided it wasn't something to be taken lightly.
I waited for his next words with trembling eyes, unable to even put down the fork and knife in my hands.
Seeing my reaction, Raven gave a wry smile and gently placed a hand on my head.
“I’m not trying to scold you, kid. I just wanted to say… if you want to come into my room, you can just come in.”
…?
“I mean… you seemed to be walking on eggshells. Just in case.”
As he said that, he ruffled my hair so roughly that my vision swam.
Agh! Stop it, you're making me dizzy!
I raised both hands to try and push his hand away.
But perhaps because of the difference in our strength, I ended up just being shaken back and forth.
“There. When you’re done eating, put your plate and silverware in the dishwasher. I’m heading out first.”
….
Was he finally satisfied after tormenting me for so long?
He stood up, taking his empty plate and utensils with him.
But with my head still spinning, all I could do was slump onto the table and groan.
How dare he humiliate me like this… I’ll get him back for this someday!
Once the dizziness finally subsided, I vowed revenge while grinding the sausage between my teeth.
Strangely enough, the anxiety that had been so palpable just moments ago now felt trivial.
*
After that, Alice and David came to work, and the rest of the day passed uneventfully.
This city being what it is, we did get all sorts of eccentric clients.
Fortunately, perhaps due to the current circumstances, there were no dangerous, high-stakes requests that could embroil the entire city.
I prayed any such events would happen after I quit my part-time job at the agency.
I had this petty thought while nestled in the arms of Alice, who was starting to treat me like some kind of comfort doll.
“Ugh, I don’t want to leave Yuria… But I have to go home… Jin, what should I do?”
Alice mumbled, making no secret of her reluctance to part with me.
But Raven, who was lounging on the sofa picking his ear, gave a blunt reply.
“What do you mean, ‘what should you do’? Then don’t go home.”
“That’s a bit… Oh, are you hoping I’ll stay? You can't. We're family…”
“Pfft.”
“W-Wait! Don’t laugh! You’re making me feel stupid for joking!”
Alice, who had tried to tease Raven only to be laughed at, flushed and got angry.
It was a moment that could only happen between a man and a woman who had absolutely no romantic interest in each other.
Alice was a beautiful girl, pretty enough to stand out even in this city, and while Raven didn't take much care of his appearance, he was quite handsome if you looked closely.
Was it because they had no ulterior motives toward one another?
Their relationship went beyond that of a boss and an employee; they felt more like siblings.
If romantic feelings were to ever blossom between them, you'd suspect one of them had been hypnotized.
‘Still, I think Alice and Raven are the best match for each other… Well, I’m sure they’ll figure it out.’
I was watching their usual bickering with amusement when my eyes met David’s, who seemed to be observing the scene with a similar expression.
You find this entertaining too, huh? Me too.
Feeling as if we understood each other with just a glance, we both let out a small chuckle.
“Ah, whatever. I’m leaving now! Hah, this is ridiculous.”
“Yeah, yeah, see you. Take out the trash on your way out.”
“Hmph, you can take it out yourself, Jin. Anyway… Yuria, I’m leaving. See you tomorrow!”
…!
*Smooch!*
After letting me go, Alice planted a firm kiss on the cheek of my fox mask.
Compared to the subtle kisses she used to give on the top of my head or my hair, this was an absurd escalation of affection.
Caught off guard, I couldn't help but jump in surprise.
Isn't her physical affection getting more intense by the day?
At this rate, I don't know what she'll do to me next…
I-I mean, I'm grateful she likes me so openly, but…
it's a bit overwhelming to just accept it. And it’s hard to figure out how to reciprocate.
As I awkwardly rubbed the spot where Alice had kissed me and waved goodbye, she just giggled and left the agency. She was such a handful.
“I'll be taking my leave as well. Ah, Miss Yuria.”
…?
David, who was about to leave after Alice, suddenly looked at me as if he’d just remembered something.
He then took a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to me.
When I tilted my head, asking if I could open it now, David nodded as if to say it was fine.
“It's a note from Sabrina. She wants to meet you this Saturday at 10 a.m. in front of Central Plaza… Hmm, is that alright with you? I see.”
Saturday, 10 a.m., Central Plaza.
There was no reason to refuse. I was free, anyway.
I'd heard last time that she wanted to meet up to apologize.
While I'm at it, I should get some tasty food out of her.
Was delivering his sister's message his only purpose?
David quietly left, as if he had no further business.
And so, Raven and I were once again left alone in the spacious agency.
“Should we have burgers today? A place called Peanut Crunch Burger just opened nearby. How about a peanut burger? You’re not allergic, are you?”
…!
I nodded enthusiastically at Raven’s suggestion to have burgers for dinner.
When he told me to pick from the menu, I pointed to the super-sized one.
It said it was big enough to fill up an adult, but…
I've been eating a lot lately. This should be enough.
‘Alright, then. Time to get started.’
Judging by Raven's usual pattern, today was the day of the Wyrm Races, where drakes competed in fierce races.
He'd probably crack open a beer on the sofa in front of the agency's big TV and wash up late at night.
The delivery would take about thirty minutes.
Checking the time, I grabbed a change of clothes and quickly darted into the shower.
Before the delivery arrived, I finished showering and even changed into my cat pajamas.
I grabbed the burger set the delivery person left at the door, and had dinner with Raven.
Showered, ate, brushed my teeth.
Now, nothing can stop me!
With all my preparations complete, I walked past Raven, who was getting a cold beer from the fridge, dashed to my room to grab my pillow, and headed for his room.
I opened the closet and tossed my pillow onto the bedding.
Then I climbed up the shelves one by one until I reached the top.
‘Close the closet… Alright, let’s do this!’
I took out the Tesseract I had hidden in my pajamas.
Then, I brought the Tesseract up to the ceiling, close to the crack.
Immediately, I felt a faint, ominous purple energy being drawn into the Tesseract.
Just like when I had brought the fragment near it, the dormant Tesseract was absorbing energy from beyond the crack!
‘Ugh, this is… really slow.’
But perhaps because the crack was so small, the amount and speed of the energy being absorbed into the Tesseract were yawn-inducingly slow.
It was so slow that my arm, which was holding the Tesseract up to the crack, started to tremble.
This wasn't going to work. When it became too difficult to hold the Tesseract up, I used my psychokinesis to lift it and keep it close to the crack.
‘This isn't as tiring… but if Raven suddenly opened the closet door, it would look pretty strange, wouldn't it?’
It would be a problem if Raven noticed an unidentified necklace floating in mid-air…
After a moment of thought, I decided to try something. I used my psychokinesis to grab onto the crack itself while holding the Tesseract tightly in my arms.
To my surprise, the faint energy leaking from the crack traveled along my psychokinetic hold and into the Tesseract.
It was as if my psychokinesis had become a conduit.
This is it! A brilliant way to awaken the Tesseract without worrying about Raven finding out!
All I had to do now was focus on maintaining my psychokinesis and wait.
To think the method I came up with last night would actually work!
I was so happy that I couldn't help but roll around on the bedding.
*Creeak.*
“…You like it that much in there?”
….
…Ah, when did you get here?
Raven’s gaze was piercing as he watched me making a commotion inside the closet.
His warm expression, like he was looking at a cute child, was agonizing.
D-Don't look at me like that…!
Overcome with embarrassment, I had no choice but to squirm and hide under the covers.
I really wanted to punch the smirking Raven.