Chapter 62
Chapter 62
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 62
Chapter Title: Idol, Stalker, Management (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Nighthaven, peaceful as ever.
No snow fell, but the winter weather was still cold enough to freeze a person solid.
Amidst a chill that made even fire elementals wrapped in flames pull their coats tighter, a car was mercilessly tearing down the road, ignoring every signal.
*Vroooom! Screeeech!*
The car went airborne for a moment before landing back on the asphalt, leaving dark skid marks in its wake.
It was moving so fast that white smoke billowed from the tires as they violently scraped against the pavement.
Speeding, running red lights, driving against traffic, crossing the center line…
It was a true outlaw of the road, with no excuse to offer if the police were to pull them over.
Perhaps even the passengers found this violent ride too much to bear. A scream erupted from inside the vehicle.
["Hyaaaaah! A car, a car! Over there, too! It's dangerous! Waaaaaaaaah!"]
["C-Calm down, Ms. Cookie! We're not going to hit them!"]
["Ugh, you're so damn loud! Who do you think we're doing this for?!"]
Raven, the black-haired man in the driver's seat, cursed in annoyance as he frantically worked the steering wheel.
To everyone's surprise, the car smoothly weaved through traffic at a seemingly out-of-control speed.
It was an unbelievable feat, as if he lived in a world where time flowed slower just for him.
How long did this intense driving continue, enough to make even those immune to motion sickness feel their stomachs churn?
After exiting the busy main streets and entering a beltway with fewer obstacles, Raven finally seemed to have the leeway to focus on something else, raising his voice to someone.
["David! Where are the bastards who kidnapped our client's daughter?!"]
"The kidnappers are currently on Route 3. Based on their trajectory, I believe their destination is Midnight Airport."
["Trying to flee the country by plane? What a pain in the ass."]
["*Sob!* My Jellybean…!"]
["Hey, don't cry in the car! This is a rental!"]
["Ms. Cookie! Please calm down! If you cry in here, the car will be a mess!"]
["*Waaaah…!* But, the tears…"]
The chaotic voices from the scene came through the call.
It seemed the client had burst into tears, facing the possibility that her daughter might be taken somewhere she could never reach.
Normally, this would be perfectly understandable. However, she happened to be from a rare race whose tears turned into jewels.
Crying streams of tears inside the car… would be extremely annoying in a speeding vehicle.
Especially since it wasn't their own car but a quick rental, Alice was probably inside, frantically trying to catch the tear-jewels floating in the air.
["Looks like we'll have to get to the airport first. David, how long until they reach it?"]
"At this speed, they should arrive at the airport in 20 minutes at the latest."
["20 minutes, huh? Ugh, considering the distance from here to the airport, we'll definitely be late."]
"I'll find the fastest route. For now, take the beltway and go the long way around…"
["No, that'll be too slow. This road is designed to loop way around the lake, so no matter how fast I drive, we'll lose time. We won't make it in 20 minutes that way."]
["No! *Waaaaah!*"]
["Aaargh! Jin, please stop saying things that will make her cry!"]
"But, then…"
*If you're not going to follow the road, how do you plan on getting there?*
David's eyebrows twitched as if he wanted to say just that.
But objecting without an alternative would only be a hindrance when every second counted.
He seemed to be forcing back the words that had risen to the tip of his tongue.
Whether he noticed or not, Raven, showing no intention of slowing down, zipped past other cars and suddenly shouted.
["So we're going to cross the lake!"]
["Eeeeeek!"]
["The lake! Ms. Cookie, hold on tight to me!"]
"W-What… what in the…"
David's mouth hung open, dumbfounded by Raven's utterly absurd conclusion.
First, at the ridiculous idea of crossing a fairly wide lake in a car.
And second, at the fact that Alice was helping him without a shred of doubt.
So, I patted the clearly bewildered David on the shoulder.
It was a gesture meant to say, *Raven isn't the type to suggest the impossible, so let's just trust him.*
["Here we go!"]
["Kyaaaaaaah! I don't want to die like this!"]
*Crash!* As the beltway reached the edge of the lake, Raven's car smashed through the guardrail and plunged toward the water.
It was a heart-stopping sight that made even me, who knew the outcome, clench my fists. No matter how you looked at it, the only future seemed to be sinking to the bottom of the lake.
The car, soaring through the air, was about to fall into the lake when… it landed precisely on top of a Nighthaven tour cruise, also known as a pleasure boat, that was passing under the road at that very moment.
Screams, shattering debris, and the screech of the car's body scraping against the deck created utter chaos. But amazingly, perhaps thanks to his divine driving skills, no one was hurt. Only the screams of the cruise ship's owner grew louder.
Raven's car then drove across the cruise ship, launched off the other side, and landed roughly in a nearby park, tearing up the soil.
Naturally, after falling from a considerable height twice, the car's bumper crumpled like paper and fell off limply.
However, since they had created a much faster shortcut than the long route around the lake, the gamble could be considered a resounding success.
Back on solid ground, the car powerfully tore through the natural scenery and managed to return to the road.
"Does… Mr. Raven have three hearts or something? I truly can't believe it. To think he'd predict a cruise ship would be passing by at that exact moment."
"…"
David, who had been watching the whole ordeal with me via a drone at the agency, was gaping in astonishment.
Raven's actions were beyond bold; they were so radical that they left onlookers bewildered. He seemed unable to keep up. I knew the feeling.
Well, after creating a shortcut in such a brute-force manner, everything went extremely smoothly.
["Excuse me, could you stop for a moment? I'd like to have a little chat…"]
["H-Hieeek! This woman, she ripped out the steering wheel!"]
["The car, the car is flipping oooover!"]
Raven and Alice arrived at the airport safely ahead of the kidnappers. When the kidnappers' vehicle finally showed up, Alice leaped into the driver's seat and flipped it over.
["Gh, ghk… Y-You bastards… Kill them all!"]
["Yes, boss! As you command—Guek!"]
["Hey, you idiots. Stop rampaging in the airport. You're making people nervous."]
And the more than ten kidnappers who crawled out of the overturned vehicle were all taken down in an instant by Raven's rubber bullets, proving to be utterly pathetic.
Of course, having caused such a ruckus in the city, the police who belatedly swarmed the scene tried to arrest not only the kidnappers but Raven as well.
After all, they couldn't just let him go after he'd run wild on the roads like that…
["I'm sorry, but I'm on a job as a Fixer. Given the circumstances, I was wondering if you could let it slide…"]
Raven identified himself as a Fixer and explained that it had been unavoidable.
Fixers, at least within this city, acted as a sort of vigilante force that reduced the workload of the overstretched police, so they had a certain authority that allowed them to bend the law to some extent.
And perhaps because no one was clearly harmed in the process, Raven's illegal acts were successfully overlooked, and the client, Ms. Cookie's, daughter, Jellybean, was safely returned to her family.
In other words, this dynamic job, the first in a while, was successfully completed through everyone's efforts. All's well that ends well.
Hmm? What did I do in all this? Well... I cheered them on, what else?
Besides, when the tear-stained client came to the agency, I'd already done my part by showing her to a seat and serving her tea. By that logic, I contributed a little, too.
"Phew, we're back. My god… You'd think wrecking a car or two is acceptable when you're saving someone. I don't know why they had to chew me out like that."
"They lent it to you for a short ride. Anyone would be upset if it came back completely wrecked…"
Not long after the case was resolved, Raven and Alice returned to the agency.
And Raven, muttering to himself, flopped onto the sofa.
It seemed he'd gotten a proper earful for returning the car he'd hastily borrowed from a nearby auto shop in such a sorry state.
It couldn't be helped. The car had been in perfect condition when they lent it out, only to be returned on the verge of being scrapped just a few dozen minutes later. From their perspective, it was impossible not to be angry.
Still, maybe because they knew each other, it sounded like they'd settled things with him promising to do them a favor later.
"Yuria~ Come here!"
"…"
"Mmm, so warm! Yuria, you're the best!"
Was it because she'd been running around in the cold for so long?
Alice, her body as cold as ice, pulled me into an embrace and rubbed her cheek against the top of my head.
Her body temperature was usually on the warmer side, so for her to be this cold...
It really brought home just how frigid it was outside.
I guess I have no choice. I'll just let her hold me this time.
As I quietly let myself be held in Alice's arms, acting as her personal hot pack, Raven, who was wrapped in a blanket, glanced over and asked.
"Is she that warm? Let me borrow her for a bit. I'm a little cold."
"…!"
"No way, Mr. Raven! See, Yuria's freaking out!"
Ugh, why do I have to hug *that* guy?
Startled by the utterly bewildering suggestion, I turned my back to Raven and snuggled deeper into Alice's embrace.
Was he hurt by my clear rejection?
Raven scratched his head with a dejected look and said he hadn't been serious.
I felt a little bad seeing him look hurt… but he's just a bit much sometimes.
Maybe it's because I've gotten so used to seeing his face first thing in the morning lately. He's kind of like the guy next door.
As I was thinking that and sneaking glances at Raven.
David adjusted his glasses and spoke to the somewhat crestfallen Raven.
"Mr. Raven, if you don't mind me instead…"
"Oh my."
"No, it's fine! I was really just kidding! And Alice, what kind of reaction is that, you punk!"
Where had the person who seemed so troubled when he was alone with me earlier gone?
David flustered Raven with a perfectly serious expression. He couldn't be… serious, right?
From the comfort of Alice's arms, I happily watched the noisy antics of the agency members, then my gaze drifted to the calendar on the wall.
The date written there was Thursday.
Less than a week remained until the day Greg promised to return.
That meant this daily life of mine would end in six days.
*'Time flew by so fast.'*
Looking back, it all went by in a flash. I never thought I'd end up freeloading at the agency, but it had been smoother and more enjoyable than I expected.
Of course, I had no lingering attachments about the impending farewell.
It's not like these people would be in trouble without me; I just saw how capable they were. Who was I to worry about them?
In fact, I'd probably just get in the way more often.
Since I was also worried about my own safety, I figured parting ways here was a win-win for everyone.
*'Phew. Since it's come to this, I should enjoy the time I have left to the fullest. It's not every day I get to see the original story's events with my own two eyes!'*
Having been returned to the sofa by a now-warmed-up Alice, I silently renewed that vow in my heart.
Wondering what kind of client would show up next, my heart pounding with anticipation, was actually quite fun.
*Ding-dong.*
And just then, the doorbell suddenly rang.
That was the sound for when an outsider visited the agency. Probably a new client.
I slipped out of Alice's embrace and neatly straightened my slightly wrinkled clothes.
I gave Raven a nod to let him know I was going, then trotted toward the entrance.
To show up so close to closing time...
Looks like we're either working late today or starting early tomorrow.
Thinking this to myself, I opened the door with a simple, quiet movement.
And there stood… a woman with a rather familiar appearance.
A bob that reached her neck, with two-toned hair, a different color on the outside than the inside.
A picture like a musical note was on her cheek, and her lips were an almost unnervingly vibrant blue, as if painted with thick dye. A beauty.
Have I seen her before?
Of course. There probably aren't many people with such a unique style.
"Uh, uh… Is this, by any chance, the Crowley Fixer Agency…?"
"…!"
There stood Aisha—the monumental first client of the fully formed Fixer agency, and an idol who would play a significant role in the original story.