Chapter 70
Chapter 70
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 70
Chapter Title: Something Special About Yuria's Shopping (1)
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It was a serious situation.
A state of affairs so grave that one couldn't possibly make light of it. A true state of emergency.
It was so serious that even the Tesseract couldn't stay still, fidgeting restlessly.
This was something I absolutely could not let slide.
[Mmm? Mama, did you call?]
Ah, sorry. I didn't call you for anything specific…
Anyway, there are some things kids just don't understand!
I gave the Tesseract a few playful pokes with my psychokinesis.
Then, inside the cramped closet, I once again adopted a serious mood.
Let's think. What day is it today?
[Thursday!]
Right, just as the Tesseract said, today was Thursday.
To be precise, it was exactly five days after Aisha's request had concluded…
And it was also three days past the day Greg was supposed to return.
No, it's evening now. So when I wake up, it'll be the fourth day.
So, after much deliberation, I plopped my forehead onto the soft blanket.
Greg… why aren't you back! You promised you'd return!
“Part-timer, what are you doing in there that's so noisy.”
“…!”
Ah, I wasn't doing anything!
I peeked out of the closet door and shook my head at Raven as if to say I wasn't doing anything.
Then, I closed the door and, to avoid another scolding, quietly crossed my arms.
Putting Raven's scolding aside for a moment.
This was an issue I absolutely couldn't ignore.
Because if Greg didn't come back… I couldn't possibly leave the Fixer Agency.
‘The pay over there is higher than here. I was planning to stop freeloading and find a decent room once Greg returned…’
One of the biggest reasons was that the part-time job at the Fixer Agency didn't pay well.
I come in the morning and leave in the evening, but it feels like I'm only earning pocket money.
Of course, it wasn't like Raven was exploiting me.
Raven himself wasn't exactly well-off, yet he was kind enough to let me stay with him.
Trying to get a high wage on top of that would just be shameless.
It's not like I could just treat him like a pushover. Naturally, I had no complaints about the low pay.
However, it was definitely difficult to save up for rent while working here.
There's a reason I'm sticking around here. It really couldn't be helped.
‘Greg needs to get here soon so I can do something… In the first place, it makes no sense for me to keep staying at Raven's house like this!’
Where did my grand dream of avoiding troublesome matters and spending my time leisurely in a corner of Nighthaven disappear to?
I was itching to get away from this central hub as soon as possible and move to a place where I wouldn't get entangled in the original story.
…Huh? You're wondering how someone who says that can be casually hiding in a closet?
Hey, you still have to do what you have to do. Frankly, who knows if the world will end tomorrow.
That's why, to prepare even a little for the unknown, I was feeding the remaining energy from the rift to the Tesseract. Nom nom.
If anything, you should be praising me for properly handling my business amidst this chaos.
Got it? Do you get it?
[Mama, it's yummy!]
Aww, is that so?
I curled up like a pill bug on the blanket and secretly took out the Tesseract.
A smile crept onto my face as I saw the Tesseract's vibrant form, faintly visible even in the darkness.
Is this what it feels like to raise a child? It was so cute I wanted to feed it one more time.
‘But why am I ‘Mama’? Even when I ask, it just answers, ‘Because Mama is Mama!’ I have no idea why…’
Anyway, this was pretty much my life these days.
If Greg were to contact someone, it would be Raven, not me, since I don't even have a terminal.
Every hour, I'd poke Raven like a bird pecking with its beak, asking if there was any word from Greg.
When the day ended without any news, I'd spend the evening rolling around in the closet before going to sleep in my room.
Then I’d wake up in the morning and repeat the same kind of day all over again.
Considering the original story, something big was probably going to happen soon…
As for me, I could only hope it wouldn't happen until after I'd left this place.
Then, suddenly, a good idea popped into my head.
I've saved up some money from working part-time for a month. Maybe I should get a terminal of my own?
In the cozy darkness of the closet, my eyes sparkled at the brilliant idea I'd come up with.
*
The next day, Friday morning.
Alice arrived at work feeling utterly depressed by the fact that Yuria might be leaving soon.
Her eyes widened at the sight of Yuria dashing down the hallway with a mop.
“…!”
“Ah, hi, Yuria. Good morning. You're full of energy today, huh?”
“…!!”
It was a strange sight.
Just yesterday, she'd been wilting like an overwatered plant, so how could she be so full of life overnight, like a toy with fresh batteries?
Alice quietly passed by Yuria, who was wiping the floor as if dancing, so as not to disturb her.
She then asked Raven, who was sprawled out on the sofa, in a half-whisper.
“Wh-why is Yuria acting like that? Did she hear from Mr. Greg by any chance?”
It was a perfectly reasonable question to have.
It was obvious to anyone that Yuria was down because Greg, who was supposed to be back after a month, was still out of contact.
But for her to be so excited overnight?
It was only natural to assume the problem had been resolved.
However, Raven's reply betrayed Alice's expectations.
“…Nah? Haven't heard from him. She's just been like that since this morning. Something exciting must have happened.”
“Huh? She's like that even though she hasn't heard from Mr. Greg?”
Alice tilted her head, looking utterly confused by Raven's words.
She knew that Yuria was the type of girl who couldn't hide her emotions well, transparent as a glass bead…
But she wasn't the type to have her mood change so drastically for no reason.
There had to be a reason. Alice glanced at Yuria, who was still dashing around the office, and tapped her lips with her finger.
“Something… is suspicious. There must be some outrageous mystery hidden here…!”
“You think so? Seems to me like she's just excited because something good happened.”
“No! Yuria isn't that simple of a girl… Oof!”
“Calm down. She's not an idiot. If something major happened, she'd come talk to us. You're too overprotective.”
Jeez, this one gets so worked up whenever Yuria is involved.
Raven calmed Alice down with a light chop to the top of her head as she showed signs of spiraling out of control.
If it's bothering you that much, don't just make wild guesses. Just ask her what's going on.
He offered this perfectly reasonable advice, speaking seriously to Alice.
If you try to guess what someone is feeling without communicating, you're bound to create misunderstandings and misconceptions.
So, if it's not something you can't ask, just ask them instead of wasting energy on useless things.
As expected of the oldest member in the agency, his words carried weight.
“Mmm… you're right. What you said is true, Jin. I tend to misunderstand things on my own and come to strange conclusions. Thanks. I'll ask her directly!”
“Yeah. I'm curious too. Make sure you ask her what's up.”
“Ehehe, what was that for?”
Alice giggled at Raven's nonchalant remark and approached Yuria with light steps.
And without beating around the bush, she asked her directly why she was so excited.
“…”
“Hm?”
“…!”
At that, Yuria, who was hugging the wooden mop, tilted her head as if in thought for a moment… then, with a playful gesture, she brought a finger to the lips of her mask.
It was a very clear sign that it was a secret.
Ahaha, I see. Well then, let's do our best today!
Alice smiled brightly as if finding Yuria adorable, then naturally did a wide loop around the office and, standing next to Raven, covered her mouth with her fist and started wailing.
“*Sob, sob*… J-Jin! What do I do! Something must have really happened…!”
“Hey, hey, hey, calm down. She doesn't look sad, she clearly looks happy. It must be something good! Just calm down!”
While Raven was sweating bullets, flustered by Alice who looked like she was past crying and on the verge of despair, David arrived for work right on time.
After greeting the restless Yuria as casually as usual,
he approached Alice, who was sobbing with a fist stuffed in her mouth, and spoke.
“Did something happen with Ms. Yuria? Just yesterday, she was drooping like someone who'd eaten spoiled pizza, but now she looks like someone whose stocks just doubled in value.”
“I don't know. Nothing happened.”
“*Sob*, I dunno…”
“Is that so. Then this is… a mystery case!”
“Please, don't you start too. I've got my hands full with just Alice, you punk.”
Raven pressed a hand to his forehead at the sight of the two who couldn't get a grip this morning.
He could understand Alice, who lost all composure in front of something cute.
But David, too, had been acting like he had a screw loose lately, maybe because his psychological limiters came off after Aisha's request. It was getting concerning.
At this rate, there won't be a single sane person left in the agency.
With that thought, he mostly ignored David and Alice, glancing over at Yuria, who had put down the mop and was now holding a duster.
No matter how I look at it, it doesn't seem like her mood improved for some grand reason…
Still, you never know. I should probably check in on her later.
Never imagining that Yuria was simply excited about buying a terminal, Raven secretly had this thought.