Chapter 77
Chapter 77
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 77
Chapter Title: Yuria Repays a Favor (1)
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When people face a completely unexpected situation, they tend to freeze up.
Like being so startled by a truck suddenly emerging from an alley that you can't even dodge and get hit.
This reaction is often called the freeze response, and for me, the news that Greg was in danger was exactly that.
Because in the month since he left the city, it was something I had never once considered.
‘You said you’d be back soon, didn't you? After saying that, you do this to me?’
I replayed my last moments with Greg in my mind, clenching my fists tightly.
The image of him saying he’d be back soon because nothing would happen was still vivid in my mind.
As the initial shock subsided like a receding wave, a torrent of suppressed emotions rushed in like a downpour.
Worry, anger, disappointment, impatience, frustration, anxiety…
I couldn't just stand by like this.
Unable to bear the boiling feeling inside me, I bolted for the door.
“Wait, hold on. Where do you think you're going?”
“…!”
No, I was *about* to bolt.
If Raven, who was next to me, hadn't grabbed my shoulder so tightly it throbbed.
What are you doing? Don't get in my way!
I glared at Raven, feeling a sharp pain radiate from my shoulder and a small sense of betrayal.
But he just looked back at me with cold, emotionless eyes.
“Do you even know where Greg is? Rushing outside right now isn't going to solve anything.”
“…”
“So, don't waste your energy on pointless actions. Just wait patiently. If you do something reckless now, you'll only get in the way. Trust me.”
Raven's expression was utterly cold.
A sharp focus devoid of his usual playfulness.
Thanks to that, I was barely able to see myself objectively.
My heart was pounding so hard my head ached, and my breathing was as ragged as if I'd just sprinted.
A plan? Of course not. If Raven hadn't stopped me, I probably would have just started flying around the city with psychokinesis.
‘And that… would have been a foolish act, solving nothing and only worsening the situation by acting on emotion.’
Realizing this, I gritted my teeth and forced my legs to stop.
Did he notice the change in me? Raven slowly released his grip on my shoulder.
It seemed he thought I wouldn't rush out recklessly if he let me go.
But even though I'd regained my composure, my emotions hadn't settled.
The suffocating, agonizing feeling of someone squeezing my insides was still there.
“Calm down. I know Greg is important to you in many ways. But he's a guy we have connections with too, so we're not going to ignore this. Besides… there's still a way to save him.”
“…?”
How, with just one message asking for help?
I looked at him, my gaze full of doubt.
Raven then held out the screen to me as if to say ‘look closely.’
“Look at this message from Greg. Strangely, it wasn't sent through an identification number, but through an internet service. This method is quite convenient, but… it has a security flaw: it assigns an IP address.”
“…!”
“Well, normally the service provider would secure this stuff thoroughly, making it difficult to access from the outside… but we have someone who's a genius at this sort of thing, don't we?”
As he said that, Raven unhesitatingly opened his terminal and sent a message.
The recipient was probably David, who was likely off his guard thinking it was Sunday.
Such a ruthless boss. I love it. Go on!
Ignoring the throbbing pain in my shoulder, I nodded. As he was messaging David, he looked up from his terminal and spoke.
“Um… is your shoulder okay?”
“…?”
“Sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you.”
What, why are you apologizing for that? It was my fault.
Seeing Raven, who had just been glaring at me like he'd kill me if I messed around, now rubbing his neck and apologizing, I shook my head.
This isn't some good cop, bad cop routine.
Besides, my feelings weren't hurt in the first place. There was no need for him to be sorry.
If anything, I should be thanking him for stopping me from making an irreversible mistake.
So, to convey my sincere feelings, I firmly headbutted Raven's stomach while he was off guard.
They say cats show affection with headbutts. I wonder if he got the general idea.
“Kh, khaha, right. You're not the type to dwell on little things like this. Okay. Go get changed. We're leaving as soon as we hear from David.”
“…?”
“What do you mean, why? You're coming too. You want to help Greg, don't you?”
“…!”
That… of course!
I nodded vigorously at Raven, who was flashing a handsome smile I rarely got to see.
Then, without a backward glance, I scampered off to my room.
I tossed off my clothes and changed into my usual maid outfit.
Then, dressed in my neat, wrinkle-free uniform, I sat quietly on the office sofa.
The longest way around is always the shortest way home.
I suppressed the emotions trying to burst forth and waited quietly on the sofa.
[ Mama… are you okay? ]
Tesseract asked cautiously, as if it could read the anxiety in my heart.
But right now, I was really okay.
Raven told me to trust him. So it would be okay to trust him.
After all, Raven is the protagonist.
Of course, it was a one-in-a-million chance, something that would never really happen, but…
If Greg were to get seriously hurt…
I'm not sure if I could stay this calm then.
Tick, tock.
In the quiet office, only the sound of the clock's second hand was clear.
My anxiety hadn't completely vanished; it seemed to be watching me silently.
***
I was sitting on the sofa with my eyes closed as if meditating when Raven walked out from the back.
It seemed he had changed in the meantime; he was wearing the drab suit he usually wore for work.
“Good news. David successfully traced the IP and found Greg's location.”
“…!”
“Greg is in Belmond. It's a coastal city, a half-day's drive from Nighthaven.”
I had a feeling, and it turns out he really was outside Nighthaven.
But a half-day drive? We'll be too late!
I furrowed my brow with a grave expression.
It was a relief it wasn't in another country, but the distance was still a problem.
We won't make it in time like this.
As I worried about it, Raven continued in a serious tone.
“If we leave right now, we'll probably arrive in the city around dawn tomorrow. Since we don't know what the situation is over there, this obviously isn't ideal.”
“…”
“That's why we're not taking a car. We'll use another method.”
Another method…
Train or plane tickets would be hard to get right now.
Besides, I don't have an ID or anything. Can I even ride one?
Wait, is this also something Fixers can do?
Unable to think of any other way, I placed my hands on my knees and looked at him, asking for a detailed explanation.
Raven then explained nonchalantly, as if it were no big deal.
“Remember Rurika, the girl we met a while back? Turns out she has a flight scheduled to go abroad today, so we're going to hitch a ride on her private jet. That should cut our travel time down to about two hours.”
“…!”
A miracle that turns half a day into two hours!
A plane is so much better than a car.
And with a private jet, we wouldn't have to bother with things like tickets.
Our destination isn't abroad, so we won't need passports either.
Wait, but she just agreed to it? Without any conditions?
As I tilted my head, deep in thought, he cleared his throat and continued.
“In return, she said she wants to use you and Alice in another music video when we have time. Apparently, the last one was quite a hit.”
“…”
“Well, that's the deal. Let's head out right away. We need to be at the airport by six. No time to waste.”
Urged on by Raven, I had no choice but to hurry after him.
As we walked, Raven explained the plan step by step.
Get to the city as fast as possible, find a trace of Greg since he's out of contact, figure out what happened, and help him somehow.
However, since Belmond isn't as friendly to Metahumans as Nighthaven, it seemed Alice and David couldn't come along.
‘But Alice looks exactly like a human, wouldn't she be fine?’
The thought occurred to me, and I mimed drawing a sword from my waist, asking about Alice.
But he shook his head, saying that anyone with magic flowing through them has to wear a magic-restricting collar anyway.
Ah, right. That would just draw unnecessary attention.
I nodded at Raven to show I understood.
So it's just me and Raven going. That felt like quite a burden on my heart.
Thanks to the smooth traffic within the city, it didn't take long to get to the airport.
Thankfully, we reached the airport before our 6 o'clock departure time.
“Yo, we're here.”
“Ah, the piece of human trash who only calls when he needs something and… Yuria, hi. You remember me, right?”
“…!”
“Wow, what a cold reception…”
I raised my hand in greeting to the strangely friendly Rurika.
She was somehow similar to Alice, so her friendly demeanor didn't feel burdensome.
At least she wasn't the type to hug me and sniff the top of my head right after meeting me.
In fact, in terms of personal space, she was actually more comfortable to be around.
Raven, suddenly given the cold shoulder, rubbed his neck as he watched me and Rurika, then spoke to her as if it didn't bother him, thanking her.
“Well, thanks for letting us on the jet today. It was a real emergency. You're a lifesaver.”
“Hmph. I didn't do it for you. I agreed for Alice and Yuria's sake. Thank them. Why would I give a ride to a drab guy like you?”
“Yeah, yeah, sorry for being so drab.”
“…”
Well then, get on.
Rurika said, pointing to the private jet with her thumb.
Inside, there were surprisingly quite a few people. I heard they were staff and crew.
I guess for overseas shoots, you often have dozens of staff members going along.
Maybe chartering a private jet was just more convenient for her.
“Oh my. Yuria, Mr. Raven.”
“Huh? You're…”
“…!”
“It's me, Aisha. Haha, does the makeup look a little awkward?”
Surprisingly, Aisha, a familiar face, was also on the jet.
As part of the same agency as Rurika, it seemed she was going to naturally build her recognition during the overseas shoot.
She's had her own share of hardships in the past. I hope things go well for her.
Not long after, the jet took off from the airport without a hitch.
I was relieved that the flight attendant didn't ask for my identification; they must have been briefed beforehand.
It was my first time on a plane in this world, a moment that should have made my heart pound with excitement…
But with Greg still on my mind, I couldn't just enjoy it.
Huh, but didn't they say it was an overseas shoot? Can they just drop us off midway?
As I tilted my head, pondering this question, I soon discovered the secret.
“Alright, we're heading out first. Good luck with the shoot. Let's go, Yuria!”
“…”
Whoosh!
At the open door of the private jet, Raven and I were suddenly wearing parachute packs on our backs.
This isn't some battle royale game.
Who jumps out of a plane with a parachute!
With that thought, I couldn't even scream as I jumped with Raven into the windy sky.
No matter how urgent it was, to think of jumping out of a moving plane with a parachute.
As expected, Raven wasn't normal either.