I Became the Cute One in the Problem-Solving Team

---

A wrinkled suit that looked like it hadn’t been washed in ages crowned with a wildly unkempt mop of black hair.

He was quite tall, and with a small head, one could say he was handsome if you examined him closely.

Yet, that impression was naturally ruined by his face full of irritation and half-closed eyes.

In a way, he reminded me of a job seeker who had given up on self-care after failing to find employment for a long time, or a slacker who had been long since fired from any job.

I found myself quietly sighing, squeezing my eyes shut while facing him.

“I’ve run into the protagonist…”

It was utterly bewildering.

Up until now, I’d done everything to avoid entangling with the protagonist, but here I was, being dragged to the protagonist’s office by Greg.

This was like following someone on the pretense of getting a nice pork cutlet only to end up in a dentist’s office—how shocking could it get?

But perhaps that blank moment was actually the golden time to escape.

While I fumbled and flustered, before I knew it, I was sitting on the guest sofa of a fixer office.

Across from me were Raven and Alice, while Greg sat beside me.

I was sandwiched in a situation where the tension was doing a number on my insides.

“…So, you want me to take care of that kid?”

“Um, to summarize the story, yes.”

Greg explained to Raven the reason for his unexpected visit that morning.

The gist of it was that due to last night’s bloody incident, he had to leave the country for a while. He was asking if I could fill in for him during that time.

The content itself was touching.

I mean, who looks out for a newly hired employee for just a week like this?

Of course, it wasn’t exactly because he felt empathy for me, but rather because he was responsibly looking out for me, someone who might otherwise become a forgotten castaway.

Even so, it felt like an amount of kindness that could easily warrant calling him “Dad.”

If only it weren’t at the protagonist’s office, that is…

“Ugh…! But seriously, think about it, this is my only option!”

When I thought it over, I realized I had no real choice.

Here I was, an illegal alien hiding my identity behind a mask.

On top of that, I had dangerous supernatural powers that could land me in hot water if discovered, and no one knew, but I even had a Tesseract!

Unless I found some cloth I’d discarded in a back alley and resumed ghost activities, finding a decent job was nearly impossible… No, it was completely impossible.

Aside from working under Greg’s guarantee, I couldn’t think of any viable methods.

Rationally speaking, I had to seize this opportunity.

But perhaps there was something about it that didn’t sit right with me.

Raven scratched his head and shook it, looking quite troubled.

“Hey, this isn’t a daycare or anything. We can’t be raising a kid with nowhere to go.”

“To be precise, it was a request to employ me,” I offered.

“That makes even less sense! Hiring a minor violates the fair labor standards act!”

“I’m fine with it! Oh, so that means Yuria becomes my junior?! Oh my goodness!”

“Hey, who’s even hiring her? The conversation isn’t over yet.”

Raven lightly smacked Alice’s head, which was shining with excitement, before glancing at me, who was just sitting there rolling my eyes.

Then he turned to Greg, asking, “Do we really have to deal with this here? There are plenty of places nearby to work. Even if it’s a minor, if you ask nicely, they might take her.”

“There’s a reason we need to trust the right people. The truth is…”

Greg cautiously revealed that I couldn’t speak, had to hide my face, and had no identification.

It was truly an overwhelming negative spec that could see me immediately dismissed before I hit the normal job market application stages.

Raven’s expression soured at the thought of what he was hearing.

“So, what you’re saying is… you have a minor, who can’t speak, must hide her face, and has no identity, that you want us to employ?”

“Um.”

“Are you kidding?! How’s that supposed to work?!”

“She’s a good kid.”

“You can’t just brush it off with ‘she’s a good kid’! How do you know what she even is? How can we take her in like that?!”

Ah, is this really not going to work?

I slumped my shoulders and held my breath, cautious like a child when mom and dad were fighting.

Well, if it was deemed unreasonable, then it was what it was.

Honestly, I didn’t have high expectations.

I wasn’t the type to push for something out of sheer emotion; that wasn’t my style.

Looking back, it was probably a good thing.

I was the one who was trying to avoid getting entangled with the protagonist’s group that was just getting pulled into all sorts of events.

It’s fine. From now on, I’ll think of this as my own rejection.

Not that I was rejected, but that I rejected it. You get the difference?

“Ahem…”

“Jin, even Greg can give a trustworthy guarantee, right? There must be good reasons for him. Let’s at least give her a chance.”

“Shut up. I don’t want to get involved in messy situations.”

“Don’t you pity Yuria?! Is it okay for that poor kid to starve to death?! You cold-blooded monster!”

“Whose side are you on?!”

As Greg fell silent, Alice jumped in, defending me.

Then she shot me a sly wink that seemed to say, “This is it, right?”

I felt a bit moved by Alice’s sudden display of affection.

In fact, I had considered her a bit of a risky character based on my first impressions.

But maybe it was okay to change that opinion just a little.

“Wait, but how do you know her name?”

“I met her once at Greg’s shop yesterday. Right, Yuria?”

“…!”

“Good grief…”

It seemed Raven sensed Alice’s strong statements came from her cuteness-loving nature, and he looked at her with a dumbfounded expression.

Then he glanced back and forth between Greg and me, clicking his tongue lightly.

“Fine, I guess… we can at least go through an interview.”

“Thank you, Raven.”

“Not that I’m saying we’re hiring her outright. We need to know what she’s capable of first before we consider her for any role.”

Already, Greg was thanking Raven, and Raven replied coldly.

His words radiated a resolute determination to remain coolly judgmental, no matter who said otherwise.

Raven, who’d never looked directly at me until now, finally faced me and asked, “First… what’s your name?”

“It’s Yuria.”

“How old are you?”

“That’s a secret.”

“…What’s your specialty?”

“I have exceptional calculation skills and keen observation abilities. I particularly have a knack for anticipating and providing what guests need before they even ask.”

“Experience… Wait, why are you answering everything? Are you her parent?”

Raven shot a bemused glance at Greg, who had been answering my questions for me.

It looked like he was staring at a parent who was overly invested in their child.

But Greg carried himself proudly, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

“Well, Yuria can’t speak. To ensure a smooth conversation, I’ve merely answered for her.”

“Who cares! That’s clearly Jin’s fault for asking questions that can’t be answered with yes or no!”

“Ugh… I get it, I get it. Just, both of you quiet down. I need to communicate with her properly.”

To think that without even having to say a word, I could pressure Raven!

Having Greg beside me and Alice diagonally across felt incredibly reassuring.

But I couldn’t keep relying on others for help indefinitely.

Like how a bicycle can only prove its real skill once you remove the training wheels.

With the two of them helping ease my tension, I managed to smile slightly behind my mask.

I faced Raven, feeling a lot more at ease.

“Alright. If you’re going to work here, what exactly can you help with?”

Raven asked with a serious expression.

It was indeed a necessary question.

Greg wasn’t asking me to feed him for a month; it was to employ me as a worker.

And to be treated like a paying employee, I naturally had to show value necessary for that role.

So I needed to prove what I, just a speechless kid, could actually do.

‘Sure, showing my telekinesis would be simple, but… that’s not the answer.’

I resolved to draw a clear line between Raven, Alice, and me.

They were undoubtedly genuinely good people within this city, evidently rare finds.

Raven might have appeared as a bit of a softy who’s overly generous and helpful.

Alice was simply sweet, like a people-loving puppy.

Thus, it was better if we didn’t become entangled.

They would have to work hard to address the original story’s issues.

Meanwhile, I had my own problems to resolve—like my superpowers and the Tesseract.

For now, we were just strangers who’d crossed paths for a brief month.

I had no intention of dumping my baggage on them.

So using telekinesis to unnecessarily complicate things was a definite no-go.

There was a risk someone might find out I’m the ghost Alice is looking for, leading to even more complicated situations.

‘So, without utilizing my telekinesis, what skills do I have left? Well… I think this is all I got.’

Having made up my mind, I sprang up from the sofa.

Then, as if to catch Raven’s attention, I glanced over at him.

I looked around, and then walked toward the large potted plant in the corner of the reception area.

Focusing intently on the potted plant…

I swiftly ripped off a black something stuck to a leaf and proudly presented it to Raven.

“Huh?”

“This is…”

Raven and Alice looked puzzled as if they didn’t quite get it.

As they received the leaf, they examined it closely and then suddenly gasped in shock.

“…A camera?”

“Ah! Sister!”

Indeed.

What I had cleverly concealed among the leaves was none other than a miniature camera.

Raven showed a look of disbelief, while Alice reacted with embarrassment, covering her face with her hands.

The reason for their reactions was simple.

The culprit behind that camera was Alice’s older sister, Sakura-gaki Lily.

In the original story, she was more of a supporting character than a protagonist. A rather rare female mechanic and a risky stalker of Raven.

Thus, hiding her miniature cameras around the office was more of a daily routine for her.

I merely recalled where I had remembered her hiding spots from the original story.

Knowing or not knowing that, Raven, appearing deep in thought, asked me with a certain glimmer in his eyes, “Do you know anything else besides this?”

“…!”

Of course!

I confidently nodded and began rummaging around the reception area, locating every hidden miniature camera.

Under the sofa, on the lamp, in the ceiling corners, beneath the snack basket, between the table screws.

I ended up finding over six miniature cameras in the blink of an eye.

Honestly, I had subtly used my telekinesis for this process.

I could vaguely sense where those tiny cameras were hidden by spreading my telekinesis as thinly as paper.

Of course, I only used it for detection and removed the cameras manually.

This was a unique skill of mine—camera detection!

How about that? Impressive, right?

I puffed out my chest in pride and flashed Raven a confident peace sign.

“How do you know all this? Yuria is amazing!”

“Hmm, truly the power of keen observation.”

“No, this isn’t just observation…. How on earth did you find something that doesn’t even reflect light?”

But my triumphant moment didn’t last long.

For suddenly, Alice pulled me into a hug, deliriously sparkling with excitement over my performance.

The sweet scent of peaches wafted close, along with the soft, warm body of a woman.

Had it been too stimulating? My brain felt like it short-circuited.

This… is just too intense!

“Jin! Let’s hire her already! Our Yuria will definitely be a huge help! You’d be losing out on such a keen eye if you let her go! Hurry, hurry!”

“You definitely won’t regret it! I mean, my store’s revenue shot up sixfold because of her. She’s a lucky charm.”

“Ugh… I wasn’t planning on having her do anything too crazy anyway…”

Being hugged by Alice, who now stole a half-soul from me, Raven scratched his head helplessly and finally spoke up.

“Alright, well… you said a month, right? I guess a month should be fine… But there’ll be no extensions! Got it?”

“Yay! Yuria! This is great!”

“Um, thanks for accommodating my unreasonable request.”

“Are you listening? No extensions! I said it clearly!”

As Alice jubilantly celebrated, Greg nodded stoically, and Raven looked uneasy.

I quietly thought to myself, feeling joy mixed with a hazy mindset.

‘No, it’s all good. Just please let me out of this hug….’

Crawley Fixer’s Office, temporary part-time worker confirmed!

Now, should I be celebrating this?

I couldn’t help but tilt my head in confusion.