I Became the Cute One in the Problem-Solving Team

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There’s a common saying.

If you were to see the recording of a comedy show in person, it would be so boring that it would be hard to believe.

Well, that was to be expected.

A variety show is merely a condensed compilation of the best parts from hours of footage. Naturally, the raw, unedited footage would feel quite dull.

And perhaps, that’s how life is as well.

Enduring and waiting for a long time for brief moments of joy and happiness. It’s precisely because of the mundane, ordinary days that joy becomes precious.

Why am I suddenly thinking like this?

It’s simply because my daily life at the problem-solving office was surprisingly peaceful.

“What’s this oversized fishbowl? Is it some kind of high-heeled shoe for merfolk?”

I was currently mopping the corridor of the office, which was a mess from a flood.

The cause? A fishbowl belonging to a client from the merfolk race.

If your head is small, you should wear a small bowl, but wandering around, dripping water from a loose fishbowl was just a nuisance.

Ah, in this context, the fishbowl referred to the round helmets that merfolk wear.

These products contain water that provides oxygen for merfolk, who often feel strong discomfort on land.

Of course, it made sense to choose a size that fits your head properly, but it seemed like there was a trend among merfolk where bigger was better. What a strange fashion among them.

Anyway, due to this workload arising, I was struggling to push the mop with my weak, soft arms when I suddenly felt something move at the edge of my vision and looked out the window.

“Snow.”

The sky was overcast, casting a gray hue as white snowflakes danced down like sugar.

It was the first snow.

The first snow of the year, and at the same time, the first snow I was seeing as Yuria.

I didn’t feel anything extraordinary.

I wasn’t a kid excitedly bouncing at the sight of snow falling in the city.

Still, perhaps it was simply in my nature to be captivated by the sight of rain or snow—it wasn’t bad at all to see snow settling on the splendid city.

“Oh my, it’s snowing!”

“Whoa, really! Well, thinking about the date, it’s about time for the first snow.”

Did Alice and Raven notice this as they wiped up the water by the couch?

The two paused from raising the couch and gazed out the window, watching the first snow.

Well, unlike Alice, who was sparkling with delight over the snow, Raven wore a facial expression that seemed to suggest he was just annoyed by an inconvenience.

Had Raven’s expression caught Alice’s attention?

With a puzzled head tilt, she asked, “Jin, why do you look so uncomfortable? It’s the first snow! Let’s at least be happy for a moment.”

“Snow is something that only pure-hearted children enjoy, you know. Once you grow up, you learn to hate it. Do you know who will have to clean that up?”

“Uh… it will melt on its own, right?”

“If you leave it alone, it won’t just melt halfway; it turns into a slippery ice patch. Then, you have to break the ice or annoyingly sprinkle dirt on it. It doubles the work.”

Well, it didn’t seem like the snow falling now would pile up, but Raven said that, scratching the back of his head with annoyance.

Is that the perspective of an adult who has lost their childhood innocence?

Considering he was a soldier before becoming a fixer, I could roughly guess where that line of thought came from.

After all, cleaning up snow is indeed a hassle.

As I nodded along to acknowledge his words, the scene outside, which over time bored Raven, said something to Alice.

“Alright, Alice, get back to the couch. You haven’t dried everything yet.”

“Aww, but my goodness, just a little more! Jin is so coldhearted. You don’t have any feelings!”

“Shut up. Do you think I’d be responsible if mold grew on the floor? Do you even know how much it costs to maintain this office monthly? Last time, I had to patch up the doorknob you broke, and now my wallet is thin!”

“… Ugh. I’m really sorry for breaking the doorknob! But if you’re really concerned about money, could you stop gambling on those dragon races? The reason your wallet is thin is that you keep throwing money away!”

Those two are fighting again.

I looked at Alice and Raven, who had suddenly begun arguing, in disbelief before gradually tuning them out while I finished mopping the floor.

Today marked the seventh day I’d been working here.

It happened almost every day, a trivial event of sorts.

Just how many fighting topics could there possibly be in this tiny office?

Last time, they bickered for over an hour over toilet paper.

Anyway, they would make up quickly and return to normal, so I stopped thinking about it after a few days. It only drained my energy.

“If money is so important, just sell what you impulsively bought on home shopping last time…”

“Not that! We’re suddenly employing two kids, and taking away my only hobby is…”

“Ha! It’s absurd to call me a kid! Where do I even look like a kid?!”

“…”

Ah, I can’t hear you, la la la.

I went to wring out the mop filled with water, partially to escape and slip out the back door of the office.

The problem-solving office occupied the entire second floor of an old building.

Is that why? The back door connected to an external staircase.

So, stepping out the back door directly brought me into the snow.

“It feels like it’s been a while since I’ve seen snow.”

Seeing it through the window and seeing it right in front of me feel entirely different.

While glancing around, I held the mop, almost my height, tight against me.

I extended my hand forward, letting the falling snowflakes land softly in my palm.

“…”

The settled snowflake melted quickly against my body warmth.

That single droplet remained in my palm after it became a small drop of water.

I quietly gazed at the droplet and wiped it on my skirt before cautiously descending the stairs.

A daily life filled with amusing people and unending commotion seemed to vanish once grasped, much like snowflakes.

Well, whether it’s snowflakes or whatever else.

If spring can come, that’s all that matters.

*

I quietly used telekinesis to drain the mop’s water in a secluded corner and returned to the office.

By the time I returned, the tension from their earlier argument had seemingly cooled off.

Raven and Alice sat at either end of the same couch, their heads turned, staring at their smartphones.

If that’s the case, why are they even sitting on the same couch?

I couldn’t help but suppress a chuckle as I nonchalantly squeezed between them.

“Hey, why are you bothering to sit here? It’s cramped.”

“Y-Yuria? There’s space over there…”

The couch barely had enough room for three people.

Technically, I was small, but this couch was unquestionably a two-seater.

It was uncomfortably sized for three people to sit on.

But that’s what makes it meaningful.

I first glanced at each of their troubled faces before grabbing their hands and plopping them onto my thighs.

As their hands naturally met, Raven and Alice turned their eyes away in awkwardness.

“Ugh…”

“Ahem…”

Look at them, those fools.

Thinking back, it dawned on me that they were upset about something trivial.

How long had they been at odds, unsure when to make up?

Knowing that they could settle things by tomorrow morning when they returned to work, I was prepared to sacrifice myself for the office’s peace.

After all, if they fought for a silly reason, they could also make up in a silly way.

“Enough… sigh.”

“Um, well…”

I pressed down on the backs of their hands as they tried to pull away, a strong indication that I wouldn’t let go until they made up.

In the end, perhaps they couldn’t help but surrender to my charisma.

They began apologizing to each other with awkward, sorry expressions.

“Ha… Jin, I’m sorry for breaking the doorknob. I should’ve been more careful.”

“No worries. If I hadn’t been so careless with the dragon races, the doorknob wouldn’t have broken. I have my fair share of faults. I’m sorry too.”

Of course, these words didn’t need to be remembered—nothing mattered whether they listened or tuned them out.

Alice might accidentally break something in the office today without realizing it.

And Raven wouldn’t be able to resist the thrill of the dragon races.

But it didn’t matter.

What I wanted was for this awkward atmosphere to disappear before we could clock out.

Besides, I’d only been working here for three weeks.

Whether bad habits changed or not was up to them.

Sure, this level of making up was enough.

I nodded to Alice and Raven as if to say I did well.

While preventing disputes is tough, resolving them afterward isn’t, after all.

Feeling a tad proud of preserving today’s peace, I thought,

“Indeed, I am still rational and reasonable. Where else can you find a kid like me?”

I certainly wasn’t bothered by Raven’s little “kid” comment.

Really, truly, with no lie, that was my pure, sincere heart.

“No. On the contrary, I think it wouldn’t be bad for me to take an interest in the dragon races like Jin. I wonder what makes them so fun…”

“Good idea. I won’t be betting anymore, but dragon races are worth witnessing at least once in life. Especially the exhilaration of Andreas 11…”

As the atmosphere returned to normal, as if they hadn’t been awkward at all, a familiar story drifted in from the TV, which had earlier been white noise.

[ … In other news, Nemesis Corporation, a prosthetic specialist, has made headlines by developing the world’s first magical prosthetic arm. Their recently announced ABP-1137 demonstrates the possibility of combining magic and machinery, long regarded as unachievable. They prove the ability to flow magic into the artificially designed prosthetic using their unique method, marking a new chapter in history… ]

Ah, that.

I recognized it from the original.

Maybe I leaned in like a meerkat, straightening my back, because it was a news story that caught my attention.

Raven and Alice, who had been chatting cheerfully about dragon races, also turned their gaze to the screen I was watching.

“A prosthetic arm with magic? Jin, is that even possible? Magic doesn’t flow unless it’s in a body, right?”

“Not sure. If it’s on the news, I suppose it must be possible? I don’t really know.”

“Wow… so now people among the other races with physical disabilities can freely use prosthetics!”

Alice clapped her hands lightly in joy, viewing it as remarkable.

After all, most anti-prosthetic sentiments among the other races stemmed from issues with magic.

As she said, it opened a new horizon of opportunities for them.

If this is true, that is.

“Are you perhaps interested in that?”

“Well, I have some interest, yes…”

“Do you have a job now?”

“…”

I nodded.

Knowing now was when that moment from the original occurred, I could approximately guess what proposal he was about to present.

“Then, would you like to join me for a party hosted by Nemesis? It’s in four days.”

“What? How did you get invited to such a place?”

“I received an invitation about a week ago. Several months back, one of my clients was someone involved with Nemesis.”

“That would be… when I was absent. I want to go! I’m really curious about the prosthetic arms they made!”

“Okay. Are you coming too, Yuria?”

“…!”

There was no reason to refuse the launch party organized by Nemesis to celebrate their new magic-adaptive prosthetics.

After all, at this time, Nemesis was a well-established corporation hosting opulent events. And delicious food served continuously? How could I resist?

Moreover, there was another reason I couldn’t turn it down.

That was simply that this party was….

“I absolutely can’t miss the moment when the group from the problem-solving office becomes complete!”

It was the stage where the third member of the problem-solving office would take the lead.

I could just observe hidden among the crowd without needing to be there, anyway!

This will be fun! I felt my heart race with excitement!