I Became the Cute One in the Problem-Solving Team

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It was certainly a good thing.

After being invited by Raven to accompany him to the party hosted by the Nemesis Saga.

Until I started picturing the complete and finished appearance of the solution office in my mind.

But is there really such a thing as happiness in this world without a price?

Soon, I faced a trial that made me break into a cold sweat.

“Dress code?”

Alice gazed at Raven across the sofa, her eyes wide open.

It was as if she had heard that word for the first time in her life.

“Uh. I guess they’re a big company or something. They want at least some minimum dress code to get into the party. For men, it’s suits. For women, it’s dresses. Something like that.”

“A-ah… a dress, huh…”

“Don’t you have anything suitable to wear for this kind of occasion?”

“Hmm, well… I do have something, but it’s all Japanese-style, so I’m not sure if that’s okay?”

“Japanese style? Ah, so you’re saying it’s like kimono. Uh… I don’t know.”

Raven stroked his chin as if pondering for a moment.

Normally, he would be against wearing traditional attire at such parties.

Especially considering the casual atmosphere that would invite someone like Raven, who had no real connection to the company.

In the end, what mattered with the dress code was to observe a semblance of manners and formality.

In that sense, traditional clothing might stand out a bit, but it didn’t deviate much from the intention.

Of course, it would be noticeable if everyone else was in dresses and suits while I wore a kimono.

But I thought, does it really matter to me? Buying an expensive dress just to watch a party seems a bit much.

“Well, it should be fine. I’ll ask the organizers. But, it can’t be something that shows off your panty strings.”

“Ugh…! P-panty strings?! They won’t show! That’s harassment! Seriously!”

Alice flushed bright red with anger at Raven’s words.

Oh, now that I think about it, he might be right. Usually, if a slit goes that deep, wouldn’t the strings be peeking out?

Why haven’t I ever seen Alice’s panty strings until now?

As I pondered this mysterious phenomenon, Alice, whose face had turned the color of a self-reflecting octopus, suddenly hugged me and shouted.

“Then I’m fine! But what about Yuria?”

“Hmm? Oh right. Our part-timer probably has nothing to wear.”

Why is this suddenly bouncing back to me? I’ve been sitting here quietly.

Well, it wasn’t wrong.

It was indeed a problem that I could only afford pajamas and a maid uniform while needing a dress code to participate in the party.

And generally, clothes suitable for such occasions tend to be pricey.

Given that I was broke, buying something would be difficult.

“Alice, don’t you have any clothes from when you were little?”

“Those are all back at my family home. And I’ve grown tall since I was a kid…”

“Hmm, I get a sense of that.”

“Wh-what are you looking at?”

Thwack!

Alice’s foot flew through the air like a whip and hit Raven’s thigh.

Since I was in her arms, I could understand the rationale behind her attack.

I could tell where Raven’s gaze had momentarily lingered. Alice was indeed quite tall.

Of course, it lacked any real power given the awkward posture, but perhaps it was because she was so strong.

He rubbed the area that was hit, pretending to be indifferent, and brought up another suggestion.

“Then how about we just borrow a suitable dress? It should be much cheaper than buying one.”

“Is that okay? That would still be reasonably expensive. Jin, you don’t have money either.”

“Well, I’ve saved a bit for times like this. Let’s consider it employee benefits.”

Raven’s choice here was to rent rather than purchase.

Clothes worn only on specific occasions tend to carry a bit of a burden when bought personally.

Like wedding dresses. You only wear those for weddings, so spending hundreds of thousands on them feels excessive, right?

Thus, rental shops that target such demand existed, offering much cheaper rates for clothes.

It seemed Raven was aiming in that direction.

But I really don’t want to wear a dress…?

“When should we go? Considering the schedule, the sooner the better.”

“Let’s go today! Anyway, you’re free, right?”

“Well, that’s true. Your own will is more important though. What about our part-timer?”

“Yuria, are you busy tonight? Want to go shop for clothes with me?”

“…”

The fiery gaze of Alice, who clearly wasn’t asking if I’d be going, and Raven’s nonchalant attitude suggesting not to worry about money.

The atmosphere couldn’t possibly allow for a refusal.

But really, what would happen if I did reject it?

Am I not going to the party? Am I just going to miss out on the moment when the solution office becomes complete?

‘Ugh, ugh… Guess I’ll just choose the least daring option…’

I bowed my head deeply in Alice’s familiar embrace.

I never imagined I’d end up wearing a dress.

Is this really happening? A wave of self-doubt suddenly surfaced.

*

The rental shop I needed was located around the bustling downtown area.

From what Raven gathered, it seemed to be one of the cheaper children’s clothing rental shops nearby.

Wait, do I really have to wear children’s clothes? Even a dress?

It felt like a sad treatment that could bring tears to my eyes.

“Welcome! Oh, are you a couple?”

“No! Absolutely not!”

“I’m the one who called earlier. I’m looking for a child’s dress. And we’re definitely not a couple.”

“Oh my, I’m sorry. You look so good together that I couldn’t help it. Ahem, children’s clothing is over here.”

The shop owner cheerfully led us further inside the store.

As I looked around, indeed, the children’s clothing shop seemed to be confirmed, as the overall size of the clothes was rather cute.

“Wow, this is… uh, err…”

The designs of the clothes displayed here naturally left me in shock.

White dresses, blue dresses, red dresses, purple dresses….

Each one brimming with frills, some adorned with huge ribbons or decorative flowers.

A veritable feast of dresses that would surely delight any young girl, reminiscent of princess attire.

I thought I had mentally prepared myself when I left the office.

But now that I was here imagining myself in those clothes, I felt my cheeks burn with shame.

“Oh wow, this one looks nice. Yuria, your hair and skin are light, so how about a deep red?”

“Um, well… isn’t it a bit too much?”

“Wow, this one’s also great. If Yuria wears it, she’ll look like a total fairy!”

“Yeah, it looks good.”

“Hey, Jin, that’s a bit too lacking in emotion, don’t you think?”

While I was dazed by this cruel fate, I suddenly heard Alice and Raven chatting as they browsed through the clothes.

Curious about what clothes they found, I looked over at Alice and saw a deep raspberry dress and a pastel-colored dress.

I didn’t have the discerning eye for dresses, so I couldn’t tell if they were good or bad.

But one thing was clear: the thought of walking around outside in that made cold sweat run down my back, and my heart felt uneasy.

‘Really, do I have to wear it…?’

To be honest, I didn’t really want to wear it in the first place.

After all, that sort of dress was completely different from the maid uniform I was currently wearing.

The maid uniform was kind of like a uniform, something I could regard as work clothes.

That dress was no different than declaring “Look at me, I’m a young girl~!”

Physically, that wasn’t wrong in any sense!

But I still wasn’t prepared to fully accept that reality.

‘Ugh… but if it’s to check out the original story…!’

Of course, I could just refuse to wear it here, and not go to the party.

No one was forcing me with a knife to my throat, and Raven wouldn’t drag me to the party against my will.

But when balancing my small sense of shame against the desire to directly see a significant scene from the original story.

No matter how much I thought about it, I was bound to lean towards the latter.

Am I really going to choose to endure just because I don’t want to wear a dress? Am I dumb?

I’m already hiding my face; what’s so embarrassing about it anyway?

“Is the young lady going to wear this? Then… please choose one from these. This one should fit perfectly.”

“Yuria, pick one.”

“…”

Okay. In that case, I’ll just wear it.

Having made up my mind, I casually glanced around with a serious look.

Then I picked the simplest blue dress that didn’t reveal much skin, raising it up like a model lifting a baby lion.

This should suffice. I didn’t need to look further; let’s just wrap this up.

Words couldn’t convey it, but that was the meaning behind my gesture.

“Oh my, you picked quite a classic one! Want to try it on?”

“Is that allowed?”

“Of course! You can’t choose clothes without trying them on.”

“Perfect! Try it on, Yuria.”

“Huh? Try it on? Here?”

While I blinked in confusion, I found myself being hurriedly pushed to the fitting room with the dress in hand.

And all that remained was a mirror larger than myself and a plain dress I was holding.

As I unexpectedly found myself dressed up, I stared blankly at my reflection in the mirror.

‘…Okay, I should at least try it on. After all, I’ll be wearing it to the party.’

I once again checked that the fitting room was properly locked.

Hesitantly, I hung the dress on one side and slowly slipped off my maid uniform.

Now I was able to take off my maid uniform without even closing my eyes, putting on the surprisingly simple dress.

And when I thought I was about done, I glanced at the mirror.

There stood a young girl dressed in an unrealistically charming outfit adorned with a fox mask… uh, this is a bit embarrassing.

‘Ah, no way.’

I quickly returned to my original maid outfit from the dress.

Though no one was around to see me, I couldn’t handle the ultimate cuteness that was flawless no matter how you looked at it.

Can’t you at least pick a style that looks good on me!?

Overwhelmed by the waves of emotion crashing my sanity, I had no choice but to raise my hands in surrender.

“Huh? Yuria, what’s wrong? Is there something wrong with the dress?”

“…”

“D-do you want me to bring you another one?”

“…”

Shake, shake, shake.

Clutching the dress, I trudged out of the fitting room while shaking my head at Alice’s question.

She likely thought there was something wrong with the dress.

But I felt too embarrassed to admit that I just didn’t want to wear it.

I’m sorry for being in such a country. I just… don’t want to go to the party…

As I returned the dress to the shop owner while feeling down, Raven, who had been quietly observing from the back, suddenly spoke up.

“If it’s not a dress, is something else okay?”

“Huh? Jin, what are you saying all of a sudden?”

“I’m asking if it’s fine if it’s not a dress. What about our part-timer?”

How did he know I didn’t want to wear a dress?

When I looked at him, astonished, as if he had read my mind.

Raven clicked his tongue, walked over to the shop owner, and said,

“Do you have something like a children’s suit? Show us something that would fit her.”

“Well… but…”

“Even for a girl, there isn’t that much difference with a boy at this age. It won’t look odd.”

Was it just my misunderstanding?

His eyes, when he said that, looked strangely sad or something.

“Is it okay for Yuria not to wear a dress?”

“…!”

Well, I certainly didn’t mind.

Not wearing an embarrassing dress was a plus.

I don’t know what sort of misconception he’s having, but I’ll gladly take advantage of this situation.

As I grinned wickedly inside like a villain, I confidently gave a thumbs-up.

After that, everything went smoothly.

Apparently, children’s suits weren’t as embarrassing as dresses.

I could have discussions with Alice, like a fashion show, trying on one after the other to see which suited me best.

Moreover, I had longer limbs for someone my age, making me look like a model for kids.

In fact, the suits might suit me better than dresses. Though that’s only my personal opinion.

Click! Click!

“Ah! So cute! What’s with this androgynous charm! We have to take pictures…!”

“…”

“Every time you change, when will this end? Let’s wrap it up and go already.”

Of course, my appearance must have triggered Alice’s cuteness sensor since her endless shutter click began to ramp up.

After over ten outfit changes, Raven’s physical intervention miraculously brought it to an end.

Thankfully, I managed to pick a suit I liked, so I successfully matched the dress code for the party.

And just like that, after all the preparations were complete, time passed swiftly, and four days later.

We gathered in front of the building where Nemesis Corporation’s launch party, Beyond the Metafuture, was being held.

“Alright. We are just simple external guests. Don’t cause any trouble. Let’s eat and just sightsee. Okay?”

“Okay!”

“…!”

Alice and I energetically raised our arms, as if to promise to heed Raven’s strict instructions.

Though I knew what was about to happen, it felt like a fitting response to the atmosphere!

I held Alice’s hand tightly to avoid getting lost when a small question suddenly flashed through my mind.

“Huh? Now that I think about it, it felt like something should be there…”

Something not that significant, but still essential.

I furrowed my brows in contemplation of the vague memory as I stepped into the building with the others.

It was the start of the original story event that made my heart race.