NOVEL NEXT Chapter 61
Chapter 1: A Chaotic Winter Day in Night Haven
Today in Night Haven was peaceful.
Although it wasn’t snowing, the winter weather was still cold enough to freeze a person.
Even a fire spirit, wrapped in flames, was buttoning up its coat in the chilly air when suddenly, a car sped past, ignoring the traffic signals.
Vroom! Squeak!
In an instant, the car lifted off the ground, landing back on the road with a loud thud, leaving a thick trail behind.
Just how fast was it going? White smoke billowed from the tires as they violently scraped against the asphalt.
Speeding, running red lights, driving the wrong way, crossing the center line…
It was a total lawbreaker on the road—without a shred of an excuse if the police were to catch it.
Was this wild ride too much for even the passengers to handle? A scream escaped from within the vehicle.
[“Hiyahh! The car! Over there! It’s dangerous! Waaaah!”]
[“C-Calm down, Ms. Cookie! We’re not going to crash!”]
[“Ugh, it’s so loud! Who’s causing all this trouble anyway!”]
Sitting in the driver’s seat was Raven, a black-haired man, who grimaced and wildly turned the steering wheel.
Surprisingly, the car weaved between vehicles at an exhilarating speed, as if he were the only one living in a world where time flowed slowly.
How long could he keep up such a sickening pace, even for someone who usually didn’t get car sick?
Once Raven exited the bustling streets and hit a relatively obstacle-free roundabout, he finally found the space to raise his voice.
[“David! Where’s the location of the guy who kidnapped the client’s daughter!”]
“Right now, the kidnappers are on Route 3. Considering their route, I suspect they’re heading for Midnight Airport.”
[“Planning to escape overseas by plane, are we? Annoying bunch.”]
[“Ugh! Our Jelly Bean…!”]
[“Hey, don’t cry in the car! This is a rented vehicle!”]
[“Ms. Cookie! Please calm down! If you keep crying in here, it’ll become a mess!”]
[“Boohoo… but the tears…”]
Through the phone call, the sounds of chaos at the scene came through.
In a situation where she feared her daughter would disappear forever, it seemed the client’s tears had started flowing.
Normally, this would be understandable. However, she happened to be a rare race whose tears turned into jewels.
If she cried in the car… it would become an exceedingly troublesome affair inside this speeding vehicle.
Especially since it wasn’t their own car, but a hastily rented one, Alice was likely frantically trying to catch those tear jewels floating in the air.
[“Looks like we need to reach the airport first. David, how long until they arrive at the airport?”]
“At this speed, they should reach the airport within 20 minutes at the latest.”
[“20 minutes, huh? Ahh, considering the distance to the airport from here, we’re definitely going to be late.”]
“I’ll look for the fastest route. Let’s take the roundabout over there and go around wide….”
[“No, that’ll make us late! This roundabout is designed to go around a large lake, so even if we speed up, we’ll lose time. There’s no way we can reach in under 20 minutes.”]
[“Nooo! Boohoo!”]
[“Aah! Jin! Please stop the sound of our lady crying!”]
“Then what do you suggest…?”
If you’re not following the road, how are you planning to get there?
David’s furrowed brows suggested he wanted to say something like that.
But without any alternative, opposing him in such a critical moment was just a hindrance.
He looked as though he was biting back the words that had reached his lips.
Whether he realized it or not, Raven showed no intention of slowing down, swiftly dodging cars on the road, suddenly shouting:
[“So we’re crossing the lake!”]
[“Eeeeeh!”]
[“The lake, I said! Ms. Cookie, hold on tight!”]
“Oh, no… What…?”
David was rendered speechless by Raven’s utterly nonsensical conclusion.
The thought of crossing a lake in a car was ludicrous in itself.
To make matters worse, Alice chimed in without a shred of doubt, leaving David even more baffled.
So, I gently patted David’s shoulder, my expression urging him to trust Raven just this once; he wasn’t the type to suggest something impossible.
[“Here we go!”]
[“Kyaaa! I don’t want to die like this!”]
Crunch! Just as the roundabout met the edge of the lake, Raven’s car smashed through the guardrail and dove into the lake.
No matter how I considered it, the only future I could envision was the car sinking beneath the water, making me grip my fist tightly in anticipation of the outcome.
The car that soared into the air was about to plunge into the lake when, just in time, it fell squarely onto a Night Haven tour cruise, otherwise known as a yacht.
Screams erupted from the people, shards of debris went flying, and the car’s body scraped here and there in utter chaos, yet miraculously, thanks to Raven’s divine driving skills, nobody was injured—only the yacht’s owner screamed in terror.
And just like that, Raven’s car sped across the deck of the yacht, breaking through the earth by the lake as it made a rough landing.
Naturally, after two drops from a significant height, the bumpers crumpled like paper and fell away helplessly.
Nevertheless, it had created a shortcut far faster than the lengthy route around the lake, meaning this gamble was a complete success.
Back on solid ground, the car charged forward, smashing through the natural scenery, successfully returning to the road.
“Seriously… does Raven have three hearts? I can’t believe it. Who would have thought he’d predict a yacht would pass by at that moment?”
“….”
David, who had been watching this daring spectacle via drone from the office alongside me, gaped in shock.
Raven’s actions seemed to exceed boldness, leaving bystanders utterly flabbergasted. I could understand his feelings.
Well, after carving a shortcut in such a reckless manner, everything went surprisingly smoothly.
[“Um, could you stop for a second? I’d like to have a little chat…”]
[“Hiiih! This girl just grabbed the steering wheel!”]
[“The car! It’s flipping over!”]
Raven and Alice arrived at the airport safely before the kidnappers, causing Alice to leap into the driver’s seat of the latecomer’s vehicle and flip it over.
[“Grrr… you bastards will pay for this!”]
[“Yes, brother! I will take care… gurk!”]
[“Hey, you fools! Don’t cause a ruckus at the airport! You’re scaring the people.”]
Over ten kidnappers who vaulted out of the flipped vehicle were instantly subdued by Raven’s rubber bullets, appearing ridiculously pathetic.
Of course, having caused such a ruckus in the city, the arriving police couldn’t just ignore Raven alongside the kidnappers.
Given how wildly he had driven on the road, they couldn’t let him off easily…
[“I’m sorry, but I’m on fixer business. Could you let this slide just a bit…?”]
Raven revealed he was a fixer, explaining that it was unavoidable.
Fixers, at least within this city, took on the role of a vigilante, reducing the workload of the overburdened police, so they had some leeway to skirt the law.
And perhaps due to the fact that nobody had clearly been harmed during this process, Raven’s illegal activities were reasonably excused, allowing the client, Cookie’s daughter, Jelly Bean, to return safely to her family.
In other words, thanks to everyone’s effort, this thrilling assignment was successfully completed. What a relief!
Huh? What did I do here? Well… I cheered them on!
I’d already done my part by guiding the tearful client to the office and offering her tea when she first arrived. By that logic, I had a little contribution too.
“Phew, we made it. Well, when saving people, a car might get a bit wrecked, right? Why are you all so uptight about it?”
“I loaned it to you just for a moment. If the car is totally ruined, wouldn’t anyone react that way…?”
Not long after the case was resolved, Raven and Alice returned to the office.
Raven sulked, mumbling to himself as he flopped down onto the sofa.
It seemed he was getting properly scolded for hastily returning the trashed vehicle he rented from a nearby garage.
That was unavoidable. The car had been in perfect condition when he borrowed it, yet it returned in a near scrap condition after just a few dozen minutes. Under those circumstances, there was no way they wouldn’t be upset.
Though they were familiar with each other, it seems it ended with a promise to ask for help later in return after hearing his tale.
“Yuria~ come here!”
“….”
“Ooh, so warm! Yuria is the best!”
Perhaps it was because she had been wandering around outside in the cold for a while.
Alice, whose body was as cold as ice, pulled me into her embrace, rubbing her cheek against my head.
Usually, she had a fairly high body temperature, but I never imagined it could drop this low.
I truly realized just how cold the weather outside was.
Well, I guess I’ll have to indulge her this time.
As I nestled into her warmth like a human hot pack, Raven, wrapped in a blanket, glanced over at us and asked casually.
“Is she really that warm? Let me borrow her for a bit. I’m feeling kinda chilly.”
“…!”
“Raven! No! Look, even Yuria is startled!”
Ugh, why do I have to cuddle with that guy?
Startled by his unexpected suggestion, I instinctively turned away from Raven and burrowed into Alice’s arms.
Maybe he was hurt by my blatant rejection, as Raven scratched his head with a gloomy expression, insisting it was just a joke.
I felt a bit guilty for making him sad… but also a bit burdensome.
Maybe it was simply that I had gotten too used to seeing his face every morning, but he felt like a neighbor uncle now.
As I contemplated this, David fixed his glasses and spoke to the somewhat downcast Raven.
“Raven, if you’d like, I don’t mind…”
“Oh dear.”
“No, don’t! I really was just saying that! Alice, how could you react like that, you fool!”
Gone was the serious expression David wore when it was just the two of us earlier, replaced by a ridiculous situation that had Raven bewildered. Surely, he didn’t mean it?
I enjoyed the hilarious sight of our office’s crew with Alice in my arms, when suddenly, I glanced at the wall calendar in the office.
Today was Thursday.
It hardly felt like a week until Greg was set to return.
That meant this cozy daily life would end in just six more days.
‘Time has flown by this fast.’
Looking back, it had all been over in a flash. I hadn’t expected to become someone who lived at the office, though it was a surprisingly smooth and enjoyable experience.
Of course, I had no particular regrets about the impending separation.
It wasn’t like these people would be in trouble without me, and I’d seen how capable they were, so who was worried for whom?
It’s more likely that I’d be the one causing trouble by being around.
Just as I worried about my safety, parting ways would be a win-win for us both.
‘Huh. Since it’s come to this, I should enjoy the remaining time as much as possible. After all, it’s not every day I get to experience these original events firsthand!’
As I returned to the sofa, now heated by Alice’s warmth, I silently vowed to make the most of my remaining time.
I was excited to see who the next client would be, and that anticipation was quite thrilling.
Ding-dong.
And at that moment, the doorbell unexpectedly rang.
This was the sound that echoed when an outsider visited the office. Surely, it must be a new client.
I slipped away from Alice’s grasp and straightened my slightly wrinkled clothes.
I nodded at Raven, signaling I would be back, and headed toward the entrance with brisk steps.
To think someone would come right before closing time.
Looks like it was either overtime today or an early start tomorrow.
I mused this internally as I opened the door with a minimal fuss.
What greeted me was a woman whose appearance was quite familiar to me.
With a bob that reached her chin, there was a two-tone dye job, the outside and inside of her hair contrasting.
Musical note-like markings adorned her cheeks, and her lips, vividly painted a shade of blue that bordered on overwhelming, made her look striking.
Have I seen her before?
Oh, surely. Not many had such a standout presence.
“Um, um… is this the Crowley Fixer Office…?”
“…!”
There stood Aisha, the iconic first client of the complete fixer office and a future key character in the original story…