I Became the Cute One in the Problem-Solving Team

---

No one in this world is unaware of the importance of money.

Even a five-year-old kid, who hasn’t got any hair yet, knows this.

And as everyone grows up and starts their social lives,

most people come to painfully realize how difficult and arduous earning money really is.

Except for a few lucky exceptions, like being born to wealthy parents or winning the lottery by chance.

To make money, you have to continuously generate value that matches it.

So, whenever you spend money, you need to understand just how precious it is.

Otherwise, someday you’ll regret it profoundly.

“I’m out of money. I was sure I had quite a bit left…”

Clang.

Coins rolled around helplessly inside an empty tin can.

Two 1-credit coins and one 5-credit coin, totaling 7 credits.

This was the change left after buying a deluxe chocolate flake bun for lunch today.

This money, barely enough to buy a meal, would make it impossible for me to even buy a piece of gum!

With the rush of humiliation, I buried my face in my hands and rolled around on the bed.

“Why did the baker have to release special menu items at a time like this?!”

Of course, the baker wasn’t at fault.

Thanks to an increase in customers, he simply got ambitious and made a limited edition of new products.

It was my foolish choice to give in to temptation and blow all my savings.

“But… how could I resist a giant chocolate flake bun that shines like it’s been smeared with honey!”

With half resignation and half humiliation, I squished the end of my bed telekinetically.

Feeling a bit gloomy, I clutched my head and thought.

“Sigh, I never used to be this much of a food lover. Somehow, since I’ve become this body, it’s been tough to hold back my appetite. Especially lately.”

Surely, when I first fell into this other world, a single hamburger was enough for a day.

Was it because the more I used my telekinesis, the hungrier I got?

As time passed, my appetite started to noticeably increase.

Having one meal a day turned into two, and two into three in no time.

At this rate, I might soon become a pig with a bulging belly.

“Ugh… but still, eating well is a good thing. This little body will grow up quickly. But what really matters right now is that I just spent all my accumulated money…”

I slowly lifted my head to glance at the dirty calendar on the wall.

Today marked a week since I had my nighttime chase with the blonde pervert.

In this past week, I had minimized my outings.

If I were to encounter the blonde pervert in the alley again, I wouldn’t have the confidence to escape.

Naturally, my one and only source of income—pickpocketing—was also completely halted.

I was spending each day without earning a thing.

Thanks to having saved up a bit to buy a bed, I wasn’t starving just yet.

But that seemed to have run its course.

I really had to do something now.

“Just a little… maybe I can try pickpocketing just for today…?”

I cautiously entertained that thought.

I figured it would be hard to find work outside, no matter how I thought about it.

For now, I needed to conceal my body as much as possible, or at least hide my face.

I had a face that stood out too much for roaming around this other world.

But what employer would hire someone with such a secretive identity?

Especially if that person couldn’t even speak and didn’t know the ways of the world. I’d get kicked out in no time.

What’s more, without my telekinesis, I was utterly useless.

Using telekinesis openly carried too much risk, though.

So, circling back around, I concluded that pickpocketing was indeed the best option.

Huh? What, should I just steal things openly or rob everyone I see?

Unfortunately, that would truly be the worst choice imaginable.

Why would I give myself a reason to get beaten up by someone stronger than me in this city?

It’d be better to go bungee jumping off a high-rise building and break my legs instead.

“Sigh. If I could at least speak, I’d have so many more options. Who knew being mute would be this regrettable?”

In the end, the only thing I could do was pickpocket.

Suppressing the rising anxiety, I forced myself to calm down.

But it had already been a week.

Surely, there’s no way the blonde pervert is still lurking around?

Even if I were to encounter the pervert again, there was really nothing I could do.

No matter how you looked at it, I couldn’t just starve to death doing nothing.

So, I stifled the creeping fear within me and set off, donning a new cloth to cover myself, hopping around the night sky of the western labyrinth.

“Ahhh!”

“I found you, bad guy.”

In Knight Haven’s underground world, it seemed things were still the same even when I was away.

I quickly spotted a bad person to pickpocket, just like usual.

I settled silently in the alley, effortlessly subdued the bad guy with my telekinetic flick.

Just as I was about to steal the wallet from the powerless man on the ground,

I heard the shuffling of feet rushing toward me.

“I found you! It’s definitely a ghost!”

“Hehehe! We must capture it alive!”

“Ooooh! 700,000 credits are mine!”

What is that?

I instinctively took a step back at the sight of a strange group resembling a post-apocalyptic Mohican.

There were so many of them, almost bursting the alley at the seams.

I couldn’t even think of taking the wallet from the knocked-out man in my grasp and had no choice but to hurriedly turn and run.

Fortunately, none of them seemed to be as strong as the blonde pervert, so I could shake them off easily.

But I could tell something was off about the situation.

“What the… what is happening?”

Flustered, I momentarily paused my pickpocketing to observe the alley from the rooftop.

“EEEK!”

“Is that a ghost?! Damn! No way! Who threw a hell toad in the alley?!”

“I heard the spearheaded guys found it! It seems like it really exists!”

“Where’s the 700,000 credits?! Kehehe!”

In the alley, an incredible number of mixed races was bustling about, unlike usual.

There were crocodile men armed with swords, dwarves with Heihachi hairstyles, and even fish people wearing fish tanks.

They were so individualistic that I couldn’t fathom what commonality they shared.

They quickly reacted to the screams and commotion in the alley, rushing there en masse.

From their conversation, I gathered that they were bounty hunters and that there was an absurd bounty of 700,000 credits on my head.

To my knowledge, 700,000 credits was enough to live off for about a year without working.

Judging by their reaction, it seemed like that bounty was enough to drive bounty hunters insane.

“There’s no way I can do any pickpocketing now…”

Honestly, one by one, the bounty hunters weren’t that strong.

Looking at how they fought against the lowlives in the alleys, they seemed just a bit stronger than ordinary people.

But the numbers were overwhelming. No, they were just too many.

There were so many that before I could even find a bad guy, the bounty hunters would deal with them first.

With that, not only pickpocketing but even walking around at night became a careful matter.

“Uh-oh, this is bad. I never even imagined it would turn out like this.”

It was completely unexpected.

I would have anticipated the blonde pervert running around, but who would have guessed there would be a swarm of bounty hunters infesting the alley?

At this point, my grand and ambitious plan to earn money through pickpocketing was dashed to pieces.

“What should I do…?”

Gurgle.

Was it because I had been treating myself to luxurious meals lately?

My cute little belly, utterly unaware of such worries, was urging me to get some food.

In this troubled state, it showed no sense at all.

Feeling gloomy, I sulkily wandered aimlessly.

“How did I end up here?”

Before I knew it, I realized I had arrived near Greg’s general store.

Perhaps it was because bounty hunters don’t usually venture here.

Unconsciously, my feet seemed to lead me to this quiet place.

…Quiet is nice, but I don’t have anything to sell right now.

There’s no need to get unnecessarily involved with original characters in a risky way.

I quickly made a decision in my mind and turned around, planning to leave.

That is, if it weren’t for the suddenly wafting smell of incredible meat!

“Ugh, what’s this smell… BBQ…!”

It was a form of violence.

To one whose belly felt as though it were glued to their back, it was like being collared by a noose, a foul-smelling brutality.

The intense and dizzying aroma of meat was enough to make me drip saliva onto the ground unconsciously.

“Ugh, no. Greg is just a reliable business associate. Creating unnecessary connections like this is…!”

“Is it a ghost? Have you come to trade?”

“Oh.”

When I snapped back to reality, I realized I was standing half inside the partially opened door of Greg’s shop, where I had been just a moment before on the rooftop.

I couldn’t even withstand the smell of meat and ended up acting like a fool!

In deep self-loathing, I squinted my eyes tightly and lowered my head.

Just then, Greg approached me, looking puzzled by my sudden appearance.

Gurgle!

A booming sound echoed from my stomach as if thunder was rumbling.

It was so loud that I felt all the blood drain from my face in sheer embarrassment.

“…Do you want to eat one?”

It seemed Greg vaguely sensed my state and cautiously offered the suggestion with a reserved voice.

An orc generously offering me meat.

He was so gentlemanly that I felt like tears were about to flow.