I Became the Cute One in the Problem-Solving Team

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In truth, even though I had been reincarnated as an ultra-adorable girl, I had never really felt that way until now.

Sure, on my first day after reincarnation, I received all sorts of attention in the city.

But at that time, my mind was a whirlwind of confusion about falling into the world of a fixer.

After that, I had been wrapped up tightly in fabric, so much so that I only received dubious treatment as a little suspicious creature.

I didn’t even fully realize that I had become a cute girl, not to mention a child.

And since I rarely had the opportunity to look in the mirror, I gradually became less conscious of such things.

Perhaps this is why, when I finally revealed my figure at Greg’s shop and faced a mirror, a strange sense of embarrassment washed over me, making me curl my toes.

“Ugh, ah… this feels odd. Without the cloth, it feels like I’m completely naked.”

It was like suddenly taking off a mask I had been wearing for half a year and stepping outside.

Without the covering fabric, my shape was clearly visible.

I felt excessively aware of my body, as if it could creak with every movement.

“Phew, let’s calm down. When you think about it, it’s nothing, right? I’ve got a mask on my face anyway. It’s not like I’m hideous or anything. I should be fine.”

I fiddled nervously with the ugly goblin mask that was perched on my face.

The crooked, misshapen goblin mask, seemingly beaten into an odd contrast—right now, this thin mask was my last line of defense for my flimsy psyche.

“Now, the problem is…”

Having calmed down a bit, I slowly turned my head to look at the clothes hanging on a chair.

A dress, commonly known as a maid outfit, decorated with white frills on a black fabric base.

It consisted of a one-piece dress, an apron, stockings, and a headband, probably a cat’s ear.

As I carefully lifted the outfit to avoid damaging it and spread it out with both hands, I discovered that its size fit me just perfectly.

“Why does my first outfit in this world have to be this costume!”

Going straight from a patient’s gown to a maid outfit? I felt dizzy.

Surely, there should be some kind of intermediate step?

For instance, starting with androgynous clothing to ease the psychological hurdle, then gradually moving towards something more relaxed!

It felt like throwing an attack power 10 wooden stick to a newbie hero tasked with defeating the threatening Four Heavenly Kings plaguing the village.

“If I say I don’t want to wear it now… I can’t.”

But there was no choice in the matter.

With a massive bounty hanging over me, working at Greg’s shop seemed like the best option, without a doubt.

Rejecting the chance to wear the clothes, given that he had accepted me as his employee, would be utterly unethical.

Still, I desperately glanced at Greg, wondering if there might be any other clothes.

But considering that his shop dealt in items from the underworld, it seemed unlikely that children’s clothing would grace his shelves unless a mad scientist decided to dress his android in a maid outfit.

“Well… let’s think positively. At least it won’t look too ridiculous in a cosplay kind of way. It’s not fetishistic; it’s just an ordinary maid outfit, right?”

I continued to debate internally, but ultimately settled on wearing it.

Even with the mask, I was now a perfect girl.

Wearing a maid outfit wouldn’t look too weird.

Looking at the overall silhouette, it wasn’t revealing or perverted either.

I certainly didn’t need to act as if I were about to die over merely putting on an outfit.

Thus, having made up my mind, I took a deep breath, slipped off the patient gown, and began to put on the maid outfit and its accessories.

Swoosh.

The soft fabric, silky like my hair, tickled my skin.

I couldn’t help but marvel at how luxurious the material felt against my fingertips.

“Ah, I’m all dressed. Hmm, let’s skip the headband. I’m not a real maid or anything.”

Feeling the outfit snugly fitted without causing any discomfort, I stood before an enormous full-length mirror that seemed to be tailored to Greg’s size.

In the mirror, there stood a maid girl with snow-white skin like snowflakes.

Her skin, so translucent, looked more like a high-end doll than a person.

Thus, as I continued to gaze blankly at the reflection, I instinctively let the mask drop from my face.

“Gasp.”

The girl staring back at me from the mirror was truly stunning.

I was so surprised by how amazing it looked that I reflexively put the goblin mask back on.

“T-this is way better. Even though it’s my face, I’m so cute that I’m taken aback.”

Even in my loose patient gown style, my face had attracted unwanted attention on the streets.

How much more prominent would that cuteness be wearing something that fit just right?

It was inhumane cuteness, like something made of sugar and snow!

At this point, the reality of it being my actual face filled me with fear.

Heck! Heck!

In a frantic attempt to shake off the fear, I posed with my arms raised, trying to muster up some confidence.

If I didn’t do this…

I felt like I might just drown in the charm of my own reflection.

Could it be that my panicked aura was felt outside?

Greg knocked on the door with a tap and came into the room I was in.

“Have you finished dressing?”

“…”

“You look quite good. But that goblin mask, I’m not so sure about…”

“…!”

“Hmm, if you dislike it that much, I guess that can’t be helped. How about I find you a different mask instead?”

A different mask?

I had been shaking my head vigorously, resisting the idea of removing the goblin mask, but I pondered Greg’s suggestion for a moment.

On reflection, I had no particular attachment to the goblin mask.

I just didn’t care if I wore a dried squid mask over my face as long as mine was hidden.

On the contrary, that ugly goblin mask might actually hinder customer interactions.

“…!”

“You seem to agree. Got it; let me bring a few options.”

I expressed my willingness, and Greg promptly retreated into the store.

A short while later, when he returned outside, he was holding a variety of masks in his hands.

“Feel free to take whatever you want. One should be fine as part of employee benefits.”

“…”

Wow, he’s already talking about employee benefits, huh?

Feeling a strange mix between disbelief and something else at Greg’s comment, I looked closely at the masks he offered.

And among them, my eyes landed on one that immediately stood out.

“…!”

“Ah, you fancy this fox mask, huh? Not a bad choice.”

The one that piqued my interest was a white fox mask with a purple dye pattern depicting eyes, a nose, and a mouth.

It matched my hair and eye color perfectly.

Moreover, among all the masks, it was by far the cutest.

Greg handed me the fox mask as if he thought my choice was reasonable.

I swiftly turned my back on him and promptly switched from the goblin mask to the fox mask.

As soon as I put on the fox mask, I couldn’t help but widen my eyes in surprise.

“Is this… an artifact? Even though I’m wearing a mask, it feels like my field of vision has improved.”

The fox mask felt different right from the start.

Unlike the goblin mask, which naturally collected sweat due to poor air circulation, the fox mask felt light as if it were barely on and well-ventilated.

Besides, it felt like this was some sort of artifact.

The mask didn’t impair my vision in the slightest.

Giving away such a great item as a perk of employment!

This surely spoke volumes about Greg’s generous character in the fixer world.

“Hmm, looks like you’re satisfied.”

“…!”

“No need for thanks. If you’re not busy, you should start working from today.”

Of course! I needed to start right away!

Charged up with determination, I eagerly followed Greg outside.

The ghost who had been stumbling around in the back alleys was now gone.

From today, I would be the fox-masked employee at ‘Greg’s General Store!’

I was resolved to bury myself in work from now on.

I certainly wouldn’t want to starve to death before even enjoying some peace!

*

Just five days had passed since I began working at Greg’s General Store.

And perhaps because I hadn’t been active as a ghost at all during that time, the frenzy for bounty hunting in the underworld was beginning to subside.

Of course, if you walked the streets late at night, you could still see bounty hunters with starry eyes over the massive bounties.

Yet, I could tell that the number of so-called radical bounty hunters, who used to react sensitively to any scream and rummage around the alleys, had significantly decreased.

I mean, it had been quite some time since they last showed up.

Those who thought time was wasted on that side must have decided it was time to back off.

Neither a good thing nor a bad thing.

It was simply something that didn’t require my concern.

Regardless, the ghost incident continued to simmer slightly and remained active.

For me, working at Greg’s General Store marked the passage of a significant milestone.

“…The profits I made in these past five days are similar to what I earned in a month before hiring you. I guess the problem was my face after all…”

“…!”

“No, I’m not blaming you. I’ve just lost faith in my foolish business acumen. In fact, it’s a joy for me.”

Incredibly, in just five days since I started working as an employee, I’d surpassed the profits Greg made while running the store alone for a whole month!

Of course, I hadn’t done anything extraordinary.

I simply sat silently at the employee desk near the entrance, shaking my legs while serving customers.

But perhaps it was my presence that served as a buffer.

I must have kept trailing guests who would have run away in shock upon seeing Greg’s orcish face.

Naturally, it seemed like the store’s revenue had meaningfully increased.

Which meant…!

“If you’re not averse to it, how about we officially sign a contract? I’ll make sure the employment fee is more than fair.”

Here it comes, the full-time employee offer!

I feigned a moment of hesitation, then nodded as if I reluctantly agreed.

Greg’s offer came just right until the hunting frenzy was settled down.

I had no reason to refuse, being someone with nowhere else to go.

But it wouldn’t be wise to show my hand completely transparent.

As long as I didn’t go overboard with pretending, it was better to act as if I had come to a decision after some serious thought.

It’s better to give the impression that I made my choice after proper contemplation instead of seeming to just fall in line with the mood.

Is that reasoning too flimsy? If so, so be it.

“…”

“Alright then, I’ll go grab the contract. Wait here.”

Greg carefully observed my reaction.

Then, he said he would fetch the contract and stepped inside the store.

Looks like I was about to finally have a stable job.

Feeling unnecessarily happy, I wiggled my legs in the chair that didn’t quite fit me.

Sure, it was much better to live in a warm place, enjoying food than to squeeze money from thugs in cold, dark alleys.

The physical warmth I felt over these five days, which I had never experienced since my reincarnation, was simply satisfying.

“Is it about time to close the store? Should I prepare before Greg comes back?”

But if there was something I was unaware of…

It might be the fact that even though Greg was a reliable person, I shouldn’t let my guard down in this world.

Perhaps the moment I had momentarily lowered my vigilance could be the very instant fate would strike at the gap I left open.

“Greg, are you there? I want to ask you something…”

Ding-dong.

As the door swung open, someone strutted inside.

As I was heading toward the door, I came face to face with the newcomer.

I was instantly petrified, stunned by the unexpected appearance of a beautiful woman.

“Whoa? A little girl?”

‘This is…’

Before my eyes stood a strikingly beautiful woman.

She had pink hair, as if cherry blossoms had been glued onto her head.

Her outfit, a Japanese-style kimono with one leg fully exposed, was rare to see in Night Haven.

With a wooden stick mouthful, three hairpins holding her long hair back, and two swords clashing together at her waist.

I knew this uniquely individual woman.

No, it was impossible not to recognize her.

She was none other than… a pivotal character in fixer society.

The heroine serving as the protagonist’s ally!

“I can’t believe I just met her…!”

I swallowed hard.

The excitement of actually encountering the protagonist’s party collided violently with the anxiety of potential danger.

Those two polar emotions tangled together, erupting chaotically in my mind.

What on earth was I supposed to do here?

It was a state of utter confusion.