I Became the Cute One in the Problem-Solving Team

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The day after the momentous event that marked the completion of the Troubleshooter Office.

Due to the snowstorm, I stuffed my hands deep into my pockets and hurriedly made my way to the office, only to bump into the Bear Beastman standing blankly at the door.

With round bear ears poking out above his head, green hair, a fairly tall stature, and a pair of angular glasses perched gently on his face. No matter how I looked at him, it was David. What’s he doing here instead of going inside?

“….”

“Oh, Yuria! Good morning!”

“…?”

“Are you asking why I’m not going inside? Well… um, I suppose I’m feeling a bit nervous.”

Nervous, huh… Ah, that makes sense.

He had been attending university in the outside city, but he was still brand new to adulthood. Even if he had some part-time job experience, this was probably his first real job.

Seriously. To think my childhood friend, who boldly challenged a corporation to help me out, is being shy and hesitant about something like this.

I chuckled and boldly opened the door instead of waiting around for David.

Then, as if to say, “Just trust me,” I confidently marched into the office while thumping my chest with my fist.

“Ah, Yuria… oh dear, shake the snow off your head before coming in. Isn’t it cold?”

“Why not? I think I look cute like this. Good morning, Yuria! You’re looking adorable today!”

“…?”

However, what greeted me upon entering the office was Raven’s puzzling remark, as he lounged almost completely on his chair.

What’s he talking about? I tilted my head in confusion and touched the top of my head, where I could feel the fluffy snow piled up.

Wha?! I had snow piled on my head? How did I not realize this!?

I bolted back outside, shaking my head vigorously to get rid of the accumulated snow.

…Wow, that’s really embarrassing. David must have seen all of it, why didn’t he say anything?

I returned to the office, fanning my slightly heated neck with my palm.

“Good morning, David!”

“G-Good morning, Alice. Jin.”

“Welcome, new recruit.”

What I saw was David awkwardly greeting us like an old robot.

Hmm, he probably has no leisure to worry about others. He looks completely shaken.

There’s no helping that. I forgave him in my mind and hung up my coat on the hanger.

There’s no need to be too harsh on a newcomer. It’s not like it’s all my fault for not realizing I was being oblivious.

Haa, but still. I’m really glad the office is warm.

The base had no heating and was super cold, to the point where I couldn’t bear it unless I curled up inside a sleeping bag. Maybe I should start considering moving?

While I thought that, I sat quietly on the office sofa, and Raven began guiding David to his newly assigned desk.

“Here you go, this is your spot. From now on, you can do your work here.”

“I understand. But could you please remind me of the tasks I’m supposed to handle one more time?”

“Ah… Sure. As I mentioned earlier, there isn’t anything major to assign. Both Alice and I aren’t very tech-savvy when it comes to computers and the internet, so I’ll need you to assist with my fixer duties in that aspect. If there’s no work, you can do whatever you want with your spare time. I won’t mind.”

“Yes, understood.”

Basically, David would be responsible for the computer-related tasks at the office.

In this place filled with advanced computers and complex mechanical devices, he would fill in the gaps left by the completely tech-illiterate Raven and Alice.

Just having him around would nearly double the type of requests we could take on, so for Raven, hiring David was quite beneficial.

‘It’s more puzzling why they hadn’t hired him until now… But, better cautious than hiring just anyone and getting backstabbed.’

When I think about it, the hired coders here often run off with important information or money.

Just recently, one of the clients came looking for someone to catch a runaway coder.

Considering that, it might be a win-win situation for both of them for Raven to have hired David.

“….”

Crack.

I quietly tore off the small camera hidden under the table and tossed it into the trash, thinking to myself.

I hope we can all get along just fine moving forward.

At least until I quit my part-time job!

*

Fortunately, David seemed to be adapting to the office quite quickly.

The nervousness lasted only for the first few tens of minutes after starting his shift.

As one or two clients popped by and things got into full swing, he seemed to realize that the work wasn’t as difficult as he imagined, and he looked much more comfortable.

Raven didn’t usually interfere much with Alice or me, and Alice was the most sociable golden retriever-like human I’d ever seen.

I might be a bit shy, but we weren’t the types to approach each other first anyway.

So, getting used to the atmosphere of the office shouldn’t be too hard.

Then came lunchtime, and Alice and I widened our eyes in shock.

The meal provided for lunch was a high-end bento box that was nearly double the cost of the cheap ones we usually ate.

“…!”

“Oh my, this bento is quite delicious. Jin, why don’t you order from here regularly?”

“Not a chance. Today, because we have a new recruit, I decided to splurge on something expensive. From tomorrow, we’re going back to the usual cheap bento boxes.”

“Aww, how stingy.”

“Shut it. Be grateful that it’s not instant noodles. If you weren’t a part-timer, I could spoil you with such expensive lunches, but with how much you eat, buying fancy bento boxes regularly will soon put me in the poorhouse.”

“Hmm, I’m sorry for eating a lot. But what can I do when I’m hungry!”

Nom nom.

While I casually tuned out the argument between the two, I leisurely savored the luxurious taste that I hadn’t experienced in a while.

A cube steak bento. Ever since I started working here, I couldn’t spend money as freely as I used to, so enjoying this indulgence was pretty joyful.

Maybe it was because I was so focused on the food.

I belatedly noticed that David across from me had been staring at me intently.

What’s he looking at? Is there something he wants?

As I wondered about that and tilted my head slightly, he shook his head as if to say it wasn’t anything and replied.

“…?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Yuria. I was just curious if it’s hard to see in front when you wear your mask at such an angle…”

“…!”

“Was that an unnecessary worry? I apologize. I tend to have a lot of pointless curiosity about these things.”

Well, I’m not sure if he got the message across perfectly.

When I nodded, indicating that I could see just fine, he apologized again, suggesting he shouldn’t have said anything. But it wasn’t really an issue.

Perhaps I had caught the eye of both David and Raven, who had been observing the somewhat awkward interaction between us.

Alice, chewing contently on her thick piece of meat, suddenly changed the subject.

“By the way, David, you mentioned you went to university outside, right? You must study quite well!”

“Yes. It’s a bit embarrassing to say this myself, but I got an academic scholarship to attend.”

“Wow…! I wasn’t able to attend school properly as a child, so going to university sounds really impressive to me!”

“Um, I’ll take that as a compliment.”

Her words seemed to carry a certain sincerity.

Due to her family circumstances, she had to work instead of attending school, and her basic knowledge came from home education.

It’s no secondary school, but excelling in university and achieving significant academic success must have felt impressive to her.

At that moment, Raven, who had been quietly listening to the conversation, looked at Alice with an expression of curiosity.

“How did you become a police candidate? Is there a manpower shortage in the police force these days?”

“What are you talking about? I only got help from my sister.”

“Did you steal the answers?”

“Hey! I studied hard for six months! How dare you think I’m an idiot!”

Alice shouted angrily while grabbing Raven by the collar and shaking him.

Even though she had quit now, being the top police candidate due to her skills was a source of pride for her.

Even if it was meant as a joke, it seemed that poking fun at her was something even Raven couldn’t allow. Her reaction was adorable.

‘Oh wait, then does that mean I’m probably the least educated one here?’

When I thought it over, Raven might seem like a shabby old man now, but in his prime, he was an elite soldier with a fixer status that couldn’t be just anyone.

Alice was born into a prestigious family, had received home education, and had risen to police candidate just before being hired through hard work.

David, on the other hand, came from the alleys but managed to enter university on a full scholarship thanks to his intelligent head.

But what about me? I was just a mediocre and ordinary person even in my previous life, and now, I was a penniless illegal immigrant squatting in an abandoned building without any identity. I was nowhere near their level.

‘…What does it matter if I have a degree? Yeah, what can being smart do for me? In the end, what matters is working somewhere warm in the winter and being well-fed. Yup, no need to feel insecure about that.’

My brain kicked into overdrive with those positive thoughts.

No, wait? That wasn’t just positive thinking; that was common sense.

The feeling of inferiority arises from the mind sensing a lack or feeling of being less than others.

But I’m not lacking in any way! I have plenty of things I’m good at. I’m probably the absolute best at bullying thugs in the back alleys here!

I bit into the cube steak in frustration over this unnecessary conflict rising in my heart.

Maybe it was the sensation of the medium-rare steak melting in my mouth that calmed my ire a bit.

“…Hmm.”

“…?”

As I was indulging in my steak, I looked up and suddenly locked eyes with Raven, who was staring at me.

Wasn’t he getting his collar grabbed by Alice?

As I pondered this and shifted my gaze sideways, I noticed Alice had already started asking David a bunch of questions.

Oh… So that means our eyes meeting wasn’t a coincidence; he had actually been quietly watching me.

What’s up with that? Did I do something to catch his attention?

When I placed my empty bento box on the table and tilted my head, Raven quickly turned his head away, trying to act as if nothing had happened. He was quite the pro at pretending.

‘Hmm… Well, it probably isn’t anything important. I doubt he’s misinterpreting anything strange.’

I shook off my bewildered feelings, wiped my mouth, and adjusted my mask back to its original position.

The short lunch break had come to an end!

Now, it was time to greet the clients arriving in the afternoon.