Day 1 of Living at the Troubleshooter Office.
After finalizing my deal with Raven, the first thing I did was go shopping for clothes and essentials.
The reason was simple: Raven had been living alone at the office, so everything was set up for one person. While spare blankets and pillows were available, things like personal utensils, toothbrushes, and towels needed to be bought. There was no way I’d use someone else’s leftovers.
Since I was already shopping, I also stocked up on underwear and pajamas. The only issue? I didn’t have a good eye for picking out stuff...
“Sorry for troubling you after work hours like this.”
“Oh, it’s fine. It’s for Yuria, after all.”
“It’s been ages since I wandered through Nighthaven’s shopping district, so it’s actually been a great experience for me.”
Thanks to Alice and David, who willingly helped me even after their shifts ended, I managed to find good quality items at affordable prices.
Why did I care about affordability? Well, I was paying for this out of my own pocket! Using someone else’s money to buy my stuff didn’t sit right with me.
Unlike Raven, who had no real interest in these things, and me, who didn’t fully grasp the value of credits, Alice and David were younger and more in tune with trends.
Though I didn’t need much since I’d only be staying for two weeks, their help saved me both time and money. I was incredibly grateful.
“....”
“Oh my, you’re so sweet.”
“Yes, thank you for your hard work.”
To show my thanks, I hugged Alice tightly and gave David a light fist bump.
What? You think I’m playing favorites? David has a sweet childhood friend, okay? He’s a lucky guy. I’m not jealous at all.
“I’ll be heading home now. Jin, take care of Yuria.”
“What could possibly happen? You worry too much.”
“Alright, Yuria, see you tomorrow! Mwah!”
“...!!”
“I’ll be going too.”
“Sure, see you both tomorrow. Watch your step—it’s slippery out there.”
Alice planted a loud kiss on the top of my head before leaving with a bright smile, while David quietly said his goodbyes and departed.
That left me standing in the office hallway with Raven.
Wow. That kiss was way too affectionate—it caught me completely off guard. I rubbed the top of my head, as if trying to wipe away the lingering warmth.
Raven, who had just yawned, picked up the shopping bags in front of me and headed inside the office, saying, “Let’s unpack your stuff first and then grab dinner. How about pizza?”
“...!”
“Okay, pizza it is. Do you like Hawaiian pizza?”
“....”
“Wait, do you actually like it? Wow, you have a unique taste.”
What’s with that reaction? And what’s so bad about Hawaiian pizza? It’s perfectly edible.
Maybe he noticed my incredulous stare, because he scratched his head awkwardly and said, “Let’s just go with a combo pizza.”
“...!”
Good choice. I like combo pizza.
I nodded enthusiastically and rushed over to help unpack the bags. After all, it was my stuff.
Working together, we finished unpacking in less than 20 minutes.
Of course, that made sense—I wasn’t planning to stay long, so I didn’t have much to unpack.
If I was lucky, I might even leave the day after tomorrow. There was no need to overdo it with luggage.
“Pizza’s here!”
“Finally. Go wait at the table; I’ll grab it.”
“....”
We sat across from each other and devoured the large pizza. Then, after brushing our teeth side by side at the sink, we headed to the living room with the couch.
“Alright, let me show you where you’ll be staying. Follow me.”
I followed Raven as he walked further into the office.
The Troubleshooter Office occupied the entire second floor of a three-story building. Raven explained that it was divided into two areas: the main workspace and the private quarters hidden at the back.
Behind the workspace were two rooms—one used as a bedroom and the other as a storage room. Naturally, I would be staying in the storage room.
This was a relief. Sharing a room with Raven would’ve been uncomfortable. Even if it was just a storage room, having my own space was more than enough.
“Here’s your room. It looks empty now, but I’ll bring in some furniture later. Is that okay?”
“...!”
“Also, don’t open the window. It’s against the opposite wall, and dust tends to blow in. If you need ventilation, just open the door. Try not to make noise at night, and don’t break anything, or the landlord will flip. Got it?”
“....”
He kept going with the instructions, but I endured it quietly. Letting a homeless person stay for free warranted a bit of nagging.
And I understood where he was coming from. I hadn’t met the landlord yet, but I’d heard she was terrifying. If anything happened to the building, I could imagine her making me cry out of sheer regret.
“Alright, that’s about it. Got it?”
“...!”
“Good. The bathroom is just down the hall. Use it whenever you need. I’ll take out the trash, so stay out of trouble.”
With that, Raven grabbed the trash bags and pizza boxes and left the office.
Letting someone you’ve known for just two weeks stay in your home—how generous could one person be? It was enough to make me tear up. Figuratively speaking, of course.
“Well then... maybe I’ll take a quick look around while he’s out.”
I peeked into the office to confirm Raven was gone, then tiptoed into his room.
“...Nothing stands out.”
Contrary to my expectations, Raven’s room was extremely ordinary. Aside from a slightly messy bed and scattered books and magazines, there was nothing noteworthy.
I’d have to check the drawers one by one. Listening carefully for any sounds, I began searching through them.
“This isn’t it... why is there a stick here? Oh, is this a gun part?”
Even after rummaging through several drawers, I couldn’t find anything related to the Invaders.
Maybe it really was just a coincidence.
Just as I was starting to doubt my suspicions, my eyes fell on a large wardrobe in the corner of the room.
I had a feeling—there had to be something inside.
Carefully closing the drawers to erase any trace of my search, I moved toward the wardrobe.
Grasping the handle, I prepared to slide it open, when—
Click.
The sound of the office door opening reached my ears.
“Ugh, why now of all times?”
There wasn’t enough time to check inside the wardrobe and cover my tracks. I had to leave immediately to avoid suspicion.
Not that I was doing anything wrong! But getting caught snooping would be bad for trust.
“There’s always tomorrow,” I reassured myself, stepping out quietly.
Slipping out of Raven’s room undetected, I felt like a secret agent on a mission.
Day 1’s investigation ended without any progress. It was disappointing, but I had plenty of time to try again.
***
It was my turn to shower after Raven, and once I was done, I changed out of the maid uniform into pajamas and slipped into my new room. The futon laid out on the floor felt inviting as I plopped down onto it.
How was I planning to handle my usual chores at Greg’s general store? Easy. Since office hours started at 9 a.m., I figured I could wake up early, swing by the store, and return before work. I wasn’t the type to oversleep, so as long as I went to bed early, it shouldn’t be a problem.
With that plan in mind, I placed my mask near my pillow, tucked myself into the fluffy blankets, and wiggled around to my heart’s content.
Ah, this was heaven. The warmth of a good shower followed by the coziness of soft blankets—it felt so good, I almost wanted to cry tears of joy.
“Ouch!”
My bliss was interrupted by a sharp pain near my chest. Startled, I realized that the Tesseract hanging around my neck had poked me.
This hard, pointy object ruining my happiness! Scowling, I pulled the Tesseract out from under my pajamas and glared at it.
And then, like a bolt of lightning, a thought struck me:
Could the premature Invader event be because of this thing?
Wait. Wasn’t this originally an artifact that was supposed to be retrieved by the antagonist after Drakel’s death? If the antagonist’s plans were disrupted, maybe they were acting out to compensate.
It made too much sense. A cold sweat ran down my back as I considered the possibility.
But what could I do? This thing had saved my life. Honestly, I figured keeping it with me was better than letting it fall into Invader hands.
I couldn’t say for sure that this was the cause, but the odds weren’t zero. The thought alone made my mind race.
“Ugh, whatever! If anyone’s at fault, it’s the ones causing trouble, not me. I’m not giving this back—this Tesseract is mine!”
Pouting, I hugged the Tesseract tightly to my chest.
If not handing it over caused this mess? Well, too bad. Even if I had handed it over, things would’ve gone south anyway. If they wanted it, they’d have to come take it themselves.
As I stewed in defiance, the Tesseract suddenly quivered in my arms. The faint vibration startled me—it almost felt alive.
“Wait, is it... awake?”
Placing the Tesseract in my palm, I scrutinized it closely. Despite the faint trembling, its core remained as still as ever.
What the heck? Why make me think something was happening if nothing was?
Disappointed, I let out a small sigh, lowering my head. That’s when a new idea popped into my mind:
What if I brought that metal fragment from earlier into contact with the Tesseract? They were both Invader-related objects. Maybe some kind of reaction would occur.
Excited by the thought, I immediately retrieved the fragment I had hidden among my clothes. Holding it up, I pressed it gently against the Tesseract’s surface.
And then—
“This...!”
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The Tesseract glowed brilliantly, a violet energy spiraling around the fragment before being pulled into the Tesseract’s core. It looked as if the fragment’s essence was being absorbed.
Thump, thump!
A distinct heartbeat resonated from within the Tesseract, gradually slowing until it subsided entirely.
And just like that, the Tesseract returned to its dormant state, leaving me alone in the room, stunned.
What was that just now? Did I... wake it up?
Confused and overwhelmed, all I could do was blink in silence.