Clearing snow from the streets is exhausting work. It’s not just about shoveling or sweeping—it’s the fact that if left untouched, snow hardens into ice.
Once it’s frozen solid, neither brooms nor plastic shovels can handle it. You’d need heavy-duty tools like a pickaxe or a metal shovel to break through. That’s why, on snowy days, people rush out to clear it before it settles.
"Does this feel right?"
But none of that applied to me.
With telekinesis, I could manipulate objects in ways that defied ordinary physics. It felt like having countless invisible hands grasping and moving things precisely.
Using this ability, it wasn’t difficult to peel frozen snow off the ground as if scraping just the surface.
Crack!
I stomped lightly, and a burst of telekinetic force shot forward. The frozen layer of ice peeled away, breaking into glimmering shards that scattered like jewels in the air.
With another firm stomp, I sent the shards flying sideways, as if a giant’s hand had swept them clean.
It was such a surreal sight that I couldn’t help but think of Moses parting the Red Sea. Looking at the results, I thought quietly to myself:
"...Yeah, it’s clear. My output and precision have noticeably improved since yesterday."
Here I was, early in the morning, clearing snow dramatically in front of Greg’s general store. Why?
After last night’s interaction between the Tesseract and that strange metal fragment, my telekinesis felt significantly stronger. I needed to test it out.
The results were undeniable.
If yesterday my telekinesis had a strength level of about 10, today it felt closer to 12 or 13. The growth rate matched the progress I’d made over months of grueling practice in the backstreets.
The sudden leap in power left me puzzled.
"Hmm... I don’t get it. What kind of reaction occurred between the fragment and the Tesseract? And why did it affect me?"
Why would my telekinesis improve just because the Tesseract absorbed something from the fragment?
Trying to untangle my thoughts, I pulled the Tesseract from under my maid uniform.
As expected, it remained dormant, showing no signs of activity.
If my eyes hadn’t deceived me, something from the fragment had been drawn into the Tesseract. Was it still not enough to wake it?
"...Still, it feels like I’m onto something. If I can find similar fragments and feed them to the Tesseract, maybe it’ll eventually activate."
Satisfied with this line of reasoning, I tucked the Tesseract back into my uniform and began walking toward the office, my footsteps echoing in the now-clear street.
First, I needed to figure out why Raven had the metal fragment in the first place.
If I could uncover that mystery, it might lead me to a way to awaken the Tesseract.
This investigation could serve a dual purpose: uncovering the Invaders' threats while furthering my own abilities. Considering my telekinesis was growing stronger as a side effect, it was a win-win—or even a win-win-win situation.
In the frigid morning air, with my breath visible in the cold, the path ahead seemed crystal clear.
*
“Hey, part-timer. You’re back. I was waiting for you.”
Foll𝑜w current novℯls on ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm.
“...?”
As I returned to the office, pulling my coat tighter against the cold, I found Raven lounging on the sofa in his usual suit.
When I’d left earlier, he’d been snoring in his room, but now he was freshly showered and dressed. And apparently, he’d been waiting for me.
Tilting my head in confusion, I silently asked what he meant. Raven shot me a casual look and explained.
“You haven’t eaten yet, right? Let’s eat together.”
“....”
Oh, right. I hadn’t eaten anything.
With no reason to refuse, I nodded.
Breakfast consisted of fried eggs and bacon, pulled from the fridge. It wasn’t exactly a fancy meal—more like a standard bachelor’s breakfast—but it was enough to fill me up.
“...!”
“You’re cleaning the dishes? Sure, go ahead. There’s a dishwasher over there, so just load everything in.”
“....”
So much for washing them by hand as a gesture of thanks. Slightly disappointed, I wiped the grease off the frying pan and plates, loaded them into the dishwasher, and pressed the button.
Now that I thought about it, this was way easier than scrubbing everything by hand. Nodding at Raven’s practical foresight, I stretched and headed to the sink to brush my teeth.
By the time I was done, the office had grown livelier. It seemed Alice and David had arrived.
“Yuria! Good morning!”
“...!”
“Good morning.”
“....”
I waved back at Alice, who was beaming at me with unusually intense energy, and at David, who greeted me with his usual calm demeanor.
As usual, I sat primly on the sofa, waiting for clients to arrive. My job mainly involved reception work, so there wasn’t much to do until someone walked in.
Then Alice snuck over and plopped me onto her lap, wrapping her arms around my shoulders to keep me from escaping. The full-body contact was almost suffocating.
I’d gotten used to this by now, though. When she first did this, it had made my skin crawl, and I’d squirmed away in a panic. Now, I calmly sat there, nibbling on a cookie from the table.
Alice’s clinginess wasn’t new. Two weeks of this had left me with no choice but to adapt.
However, as she hugged me and nuzzled the back of my head, her voice turned uncharacteristically sullen.
“Yuria smells like Raven...”
“That’s because we use the same shampoo and body wash.”
“What did you do to my precious Yuria?!”
“I didn’t do anything, you weirdo. Please don’t say stuff like that in public—it makes me sound like a criminal. The office’s reputation is at stake here.”
Raven sighed, scratching his head in exasperation, and slumped onto the sofa across from me. Stretching out his arm, he grabbed a handful of the chocolate rings I’d been eating and began munching on them.
Hey, why are you stealing my food?
I shot Raven an incredulous look, but he ignored me, licking the chocolate off his fingers.
“By the way, Jin, your outfit looks a bit different today. It seems thicker than usual.”
“Oh, you’re just noticing? I changed into this yesterday—it’s for winter.”
“Ah... I guess I was too distracted yesterday to notice.”
Perk.
A sharp sound reached my ears as I sat in Alice’s lap.
Looking closely, I realized Raven’s suit was indeed thicker than the one he’d been wearing before. At a glance, the design and color were similar, but this one was clearly for colder weather.
Apparently, he’d pulled it out of a wardrobe because of the freezing temperatures.
"A wardrobe? Did he just say wardrobe?"
The pieces clicked into place.
The suspicious wardrobe I hadn’t been able to search yesterday. The metal fragment that had been inside his winter suit. The connection was too obvious to ignore.
What was in that wardrobe? I didn’t recall it being mentioned prominently in the original story, but my memory was fuzzy.
"Tonight, while Raven’s in the shower, I’ll investigate that wardrobe. There must be a secret hidden inside."
As I mentally finalized my plan, the day unfolded as usual, with a steady trickle of clients visiting the office.
Since Raven wasn’t particularly famous yet, we didn’t get any difficult cases. And thanks to Raven’s exceptional skills, even simple requests were handled effortlessly. His success rate and client satisfaction were nearly perfect.
Perhaps the presence of more people in the office had motivated him to step up his game. At this rate, he was sure to become a rising star in Nighthaven’s Fixer scene. By then, I’d probably be back working at Greg’s shop, though.
“Thank you, young man. You’ll be blessed for your kindness one day.”
“No need to thank me. Please get home safely.”
With the final case of the day—finding a missing child—successfully resolved, it was finally time to close up.
As Alice prepared to leave, she turned to me with a wistful look.
“Goodbye, Yuria... See you tomorrow. I wish I could spend the night here, but...”
“Then stay. I’m not stopping you.”
“Haha, today’s the day my sister comes home. I need to take care of her. Well, see you tomorrow!”
“...!”
“Take care. Say hi to Lily for me.”
“I’m off too.”
“Alright. See you tomorrow.”
After laughing brightly, Alice left, and David followed shortly after with a brief wave.
The once-bustling office fell into an eerie silence.
While I usually preferred quiet over noise, the office felt more lively and welcoming when it was noisy.
“Well, let’s head in for the night. Yawn... What should I eat for dinner?”
“....”
Raven stretched lazily and wandered toward the inner rooms.
Though his Fixer work for the day was done, my real task was just beginning.
Dinner was a simple bento from a nearby shop—grilled fish over rice in a Japanese-style donburi. Delicious.
After eating, I let Raven take the shower first, eagerly waiting for my opportunity.
The moment he stepped into the bathroom, I slipped into his room and headed straight for the wardrobe.
Raven usually took about five minutes in the shower. That gave me just enough time.
Thunk!
Without hesitation, I opened the wardrobe.
And immediately regretted it.
The inside was a chaotic mess. Boxes, clothes, and random items were piled haphazardly, creating an overwhelming disaster zone.
How was I supposed to search through all this in five minutes?
Overwhelmed, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to stave off the headache already forming.