I Became the Cute One in the Problem-Solving Team

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Something unusual is happening.

I quickly gathered the clues I had after realizing it during my meeting with Ethan.

‘Is this what I heard over the radio earlier? Anser, whom I met earlier today, is causing a problem in the subway that requires police intervention.’

Of course, it made no sense to me.

Anser had neither the means nor the motivation to cause such a problem.

A bumbling demon who tripped on its own feet and cried after being bullied by kids… is rampaging to the extent that the police can’t handle it?

Setting aside the possibility that Anser might be hiding immense power, the police in Night Haven can’t be that incompetent, can they?

‘Then, there are two possibilities to consider. The demon rampaging in the subway isn’t Anser, or… there is a third party involved.’

My suspicion leaned more towards the latter.

The reason? None other than the napkin contract Anser had given me.

The characters densely etched on the napkin seemed to tremble precariously, as if they would scatter at any moment. It was as if the agreement could no longer be maintained.

In other words, something was seriously wrong.

Perhaps to the point where I would never see Anser again.

“Yuria! Look at this!”

While I was intently staring at the napkin, Sabrina pulled out a device from her pocket and eagerly showed me the screen.

What reflected on the screen was a live broadcast of some news.

From what seemed like high above, looking down on a subway station, police were busy controlling the area to prevent people from getting close.

How big of an incident could it be for the police to deploy in such numbers?

I couldn’t help but frown at the anxiety that it might be irreversible.

[“…We’ve received reports of a bomb being installed in the subway, and all subway operations passing through Libra Station have been suspended. The police are asking for your understanding in the situation as they have no choice but to enforce control for the safety of citizens….”]

“You’re telling me there’s a bomb… that must be a lie, right?”

“…”

I nodded at Sabrina, who had a dark expression on her face.

If you asked which to trust between a mere media outlet and the info from the respected police chief’s special unit… obviously, you’d trust the police.

This was probably an order strongly pushed by the Dragon Mayor.

That person has a personality that seeks to avoid situations where certain races are seen as evil.

Whether the demon is rampaging or a bomb is planted, the subway must inevitably be controlled.

Thinking about the aftermath after the incident gets resolved, it might actually be quieter to say a crazy group planted the bomb. That kind of thing is a part of daily life.

‘…Wait a minute, if things have come to this, there must still be a way to help Anser.’

A ray of light flashed through my clouded mind.

If it’s still like this… isn’t there still a chance?

Let’s think. My worst-case assumption was that Anser had committed an irreversible act and that it had been exposed to everyone.

If that happened, what could be done?

There would be too many eyes watching, and no changes would occur just because I intervened.

However, with the bomb scare now known, the situation remaining unchanged suggested… that no clear victims had emerged yet.

Then, if I can somehow help clear up any misunderstandings that have built up against her, perhaps I could spare her from being treated as a serious criminal.

‘Of course… it won’t be easy. I might end up regretting that I should have just let it be.’

But if I think rationally, I had no reason to help her at all.

Anser was just someone I met for the first time today, not even a character from the original story, just a resident of Night Haven.

The situation was different in many ways compared to when I dealt with David last time.

Yet, here I was planning to walk into the police, where monsters stronger than me were crawling around?

That was just a foolishly arrogant thought.

The best thing to do here would be to pray for things to work out and go home.

And what if Anser was just pretending in front of me, hiding her true feelings?

That would only lead to unnecessary risks of being exposed while wasting time on pointless actions.

Yeah. It’s better to give up.

No matter how I thought about it, it wasn’t a rational decision.

What I wanted in this city was simply to live in peace without getting involved in incidents. Nothing more, nothing less.

-O, thanks a lot for today! Take care, guys!

‘…Ah, seriously!’

“Y-Yuria?”

I clutched my head at the last image of Anser that flickered through my mind.

Sabrina, who looked alarmed by that sudden outburst, was the least of my concerns.

I felt like a huge stone was lodged in my chest.

I could just close my eyes and forget about it, but I simply couldn’t do that.

I almost wished Sabrina would hit me on the head and knock me out.

But between regretting not acting and regretting having acted, if I had to choose one… it would surely be better to act.

“…”

Alright, let’s go.

Then I’ll find out what’s happening with Anser, and if all of this was what she wanted, I’ll wash my hands of it.

After steeling my wavering resolve, I gently pushed a startled Sabrina in the direction away from the subway.

“Yuria…?”

“…”

“Hey, wait! Are we going back? What about Anser unni?”

“…!”

Leave Anser to me and you go back.

I said that as if encouraging myself, pounding my chest with a fist.

It seemed Sabrina was just as worried about Anser as I was, but it was inevitable.

She was a child, both physically and mentally. It was too dangerous for her to be involved in this.

In terms of combat capabilities, she was among the best for her age, but she was still far from even being on the same level as Alice or David.

Was my strong will conveyed?

Sabrina looked at me with a teary expression, biting her lip, and said.

“…You want me to back off because I’d just be a hindrance?”

“…”

“Got it. I’ll do what you say, Yuria. It is true that I’m still lacking…”

Wow, she’s backing down so readily?

I blinked at Sabrina’s unexpected response.

I thought she’d insist on going with me, but this was surprisingly contrary.

Seeing my surprise, she chuckled as if it were obvious.

“I’ve been keeping an eye on you from the hotel, how could I not know? I don’t want to mess things up because of my greed.”

“…”

“Just… don’t do anything dangerous! Because… y-you’re more important to me!”

Sabrina grabbed my hand with a somewhat earnest expression.

Her eyes flickered softly, as if looking at a precious treasure she didn’t want to lose.

I couldn’t help but reply that I understood while holding her hand back.

The following preparations were brief.

Given that this city was full of CCTV, I couldn’t just run around without hiding my appearance, so I rushed to find a nearby closed restaurant and quietly retrieved a tablecloth using telekinesis.

I wrapped the tablecloth around my body, adjusting its size, and nodded to myself, thinking it was enough to cover me.

Little did I expect to become this ghostly figure again. My apologies to the restaurant owner. I’ll come back and pay for it.

“Wait…! Yuria, isn’t that outfit a bit too dangerous? If it gets lifted, we might be tracked immediately.”

“…?”

“Let’s swap clothes. The dress I’m wearing is pretty common. I probably won’t get caught.”

Sabrina’s suggestion made sense.

The outfit I was wearing was tailored by some quirky scientist, not off-the-shelf.

Wearing a coat over it and wrapping myself in the tablecloth was awkward, so naturally, I’d end up in maid attire if I took off the coat.

But I felt a bit bad about changing clothes… what if it meant throwing away the outfit?

I tilted my head cautiously, but Sabrina, with a serious expression, replied that she wouldn’t hold it against me.

I snapped my fingers, made an impromptu changing area in the alley where the tablecloth wouldn’t attract attention, and hurriedly swapped clothes with Sabrina.

Fortunately, there were no CCTV cameras nearby, and no one passed by, so I didn’t get embarrassed.

However, just being in the middle of the city and changing clothes made me a little jittery.

“Heh, heh heh… um, Yuria, about the outfit you were wearing until just now…”

“…?”

“S-scratch that, it’s nothing!”

While adjusting the straps of the slightly tight dress, I noted Sabrina nearby, burying her face in her shoulder.

I wondered if she was cold and offered my coat, but she just shook her head in a flustered manner. What on earth?

‘Oh, right. I should hand this over too.’

I suddenly remembered something while changing into shoes with Sabrina, and gently jabbed her shoulder.

At that, she turned to me, tense for some reason. I took off the fox mask and handed it to her.

With just changing clothes, being exposed due to the mask would make things complicated. I thought of leaving this with her.

She was trustworthy, even if my face was revealed.

“…Huh?”

Sabrina blinked in confusion, her eyes widening to an exaggerated extent.

Through her trembling gaze, she reflected my bewildered face.

Thump! Thump!

For a moment, I felt like I could hear someone’s heart pounding in the thick silence that had settled here.

*

Inside the dark subway tunnels.

In this cold, desolate place where no subway trains were running, a black-haired girl precariously maneuvered along a thin tracks.

With her arms stretched out as if to maintain balance, she looked strikingly innocent for her age.

“Hmm hmm hmm~ When can I meet my brother~”

In the girl’s black eyes, a faint purple hue shimmered like paint dropped into water.

And from the path she wobbled along, a scream that defies expression burst forth.

The black-haired girl was startled by the sound and accidentally fell off the tracks, but as she puffed her cheeks in irritation, she muttered in a sulky voice.

“Really, it would have been nice if you just listened properly. Why do you have to make me do this twice?”

After saying that, she lightly wiggled her fingers.

Then, the scattered stones on the ground began to move on their own, lifting her back onto the tracks.

Once again, the girl spread her arms wide and continued on her way, appearing almost childlike in her innocence.