A sudden proposal from Alice to provide lodging and meals at the Problem-Solvers(Trouble- shooter) Office.

    No matter how I looked at it, it was a proposal I should have refused outright.

    Staying at the Problem-Solvers Office was no different for me than walking into the epicenter of an impending explosion.

    Even working there temporarily as a part-timer made me feel like I was treading on thin ice. And staying there permanently? That would be the epitome of short-sightedness—risking great danger for fleeting comfort.

    So, without much thought, I was about to shake my head at Alice and reject her suggestion.

    That is, until her worry-filled eyes met mine.

    ‘...Now that I think about it, this is strange. Why suggest the office and not her own house?’

    I felt a faint sense of incongruity.

    Was there really a reason Alice wanted me to stay at the office?

    Simply because she liked me?

    No, if that were the case, it would make more sense for her to suggest I stay at her home. Bringing up the Problem-Solvers Office seemed unnecessarily complicated.

    At the very least, I should ask her for the reason before declining.

    I tilted my head slightly, conveying my curiosity about her reasoning.

    Did my gesture get through to her? Alice knelt down to meet my eyes and cautiously asked,

    “Yuria, I don’t know all the details, but you’re planning to wander around the Western Labyrinth again after work today, aren’t you?”

    Of course I was. I needed a place to stay.

    I nodded lightly in response to her words.

    Last night, I’d given up and gone to Greg’s general store only because it was too late, and the snowstorm was too fierce. Freezing to death on the street seemed worse than incurring some debt.

    Now that I’d managed to survive the night, I intended to look for a proper place again after finishing work today.

    I couldn’t live like a homeless person without a home or bed forever.

    As I mulled over these thoughts, Alice let out a small sigh, as if I were hopeless, and continued,

    “And if you can’t find a place again like last night... you’ll go to Greg’s general store, right?”

    “...!”

    What? How did she know that?@@@@

    Startled by her almost psychic deduction, I stared at her in shock.

    But Alice, unfazed by my reaction, scratched her cheek apologetically and explained,

    “Sorry, I found the key while tidying up my coat yesterday. Now that I think about it, if you keep walking the path where we met, you’d end up at the general store.” РANo?b?s?

    “....”

    “But in my opinion, Greg’s general store doesn’t seem like a good place for you to stay, Yuria.”

    Ah, so she found the key when I’d left my coat behind.

    Relieved that she wasn’t reading my mind, I grudgingly admitted that her words weren’t entirely wrong.

    It wasn’t as though the general store was an ideal living environment.

    The only places to lie down were a wooden table or a sofa, and there wasn’t even a blanket or pillow to be found. I had to use my coat and a pile of clothes as makeshift bedding.

    For someone with a modern, fragile body, sleeping there wouldn’t alleviate fatigue—it’d only make it worse.

    But that was only when compared to an actual house.

    If you compared a rundown storage shed or the streets to the general store... Well, the store had heating, and you could lock the door. Honestly, it was paradise compared to braving the freezing streets.

    As I stared at her with my hands on my hips, clearly asking what the problem was, Alice seemed to grow more thoughtful. After a long moment of contemplation, she gently patted my head and said,

    “Yuria... you don’t like being indebted to others, do you?”

    “....”

    “I’ve only known you for two weeks, but watching you closely, I can tell. You’re the kind of person who always tries to repay what you receive, even if it’s foolish. I think you’re a very kind girl.”

    ...Kind? Me? That didn’t make sense.

    I wasn’t kind—I was just an emotional, impulsive coward.

    I wanted to shift all my fears onto others.

    If someone was going to hate me, I’d rather they just be indifferent instead.

    People who work hard deserve to see their efforts pay off someday.

    And those who like me—I just want them to be happy and free from suffering.

    I’m selfish, petty, cowardly, and stupid.

    Alarmed, Alice stood up hurriedly and grabbed him by the shoulder, clearly flustered.

    She must not have expected Raven to respond so dismissively.

    Well, I did.

    “What—that’s it?! You know there’s no way she can find a place with this weather and no money!”

    “Well... it’d be tough.”

    “But!”

    “Look, what am I supposed to do about it? Besides, it doesn’t seem like she needs any help. Help that disregards the recipient’s wishes can sometimes be more cruel than outright violence.”

    “Ugh... You’re not wrong, but still....”

    As expected of the Problem-Solver—help is only offered when the other party genuinely wants it!

    I secretly rolled my eyes in agreement, silently rooting for him.

    Meanwhile, Raven sighed lightly and said,

    “If it’s about helping, why not just let her stay at your place again? Why drag me into this? You already spent the night together, didn’t you?”

    “Well... there are circumstances. My house isn’t just mine; my sister lives there too.”

    “Huh? That’s true.”

    “I can’t let Yuria and my sister meet. It’s for both their sakes. I don’t want to pit them against each other.”

    “Uh...”

    “...?”

    Both Raven and I stared at her, perplexed by her reasoning.

    Raven, perhaps deciding to gloss over this odd remark, scratched his head and said,

    “Well, anyway, that’s how it is. If the part-timer doesn’t need help, and I want to enjoy my happy, peaceful life, then nothing should happen that neither of us wants. Right?”

    “Fine. I don’t intend to force the issue. I just... hoped Yuria might change her mind, that’s all.”

    The conversation was gradually tilting toward respecting my decision.

    Then again, from the start, there had only ever been one answer.

    After forcibly taking me home last night and seemingly changing her approach, Alice didn’t seem intent on pushing me any further this time.

    And Raven, one of the parties involved, was clearly not the type to force something I wasn’t okay with.

    As long as my stance didn’t change, the likelihood of me staying at the Problem-Solvers Office was practically zero.

    ‘It really was just a light misunderstanding. Looks like I’ll be busy wandering around tonight too.’

    I relaxed my shoulders, the tension draining from me.

    I had been worried that something irreversible might happen, but now that things had wrapped up neatly, I felt genuinely relieved.

    Suddenly, as I lightly closed my eyes in exhaustion, a faint whisper reached my ears.

    It sounded like fragments of words, faint emotions conveyed halfway, as though the sentence had been left incomplete.

    Curious, I tilted my head toward the source of the sound.

    At the end of my gaze stood Raven, looking like he was about to retreat inside.

    “....”

    “Huh? What, do you have something to say? Hey, hey! What are you doing?!”

    Feeling an instinctive sense of foreboding, I grabbed Raven hurriedly.

    As I drew closer, the fragments of sound grew clearer. Without hesitation, I thrust my hand into the pocket of his pants.

    Raven, startled by my sudden intrusion, shouted in surprise.

    “Yuria?!”

    “This... What’s this? When did this get into your pocket?”

    What I pulled from his pocket was a thin metal shard, smaller than a fingernail.

    And immediately, I realized what it was.

    ‘This... it’s similar to a Tesseract’s item—a tool of dimensional invaders.’

    An object far too early for its existence in this timeline—a ticking time bomb waiting to explode.

    My face hardened as the seriousness of the situation dawned on me.

    It seemed I’d have to reconsider my decision.