Day 1 of freeloading at the Problem-Solvers Office.

    After finalizing the contract with Raven, the first thing I did was shop for clothes and daily necessities.

    The reason was simple: since Raven had been living alone in the office all this time, everything there was for single-person use.

    At least there were spare blankets and pillows, so I didn’t have to buy those. But personal items like dishes, toothbrushes, and towels? I couldn’t bring myself to use someone else’s.

    Since I was already shopping for daily necessities, I also stocked up on some extra pajamas and underwear.

    The only concern was that I wasn’t particularly skilled at picking out good products....

    “Sorry for dragging you out after hours like this.”

    “It’s fine! It’s for Yuria, after all.”

    “I haven’t strolled through the shopping district of Nighthaven in a long time, so this was actually refreshing for me.”

    With Alice and David helping me out even after work hours, I managed to pick up high-quality items at reasonable prices.

    Huh? Why worry about cost-effectiveness? Because I was paying out of pocket!

    Sure, I was buying these for myself, but I couldn’t justify spending someone else’s money.

    Unlike Raven, who didn’t care much about what was “good,” or me, who didn’t fully grasp the value of credits, Alice and David were much more attuned to trends—likely because they were young and fashion-conscious.

    Although I didn’t need much since I’d only be staying for about two weeks, their help saved me both time and money. I was truly grateful for that.

    “....”

    “Oh my.”

    “Yes, thank you for your help.”

    Out of gratitude, I gave Alice a heartfelt hug and offered David a casual fist bump.

    Huh? Am I playing favorites between Alice and David?

    Well, David has a sweet, loving childhood friend, doesn’t he? Lucky bastard. I envy him so much.

    “I’ll head out now. Jin, take care of Yuria.”

    “What’s going to happen? Don’t overthink it.”

    “Sure, sure. Yuria, see you tomorrow! Mwah!”

    “...!!”

    “I’ll get going as well.”

    “Yeah, yeah. See you both tomorrow. Watch your step on the icy ground. Don’t slip.”

    Alice left with a playful kiss on my head and a bright smile, while David quietly said goodbye and departed as well.

    That left just Raven and me in the office hallway.

    Whoa... that was such an affectionate gesture. It startled me.

    I rubbed the top of my head with both hands, still feeling the warmth of Alice’s kiss lingering there.

    While I was doing that, Raven yawned, grabbed my pile of bags, and casually walked into the office.

    “Well, let’s unpack your stuff first and then grab some dinner. How about pizza?”

    “...!”

    “Great. Pizza it is. How do you feel about Hawaiian pizza?”

    “....”

    “Ugh, don’t tell me you like it. You’ve got some peculiar tastes.”

    What was with his reaction? Why ask if you’re going to judge my answer? And what’s so bad about Hawaiian pizza?

    It’s not like it’s some cruel joke of a dish—it’s perfectly fine to eat.

    When my unimpressed stare met his gaze, Raven, busy unpacking a few items, scratched his head awkwardly and said,

    “Maybe we’ll just go with a combination pizza to keep it simple?”

    “...!”

    That’s more like it! I love combination pizza.

    Nodding enthusiastically, I dashed over and began taking my belongings from his arms to help sort them out. It was my stuff, after all.

    Maybe because we tackled it together like a competition, it only took us a few minutes to finish unpacking everything.

    Of course, that wasn’t surprising—I wasn’t planning to stay long, just a couple of weeks at most. If I was lucky, I might even find another place by the day after tomorrow. R?a??o??ВЕ?S?

    With such a short stay, I had no reason to accumulate unnecessary belongings.

    “Pizza’s here~”

    “Ah, finally. Go wait at the table—I’ll grab the pizza.”

    “....”

    We sat across from each other and shared the large pizza the delivery person had brought. Dinner was handled.

    I had all the time in the world. If not today, tomorrow. If not tomorrow, the day after.

    Even if it took a week, there was no need to rush and risk botching things.

    Regaining my composure, I quietly exited Raven’s room, feeling a bit like an undercover agent.

    Thus, my first attempt ended with no results. A disappointing outcome.

    ***

    Late that night.

    After Raven finished his shower, it was my turn.

    Once I was cleaned up and changed out of my maid uniform into pajamas, I slipped into my room and lay down on the bedding spread out on the floor.

    What about my usual routine of cleaning Greg’s general store?

    Since the office opened at 9 AM, I planned to wake up early and stop by before work.

    I didn’t sleep much anyway, so as long as I went to bed early, I’d be fine.

    With my morning plans sorted, I took off my mask and placed it near my pillow, then wriggled contentedly under the cozy blanket.

    Ah, this was it. The sensation of rolling around in a warm, soft blanket after a hot shower!

    It felt so blissful I could almost cry.

    ‘Ouch!’

    Lost in my happiness, I suddenly felt a sharp sting near my chest.

    It seemed the Tesseract hanging around my neck had jabbed me.

    How dare this sharp, unyielding object interrupt my moment of joy.

    Pouting, I pulled the Tesseract out from under my pajamas and glared at it.

    Then, like a bolt of lightning, a thought struck me.

    Was the advancement of the Invader-related events... because of this thing?

    ‘Wait... wasn’t this supposed to be retrieved by the mastermind from Drakel’s corpse? If something went wrong on their end and they started scheming because of it...?’

    It made sense. Too much sense.

    The realization sent a cold sweat trickling down my back.

    But then again, what could I do? This thing had saved my life.

    Honestly, I’d figured it was better for the Tesseract to stay with me than to fall back into Invader hands.

    While I couldn’t say for sure that it was the cause, I couldn’t rule out the possibility that it was at least a factor.

    ‘Ugh, whatever! If someone’s to blame, it’s the ones plotting evil schemes—not me. I’m keeping the Tesseract. It’s mine now.’

    Pouting defiantly, I hugged the Tesseract tightly to my chest.

    If refusing to hand over the Tesseract had caused this, so be it.

    If the bad guys had a problem with that, they could come and take it themselves.

    As I burned with silent defiance toward invisible enemies, I suddenly felt the Tesseract trembling faintly in my arms.

    It was like it was alive, wriggling slightly.

    Startled, I sat up and placed the Tesseract in my palm, examining it closely.

    ‘Is it... waking up?!’

    I stared intently at the object, but aside from the faint tremor, its core remained still and lifeless.

    What was that? Why make me expect something?

    After waiting for a while and seeing no further changes, I let out a small sigh and lowered my head.

    Then an idea popped into my mind.

    What if I brought the metal shard I got from Raven into contact with the Tesseract?

    They were both Invader-related items—maybe they’d interact in some way.

    Acting on my hunch, I retrieved the shard hidden in a pile of clothes and pressed it against the Tesseract.

    ‘This is...!’

    The Tesseract shimmered, and a purple glow from the shard was drawn into it as if absorbed.

    My heart raced.

    Then, I felt a distinct pulse from the Tesseract before it gradually settled down.

    The Tesseract returned to its usual still state, leaving me alone in the room, utterly bewildered.

    What had just happened? Did I accidentally trigger something to wake the Tesseract?

    Dazed and confused, all I could do was blink at the strange object in my hand.