I Became the Cute One in the Troubleshooter Squad

It had already been three days since Alice tricked me into meeting the doctor, Crowd.

In other words, it was the first weekend since Greg returned to Nighthaven.

Looking back on what had happened in the meantime... Well, nothing had happened at all.

I woke up early in the office, had breakfast with Raven, and then headed to work at the general store.

At the store, I quietly sat at the counter to greet customers and cleaned the floor or polished items during downtime.

After having lunch with Greg and Karen, I spent the afternoon doing similar tasks and then left for home in the early evening.

Back at the office, I ate dinner, lounged around in the closet for a bit, and then went to bed in my room.

Compared to the bustling days at the office, it was an utterly normal routine.

Yet, I didn’t feel bored or restless about it.

Honestly, I found this routine quite pleasant. The office could be a bit overwhelming, to be fair.

‘I heard there was a big commotion while I was away. Something about stopping a gas leak?’

Must’ve been a lot of trouble, truly.

As I thought about it, I took a big bite of my bacon-and-cheese toast.

The salty and sweet flavors spread through my mouth, and I couldn’t help but smile.

I’d made it myself using ingredients from the fridge, and it turned out better than expected. Maybe I had some hidden culinary talent?

Feeling deeply satisfied, I swung my legs happily while sitting in the chair.

Then Raven, who had been eating a piece of my homemade toast across from me, suddenly spoke up.

"Not going out today?"

"...?"

"You always go out on weekends. I thought maybe you had plans today."

Did I? Have I really gone out every weekend?

Tilting my head at his comment, I tried to recall.

Come to think of it... since moving in, I don’t think I’ve spent a single weekend quietly at home.

Sabrina or Alice would often drag me out to hang out, and just last weekend, I unexpectedly went on a trip.

Right. This must be the first calm holiday I’ve had in a while.

When I nodded, confirming his words, Raven chuckled.

"You’re staying in, huh? Just wondering. Oh, now that I think about it, I need to ask you something."

"...?"

"Does your general store close during Night Week? It starts next Friday, doesn’t it?"

Night Week.

It was a year-end holiday period designated by the Dragon Mayor.

Of course, it wasn’t an official holiday recognized nationwide.

Rather, it was a recommended break period unique to Nighthaven.

Whether to observe it or not was left to individual discretion.

However, companies that gave employees time off during this period received small benefits.

Perhaps due to the Dragon Mayor’s overwhelming authority and public support, Night Week quickly became a major event where the entire city took a break for about a week.

‘Of course, businesses like restaurants and movie theaters would be busier than ever.’

That was its own kind of good news. After all, certain businesses could see a significant spike in revenue during such times.

Still, the fact that a city could establish its own holiday period was fascinating.

Then again, attaching the name "Dragon Mayor" to it made it seem reasonable. I guess I was starting to feel like a real Nighthaven resident.

Anyway, I needed to answer his question.

Does the store close during Night Week? The answer was yes.

- "We’ll close the store during Night Week. You should all take that time to enjoy yourselves."

- "Uh... I don’t really have anywhere to go. Can I come by instead?"

- "In that case, we won’t officially open, but we’ll keep the door unlocked. Feel free to stop by if you’re bored."

- "...!"

Recalling Greg’s words from a few days ago, I nodded to Raven, saying that was probably the plan.

Raven scratched his neck, looking relieved, and said, "In that case, how about we all go somewhere during Night Week? Alice begged me to ask you about it."

"...!"

"We’re planning to take a car and go somewhere outside Nighthaven with David’s group. It’ll be a nice change of pace."

Oh, now this sounded exciting.

If David’s group was going, that probably included Sabrina and Reine too.

It sounded like it would be a lot of fun—a sort of year-end group trip.

Though, considering my luck, there was a high chance we’d get involved in some incident.

But that could become a memorable experience too. It’s not like we couldn’t handle it.

After briefly rolling my eyes in thought, I expressed my agreement.

Raven sighed in relief, as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

Alice must have been pestering him a lot. I wondered what her reaction would’ve been if I’d refused. Not that I planned to find out.

Then a question came to mind.

It’s great that we’re going on a trip, but where are we going in this cold winter weather?

Waving my arms enthusiastically, I gestured at Raven to ask where we were headed.

He seemed puzzled at first but quickly understood.

"Oh, you’re asking where. Hmm, probably the beach? Not to swim in this weather, of course. We’ll book a hotel with a view of the winter ocean. Alice is dead set on going to the pool there, though."

"...!!"

"Did she really buy a swimsuit for this?"

Now it made sense why Alice had been obsessively inspecting swimsuits with such an intense look.

The meticulous and downright fearsome planning of Alice sent chills down my spine.

At least she wasn’t planning to actually swim in the ocean during this weather. That was a relief.

With a sense of comfort, I stuffed the remaining piece of toast into my mouth.

"Thanks for the toast. It was delicious," Raven said, tossing the last bit of his toast into his mouth.

Ah, this guy! Complimenting it to ensure I keep cooking for him in the future, huh?

Even after finishing his meal, Raven didn’t leave the table. Instead, he picked up a newspaper and started reading while still sitting.

I was used to eating alone, so it wouldn’t have bothered me if he left first. But somehow, it was nice that he stayed until the end. I should finish up quickly too.

After clearing my plate, I grabbed both Raven’s dish and mine, loaded them into the dishwasher, added a bit of detergent, and pressed the button. The machine hummed to life, creating bubbly foam as it started cleaning.

In two hours, the plates would come out spotless, dry, and ready to use.

Indeed, life becomes easier when you have good technology.

"Yaaawn. What should I do today? Maybe I’ll catch up on some movies I’ve missed," Raven mused from the sofa after the dishwasher was set.

When I glanced back toward the office area, there he was, sprawled on the couch.

He wasn’t wearing his usual suit but warm pajamas lined with fluffy fur, which somehow made him look even more like a grown-up who had given up on everything.

Then again, who wasn’t like that on their day off?

I quietly observed him from afar before turning and slipping into his room.

‘Since I don’t have much to do, should I head into the closet? I need to recharge Tesseract with some rift energy anyway.’

I climbed into the now-cozy closet and connected Tesseract to the rift using telekinesis.

Like plugging a device into an outlet, energy began flowing steadily into Tesseract.

Last time, I had stored energy for two weeks, which only allowed it to sustain an adult form for about five minutes.

I wanted to gather at least a month’s worth this time, just in case.

[Nom nom nom… So tasty! I feel so energized!]

Tesseract’s cheerful voice echoed loudly in my head, brimming with enthusiasm as it absorbed the energy.

Good, eat well and grow strong. One day, I might need your power.

Satisfied, I watched Tesseract’s lively energy surge while collapsing onto the freshly laundered, fragrant blanket.

Lying upside down, I pulled Echo from my pajama pocket and pressed it lightly to my forehead.

‘Echo, show me some fun videos.’

[Yes! Playing the most popular videos at the moment!]

The screen on Echo lit up without any further input from me, and a video began playing.

Ah, so this is what it feels like to have an AI assistant. It’s incredibly convenient not having to choose for yourself.

The first video was a vlog about raising an adorable lizard from another world.

The little lizard cutely breathed a small flame from its mouth, which was both cool and endearing. I wanted one!

Next was a video of beastfolk men taking on an intriguing challenge.

Then came a video of sexy elf ladies performing music on traditional elf instruments.

After that, it was a succubus sharing funny stories about life in another world.

‘...Wait, why is every video about non-humans? Even if people talk about discrimination or whatnot, otherworldly beings are undeniably popular.’

Still, the videos were entertaining.

As they were chosen based on popular preference, they were consistently amusing, even if a bit generic.

I could see why they were recommended by Echo, though I couldn’t fully resonate with the current trends.

They were fun, but... hmm, they didn’t quite hit the mark for me. It left me feeling slightly melancholic—like I didn’t belong to this era.

As I rolled around on the blanket, Echo still in hand, a sudden thought shot through my mind like an arrow.

Come to think of it, Echo can clearly interfere with the internet using supernatural means.

How far can Echo go? Are there limits?

‘This is intriguing. Should I try something? Echo, can you create an anonymous account that can’t be traced back to me?’

[Oh, uh… yes! I’ll give it a shot!]

‘Then leave a comment on one of the videos I just watched. I don’t care what you write.’

[Um… a comment? Can I copy something random from around here?]

‘Huh? If that’s what you want, sure.’

[Ah! Th-thank you!]

Is this really something to be grateful for?

Feeling a bit puzzled, I waited for Echo to post the comment.

Before long, a comment appeared from the anonymous account Echo had created.

It was a bit nonsensical and random, but I couldn’t hide my excitement.

Wow, this actually works. Not only can it access videos, but it can also interact with them!

Then, an amusing thought popped into my head.

If Echo can wield this much power online... Maybe I could have a little fun with it?