Chapter 37:

The day after the fixer office finally became a full team.

As snow continued to fall heavily, I tucked my hands into my pockets and hurried to the office, only to find David—now in his bear beastfolk form—standing blankly outside the door.

His round bear ears poked out atop his green hair, his tall frame loomed over me, and his square glasses rested neatly on his face.

No matter how I looked at him—front, back, or upside down—it was David.

Why wasn’t he going in?

“….”

“Oh, Yuria. Good morning.”

“…?”

“You’re asking why I haven’t gone inside yet? Well… I suppose I’m feeling a bit nervous.”

Feeling nervous…? Ah, I guess that made sense.

Even though he had studied at a university in the outer city, David had only recently become an adult.

Maybe he had experience with part-time jobs, but this was likely his first proper position.

Wow, the guy who boldly took on a corporation to save his childhood friend is nervous over something like this?

I chuckled to myself and opened the office door confidently in his place. Then, pounding my chest lightly with my fist as if to say “Follow me,” I walked inside.

“Oh, Yuria… Seriously, couldn’t you shake the snow off your head before coming in? Isn’t it cold?”

“Why? I think it makes her look like a doll. Good morning, Yuria! You’re adorable as always!”

“…?”

Raven’s incomprehensible greeting welcomed me as I entered.

Curious, I tilted my head and touched the top of it—only to feel a pile of snow sitting there.

Ack! I’ve been walking around with snow on my head? How did I not notice?!

I rushed back outside, furiously shaking my head to get rid of the snow.

…Wow, this is so embarrassing.

David must’ve seen it the whole time, so why didn’t he say anything?!

Pressing my warm cheeks with my palms to cool them, I returned to the office.

“Good morning to you too, David!”

“G-good morning, Alice. Raven.”

“Welcome, rookie.”

David greeted them stiffly, like an old robot with squeaky joints.

Yeah… He’s too nervous to worry about others. Poor guy’s completely out of it.

I decided to forgive him this time, hanging my coat on the rack.

There was no need to be harsh on someone just starting out, especially when I’d been too oblivious to notice the snow myself.

Ah… but at least the office is warm. What a relief.

The hideout I’d been living in had no heating—it was so cold I couldn’t survive without curling up in a sleeping bag like a caterpillar. Maybe it was time to consider moving.

As I thought about this and sat on the office sofa, Raven led David to a new desk.

“There. This’ll be your workstation. From now on, do your tasks here.”

“Understood. Could you go over my responsibilities once more?”

“Well, like I mentioned before, there’s not much to it. Neither Alice nor I are good with computers or the internet, so you’ll assist with tasks requiring that kind of expertise. Other than that, feel free to do whatever you want during downtime.”

“Got it.”

David’s role was essentially to handle all computer-related tasks for the office.

With NightHaven’s advanced technology and complex machinery, Raven and Alice’s lack of expertise in this area created a significant gap.

Having someone like David would likely double the number of requests they could accept. From Raven’s perspective, hiring him was a clear advantage.

‘Honestly, why hadn’t they hired someone like him sooner? Then again, it’s better to be cautious than to risk betrayal by a random hire.’

In this city, it wasn’t uncommon for hired coders to steal key information or funds and flee.

In fact, one of our recent clients had hired the office to track down such a rogue coder.

Considering all that, even without the context of the original story, Raven’s decision to hire David was a win-win for both parties.

Snap.

Quietly, I detached a small camera hidden under the table and tossed it into the trash.

I hope we all get along without issues… at least until I quit this part-time job!

Fortunately, David seemed to adapt quickly to the office.

His initial nervousness only lasted the first few minutes after arriving.

Once a couple of clients came in and the work began, he must have realized it wasn’t as daunting as he’d feared. He looked much more at ease.

Raven wasn’t the type to micromanage—he barely interfered with Alice or me on normal days.

Alice, with her golden retriever-like friendliness, was the most social person I’d ever met.

And while I was more reserved, none of us were the type to intrude, which made the office atmosphere easy to settle into.

When lunchtime arrived, Alice and I widened our eyes in surprise.

The meal wasn’t the usual cheap bento, but a much fancier one, nearly double the cost.

“…!”

“Oh my, this lunch is quite good. Raven, why don’t we order from here regularly?”

“Not a chance. Today’s special—just for the rookie’s first day. Tomorrow, it’s back to the cheap stuff.”

“Geez, so stingy.”

“Be quiet. Be thankful it’s not cup noodles. You, on the other hand, eat so much that buying expensive lunches regularly would bankrupt me.”

“Hmph, sorry for having a big appetite! I can’t help being hungry!”

I ignored their playful bickering and savored the luxurious meal.

Cube steak bento? It had been ages since I’d had something this fancy. Ever since starting this job, I’d cut back on spending, so this was a rare treat.

Focused on my meal, I belatedly noticed David watching me from across the table.

What are you looking at? Do you need something?

Tilting my head slightly to convey the question, David quickly shook his head, as if to say it was nothing.

“Ah, sorry, Yuria. I just got curious… With your mask tilted diagonally like that, can you actually see properly?”

“…!”

“Was it a pointless worry? My apologies. I have an odd tendency to wonder about trivial things.”

I nodded to reassure him, silently conveying that my vision was fine despite the mask. He seemed relieved but still apologized again.

Watching this slightly awkward exchange, Alice—chewing happily on a thick piece of steak—steered the conversation elsewhere.

“By the way, David, I heard you went to university in the outer city. You must be pretty smart!”

“Well… It feels a bit boastful to say, but my grades were good enough for a full scholarship…”

“Wow! That’s amazing! I couldn’t even attend school properly as a kid, so the thought of going to university is incredible to me!”

“I’ll take that as a compliment. Thank you.”

Alice’s sincerity was evident.

Due to her family circumstances, she’d spent her childhood doing jobs instead of attending school, relying on home education for basic knowledge.

So, she probably genuinely admired David’s academic achievements.

Suddenly, Raven, who had been quietly listening, looked at Alice with a curious expression.

“But how’d you end up becoming a police cadet? Guess the police are struggling with recruitment these days, huh?”

“What are you talking about? I just got some help from my sister.”

“Did you sneak answers?”

“Excuse me! I studied like crazy for six months! Who are you calling a dimwit?!”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Alice, enraged, grabbed Raven by the collar and shook him violently as he smirked at her.

Even if she’d left the academy behind, becoming the top-ranked police cadet through sheer skill was something she took pride in.

Apparently, even as a joke, she couldn’t tolerate Raven teasing her about it. Her reaction was… pretty cute.

‘Wait a second. Does that mean I’m the least educated person here?’

Let’s break this down. Raven, despite his current lazy demeanor, was an elite—a former military officer and a fixer, a title not just anyone could achieve.

Alice was born into an impressive family, received top-tier home education, and passed exams on merit to become a police cadet.

David, coming from the back alleys, had no formal teacher yet used his natural intelligence to become a university valedictorian on a full scholarship.

And me? I was a nobody in my past life, and now I was just a trivial undocumented squatter secretly living in an abandoned building. There was no competing with any of them.

‘…Who cares about education? Right. What does intelligence even do for you? In the end, what matters is staying warm, eating well, and working comfortably in winter. No need to feel inferior about this.’

My brain clunked into motion, churning out reassuring thoughts.

Actually, scratch that—it wasn’t reassurance. It was logical.

Feelings of inferiority arise when you think you’re lacking or inadequate.

But I’m not lacking at all! I’m good at plenty of things. For instance, I bet I’m the best at messing with street punks in this group.

To vent my mild frustration, I bit down on a cube of steak with unnecessary force.

Maybe it was the sensation of the medium-rare steak melting in my mouth, but it felt like my irritation was dissolving a little too.

“…Hmm.”

“…?”

As I chewed my steak, I suddenly noticed Raven looking at me. Our eyes met.

Wait—wasn’t Alice just grabbing him by the collar?

Turning my gaze to the side, I saw Alice now chatting animatedly with David, asking him various questions.

…So, it wasn’t a coincidence. Raven had been quietly staring at me the whole time.

What’s this about? Did I do something that caught his attention?

I placed my empty bento box on the table and tilted my head in confusion.

Raven, in response, simply turned his head nonchalantly, his feigned indifference so masterful it was almost professional.

‘Hmm… It’s probably nothing. There’s no way he’s misunderstanding something weird, right?’

I dismissed the odd feeling, wiped my mouth, and adjusted my mask back to its usual position.

And just like that, lunch was over.

Time to prepare for the afternoon clients.