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When I leaped down from the ceiling to land between David and Lexi, the first thought that crossed my mind was a twinge of regret.

Facing her in combat-ready mode felt eerily like sticking my hand into a guillotine.

What’s more, I wasn’t even a ghost at the moment; I was Yuria, just wearing a mask.

The limitation of not being able to freely use my telekinesis only added to my anxiety.

‘Should I have just come down wrapped in a cloth instead? …No, that would be too dangerous. It’s not like this is the Western Labyrinth, plus being reckless in the middle of a city where escape isn’t an option is way too risky.’

But this was unavoidable.

Fighting Lexi in my ghostly form was entirely different from secretly using my telekinesis behind a hotel with no witnesses or CCTV.

If I wanted to suppress Lexi using telekinesis, there was no help for it—the echoes of that battle would inevitably spill over into this space.

Then, much like when I fought Drakel, it would cause a deafening uproar and turn everything into chaos.

That would naturally leak the existence of my powers to the outside, and even if I somehow managed to escape, there would be those doggedly determined to uncover my identity.

Ah, just imagining it made my head throb.

No matter how much I sympathized with David and Sabrina, I couldn’t just pour oil all over my body and leap into the fire.

‘In the end, I need to either not use telekinesis here or somehow retreat Lexi without being caught…’

And immediately, another sense of helplessness washed over me.

How in the world was I supposed to pull that off against this sadistic psychopathic queen?

“Jin…? No, that guy isn’t the kind to act so flamboyantly…”

While I was nervously trying to calm my racing heart, Lexi tilted her head as if confused, then chuckled menacingly.

“Hmm. I don’t get it. I have no idea what you’re trying to do. What’s the goal behind all this?”

“…”

“Well, whatever. I’ll just do what I do. I’ll find out what’s going on once it’s all over. Right?”

Clearly, Lexi was clueless as to why I, who had just been in the banquet hall with Raven, suddenly appeared here to disrupt everything, and she licked her lips, raising her whip.

Instead of mulling over this pointless question, she was probably thinking of just restraining me and getting on with it.

What a terrifying queen she was.

“Snake, grab him. As gently as possible.”

“…!”

Swoosh!

The invisible black whip shot toward me with lightning speed, wrapping around my body in an instant.

The speed was so fast that by the time I noticed it, I was already tightly bound and unable to move.

This was a combat artifact considered tier 1 in this world, the flesh-eating snake.

If she had decided to kill me, I would have lost my life already; the mere thought sent chills down my spine.

‘Ugh… this is, this is agonizing…! I’m not into this kind of stuff!’

The oppressive tightening of the snake coiling around my arms, legs, and neck was unbearable.

Was she planning to choke me unconscious like this?

Feeling the sensation of being forcibly strangled by someone else made tears well up in my eyes.

Whether I struggled against the whip tightening around my throat or not, Lexi seemed to think I was already completely subdued.

Calmly, she approached me and scratched at my mask with her finger.

“I’ve been curious about what’s behind this mask since a while ago. What kind of face could you possibly be hiding under there? If it’s a cute face, maybe I’ll break it just a little?”

What terrifying words!

I trembled at Lexi’s deadly statements, which felt anything but playful, and silently pushed my telekinesis into the surface of the whip.

And quietly, as that telekinesis traveled inside the handle of the whip, reaching a very soft spot hidden within…

I tightly gripped that invisible little tail with telekinesis.

-Creeeak!

“What…?! Snake!”

“…!”

The flesh-eating snake that had tightly bound me screamed.

The reason was simple: I was tormenting the soft, vulnerable tail protected by the handle with my telekinesis.

At this point, Lexi was likely oblivious to this, quickly checking the strange behavior of the whip.

Gaining back my freedom, I rolled to the side without caring about the wounds on my body.

Behind me were the injured David and Sabrina, and right in front of me was Lexi, inspecting the whip in this fleeting moment.

An invaluable opportunity like this would be worth a fortune!

“Shock!”

“…Damn it!”

Boom!

A shockwave far stronger than before narrowly brushed by me as it hit Lexi, who had opened a gap.

Considering the power, it was probably the maximum output squeezed out while leaving minimal reserves.

Thanks to that, Lexi was flung backward as if hit by a truck, disappearing through the wall.

As expected of the intelligent David. He didn’t let go of the gap I had barely created.

To me, who had been strangled almost to tears, it was profoundly relieving.

‘Honestly, it was half insane, but it worked.’

I still held my stinging throat and sighed in relief.

This was the painting I had envisioned from above.

If Lexi, who was secretly obsessed with Raven, wouldn’t immediately harm me and if she had a weakness with the whip, it was a messy plan that I wouldn’t have dared to try otherwise.

Even now, successful as it seemed, my heart was pounding with fear and anxiety, making it something I wouldn’t dare attempt again.

“I did it! Brother! Fox! We did it!”

“Hah, hah… Fox, is it? I don’t know how I pulled it off, but I got help. Thank you so much.”

Was it that joyous to have dealt a proper blow to Lexi?

Sabrina and David were already bright-faced with excitement.

Of course, that reaction wasn’t strange.

The shockwave David had unleashed had enough destructive power to create a hole in the wall.

Though it seemed unlikely he would die as a fixer, it must have been powerful enough to knock someone out.

But… it was still too early to celebrate.

Since Lexi was also an enhanced human like Raven, she probably hadn’t been hurt much.

“Ugh, hehehe! This is fun, fun! That one hurt a bit!”

And predictably, Lexi appeared through the broken wall, with blood dripping from her forehead.

Compared to earlier, that was definitely a valid hit.

Her jacket was tattered, and she was bleeding from a body that had previously shown no wounds.

Yet, her appearance was healthy enough to fight, causing the joyous expressions of David and Sabrina to instantly freeze.

Despite having landed what would be considered the best possible attack, it wasn’t enough.

It felt like a truly desperate situation, one where the level difference was painfully evident.

Lexi, indifferent to their expressions, wiped away the blood running down her face with a nonchalant tone.

“Ah, it’s fine. As long as I’m alive without any limbs, it doesn’t matter. I’m just curious to see what kind of expression Jin will make when you’re a complete mess!”

Having completely lost her cool, she swung her whip with tremendous force.

Unlike before, it was a terrifying attack with no restraint whatsoever.

In this moment, it felt like my soft body would be shredded by the sharp whip.

Bang! Suddenly, sharp gunshots echoed from not far away.

And I, who had instinctively shut my eyes tight, realized that I bore not a single wound.

Really, what a nerve-wracking situation.

“What!”

Lexi’s eyes widened in disbelief.

The flesh-eating snake that was fast-moving on an unpredictable path was torn mercilessly by the bullets flying in rapid succession.

Naturally, the flesh-eating snake, except for its tail, was a shadow snake capable of regenerating its body freely.

So Lexi’s whip itself wasn’t neutralized; however, her eyebrows furrowed at the unheard-of precision of the gunfire.

It was comparable to the unbelievable skill of hitting popcorn scattered in the air with bullets. Only one person could accomplish that.

“No way….”

With a swish, Lexi turned her head in the direction of the gunfire.

There stood a man with a smoking black pistol.

“Lexi. It’s not good to frighten our office’s rookie like that. You shot your gun out of surprise like you had an accident, didn’t you?”

“Jin!”

The intruder was none other than Raven.

One of the top marksmen among fixers. A monster who could kill three people with a single bullet.

With just a gun in his hand, he was the most reassuring man in the world.

As the tension drained from my shoulders, I realized that the moment he arrived on the scene without being late had signified that everything was already over.

Lexi, unwilling to accept that, glared at Jin with a furious expression.

“Ha ha, what’s this? Did I just get hit from behind? Are you moving on a request too? How much are you getting paid? Which company?”

“No, I haven’t really taken a commission. As long as you hand over our part-timer safely, I’ll just be on my way.”

“Oh really? Then take that one and hurry up and scram. I’ve got my own work to do.”

Lexi studied Raven closely and then, realizing his words were not a lie, quickly proposed a negotiation.

Clearly, Lexi wanted to brush Raven aside by quickly handing me over, as his involvement would completely ruin everything.

But… I didn’t want that.

“…!”

I spread my arms wide, standing in front of Sabrina and David, unwilling to back down.

I couldn’t just stop here after all the ruckus I had caused.

Did my strong will get conveyed to the two fixers facing each other?

In the quiet moment, Lexi was the first to move her hand.

“Snake! Kill him!”

By that moment, the flesh-eating snake, whose wounds had healed, lunged at Raven from all sides.

And almost simultaneously, Raven’s black gun spewed fire.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

The bullets tore through the flesh-eating snake’s body apart.

The precision was so incredible that only remnants of the black snake fluttered around Raven.

“Cough…!”

“Not happening. Lexi, it’s been clear since the past our characteristics match. There’s no way that changes now.”

“Shut up! Do I still look like that idiot I was back then?!”

Lexi attacked Raven with the recovering flesh-eating snake, which Raven calmly countered with his pistol. How many times had that scenario repeated itself?

Finally, as if the flesh-eating snake had reached the limit of its recovery, it drooped downwards.

Lexi, looking dumbfounded, clutched her bangs with a bewildered voice.

“How… how do you shoot a snake with a gun? Are you reading the future or something?”

“Pfft, no matter how fast your snake is, it can’t compare to a bullet. It’s unavoidable. Just like how it’s like turning off a light bulb when placed in front of the sun.”

“…You’re still the same. How many times will you brag about deflecting a bullet with a bullet once by accident?”

At Raven’s nonchalant remarks, Lexi clenched her teeth, glaring at him, then she hung the whip on her pants as if she had completely given up the fight.

And with a look of total resignation, she glanced between Raven and me, clicking her tongue.

“I can’t just fight for my life against Jin over so little money. Fine. I give up. Do what you want.”

Raising her hands, Lexi declared her surrender.

It seemed she thought there was little profit in using her trump card since she was only getting a small amount from the client.

That was understandable. Even if Nemesis was a large organization, they probably didn’t invest so much that a fixer would be left reeling from the expenses in case something went wrong.

In the original work, Raven had held them off, they would touch and then back off.

This was the part where her efficiency-driven tendency to only work for the money she was paid was clearly evident.

And just as she was about to withdraw, Lexi slyly glanced at me and said,

“…You. You said you work at Jin’s office.”

“…”

“I’ll see you next time.”

“…!”

Huh?! Why, why?!

I was taken aback by Lexi’s unexpected request for a follow-up, glancing at Raven, who merely shrugged as if to say there was nothing to be done about it. What do you mean, nothing to be done about it?!

But whether I was flustered or not, Lexi turned on her heel and walked away.

Was she planning to come back one day to scold me? That would be truly frightening.

‘…Thank goodness I’m just a temporary part-time worker for a month. Once I fill in the time, I’ll definitely run away.’

Yet I felt somewhat relieved.

It was certain that Lexi wouldn’t show up at the office until quite some time had passed.

By then, I’d probably have quit my part-time job at the office and be busy working at Greg’s shop, so chances were low that we would meet again to cause trouble.

…Right?

“Y-you, Fox… this is….”

“…”

Anyway, somehow I had managed to send Lexi away, so now there was no one left to stop David’s plan. All that remained was for the knight to rush forth to save the captured princess.

I reassured Sabrina, who had unknowingly clung to my back with unease, and nodded at David, who was quietly watching us.

David would finish up what he needed to do, and all that was left was for Sabrina to explain the situation to him.

I hoped that was the case. David hurriedly rushed toward the VIP banquet hall, leading his injured body, as Raven leisurely approached Sabrina and me.

“I can’t believe it… Part-timer. I was looking all over for you. And how could you leave something like this on the floor?”

“…!”

What Raven handed me was my suit tie.

While David and Lexi had been battling fiercely, I had subtly slipped it into the corridor toward the stairs using telekinesis.

This was a form of a help signal. A plea for assistance, indicating that it was dangerous.

Of course, the shockwave likely made a massive racket, meaning they probably came looking for me out of the chaos.

Thanks to this, maybe I arrived just in the nick of time? I thought to myself.

After I put the tie Raven returned over my neck, I was forced to look down at the floor as he pushed my head down.

Please, don’t press down. It’s heavy.

“So, can you give me a detailed explanation? What in the world is going on here with someone who’s supposed to be in the bathroom acting like this?”

“…”

“Oh! I’ll explain instead…!”

Nice job, Sabrina.

I subtly gave her a thumbs up.

Let her soothe this person who seemed a bit angry in my place.

Before my height shrank before this person… hurry!