Chapter 23

A messy black bedhead and a rumpled suit that probably hadn’t seen laundry in weeks. Though he was fairly tall with a decent face, his lazy half-closed eyes and perpetually annoyed expression ruined the effect. He looked like someone who’d given up on life after failing to find a job or maybe got fired and had been loafing around ever since.

I stood there, secretly squeezing my eyes shut and quietly sighing.

‘Protagonist… I’ve met her.’

This was bad. After all my efforts to avoid getting tangled up with the protagonist, here I was dragged by Greg to none other than the protagonist’s Fixer Office. It felt like being promised tonkatsu only to end up at the dentist.

But before I could process this disaster, I somehow ended up sitting on the office’s guest sofa. Across from me were Raven and Alice, with Greg next to me. Talk about being surrounded.

“So… you want us to take care of that brat?” Raven asked.

“Yeah, summarizing it, that’s about right,” Greg replied.

Greg explained how he suddenly needed to leave the country due to last night’s Blood Night incident and asked if they could let me work here temporarily. It was touching—well, not because he cared deeply for me but more out of responsibility. Still, it was practically dad-level kindness. Too bad it involved the protagonist’s crew.

‘Ugh… But thinking about it, what choice do I have?’

I’m an illegal immigrant with no ID, masked face, and dangerous telekinetic powers. Plus, I’m carrying a Tesseract! Unless I wanted to retrieve some abandoned cloth and resume ghost activities in back alleys, finding normal employment was impossible. Thanks to Greg’s referral, this might be my only shot.

Raven scratched his head, looking troubled. “Listen, this isn’t daycare. Taking in some stray kid is out of the question.”

“To clarify, I’m asking for a job,” Greg corrected.

“That’s even worse! Hiring minors violates labor laws!”

“I think it’s fine! Oh, does this mean Yuria will be my junior? How exciting!” Alice chimed in.

“Who said yes?! We’re still discussing this,” Raven snapped, lightly smacking Alice’s head. He glanced at me, then turned to Greg.

“Do you really need to leave her here? There are plenty of places nearby where she could work. Even as a minor, someone might accept her if we explain things.”

“There’s a reason I trust you specifically. The truth is…” Greg hesitated before revealing my lack of identity, inability to speak, and general sketchiness.

Raven’s face soured instantly. “So let me get this straight—you want us to hire a suspicious minor who can’t talk, hides their face, and has no ID?”

“Yeah.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me! That’s insane!”

“He’s a good kid.”

“It doesn’t work like that! How can I just blindly agree without knowing anything about him?!”

I slumped my shoulders like a child watching their parents argue. Honestly, I wasn’t surprised. Begging emotionally for something I knew wouldn’t happen wasn’t my style anyway. Avoiding the protagonist’s chaotic entanglements had always been my plan.

Fine. From now on, I’ll pretend *I* rejected them, not the other way around. See the difference?

“Ahem…” Jin interjected cautiously. “Still, Greg seems trustworthy. Maybe give him a chance?”

“No way. I don’t want any trouble.”

“What about poor Yuria?! Are you okay with letting this pitiful child starve?! You cold-hearted jerk!”

“Whose side are you on?!” Raven shouted.

As Greg fell silent, Alice jumped in to defend me. She winked at me knowingly, which oddly touched me despite initially thinking she was a bit reckless.

“Wait, how do you know her name?” Raven asked.

“We met yesterday at Greg’s shop, right, Yuria?”

“…!”

Raven sighed exasperatedly. “Tsk, fine. I guess we can try an interview.”

“Thank you, Raven.”

“But don’t misunderstand—I’m not accepting her outright. First, we need to see what she can actually do.”

Already thanking him, Greg earned a cold glare from Raven, whose determination radiated through his words. Then, finally meeting my gaze directly, he asked:

“For starters… what’s your name?”

“Yuria.”

“Age?”

“Secret.”

“Skills?”

“She’s great at calculations, observation, and anticipating customers’ needs,” Greg answered instead.

“Why are *you* answering everything? Are you her parent?!”

Even without speaking, Greg and Alice pressured Raven perfectly. Feeling grateful yet awkward, I smiled faintly behind my mask and faced Raven confidently.

“Alright, so if you worked here, what exactly would you contribute?”

A fair question. Greg wasn’t asking them to feed me for a month; he wanted me hired as a proper employee. To justify payment, I needed to prove my worth. Showing off telekinesis would’ve been easy—but no. I decided to keep my distance from these genuinely good people, especially since Alice was searching for the Ghost.

Instead, I rose from the couch dramatically, scanned the room, and walked toward a large potted plant in the corner. Plucking a leaf with a tiny camera attached, I held it out proudly.

“Huh?”

“What’s this…?”

After inspecting it closely, both Raven and Alice gasped.

“A camera?!”

“Sister!!”

Yes, it was one of Sakura-gaki Lily’s hidden cameras—a common occurrence in the office. Using subtle telekinesis to detect its location, I removed it manually to showcase my unique skill.

“How did you find it? Yuria’s amazing!”

“Indeed, impressive observational skills.”

“This isn’t observation—it doesn’t reflect light! How did you even spot it?”

Before I could bask in my glory, Alice hugged me tightly, overwhelming me with her peach-scented softness. My brain short-circuited under the sensory overload.

“This is too much stimulation!” I thought desperately.

“Jin! Let’s hire her immediately! Look at those sharp eyes—losing her would be a huge loss!”

“She brings luck too. My store’s revenue skyrocketed sixfold thanks to her!”

“Fine… One month only, no extensions! Got it?!”

While Alice cheered, Greg nodded gruffly, and Raven remained uneasy, I silently pleaded inside her embrace:

‘Please… let go already.’

Crowley Fixer Office, temporary part-timer confirmed! Whether to celebrate or cry, I tilted my head uncertainly.