It must be because the story has reached a certain conclusion.
Greg rose from his seat with an air of having no further business.
“Then, I’ll be on my way.”
“Ah, Mr. Greg. Are you leaving already?”
“Hmm. I plan to catch a flight right after lunch today. No reason to drag it out.”
Seems like he’s planning to leave for overseas immediately.
That’s why he brought me here as soon as I reported to work.
Perhaps this is what they call the Orc’s straightforward nature. His level of decisiveness and speed, completely free of hesitation, was so typical of Greg.
After giving that curt response to Alice who had asked the question, he turned his gaze toward Raven.
“Thank you once again, Raven.”
“Oh, don’t mention it. We’ve helped each other in the past. That’s how we live… But hey, any chance of getting some service next time? Like free appraisal services or something?”
“…I’ll think about it.”
Greg nodded slowly, wearing an expression that said ‘I guess I have no choice.’
I suppose receiving this much help puts it well within acceptable bounds.
Thinking it was somehow because of me, I couldn’t help but feel self-conscious. Boss, I’m sorry!
As I watched their conversation with bated breath,
Greg finally looked at me, still nestled in Alice’s arms, and spoke.
“Yuria.”
“…?”
“Take care of yourself. I’ll be back soon.”
“…!”
At his words, I smiled brightly and nodded vigorously.
Though, of course, with a full-face mask on, my expression wasn’t visible!
‘Still, I should say goodbye.’
I gently tapped Alice’s forearm, which was resting on my shoulder, asking her to let me go, then trotted over to Greg.
To be honest, I wasn’t particularly attached to farewells.
Unless someone was leaving through death, I knew we’d surely meet again somewhere in this world.
Thinking that we were sharing the same sky when I looked up, I didn’t feel sad or depressed at all.
Moreover, Greg wasn’t leaving forever; he was just going abroad briefly!
Thus, I could send him off with a relaxed smile.
“…!”
Safe travels.
In response to his words, I held out my palm wide open toward Greg.
Perhaps my action alone conveyed what I wanted.
Greg grinned widely, showing his teeth, and placed his hand, as big as a pot lid, against my tiny palm.
That was the end of our farewell.
Greg gave a light nod to both Raven and Alice, then left the office without a backward glance.
It was the epitome of a cool exit, not looking back even once.
“He’s gone.”
“He left.”
“….”
With his significant presence now absent, the space seemed to expand dramatically.
Well, Greg was over 2 meters tall. It was only natural.
I blinked dazedly as I watched Greg’s retreating figure disappear into a dot far away through the window.
He really left. I suddenly felt keenly aware that I was now alone here.
“…Yuria looks so pitiful from behind. Is it that regretful?”
“It’s like a cat staring at a fishbowl.”
“Ah! I think I know what you mean! Fishbowl Cat!”
…Who’s a fishbowl cat? I’m not that regretful!
I glared momentarily at Raven and Alice whispering amongst themselves, then sighed quietly to myself.
One month from now, huh?
Although I knew it would feel short once it passed, at this moment, it felt painfully long.
*
From being the general manager of “Greg’s Variety Store” to becoming a temporary part-timer at “Crowley Fixer Office.”
My grand first task, after suddenly dropping several ranks, was as follows:
“Hmm… there’s nothing particular to assign you right now. Want to sit and rest for a bit?”
It was none other than taking a break!
Well… what else is there for a newbie to do in any job, right?
Especially since I got in through a parachute hire thanks to an acquaintance, I sat demurely on the sofa, quietly observing.
Let’s remember: working hard is important, but doing things well is more crucial.
However, more important than doing things well is not sticking your neck out.
Always keep in mind that I am just another cog in society’s machine, easily replaceable. Never delude yourself into thinking you’re irreplaceable – that’s the key virtue to surviving office life…
“Hey, do you happen to know how to make coffee?”
“…?”
Coffee, all of a sudden?
Tilting my head at this unexpected question, Alice jumped in as if asking on my behalf.
“Coffee? Jin can’t drink bitter stuff. He won’t touch anything with less than five sugar cubes. Totally a kid’s taste buds.”
“Shut up. Since they’re an employee, they need to do something, right? They can’t exactly go out on fieldwork, being so young. Serving coffee when clients come would be sufficient.”
Ah, so my role was to serve coffee or tea to visitors when they came.
This wasn’t bad at all. In fact, it was good!
Truthfully, it wasn’t much different from what I did at Greg’s shop.
Besides, roaming around Night Haven with my feeble body without telekinesis…
Yeah, no matter how you look at it, it’s dangerous. What if I get shot in the back of the head?
But maybe there was something that didn’t sit right with her.
Alice pouted and expressed her dissatisfaction to Raven.
“I want to go out with Yuria… Ugh, evil boss, release Yuria immediately!”
“Not happening. You’d probably veer off to go shopping anyway. Someone with such a love for cuteness wouldn’t just take a simple walk.”
“Ahem… I have no idea what you’re talking about~”
Looks like she hit the nail on the head.
I silently applauded Raven for preemptively blocking Alice’s suspicious schemes.
Good thing too. If I got dragged along by Alice to go shopping,
There was a high probability I’d end up in something beyond this maid outfit.
That… definitely required some mental preparation.
No, I sincerely hoped it wouldn’t come to that. Honestly, it’s embarrassing!
“For now, Alice, stop interrupting. The conversation isn’t progressing. Ahem, anyway. So you can brew coffee or tea, right? Good.”
Had he organized his thoughts?
Raven, continuing his train of thought, grabbed a piece of paper, scribbled something quickly, and handed it to me.
“Come by 9 AM, or at the latest by 10 AM. Then we’ll have lunch together. Leave at 6 PM. Your main duty is to guide clients to the reception room and serve snacks or tea. When there are no clients, it’s free time. You can play games or read books in the office, whatever you prefer. Understand?”
“….”
“Good. Looks like you understand properly. And as for the pay… it’s not difficult work, so roughly this much. Enough to live comfortably for about a month. Okay?”
“….!”
I nodded my head vigorously at Raven’s offer, almost snapping my neck.
Great. No, it was perfect. Who would have thought such an unbelievably sweet part-time job existed.
9 to 6, lunch provided, low workload, and even free time when there’s no work!
The only downside was the modest amount, but it’s not like I planned to settle down here forever.
For someone destined to wander the streets for a month, this was an offer I couldn’t thank enough for.
“The contract… you said you don’t have an ID, right? Then it doesn’t really matter. Anyway, don’t worry, I won’t stiff you.”
“If Jin tries to stiff you, I’ll break his back to make him pay you. Don’t worry!”
“Hey, when you say that, it sounds serious. Don’t joke like that.”
“It’s not a joke.”
“….”
Alice looked at Raven with a somewhat chilling smile.
Even from where I stood, it was clear she was 100% serious. No, it was scary.
Anyway, my part-time job details were somehow sorted out. Now all that was left was the real deal.
Since I had nothing to do even if I went home today, I decided to start work immediately.
‘Besides, I have decent experience greeting customers at Greg’s variety store. It shouldn’t be too difficult!’
…Maybe I was briefly letting my guard down.
Why had I overlooked it?
This place, Crowley Fixer Office, was the main setting of the comic “Fixer”…
A chaos zone where characters of all sorts poured in like they were being sucked into a drain!
“Sob sob, Fixer-sama! Please help me!”
“Yes, madam. What brings you here?”
“Our, our…! Ethelion-Darkfeathered-Cyran-Floraelis-Spectrarisen escaped from its cage…! Waaaah!”
“I’m sorry, could you repeat the name once more?”
“Ethelion-Darkfeathered-Cyran-Floraelis-Spectrarisen! Are you even paying attention to me?!”
Not to mention the punk-style middle-aged reptilian woman looking for her pet bird from another world with a unique name.
“Forgive me, but I am searching for a restroom.”
“…There are plenty of restrooms in Night Haven.”
“I suffer from severe mysophobia. I simply cannot sit on a toilet once it has been used. Even if I was the one who used it.”
“How about trying placing tissue on the toilet seat?”
“…I might give that a try.”
And there was a cyclops samurai suffering from OCD looking for a restroom that had never been used.
“…Supplements.”
“Are you looking for supplements for wooden people?”
“…Expensive.”
“Ah, the price is high. In that case, they sell them cheaply in bulk at the botanical garden in eastern Night Haven. You should visit.”
“…Understood.”
Or a wooden person with a voice so slow it made you want to burst, looking for affordable supplements!
It was hard to tell whether this was a fixer’s office or an all-purpose errand center.
“Come to think of it… in the early parts of the original, Raven’s fixer ranking was definitely outside the rankings.”
There was nothing wrong with Raven’s abilities.
He possessed enough martial prowess to be considered top-tier within the city.
But being a skilled fighter doesn’t necessarily make one a great fixer.
A fixer is ultimately a contractor who achieves the client’s objectives. Their skill and reputation are proven only by the results they accumulate.
Moreover, Raven himself hadn’t wanted to stand out for a while, so he took on jobs sporadically.
Given that the office was located on a street frequented by those struggling daily, perhaps this outcome was inevitable.
‘Sweet part-time job, or maybe not…?’
Anyway, perhaps because Raven’s fixer office had these characteristics,
the intensity of my work wasn’t as easy as I expected.
First of all, I had to be the one to greet these abnormal people?
About half of them were difficult to get seated calmly.
Fortunately, every cloud has a silver lining.
Amidst the chaos of greeting clients, I noticed dusk falling and night approaching.
Finally, it was quitting time, which I had been eagerly awaiting.
[!– Slider main container –]
