Shoveling the snow piled up on the roadside is tough work.
Even setting aside the hassle of having to clear it away bit by bit with a broom or shovel, if left alone for too long, the snow will freeze solid.
Once that happens, forget about breaking it with a broom or plastic shovel—only something like a sturdy pickaxe or metal shovel can handle it.
That’s why people don’t just go out randomly in heavy snowfall to clear the stuff—it’s serious business.
‘Is this how it’s done?’
But honestly, that didn’t really apply to me right now.
Telekinesis works differently from normal physical phenomena.
It feels like using countless invisible tiny hands to grab and move objects.
So, if I could somehow apply that, pushing the frozen layer of snow off the surface wasn’t as hard as it sounded.
Kwajjik!
I stomped my foot lightly and shot telekinetic force like an arrow toward where I was looking.
The ice that had been stubbornly clinging to the ground ripped off forcefully, scattering into the air like glittering gems.
Then, with another stomp—Thud!—the airborne shards of ice split neatly to both sides as if pushed by a giant’s palm strike.
It was such an awe-inspiring sight it reminded me of Moses parting the Red Sea.
I quietly reflected while staring at the result of what would’ve taken an adult male 30 minutes finished in just five seconds.
‘…Yeah. Definitely. Compared to yesterday, my power output and precision have noticeably increased.’
Early in the morning, here I was noisily clearing snow in front of Greg’s general store.
After handing over some mysterious metal fragments to the Tesseract last night, I felt my telekinesis had grown stronger, so I wanted to test it myself.
And the results were crystal clear.
If my telekinesis output was around 10 yesterday morning, today it felt closer to 12 or 13.
Matching the growth rate I’d achieved over months of struggling in back alleys made me tilt my head involuntarily.
‘Hmm… What’s going on? Some kind of reaction between the fragment and the Tesseract? And why did it affect me, who was just sitting there?’
Wait, but why did my telekinesis get stronger because the Tesseract reacted with the fragment?
My mind spinning, I pulled the Tesseract out from inside my maid outfit.
But the Tesseract remained still, deep in slumber, without even a twitch.
Unless my eyes deceived me, something seemed to have transferred from the fragment into the Tesseract—but maybe that wasn’t enough to wake it up?
‘…Still, I feel like I’m onto something. If I gather similar fragments and keep feeding them to the Tesseract, eventually something will change, right?’
With that rough conclusion, I tucked the Tesseract back into my bosom and trudged down the now-clear street toward the office.
First, I needed to figure out why Raven had those metal fragments.
Maybe then I’d find a way to wake the sleeping Tesseract.
This way, investigating the Invader threat became doubly rewarding.
No, considering my telekinesis also got stronger, it was practically a triple win.
In the cold morning air, my breath puffing out white, the path ahead grew clearer.
*
“Ah, part-timer. You’re here. I’ve been waiting.”
“…?”
Bundled up in my coat, I returned to the office briskly to find Raven lounging casually on the couch in his usual suit.
He had definitely been snoring away in his room when I left earlier, but he must’ve woken up, washed up, and changed clothes since then. Why was he waiting for me, though?
Tilting my head in confusion, Raven lazily glanced at me and spoke.
“You haven’t eaten, right? Let’s eat together.”
“…”
Oh, come to think of it, I hadn’t eaten yet.
With no reason to refuse, I nodded obediently.
Breakfast consisted of fried eggs and bacon cooked from leftovers rolling around in the fridge.
Not exactly a full meal; more like something a young professional living alone might whip up.
But since I wasn’t picky, it was plenty to fill my hunger.
“…!”
“You planning to clean the dishes yourself? Go ahead. There’s a dishwasher over there. Just toss everything in.”
“…”
What? I thought I’d repay him by doing the dishes, but turns out they have a dishwasher.
Slightly disappointed, I wiped off the grease from the pan and plates before loading them skillfully into the dishwasher and pressing the button.
Come to think of it, this was way easier than manually washing dishes with gloves on.
Nodding approvingly at Raven’s wise foresight, I stretched and headed to the sink.
After brushing my teeth and coming back out, I noticed the office had gotten lively.
Alice and David must’ve arrived.
“Yuria! Good morning!”
“…!”
“Good morning.”
“…”
I raised a hand to return Alice’s unusually intense gaze and David’s earnest greeting.
Then I sat primly on the couch as usual.
Since my main job was reception, there wasn’t much for me to do until clients arrived.
Normally, I’d sit quietly, blinking occasionally.
Before long, Alice sidled up next to me, plopped me onto her lap, and wrapped her arms around my shoulders so I couldn’t escape.
It was an uncomfortably intimate level of skinship, our bodies pressed tightly together.
But maybe I was used to it by now.
The first time it happened, goosebumps erupted on my neck, and I scrambled to escape. Now, I calmly leaned into her embrace and munched on snacks from the table.
Honestly, Alice pulling this every day for two weeks straight meant I couldn’t help but adapt, whether I liked it or not.
But something seemed to bother Alice as she sniffed the back of my head while holding me close.
She murmured in a somewhat gloomy tone:
“I smell the same scent on Yuria as on Mr. Raven…”
“That’s because we use the same shampoo and body wash.”
“What have you done to my precious Yuria?!”
“I haven’t done anything, you idiot! Please don’t say things like that in front of others—I feel like I’ll get hauled off to the police station for questioning. The future of this office depends on it.”
Raven, looking drained, scratched his head and collapsed onto the couch opposite me.
Then, stretching out his hand, he grabbed a handful of chocolate rings I’d been munching on and started chomping away. Hey, why are you eating what I was eating?
I stared at him incredulously, but he paid no attention, licking the chocolate off his fingers instead.
“Oh, Jin, your clothes look different. They seem… thicker than usual.”
“What, you only noticed now? I switched to these yesterday. Winter wear.”
“Oh… I was a bit distracted yesterday…”
Perking up.
Snuggled in Alice’s arms, I heard something unusual.
Looking closely, there was indeed a difference. At first glance yesterday, the shape and color looked similar, so I hadn’t noticed, but now it seemed thicker.
From what I overheard, apparently the weather had gotten so cold that he dug out a winter suit from the closet…
‘Closet? Did he just say closet?’
Something smelled fishy.
Yesterday, I hadn’t been able to check the suspicious closet properly, and now the clothes containing the fragment came from there. Connecting the dots wasn’t rocket science.
What exactly was with that closet? Was it mentioned much in the original story? Or maybe not…
‘Today, while Raven’s showering, I’ll check the closet. There’s bound to be some secret hidden inside.’
I secretly plotted as I mentally prepared.
Based on my rough estimate yesterday, it took him about five minutes to shower and come out.
The closet was big enough to fit two large wardrobes. In five minutes, checking its contents shouldn’t be too difficult.
As I continued thinking, time passed, and clients began arriving as usual.
Perhaps because Raven wasn’t particularly famous yet, no challenging requests came in.
Moreover, his exceptional skills easily resolved minor troubles on the spot, keeping success and satisfaction rates near 100%.
Maybe it was thanks to the growing number of people in the office boosting his motivation.
At this rate, he’d surely rise as a dark horse in Night Haven’s Pixie scene soon. By then, I’d probably be working at Greg’s shop!
“Oh, thank you, young man. You’ll definitely be blessed someday.”
“No, thank you for entrusting us with the request. Please go home safely.”
With the final missing child case resolved, it was finally quitting time.
Alice, ready to leave after packing her things, gave me a regretful look.
“Yuria, see you tomorrow. I wish I could stay overnight tonight…”
“Then stay over. I won’t stop you.”
“Haha, today’s the day my sister comes back. I need to take care of her. See you later!”
“…”
“Take care. Say hi to Lily for me.”
“I’ll be heading out too.”
“Alright, see you tomorrow.”
Alice, who’d stayed overnight once before, left with a bright smile, and David followed with a light farewell.
The previously bustling office fell silent as if nothing had happened.
I preferred quiet over noise, but somehow the office felt better when lively.
“Let’s head in too. Hmm… What should we eat for dinner?”
“…”
Raven ambled lazily toward the inner rooms after seeing Alice and David off.
Today’s Pixie work was officially over.
But my work wasn’t done. No, you could say it was just beginning.
Dinner was a bento ordered from a nearby shop.
A Japanese-style rice bowl with well-grilled fish. It was delicious.
After finishing, and with Raven graciously conceding his turn, he headed into the shower.
I crept silently into Raven’s room and flung open the closet without hesitation.
Five minutes remained.
No time to hesitate.
‘…Ah.’
But one thing I hadn’t anticipated: Raven wasn’t exactly known for being tidy.
The closet before my eyes was an absolute mess.
Boxes and items jumbled together in chaotic disarray.
How was I supposed to sort through all this in five minutes?
Overwhelmed by dizziness, I squeezed my eyes shut.
[!– Slider main container –]
