Chapter 64

A black-haired asymmetrical bob, with vivid eyes visible behind an elegant half-mask engraved with a butterfly pattern.

Add to that a cold, humorless smirk and a jawline so sharp it could cut paper.

Even trying to hide it, there was no denying the pocket-sized awesomeness that naturally revealed her as no ordinary loli beauty.

Not to mention the halter-neck peeking out from under a casually draped burgundy coat, showing off creamy shoulders, paired with a short skirt ending just above the knees and rather high-heeled shoes.

Overflowing with charisma, she hardly looked like a mere ten-year-old girl.

‘No matter how you look at it… It’s Ren, right?’

Ren, one of the higher-ups among the Invaders lurking in Night Haven.

Seeing her eye-to-eye, I couldn’t help but be certain.

Even if asymmetrical hairstyles were somewhat common…

Who else would wander the city wearing a butterfly-patterned half-mask in such a problematic outfit? It’d be weird not to recognize her.

But realizing someone’s identity instantly wasn’t always a good thing.

At this point, she was practically royalty among the Invaders, operating without a trace.

She could use telekinesis, had a Tesseract hidden on her person, and knew all about their plans.

I knew way too many secrets that could get me killed on the spot if any one of them got out.

Seriously, why was I meeting this person in some tucked-away bookstore?

Isn’t she supposed to be busy scheming in the shadows right now?

In my flustered state over this unexpected encounter, Ren growled at me with eyes that seemed ready to tear me apart.

“You bumped into me, so you should apologize. Why are you just standing there staring? Should I smash your face along with that mask?”

“…!”

Scary!

Her words sent shivers down my spine as madness flickered in her eyes.

But wait, it wasn’t entirely my fault… You came barreling around the corner too!

If I could speak, I’d totally say that.

Still, I decided to take the high ground and bowed slightly to Ren with about half my sincerity.

It would be childish to get mad over a simple bump.

Ha, guess I need to extend the olive branch here.

But maybe bowing silently without saying anything didn’t sit well with her.

She twitched her fingers, clearly displeased.

In that precarious atmosphere where conflict seemed imminent, David smoothly stepped between us, attempting to mediate.

“Who are you?”

“Excuse me. This is Yuria; she can’t speak… I hope you understand. Let me also apologize for the accidental bump.”

“Hmph. A mute who can’t talk? How boring.”

Ren crossed her arms, tilting her head up as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

How could she be so brazen even though she was at fault too?

Her haughty demeanor reminded me of an arrogant noblewoman, making me want to laugh bitterly.

But perhaps taking one step back paved the way for moving two steps forward.

David adjusted his glasses, his expression firm as he spoke.

“However, since we’ve apologized for our part of the mistake, I hope you’ll do the same.”

“Huh? Why should I?”

“Bumping into each other at a corner isn’t just one person’s fault—it’s mutual. And… no matter what, we can’t overlook the threat directed at us.”

“How amusing. So, if I don’t let it go, what will you do about it?”

Snap!

An invisible spark crackled between Ren and David.

Their intense gazes showed neither was willing to back down.

The situation was becoming dangerously close to escalating into a real fight!

I urgently tugged on David’s sleeve to stop him.

The murderous intent leaking from Ren was becoming impossible to ignore.

This standoff might turn into an actual fight.

Honestly, I didn’t care about getting an apology. Let’s just avoid trouble. That was the gist.

“…!”

“…Miss Yuria. Understood.”

“Hmm, scared now? Thought we’d take it to the end?”

“I have no intention of fighting. I fully understand that you have no intention of apologizing.”

David calmly responded to her provocation without batting an eyelid.

Since I, the one involved, wasn’t making a big deal out of it, he probably saw no reason to push further.

Perhaps losing interest as David backed down, Ren became aware of the gathering crowd.

Lowering her rising smirk, she looked at me with a bored expression and said,

“Tch, how dull. Lost interest. Hey, you… White, white… yeah, Snowflake.”

“…?”

“If something like this happens again, I’ll make sure to give you special treatment. Remember that.”

“…!”

Ugh, I definitely don’t want to meet you again.

Feeling utterly repulsed, I subtly retreated behind David.

But Ren, completely ignoring my obvious rejection, simply brushed past both of us and left the bookstore.

Just saying her piece and leaving like that.

She was the epitome of self-centeredness.

‘Phew, finally over. More importantly, why am I ‘Snowflake’? If I’m Snowflake, does that make you Blackie?’

Internally grumbling about her complete lack of naming sense, I shook off our encounter like shaking off a nasty cat bite.

Huh? Isn’t she a villain from the Invaders? Is it okay to just let her go?

What else could I do? We couldn’t exactly start throwing punches downtown using telekinesis.

Besides, revealing my identity carried more risk than erasing danger by confronting her.

Fighting her here would be like burning down a precious apartment bought with a 20-year mortgage just to catch a tiger that wandered inside. Hmm, maybe that metaphor was a bit off?

“Phew, quite the strange girl.”

“…”

Well… She has her own circumstances. She’s not inherently a bad person.

Silently thinking this, I nodded in agreement with David’s words.

The sudden storm left me feeling mentally frazzled.

*

Even after the disaster passed, work remained.

After encountering Ren, we continued investigating the scene, gathering information.

After visiting all the locations where stalking photos were taken, we managed to collect enough data on the suspected stalker.

“Phew, based on common testimonies, it seems to be a red-haired male with average build, likely a humanoid beastman. Not too many suspects. With this, finding the culprit shouldn’t take long.”

“…!”

“Miss Yuria, you’ve worked hard too. Looks like we’ve covered quite a bit of ground.”

No, what did I even do? I mostly just sipped drinks while trailing behind.

To praise David, who actually did all the work, I enthusiastically gave him two thumbs up and hopped around in place.

…Though, knowing who the culprit was already made me feel a bit guilty.

But even if I didn’t spoil anything, they’d catch the culprit soon enough. No point stressing—might as well enjoy the moment. After all, I’m just a part-timer, not a full-fledged member.

David, possibly intending to relay the clues to Raven, immediately contacted him via his terminal.

Then, upon reading the reply, he furrowed his brow slightly, looking troubled.

“Ah, this is troublesome.”

“…?”

“It seems Mr. Raven needs a bit more time. He suggested we wander around nearby for about an hour…”

“…!”

Ah, he must be busy reviewing CCTV footage.

Good thing I stuck with this team instead of going with Raven.

I internally congratulated myself on making the right choice.

Rather than sitting idly and swinging my legs, walking around outside was much more fun.

“How about we take a stroll nearby?”

“…”

With nothing better to do during this unexpected downtime, we set off aimlessly.

Walking side by side, a large screen near us suddenly played an advertisement.

The ad was simple: cheerful music accompanied a pretty idol in a cheerleader outfit frolicking by the beach while drinking a beverage.

Maybe because I’d seen someone extraordinary like Aisha earlier, the ad felt a bit bland despite its pleasant visuals…

But it was effective advertising—somehow, it made me want to buy that drink.

“Lydia.”

“…?”

“That’s Lydia, leader of the girl group Tropical Oasis. She’s been active for ten years now. After the war, she helped revive the concept of idol groups, bands, and such… Truly a living legend.”

Oh, yeah. I know that. But why bring it up now?

Momentarily surprised by David’s sudden comment, I nodded appreciatively.

Well, it was a bit abrupt, but we couldn’t walk around in silence for an hour. It was decent conversation material.

Perhaps noticing my awkward reaction, he sheepishly admitted,

“Sorry. You probably weren’t interested. I just blurted it out.”

“…”

“Actually, Tropical Oasis, with Lydia, is one of my favorite girl groups. During my college years away from home, they kept me going. Of course, the biggest reason was my promise with Raine…”

David scratched his cheek, slightly embarrassed about his inner idol otaku slipping out.

But honestly, I didn’t mind. Seeing David geek out over idols was far more entertaining than his usual strict, serious demeanor.

Teasing him about it was a great way to bond. His previous tendency to keep walls up and avoid personal topics made him harder to approach, so this was a welcome change.

Though his fangirling over Aisha still felt a bit jarring…

Patting David’s back reassuringly, I thought it over. Grateful for my reaction, he chuckled lightly and continued.

“So, when I heard Miss Aisha was being tormented by a stalker, I felt conflicted. Someone like her could surely become a guiding star for others. The fact that cowardly, despicable people were interfering… I couldn’t stand it. I really want to catch the culprit behind this case.”

“…!”

“Will you help? Thank you.”

Empowered by my enthusiastic fighting pose, David thanked me with a much more relaxed expression.

Well, I planned to stay on the sidelines and spectate, so I wouldn’t be much help.

After wandering around aimlessly for about an hour, Raven messaged us, saying he’d found decisive evidence on the stalker.

Finally, the moment had arrived.

Heart pounding, I returned to the earlier celebrity office with David.

When everyone from the Fixer Office gathered there, Raven, resembling a famous detective, declared,

“The culprit… is among us. Now, I shall reveal the truth behind this stalking case!”

Never thought I’d witness this scene firsthand!

It was truly regrettable not having popcorn and cola in hand.

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