Chapter 75

“Then I’ll be going. Yesterday’s meat party was fun. Thanks for inviting me.”

“Alright. Say hi to Lily for me, and try to stop Yuria from looking for the camera.”

“Aha… Hmm, I doubt she’ll listen to me. Anyway, see you tomorrow, Yuria!”

“…!”

Alice, who had spent the night at the office, left right after lunch.

She seemed like she wanted to stay longer, but it seemed she couldn’t sit still because of her worry for her older sister, Lily.

A cute and kind younger sister who cooks without being asked and worries about you first.

Truly a fantasy creature every older sibling would want.

Maybe because they both knew there was no need for a farewell.

Raven and Yuria saw Alice off at the entrance and went back inside the office.

As Raven poured chocolate milk from the fridge into a glass, he watched Yuria awkwardly crawl into the closet in his room.

‘Why does she keep going into that closet? Is that cramped space really that fun?’

No matter how he thought about it, the closet wasn’t exactly a comfortable place.

First of all, it was so cramped that one couldn’t even sit up straight. It was humid and dark since it wasn’t designed for people to go inside.

Though Yuria was petite, so if she sat quietly, her head wouldn’t touch the ceiling.

Even considering that, as a resting spot, it barely deserved a 5 out of 10.

And if Raven hadn’t secretly washed the blanket for her or placed a portable ventilation device to get rid of the musty dust in the corner, it wouldn’t even deserve a 5.

‘Well… If she says it’s some “secret base” vibe, I can’t argue. At her age, that sort of thing is probably fun.’

Kids will be kids, huh.

After placing his empty cup in the dishwasher, Raven yawned and returned to his bed.

Rustle rustle thump thump.

What on earth was she doing in there? Quite a racket came from beyond the closet door.

Still, it wasn’t enough to really bother him.

It was just a small noise he could easily ignore if he closed his ears to it.

As long as it wasn’t like last time when the blanket got torn.

With that thought, Raven casually lay down on his bed and tapped away on his terminal.

He was checking information about today’s Wyvern Race live broadcast.

Every Sunday was the day wyverns raced fiercely.

The outcome of the race that burned men’s hearts with passion was sensitive to even the smallest changes.

Weather, wind, competitors’ levels, starting positions, the race track, audience numbers, etc…

Since the smallest differences decided between 1st and 2nd place, reviewing this information beforehand was crucial for any professional wyvern racer.

“Oh, what? Mega Brilliant and Starlight Highway are racing today? This could turn into another legendary match.”

“…”

“But in races like these, there’s always room for a dark horse. Maybe Stardust Comet, whose condition seems unusual, might unexpectedly take 1st place…”

“…!”

“Ow, what? When did you come back? Weren’t you going to the bathroom?”

Raven, who had been focused on his terminal, looked up in surprise to see Yuria standing close by.

He had noticed her leaving the closet, but he didn’t expect her to approach him.

But regardless of his reaction, Yuria, holding her own terminal, curiously clung to the bed frame.

The scene displayed on the terminal screen was quite familiar to Raven: a wyvern racing moment.

Seeing this, Raven asked if she had suddenly developed an interest in wyverns.

Yuria tilted her head and nodded as if to say she was interested now.

At that, Raven quickly adjusted his posture, held her close, and said with a suspicious smile:

“Ha, perfect timing. This is just the season to get hooked. Alright, let’s start with this race. This is the DR Final League Championship from two years ago at Night Haven Royal Stadium. Every single one of these wyverns has a storied history and background…”

“…”

On Raven’s terminal screen, a Drake—commonly called a Lesser Dragon—was shown kicking off the ground powerfully and running forward.

Though they lacked intelligence and magical abilities compared to real dragons, their physical prowess far surpassed ordinary beasts or magical creatures.

Naturally, the race itself conveyed a sense of majesty and raw power, as if massive mountains were moving.

The Wyvern Race, the largest sport of this era. How could anyone dislike it?

Immersed in its romance, Raven belatedly noticed Yuria leaning forward and deeply focusing on the race.

Haha, looks like I’ve recruited another comrade.

Feeling amused by her completely absorbed expression, Raven glanced at the screen again.

‘Wait, what she’s looking at right now is…’

Judging by the timing and her reaction, Yuria was rooting for the scar-covered gray wyvern named Gray Manister, currently trailing behind in the lower ranks.

Raised under abuse by an illegal organization as a child, it was rescued by a Pixie and now raced as a wyvern.

Though it performed decently, close to tier 1 standards, it wasn’t particularly popular among fans.

Of all the wyverns, why choose this one to support?

Could it be that she sees herself in its situation?

Unaware that Yuria might simply find the famous wyverns fascinating, Raven felt like cold water had been poured over him and slightly furrowed his brow.

Shaking off his earlier excitement, he stared at Yuria, who was now intently focused on the screen.

‘Every time something like this happens, I’m reminded that she’s a ghost. She probably thinks she’s not showing it much…’

Ghosts were irregular beings in the city with impossible supernatural powers.

No matter how he thought about it, Yuria and the ghost were undoubtedly the same person.

Of course, Raven had never personally seen the mysterious power the ghost supposedly wielded.

But her occasional lack of common sense and impossibly fast movements, along with actions hinting at a troubled past, made it clear she was the ghost.

Though Alice, who was still obsessed with ghosts, seemed completely unaware that Yuria was the ghost herself.

‘But whether she’s connected to the Nexus Project… I still don’t know. I can’t just ask about her past outright. All I can do is wait for the right opportunity…’

Raven’s thoughts grew complicated.

He knew Yuria was the ghost, but knowing that alone didn’t give him any actionable options.

His original goal in uncovering the ghost’s identity was to locate the Invader faction tied to her unfortunate circumstances.

But Yuria didn’t seem to consider herself pitiful, and he couldn’t find any hidden connections to the Invaders.

Even if he directly asked her, the problem was that Yuria had grown too close to everyone at the Fixer Office.

What if she panicked upon being discovered and ran away?

He’d already feel her absence tomorrow if she disappeared.

How much harder would it be for Alice, who wore her heart on her sleeve, or David, who silently cared deeply for his comrades? Just imagining it gave him a headache.

‘Sigh… If I’d known she was a ghost, I wouldn’t have let her stay here. All I can do now is hope she’s not a bad person.’

With that thought, Raven grabbed Yuria’s head, which was swaying side to side in excitement, and shook it vigorously.

Startled by the sudden harassment, Yuria flailed like a reed and weakly tapped his hands to signal him to stop, but he only chuckled and teased her more.

“Heheh, sorry, sorry. Your head just looked so round, I couldn’t resist shaking it.”

“…!!”

“What do you want for dinner? Shall we slice up some steak?”

“……!”

What’s with this nonsense!

Yuria glared at Raven with her hands raised defensively, but after pondering his steak suggestion, she slowly nodded.

She forgives so easily just for the promise of a good meal. What was he supposed to do with such a sweet kid?

Smirking at the thought, Raven got up from his seat.

Anyway, things would change once Greg arrived.

No matter how unreachable he seemed, Greg was someone Raven recognized as highly capable.

Unless crushed by some monstrous figure like the Dragon Mayor, Greg wasn’t someone who got pushed around easily.

Ding.

Just as Raven thought that, a notification popped up on his terminal, which was playing the wyvern race video.

Coincidentally, the sender was none other than Greg, whom he had just been thinking about.

Noticing this, Yuria happily bounced on her feet, urging him to open the message quickly.

How did he time this so perfectly? Was he watching them somewhere?

Raven thought this as he tapped the screen to open the message.

Yuria and Raven exchanged bewildered glances after reading the contents.

[Hey Raven, sorry to bother you, but I need your help.]

The message sounded urgent, squeezed out of a nonexistent schedule.

Clearly, something serious was going wrong.

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