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Three days had passed since the Nemesis terror incident.

And until now, Night Haven was quite literally ablaze with this topic.

It wasn’t surprising.

The Nemesis banquet hall, located in the heart of the city, was a towering building.

But then, suddenly, the building experienced a blackout, and gas began to waft ominously from within?

Just this alone was already enough for police to respond and for reporters to swarm in; it was newsworthy to the extreme.

Especially since it was a terror incident deliberately caused by an unidentified individual, and there were visible signs of battle on the upper floors that could be recognized even from a distance!

It was only natural for social media and news outlets to be in an uproar over such a colossal event.

And at just the right moment, breaking news erupted regarding Nemesis’s large-scale human experimentation plan.

It was shocking enough to drop the public’s attention into a state of disbelief.

“What? They plan to kidnap the poor from the underworld and force them into becoming test subjects? Are these guys out of their minds?”

“Whoa… So there are already people who’ve been kidnapped during all this. The prosthetic limb was made from blood taken from one of them…”

“What do you mean, that’s insane! If I wear a prosthetic made by Nemesis, I’ll definitely experience side effects within a year?! I had pre-ordered this!”

Particularly for those who had been tempted to pre-order a prosthetic limb designed for other races, it felt like they had been struck by a hammer from behind while also getting stabbed in the back.

The aftermath spread through the city like a spark igniting a barrel of oil.

In this process, the focus swiftly shifted from a simple terrorist incident in the city center to the malevolent plans orchestrated by Nemesis… it was truly a matter of moments.

“Yes. We have arrived at the scene. There’s an unidentified terrorist roaming inside the hotel…? What? We’re to make sure not a single Nemesis operative escapes?”

“Hm, isn’t that a bit sudden? What—do you suspect some form of collusion? No way! Those crazy criminals! Catch them all!”

“Wait! Aren’t we here to help?! Ah! The police are harassing the citizens!”

Suddenly, in the rush to catch the terrorists, the police surrounding the hotel received orders to secure all Nemesis employees on the upper floors.

Some officers had become quite chummy through backdoor dealings with Nemesis, but now that their evil deeds were exposed, they had to act quickly to sever those ties if they didn’t want to be implicated.

“Mayor Tempest, as per your orders, I sent dragon knights to investigate Nemesis. It turns out they’ve been secretly planning large-scale biological experiments and have actually progressed to garnering investors.”

“Good work, Yelessa. Tch, those damned Nemesis scoundrels! Knowing I dislike human experimentation like the Nexus Project, they still dare to pull this stunt in my territory? I will tear them apart without leaving a single shred!”

The great dragon mayor of Night Haven, Tempest, gritted his teeth in fury.

Night Haven, filled with incidents and accidents daily.

However, in this place, there was one thing that absolutely should not be done: provoking the dragon mayor’s ire.

The Nexus Project, targeting thousands of war orphans or children from slums, or even abductees, had conducted superhuman training experiments for years.

Not capturing the primary culprit behind that incident severely tarnished his reputation, and a secretly occurring large-scale human experiment was nothing short of a provocation that scratched at his pride.

“…Mayor. I understand you’re angry, but please don’t smash the desk again. It’s such a pain to fix every time.”

“Uh, uh-huh… I apologize for that. As I age, my magical control just slips away.”

However, Tempest had to momentarily set aside his rage at Yelessa’s statement.

Due to a recent affliction commonly seen in aging dragons, it seemed he had been unintentionally breaking perfectly good items far too often.

With his strong presence as a living being, it was hard to find someone skilled enough to be his secretary.

If he inconvenienced her too much, he risked losing an incredibly valuable aide.

“By the way, that young man who caused such a ruckus at the hotel… What’s his name again? Darren?”

“It’s David.”

“Oh, right. David. I should thank that young man. Thanks to him, we learned of the schemes the rat-like scum were planning. So, uh… you know what to do, right?”

“Given the scandal caused in the heart of the city, it might be hard to treat him openly; however, should he attempt to slip away through some method, I wouldn’t pursue him too harshly—understood.”

“Uh… yeah. That’s what I meant. You got it.”

The police chasing after David, who caused the terror incident, confirmed he had obliterated his past records and identity before vanishing, thus closing the case.

With no clear casualties and the only victims being Nemesis themselves, there was no justification for them to waste energy pursuing him.

Moreover, as the focus shifted from a terror incident in the city center to the crazed plans by Nemesis, no one raised objections to the matter.

In the meantime, the executives of Nemesis were arrested and quickly brought to trial.

They were all definitively guilty without room for defense and sentenced to prison.

With the head of the corporation disappearing in an instant, Nemesis as a company also faded into the annals of history.

For one person to take down a giant corporation like that was indeed a miracle instigated by some reckless romanticist.

*

While David’s incident was sorted in one way or another,

I arrived at the office dressed in my typical maid outfit, only to find a familiar group waiting for me.

“Oh. Is that… the Fox?”

“…!”

It was none other than David, Raine, and Sabrina.

Could it be that my work outfit seemed foreign to them?

I naturally led the somewhat dazed duo and the tilted-head one into the reception room.

And when Raven, who was burning with curiosity about why this infamous trio was visiting, heard from David, he started digging into his ears and replied.

“You came to express your thanks?”

“Yeah. I received considerable help before, so I wanted to come and say goodbye before leaving the city.”

“Well… we didn’t do much. I think just being grateful to our part-timer would suffice.”

“Yes. I received help beyond what words can express. Once again, I express my deep gratitude.”

With a bow, David rose and performed what is commonly known as a Kung Fu greeting, deeply lowering his head.

It was rare for anyone in Night Haven to bow in gratitude, so perhaps he had learned this gesture from his eccentric Kung Fu teacher.

“…!”

I responded by lightly bumping my fists and palms together, as if telling him not to worry about it.

After all, he was the one who had bled and struggled, not me. What have I done?

Perhaps because I accepted his gratitude that way, the atmosphere turned incredibly warm and cozy.

“Let me reintroduce myself. My name is David. This is Sabrina and Raine.”

“I’m Jin, and this pink-haired one is Alice. That part-timer over there is Yuria.”

“Ah, your name is Yuria, huh? We had been calling you the Fox. I hope that wasn’t too rude.”

“No, it’s alright. I originally can’t speak much. She doesn’t seem to mind all that much about those things.”

After that, we casually exchanged names.

It appeared that David had just learned my name was Yuria and nodded thoughtfully.

At that moment, Sabrina, who had been quiet with a serious expression, suddenly approached me and reached out her hand.

Soft.

“…?!”

I jumped backward in shock at the ticklish sensation around my chest.

What is she doing after such a long separation?!

As I glared at Sabrina, who was looking half dazed, she muttered softly.

“Wow… a real girl… Even more than me…”

Huh? What does that mean all of a sudden?

Looking around to gauge the reactions of others, David was holding his forehead in embarrassment, while Jin had a mischievous grin on his face.

What’s going on? Am I the only one who can’t keep up with the topic?

“It seems Sabrina mistook Yuria… for a boy… Even I thought that before coming here.”

“Oh, right… Back then I was wearing a suit, so it’s understandable to make that mistake.”

“Oh my, how cute.”

Ah, so that’s how it turned out.

It wasn’t entirely implausible. The suit I had worn was a boys’ formal outfit, after all.

Covering the outline of my body and putting on a mask on top, it would be reasonable for her to think I was just a long-haired boy… perhaps.

‘But is it really that shocking?’

However, even knowing that, I couldn’t quite wrap my head around her utterly despondent reaction.

If it was just a simple mistake regarding a friend’s gender, wouldn’t it typically end with a “Oh, that was a mistake!” feeling?

In the puzzling situation that made me tilt my head in confusion, I suddenly noticed tears welling up in Sabrina’s eyes.

“Ugh…! How annoying!”

With her face hidden, she dashed out of the office.

She was so fast that by the time anyone noticed, only a breeze from her swaying hair was left behind.

“Ugh, ugh, ugh…!”

“I-I’m really sorry for the trouble.”

“Is this what they call the pain of a broken heart?”

“Haha… I grew up without many peers…”

Jin desperately stifled his laughter while David appeared utterly embarrassed.

And even Alice and Raine were whispering to each other.

I scratched my head, feeling incredibly awkward.

Ah, so that’s what happened? I ended up feeling a bit guilty.

“Jin, if it’s okay, I’ll follow her. You all enjoy your conversation!”

“Sure. Take care.”

Alice stood up to help, having been sleeping through the gas at the time of the incident, thinking her presence wouldn’t matter.

As Alice left, only the four of us, Raven, David, Raine, and I remained in the reception room.

Then Raven suddenly, as if struck by a thought, stroked his chin and asked David.

“By the way, you mentioned you’re leaving the city? That’s a shame. There’s no place as good for other races as Night Haven.”

“Haha… I discarded my entire records and identity while wrapping up my work, so effectively, I’ve become someone without an identity. It’s tough to pursue work now.”

Swish.

Raven’s gaze suddenly turned towards me.

What’s that? Why is he looking at me now? Did he clock me as a fellow illegal resident or something? How absurd.

“Then what about Raine and the sister who just left? That could be tricky.”

“No, they don’t have issues regarding their identities. For the time being, I plan to leave alone.”

“What? That doesn’t seem like a great idea.”

“Exactly! I think so too! But this fool is too stubborn.”

“…Without me, the other two don’t have a real reason to leave Night Haven.”

“I want to be with you!”

Raine grabbed David’s head, urging him not to be so obstinate.

Yet, whether it hurt or not, David maintained a perfectly straight posture without flinching.

It wasn’t that their positions were incomprehensible.

Night Haven was truly a utopia for other races.

Most outside cities required beings of other races to wear collars that restricted their magic usage.

So it was pretty rare to find places where you could carelessly use magic right on the street.

To make things worse, due to decades-long wars with other races, most humanity had become exclusionary towards them.

Having felt that for a long time while attending an external academy, David likely wished for Raine and Sabrina to stay in Night Haven.

However, Raine and Sabrina’s perspectives were different.

Rather than staying in a city without David, they would prefer to endure discrimination in the outside city as long as they could be with him. Because they are family!

‘But even so, neither side can be declared right.’

If David leaves Night Haven, or if everyone leaves Night Haven,

either choice would only bring suffering upon them.

The moment one feels guilty towards the other, the relationship is bound to collapse eventually.

So what can be done here?

It’s simple. We have a boss with a heart as wide as the Pacific Ocean!

“Hm… then since this is fate, would you like to work here at our office for a bit? We need a staff member well-versed in computer skills to pull off some precise information manipulation to shake off the Night Haven police’s pursuit.”

“…Huh?”

“Eh?”

Raven suddenly made a recruitment proposal to David.

Had he seen some potential in him? Or was it just simple sympathy?

Regardless, for David, it was a proposition he could not refuse.

He merely smiled broadly.