The long, long Night Week had finally co to an end.
And since Night Week was a year-end holiday, its conclusion also ant the arrival of a new year.
On the second day of this icy, bone-chilling new year—
Alice strode into the office with her usual energy and called out in a cheerful voice.
“Good morning! Happy New Year!”
“Oh… yeah. You’re really fired up this morning. Sothing good happen?”
“Of course! It’s my first day back at work after a while! Aren’t you excited too, Jin?”
“Ugh… Just so-so. What kind of adult actually enjoys working?”
You’re still a kid, so you wouldn’t understand.
Raven leaned back in his chair at a sharp, lazy angle, looking utterly unmotivated.
With a casual flick of his wrist, he unfolded an e-newspaper and began reading, killing ti in the process.
Dressed in his usual black suit, he gave off a mature and composed air—
A stark contrast to the man who had spent yesterday lounging in pajamas.
Of course, Alice, knowing his usual behavior, wasn’t fooled.
She muttered under her breath, Who’s calling who a kid? before glancing in my direction.
“…!”
“Oh, happy new year, Yuria! …Wait, why are you here? It’s a weekday.”
Alice blinked, montarily confused.
She returned my raised-hand greeting with an equally puzzled wave—
Then turned back to Raven with an even brighter expression.
Her confusion was understandable.
Ever since Greg had arrived, I had been working at the general store during business hours.
So, my presence here at the office was unexpected.
Raven, picking up on Alice’s curiosity, answered without even looking up from his newspaper.
“Oh, right. The store’s closed today. The pipes in the area froze over, and the water’s completely cut off. Looks like the empty buildings nearby didn’t have proper insulation. So, they had to shut down for repairs. Yuria went over early in the morning, but she just ca back.”
“Ahh… So that’s why she’s still in her maid uniform.”
Alice furrowed her brows slightly in sympathy.
The gray zone where the store was located had many abandoned buildings.
And unfortunately, one of those unoccupied structures had suffered from frozen pipes—
Which, in turn, caused unnecessary trouble for us.
It was just bad luck.
Even I was caught off guard by the situation.
But perhaps seeing in my uniform again reminded Alice of old tis—
Her expression subtly twitched with happiness as she naturally took a seat beside .
I just didn’t bother changing because it was a hassle. Don’t expect to help with work.
While she absently played with my hand, ti continued to pass.
Then, eventually—
A tall figure entered the office.
A green-haired beastfolk with round, bear-like ears atop his head—
David.
“Good day, everyone. It’s been a while. And… hmm? Yuria?”
“David, Greg’s store is closed today for repairs.”
“Ah, I see. That explains it. It’s good to see you again.”
“…!”
I waved lightly in greeting.
Alice often dropped by the office whenever she had free ti—
But David was usually in touch only through Sabrina.
So, this was my first ti seeing him since our trip.
And now—
With everyone gathered, the office was back to full capacity.
The holiday season was truly over.
As I took in the familiar sight, a sudden uneasy sensation crept over .
A strange feeling—like sothing was secretly watching.
I subtly frowned and glanced around.
But all I saw was Alice.
…Was it just my imagination?
Still, just to be safe, I slipped my hand into my pocket and touched Echo.
‘Echo, do you sense any machinery near Alice?’
[ Yes. There’s a small device attached to her hair, actively transmitting signals. ]
‘Can you pinpoint its location?’
Following Echo’s guidance, I moved my hand carefully.
Alice, noticing my sudden movent, looked at in mild confusion.
But then—
Her eyes widened in shock when she saw what I had pulled from her hair.
“Y-Yuria?! What is that?!”
“…?”
Pinched between my fingers was a tiny, bean-like object—
One that changed colors irregularly as I observed it.
No… Rather than changing shape, it was subtly altering its optical appearance.
But I had no idea what it was.
And since I couldn’t speak, I couldn’t explain it to Alice either.
However, the commotion had caught the attention of the others.
Both Raven and David, who had been minding their own business, turned toward us.
“What’s going on?”
“Hmm… That appears to be an optical camouflage device.”
"Yes. It's a technology that allows an object to blend with its surroundings. Think of it as an advanced invisibility cloak."
"Oh, I see. But why the hell… is it on Alice?"
"I have no idea!"
What kind of nonsense is this?
Alice jumped in frustration, clearly as clueless as Raven about how the device had ended up attached to her hair.
anwhile, David, resting his chin on his hand, seed to be piecing things together.
After a mont of thought, he nodded slightly, then turned to , his eyes on the small device in my hand.
"May I take a closer look?"
"…!"
I handed it over, watching as David carefully examined it.
"Hmm… Yes. It appears to be… a cara."
"A cara?!"
"Wait—oh no. Don’t tell —"
A spy cam.
Realization dawned on both Raven and Alice as their gazes t.
And I, too, quickly figured out who had planted it.
There was only one person capable of and bold enough to sneak hidden caras into the office.
"Lily."
"She must’ve realized Yuria keeps destroying the ones she hides with drones, so she switched tactics—using Alice instead."
"Ugh… My head hurts just thinking about it."
Alice groaned, clutching her forehead as if she were about to get a migraine.
"Lily…? You an Alice's older sister?"
David looked to Alice for confirmation.
"Yeah. She ca by recently, saying her project was finished. She must’ve taken the opportunity while Yuria wasn’t around."
Raven clicked his tongue.
"Damn woman has freakishly good instincts."
Well, this ti, it wasn’t my instincts that found it—it was Echo.
If I hadn’t been here, who knows how long it would’ve stayed hidden?
I dramatically raised my arms, as if demanding worship.
Alice, grateful, patted my head, while David clapped politely in approval.
A much-appreciated reaction.
"Hah… I’ll handle this. I’m going to confront her directly."
Alice’s voice carried a dangerous edge.
"She promised she wouldn’t pull this crap again… Maybe I really should fold her in half this ti."
"…That sounds terrifying."
"Agreed."
"…"
Apparently, Alice planned to "educate" Lily to ensure she wouldn’t try this again.
Using "various wrestling techniques," no less.
If Lily heard this conversation, she might already be considering her escape.
But at this rate, her future seed grim.
May she rest in peace.
Anyway, one crisis solved!
I casually rolled the chaleon-like cara around in my palm, watching its appearance shift.
Alice planned to use it as evidence against Lily, so I figured I’d give it back before she left.
Raven, having quietly observed, suddenly rembered sothing.
He stroked his chin before speaking.
"Oh, right. Speaking of Lily… You two got anything important next Thursday or Friday?"
"A schedule? Umm… Not really? I’ll just be working as usual."
"Nothing planned. Is there sothing going on?"
"…!"
"Oh, Yuria. You don’t need to answer. This only concerns them."
…Excuse ?
I imdiately jumped onto the couch, gripping Raven’s chair.
The added weight made the backrest creak dangerously as it tilted under us.
But Raven remained completely unfazed, treating as if I were invisible.
That pissed off even more.
"Wait, us?"
"And what do you an by ‘important’?"
David and Alice exchanged confused glances.
Raven had just randomly asked about a weekday, and they had no clue what he was getting at.
Leaning back in his chair, Raven folded his arms and answered casually.
"I need to renew my Fixer license, so I’ll be going to the association. You two should co along."
"Hmm… May I ask why?"
David, ever polite, tilted his head.
Raven simply shrugged.
"No big reason."
Then—
He effortlessly lifted by the back of my collar.
And as I dangled helplessly, he dropped a bombshell.
"You guys are taking the Fixer exam."
"…What?"
As confusion filled the room, my legs swung weakly in midair.
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