I Became the Cute One in the Troubleshooter Squad-Chapter 90: Ghosts Also Live in the Online World (1)

"It had already been three days since Alice tricked me into meeting the doctor, Crowd.

In other words, it was the first weekend since Greg returned to Night Haven.

Looking back on what happened over those days... well, nothing really happened.

Every morning, I’d wake up at the office, have breakfast with Raven, and head off to work at the general store.

At the store, I’d quietly sit at the counter greeting customers, and during downtime, I’d clean the floors or polish items.

After having lunch with Greg and Karen, the afternoons were more of the same until I clocked out in the early evening.

Then I’d return to the office, eat dinner, lounge around in the closet for a bit, and then go to sleep in my room.

Compared to the constant chaos at the office, this was an utterly normal routine.

But for some reason, I didn’t find it boring or dull.

If anything, the endless stream of high-stakes assignments at the office was the abnormality.

Personally, I found this lifestyle rather enjoyable. Honestly, the office could be a bit much sometimes.

‘I heard there was some big commotion while I was gone. Something about stopping a gas leak?’

Really, they’ve been through a lot.

I thought to myself as I took a big bite of my bacon-and-cheese toast. The salty and sweet flavors burst in my mouth, making me smile unconsciously.

I’d made it myself using ingredients from the fridge, and honestly, I might have some talent for this.

Feeling immensely satisfied, I swung my legs cheerfully while sitting in the chair.

Across from me, Raven, who was also eating my homemade toast, suddenly spoke up.

“Not going out today?”

“...?”

“You usually go out every weekend. I was wondering if you had any plans today.”

Did I? Did I really go out every weekend?

I tilted my head and tried to recall.

Now that I think about it... yeah, I hadn’t stayed home on the weekends since I started living here.

Sabrina or Alice would always drag me out to play, or, like last week, I’d end up on an impromptu trip.

Oh, so this really is the first laid-back weekend I’ve had.

Nodding to show he was right, Raven smirked slightly before continuing.

“Not going out, huh? Just curious. ...Oh, that reminds me, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask.”

“...?”

“Does your general store close for Night Week? It’s starting next Friday, you know, Night Week.”

Night Week.

It was the holiday season designated by the Dragon Mayor.

It wasn’t an official national holiday or anything.

Rather, it was a recommended rest period managed by Night Haven itself.

Take time off or don’t—it’s up to you.

However, companies that gave their employees a break during this period would receive a small benefit.

Maybe it was because the Dragon Mayor wielded overwhelming power and support, but Night Week had grown into a major event where most of the city took a week-long break.

‘Of course, places like restaurants or movie theaters probably light up their operations during this time instead.’

And that was fine too.

After all, special circumstances like these provided opportunities for such businesses to rake in extra profits.

The fact that a city could implement its own holiday was impressive.

But as soon as the name "Dragon Mayor" came up, it somehow all made sense. Maybe I was finally starting to feel like a real resident of Night Haven.

Anyway, I should answer his question. Does the general store close for Night Week? The answer was yes.

“We’ll close the store during Night Week. You all take the time to enjoy yourselves.”“Oh... I don’t really have anywhere to go. Would it be okay if I just came by?”“In that case, we’ll leave the doors open even if we’re not officially open for business. Come by if you feel like it.”“...!”I recalled Greg’s words from a few days ago.

The store would be closed for Night Week, so there was no need to come in.

Perhaps because Karen was new to the area, Greg seemed to plan on spending time at the store even if it wasn’t open.

But since I didn’t need to officially go to work, I nodded at Raven and told him that was probably the case.

He scratched his neck with a relieved expression and then asked me something else.

“Then how about this Night Week we all go on a trip together? Alice has been pestering me nonstop to ask you about it.”

“...!”

“We’d probably take a car out of Night Haven with David’s group. It’d be a nice change of pace, don’t you think?”

Oh, that sounded like a proper plan.

If it’s David’s group, does that mean Sabrina and Raine would come along too?

In that case, it’d definitely be fun. It felt like an end-of-year getaway with everyone.

Well... considering Raven’s luck, there was a high chance we’d get caught up in some incident.

But even that would be a memorable experience, right? It’s not like we couldn’t handle it.

After rolling my eyes in brief thought, I expressed my agreement with a nod.

Was my intention clear? Raven sighed softly in relief.

Alice must have really pushed him hard about this.

I found myself wondering how she’d have reacted if I’d declined—not that I would.

Then a thought struck me.

Going on a trip sounded great, but where would we even go in this freezing winter weather?

I flapped my arms energetically, gesturing to Raven to ask where the trip would be.

After deciphering my body language with some confusion, he quickly caught on and replied.

“Oh, you mean where we’re going. Hmm, probably the seaside. Don’t worry, we’re not planning on swimming in this weather. We’ll book a hotel overlooking the winter ocean and just relax. Alice insisted we visit the pool there, though.”

“...!!”

"Was this why Alice was so insistent on buying swimsuits?

This content is taken from freёnovelkiss.com.

No wonder she examined them so obsessively with that terrifying glint in her eye.

Alice’s meticulous and downright frightening plan sent chills down my spine.

At least we’re not actually swimming in this weather.

Relieved, I stuffed the rest of the toast into my mouth, savoring the flavor.

“The toast was great. Really tasty.”

Raven complimented the toast as he tossed the last piece into his mouth.

Ah, this guy—he’s buttering me up so I’ll keep cooking for him, isn’t he?

Even though I’d finished eating, Raven stayed seated, reading a newspaper.

I was used to eating alone, so I wouldn’t have minded if he left first.

Still, I appreciated him staying until I was done. Guess I’d better hurry up and finish.

After polishing off my toast, I gathered our plates and loaded them into the dishwasher.

I added a bit of detergent, pressed the button, and watched as the machine bubbled up and started its cycle.

In just two hours, the plates would be sparkling clean without a single drop of water left on them.

Technology sure made life easier.

“Yawn... What should I do today? Maybe I’ll catch up on some new movies.”

“...”

After ensuring the dishwasher was running smoothly, I headed toward the office and spotted Raven sprawled on the couch.

Instead of his usual suit, he was wearing cozy, fur-lined pajamas, which only amplified his lazy, disheveled adult vibe.

Well, it’s a day off—everyone in the world probably looks like that when they’re relaxing.

Watching him quietly from a distance, I turned around and slipped into his room.

‘There’s not much to do anyway. Might as well hang out in the closet and feed the Tesseract some rift energy.’

I nestled into the now-familiar closet and used telekinesis to connect the Tesseract to the rift.

It was like plugging in an appliance—the Tesseract began filling up with energy bit by bit.

Last time, it took me two weeks to gather enough energy for just five minutes in my adult form.

I wanted to stockpile at least a month’s worth, just in case.

[Nom nom nom... Delicious! My power is surging!]

Was the Tesseract feeling cheerful because of the energy intake?

Its lively voice echoed in my mind with enough force to make my head buzz.

Yeah, eat up and grow strong.

Someday, I’ll need your power for sure.

After making sure the Tesseract was happily absorbing energy, I flopped onto the freshly laundered, wonderfully fragrant blanket.

Lying upside down, I pulled the Echo out of my pajama pocket and lightly pressed it to my forehead.

‘Echo, show me some fun videos.’

[Yes! I’ll play the most popular videos right now!]

Bzzz.

The screen on the Echo lit up without me needing to do anything, and a video began to play.

This must be what it feels like to have an AI assistant.

Not having to pick anything myself and having content served to me—it doesn’t get more convenient than this.

The video was a vlog of someone raising an adorable lizard from another world.

Its tiny flames and fierce little roar were incredibly charming. I wanted one!

The next video featured beastmen doing quirky challenges.

After that came a group of sexy elf women playing traditional elf instruments.

Then, there was a succubus recounting funny stories from another world....

‘Why is every video about non-human species? Even with all the talk of discrimination, they’re still so popular, huh.’

The content was entertaining, though.

Given how these videos were chosen by popular demand, they were predictably engaging. It was easy to see why the Echo suggested them.

But somehow, they didn’t quite resonate with me.

They were fun, sure, but... I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was missing.

Maybe I just didn’t fit in with current trends. The thought made me a little sad.

As I rolled around on the blanket with the Echo in hand, a question suddenly shot through my mind like an arrow.

Come to think of it, the Echo can clearly interfere with the internet using its abilities.

Just how far can it go? Does it have limits?

‘Interesting... Let’s test it out. Echo, can you create an anonymous account that can’t be tracked back to me?’

[Uh... yes! I’ll give it a try!]

‘And post a comment on one of the videos I just watched. The content doesn’t matter.’

[Uh, a comment? Should I copy something random from nearby?]

‘If that’s what you want to do, go for it.’

[Oh! Thank you!]

Was this really something worth thanking me for?

Tilting my head in confusion, I decided to let it go and waited for the Echo to post the comment.

Soon, a comment appeared from the anonymous account Echo had created.

The content was a bit random and nonsensical, but I couldn’t hide my excitement.

Whoa, it worked! I can post comments too? That’s awesome!

Then, a fun idea popped into my head.

If I can manipulate the internet like this... maybe I could pull off a little mischief."