I Became the Cute One in the Troubleshooter Squad-Chapter 116: The Most Dangerous Among Good People (3)

Maybe because Lily was somewhat reserved in front of Raven, we managed to finish all four pizzas before they got cold.

I wasn’t a big fan of cold food unless it was ice cream, so it was a relief that we could eat while it was still good.

After finishing the meal and tidying up the empty pizza boxes, Raven, who had been quietly drinking the coffee I made, finally spoke to Lily.

"So, why are you here? Do you have some kind of business?"

His question was entirely reasonable.

Even though Lily was Alice’s older sister, technically speaking, she was an outsider.

Showing up unannounced without any prior appointment made her nothing more than an uninvited guest.

But perhaps she wasn’t too fond of the way he worded it.

She responded with an innocent smile, as if she found the question itself absurd.

"Do I need a reason to come see my darling? Ah, wait, are you feeling bad about taking up my precious, highly sought-after time? Aww, you don’t have to be shy~"

"So, in short, you had nothing better to do and just came to hang out."

Just when things had been quiet for a while...

Raven sighed, rubbing his forehead as if this whole situation was giving him a headache.

His reaction was the complete opposite of Lily’s, who was practically dripping with honeyed affection in her every movement.

I quietly observed them from beside Raven, absentmindedly nibbling on a cookie.

I had no intention of drawing Lily’s gaze again and ending up as collateral damage.

By the way, I had taken out this cookie earlier when making coffee. Our office was always stocked with sweets.

Honestly, I was lucky to have a body that didn’t gain weight no matter how much sugar I consumed.

‘That aside, her love is... intense. She is pretty, though.’

Lily was a tall, well-proportioned woman, fitting the "career woman" type of beauty.

With her androgynous features, the word "cool" suited her far better than "cute."

She was exactly the kind of person women would admire and call their "prince" rather than a stereotypical feminine beauty.

And yet, here she was, exuding the same lovesick energy as a middle schooler experiencing their first crush.

The contrast was so extreme that it was hard to ignore the sheer absurdity of it.

But there was a good reason why Lily was so obsessed with Raven.

He was the one who had saved her life and, in a way, had become the only person who truly understood her.

If I had to simplify the complicated backstory, it went something like this:

A criminal organization had planned to abduct Lily, the genius mechanic and magician.

And just before they succeeded, Raven had reached out, pulling her out of the depths of despair.

Having never felt romantic emotions before in her life, Lily immediately felt her heart go boom for Raven.

From that moment on, she became an unstoppable, love-struck bulldozer.

‘Still, hiding cameras all over the office and secretly filming him? That’s just being a full-blown creep.’

The problem was that Lily’s version of love was downright unhealthy.

Maybe because she could craft whatever machinery she desired, she never hesitated to install hidden cameras, wiretaps, and tracking devices on Raven.

Frankly, even if we handed her over to the police, it wouldn’t be an overreaction.

At one point, she even got caught red-handed stealing his underwear.

Even Alice, her own sister, once begged Raven to do something about it, saying, "I wouldn’t even blame you if you pressed charges."

Even someone as laid-back as Raven had genuinely lost his temper over her antics.

After countless conflicts and compromises, they had finally reached an agreement—Lily could express her love for him, but only within the bounds of the law.

And that was only because she had pleaded, swearing that she didn’t care if she died, as long as she could love him.

On the surface, she seemed like a completely normal person, but in reality, she was nothing short of a walking disaster.

Regardless, that was in the past. Now, Lily quietly placed her coffee cup back on the table, sighing as if reflecting on some grand tragedy.

"Honestly, I’ve been wanting to come over for a while now, but I barely got any sleep because of a project. I was stuck in the lab the entire time. So, the moment I finished, I rushed straight here. Weren’t you even a little happy to see me? It’s been almost three months, you know?"

"Well... I guess, kind of?"

"‘Kind of’?! That’s too cruel! I missed you so much I could barely sleep!"

"I mean, do we really need to exchange greetings? As long as you’re alive and well, isn’t that enough?"

Raven’s reply was utterly dry, almost indifferent.

It wasn’t that he was trying to act cool or brush her off.

The fact was, he didn’t even bother visiting former coworkers who lived in the same city as him.

The guy was simply bad at keeping in touch.

As I nodded at his very on-brand response, I suddenly noticed Lily’s gaze shifting toward me.

"..."

"...?"

Was she staring at me again...?

I tensed up, cautiously glancing around as I tried to assess the situation.

But strangely enough, this time, she didn’t seem to be looking at me with hostility.

Did something change in that brief moment while we were eating pizza?

For someone as far from ordinary as Lily, keeping up with her thought process was nearly impossible.

Then, as if losing interest in me, she turned back to Raven.

With the same lovestruck gaze as before, she cleared her throat softly.

"Well, that reaction is just like you, I suppose. Anyway... could I ask for another cup of coffee? I’m curious about everything that’s happened here in the last three months."

"We’re kind of busy, you know...."

"Oh, please, I know you were just about to watch the Night Week dragon fights. Just humor me for a little bit. In exchange, I’ll make you a new batch of custom bullets. That’s a fair trade, isn’t it?"

"...Fine. Yuria, could you make one more cup?"

"...!"

It wasn’t a difficult task.

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Besides, staying in my seat across from Lily was getting a little uncomfortable.

With an understanding nod, I hopped up from my chair.

I planned to prepare the coffee quickly and then quietly slip away to hide somewhere—maybe inside a closet—while they talked.

Since they were going to discuss the office from before I started working here, they probably wouldn’t even notice my absence.

‘Lily liked her coffee with almost no sweetness. She really does have mature tastes.’

I headed into the kitchen, where our not-so-expensive espresso machine stood.

I wasn’t just stirring instant coffee into hot water—no, I was grinding beans, extracting espresso, and carefully mixing it with water or milk.

By now, I could make coffee with my eyes closed, so it didn’t take long.

"Hey, Yuria? Can we talk for a moment?"

But just as I was finishing up, mixing espresso with milk to make a smooth latte—

I heard Lily’s cold voice from behind me.

I had already sensed footsteps approaching from the hallway,

but I hadn’t expected her to openly initiate a conversation like this.

Still holding the tiny teaspoon I had used to stir the coffee, I turned to face her.

"..."

When we first met, she had given me the kind of glare that made me feel like she wanted me gone.

And from her perspective, it wasn’t surprising—after all, I lived in the same house as Raven.

It was a ridiculous misunderstanding.

I had absolutely no romantic interest in Raven, not even one milligram.

So if she was going to get jealous, she should at least pick the right person.

As I carefully watched her, spoon still in hand, Lily leaned against the wall and, with a serious expression, spoke.

"...I’m sorry. I completely misunderstood. That subtle threat earlier? I ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) truly apologize for it."

"...?"

Lily’s words were completely unexpected.

For her to suddenly apologize like this—I hadn’t seen that coming at all.

But her attitude didn’t seem fake.

So, I slowly lowered the teaspoon and let my guard down, though not completely.

The doubts still remained.

There was no way that a love-obsessed, borderline yandere like her would so easily admit to being in the wrong.

I tilted my head, blinking in confusion, still unsure of her intentions.

Then, as if embarrassed, Lily gently closed her eyes and confessed her thoughts.

"When I saw how you were eating pizza earlier, I finally understood how you two feel about each other. I thought you were some wicked stray cat trying to steal my darling away... but turns out you’re just a cute little pet cat. I completely misjudged you. At least now, I’m certain you don’t have even the slightest impure intentions toward him."

"..."

"D-Don’t look at me like that! I kept destroying all my hidden spy cameras, so I thought... I really thought you were trying to take him from me...."

It seemed like Lily had finally cleared up her misunderstanding about me.

Apparently, she had believed that I liked Raven and had been trying to interfere with her.

Eating pizza together must have made her realize just how wrong she was.

She was obsessive when it came to love, so maybe she had an instinct for identifying whether someone was a rival or not.

Come to think of it, her sharp, hostile gaze from when we first met had gradually softened over time.

It wasn’t that I had simply gotten used to it—her hostility had genuinely disappeared. How was she this transparent?

‘Well... at least the misunderstanding is cleared up. That’s a good thing. I’d hate to be harassed over something ridiculous.’

And she wasn’t just trying to gloss over the situation and move on.

She was actually looking me in the eyes and apologizing directly. That alone made this a top-tier, 1% apology.

I had no real reason not to forgive her.

It wasn’t like I had suffered any major harm from her. Besides... she was pretty. And when someone’s pretty, well... everything gets forgiven.

"...!"

"Y-You’re accepting my apology?"

"...!!"

"Hehe... Thanks. And I really am sorry for being such a terrible adult."

Lily blushed slightly in embarrassment before flashing a bashful smile and gently pulling me into a soft hug.

She was a different type of beauty compared to Alice, but maybe because they were sisters,

her smile felt strangely familiar.

‘Well, half of this is probably an act. She’s just trying to build a connection with me because I seem close to Raven.

Unlike the straightforward and naive Alice, this one is... highly strategic.’

I quietly mulled over my thoughts as I stole a glance at the mirror inside the kitchen.

And there, reflected in it, was Lily—gazing at me with a serious, contemplative expression.

As I thought, the most dangerous kind of person is the one who seems like a good one.

Love really was a terrifying thing.