I Became the Cute One in the Troubleshooter Squad-Chapter 86: Yuria and the Strange Doctor (1)

Greg’s general store, which had been left unattended for an entire month, finally welcomed its owner back.

As Greg looked around the interior, he murmured in mild surprise.

“Far cleaner than I expected... Yuria, did you take care of this?”

“...!”

“...Thank you. It makes me happy to see you treated it with care.”

He turned to me with a smile—genuine and without a trace of pretense.

It seemed he was touched by how spotless the place was, despite being left unattended for over a month.

Not that I’d done it to earn praise, but seeing him so pleased made all the effort I put into cleaning every morning feel worthwhile. I crossed my arms and glanced off into the distance, trying to act nonchalant.

“This is Greg’s store? Wow, it’s cleaner than I imagined. And not as cramped as I thought it’d be.”

Karen, who had followed us inside, took a moment to look around, her voice carrying a tone of admiration.

Judging by the way she inspected every corner, seemingly satisfied, even someone as renowned as Karen found the place up to standard. That filled me with a quiet sense of pride.

Greg responded to Karen’s comment as if it were only natural.

“I don’t know what you imagined, but I’m not a fan of clutter. Still, for a master artisan like you, isn’t this space a bit small?”

“Hmm, I’m not into flashy places, honestly. I prefer compact, functional setups like this—it’s more appealing to me.”

“Well, that’s good to hear.”

Karen’s tone didn’t suggest she was being insincere.

The shop wasn’t large, but it wasn’t uncomfortably small either. It was just the right size to avoid feeling cramped.

If she’d genuinely disliked it, I might’ve felt a little bitter, but thankfully that wasn’t the case.

After Karen finished inspecting the display shelves, storage area, and workshop, we all gathered around a table in the corner of the shop.

Greg looked at both Karen and me before speaking calmly.

“Alright... let’s start with the contracts. Now that I think about it, Yuria, you didn’t get to sign one last time because of all the chaos. We can handle yours while we’re at it.”

“That sounds good.”

“...!”

Even though I technically didn’t have an identity, and a contract didn’t mean much, I nodded enthusiastically.

Now that I thought about it, the Blood Night Incident had interrupted things last time, and my job at the Troubleshooter Office had been more of an informal arrangement.

This was my first time officially signing a contract. Of course, I’d likely skim through it and just write my name at the bottom.

“Let’s start with Karen. Since you have significant expertise with artifacts, it makes sense to establish a contract as a master artisan. The shop’s main income comes from buying antiques and selling them at a markup. With your help repairing damaged artifacts, we can sell them for even higher prices. Your base salary will be around here, and you’ll get over half the profit for items you repair.”

“Hmm... That’s a slightly higher percentage than the industry standard. Are you sure that’s alright?”

“Given the shop’s location, we don’t get many customers. Having a master artisan of your caliber is worth the investment.”

“Well... if you insist, I’ll accept your generosity. Thank you.”

“...?”

The two of them discussed their terms in depth. As expected of professionals—a top-tier appraiser and a master artisan.

From what I gathered, Greg was offering Karen very favorable conditions.

Not that I needed to know the intricacies of their business. I wasn’t planning to become an appraiser like Greg or an artifact artisan like Karen, so it was enough to remember the basics.

Karen owed Greg a favor, and Greg was giving her the best treatment possible. That seemed like all I needed to know.

“Is everything settled?”

“Yes, I’m satisfied.”

Karen signed the contract without hesitation, her trust in Greg outweighing the need to scrutinize the details.

After confirming the contract was in order, Greg handed Karen a copy and turned to me.

“Now, it’s your turn, Yuria.”

“...!”

“Your duties won’t be much different from before. Sit at the counter, greet customers, and call me if they want to buy or sell something. When you have free time, you’ll handle cleaning and inventory management. Sound familiar?”

Yep, just like before.

This chapter is updat𝙚d by freeweɓnovel.cøm.

I nodded confidently, thinking about how my efforts had already boosted the shop’s profits several times over.

Sure, I couldn’t speak, so I was basically a balloon mascot sitting at the counter.

But just my presence helped keep first-time customers from getting scared off by Greg’s intimidating appearance.

Let’s be honest: meeting Greg for the first time could be terrifying.

A two-meter-tall orc with a bodybuilder’s physique was a sight to behold.

“I’ll pay you a monthly salary. You’ll have weekends off and work five days a week from morning to early evening. Multiply the hours by the hourly rate, and your pay will be around here. What do you think?”

The offer was amazing—several times better than what I earned at the Troubleshooter Office.

Of course, the office provided food and lodging, and the work was laughably easy. That was more like receiving pocket money than earning a proper salary.

Feeling completely satisfied with Greg’s proposal, I gave him a big thumbs-up.

“Glad to see you’re happy with it.”

“How adorable.”

“....”

Hehe, at this rate, I’ll be rich in a year!

Swinging my legs happily, I picked up the pen on the table.

Though I’d never really had the chance to write much before, surely I could manage my name.

Confidently, I brought the pen to the signature line on the contract and...

Thunk.

The moment the pen tip touched the contract, an unsettling sensation washed over me, as though the world was being stretched out like a rubber band, with light and time distorted unnaturally.

A suffocating pressure gripped me, as if my consciousness would sink into a deep abyss if I didn’t let go. A voice whispered persistently in my mind, urging me to release the pen immediately.

Don’t write.

Don’t convey your intent.

Don’t let the meaning be known...

It felt like frozen hands pierced my chest, clutching my heart with a vice grip. The voice oozed into my ears, sticking to my brain like tar, leaving an indelible mark.

But then, a fleeting thought shot through my mind.

Wait, this isn’t my voice. Who are you? And what happens if I don’t let go?

[ Mama, don’t! ]

Thud!

Before I knew it, I had dropped the pen.

In front of me were Greg and Karen, both staring with concern written all over their faces.

I blinked, confused. The brief moment between picking up the pen and letting it go was completely blank in my memory.

It was strange—definitely strange. For reasons I couldn’t explain, my instincts screamed that I shouldn’t pick up the pen again.

Greg, noticing my dazed expression, furrowed his brow slightly. He picked up the pen that had rolled across the table and spoke with a calm, unaffected tone.

“Writing seems to be difficult for you. That’s fine. This is just a formality, anyway. I’ll write your name for you.”

“Uh, wait, but...” Karen hesitated, her voice laced with unease.

“That’s enough,” Greg interrupted firmly. “She doesn’t seem to realize what’s happening yet, so let’s save this conversation for later.”

“...?”

I tilted my head, puzzled by Karen’s anxious expression and Greg’s dismissive response.

Karen, in particular, looked like she had witnessed something she couldn’t ignore. It made me feel self-conscious, though I wasn’t sure why.

...And did I just hear the Tesseract’s voice? Ugh, my head feels fuzzy. Hey, do you know what that was?

[ Hm? Why would I, Mama? ]

...Never mind.

The Tesseract’s innocent voice echoed in my head.

Great, it didn’t know either. That settled that.

Still feeling oddly unsettled, I decided to shelve the matter for later, when I could think more clearly. There was no point agonizing over something I didn’t understand.

After that, things proceeded without incident.

Greg, having been away for so long, wanted to check on the shop’s inventory and told me I could take the day off and start work tomorrow.

While I had cleaned the shop thoroughly, I knew nothing about managing inventory, so I had only dusted and tidied things up.

It made sense for Greg to verify that nothing was wrong with the items for sale. After all, selling faulty goods to customers would lead to awkward situations for everyone involved.

So... is that it for today? It’s still morning.

Suddenly finding myself free this early in the day felt like finishing school on the first day without any classes. It was nice, but also a bit disorienting.

I considered heading back to the office—now my home—to relax, but it felt anticlimactic after coming here with such determination.

Maybe there was something I could help with, even if I didn’t know much?

With that thought, I wandered over to Greg, circling around him in silent protest, hoping to be useful.

Moving boxes, scrubbing dirty spots—surely I could handle simple tasks like that. My presence was a wordless plea for work.

“Hmm. Yuria.”

“...?”

“Someone’s probably looking for you. Just sit quietly on the sofa over there.”

“....”

Was I being a nuisance? Greg shooed me toward the sofa near the counter, as if to keep me out of his way.

Sigh... Sorry for being useless.

I glanced at Karen, who was helping Greg inspect items, before plopping down onto the sofa with a quiet huff.

But who would be looking for me? I didn’t know many people.

Sitting neatly on the sofa, I stared at the shop’s entrance, waiting curiously.

Not long after, someone walked in—the person Greg had mentioned.

“Yuria, I’m here!”

“...!”

It was none other than the pink-haired girl, Alice.

Huh? Isn’t this the time she should be at work? Why is she here?

As I tilted my head in confusion, a question mark practically floating above me, Alice flashed a bright smile and said cheerfully, “Big sis will treat you to tonkatsu! Want to come with me?”

“...?”

Tonkatsu? Out of nowhere?

I stared at her, dumbfounded by the sudden proposal.