I Became the Cute One in the Troubleshooter Squad
Chapter 172: Spring and Yuria’s Chocolate Donut (1)

Most people tended to think of spring—a season when most flowers began to bloom—as warm.

That was because it was the time when grass, dormant all winter, began to grow again, and new life was conceived.

But contrary to that common assumption, spring was actually rather cold.

First of all, it took quite a while for the ground—chilled to the core all winter long—to warm up again.

And once spring arrived, people naturally started dressing much more lightly than they did in winter.

Put on something thin and light because the weather seemed warm, only for the cold wind to come slicing through the gaps in your clothes?

No matter how strong your body was, you’d be setting yourself up perfectly for catching a cold.

In fact, the temperature could be warm for a moment, then suddenly plummet below freezing.

There was a reason people said spring was just an extension of winter.

“Well, another reason might be that it’s hard to really feel spring anymore, what with climate change making summers and winters longer.”

Still, one saving grace in this world was that there were at least some viable solutions.

Thanks to advances in science, carbon capture technology had progressed enough to be considered practical.

And on top of that, there were even magical spells that could instantly grow trees or purify pollution.

At the very least, I probably didn’t have to worry about the world ending from global warming during my lifetime.

“Guess I don’t need to feel sorry for polar bears anymore... Live strong, little bear cubs.”

...No, maybe I’d let my mind wander a little too far.

Snapping out of my daze, I gave my head a big shake to clear out the useless thoughts

—and continued cleaning my room in preparation for the guest who’d be arriving soon.

There was a reason I’d randomly started gazing out the window and thinking about spring just now.

Because, if you looked at the timing... it was safe to say spring really was just around the corner.

Date-wise, it was already mid-March.

Two whole months had passed since the commotion of the Fixer Exam had ended.

Time really had flown by in the blink of an eye.

And the surprising part didn’t end there.

Over these past two months... compared to the chaos of the year-end and New Year’s, it had been absurdly quiet!

So peaceful, in fact, that my memories of risking my life in fierce battles against enemies had started to blur.

“Well... it’d be a lie to say absolutely nothing happened....”

Maybe because the Troubleshooter Office was plagued by bad luck or something,

but even during this peaceful period, all sorts of little disturbances kept cropping up.

Like betting the office in a high-stakes match against the world’s strongest gambler,

getting tangled in a cyber-plague inside a VR world,

or suddenly starring in a romance plot with the most popular idol on the planet.

It was chaotic to a degree befitting the protagonists of a shounen manga.

Still, all those previous incidents had involved major players—groups like the Inter-Species Liberation Army or the Invaders.

Compared to that, these two months had been almost shockingly peaceful.

“Looking back, I’m really glad I returned to the general store. If I’d still been at the Office, I’d have gotten tangled up in all of that. The way it is now, I can step in only when it matters most—just right.”

For the record, there was a reason I knew about all the incidents I’d just mentioned.

Every single one of them had happened while I was walking nearby,

and I’d gotten unintentionally caught up in the middle of things—

and ended up helping out just a bit using my telekinesis.

Like secretly switching the positions of the cards when Raven’s hand was worse than the gambler’s.

Or pressing the exit button for the crew when they got stuck inside VR and couldn’t log out.

At a glance, it might’ve seemed like I was just showing up at the last minute to slap a spoon on someone else’s feast,

but even Raven admitted I’d been helpful.

If he didn’t think so, he wouldn’t be sneaking me delicious snacks and food until my stomach burst.

Hehehe. Even if he pretended not to care, he must be thankful.

Honestly, I kind of wished he’d be more obvious about it and spoil me a little more.

“The only real letdown is that we didn’t get any solid results from that secret lab I found last time... I really thought I’d find some clue about the Child of God.”

The secret zone beneath Nighthaven, code-named the Delta Lab, which I’d been led to through Raven and the Association.

They’d brought in all sorts of experts and Fixers, scoured the place day and night without rest.

They rescued the frozen girls inside—who seemed frozen in time—and examined them thoroughly,

but in the end, all they could conclude was:

There was nothing they could understand.

As I tidied up a seat for my guest, I let out a sigh at the sheer hollowness of that conclusion.

“Of course. No way those meticulous bastards would’ve abandoned it for no reason. Other than the fact that modern science and magic can’t explain a single thing in there, we got nothing. We’re back at square one.”

I guess I should be thankful we at least managed to find a hidden Invader fragment in there.

But even that left no clue as to who hid it there—or why.

From my perspective, filled with curiosity, it was pure frustration.

Still, surely there would come a day when everything would make sense.

Trying to calm my unease, I suddenly turned my head toward the presence I felt outside.

“Yuria! Unnie’s here!”

“...!”

The instantly recognizable voice made me spring to my feet and fling the door open wide.

And there she was—Alice—beaming brightly with a delicious snack and drink in her hands.

The snack was one of my favorites: a glazed doughnut slathered with sugar.

The drink was a thick milkshake, the kind that made you crave fries just to dip into it.

The moment Alice carefully set both items on the desk with a cheerful grin, I rushed over and flung my arms around her in a big hug.

Normally, she’d be the one to initiate things like that,

so I didn’t usually bother doing it first—but today was different.

I’d asked her to come all the way to the Office even on a weekend.

I figured I should at least show a little bit of sincerity.

“Did you miss me that much?”

“Alice....”

“Yep yep, it’s your unnie!”

Of course, she was still the kind of person who’d gladly throw herself into a burning building if I asked.

I really was grateful to her in so many ways.

So I never felt like I was just using her.

And if I crossed a line and ruined our relationship, I’d be the only one losing out.

Where else would I find someone this kind and beautiful?

“Heheh, Yuria’s so cute today too...”

...Or maybe not?

I quietly looked up at Alice’s face, which had slackened so much she was practically drooling, and then looked away in silence.

Even if she was like this in front of me, she was still a good person.

I didn’t want to think anything bad. Protect Alice.

“All right! Let’s do our best again today! Pronunciation practice!”

“Mm....”

“But first... snacks!”

Yeah, I was totally on board with that.

Smiling happily, I stared down at the doughnut radiating its delicious aroma from the desk.

Maybe it was because Alice had such a refined palate.

The sugar-glazed doughnut tasted downright divine.

*

After scarfing down the doughnut and milkshake—

I sat side by side with Alice at the desk.

Today’s plan was °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° pronunciation practice.

I’d been doing it regularly ever since I regained the ability to speak two months ago.

Even though I knew how I was supposed to say things,

the words just wouldn’t come out right.

So I’d been practicing slowly and carefully with Alice’s help.

“Okay, let’s try again. Say: Apple.”

“...Shya.”

“Apple.”

“Sss...”

“Apple.”

“Ghat!”

“Ap... huup...”

To think I couldn’t even say apple... how tragic.

Straining my throat to force the sound out, I ended up breathless and collapsed weakly onto the desk.

Alice turned her head and started trembling like she was trying not to laugh.

If she was going to do that, I kinda wished she’d just go ahead and laugh.

This kind of reaction only made it hurt more.

Ugh... I want to do well, but it’s just not working.

Feeling sorry for taking up so much of her time, I glanced up at Alice.

And there she was, smiling brightly with a slightly flushed face.

She didn’t seem frustrated at all—her gentle heart radiated warmth.

So I sat up, grabbed her sleeve, and did my best to say what I’d been wanting to tell her over the past two months.

“Alice... myang...”

“Khk...! It’s okay! No one in the world understands how hard you’re trying better than I do!”

“Mm...”

Clutching her chest like she was on the verge of tears, Alice hugged me tightly.

The raw emotion in the air could rival a dramatic scene from a tearjerking film.

Well, she had been by my side the whole time I was learning how to speak.

She was probably the one who understood my progress best.

“It’s great that I can speak now, but... why is it that, outside of a few words, nothing else ever comes out?”

Stepping away from her embrace and regaining my composure,

I stared down at the notebook where a few specific words had been circled.

Raven, Greg, Alice, David, and Sabrina.

Other than those five names, no other word would come out of my mouth.

It was like... whenever I tried, I felt an invisible hand karate-chopping my throat.

Even when I forced my whole body to convulse like I was coughing up blood, the result was always the same.

Just like a moment ago, when I couldn’t say something as simple as “apple.”

It probably wouldn’t have mattered what word I tried—it’d be the same either way.

Maybe I couldn’t get any further with ordinary training.

As I sat there, staring at the notebook in frustration,

Alice—fully back to normal—gripped my shoulders and spoke in an impassioned voice.

“But it’s not like this practice is completely useless, right? Hello is ‘nyang!’ Like is ‘jja!’ Sorry is ‘myang!’ If we keep working on it like this, I’m sure you’ll be able to talk properly someday!”

“...”

I wasn’t really sure if that was a good thing or not...

Feeling my face heat up, I placed a hand over my squishy cheek and let out a quiet sigh.

I knew it wasn’t something I could help,

but it still felt like I was acting cutesy on purpose.

Yeah, this was definitely something I should never do in front of strangers.

Resolving that silently in my heart, I dove back into pronunciation practice.

Maybe, just maybe, if I kept going like this—

Someday I’d be able to talk properly.

No need to rush—just take it slow, one step at a time.

Imagining myself delivering a fluent speech, I kept practicing until my throat went sore.

I hoped that someday,

I’d be able to express the thoughts in my heart to everyone.

Maybe that small, humble wish was what kept me going.