I Became the Cute One in the Troubleshooter Squad
Chapter 174: Spring and Yuria’s Chocolate Donut (3)

When I arrived at the Twins’ parts shop, it was in the middle of full-blown construction.

The sound of tools clanging and banging rang out, and large sections of the ceiling and floor had been ripped open—an impressive sight.

Had something gone wrong with the shop?

Still holding the envelope to my chest, I hopped a little and peeked inside, curious.

That was when a rough-looking man watching the site near the entrance noticed me and called out.

“Well, well. Aren’t you... the girl from the general store?”

“....”

“What brings you here? Need some extra parts or something?”

He was a man with an intimidating appearance, his face pierced all over with metal studs.

But his tone, while gruff, was surprisingly polite and friendly.

His name was Verd.

He was the younger of the twin brothers known as the Twins, and an expert in artifact parts.

“Mr. Verd still looks terrifying today. You could totally believe he’s an underworld enforcer or something.”

Not just the piercings—his blond hair had visibly different-colored roots like it had been bleached, and his entire body was covered in tattoos.

In my previous life, his face alone would’ve scared me off immediately.

But now, I knew he wasn’t actually scary on the inside—and I had the power to protect myself.

So I didn’t think much of it and confidently pulled the defective part out of the envelope.

Verd strode over and took the part from me, then grimaced hard.

“Whew, sorry about that. Can’t believe we let a defective part slip through. I should’ve swapped it out right away... but the local connection’s been all messed up lately.”

“...!”

“Appreciate you coming all the way. I’ll get you a proper one right now. Tell Mr. Greg I’m sorry. I’ll knock the price down on the next order.”

“....”

Scratching his head apologetically, Verd seemed genuinely regretful.

He must’ve missed Greg’s messages while busy with all this renovation.

Seeing how sincere he was, I lightly shook my head to say it was fine.

If it were really urgent, Greg would’ve come himself.

And since Verd owned up to the mistake and apologized right away, there was nothing worth blaming him for.

Even full-fledged adults mess up sometimes. It happens.

“...Still, I’m glad the older brother’s not around. That guy makes it way too obvious how much he likes me—it’s kind of exhausting. The younger brother might look scary, but at least he’s normal.”

I was honestly relieved that Verd’s older brother wasn’t here.

Feeling that small sense of relief inside, I took the replacement part and promptly left the shop.

They were clearly busy with construction right now, and I had no reason to loiter nearby—

not like we were close or anything.

On the way back, retracing the route I came from with a lighter step,

I heard a sound not too far away.

“...order! ...immediately...!”

“...Woooooaaaah!”

No gunfire, but it was still a ruckus that clearly didn’t sound normal.

Unable to suppress my curiosity, I changed course to check it out.

After turning a few corners toward the source of the noise,

I found a crowd of non-humans packed into the street.

Were they campaigning here too, like before?

Tilting my head, I perked up my ears to listen in.

“...The Fixer Association must explain the truth about Tempest—immediately!”

“Citizens have the right to know! Don’t mock us with half-baked lies!”

“Uwoooooooooh!”

So that’s what this was—a protest. Huh, that was unexpected.

Not something you’d see often in Nighthaven. I watched the protestors silently.

Then, a chicken-type beastkin appeared at the center of the group and raised his voice to explain the situation.

Listening quietly, I got a good sense of what they were demanding.

Tempest wasn’t just some mayor—he was a magical figure of absolute authority with global influence, even beyond the Fixer world.

Stepping down from office due to “health issues” was too suspicious.

So they believed he had been seriously injured in some recent incident,

and that the Fixer Association was hiding the truth to protect its own image.

Lots of rambling, but that was the gist of it.

Having understood the general idea, I nodded quietly in thought.

There’s a good chance whoever organized this protest actually knows what happened.

“With this level of accuracy... could it be a leak from inside? No, if that were the case, their claims would’ve been a lot bolder. Which means... most likely, the source is the Inter-Species Liberation Army.”

The Fixer Association was certain that Tempest had basically retired from active duty.

Most of the power that kept his body functioning came from his Dragon Heart—

and that core was now damaged.

So naturally, he was out of commission.

But since that detail would cause a global panic if made public,

they’d glossed over it by saying he just needed about half a year of rest.

“Which means, if the Liberation Army is the source of the protestors’ information... they wouldn’t know the full extent of his injuries. That’s why /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ their claims are vague and weak like this.”

In that case, this wasn’t something the Association even needed to respond to.

They’d probably send someone over to wrap it up soon enough.

Just as I thought that—

A small dot in the sky began to grow larger and larger.

A missile? No, the dot was in the shape of a black-clad person,

soaring through the sky at terrifying speed.

“The Fixer Association must explain the se—”

“Huh? Wait. That thing in the sky...”

“W-wait, get down!!”

KWAANG!

The black shadow crashed down from the sky, landing in the middle of the street with explosive force.

The pressure was so intense it shut the protestors up in an instant.

Grabbing my wildly whipping hair, I looked toward the cracked pavement where the impact had landed.

There, standing boldly, was a woman with jet-black hair.

Long hair down to her waist. Two horns on either side of her head.

A thick, heavy tail extended visibly from her backside.

With golden eyes and an icy, razor-sharp aura, the beauty spoke in a chilling tone.

“Tsk. Illegally occupying the street for a protest? You’ve got five minutes. Disperse immediately. Anyone left after that’s getting thrown in a cell.”

“Ugh... W-who are you?! Are you threatening ordinary citizens with force?! Don’t you understand this protest is a noble act for all non-humans?!”

Maybe it was the woman’s cold and commanding tone,

but the chicken-combed beastkin twisted his face in outrage and shouted back.

But the woman didn’t so much as blink.

She walked up to him with calm, murderous intent, like she could kill him with no effort.

“You want my name? Fine. I’m Shiroko. Do you have any idea how many people are being inconvenienced by your useless little protest right now? You’re not changing the world—you’re just being loud, annoying, and a public menace.”

“Wh-what...!”

“So shut your damn mouth and get lost. I’m in no mood today.”

Rrrrmmmbl...!

The air itself felt like it was collapsing into the eye of a storm.

An overwhelming pressure radiated outward like a low-pressure system centered on Shiroko.

Even from a distance, I could immediately tell—she was a top-tier mage.

Members of the protest nearby started glancing around nervously, eyes darting left and right.

“Gghhh... Shut up! Don’t get in our way!”

But the chicken-beastkin—his desperation plain—must’ve lacked basic survival instincts.

He lashed out and reached toward Shiroko aggressively.

Even if he looked like a chicken, he was still a beastkin.

His muscular hand and blade-like claws were more than enough to seriously hurt someone, but—

“Fool.”

“Guh?! GAAAAAAH!”

With a flick of her palm, a ferocious whirlwind slammed into him.

The man screamed as he was sucked upward and spun violently in a vortex of wind—

and when it finally stopped, he collapsed to the ground in a heap, eyes rolled back.

A perfectly precise wind spell, so sharp it only injured its intended target.

Shiroko quietly looked down at him, sighed, and addressed the rest of the protestors bluntly.

“You’d better disperse now. Unauthorized protests that can lead to armed conflict are a criminal offense in Nighthaven. Leave now, and I’ll let it slide. Stay, and... that’s another story.”

“U-uhm... and that person over there...?”

“He’s the ringleader. He’ll be put on trial. Don’t like it? Don’t care.”

“N-no complaints!”

Maybe it was because her show of force had been that overwhelming—

but the rest of the illegal protestors, who’d been huddled around chicken-comb guy,

hesitated for a moment, then quickly scattered.

The street, once roaring with noise, fell silent like nothing had ever happened.

Shiroko cast her gaze over the crowd of onlookers who had gathered to watch the spectacle.

Her eyes seemed to say,

“This is what happens if you try something like that.”

“....”

“...?”

Eventually, her eyes met mine—still quietly observing from the side.

She narrowed her gaze slightly, as if puzzled,

but soon lost interest and turned away.

Lifting the unconscious man with one hand like it was nothing,

she walked off without a second glance.

To appear out of nowhere and end the whole thing in a flash—

she really was a walking storm.

“...Well, that was quite the show. Anyway, I should get going.”

Seriously, Nighthaven never has a quiet day.

I looked around at the now peaceful street, turned around, and started heading back.

But maybe because I’d taken a slightly different route to see the commotion—

suddenly, an irresistible savory smell hit my nose like a direct attack.

This smell—this was definitely something delicious!

Wiping the drool from the corner of my mouth with the back of my hand,

I followed the scent step by step like I was being pulled by a magnet.

“Pa...”

I finally arrived at a bakery with its doors flung wide open.

And of course, my stomach had chosen this moment to start grumbling.

I was just about to step inside when a thought occurred to me.

Should I really be getting sidetracked right now? Shouldn’t I deliver the part to Greg first?

But that hesitation crumbled the instant I saw the golden glow of freshly baked bread.

Seriously, how was I supposed to resist that?

You know what? I’ll just buy some for Greg and Karen too while I’m at it.

Straightening my back, I walked confidently into the bakery.

“Welcome in, shug!”

“...!”

“Huh? That mask... wait a second—could it be?!”

And there, I ran into a face I hadn’t seen in a long time.

None other than the bakery guy who helped me back when I was still the ghost of the back alleys.

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