I Became the Cute One in the Troubleshooter Squad-Chapter 166: Of the Black Raven and the Snow-White Ghost (4)

Work is work, and personal life is personal life.

The two must be strictly separated, never allowed to influence one another.

If the self immersed in work becomes mixed with the self in private life, one would no longer be able to tell which to prioritize.

—You’re not an amateur. If you’re a professional, act like one. Got it, kid?

Before becoming a soldier enhanced through augmentation procedures, Raven had spent his youth under a strict mentor who drilled that principle into him.

To Raven, it wasn’t just a professional code—it was the very posture of a responsible adult.

In other words, no matter how close or cherished someone was to him personally,

once he took on a job, those feelings had to be set aside. He was the type who, when involved in work, became more serious than anyone.

I feel like human garbage right now...

But at this moment, Raven realized—perhaps for the first time—that the principle he had carved into himself was starting to falter.

Even if he had serious reasons for testing Yuria’s sincerity,

seeing the scene in front of him, he just couldn’t keep his face straight anymore.

“...!”

Wiggle, wiggle.

The girl, clutching her ID card like it was a priceless treasure, was bouncing slightly on her butt.

She couldn’t seem to sit still, her shoulders swaying with spontaneous excitement.

Even if he pulled on her ear, she would probably just laugh it off with a smile.

The delicate, doll-like, snowy girl in front of him was, of course, Yuria.

Was having a registered identity that joyful?

Wearing her cat pajamas, she swayed left and right like a carefree child.

She tried to keep her face serious, but the honey-sweet look she gave the ID made her happiness obvious.

—Onii-chan, as long as I have you...

As Raven watched, a memory from his distant past suddenly surfaced.

A time when war had razed his village, and only he and his little sister had survived.

Those sorrowful eyes that had looked up at him with a smile, like a duckling following its mother...

“...Does your arm still hurt?”

“...?”

“Tch. Let me see it. I’ll put on a patch.”

Raven knelt on one knee to meet Yuria’s gaze and gently peeled back the sleeve of her pajama top.

The sight of the bruised, swollen arm brought an involuntary frown to his face.

Even if this was a situation where emotions shouldn’t get involved...

what would Alice or David say if they saw this?

He applied a cool gel patch with a chilling effect and suppressed a sigh trying to escape.

“You gonna wash up before bed?”

“....”

“This patch should last until morning. I’ll change it when you wake up, so don’t mess with it. Got it?”

“...!”

“And... you should take off the pajamas. Better throw them in the wash.”

Yuria smiled sheepishly, the patch tickling her a little, and gave a big, energetic nod.

Since she usually wore a mask that covered her face,

perhaps that was why...

Seeing the newly appointed little sister’s unguarded expressions only deepened Raven’s conflicted feelings.

Yuria took off ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ her cat pajamas, which were stained in ways that wouldn’t come out just by wiping,

and with a much lighter outfit, tossed them into the washing machine.

Fortunately, there were no other clothes in the washer.

If she just ran it with this one item, nothing else would get mixed up.

Yuria pressed the quick wash button and returned to her seat.

Raven gently guided her into the chair and, with a grave expression, began to speak.

“Alright, let’s plan to take your ID photo this weekend... and now, let’s talk a bit more seriously.”

“...?”

“You’re smart, so I’m sure you understand this well. As you know, this isn’t just a gesture of kindness.

The association isn’t so generous as to just let a powerful esper like you walk free.

Well, for now, only a select few—like old man Tempest—know what really happened this time.”

“So I want you to answer my questions honestly. This is for your sake.”

His tone was far gentler than when he had tested her earlier.

Now that they were past that tense moment, there was no need to push her psychologically.

Still, Yuria, understanding Raven’s intentions, clammed up and rolled her eyes around in hesitation.

Even someone who didn’t know the full story would be able to tell she was completely unsure of what to say.

Of all things, I know a ton of stuff I shouldn’t—thanks to the original story...

What if he thinks I’m suspicious? What if he starts doubting me?

She clutched her ID tightly to her chest, worried her precious status might be in jeopardy again.

Does refusing to answer even one thing lower his trust in me...?

Of course things couldn’t go smoothly all the way through.

Still nervous, Yuria nodded slightly, hoping things wouldn’t spiral out of control.

Was it because I scared her earlier? Maybe she has some traumatic memories...

From Raven’s perspective, though, her reaction was understandable.

He’d already tried to dig into her past a few times, and had observed her for months.

He knew better than anyone that Yuria wasn’t the kind of girl to hide things and act suspicious.

To Raven, Yuria was a victim of some terrible experimentation.

And judging by her lack of common knowledge, she couldn’t have been out in the world for very long.

So even if she did know things—how much could she possibly know?

That’s why he figured it was just nerves over revealing her past. That made sense.

“I’ll only ask you questions I think you can answer. Just respond like you always do—nod or shake your head. Got it?”

“...!”

“First question: You knew your power was an esper ability, right? Did someone tell you that? Some kind of... collaborator?”

Ugh... he’s going straight for the hard ones.

It was a tough question to answer outright.

The correct answer was “no.”

Yuria had figured it out herself thanks to her knowledge of the original story.

But to explain that, she’d have to bring up the concept of “original story knowledge”...

and it didn’t seem likely that Raven would accept that without major suspicion.

She couldn’t lie, though.

Raven could see right through her even when she wore a mask—he’d sniff out a fake answer in a heartbeat.

“....”

“Hm? No one told you? You really didn’t have a collaborator?”

Yuria hesitated for a long time, then shook her head firmly.

Raven’s brow furrowed in doubt.

To him, the idea that she’d managed to realize what her powers were and keep them hidden without help... it didn’t make much sense.

Knowing how the world treated espers, and managing to fly under the radar?

Even for someone mature beyond their appearance, that was pushing it.

Still, Yuria looked genuinely troubled. There was no way that was a lie.

That meant there had to be a reason. A valid one.

After some thought, Raven crossed his arms and shifted to another question.

“Alright, then let’s change gears a bit. You might not want to remember, but... Yuria, do you remember where the lab was? The place where they experimented on you. Even just a rough idea is fine.”

“...!”

Yuria’s heart thumped wildly in her chest.

The lab—that had to mean the pristine white space where she had first woken up.

And then... a memory she had briefly forgotten suddenly came back to her.

The dream. The one with the old man watching the black-haired girl.

That was the place. The place where she had woken up.

She could already guess what Raven was thinking.

He probably believed she had gained all her knowledge from that lab—assuming she remembered it.

Which meant her answer here was simple.

Since she remembered the exact location, she could reply with confidence.

She gave a firm, decisive nod.

Raven, caught off guard, rose from his seat in surprise.

“You remember? Wait... don’t tell me it’s near Night Haven?”

“...!”

Not just near—it’s literally inside Night Haven...

Yuria grimaced a little, unsure how to break that particular piece of news.

After a moment of indecision, she stood up, walked over, and asked Mea to bring up a map of Night Haven.

Loyal as ever, the AI immediately projected the map.

Yuria tapped and dragged her way to a quiet ecological park on the outskirts of the city, then pointed directly at it.

The lab I escaped from... it’s here.

That’s what her confident gesture seemed to say.

Raven’s eyebrows twitched violently.

An esper lab, hidden inside Night Haven?

It was like finding out there was a nuclear warhead buried under your favorite walking trail.

“...This is bad. Sorry, but I’ll have to put the rest of the questions on hold.”

“...?”

“I need to check this place. Right now. Yuria, I’m counting on you to guide me.”

Without delay, Raven handed her a coat and mask so she could go outside.

It was already close to midnight—a completely unplanned midnight field trip.