The sudden appearance of an original character—one of the protagonist’s party members, no less—had caught me completely off guard.
For a moment, I was frozen in shock, but I quickly forced myself to suppress the whirlwind of emotions and collect my thoughts.
Sure, I enjoyed the Fixer series.
And yes, I devoured anything in the problem-solver genre regardless of medium.
But I wasn’t a superfan so obsessed that I lost myself when confronted with the characters.
It was more like meeting a celebrity you liked—exciting and surprising, but not enough to drop everything and start screaming.
‘Okay, calm down. Overreacting will only make me stand out. I just need to stay composed and act like I’m greeting any other customer.’
Taking a slow, deep breath to steady my nerves, I turned my attention to the pink-haired woman before me, recalling what I knew from the original story.
‘This must be… Sakuragi Alice.’
After all, how many pink-haired beauties wearing a slit kimono and carrying two swords at their waist could exist in Nighthaven?
Given that, this situation wasn’t entirely unexpected.
Greg occasionally served as an appraiser for the protagonist’s party.
Since I now worked at his store, it was inevitable that I would eventually cross paths with them.
‘Judging from what she said when she came in, her business is with Greg. That means all I have to do is quietly fade into the background and stay out of sight.’
Satisfied with my reasoning, I regained my composure.
I began to step backward, planning to slip away and call for Greg.
But before I could retreat, Alice’s eyes sparkled, and she closed the distance between us in an instant.
“Hey, are you the new employee here? Oh my, you’re so cute! Your hands and arms—they’re like a doll’s!”
“…?!”
“Greg should’ve told me he hired someone this adorable! Want a piece of candy?”
Whoosh.
Alice leaned so close that I could smell her sweet, peach-like scent.
But I had no time to process that.
Startled by her sudden proximity, I instinctively stepped back to put some space between us.
Her flawless, TV-worthy beauty, combined with how close she was, made it impossible for me to stay calm.
Why—why was she getting so close?!
As my mind scrambled for answers, a detail about Alice from the original story flashed through my memory.
‘Right… this person… She’s a cuteness enthusiast!’
That’s right—a cuteness enthusiast.
Normally, Alice was logical and dependable.
But when it came to anything remotely cute, she would completely lose her composure.
Her obsession was so extreme it was classified as a “hazardous-level” cuteness addiction in the story.
If her enemy were a cute plush toy, she wouldn’t be able to counterattack, no matter how much it attacked her.
Taking stock of my current appearance:
I was wearing a fox mask—cute and mysterious.
I had white hair, stood short, and was dressed in a maid outfit carefully designed by an eccentric scientist to maximize charm.
The outfit minimized exposure while emphasizing the wearer’s cuteness and unique traits.
The fox mask added an air of mystique, amplifying the overall effect.
‘…I didn’t foresee this.’
Sweat formed on my brow as I instinctively realized Alice’s gaze had turned predatory, like a beast eyeing its prey.
Of course, Alice wasn’t the kind of person to act out of line.
At worst, she’d hug me or sniff the top of my head.
She wasn’t some dangerous deviant—just someone with an overwhelming love for cute things.
But even that was a problem for me.
Being face-to-face with someone in such close quarters was already nerve-wracking.
If she started hugging me or anything of the sort, I might just explode from embarrassment.
“Hmm. This candy is expensive, you know… but how about trying one? I’m close with Greg, so it’s okay. By the way, what’s your name? You’re so adorable!”
‘No, no, no! Stop this!’
Desperately, I tried to maintain some distance from Alice.
If she took one step forward, I took one step back.
She stepped forward again; I retreated further.
This continued until my back hit the solid wall behind me.
Cornered.
My spine tingled with dread as Alice’s smile grew wider.
At that moment, Greg walked out from the back and called out to her.
“Enough of that. Don’t bother my employee.”
“Oh, Greg! Long time no see. But bother? I was just offering her some candy!”
“That counts as bothering me. Back off, pink hair. You, come here.”
Saved! Thank you, Greg!
Seizing the opportunity, I darted away and hid behind the desk, safely out of Alice’s reach.
I clutched my chest, still trembling from the close call, as Greg and Alice began talking.
“So, what’s this about, pink hair? Business hours are over. You know I don’t do appraisals after closing.”
Greg’s voice was curt, sharper than usual—a sign he was annoyed.
As someone who had worked here for five days, I could tell this tone meant he wasn’t in a good mood.
I couldn’t blame him. Customers showing up after hours were a universal frustration for anyone with a job.
Alice seemed to pick up on his mood and bowed apologetically.
“Ha ha, sorry about that. But I’m not here for an appraisal today. I wanted to ask you about a rumor circulating in the western labyrinth.”
“A rumor?”
“Yes. Have you heard of… the Ghost?”
What?!
My ears perked up at the mention of my alias.
I hadn’t expected Alice to bring me up, not even as a possibility.
My heart raced as I strained to listen, nerves tightening like a coiled spring.
“…I’ve heard of it. The Ghost is famous these days—who hasn’t?”
“Oh, I thought so! Actually, our office is looking for the Ghost. I was wondering if you might have any information?”
Looking for me?! Why?!
Alice’s words sent a jolt of panic through me.
Peeking out cautiously, I made eye contact with Greg, who had noticed my reaction.
His gaze seemed to ask for my decision, and I quickly shook my head, signaling my refusal.
“Hmm… I wouldn’t know. The Ghost tends to appear in the deep back alleys, and I’m not familiar with that area.”
“Oh… I see. Sorry for bothering you so late. I’ll make it up to you with an appraisal request next time.”
“Hmm.”
I let out a quiet sigh of relief at Greg’s natural response.
As expected of the boss—he truly knows how to protect his employees.
I still had no clue why Alice was looking for the Ghost, but since she’d missed her chance here, I doubted I’d find myself in her crosshairs again anytime soon.
Feeling reassured, I calmed my nerves and watched Alice as she seemed to prepare to leave the store.
If that was all she wanted, then it looked like I had successfully weathered this storm.
From now on, let’s just maintain a simple employee-and-customer relationship, shall we?
Peeking out from under the desk, I waved goodbye to Alice as she headed toward the door.
“Bye~ See you next time!”
“….”
“Huhuhu, so cute… Oh, by the way, Greg. What’s her name? She seems a little shy,” Alice suddenly asked, her words cutting through the air like a blade.
Both Greg and I froze.
A name?
Oh… right.
I didn’t actually have one.
Greg usually just called me “Ghost” or “you.”
And since I’d never really needed a name, I hadn’t thought to pick one for myself.
But since Greg had already distanced me from the “Ghost” identity, what was I supposed to go by now?
“Uh, ahem, well…”
Greg coughed awkwardly, clearly buying time as he wrestled with the same dilemma.
I didn’t particularly care what I was called, so I decided to leave it to him.
I gave Greg a calm nod, signaling that he could choose whatever name he wanted.
Apparently understanding my gesture, Greg finally responded to Alice.
“Yuria.”
“Wow, that’s such a cute name! Yuria, huh… Thanks! I’ll see you both next time!”
And with that cheerful farewell, Alice left the store without hesitation.
As expected of the protagonist’s companions, they really do bring chaos wherever they go.
Alice was a whirlwind in human form.
“…Sorry about that. I’m not great at naming things,” Greg said suddenly, looking slightly sheepish.
It seemed he felt bad for coming up with a name on the spot without consulting me.
Yuria…
It was probably inspired by “Ghost.”
The sound wasn’t bad, and I wasn’t particularly attached to being nameless.
If anything, it was efficient—similar enough to “Ghost” that I could easily respond to it.
Given that most people in the underworld had been calling me “Ghost” anyway, it felt like a natural fit.
“…!”
“Thanks for understanding.”
To reassure Greg, I raised both arms in a gesture that clearly said I was okay with it.
My sincerity seemed to come through, as Greg smiled faintly and thanked me in return.
“This is the contract I mentioned earlier. Take your time reading through it and filling it out. You’re smart enough to handle it on your own, right?”
Greg handed me the contract and retreated to the back of the store, looking slightly self-conscious after the naming situation.
For someone as big and imposing as an orc, Greg sure had a surprisingly thoughtful side.
I chuckled to myself as I took the contract and settled onto the sofa.
As I began reading through it, a thought crossed my mind.
‘Why was Alice looking for the Ghost in the first place? Was she hired as a fixer, like that blonde pervert?’
The Ghost’s reputation in the underworld wasn’t exactly stellar at the moment.
Some viewed me positively—those I had helped or those impressed by my strength.
But others had latched onto the malicious rumors spreading about me, seeing the Ghost as a criminal who needed to be dealt with.
The influx of bounty hunters over the past few weeks had thrown the back alleys into chaos.
Overall, the prevailing sentiment about the Ghost wasn’t great.
It wasn’t a stretch to think that Alice might be associated with the bounty hunters in some way.
‘Well, as long as I stay quietly hidden here, I should be safe from trouble. Still, I’ll need to be extra cautious not to get involved with her.’
Resolving to tread carefully, I finished reading the contract and was about to sign it with my new name, “Yuria,” when—
“AAAHHHH!”
‘Huh?’
A man’s scream suddenly rang out from not far away.
For something this noisy to happen in the gray zone, where incidents were rare…
I frowned, rising from my seat, a question mark practically floating over my head.
It seemed like something was stirring outside.
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