I Became the Cute One in the Troubleshooter Squad

I never expected to run into the bakery guy again.

Since we’d lost contact for so long, it completely caught me off guard.

The last time I saw him was during the Night of Blood incident—

and he’d been pretty badly injured then.

Seeing him now, face intact and cheerful, I felt genuinely happy.

And to think he’d opened a brand-new bakery right here in the streets of Nighthaven!

He was one of the few people who’d shown me kindness back in the Western Maze.

So I couldn’t help but feel his success as if it were my own.

The bakery guy seemed just as pleased to see me again.

After glancing around quickly, he lowered his voice and spoke cautiously.

“Miss... you’re... the Ghost, aren’t you?”

“....”

“Hahaha! To think I’d run into my savior again! Looks like today’s my lucky day!”

To think he considered meeting me a stroke of luck...

Feeling awkward from the direct expression of gratitude, I rubbed my neck.

I didn’t get thanked this straightforwardly all that often.

Then a spoonful of suspicion suddenly stirred in my head.

Now that I thought about it—he’d recognized me as the Ghost right away.

But I wasn’t even wearing the oversized tablecloth-like cloak now, so how had he figured it out?

“...Ah, right. That was my first day working at the general store. He must’ve seen my mask. I wasn’t even trying to hide it back then.”

It made sense.

At the time, I’d been too furious at Drakel for destroying the streets,

and too busy pulverizing undead to bother hiding my identity.

The bakery guy had seen me up close, after all.

And I’d used telekinesis right in front of him, too... I was way too careless back then.

If he hadn’t been the tight-lipped type, I might’ve been in serious trouble.

While I was nodding to myself, relieved that things had turned out okay,

the cheerful, burly ❀ ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) bakery guy bustled out from the back, holding something.

“Here—this is a freshly baked chocolate donut. On the house! Please, try it!”

“...!”

Free bread?! The bakery guy really was a good person!

I carefully accepted the donut, the sweet aroma already wafting into my face,

and bowed deeply in thanks.

His expression clearly said “go on, have a bite”, so I lifted the donut to my lips, shifting my mask slightly—

—and the instant that fantastical flavor hit my tongue, I shot upright like I’d been electrified.

“It’s... amazing!”

The freshly baked chocolate donut, the bakery guy’s specialty, was absolutely heavenly.

The moment I bit into it, the warmth inside confirmed it had just come out of the oven.

The chocolate glaze was moist—no, practically sticky—and melted across my tongue like silk.

The donut dough was tender, springy, and crumbled softly inside my mouth.

Each bite was full of pillowy warmth.

The chocolate and butter flavors competed to make their presence known, and both won.

This wasn’t just delicious—it was downright moving.

Having devoured the donut without leaving a crumb, I couldn’t contain myself.

I wiggled in place and gave him a big thumbs up to show how delicious it had been.

“Was it that good, Miss? I’m glad I could bring you some joy!”

“...!”

“Hmm? Ah! That means yes, doesn’t it? Hahaha!”

Man, he really knew how to read the room. The bakery guy was incredible.

Still dancing with my thumbs up, I readjusted my mask and looked around the shop.

This time, I figured I’d buy some bread to bring back to the store.

He gave me one for free, so I should definitely purchase something nice in return.

“Hmm... Greg probably prefers something mild in flavor. Karen would definitely go for dessert, right?”

As I wandered the shop, deep in thought, I picked up a tray and tongs.

In the end, I chose a baguette and a strawberry cream roll cake.

The baguette was for Greg. The roll cake was for Karen.

And me? I’d already locked in the chocolate donut the bakery guy gave me.

With bread this soft, springy, and sweet—how could I stop at just one?

“Will that be all? Then I’ll ring you up—”

“...!”

“Paying by card? Right away, I’ve got you!”

I was no longer the broke Ghost who couldn’t even pay for a bun.

I was now a proper citizen of Nighthaven with an official ID and bank account.

Just buying some bread like this was well within the means of my general store salary.

Actually, I’d been working long enough that I could probably buy every item in this bakery.

Not that I could eat them all, and I wouldn’t want to rob future customers of their bread either.

“All set. Thank you, Miss!”

“....”

Rustle.

I hugged the warm bag of bread close to my chest, still warm from the oven.

It was so comforting—almost like holding a baby—that I felt absurdly happy just carrying it.

Maybe the bakery guy noticed how I was feeling.

He smiled, just like he had the day I saved him, and gave me a polite bow.

“Haha, hope to see you again soon!”

“Mm.”

I’ll come back.

I mumbled it under my breath, almost like talking to myself,

then trotted out of the shop.

I’d have to memorize this location so I could return anytime.

The decision carved itself deep into my heart.

But just as I was about to step through the door, I had to stop suddenly.

Someone else was trying to enter from the opposite direction,

and we bumped into each other.

“Ugh... Huh? Someone was there? I didn’t sense a thing...”

That alone was strange.

With how much my telekinesis had improved recently, my senses were usually razor sharp.

Even without focusing, a faint field of telekinetic energy constantly radiated around me—

kind of like radar. I could pick up the presence of moving things nearby without thinking.

And yet, I ran into someone?

That meant... something was definitely off.

As if my finely-tuned telekinetic antenna had developed a blind spot. Weird. Really weird.

“...Ah, I’m so sorry. I wasn’t watching where I was going.”

“....”

But the other person didn’t seem to notice how off it was for me.

She lowered her head deeply and spoke in a calm, feminine voice.

Then—thump—her hat dropped to the ground.

As she slowly raised her head, I suddenly found myself face to face with a very intense expression.

“S-Scary...! Why is she glaring like that? Did I do something wrong?”

She had a terrifying scowl, like she was ready to chew through any obstacle in her way.

Even though she said “sorry,” her eyes were narrowed like she was furious.

I instinctively hugged the bag of bread to my chest and took a small step back.

But... she looked kind of familiar. Where had I seen her before?

I squinted inside my mask, trying to jog my memory.

The woman, now clearly flustered, covered her face with one hand and quickly put her hat back on.

“Th-then...!”

With a flurry of motion, she darted into the bakery like she was fleeing from me.

Watching her back, I finally realized who she was.

“That was Shiroko. She changed clothes and came here?”

Yep.

The woman’s identity was none other than Shiroko,

the one who had taken down the protestors earlier.

She should’ve been off dealing with the protest leader—

so what was she doing here now?

Timing-wise, it wasn’t impossible that she’d already wrapped things up, but still...

Why go through the trouble of hiding her horns and tail?

Well... she must have her reasons.

I watched her silently pick out bread with her hat pulled low—

then turned away, deciding not to pry.

More important than any mystery right now was making sure the bread I bought didn’t go cold.

“Time’s slipped by more than I thought. If I take too long, Greg might start to worry.”

With the bread and parts hugged tightly in my arms, I hurried back to the general store.

Greg and Karen greeted me with warm smiles, as if they’d been waiting.

“You’re back at last. Hm? Is that... bread?”

“Mm.”

“Oh my, then I’ll prepare some tea. Let’s take a break and enjoy it together!”

“Chya.”

I handed Greg the envelope with the replacement part first.

Then I set the bread bag on the table and began unpacking the contents one by one.

My chocolate donut, Greg’s baguette, Karen’s strawberry cream roll cake—

Taking off my mask for a bit, I pulled out one of the five donuts and popped it into my mouth.

As expected of a master baker.

Just like earlier, the chocolate donut hit me with the same intense joy,

its sweetness spreading through my head and making me smile.

“It must be good enough to melt you into the couch.”

“She’s so cute when she’s like this. Oh, and this roll cake’s for me? Thank you, Yuri.”

Good thing there were no customers at the moment.

The three of us sat around the table, sharing the bread I’d brought back,

enjoying a peaceful break together.

The bakery guy’s reputation was well-earned.

I made up my mind to stop by again whenever I had the chance.

It was a truly peaceful weekday afternoon.

A few days later—

It was a rare weekend lunch where I didn’t have to work.

Still, I was walking around in my usual maid uniform.

Why?

Because I’d continued helping out with the store cleanup I hadn’t finished last night.

Greg had told me not to worry about it, that he could do it alone.

But honestly, the job wasn’t even that hard in the first place.

Skipping out on cleanup just didn’t sit right with my conscience.

So I’d voluntarily suited up and come in early to help.

Of course, Greg already knew I had telekinesis—

so using it at full power, we got everything cleaned up in no time.

I could lift dozens of objects at once now.

When it came to cleaning and organizing, my abilities were unmatched.

“...Had I known, I would've asked for your help from the start.”

“Heehee.”

“Thanks. Should I walk you home?”

“...!”

You don’t have to see me off, I can go by myself.

Waving goodbye with a casual “see you Monday,” I left Greg behind...

...And now here I was, strolling down the street like I was out on a walk.

“Hmm, since I’m already out... maybe I should visit that bakery again.”

It was just about lunchtime.

Wouldn’t it be nice to get some bread for Raven too?

Thinking that, I took the long way around toward the bakery.

And there—standing in front of it again—I bumped into that black-haired woman in the hat.

Shiroko.

“Huh? You’re that girl from before...”

“....”

Are we... bumping into each other a lot lately?

While I tilted my head at the strange feeling of déjà vu,

Shiroko, wearing that same faint scowl, walked toward me and asked:

“Um... do you like bread?”

“...?”

I mean, I do kind of like bread, but... why would you ask that?

It was a truly bizarre question.