The human brain is designed to shut down speech when faced with a mental shock.

Be it the survival instinct suppressing unnecessary functions like speech, the prioritization of processing negative emotions, or a psychological defense mechanism kicking in to shield the mind—these theories all lead to one conclusion.

A strong enough shock can turn someone into an idiot.

That’s why I, now reduced to a dazed idiot, blinked blankly as one thought dominated my mind.

"The shop is closing temporarily... so what happens to me?"

It was a fresh, energy-filled morning, thanks to the miraculous recovery from the Tesseract. But as soon as I arrived at work, Greg dropped a bombshell: the shop would be closed for some time.

I was utterly dumbfounded.

I had just resolved to leave behind my "Ghost" persona and start a new chapter as Yuria, only for this curveball to strike the very next day.

“Boss, what about me?”
“I still need to work to survive! You can’t just abandon me like this!”

I darted around Greg in frantic circles, demanding an explanation. He calmly grabbed the top of my head with his massive hand and, in his usual composed tone, began to explain.

“Calm down. A small incident happened while you were gone. A bunch of vampires suddenly barged in.”

“...!”

Vampires? At the shop?

From the way Greg spoke, it wasn’t just one or two but a whole gang. That explained a lot. Vampires in groups are far more troublesome than a single one because their blood magic grows exponentially stronger when they combine their efforts.

Even someone as strong as Greg—an orc among orcs—must have had a hard time dealing with them.

“Well... most of them were weaklings, so I just gave them a good beating and sent them packing.”

…Or maybe not.

Judging by his tone, Greg seemed to have handled the situation by pummeling the intruders into submission. The shop didn’t appear severely damaged either—at most, a few missing windows and some cracks in the walls. It was far from the state of disrepair that would justify closing the shop.

Still confused, I tilted my head in question. Greg gave me a wry smile and continued.

“You’re wondering why the shop needs to close? Sigh... Some important appraisal artifacts got caught in the fray and were destroyed.”

“...!”

Important artifacts? Oh no, was it the appraisal glasses?

The gravity of the situation hit me like a ton of bricks. Losing the appraisal glasses was like a restaurant losing its knives—crippling for business. Without them, Greg’s shop couldn’t function properly.

It made sense to temporarily close until a replacement could be secured. But surely it wouldn’t take that long, right? A few days, maybe a week at most?

I glanced up at Greg, hopeful for a reasonable timeline.

He stroked his chin thoughtfully before delivering the final blow.

“It’ll probably take at least a month.”

“...!!”

A month?!

I froze in shock. A month without income was unthinkable—I barely had enough savings to last four days.

This wasn’t fair! I’d starve at this rate! I tugged at Greg’s sleeve in protest, practically begging him to reconsider.

But Greg gently pried my hands away, his voice filled with sympathy yet firm in its resolve.

“Fixing an artifact like that is expensive. The local experts charge tens of thousands of credits, and the process could take months. That’s why I’ve decided to visit an overseas contact who can do it faster and cheaper. Considering travel and repair time, even a month might be optimistic.”

“...!”

“And no, you can’t come along. Do you even have a passport, Yuria?”

“...”

...A passport? Of course, I didn’t have one.

Completely deflated, I slumped in defeat. As much as I hated to admit it, Greg’s plan was logical.

Without the appraisal glasses, the shop couldn’t operate at full capacity. And while local repair services existed, their exorbitant costs and timelines made them an impractical choice for someone like Greg, who had limited connections in the city.

Still... what was I supposed to do?

Just yesterday, I’d shed my old life as the Ghost, ready to settle into a quieter existence as Yuria. But now that plan was crumbling before my eyes.

As I stood there, despondently kicking at the ground, Greg ruffled my hair with his massive hand, his usual smirk playing on his lips.

“Don’t worry too much. You’re officially my employee now, contract or not. Of course, I’ve made arrangements.”

“...!”

“Come with me. I’ll introduce you to someone trustworthy who can give you work while I’m away.”

What?! I looked up at Greg, overwhelmed with gratitude. Truly, he was the best boss anyone could ask for!

With my spirits lifted, I smiled under my mask and followed Greg eagerly.

Who was this trustworthy person? I didn’t know, but if Greg trusted them, they had to be decent, right? Surely they wouldn’t be the type to exploit me or leave me unpaid.

It felt like a ray of sunshine breaking through the storm clouds.

“By the way, Yuria, I’ve noticed something lately. You’ve become a lot more... playful.”

“...?”

Playful? Me? What nonsense was that?

I frowned, replaying my recent actions in my head. Sure, I’d been a little more expressive lately—darting around Greg, tugging at his sleeve, jumping in place, or shaking my head to brush off his hand.

But that was purely out of necessity! It wasn’t like I wanted to be cutesy—I couldn’t talk, so I had to communicate somehow. If Greg tried being mute for a day, he’d understand!

Grumbling internally, I lightly punched Greg’s thigh in frustration. Of course, it hurt my hand more than it hurt his rock-solid muscles, leaving me feeling even more annoyed.

The bustling daytime streets of Nighthaven felt strange as we walked.

I’d spent most of my time in the Western Labyrinth since arriving in the city, and my first real look at Nighthaven had been at night. Walking through the lively streets during the day felt almost surreal.

“Wow... there are so many people.”

The sheer volume of pedestrians weaving through the streets was overwhelming. Holoprojections lit up the skies with advertisements, adding to the sensory overload.

And the variety of species! Everywhere I looked, there were orcs, dwarves, elves, and other fantastical beings going about their day. It was like something out of a dream.

“Stay close, Yuria. Don’t wander off.”

“...”

Greg held out his massive hand, motioning for me to grab it. I hesitated.

It wasn’t that I didn’t trust Greg—I just didn’t want to be mistaken for a child clinging to her parent. His earlier comment about me being "playful" still irked me, making me overly self-conscious about how I might come across.

But with the chaotic crowds, getting lost wasn’t an option.

With a sigh, I reluctantly placed my small hand in his, determined to project an air of maturity despite the circumstances.

“Hmm. Let’s go, then.”

“...?”

Did he just smirk? I couldn’t be sure, but something about his expression felt suspicious.

Finally, we arrived at our destination—a relatively quiet corner of the bustling city.

I tilted my head upward to take in the building Greg was staring at, and my blood ran cold.

Wait... I recognized this place.

This was the headquarters of the Crowley Troubleshooter Office—the base of the protagonist and his party.

And as if on cue, the nightmare escalated.

“Oh? Greg? Yuria? What brings you two here?”

It was none other than Sakura Alice, the pink-haired heroine of the story.

“I’m here to see Raven. Is he inside?”

“Hmm... I think so. This is his home, after all. I just got here myself.”

No way. The "trustworthy" job Greg had lined up for me...

Was at the protagonist’s office?!

I wanted to scream. Months of avoiding the main characters, undone in an instant.