There’s a saying:
If you ever get to watch the filming of a popular comedy show in person, you’d find it unbelievably dull.

And it makes sense.
A comedy show takes hours of raw footage and condenses only the best, most entertaining bits into a tight, polished episode. Naturally, the unedited version can’t help but feel boring.

Perhaps life operates much the same way.
We endure long stretches of mundane, ordinary days, all for the sake of fleeting moments of joy and excitement.

Why was I thinking about this now?
Because life at the troubleshooter agency turned out to be far more peaceful than I had expected.

“Oversized helmets? Seriously, what’s next? Platform shoes for merfolk?”

I was mopping up a water-soaked hallway with a mop that felt too heavy for my noodle arms. The culprit? A merfolk client and their absurdly oversized helmet.

If their head was small, they could’ve just worn a smaller helmet.
But no—they insisted on parading around with an ill-fitting one, spilling water everywhere. What a nuisance.

By the way, the “helmet” in question refers to the round fishbowl-like device merfolk wear on land. It’s filled with water and supplies oxygen to help them survive out of water.

Ideally, they’d choose a size that fits snugly to prevent spills.
But apparently, there’s a trend among merfolk where bigger helmets are considered fashionable. What a bizarre fad.

Anyway, thanks to that incident, I ended up here, wrestling with a mop.
As I wiped the floor, something caught my eye outside the window.

“Snow.”

The overcast sky was a dull, oppressive gray, but beneath it, pure white snowflakes drifted down like scattered sugar.

The first snow of the year.
It was not only the first snow of the season but also the first snow I’d seen as Yuria.

I didn’t feel particularly moved by it.
I wasn’t a child anymore, and the sight of snow falling over the city wasn’t enough to fill me with giddy excitement.

Still, I’d always liked watching rain or snow, and the sight of snow settling over the cityscape wasn’t bad.

“Oh my, it’s snowing.”
“Huh? It really is. Well, I guess it’s about time for it.”

Alice and Raven, who had been lifting the sofa to mop underneath, also noticed the snow. They paused to glance outside and admire the first snow.

Alice’s eyes sparkled with delight, while Raven’s expression soured, as if the snow had brought nothing but trouble.

Alice seemed to notice Raven’s mood. Tilting her head in confusion, she asked,
“Why the grumpy face, Jin? It’s the first snow of the year. Let’s enjoy it, even if it’s just for a moment.”
“Snow is something you only enjoy when your mind or heart is still pure, like in childhood. Once you’re an adult, you learn to hate it. Do you know who has to clean all that up?”
“Uh… doesn’t it just melt on its own?”
“If you leave it, it only half-melts and freezes into solid ice. Then you have to break it apart or spread dirt over it, which just doubles the workload.”

Though the snow wasn’t likely to pile up much this time, Raven scratched the back of his head in annoyance.

It was the perspective of someone who had long since lost their childhood wonder.
Considering he’d been a soldier before becoming a fixer, it wasn’t hard to guess where such thoughts came from.

And honestly, I couldn’t disagree. Clearing snow was a pain.
I nodded quietly in agreement, but Raven, apparently bored of the snow already, turned his attention back to Alice.

“Alright, enough of this. Alice, pick up the sofa again. There’s still water to mop up.”
“Ugh, can’t we admire it a little longer? You’re such a buzzkill, Jin. Learn to appreciate the moment.”
“Quiet. Are you going to pay for the mold if it grows? Do you even know how much it costs to maintain this office for a month? My wallet’s already thin from fixing the doorknob you broke.”
“Ugh, fine! I’m really sorry for breaking the doorknob, okay? But if money’s such an issue, maybe you should stop throwing it away on dragon racing bets!”

Here they go again.
I watched the two bicker, unimpressed, before deciding to tune them out and focus on mopping.

It had been a week since I started working here, and this kind of squabble was a daily occurrence.

How could such a tiny office have so much to argue about?
Last time, they spent over an hour fighting over toilet paper.

They always made up afterward and acted like nothing had happened, so I’d given up trying to mediate by day three. Worrying about them was just exhausting.

“If money’s so important, maybe you should sell off that impulse buy from the other day—”
“That’s not the point! With two kids working here, taking away my one hobby is—”
“Hah! Yuria, maybe, but calling me a kid is ridiculous! What part of me looks like a—”
“….”

Nope, not listening.
Using the excuse of wringing out the mop, I slipped out the back door of the office.

The agency occupied the entire second floor of an old building, and the back door led to an external staircase that connected directly to the street.

Stepping outside, I was greeted by the falling snow.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen snow like this.”

Seeing it through a window and watching it up close felt different.

Hugging the oversized mop to my chest, I reached out my hand, letting the snowflakes fall onto my palm.

“…”

The snow melted quickly against my warm skin, leaving behind tiny droplets of water.
I stared at the droplet for a moment before wiping it off on my skirt and carefully descending the stairs.

Working here felt like being surrounded by snowflakes—fleeting, chaotic, and impossible to hold onto.

But snow or not, as long as spring came, it didn’t really matter.
After squeezing out the mop with telekinesis in a secluded spot, I returned to the office.

By the time I came back, the fight had apparently cooled down.
Raven and Alice sat at opposite ends of the same sofa, their heads turned away, each engrossed in their phones.

Why sit together if you’re going to act like that?
Suppressing a laugh, I squeezed myself onto the sofa between them.

“Hey, why here? It’s cramped.”
“Y-Yuria? There’s space over there, you know…”

The sofa was clearly meant for two people. Adding me made it uncomfortably tight.

But this was the point.
I glanced at their awkward faces, then grabbed their hands and plopped them onto my lap.

Their hands naturally touched, making both of them turn away, embarrassed.

“Ugh…”
“Hmph…”

See? These two.
They probably realized they’d argued over something trivial but didn’t know how to make up.

Left to their own devices, they might not reconcile until tomorrow.
So, for the sake of office peace, I decided to intervene.

Sometimes, the only way to end a petty fight is with an equally petty resolution.

“Alright… fine.”
“Yeah, um…”

As they tried to pull their hands away, I pressed down firmly, silently signaling that I wouldn’t let go until they made up.

Finally, perhaps unable to resist my commanding presence, they awkwardly apologized.

“Sorry for breaking the doorknob, Jin. I should’ve been more careful.”
“No, it’s my fault. If I hadn’t wasted money on dragon racing, fixing a doorknob wouldn’t have been an issue. My bad.”

Of course, this exchange didn’t mean much.
By tomorrow, Alice would probably break something else, and Raven wasn’t about to give up dragon racing.

But that wasn’t my concern.
All I cared about was clearing the awkward atmosphere before the end of the day.

After all, I’d only be working here for three more weeks.
Whether their habits changed or not was their problem.

Satisfied, I nodded at both of them, silently declaring the matter resolved.

Mediating fights was hard, but getting them to make up? Easy.
I felt proud of myself for preserving the agency’s peace once again.

“See? I’m rational and effective. What other kid could do this?”

Totally not because Raven’s earlier comment about me being a kid had gotten under my skin. Nope. Not at all.

“Actually… maybe I should try dragon racing too. Just to see what’s so fun about it.”
“That’s a great idea! I’m not saying you should gamble, but dragon racing is worth experiencing at least once. Especially Andreas No. 11’s leg power these days—”

As the atmosphere returned to its usual lively state, the background noise of the TV caught my attention.

[ …And now, the latest news. The prosthetics company Nemesis has developed the world’s first magic-conducting prosthetic hand, creating a buzz in the industry. The newly unveiled ABP-1137 proves that magic can be artificially channeled through engineered prosthetics, marking a groundbreaking achievement… ]

Oh, that.
I

recognized it from the original story.

Straightening like a meerkat, I focused on the screen, intrigued.

Noticing my interest, Raven and Alice also turned to watch.

“Magic in a prosthetic? Jin, is that even possible? Magic only works with living bodies.”
“Well, if it’s on the news, I guess it works. Who knows?”
“Wow… this means non-human species with physical disabilities can finally use prosthetics freely!”

Alice clapped her hands, delighted.
Many non-human species had avoided prosthetics due to magic-related complications, but this development could open new doors for them.

If it was true, that is.

“Are you interested in this stuff?”
“Well, I guess you could say I am…”
“What about you, temp?”
“….”

I nodded.

If this was the moment from the original story, I had a pretty good idea of what Raven was about to suggest.

“Then why don’t you both come to Nemesis’s party with me? It’s in four days.”
“Huh? How’d you get invited to something like that?”
“Got the invitation about a week ago. One of my clients a few months back was connected to Nemesis.”
“That must’ve been before I joined. I’m in! I’ve always been curious about Nemesis’s prosthetics.”
“What about you, temp?”
“…!”

The launch party for Nemesis’s magic-adaptive prosthetics, titled Beyond the Metafuture.

Honestly, there was no reason to refuse.
A fancy party hosted by a major corporation, with delicious food provided? Count me in.

And more importantly, this was the moment…

The full roster of the troubleshooter agency would come together.

The event where the third member of the agency would take center stage.
I didn’t have to do much—just blend into the crowd and observe.

Exciting! My heart raced with anticipation.