Three days had passed since the Nemesis terror incident, and Night Haven was still ablaze with discussion about it.

It was no surprise.

The Nemesis-hosted banquet had taken place in a towering hotel in the middle of the city. Suddenly, the building experienced a blackout, followed by plumes of gas billowing from within.

That alone would have been enough to send police and journalists swarming, but the fact that signs of combat were visible on the higher floors made the incident an irresistible spectacle for the news and social media alike.

The sudden revelation about Nemesis’s large-scale human experiments dropped right in the middle of this heightened attention, adding fuel to the fire.

“What? Kidnapping impoverished people for forced experimentation? Are they insane?”
“Holy crap… So they’ve already kidnapped people, and their prosthetics are made from blood extracted from them?”
“Wait, what?! Nemesis prosthetics cause side effects within a year?! I pre-ordered one of those!”

For those who had eagerly reserved the much-hyped prosthetics for non-humans, it was a betrayal akin to a hammer smashing their skulls and a knife stabbing their backs. The outrage spread like wildfire across the city.

In no time, the focus shifted from a simple terrorist attack in the heart of the city to Nemesis’s vile schemes.

“Understood. Officers have been deployed. There's an unknown assailant roaming the hotel… What? Apprehend all Nemesis personnel? None are to escape?”
“Huh, isn’t that a bit harsh? Wait, what? Am I involved with them? Of course not! These criminals—arrest them all!”
“Hey! Aren’t you supposed to be helping us? What the hell—ahhh! Police brutality!”

Initially tasked with apprehending the so-called terrorists, the police were instead ordered to detain every Nemesis staff member present.

Even officers who had shady dealings with Nemesis couldn’t risk being implicated and hurriedly cut ties with the company.

“Mayor Tempest, as per your orders, we’ve sent dragon knights to investigate Nemesis. It’s confirmed—they planned large-scale human experiments and were even courting investors.”
“Well done, Yelesa. Damn those Nemesis bastards! They dared to openly pull this crap in my city, knowing how much I despise Nexus Project-style experiments? I’ll rip them apart until nothing’s left!”

Night Haven’s formidable dragon mayor, Tempest, ground his teeth in fury.

Night Haven was rife with crime and chaos, but one unspoken rule was never to provoke the dragon mayor.

Tempest still bore scars to his reputation from the Nexus Project, a horrific initiative involving experiments on war orphans and kidnapped individuals. That unresolved incident had left him with a deep loathing for clandestine human experimentation.

“…Mayor, I understand you’re angry, but could you please stop breaking desks? Fixing them repeatedly is tedious.”
“Uh, right. My apologies. At my age, it’s hard to control my mana.”

Tempest’s secretary, Yelesa, managed to calm him down. The aging dragon frequently suffered from mana outbursts that unintentionally broke objects, a common issue among older dragons.

Given the difficulty of finding someone capable of handling him, Tempest couldn’t afford to lose his invaluable secretary.

“That young man who caused a ruckus at the hotel—what was his name again? Darren?”
“David, sir.”
“Ah, right, David. We owe him our thanks for exposing those rats. Make sure he’s… well, you know, taken care of.”
“You mean we can’t openly pardon him due to public scrutiny, but if he tries to disappear, we’re to quietly let him go?”
“Exactly. You catch on quickly.”

The police confirmed that David had erased all records of his identity before vanishing, leading them to close the case.

With no casualties and Nemesis being the sole party affected, there was no justification for an extensive pursuit.

Meanwhile, Nemesis executives and staff were rounded up and hauled into court. The trials ended with guilty verdicts across the board, sentencing them to prison.

With its leadership dismantled, Nemesis, the corporate giant, collapsed and faded into history.

Taking down such a colossal entity single-handedly—it was a miracle born of one romantic idealist’s reckless determination.

While David’s story was wrapping up, I arrived at the Troubleshooter Office as usual, dressed in my maid uniform. To my surprise, I was greeted by familiar faces.

“Oh… you’re the Fox, right?”
“…!”

It was none other than David, Rayne, and Sabrina.

Seeing me in my work attire seemed to leave them momentarily stunned.
I tilted my head, then gestured for them to follow me into the reception area.

When Raven asked why they had come, David replied with utmost politeness.

“We came to express our gratitude.”
“Huh? Gratitude?”
“Yes. We received tremendous help during a difficult time and wanted to thank you properly before leaving the city.”
“Well, we didn’t do much. Just thank our intern here. She did most of the work.”
“Indeed. I cannot express how grateful we are for her assistance. Truly, thank you.”

David stood and performed a deep kung fu-style bow.

It was rare for someone in Night Haven to bow like that—probably something he learned from his strict martial arts teacher.

“…!”

Not wanting to make a fuss, I mimicked the gesture by clapping my hands together and bowing slightly in return.
After all, they were the ones who had bled and fought for this outcome. I hadn’t done much.

The atmosphere was warm and cheerful as we introduced ourselves.

“I’m David, and this is Sabrina and Rayne.”
“I’m Jin. That pink-haired one’s Alice, and the intern here is Yuria.”
“Yuria… we’ve been calling you ‘Fox’ this whole time. That was quite rude of us.”
“Eh, it’s fine. She doesn’t seem to mind,” Raven said casually.

As we chatted, Sabrina suddenly walked over to me with a serious expression and reached out her hand.

Squish.

“…?!”

Startled by the sudden sensation near my chest, I jumped back, clutching myself defensively.

What the hell?! What was that for?!

Sabrina, meanwhile, stared at me with a dazed look, muttering under her breath.

“She’s really… a girl. And even smaller than me….”

What? What was she talking about?
Looking around for clarification, I noticed David burying his face in his hand in embarrassment, while Raven smirked mischievously.

What was going on here? Was I missing something?

“It seems Sabrina mistook you for a boy, Yuria. I also thought so until today,” Rayne explained.
“Ah, well… you were wearing a suit back then. It’s an understandable mistake,” Raven added.

Okay, that made sense. I’d been wearing a boy’s suit, after all.
With my body mostly concealed and a mask covering my face, it wasn’t hard to imagine someone assuming I was a long-haired boy.

‘But is it really that big of a deal?’

Even after learning the truth, Sabrina’s reaction seemed overly dramatic. Surely, mistaking a friend’s gender wasn’t something to cry about?

To my surprise, tears welled up in Sabrina’s eyes.

“Ugh… this is so frustrating!”

She covered her face and bolted out of the office at full speed, leaving only a trail of wind behind.

“Haha… kids these days,” Raven chuckled, struggling to suppress his laughter.
David, on the other hand, sighed heavily.

“I’m so sorry for the trouble she’s caused.”
“It’s… like a heartbreak, isn’t it?” Rayne speculated.
“She’s grown up without many peers… this is probably hard for her,” Rayne said sympathetically.

Feeling awkward, I scratched my head.
Was this something I should apologize for?

“I’ll go after her!” Alice volunteered, standing up and rushing out the door.

As the office quieted down, it was just Raven, David, Rayne, and me remaining.

“So, you’re leaving the city?” Raven asked David, stroking his chin thoughtfully.
“Yes, I’ve erased my records and identity, so I’m essentially a ghost now. It’s hard to find work in this situation.”

Raven’s gaze shifted to me, a knowing glint in his eye.

What? Why was he looking at me like that? Did he see me as some fellow undocumented troublemaker?

“Well,” Raven said, “if you’re really in a pinch, how about working here? It’s not much, but we could use someone good with computers. I noticed your handiwork during the Nemesis incident—impressive.”
“...Excuse me?” David stammered.
“Wha—what?!” Rayne and I exclaimed simultaneously.

David seemed utterly caught off guard, while Raven just smiled.
What was this guy even thinking?