I Became the Cute One in the Troubleshooter Squad-Chapter 167: Of the Black Raven and the Snow-White Ghost (5)

What could be felt was a chill so sharp it seemed like my skin might freeze solid.

After all, the longer the night stretches on, the colder it gets.

So then, just past midnight—how freezing would it be?

Especially in Nighthaven, a city infamous for its fierce winds due to its proximity to the sea.

The wind brushing past after sunset was painful enough to make you want to scream.

Haah, I really wish this damned winter would just be over already.

With that thought in mind, I kept my gaze down and shuffled forward.

Both my hands, frozen stiff, were tucked deep into my pockets.

“Hey, don’t walk around with your hands in your pockets. That’s dangerous. What if you fall?”

“...”

“What, you planning to use psychic powers if it looks like you’ll fall? Just saying—you shouldn’t use that power unless it’s absolutely necessary. Even secretly, only in real emergencies. Got it?”

But seriously, what am I supposed to do in this cold?

I looked quietly—accusingly—at the one who’d dragged me out here in the first place.

Of course, I was wearing a fox mask right now.

It was a shame Raven wouldn’t be able to see the sharp glare I was giving him.

“Tch, should’ve at least given you gloves... Yuri, give me one of your hands.”

“...?”

“My body temperature’s higher than normal. It won’t feel too cold.”

Was he bluffing?

When I pulled my hand from my pocket and touched his, warmth immediately spread through me.

It wasn’t scorching hot, but it felt kind of like a well-used heat pack.

On a brutally cold, windy day like this, his body temperature was shockingly warm.

As expected of a reinforced human with a metabolism many times that of a normal person.

Maybe from now on, I should just stick close to Raven whenever it gets cold.

“So, we’re at the park you mentioned... but is there really a lab underneath this place?”

How far had we walked through Nighthaven’s nighttime streets, still holding hands?

Even with full thermal gear and socks, my toes were starting to go numb.

Eventually, Raven and I arrived at a quiet park near the outskirts of the city that I had marked on the map.

It wasn’t just unpopular—it was practically abandoned, with only the bare minimum of maintenance.

Maybe it was the late hour, but the lone standing streetlamp gave off an eerie vibe.

Even if this park had no visitors, the idea that a hidden lab was here of all places...

I carefully looked up at Raven, trying to read his expression to see if he doubted me.

“...!”

“Ah, I’m not doubting you or anything. Experiments involving psychic powers are usually incredibly thorough and meticulous. They leave no trace at all. Honestly, the fact that it’s this unnoticeable makes it even more convincing.”

Raven’s unexpected response—that it was actually more believable for the lab to be hidden inside the city—caught me off guard.

Well, thinking about it, he had a point.

Fixers have borderline pathological reactions to anything involving Invaders.

So much so that even specialists couldn’t find this place. No wonder he found it credible.

Then that means I’ve pulled off another brilliant move, huh? You should be very grateful to me!

Feeling proud, I stuck out my chest and made a confident gesture.

But maybe the intent didn’t quite come across.

Raven’s gaze at me was... hard to read.

“So, from here, where do we go? Do you remember where the entrance is?”

“...”

It was only a few months ago—I still remember.

Without speaking, I tugged lightly on his hand and led him deeper into the park.

Given the time of night, the only thing we could rely on was the beam from Raven’s flashlight.

We carefully made our way through a ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) dried-up winter forest straight out of a horror movie.

And yet, despite this bitter cold, green grass and leaves were still alive here.

Marveling at that strange detail, I suddenly realized something.

‘Wait... that ventilation shaft—can Raven even fit through it?’

I froze.

Maybe it was because I suddenly stopped mid-step, but Raven glanced at me and asked what was wrong.

But I couldn’t speak right now, and it was hard to explain this kind of thing with gestures.

It was a shaft, but how was I supposed to communicate that it might be too small for him?

“Is something wrong?”

“...!”

So I shook my head, as if to say it was nothing serious.

Then, to prove I wasn’t making it up, I decided to just show him the vent first.

We walked cautiously across the grass for a bit longer.

Eventually, when we arrived at a place faintly etched in my memory,

I bounced in place and looked at Raven with a bright, “It’s here!” expression.

“This is it? Hmm... doesn’t look like much.”

Raven let go of my hand and quickly scanned the area, as if observing his surroundings.

His eyes were sharp and hawk-like, just like a predator searching for prey from high above.

But since there was nothing outwardly suspicious,

he soon stood still and closed his eyes, as if concentrating on sound.

And within just a few seconds, his eyes snapped open.

He moved forward and crouched down with a look of realization.

“I can hear a faint breeze leaking from this spot. There’s definitely something beneath the soil.”

“...?”

Whoa, seriously? He heard that?

No wonder he’s the kind of guy who can shoot bullets out of the air with another bullet.

Impressed by Raven’s skills, I checked again to make sure no one was around,

then quietly extended my telekinesis into the ground and lifted the cover off the ventilation shaft.

Dry soil and withered grass, hardened by the cold, crumbled and fell to the floor.

And then, as if waiting, a suspicious-looking vent system was revealed.

Heh, I saved us the trouble of digging.

You’re so grateful you wanna pat me on the head now, right?

With that confident pose, my hands on my hips,

Raven looked at the moving cover in disbelief, then turned to me with a stern expression.

“Yuri. I told you not to use your powers unless it’s dangerous. What if there’s a spycam around here?”

“....”

“Stop pouting. I can see it even through the mask.”

“...!”

...Like a psychic. How did he know?

I jumped in shock, lips puffed out with annoyance under the mask.

For a second, I honestly wondered if Raven had eyes like Vespera.

But still... shouldn’t you be thanking me right now?

I helped save us time, and all I got was scolded with that scary face.

Feeling unfairly wronged, I decided right then I wasn’t helping next time.

I just stood there quietly, watching Raven shine his flashlight all over the vent structure.

“Hmm, this passage is way too narrow to be an entrance... Yuri, this is where you came out from, right?”

“....”

“I guess a small child could barely squeeze through. So this tunnel does lead underground.”

“....”

“Still... I can’t go through this way. We’ll have to find another entrance.”

Raven continued talking without even waiting for my reaction.

But the conclusion he reached was honestly a bit problematic.

Another entrance? I don’t know anything about that....

So if we can’t find a suitable one, are we just going to wander around this freezing park all night?

‘That’s... not ideal. And it’s not like it’ll be easy to find.’

But even in this freezing cold and pitch darkness, Raven seemed full of resolve.

It looked like he had no intention of giving up on finding a way into the lab.

If I said I was tired and wanted to go home, he’d probably search by himself.

But leaving Raven to do all the work while I stayed warm and cozy... felt wrong.

Uncomfortable with the idea, I took a moment to think things through.

It’s freezing—let’s just wrap this up fast and go home.

“...!”

“What the—?!”

Rrrumble—

The ground around us shook like a minor earthquake.

It felt like bombs were going off in sequence underground.

But that wasn’t so strange.

After all, I was forcibly widening the tunnel using my telekinesis!

The depth was considerable, but luckily the vent wasn’t especially sturdy.

So in just moments, I made it wide enough for Raven to fit through as well.

He was momentarily startled but seemed to realize right away this was my doing.

Raven shone his flashlight down into the vent and muttered in disbelief.

“You twisted the ventilation shaft open by force... Unbelievable. You can even do that?”

“....”

I just wanna go home faster—what’s wrong with that?

I looked off to the side, pretending not to notice, cautiously checking Raven’s mood.

After all, I’d just been scolded for using my powers without permission.

If he got mad again, I didn’t know what I’d do.

But after knocking on the wall to check its condition, Raven let out a deep sigh.

He walked over to where I stood nervously and wordlessly draped his heavy coat over my shoulders.

“Haah... Maybe I’ve been on edge without realizing it.”

“....”

“What are you so tense for? I’m not gonna eat you. Relax. And... this will help a lot. Sorry for snapping at you earlier. And... thanks.”

“...!”

I was shocked twice.

Once from the weight of Raven’s heavy coat.

And again from his unexpectedly kind words.

I didn’t think Raven would say something like that first.

Guess he really does have bad memories tied to psychic powers—he’d gotten jumpy without realizing.

No wonder he seemed scarier than usual tonight.

Still, if he apologized, I should accept it.

Feeling the warmth radiating from the coat, I slowly nodded in understanding.

As a mature adult, it was important to show tolerance.

“Then, let’s go. Down below.”

And so, Raven and I headed toward the lab through the now-wide-enough tunnel.

Of course, the inside of the ventilation system was never meant for people, so it was pretty cramped.

But I used my telekinesis whenever things got tricky, so we managed to enter the lab without issue.

And once I stepped down from the vent onto the floor, what lay before me left me speechless.

Because the interior... was completely different from what I remembered.