I Became the Cute One in the Problem-Solving Team

Yuria was eavesdropping with her ears perked up, completely unaware that she was being noticed.

Crow and Alice were having a conversation about something unusual.

Why did he think Yuria might be cursed?

The reason was simple: she was unusually healthy in every way.

People who lose the ability to speak are generally divided into two types of conditions.

Aphasia, caused by brain damage, and mutism, caused by psychological factors.

However, aphasia affects the language processing area itself, causing symptoms to appear broadly.

In other words, it was far from Yuria, who had no trouble listening to or reading language except for not being able to speak.

But it couldn’t be mutism either, as there were no signs of anxiety or stress following it.

Yuria’s psychological state was extremely peaceful—so much so that anyone looking at her would feel healed.

It almost seemed like she was deliberately choosing not to speak and forcing herself to endure.

But Crow was both a doctor and a fixer. He had the ability to see through such patients.

So, there was only one way to interpret Yuria’s symptoms.

She was being forcibly deprived of the ability to speak to others due to a curse.

“Miss Alice, didn’t you say Yuria showed symptoms of losing consciousness while trying to write earlier?”

“Ah, yes! Greg said he saw it clearly with his own eyes. She dropped her pen, but she didn’t even remember it….”

“Hmm, I’ve seen a patient with similar symptoms before. Forbidden Magic. A magic that prohibits certain actions in the target. Of course, I couldn’t sense any signs of magic on Yuria….”

“If it’s a curse that leaves no trace of magical energy… could something similar be possible?”

To be precise, it wasn’t exactly a curse but rather a curse-type spell.

Crow narrowed his eyes as he supplemented Alice’s answer.

A curse.

It was a type of spell that had almost become obsolete.

Back when magic hadn’t yet been established by any great sorcerer and didn’t even exist in the world.

What ruled the now-vanished otherworld was a form of sorcery built up over hundreds of years.

Grinding life imbued with magical energy, unifying intent through meaningless actions, and accidentally touching the laws of the world with pointless mutterings.

It could never be called magic, but it was certainly very close to it.

People called it sorcery, born from a mix of inevitability and coincidence.

“But sorcery….”

“Yeah. No one uses it anymore. Especially after the world we lived in was destroyed.”

However, most of these sorceries quickly became obsolete after the emergence of magic.

Sorcery was…

In every aspect, it fell short compared to magic.

Because it required sacrifices, its efficiency was low, and since magical power mixed with blood and flesh, delicate control was impossible.

There were even absurd cases where the results differed every time it was used.

After the emergence of magic, spells were destined to quickly fall behind in the competition and disappear.

However, there was only one part of spells that managed to survive and maintain its lineage.

That was the curse-based spells, which made others sick.

Magic was like a cold, efficient machine, unlike spells that faltered under various variables.

As long as magical power was properly channeled, it always produced theoretical results.

But perhaps because of this characteristic of immutability.

Curse-based spells actually showed results equal to or even surpassing similar magic.

This was because the more you hated the target, the more the power doubled.

“And as you know, curses created by spells leave less trace as the spellcaster’s level increases. So it’s hard to even tell if you’ve been cursed… and finding the person who cast the curse is even harder.”

“That’s… definitely something I’ve heard before.”

“Well, spells have spells. If there’s a spellcaster of a similar level, they could quickly figure it out… but where would you find a spellcaster in this day and age?”

Perhaps because it consumed living beings imbued with magical power as materials.

The biggest advantage of curse-based spells, commonly known as curses, is that they leave no trace.

Especially if it’s as ambiguous as Yuria’s condition, where it’s not even certain if she’s cursed.

Without detailed knowledge, it was practically impossible to confirm whether she was cursed or not.

Of course, a spellcaster would easily know what kind of spell it was and how to break it.

But since the otherworld that could be used as material for spells has perished, spells and spellcasters are equally hard to find.

“This is a headache. As a doctor, I really want to provide a solution… but I’ve never even heard of a curse that leaves so little trace. It’s almost certain that a taboo is involved.”

“That’s what it seems…”

“Don’t make that face. I quite like you as a spirited girl, so I’ll make time to help you out. And Yuria is perfectly healthy, just unable to speak. If you cry, it’ll only make her anxious.”

“…Ugh, I’ll try to hold it in then!”

Alice held back the tears that were about to flow out of concern for Yuria.

As Crow said, if she cried, it would only make Yuria feel anxious.

Then now was not the time to just feel sorry, but to think about the next steps.

Somehow, a way for Yuria to break free from the curse.

I’ll find it.

Instead of feeling sadness, Alice burned with anger towards whoever had cursed her.

Crow, seeing Alice like that, covered his mouth and laughed, then continued as if relieved.

“Still, thanks to such an advanced curse, it won’t bother Yuria in other ways. But do visit once a month. Just in case her condition worsens.”

“Yes…! Thank you. I’ll definitely come back next month!”

“Hehehe. Ah, next time, bring Raven too. I miss that kid’s firm butt.”

“Yes, yep! Next time, I’ll have Jin bring him instead of me…!”

Alice was momentarily shocked by his longing for Raven’s butt.

As expected of Crow, the man-hunter. Next time, she definitely had to send Raven, she thought.

After finishing their conversation inside the hospital, Alice and Crow stepped outside.

She noticed Yuria sitting quietly on a chair, seemingly deep in thought.

Perhaps it was because she had taken off her mask for the examination earlier and hadn’t put it back on.

Though her expression was blank, lost in thought while staring into space, it had enough destructive power to make one want to hand over all their money.

“Yuria. I’m here!”

“…!”

But Yuria’s power was just beginning.

The moment her head turned and her mysterious purple eyes met Alice’s.

Like a flower blooming in an instant, Yuria smiled brightly.

Even with her mask on, Yuria was transparent enough to know what she was thinking.

But without it, her inner thoughts were even more apparent.

She truly trusts you.

Yuria’s face, smiling bashfully while looking at you, was like a massive siege weapon.

Alice felt her heart gripped by overwhelming stimulation and slowly collapsed on the spot.

“Ugh… huff, huff… I almost fainted…! I had no idea Yuria could attack like this!”

“….”

Of course, Alice’s exaggerated reaction was entirely because Yuria’s face perfectly targeted her love for extreme cuteness.

And on top of that, receiving such a trust-filled signal from Yuria, who was usually as unpredictable as a cat.

It was no wonder Alice couldn’t resist and her legs gave out.

Though from Yuria’s perspective, it was utterly bewildering.

Even if her face was to Alice’s taste, was her casual smile really worth such a reaction?

She scratched her cheek awkwardly and quickly covered her face with the mask she had set aside nearby.

Somehow…

As someone who likes Alice, I couldn’t keep watching this embarrassing situation.

Then, it seemed like she finally regained her composure.

Alice, looking much more relaxed, stood up, took Yuria’s hand, and bowed slightly to Crow.

“Well, we’ll be going now. Thank you for taking care of Yuria today.”

“No problem. I just did what I was asked. Yuria must’ve had a hard time with all those tests. Take care, both of you.”

“…!”

“Ohoho, goodbye. …Ah, right. Alice?”

Just as they were about to leave the hospital after gathering their things, Crow looked at Alice as if he had just remembered something.

Was there something he hadn’t said about Yuria?

When Alice tilted her head and asked why he called her, he answered casually.

“Next time, come with your sister. I’d like to check on both you and Lily then. You’re not fully recovered yet, right?”

“Ah, um. Yes. I’ll let you know when we have time. My sister’s been a bit busy lately. Though, I think she’ll have some free time soon….”

Perhaps because it was completely unexpected, Alice awkwardly avoided eye contact.

Yuria, who had been silently listening to their conversation from behind her mask, finally understood the meaning behind his words.

‘Ah, now that I think about it, it’s about that time. The official holiday when most companies in Night Haven take a break, Night Week.’

Soon, the holiday when most companies in Night Haven would close was approaching. It was called Night Week.

And in the original story, it was during this time that Alice’s sister, Lily, visited the office.

I’ve been working hard to remove all the small surveillance cameras so far, but surely she won’t hold a grudge over this, right?

Yuria, holding Alice’s hand, felt a sense of unease deep down.

I’ll have to hide in the closet as much as possible to avoid running into her.

Holding her belongings tightly, she secretly made that plan.