I Became the Cute One in the Troubleshooter Squad-Chapter 137: The Incident on the Luxury Airship (5)

"Don’t get too angry~ You’ll get wrinkles on that pretty face. You need to take care of yourself from a young age."

"Ugh... I’m not that young! How old are you anyway?!"

The source of this c𝐨ntent is freeweɓnovēl.coɱ.

"Heh, probably older than you, Alice."

There it was. No matter how you looked at it, this was clearly playful teasing.

Was this a good or bad thing?

Still, in this situation, it seemed unlikely that Vespera would try to harm Alice. After observing for a day, it seemed she was the type to cherish the things she liked.

With the gap in their abilities, it seemed unlikely Vespera would easily harm Alice. Considering that, I felt a little more at ease.

"Ah! Yuria! The interview’s over!"

"..."

Suddenly, Alice stood up from her seat, excitedly running toward me.

Perhaps she found a reason to escape from Vespera?

Her expression was filled with joy, much more than usual.

I must have felt sorry for Alice in this situation. She probably had to endure Vespera's teasing because there was nowhere else to escape to.

Thinking about the usual things Alice did to me, perhaps this was just her own version of a "mirror treatment."

"Yuria, did you pass?"

"...!"

"I’m so glad! Honestly, I was really worried. I was afraid you’d fail just because you couldn’t speak..."

When Alice asked if I passed, I nodded confidently.

Of course, there was no way I would fail an interview that was practically designed for me to pass.

However, Alice didn’t know that. Maybe that’s why she let out a deep sigh of relief.

She was worried that I might fail after all the effort I’d put into getting here.

I had never even considered the possibility of failing. But still, her concern warmed my heart.

To express my gratitude, I lightly pulled Alice into a hug.

It was my way of saying thank you for worrying about me.

"Looking good. Two pretty and cute girls together... Mind if I join in?"

"Ew... No way!"

As I was having this heartfelt reunion with Alice, I hadn’t noticed Vespera sneaking up on us with a smile, as if she wanted to join in.

Naturally, Alice, in her disgust, held me tightly while hissing at Vespera.

But I didn’t mind, so I stretched my arm wide, gesturing for her to come in.

"...!"

"Y-Yuria?!"

"Heh, should I join in then?"

Alice, eyes wide with shock, looked at me as I opened the door wide for Vespera.

But it wasn’t like Vespera had any ill intentions. If she just wanted to get closer, I saw no reason to reject her.

Vespera, unable to resist, rushed in and hugged us so tightly that I nearly lost my balance.

Fortunately, Alice managed to hold her ground, and we didn’t fall.

Though it felt a bit cramped with all three of us embracing, I didn’t mind too much.

"Maybe I should avoid messing with these kids..."

"Huh? What did you say?"

"Oh, nothing. Anyway, should I start preparing for the interview now?"

"..."

No, I heard that!

I looked at Vespera, who was pulling away from me and Alice, with a cold shiver running through me. Was there really a need to make it so obvious?

...Well, it seemed like she was really fond of Alice and me.

Was it the face? Greg did mention her close-to-psychotic obsession with her charm, but I didn’t expect her to enchant the worst criminals with her power. The effect was far beyond imagination.

Even though I had some suspicions, it didn’t seem like it was something to worry about.

I already knew her plans, after all. It felt more like I just turned a 99% certainty into a 100% certainty. The difference was negligible.

‘But how does she have so much composure in a situation where she should be sneaking around and causing trouble? How impulsive can this person be? ...Still, this is a favorable situation for me. I’ll use it.’

I muttered to myself, waving goodbye to Vespera as she walked away.

Unlike Alice, who would never forgive anyone for bad deeds, I wasn’t someone who could simply reject a situation that could benefit me.

If it was advantageous, I’d let things go and make the most of it, even if it wasn’t ideal.

I was going to take full advantage of Vespera’s favor, however I could.

Hmm, maybe this is a bit villainous, but that’s just how I think.

"Heh, I’ll be back soon. Wait for me while eating something delicious."

"...!"

With that, Vespera waved her arm and disappeared inside the airship.

I figured that when I returned, Tempest, the examiner, would most likely be the one overseeing the next task.

Well, I decided not to eavesdrop this time.

Honestly, I hadn’t even had a proper meal since getting on the airship.

Right now, getting some rest to recover my energy seemed like the most important thing, rather than gathering information.

If I didn’t go into the 4th task in perfect condition...

I’d be really worried about whether I could handle the situation.

As I was walking away from Alice, ready to grab a meal, I suddenly remembered something.

‘Where is David? What’s he doing right now?’

"...?"

"Oh? You mean David? His interview is later. He used too much energy during the color war and said he’d rest. He’s probably in his cabin, sleeping."

I see. David had been running around non-stop during the 3rd task, burning through all his stamina.

So he must have decided to rest and prepare for the next task instead of joining the conversation.

No matter how skilled someone is, if their condition is bad, it’s hard to perform at their best.

It was probably a wise decision. After all, the interview was secondary.

That meant there was no need to worry about David.

I nodded as if I understood, then took Alice’s hand and headed toward the dining area.

I hadn’t had a decent meal since the 3rd task, so I was ready to eat to my heart’s content.

I was going to fill up my growling stomach to the point where I wouldn’t even complain about it anymore.

"Heh, you’re in for a treat today. Let’s eat until we’re full!"

"...!"

"Then let’s eat our fill and rest! Oh, do you want to bathe later? I’ll scrub your back for you!"

"..."

Bathing... I wasn’t so sure about that.

I pretended to look off into the distance as if I didn’t know what she meant.

Of course, Alice wasn’t someone I could avoid with a simple diversion like that.

But the real issue was that it wasn’t just the two of us this time.

We devoured plate after plate, and before long, Vespera returned from her interview, and suddenly, I found myself in a bath with Vespera, Alice, and Elizabeth.

"...!"

"Yuria! Where are you going?!"

"Why are you running away?"

"Don’t you hate baths?"

Normally, it wouldn’t matter, but now, it was really not a good idea.

Feeling [N O V E L I G H T] the urgency, I quickly darted out of the group, running into an empty cabin.

There wasn’t much of a place to escape on the airship, so I was quickly caught.

But... perhaps my strong resistance communicated something?

The bath situation somehow got settled without much further drama.

I hadn't even restored the Tesseract scars I created earlier, so I was thankful I didn't make anyone think anything strange.

***

After finishing the interview and resting on the airship, we finally arrived at a strange island.

The exam candidates looked out the window, puzzled, and then gasped in shock at what they saw.

"Where are we...?"

"We were just in the sky, how are we on an island...?"

"No, it’s the sky! The island is floating in the sky!"

The floating island, Sky Garden.

It was a massive island positioned several kilometers above sea level, on par with the clouds.

‘Is this where the real challenge begins...’

We had finally arrived at the Sky Garden, where the 4th task would take place.

I already felt a headache coming on, wondering what kind of challenges awaited us.