I Became the Cute One in the Problem-Solving Team

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Aisha, the Idol of Kodeoria

She held a certain significance for me.

After all, I was the one who found her even before Raven, the protagonist of Night Haven.

Looking back, though, there wasn’t a grand reason for it.

When I first fell into this fixer world, she simply became a landmark for figuring out the timeline.

In fact, it would be hard to say she was a character with such immense importance in the original story.

Well, that said, thanks to her, I was certain that this was before the original story began.

I could say that was somewhat of a big help, even if it was my first time seeing her face.

‘That aside… she really is burying her facial advantages under layers of makeup. No wonder she’s unpopular. I’m genuinely scared she might haunt my dreams.’

Isn’t this all just a bit too much?

As I watched Aisha hesitating at the door, a cold sweat trickled down my back.

It wasn’t out of nowhere that I started to imagine hurtful words in my head.

The makeup covering Aisha’s face wasn’t just shocking; it was downright disastrous.

Her hair was a two-tone bob with a stark difference inside and out, and her lips were a deep blue, like stained dye.

If you were to cross paths with her, you’d instinctively be drawn in by such a unique appearance… but honestly, it was just another noticeable element about her now.

Was it makeup, or did she spread flour on her face? Her skin was so white.

Her eyes had a heavy black smoky makeup that evoked thoughts of a panda, and to top it off, her cheeks and jawline were heavily shaded with purple contouring to define her facial outline.

Even in Night Haven, where prejudices about appearances had largely broken down due to the influence of various races, she was truly a rare sight; she could only be described as a freakish entity.

“Um, uh…”

“…!”

Ah, this wasn’t the time to be shocked by appearances. Time to work.

Snapping back to reality, I calmly guided her into the office.

Her terrifying appearance was enough to make anyone uneasy, but maybe it was because I already knew Aisha was a pretty decent person on the inside that I got accustomed to her disastrous face quickly.

As for actually liking her? That would be a bit difficult.

“Ugh…”

“Oh my.”

“…Huh?”

As Aisha stepped inside the office, the three people already there were left utterly speechless.

Raven instinctively moved as if searching for his gun, while Alice covered her mouth with both hands, her eyes wide open, and David adjusted his glasses repeatedly with a look of disbelief.

It was hard to believe their reactions were from meeting an idol.

Maybe because they were professionals who were somewhat being paid for this, they quickly wiped their bewilderment away and greeted Aisha in their usual calm demeanor.

“Ah, hello… Um, is this the fixer office?”

“Yes, that is correct. Have you come to request a job?”

“Um, yes. It’s a problem I can’t possibly solve by myself…”

“In that case, please have a seat. Yuria, could you bring some coffee?”

“…!”

After naturally guiding Aisha to a seat, I hurried to the back to prepare coffee and snacks on Raven’s orders.

At first, I was a bit awkward about it, but maybe it was because I had been doing it for over three weeks now.

I felt I had become quite adept at brewing coffee. It actually felt rewarding to make it.

So, with a tray of coffee and snacks in hand, I returned to the reception area.

There, I found Aisha and Raven already deep in conversation.

“Messages threatening me from unknown numbers keep coming, and there’s a picture of the restaurant I visited in my mailbox?”

“Yes. Because of that, I haven’t been sleeping properly lately, and it’s building up stress… which is starting to affect my work.”

“Hmmm, if that’s the case, it’s understandable that you’d lose sleep. A stalker is a serious issue.”

The reason Aisha had come to the fixer office was perfectly clear.

Having debuted for less than three months, she was being tormented by a stalker and could hardly work.

The stalker was following her even after work, and at its worst, they would even take photos of her from behind while she was in the studio. Ultimately, she was convinced she couldn’t handle it herself.

After consulting with her manager and agency, Aisha decided to hire a fixer to catch this stalker, and it seemed Raven was the chosen fixer.

Watching the two talk, I couldn’t help but feel a ticklish sensation in my mouth.

As someone who had read the original work, I knew exactly how the events would unfold and how it would end.

“I want to jump in and cause a ruckus… But I really shouldn’t.”

Even if I couldn’t say anything, I made an effort to practice self-restraint.

This request was important not just for Aisha, but for the fixer office as well.

This was an episode where David, who hadn’t really blended into the office yet, would be fully introduced to the group.

It would mean that he was no longer just someone they saw as a benefactor but a trustworthy comrade.

If it were any other request, I wouldn’t feel it was awkward to jump in, but in this case, I didn’t see any opportunity to intervene.

What if I inadvertently caused a butterfly effect and David started to stand out awkwardly in the office?

Be patient. Just hold on. While I was lost in thought staring at the wall, was the conversation wrapping up?

Raven, nodding as if he understood well, spoke to Aisha.

“Hmm, then that means we need to catch the stalker and make them pay for their crimes, right?”

“Yes, yes…!”

“Understood. Please leave your device number here, and here… my business card. Whenever you receive new threats, contact this number immediately and we’ll resolve it swiftly.”

“Th-thank you! Thank you!”

“There’s no need to be thankful. This is all just business in exchange for money.”

With his expression unchanged, Raven accepted the gratitude showered by Aisha with that terrifying face.

He was indeed a master of poker face. If it were me, I would have cracked a bit.

Going into work mode, he didn’t look ordinary at all. That is what it means to be a professional.

After that, nothing much happened.

They signed the contract, leaving behind a modest down payment and the device number, and Aisha left the office.

After all, stalkers don’t usually leave traces unless they’re clumsy, so catching one isn’t something you can do in just a day. Ultimately, this would become a long-term request that would take a suitable amount of time.

Once Aisha had left and it was just us remaining in the office, Alice, who had quietly listened from the back, spoke up with concern.

“Hmmm… I’m a bit worried about Aisha. It seems like she’s been through a lot emotionally.”

“Once you go through something like that, resting doesn’t feel like resting anymore. That said, it’s kind of surprising someone like her is getting stalked. There are some strange people out there.”

“Jin! You can’t say things like that about Aisha!”

“Oh dear, I’m sorry. But you seemed a bit surprised when you first saw the client too. Didn’t you?”

“Ugh, th-that… I thought she had quite the strong personality…”

Alice, who was raising her voice at Raven’s comment, rolled her eyes as though affected by David’s unintentional jab.

It seemed she, too, had thought about how even someone with such an appearance could attract stalkers.

Thinking is free. If you don’t voice it, you probably won’t feel guilty about it.

But as I watched the two of them converse, David appeared to have a different thought.

Adjusting his glasses once, he spoke with an excited demeanor.

“No. It’s rather possible that it’s precisely her strong personality that attracts stalkers.”

“Eh? What do you mean?”

“Think about it. Until recently, the online and media environment was a privilege reserved for humanoid races. However, as time has gone on, various races like tree spirits and merfolk who previously couldn’t enjoy media are beginning to adapt to this environment. Aisha is essentially an exaggerated idol born to meet the needs of such races, a Maximized Idol!”

“Wow, wow….”

“That’s quite a long explanation! So, you’re saying she enhanced her personality to the point where it’s hard for people to recognize her, aiming for those races?”

“That would be an accurate way to articulate it.”

David, who usually wasn’t too talkative, kept his lengthy speech going.

Upon hearing this, both Alice and Raven showed clear signs of confusion.

They didn’t seem to know how to react to such an unexpected situation.

But unlike them, I couldn’t help but smile brightly and clap my hands lightly.

What? Why am I enjoying this long-winded explanation that doesn’t make sense?

The reason was simple. David was… a well-known idol otaku!

For me, seeing him as he appeared in the original material was just delightful.

Aisha herself was probably still unknown, so she wouldn’t know the details.

Perhaps the fact that he had just taken off his glasses was also due to the disbelief of having seen a Maximized Idol in real life?

‘He seems to have the hottest tension I’ve ever seen from David. Is it because it’s his main area of interest?’

Could it be that this world is a shonen manga focused on these three as protagonists?

The fixer office crew each displayed distinct hobbies that didn’t overlap with each other.

For instance, Raven was a gambler who dumped money into racing dragons, while Alice was a cute enthusiast who couldn’t resist adorably cute things.

David could be described as a dedicated idol enthusiast who was madly in love with various idols.

It’s worth noting that there’s a backstory about him being deeply influenced by his roommate during his study abroad and becoming a full-fledged fan attending concerts, but let’s set that aside for now.

In any case, this meant that David had essentially become the main character of this episode.

At the same time, it resolved the awkward atmosphere in the office, and Aisha, who had piled up problems with her agency, was starting to feel happier.

‘So, for now… I guess I’ll just leisurely observe the situation.’

As David fueled his enthusiasm and Aisha peacefully launched her request,

I didn’t see any reason to interfere or interrupt.

Well, that’s already settled, isn’t it?

No way this would go awry from here?

*

The next day.

We went to Aisha’s office early in the morning to prepare for catching the stalker.

It seemed this place was specially set up for unique members like the Maximized Idol.

It had a somewhat lived-in feel to it with a smaller scale that didn’t feel quite like what you’d expect from Kodeoria, which had produced numerous renowned idols.

When we arrived, there seemed to be a promotional video shoot happening inside.

As we stepped through with the staff’s guidance, we caught a glimpse of Aisha, shouldering a broken guitar and making a fierce face.

“Hey, hey! Are you listening, you brats? If you’ve got anyone bothering you, just tell this pretty sister! I’ll smash their heads in for you, you got that?!”

The timid and hesitant image we saw at the fixer office was nowhere to be found; what stood before us was an overwhelming force reminiscent of a crime syndicate leader!

Raven, who quietly observed the scene from behind the filming area, muttered in disbelief.

“Is there really a stalker? At this point, can’t she just take them down by herself?”

“…David, you really shouldn’t say that.”

“U-um, that’s… pretty cool….”

“Eh?”

“Eh?”

As David flushed slightly and mumbled, Raven and Alice turned to him in shock.

Haha! I couldn’t help but silently burst into laughter at the vivid reactions of my companions.

Ah, I was really glad I tagged along. I already felt like this was going to be enjoyable.

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