I Became the Cute One in the Problem-Solving Team

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“That gas really makes people go nuts in no time.”

Sort of like rabies or an anger virus, right? Either way, it was a real headache.

The people still stuck in the Enigma Auction were definitely victims who needed saving.

This whole mess wasn’t even some illegal operation, just a regular auction gone haywire.

The folks on-site were nothing but unlucky bystanders caught up in the chaos.

However, as soon as they started inhaling that gas and losing their minds, they became threats.

And it wasn’t just any old threat; we had to suppress them quickly without causing harm, which was a pretty tricky situation!

“Ugh… We need to get outside now! No more gas!”

“Aaaah! Run!”

“We’re gonna die! We’re gonna die!”

Alice quickly subdued a guy freaking out in his slippers.

She shouted as if there was no time to waste, guiding everyone outside.

But maybe because more and more people were losing it inside the auction?

The raging chaos wasn’t calming down any time soon, and victims just kept piling up.

“This is dangerous! We have to help Alice…!”

Anyone could see how serious it was just by watching from a distance.

Sabrina rushed toward Alice, her face reflecting panic.

No, she definitely meant to rush over.

If I hadn’t just thrown myself at her waist out of desperation.

“Wh-what are you doing, Yuria?! At this rate, sis will—!”

“…!”

Just barely keeping her balance, Sabrina looked down at me, bewildered as if to say, “What the heck?”

No matter how strong Alice is, she’s bound to struggle if the chaos starts from within.

So I guess she thought she had to lend a hand to calm things down.

But that was a one-track mind missing the bigger picture.

I pointed to other fixers near Alice, as if to say, “Look over there!”

“Cough, khh—.”

“Masks, gas masks….”

“Hey, wake up!”

“Ugh! Are those people really too far gone from inhaling the gas?”

There they were, fixers on their knees, clutching their throats.

Some lay on the ground, groaning from what seemed like severe headaches.

Since they’d been yapping non-stop towards the crowded exit, it seemed like they were exposed to the gas wafting out from the auction.

Even fixers who could normally resist drugs or magic were struggling, huh?

So there was no way someone like Sabrina could endure it.

Did she understand that fact deep down?

Sabrina bit her lip, sweating bullets like she was thinking, “What the heck am I gonna do?”

“Gah… Alice!”

“….”

But she wasn’t wrong in her concerns.

The more they inhaled the gas, the more reckless they became.

Countless civilians were stuck trying to escape a tight exit.

In such a precarious situation, Alice was the only one I could count on.

That was definitely overwhelming! No, even if Raven or Victor were here, it’d still be a hassle.

A protected target going berserk and attacking everything around them?

Unless you were truly skilled, this was basically a nightmare scenario.

“Well, if there’s a silver lining… it’s that this gas attack isn’t totally terrible for me!”

Alright. My situational judgment is solid so far.

When no one’s paying attention, let’s quickly wrap things up.

Finishing my thoughts, I released Sabrina and stood up.

Then, just for her, I slyly pulled up my mask and put my finger lightly over my lips.

Sabrina knew I could use telekinesis.

It was an unspoken signal to help keep my identity hidden and avoid drawing unwanted attention.

“…Got it, Yuria! Hide behind me!”

“…!”

Thank goodness she understood.

With a determined nod, she looked around sharply, acting like a shield so I wouldn’t be seen.

Now, even if anyone looked this way, they wouldn’t think much of it.

After confirming again that there were no prying eyes, I finally tapped into my telekinesis.

And I stretched out my invisible hands connected to my body, pulling the thick smoke swirling around down toward the floor.

“I don’t have to solve every problem. As long as people stop inhaling that gas, they should be able to get out quickly.”

After all, the real issue was that more people lost it because they kept breathing in the gas.

As long as I could suppress the gas and reduce the number of new victims, that would be a win.

Did those controlling the crowd catch on to the change quickly?

Alice, who was controlling her people with a serious look, suddenly widened her eyes and rapidly scanned her surroundings.

Probably because the gas began to settle on the ground while she was trying to deal with the swirling chaos, she was confused by how suddenly things changed.

She may have wondered who had done it, but thankfully, she didn’t seem to realize it was me.

Ultimately, in this frantic situation, did she decide to give up understanding the cause?

Alice shouted to the panicked crowd,

“Everyone, please calm down! The gas has settled! It’s okay now! Follow my lead and head to the exit!”

Her voice seemed to cut through the chaos, and the confused crowd noticed the thick smoke lying on the ground.

Those who’d been shoving people aside to get out started regaining their composure, following the order to escape.

Thank goodness there were no more troublemakers around.

With the help of fixers who’d regained their wits, the evacuation line began to wrap up.

If this keeps up, all the sane folks should be out soon.

As I thought this while sucking the dense smoke out through the windows, a sudden scream erupted from inside.

From between the crowd, a black shadow lunged out,

“Kuaaah! I need blood!”

“Ugh?! Wh-what is this person?!”

This shadow turned out to be a girl with long black hair cascading down to her waist.

She looked like she was in high school. With her eyes wide and drooling, she seemed far from normal.

This black-haired girl who plowed through the crowd attacked Alice like a wolf.

Maybe Alice was slow to respond because she didn’t see that coming; she barely managed to raise her arms to block the attack and had no choice but to roll back.

“Alice!”

“Ugh… I’m fine! Fixers! Get the others outside!”

“Grrrr!”

Alice raised her voice to reassure a worried Sabrina.

Then she used her strength to hold down the girl who kept trying to bite her.

Indeed, among her peers, Alice was a powerhouse.

No matter how unexpected the ambush, once it came down to a strength contest, she’d never lose.

But that black-haired girl’s face was surprisingly familiar to me, even while I was busy suppressing the gas with my telekinesis.

I hadn’t seen her in person, but she definitely looked familiar. She was a character from the original story.

‘That girl is… the student council president of the academy?’

Now that I think about it, Tamamo, the student council president, was at the auction.

So, it wouldn’t be weird for that head of the discipline committee to be present too.

No, wait a minute. If the discipline chief lost control like that…

Then the magic genius, Tamamo, might also be in a similar state? That’d be a massive problem.

As I was panicking over how chaotic things were getting, the head of the discipline committee, pinned down by Alice, clawed at the air wildly with sharp nails.

“Kyaaaa!”

“Watch out…! Geez, why is a magic-user like you falling victim to something like gas?!”

Those glowing black claws were, no joke, magic.

They looked hot, but actually weren’t. They were enhanced cutting dark magic.

Alice, startled, kicked the pinned discipline chief away, creating distance.

Without a clear goal, those claws wildly sliced through the floor and walls, showing off their fierce power.

She was the head of discipline from an international academy that gathered talented students from across the globe.

Even if she was rampaging under the influence of gas, Alice couldn’t let her guard down against such a strong opponent.

If her dual swords were with her, Alice might have had the upper hand.

But since the other side could use magic exclusively, Alice was definitely at a disadvantage now.

‘Should I help Alice? No, if I let go of the gas now, things will get worse. Better to push it outside quickly. Here… I have to trust Alice.’

I decided to focus on expelling the gas from the auction out of the windows.

First, I had to deal with this gas somehow, then figure out how to help Alice.

I silently cheered on the fixers facing off against the drooling, staggering people coming out of the auction.

There were different races involved, and some fixers had lost their sanity, but… please, just manage somehow! I’m counting on you!

But what the heck is this gas, and where are all the others doing anything?

What a frustrating situation!

 

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