On his peaceful day off, Raven found himself contemplating an age-old mystery—

    What the hell do women even think about on a daily basis?

    The reason for this sudden train of thought was simple.

    Just moments ago, Lily had clearly been hostile toward Yuria—yet now, she was acting like an affectionate caretaker.

    “Yuria, say aah~ There you go, good girl. Is it tasty?”

    “...”

    “Fufu, how adorable. Here, drink some milk so you don’t choke.”

    “...”

    Seated right next to her, Lily was personally feeding Yuria cookies.

    Yuria briefly shot Raven a pleading look before reluctantly accepting the offered treat.

    Though she seemed slightly uncomfortable, the sight before him was unmistakable—

    It was like watching a mother bird feeding her chick.

    What had happened to the Lily who had been glaring daggers at Yuria just a short while ago?

    Now, she was treating her as if hypnotized into devotion.

    ‘Did she hit her head? Or is this some extreme mood swing? Either way, this shift seems entirely on her end...’

    There was only one explanation that made sense.

    When Yuria had gone to make coffee, Lily had followed under the guise of heading to the restroom.

    Something in their conversation must have triggered this sudden transformation.

    Even with Raven’s sharp instincts, he couldn’t begin to guess what had caused such a dramatic shift.

    The idea that Lily had mistaken Yuria for a romantic rival and then, upon realizing her mistake, immediately flipped her attitude—

    That was just too ridiculous to consider.

    On top of that, Yuria had already built some indirect rapport with Lily through Alice.

    And now, every time Lily playfully poked and prodded her, she responded in a way that was... frankly, adorable.

    It was like she had found a tame little kitten.

    Well, this is definitely better than them being at each other’s throats.

    Having reached his conclusion, Raven decided it was best not to poke the metaphorical bear.

    “Ahem. So, can we get back to our conversation now?”

    “Huh? Oh! What are you saying? Of course, I still want to hear everything, darling!”

    With a simple remark, Raven successfully redirected Lily’s attention.

    As Yuria discreetly nodded in gratitude, he responded with a brief smirk—

    Before continuing where he had left off.

    Meanwhile, Yuria subtly adjusted her mask and inched away from Lily.

    Before long, their conversation reached the topic of the incident at Saint Maria.

    A rare getaway during Night Week.

    A trip to a resort city.

    And then, a completely absurd undead outbreak at their hotel.

    Fortunately, the situation had been resolved without any casualties.

    It was the kind of story that wouldn’t feel out of place in a movie.

    As she listened, Lily brought her coffee to her lips and mused—

    “Hmm... Running into the Liberation Army at a resort? That’s just pure bad luck.”

    “At least no one got seriously hurt. Plus, I saved some money in the process.”

    “I did hear rumors that the Liberation Army is becoming active again...”

    Could another war really be on the horizon?

    Trailing off, Lily frowned, visibly troubled.

    Though she hadn’t personally fought in the war like Raven had, she was still part of the generation that remembered it.

    The last thing she wanted was to relive a time when the city was engulfed in flames.

    Raven, however, simply shrugged.

    “Not much we can do about it now. We can’t stop them anymore. They’re idiots with nowhere to go—burning themselves up just to keep fighting. If war breaks out again... we’ll just have to face it.”

    “Ugh, that’s such a bleak future. It’s so depressing I feel like I might cry.”

    A future doomed to war... How utterly tragic.

    Lily muttered as she reached over and gently brushed her fingers against Yuria’s arm, as if idly petting her.

    Unlike Raven or her younger sister Alice, Lily wasn’t a fighter.

    The only thing she could do was build weapons.

    She was so weak that she probably couldn’t even defeat a low-level orc.

    To her, war was nothing but a terrifying nightmare—one she could only pray for someone else to stop.

    “...”

    Perhaps Yuria understood the weight of her feelings.

    Normally, she would have shied away from such gestures.

    But seeing Lily’s somber, half-lidded gaze—

    She simply accepted the touch, as if wanting to offer some comfort in return.

    Whether or not Raven noticed this subtle exchange, he simply picked at his ear and spoke in his usual matter-of-fact tone.

    “Don’t worry about it too much. If it were a bunch of strangers, maybe I wouldn’t care. But if war breaks out again... I’ll make sure the people I know don’t get hurt. Just stay put until it’s over.”

    His tone was as casual as if he were commenting on the weather.

    And yet, there was not a single trace of falsehood in his words.

    For a moment, Lily blinked blankly.

    Then, she felt a strange, tightening sensation in her stomach.

    Her voice trembled slightly as she squeezed out—

    “...Darling. I love you. Let’s just get married already.”

    “No thanks. You’re a great craftsman, but your obsession is a serious problem.”

    “Aww, you’re such a shy tsundere, darling!”

    “Do you have some kind of selective hearing filter in your ears?”

    “...!”

    Yuria had been silently watching Lily profess her love to Raven.

    But suddenly, as if noticing something, her eyes widened in shock, and she quickly averted her gaze.

    The reason for her reaction was simple.

    She had unintentionally picked up on a certain physical reaction from Lily—

    One that revealed her heightened excitement as a woman.

    It was an overwhelmingly inappropriate discovery.

    An adult-level TMI that Yuria had absolutely no interest in knowing.

    “That pretty much covers everything that’s happened. Nothing else to talk about.”

    “Mhm. That’s more than enough. Sounds like the office has been quite lively while I was gone. I’d like to meet that ‘David’ person when I get the chance.”

    “Yeah, drop by on a weekday. If I’m not swamped with work, I’ll treat you like an actual guest.”

    Having recounted the Saint Maria incident, there wasn’t much more to discuss.

    After all, they had only just returned from their trip yesterday.

    There wasn’t anything more recent to talk about.

    And it wasn’t like he could make up new stories just to continue the conversation.

    “So, when are you leaving? It’s already 4 PM.”

    “Hmm... Can’t I stay the night? Preferably in the same bed as darling...”

    “Yeah, no. Go home.”

    Raven shut her down immediately, unfazed by her blatant attempt to make it a done deal.

    It wasn’t that Lily lacked charm.

    But for Raven, there was no reason to accept her proposition.

    Especially considering his relationship with her younger sister, Alice.

    The last thing he wanted was to create unnecessary awkwardness.

    Not to mention, Yuria was right there, watching.

    Lily, however, seemed prepared for his rejection.

    Like a seasoned negotiator, she scaled back her offer to make it sound more reasonable.

    “That’s a shame. But how about just dinner together? I’ll head home before it gets too late. Just for today—please?”

    “...Sigh. That much is fine.”

    “Fufu, success.”

    Having secured her spot for dinner, Lily hummed happily while fidgeting with Yuria’s hand.

    Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she turned to Raven with a questioning look.

    “Oh, right. Darling, isn’t it about time to renew your Fixer license? If I recall correctly... you’ve got about two weeks left before it expires.”

    “Huh? How the hell do you know when my license expires?”

    “Fufu~ Is there anything I don’t know about you, darling?”

    “So you snooped. Nice way of phrasing it, though.”

    “Ugh... It’s not like I meant to....”

    Having been caught red-handed, Lily whistled innocently and avoided eye contact.

    Instead, she distracted herself by poking and squishing Yuria’s soft, marshmallow-like arms.

    Despite her blatant invasion of privacy, her information was correct.

    Raven, seemingly unbothered, took a moment to think before nodding.

    “Yeah. The license lasts three years, so it’s about time for a renewal. I’ll head to the association once Night Week is over.”

    The Fixer license was an internationally recognized certification issued by the Fixer Association.

    Naturally, a person’s skills could change over time—whether for better or worse.

    So, earning a license once didn’t mean you could keep it forever.

    Every three years, Fixers had to prove their abilities again to maintain their status.

    While early renewal was technically possible, it required an in-person visit to the association.

    Because of this hassle, most Fixers simply waited until the last month before renewing.

    And now, for Raven, it was time to renew his certification to keep his office running.

    “Well, thanks. I probably would’ve gotten a reminder email anyway, but this gives me a head start.”

    “Anything for you, darling! If there’s ever anything else you might forget, I’ll be sure to remind you!”

    Lily’s eyes sparkled as if she was willing to do anything for Raven.

    And just as she settled comfortably into the sofa, clearly intending to stay until evening—

    The office door suddenly burst open.

    Since the office door was always locked, any outsider would have had to ring the doorbell.

    So if someone walked in naturally, it meant they were an insider.

    And in this case—

    It was Alice, who had spent hours waiting outside Lily’s lab, only to find out that her sister had ditched her and come here instead.

    She was pissed.

    “ONNIIIIII! YOU’RE HERE, AREN’T YOU?!”

    “Ugh. Alice....”

    “OH! Lily’s here! Alice, take her back with you!”

    “D-Darling?!”

    Lily stared at Raven in utter betrayal as he mercilessly threw her under the bus.

    “You literally just agreed to have dinner with me!”

    She looked like she wanted to scream that out loud.

    But Raven simply closed his eyes and sighed.

    “Sorry. I’m scared of Alice, too. Just sacrifice yourself for the peace of the office....”

    “Ugh...!”

    “AHA! FOUND YOU! I KNEW YOU’D BE HERE!”

    “AACK! OW, OW, OW! I-I''m getting up! I’m getting up, okay?!”

    Charging into the office, Alice grabbed Lily by the ear and yanked.

    It was a move born from years of experience dealing with her sister’s troublemaking tendencies.

    “Sorry about this, Jin. Yuria. You were probably trying to relax, and my sister just barged in....”

    “Nah, it wasn’t that bad. Just moderately annoying.”

    “...!”

    “Aha... Well, I’ll be taking her off your hands now. Have a great day!”

    After a quick, apologetic bow, Alice dragged Lily out of the office at top speed.

    Her sudden, storm-like entrance was matched only by the anticlimactic way she left.

    “Welp, she’s gone.”

    “...”

    “Guess we should decide what to eat for dinner. We’ve still got time to think.”

    “...!”

    Left alone in the office, Raven and Yuria exchanged glances and silently agreed.

    And just like that, another ordinary holiday came to an end.