I Became the Cute One in the Troubleshooter Squad-Chapter 95: The Best Way to Spend a Holiday is Relaxing at a Hotel (3)

It was an awkward time for a meal, which might explain the near-empty restaurant floor we arrived at after taking the elevator.

After all, high-end restaurants were likely wrapping up lunch service and preparing for dinner by now.

It made sense that no one else would be eating at this hour—who dines at such a time?

So, after wandering around for a bit, we decided to settle on a buffet restaurant.

It was the type of place where you could eat as much as you wanted for a fixed fee until your time was up.

Of course, it wasn’t particularly fancy or exclusive since it didn’t require a reservation.

But being a restaurant within the hotel meant the food quality was surprisingly decent.

“Wow... There’s delicious-looking food everywhere—chicken, shrimp, beef... Man, I’m drooling.”

Meats, seafood, noodles, bread, Western dishes, Chinese, Japanese...

The buffet didn’t seem to have a specific theme—it was just filled with all kinds of dishes.

Sure, prioritizing variety often meant compromising on quality.

But with my modest taste buds, quantity mattered more than quality.

All I cared about was eating enough to leave my stomach bursting.

I had come in ready to eat to the point of indigestion, and thankfully, it looked like I’d be able to keep that promise.

Was that a good thing? I wasn’t sure.

“This way, please,” the staff member said as they guided us.

“Oh, thank you,” Alice replied.

We were shown to a large table, splitting into two groups: three from the car ride and three from the train.

I ended up next to Alice, with Sabrina sitting across from me. The problem was that both seemed overly fond of me.

Alright, time to dig in.

Sitting across from Sabrina, I wiggled in my seat, preparing for action.

I couldn’t wait to pile my plate high with meat, meat, and more meat.

Seeing me all but ready to spring into action, Raven stood up with a mischievous grin, looking like a classic villain.

“Alright, time to move out! Let’s drive this buffet to bankruptcy!”

“Jin... Could you not yell embarrassing things in public? Sigh, I’ll take care of Yuria and Sabrina. Let’s go, you two.”

“Yes, yes!”

“...!”

Alice scolded Raven for his over-the-top excitement, pulling me and Sabrina along as if to shield us from his bad influence.

Well... Considering Alice and Raven both ate several times more than the average person,

they probably didn’t even need to try to put a financial dent in the buffet’s profits.

But I wasn’t about to dwell on that—I was too hungry to care.

Letting Alice lead me by the hand, I focused on the glorious prospect of food.

“Have either of you been to a buffet before?” Alice asked.

“No. There weren’t any buffets where I lived....”

“Ah, I see. Then follow my lead! Take one of these white plates here and grab whatever you want. Just pile it onto your plate—it’s simple, right?”

“....”

It wasn’t much different from what I already knew.

I nodded enthusiastically to show I understood and grabbed a plate to start my "shopping spree."

Pork, chicken, beef... Why bother with vegetables when there’s so much meat?

I loaded my plate until it was so heavy my hands trembled.

By the end, I had constructed what could only be described as a tower of fried and roasted meat.

“Uh-oh... Did I overdo it?”

The towering pile of meat looked precarious, threatening to topple over with every step.

So, after making sure no one was watching, I subtly used telekinesis to stabilize the mountain of meat as I carried it.

As soon as I reached the table, I released the telekinesis. It should be fine now... probably.

“Wow, Yuria, your plate is full of meat,” Reyne remarked, sitting at the table before me and laughing softly behind her hand.

Did she think I was being picky? Buffets were made for picking only the best stuff—like meat.

I shot her a disgruntled look, as if to ask what was so funny.

But she just smiled back, calmly stabbing a piece of salad with her fork. Ugh, I lost this round.

As I looked around, I noticed that no one else at the table had much on their plates yet, except Reyne.

It seemed like everyone else was still wandering, deliberating on what to eat.

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“Was I just faster because I piled on whatever caught my eye? When are the others coming?”

As if on cue, Raven and David returned to the table.

Raven had expertly balanced three plates stacked with random food items,

while David’s plate held a much more balanced and carefully chosen selection.

I guess a person’s taste shows in their buffet plate.

Suddenly, I found myself curious about what Alice and Sabrina would bring back.

“...Ahem. What is this... tower of meat and fried food? How audacious,” Raven said.

“...!!”

Raven sat down and stared at my plate in disbelief.

Without a word, he suddenly stood up and snatched a piece of meat from the top of my plate with his chopsticks.

If he wanted food, he should eat his own! Why was he stealing from mine?

Outraged, I got up and jabbed Raven’s side with my fist in protest.

Of course, his skin was practically as tough as stone.

All I succeeded in doing was hurting my own hand. This was so infuriating!

“Raven, why are you stealing from Yuria’s plate? That’s mean.”

“Honestly, that was a bit much. It makes one question your character,” Reyne and David chimed in from across the table, coming to my defense.

It was nice to have someone take my side since I was clearly the victim here, unfairly robbed in broad daylight.

But Raven, unrepentant as always, snorted and responded as if he’d done nothing wrong.

“Shut up. It’s her fault for being careless. Ugh, fine, sorry. Want me to give you some of mine?”

“....”

I sighed and decided to forgive him, as long as he handed over some steak and roast duck.

Satisfied, I transferred the precious meat to my plate and resumed my meal.

Good. The glorious meat tower was still operational.

Settling back into my seat, I stabbed a piece of meat with my fork and brought it to my mouth.

As expected of a luxury hotel, the food tasted phenomenal.

Grinning, I happily worked my way through the meat tower, devouring it layer by layer.

While I was busy enjoying all kinds of delicious meat, a familiar voice suddenly came from a table behind us.

“Huh? Raven? Did I just hear someone call you Raven?”

Clatter!

The sound of a chair scraping loudly against the floor drew everyone’s attention to the source.

A man had stood up abruptly, making quite the commotion.

He was a tall man with spiky blonde hair and sunglasses.

So tall, in fact, that his shadow practically engulfed me.

Judging by the sauce smeared all over his mouth, he’d probably been inhaling food up until a moment ago.

If the towering stack of empty plates in front of his chair was any indication, he had quite the appetite.

“Huh? Yeah, I’m Raven. Oh, wait... are you Victor?”

“Ah, that’s right. Long time no see, Raven.”

The spiky-haired man, Victor, removed his sunglasses with a flourish and grinned widely.

I recognized him immediately—not because I’d ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ met him in person, but because he was a character from the original story.

He was a former comrade of Raven’s from the same unit and more of a rival as a Fixer than a friend.

But something felt strange. This should have been their first meeting in this timeline...

Yet, for some reason, his face felt eerily familiar, as if I’d seen him somewhere before.

Who was he? Where had I seen him?

As I wracked my brain, I suddenly recalled a memory associated with those sharp features.

‘Ah! Could it be that perverted creep in the lab coat who was following me around?’

Looking back, it all made sense.

The strength of my telekinetic flick alone could knock out even beastfolk with ease.

For someone to take it head-on and remain completely unfazed? He had to be some kind of enhanced human.

A superhuman with strength rivaling beastfolk, capable of chasing me down with just a grappling hook,

and a muscular blond to boot—how many people could match that description?

Honestly, it was strange I hadn’t made the connection earlier.

‘...But still, I can’t believe the creep in the lab coat turned out to be Victor, the Fixer. No wonder I had such a hard time shaking him off. Should I just pretend I don’t know him?’

I decided to avoid his gaze and focus on eating, trying to appear as inconspicuous as possible.

The last thing I needed was Victor recognizing me as the "ghost" from back then.

Thankfully, he seemed too engrossed in his reunion with Raven to pay any attention to me.

All his attention was on catching up with his old comrade.

“I never thought I’d run into you here. This must be fate!”

“What do you mean, fate? It’s just a coincidence. Anyway, what brings you here? On vacation?”

“Hmph, you disappoint me, Raven. Sadly, I’m not here for leisure. I’m here for work.”

Victor’s grin widened, his teeth practically gleaming as he spoke.

His bright, overbearing smile was so intense it was hard to even glance at him directly.

But Raven, clearly used to this behavior, barely reacted.

He lazily scratched his ear with his pinky and asked with a puzzled expression.

“Work? What kind of job would require hiring Fixers in a place like this?”

“Huh? Don’t tell me you haven’t heard about the largest auction in history being held at Saint Maria Hotel starting tomorrow?”

“Auction? So, you’re...”

“Yes. I’ve been hired to guard both the items and the clients in case of theft. I’m sure other Fixers have been brought in too. That’s why I’m eating so late—to avoid the crowds.”

“Hah! Not that they need anyone besides me, of course!” Victor laughed loudly, his voice echoing across the room.

Well, his skills were indeed top-notch, even among elite Fixers.

His confidence wasn’t baseless arrogance—it was simply the truth.

‘An auction, huh. So, that’s what’s happening at Saint Maria Hotel during the holidays. An event like this wasn’t in the original story....’

A major event not mentioned in the original plot? Was something big going to happen?

With all these people around, we’d probably manage if anything did go wrong. Still...

I couldn’t help but feel a sense of unease creeping in.

I silently prayed that, for once, we’d have a peaceful, uneventful vacation.

Though, deep down, I wasn’t sure my prayers would make any difference.