Table of Contents

Color Gallery

Title Page

Copyrights and Credits

Table of Contents Page

Chapter 1: The Cat He Saved Was a God

Interlude 1: Leaving Work on Time to Visit a Cat Café

Chapter 2: Taming His First Fluffy Creature

Interlude 2: Delicious Dragon Meat

Chapter 3: An Isekai City

Interlude 3: A Ridiculously Powerful Tamer Appears!

Chapter 4: Taichi’s Big Plan to Snag More Monsters

Interlude 4: The People of Rellim

Chapter 5: Ack! Sir, You Can’t Do That!

Interlude 5: Arle and Chocolate

Chapter 6: A Fluffy Walking Disaster

Interlude 6: A Great Diet Plan?

Chapter 7: Hiring Now: A Temporary Part-Timer

Interlude 7: The Fluffy Café Without Taichi

Newsletter

Color Gallery

Chapter 1: The Cat He Saved Was a God

Chapter 1:
The Cat He Saved Was a God

“GRRRRNGH! WHY DO I gotta ride the last train again today?!”

The company building was dead silent, save for Taichi’s resentful howl.

The person who had foisted this current load of work onto him had already gone home hours ago, leaving Taichi and his coworker—who’d already passed out on the floor—to take care of the rest.

Figured he’d be up by now, but he hasn’t cracked his eyes open once. Is he okay? Well, surely he was. Overtime was perfectly normal for them, whether it should be or not. Taichi certainly held a grudge over that fact, at least.

He grumbled. “I was determined to clock out on time today so I could swing by a cat café on my way hoooome!” Taichi cried out again, smashing his fingers against the keyboard harder than necessary, as if it might cool down some of his anger. It wouldn’t, of course. Life was never that easy.

This man hammering away at his keys with unbridled ferocity was none other than Taichi Arima, a man with black hair, black eyes, and a forgettable, average appearance. Taichi had been working at the same company since he graduated. In a mere blink of an eye, he grew into a twenty-eight-year-old salaryman who already felt like he was on the cusp of middle age. His work was so draining that he’d recently taken to doing whatever he could to clock out on time once a month so that he could visit a cat café to soothe his mental fatigue.

Ah, cat cafés are the best.

“Ooh, Red Bean, Tea, Macaron, Matcha... I’m sorry I won’t be able to visit you,” wept Taichi, his tears dripping onto his keys. “I’m a horrible, awful person.”

He resolved to visit tomorrow instead. Judging by his current progress, he figured he could finish up and make a mad dash for the station to catch the last train in time. Taichi was in full burnout mode by this point, snickering maniacally to himself as he tapped at his keys, the cat café his only motivation.

A gentle yet oppressive rhythm of key-clacking echoed through the room for a short while after that, until at long last, he wrapped up the last of his work.

“Aaand finished! Now, let’s see, the last train—oh, crap! Only ten minutes left to make it!” His head whipped around. “Hey, buddy, I’m heading home!”

“Mmm,” grunted his coworker, who was still half asleep on the floor.

Taichi darted for the door. By the time he burst outside, the hands on the clock were already indicating that it was 12:30 a.m., meaning he had only six minutes to make the last train.

“Eep! Crap, crap, crap!”

Even if I make a mad dash for it, I’m not gonna make it. Time for a shortcut!

A short sprint brought him to a dimly lit park. Though he preferred not to use this route due to the vast number of drunks that loitered there, cutting across the park was the quickest way to the station.

There’s no other choice, so I just gotta suck it up!

As he began navigating his way through the park, he spotted a white cat in his periphery.

“Ooh!” Taichi cried in delight. “How adorable! A real beauty!”

He wanted to stop and truly appreciate how adorable this fluffy creature was, but he was in a hurry to make it home. If he spent any unnecessary time here, he wouldn’t make his train.

“Dammit! It’s destiny for sure, but I gotta go...” If he used the same route tomorrow, would luck let him encounter the cat again?

While Taichi was preoccupied with these thoughts, the cat in question began sauntering toward the road. It was a bit unstable on its feet, which made him wonder if it was injured. Taichi reacted instinctively, chasing after the feline. It was second nature to him as someone with a deep love for cats—or rather, for all things fluffy and cute.

A truck was hurtling toward the cat as it stumbled onto the road. If Taichi didn’t intervene, the cat’s life would be as good as over.

“Watch out!” he cried as he jumped, snatching the cat and cradling its tiny, fluffy body protectively in his arms. A screech of brakes cut through the air, followed by a bone-shattering impact.

Oh. This can’t be good. That brief thought flitted across Taichi’s mind before everything abruptly went black.

***

“Ngh...”

Consciousness came sudden and unexpected. Taichi blinked several times. It was so bright that he had to squint, desperate to puzzle out where he was and what was happening. He forced his eyes to adjust as he took in his surroundings.

“Huh?” Taichi blurted. “Where am I? This isn’t the hospital. No, it looks more like...a kotatsu?”

Indeed it was. Taichi had been sleeping at a table with a built-in heater and had a blanket draped over him. The room was a rather cramped four-tatami-mat Japanese-style room. A scroll with calligraphy scrawled across it hung from the wall.

As far as Taichi could remember, he’d darted into the street to save a cat and was struck by a truck in the process. What’s going on? After that misfortune, he couldn’t understand how he’d landed here.

A muffled meow rang out from beneath the kotatsu.

“Hm?”

Taichi lifted the blanket and peeked below the table, where he found the white cat he’d rescued, snuggled in, enjoying the warmth.

“I’m so glad you’re not hurt. What a relief.” The tension left his shoulders, but he was still struggling to digest the situation.

“Oh, are you awake, nya?” rang the cat’s voice. It was speaking Japanese!

“Bwah?!”

“I’m truly grateful to you for saving me,” said the cat. “Thanks for that, nya.”

Taichi was speechless.

“Nya.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold up just a second. What’s going on, exactly? Why do you have a halo? And wings?” Taichi was pretty sure neither of those things had been present the last time he saw this feline. That being said, these added features made it all the more adorable. He couldn’t help ogling because how could it be this stinkin’ cute?

The white cat smirked triumphantly at him. “That’s because I am a cat god, nya.”

“What?! You’re a god?!”

That was what the snowy-white feline claimed, anyway. It had a golden angel’s halo hovering over its head and tiny, adorable white wings sprouting from its back. Its whole body sparkled, adding to its beauty and divinity. Taichi could barely hold himself back from scooping the kitty up and nuzzling its fluffy body as he watched it snuggle up beneath the kotatsu.

“That’s right, nya. I’m a god. Again, thank you for saving me. That was a close call, though you did die as a result,” the cat said flippantly.

Again, Taichi was at a loss for words. Who wouldn’t be, with a cat god in front of them? Wait, no. That wasn’t the shocking part.

“Wait. I died?” Taichi clarified. The possibility had occurred to him, but speaking the words out loud left him feeling strangely hollow.

“You certainly did.”

“You’re so glib about it.”

“Ha ha ha, nya. Seems like you really love cats. They’ve told me about you.”

“Huh?”

Now that was unexpected! He hadn’t thought the cats could mention him to anyone. He was touched. His affection for felines had reached the pinnacle of their species—no, the pinnacle of the world!

“They were always so happy to receive those Meowuru treats you gave them, nya.”

“Oh, right,” Taichi mumbled back.

Meowuru was a type of treat sold at the cat café.

“You are obviously kind. I can’t let you go unrewarded for saving me, especially when it cost your life to do so. So I would like to make you an offer: Would you like to continue your life in a new world, nya?”

“A new world?” Taichi echoed back.

“Yep, nya.”

The cat god went on to explain that it was impossible to restore Taichi’s life in his world, but the cat god could give him life in a different one. Unlike Earth, which had developed highly advanced technological civilizations, this new world was one of fantasy and magic. There were a multitude of classes to suit each person’s specialties, along with relevant skills. Taichi had spent his whole adult life as a corporate slave, so this would be a very different experience. In fact, it was like a dream, as far as Taichi was concerned.

“As much as I hate to admit it...I don’t have much stamina, and I’m afraid even if I did go to this other world, I wouldn’t survive long,” reasoned Taichi.

He probably couldn’t even do ten push-ups if he tried. That was no problem for eking out a living in the middle of an industrialized city, but it would put him at such a disadvantage in a world infested by monsters that he wouldn’t be able to leave town. If only he were a decade younger, then maybe he’d have the vitality for it.

The cat cackled. “I’m not so ca-purr-icious that I’d throw you into the world without any blessings, nya. I plan to bestow upon you the power to survive in this new world. Meeoow.”

Taichi’s face lit up. “That would be wonderful! Then please, do that.”

Pleased at how quickly he’d agreed, the cat god nodded at Taichi.

Frankly speaking, Taichi wasn’t keen on returning to his life as a corporate slave. He didn’t have a girlfriend, he lived all by himself, and his parents had already passed away. If he were to hesitate at all, it would be because of the coworker he left behind. The project they had been tackling together would be his coworker’s to bear alone now, and for that, Taichi trembled with guilt.

I’m sorry. Hold on and be strong, Taichi prayed.

“Meow, then,” said the cat god. “What kind of life would you like to lead in your new world? You can be an adventurer and wield a sword or magic to exterminate monsters. How does that sound? Of course, if you have a different purr-eference, I am happy to hear it, nya.”

“What kind of life I wanna lead, huh...” Taichi contemplated, uncertain what he should choose.

Frankly, it would be difficult to become an adventurer and spend his days putting his life on the line in battle. He quickly decided that he didn’t want anything to do with fighting. Moreover, he refused to work for another corrupt company. That was one thing he wouldn’t budge on. He would rather die than work unending overtime every single day like he had before. That said, he’d lose all sense of purpose if he just loafed around all day.

This is my second chance at life. I’d like to do something I enjoy this time around. That narrowed his choice considerably.

Aha!

“I want to open a cat café!”

Every day would be cozy that way! He’d be his own employer and could decide his hours, erasing any risk of overworking himself. Taichi was quite proud of this idea. A big grin broke out on his face. He only worried about what the cat god might think of this idea.

“You really do love us, don’t you? I appreciate that, nya.”

Taichi thought the cat god might be annoyed and dismiss his idea altogether, but it seemed perfectly fine with his choice. He sagged with relief as he met the feline’s eyes.

“However,” said the cat god, “I cannot directly give you an animal in this new world. What I can do is offer you special powers and items, here and now. Meow.”

“Oh. Yeah, that makes sense.” Now that he thought about it, maybe it wasn’t reasonable to expect the cat god to give him the cats he needed for this café idea. He would have to figure out how to acquire the requisite felines himself once he arrived in this new world. In Japan, one could easily purchase a cat at a pet shop. He wondered how things would work in this new world.

“Instead, what do you think about becoming a Tamer, nya?” offered the cat god.

“A Tamer? As in, the kind in video games where your character can make friends with and command various monsters?”

“Precisely. Although you will only be able to tame monsters specifically, you’ll find that there are some who bear a resemblance to cats. There are also other equally fluffy and adorable creatures available, nya.”

Taichi sucked in a breath. I can befriend all sorts of fluffy creatures? Sign me up!

“Yes! That’s exactly what I want! Please!”

“Very well,” said the cat god. “Then I will bestow upon you all the relevant skills for the Tamer job. If you recite the words ‘Open Status,’ you will be able to review your available skills, nya.”

“Thank you!”

“Next...I will give you this.” The cat god dragged out a leather bag with a cat imprinted on it from beneath the kotatsu blanket, holding it out for Taichi. He noted the straps on the back of it for easy belt-attachment. This was, apparently, the cat god’s farewell gift for him.

“Much appreciated,” said Taichi. “And what’s insi—whoa! What’s with this bag?!” When he opened it, he found it held a separate dimension inside, much like an abyss. He couldn’t even begin to guess what was hidden within. What is this, a black hole? He shivered.

The cat god snickered. “That’s a Bottomless Bag.”

“Bottomless...like the kind in video games that can hold all kinds of things within?”

“Purr-cisely. As the name implies, there’s no limit to what you can stow inside. Time is stopped within the bag’s dimension. Please use that to your advantage. I have already stowed food supplies, money, and other essentials for you inside, nya.”

Wow. This other world has some serious conveniences.

A hologram suddenly appeared directly in front of Taichi, catching him by surprise.

“Whoa!” he squeaked.

“That screen will display everything contained inside your Bottomless Bag, nya.”

“Oh, okay.” He was a little startled, but ultimately this feature impressed him. He couldn’t tell what was inside simply by looking; he had to check the screen. Let’s see... According to this list, there’s jerky, water, rye bread, and...emergency food?

“Hey, um...”

“Yes? Meow.”

“What kind of food does this new world have?” Taichi asked anxiously.

“The flavors aren’t much different from what you’re familiar with in Japan. Some cooking requires ingredients from monsters. Admittedly, this world has more variation than your new one will, nya.” The feline hesitated, meowing to itself as it contemplated this new conundrum.

Judging by its choice of words, the food in this new world was perfectly edible, but the cat god didn’t want Taichi to face any culinary troubles after how much he’d sacrificed to save it. Japan had cheap, delicious food, which made it popular among cats, while this new world had far fewer options. Taichi might find himself more limited there.

After a pensive silence, the cat god’s ears pricked. “There’s a great personal skill I can give you which should help. Meow!” The cat god assured him that with this, Taichi would have no trouble acquiring whatever he needed.

“Thank you!”

“No, no, this is nothing compared to what you did for me.” There was a short pause before the cat god went on. “All right, I think it’s about time for me to send you off. Thank you once again for saving me, nya.”

It was Taichi’s turn to shake his head and smile. “Not at all. I’m glad I was able to save you.”

His consciousness slowly faded.

***

Wind rushed through Taichi’s hair, and something soft brushed against his cheek. Resisting the impulse to fall back asleep, his eyes fluttered as he adjusted to his new surroundings. His deadline was fast approaching. He needed to get work fast or he...

“Ngh...?”

But when his eyes adjusted, he found himself in the middle of a vast forest.

Oh, that’s right. I met the cat god. It took a moment for his mind to catch up, recalling his encounter with the cat god and his choice to live again in a new world.

“That must mean this is the fantasy world the cat god spoke of.”

Taichi would have preferred waking up in the middle of a town rather than a forest, but the cat god had shown him so much consideration already that it would be selfish to hope for more. He’d learned a while ago how pointless complaining was, having fought relentlessly against superiors who pushed enormous workloads onto him. Besides, with any luck, he might find some adorable fluffy creatures in this forest. Thinking of it like that, it didn’t seem so bad.

“First thing’s first, I need to see what I’m working with. Based on what the cat god told me, I can use magic in this world, and I’m a Tamer.” The cat god had also informed him that he could check his list of skills from the status screen. Reciting the words felt a little childish and embarrassing, but what other choice did he have? “If I want to know what skills I have, this is the only way. Open Status!”

As soon as the words left his lips, a hologram appeared in front of him, reflecting all of his current stats. It was strange how much this world felt like a video game—from the status screen to the Bottomless Bag.

“Whoa! What? No way. Hold on, is it normal to have this many skills?!”

The list went on so long it left him gaping in disbelief. Taichi was most befuddled, however, when his eyes landed on his job. It wasn’t what the cat god had promised.

“What’s this? ‘Fluff Master’? I thought the cat god said I would be a Tamer.”

Name / Age

Taichi Arima / 28 years old

Job

Fluff Master

Personal Skills

Isekai Fluency / Lv. ∞ / Can read, write, and verbally communicate and understand this world’s language.

Keen Eye / Lv. ∞ / Use of skill grants additional information on target.

Be My Eyes / Lv. ∞ / Can share vision with any fluffy monsters or animals.

Create / Lv. ∞ / Can create any inanimate object.

Interdimensional Shopping / Lv. ∞ / Ask the cat god to collect groceries from Japan.

Job Skills

Tame / Lv. ∞ / Can tame monsters.

Speak with Monsters / Lv. ∞ / Can communicate with tamed monsters.

Command / Lv. ∞ / Allows the user to issue commands to allied monsters.

Sense Presence: Monsters / Lv. ∞ / Allows the user to sense the location of monsters.

Let’s Get It! / Lv. ∞ / Increases the Attack of allies.

Let’s Be Careful! / Lv. ∞ / Increases the Defense of allies.

We’re Gonna Win! / Lv. ∞ / Increases the Magic Attack of allies.

Heal / Lv. ∞ / Heal a tamed monster.

Cure / Lv. ∞ / Cure status effects on tamed monster.

Prepare Meal / Lv. ∞ / Cook a meal for monsters.

Prepare Snack / Lv. ∞ / Cook a snack for monsters.

Did the cat god space out and make a mistake in the moment? All of the job skills did at least match what Taichi thought a Tamer would have. He could tame monsters, command them, and use support skills on them, after all.

“Oh! I have Isekai Fluency as a personal skill! Makes sense. No one here would understand Japanese.” Taichi was grateful to the cat god for thinking that far ahead. “All of my skills are marked as level infinite, though. I wonder what that’s about.”

It’s like the cat god made me all-powerful or something, Taichi thought to himself with a wry smile. If a dragon suddenly appeared before him, he could probably tame it without issue. After all, with an infinite-level skill, could he possibly fail to tame anything? I shouldn’t think that. I’m probably jinxing myse—

An unmistakable rustling noise from behind Taichi interrupted his thoughts. What could that be? He had a sinking feeling he really had jinxed himself, like many a main character in tales such as these often did. But, he tried to reassure himself, it’s not like there’s definitely a dragon behind me.

Dragons were decidedly rare creatures in fantasy. One didn’t come across them often. Sure, there were some video games out there filled with nothing but dragons, but he didn’t want to think about that right now.

Cold beads of sweat trickled down Taichi’s back. He slowly turned his head to see what lurked behind him and caught the unmistakable glimmer of red scales.

A dragon. A real live dragon. He swallowed thickly.

The creature in question was over fifteen feet tall. Taichi had no grasp on dragon sizes and therefore couldn’t determine whether this was small or large for one of their kind, but that wasn’t relevant.

I-I...I need t-to run! Unfortunately, Taichi’s legs turned to jelly. He probably looked like the perfect snack. While the fear consumed him, the dragon cracked open its mighty jaws, fire leaping from it.

“Graaaawr!”

Its mighty roar rang deafeningly in Taichi’s ears, the stream of breath shooting right past him and toppling the trees directly behind him.

“Eep!” Taichi cried.

I have to run! No, wait! Dragons are beasts too, aren’t they? So I could probably just tame it...right? Maybe that was the better plan. Then again, what was he supposed to do with a tamed dragon? That question made him hesitate, his confusion growing. After all, if he went around with a dragon in tow, he would stand out. His cat café would have to become a dragon coffee shop instead, which isn’t what he wanted.

A white blur surged past Taichi, disrupting his internal waffling.

“What the—”

An indistinct question passed Taichi’s lips, and before he could fully form it, the white blur had locked its jaws on the dragon’s neck. This new creature had golden white fur, taking the shape of a wolf. It had a soft, fluffy coat, but its eyes glared at Taichi with enough hostility to keep him frozen in place. This creature was about six and a half feet tall, measured to its withers.

“Woof!”

The silver-gold wolf slashed at the dragon with its sharpened claws, downing the monster surprisingly quickly.

“Phew.” Taichi let out a shaky breath, relieved to be out of immediate danger...at least until the silver-gold wolf spun around and started dashing toward him. Apparently, Taichi would be its next prey.

Before Taichi even knew what he was doing, his voice broke through the air like a whip. “Tame!”

Interlude 1: Leaving Work on Time to Visit a Cat Café

Interlude 1:
Leaving Work on Time to Visit a Cat Café

TAICHI ARIMA HAD joined a corrupt company without even realizing it. Energy drinks had become his lifeblood. While others enjoyed wine tasting, he could partake in energy drink tasting as a veteran connoisseur.

For as hard as his life was, Taichi still had something he enjoyed. More to the point, one respite that kept him going despite it all.

One day a month, after working overtime for days on end, he would clock out on time. He’d find some way to wrap up all his work early and sneak out while his boss was in the bathroom. Only then did he feel truly free, even though he didn’t have the courage to turn off his phone.

“Good afternoon!”

“Welcome!” greeted one of the café workers. “Oh, it’s you, Arima-san. Will you be staying till closing like normal?”

“You betcha!” Taichi responded eagerly. He tucked his shoes away in one of the provided lockers, stowing his bag along with it. He ordered what he always did: hot chocolate, to relieve his exhaustion, and Meowuru.

The café proper had two sets of doors, which Taichi passed through to enter what he considered paradise. The room was a full fifteen tatami mats in size, and it was full of cats, cats, and more cats. None of them immediately approached when he came, of course. They smugly pranced around, while some lounged on the sofas and others snoozed on the windowsills. Taichi would love it if at least a few would rush to him in excitement, but that was asking for too much. He only visited once a month. He wouldn’t win any of their hearts unless he frequented the place more.

Maybe I should consider switching jobs and finding something with less overtime. Taichi had seriously started to consider it lately.

“Right now, I want to just enjoy some cozy time with the kitties,” he said to himself.

He had already made his purchase of Meowuru—the specialty treats the café provided—but he didn’t plan to offer them right away. First, he took his seat on one of the sofas to drink his hot chocolate. This was the perfect time to relax and enjoy watching the cats. A few walked nearby and hope would bloom in his chest. Maybe he’d be lucky and they’d come toward hi—nope. This cycle played out over and over.

Once he finished relaxing, Taichi would next use the toys the café provided—a ball and cat wand—to play with the felines. This part’s actually pretty difficult. If he didn’t move the cat wand with the proper speed and rhythm to catch that cats’ attention, they would simply ignore him. He was terrible at it in the beginning. One of the café workers found him so pitiful that they did their best to teach him the proper way. Taichi had since improved enough to engage the cats.

Still, I can only seem to lure in the naturally energetic and friendly ones. The boss-tier cats, as he called them, wouldn’t even give him the time of day. I gotta give it my all.

“Here, kitty, kitty! I’ve got a toy for you,” Taichi cooed at them in a sing-song voice.

A female munchkin snapped her head around, eyes focused on the toy. Her name was Macaron. Her legs were tiny and dwarf-like, her fur an adorable light brown shade. Many of the other cats here had similarly appetizing names such as Red Bean and Matcha.

Taichi flipped the cat wand behind the shadow of the sofa before momentarily sliding it out and dangling it in front of Macaron. Careful not to miss a beat, he’d hide it again immediately to keep her interest. He’d learned that repeating this would catch their attention and encourage them to play. Macaron watched attentively, her big eyes following every little movement of the wand.

Ha ha, perfect! Just a little more and she’ll come for it! Taichi sat at a keyboard every single day, pounding on his keyboard for hours on end and sacrificing the health of his own wrists all for this!

“Come on, Macaron, it’s your favorite wand toy,” Taichi cooed at her.

“Mew!” she cried cutely, leaping after the toy.

“Hup!” Taichi moved it quicker than he had before. Eager to grab it, Macaron bounced after it. “You’re so cute!”

“Mew!” Her little front feet flailed as she tried desperately to catch the toy. With every pounce, she would wiggle her butt and tail, which was irresistibly adorable.

Ah, this really washes all my exhaustion away. Taichi let down his guard for a split second, long enough for Macaron to swipe the toy right out of his hand.

“Oops!”

“Mew.”

She gave him a look that seemed to say, What a novice. Having won, Macaron lost all interest and dropped the toy, scurrying off to the cat tower instead. Taichi couldn’t decide whether he’d played with her or she had played with him. He was pretty sure it was the latter. Regardless, a munchkin climbing a cat tower was always a joy to watch, which was why Taichi whipped out his phone to snap photos of her.

“Say cheese, Macaron.”

The shutter sounded in rapid succession as he took shot after shot of her. This was the best way to capture her in all her cuteness; he’d hate to miss the perfect photo. Ooh! This is a great angle! Macaron was so cute that he couldn’t help it if he started huffing and puffing like some kind of creepy fan.

“Amazing! Yes, you’re the cutest kitty!”

“Mew.”

After giving Macaron her own mini-photoshoot, it was finally time for Taichi to offer up the Meowuru. Every cat here went nuts for the stuff. All he had to do was pull it out and they would swarm him eagerly, like magic.

Taichi produced the tube from his pocket, and, as predicted, the cats erupted in cries and hurried over. He could picture their conversations in his head:

“Look! That human has Meowuru!”

“Let’s go snatch it from him, why don’t we?”

“Yeah, get ’em!”

Ha ha, they’re all entranced, the cute little kitties. Taichi first offered the tube to the black feline, Red Bean, which had wandered closest. As much as he wanted to give all of them some, there was only so much to go around. His policy was always to prioritize the cats who first approached him. If he had a favorite, he could give it to them instead, but since he only came once a month, he didn’t favor one over the others just yet. Macaron plays with me quite a bit, so I really like her. Still, it was hard to pick just one of them.

“Mew-meow!”

“Oh? Is it yummy, Red Bean?”

Red Bean eagerly devoured the Meowuru, its tail dancing. Taichi couldn’t simply watch and enjoy, however, because the other cats were eager for their turn. They squeezed their way in, knocking Red Bean out of the way, tongues lapping at the liquid tube. This was probably the most popular Taichi would ever be in his life.

Macaron hopped down from the tower and wandered over. “Mew, mew!” She planted her cute little toe beans on his arm, pleading for him to share. Taichi had no choice but to oblige her.

“Ahhh, now this is true happiness.”

This cozy cat time continued until the café closed for the night.

Chapter 2: Taming His First Fluffy Creature

Chapter 2:
Taming His First Fluffy Creature

VISITING A CAT café was the only reprieve Taichi ever had in his life as a corporate slave. Being sent to another world where he could establish his own was a dream come true.

Things, however, weren’t quite going to plan.

In his panic—and without really thinking—Taichi had used his taming skill on the fluffy, six-foot-tall wolf with silver-gold fur.

“Woof?!”

The moment Taichi employed his skill, a blinding light enveloped the wolf. He assumed this was an indication of his success in taming it.

Tame was one of the Tamer skills the cat god had bestowed upon Taichi. It allowed him to command whatever monster he cast it on. One’s taming success rate was proportional to the level of their skill.

Taichi held his breath. I used it on instinct, but...did it work? He swallowed hard as he drank in the enormous wolf in front of him. Come to think of it, I have a skill to communicate with my tamed monsters, don’t I? Surely he could talk to it then, right?

“So, um...” Taichi hesitated.

The wolf glowered at him.

Eep! It’s certainly fluffy, but it’s also intimidating!

“You,” the creature snarled. “How dare you tame me!”

“Oh, uh...I’m sorry.”

“How could I, a proud Fenrir, be forced to serve a Tamer?!”

Uh-oh! I’m in hot water. He’s super pissed! It was clear to Taichi that this Fenrir already despised him. But, uh, I guess it’s good we can communicate.

Speak with Monsters was a Tamer skill the cat god had bestowed upon Taichi. It allowed him to speak with any monster he tamed.

While Taichi sagged with relief that the two of them could speak, the wolf—Fenrir, the monster called itself—continued to speak.

“I was excited after taking down that delicious-looking dragon, but you have soured my mood completely. I am to serve a human? Hah, what a joke!”

“Aha...ha...” Taichi let out a strangled laugh. He was sweating bullets, wondering when the creature would change its mind and come for his throat.

Although Taichi had tamed this monster, he had no intention of binding it to his will. They could part ways here if needed...right? Or would that not work? While he internally debated his options, something caught his eye. Huh, wait. What? He’s wagging his tail! And he’s super fluffy!

The Fenrir had a prickly, unfriendly way of speaking, but his body language bespoke his hidden joy. Maybe he was secretly excited about this whole taming thing. Taichi wasn’t really sure. But then he remembered his title: Fluff Master. Maybe that was the reason for the monster’s affinity. For all of Fenrir’s harsh words, perhaps he secretly liked Taichi already. Taichi felt bad for second-guessing the cat god earlier for giving him what he’d assumed was the wrong job. This was absolutely perfect. He wanted to say a prayer of gratitude to the god. In fact, he’d do just that.

“Cat god, thank you for blessing me with this fateful encounter.” He felt much safer now that he had a companion and wouldn’t have to face the dangers of the forest by himself. “So, um,” Taichi hedged, turning back to the Fenrir, “will you be my companion? I know that’s probably not something I should be asking after I already tamed you, but just the same.”

“What?!” roared the Fenrir. “You think a proud warrior like me would deign to be the companion of a lowly human such as yourself?!”

“Y-yes,” Taichi stammered back, uncertain.

For all of the Fenrir’s hostility, his fluffy tail wouldn’t stop spinning like a helicopter blade. He was awfully hot-and-cold.

How to win him over, I wonder.

After a short pause, the Fenrir continued. “Well, I suppose you do look rather puny. I should probably stick with you; otherwise, one of the other forest monsters is likely to take your life.” He huffed.

Woohoo! I did it! Not that he actually did anything. Thankfully, regardless, the Fenrir agreed to join him, anyway.

“Great! I think we’ll get along well. My name’s Taichi Arima, by the way.”

“Taichi, hm? Well then, give me a name.”

“Huh?”

Taichi’s confusion at the monster’s command earned him a judgmental sigh. “In general, monsters do not have names of their own—nicknames, perhaps, but nothing official. It’s a Tamer’s responsibility to bestow a name on their tamed monsters. You should already know this.”

Taichi nodded thoughtfully to himself. Unfortunately, though the cat god had granted his wish to be a Tamer, the god hadn’t filled him in on the necessary details of his job.

“Thanks for telling me,” said Taichi. “I’m still a bit of a novice. You’re the first one I’ve tamed.” He chuckled to himself.

The Fenrir eyed him with open suspicion, scrutinizing him. “What? I thought you were a veteran, but...well, it doesn’t matter. Hurry up and give me a name!”

“Okay, okay.”

The Fenrir was eager to wrap this up, but Taichi had to think. He’d never had his own pet before, so he had no experience giving them names. I can’t give such a magnificent ball of fluff just any name. The Fenrir had said himself that he was a proud warrior. He deserved a striking name.

Taichi let out a low growl of contemplation before it hit him. “Luke.” The moment he spoke the name, light poured over the Fenrir. “Uh, so I picked Luke because it means ‘light.’ You have beautiful, glowing fur, so I thought it’d be appropriate. Do...you like it?”

If the Fenrir dismissed it as boring and uninspired, so be it, but Taichi really had given all his effort to coming up with the name. He thought it was perfect for the majestic monster in front of him.

The Fenrir turned and glanced at its own body, tail still whipping back and forth, as if to confirm what Taichi had said.

Aww, he’s so stinkin’ cute! I think I like all fluffy animals, not just cats!

“Luke, Luke... Hm. Yes, I think this will do nicely,” declared Luke. “It suits a striking Fenrir like myself wonderfully!” He sounded quite pleased.

“Glad you like it, Luke.” Taichi reached out and pressed his hand to one of Luke’s fluffy front feet, which were silky and soft like angel feathers. Taichi’s whole body trembled with affection. I’ve stroked so many cats in my life, but this is different. He’d never felt anything so wonderful before. Soon he was absentmindedly petting Luke’s foot, and the wolf’s tail wagged joyfully, apparently enjoying it. Taichi enjoyed feeling the softness of fur on his skin as well, which made them the perfect partners. He lost himself in the moment, hand sliding across Luke’s fur in a slow rhythm.

Luke’s eyes snapped open. “E-enough! Get your grubby hands off me! I am a proud, legendary Fenrir! Humans should not touch me so freely!”

Taichi smiled wanly to himself. Funny, since you seemed to be eating it up. If he said that out loud, Luke would be furious with him. Luke was intent on keeping up this proud warrior image, and thus wasn’t keen on engaging in too much physical affection with his new master. I can kind of understand where he’s coming from. He wouldn’t be a very proud warrior if he acted like any old dog eager for affection. He sure was a prickly thing, though.

With that out of the way, Taichi was ready to get out of this forest. He didn’t want to linger, not when there were dragons in the area. The first place he wanted to go to was the closest town.

“Say, Luke, I’d like to head for civilization. Do you know the way to a town?”

“A town? Of course I do.” Luke paused. “Wait, don’t you? Come to think of it, you didn’t seem to know much about taming, either.” He fixed his eyes on Taichi.

Well, it’s not my fault. I only just got to this world. He hesitated to say as much, though. Should he really confide the full details in Luke? Would Luke even believe him if he said he’d come here from another world? He’s my first companion. I should be honest with him. Here goes nothing...

“Luke, I have something to tell you!”

“Wh-what?” the wolf stammered back, startled.

“This whole thing might be difficult to believe, but I want you to listen. It may shock you.” Taichi leaned forward as he launched into an explanation of everything that had brought him to this point. He even told Luke about his plans to run a fluffy café.

Once it was over, Luke responded, “Interesting. So you aren’t a human of this world. That tracks, now that I think about it.”

“Huh? How so?” Taichi was the one taken aback by how easily Luke believed it all. Then again, it was the only explanation for why Taichi had no idea where the closest town was, and why he was ignorant of his own impressive strength as a Tamer, calling himself a novice.

“We are in the deepest depths of this forest, where no humans enter,” said Luke. “A person must break through a barrier to enter here, and you are ill-equipped to make that trek in such clothing.”

“Oh...” Taichi nodded to himself. He hadn’t realized it until now, but he was still dressed in the same cheap suit he’d been wearing when he died. It had absolutely no defensive capabilities. In fact, it would certainly rip if he took a tumble out here. Plus, this seems like a dangerous forest. That made him all the more eager to hurry to a town.

Taichi soon realized there was another problem: Luke, six feet tall from the withers, was far too big to bring around other humans. Would the local guards even let him in?

Are monsters even allowed in the town? I guess they must be, since Tamer is a regular job in this world. Right?

“Luke, I’m worried you won’t be allowed into town at that size. Is there anything you can do about that?” asked Taichi.

“Hm? Will this do, then?” As if on command, Luke’s body shrank to about half of its original size. He was no bigger than any other large dog. Surely no one would bat an eye at him now.

“Perfect. Then let’s—”

“Wait,” interrupted Luke with a harsh bark.

“Hm?” Taichi was ready to get out of here.

“I haven’t eaten the dragon I went to all that trouble of hunting.”

“Oh, right.” Luke had mentioned how delicious it looked. Taichi nodded, urging him on. After all Luke had done to help Taichi—well, more or less, anyway—Taichi would feel bad if he didn’t grant Luke this much. “Go on, then.”

With Taichi’s blessing, Luke eagerly chomped down on his prize, like the dangerous predator he was. It reminded Taichi that it was survival of the fittest out here in the wilderness. Still, I can’t believe he’s eating raw dragon meat.

“Ah, delicious!” Luke cried.

If he likes it, that’s all that matters, I guess.

While Taichi watched absentmindedly, he remembered that he had the Prepare Meal skill. Maybe he could use this dragon meat to make something. Might as well give it a shot. He edged closer until he was right beside Luke. The wolf gave him a brief glance but was too invested in his dining to bother saying anything. “Prepare Meal with dragon meat,” Taichi recited, attempting to use his skill.

A screen popped up in front of him. It read: “You don’t have the necessary ingredients to prepare anything right now. You require Dragon Meat and Magical Herbs in order to make Dragon Steak.”

So the skill wasn’t as simple as frying up whatever meat he had on hand.

“Hm.”

Luke, who’d been too distracted to say anything up until now, paused, his eyes wide. “You said you’re a mere novice, but you have the Prepare Meal skill?! I hear the cuisine a Tamer can make with that skill is on another level of decadence!” His eyes were shining with anticipation, his tail whipping through the air again. His eagerness for Taichi to prepare something only piled on the pressure. Taichi didn’t have the heart to admit he lacked the ingredients necessary to do it.

If I’m lucky, there’ll be some Magical Herbs nearby. He scanned their surroundings. There were plants growing all over that he’d never seen before. Perhaps the one he needed was among them. The only problem was that he knew nothing about the flora here. Maybe Luke knows something? But then he remembered he had a very convenient skill to use in times like this.

“Keen Eye.” This was a skill the cat god had bestowed upon Taichi. When activated, it granted him information on items around him. It was perfect for appraising items, and as soon as he activated it, information appeared over the plants in the area, offering names for them and explanations about their usage.

Taichi slowly scanned each plant he saw. There were Herbs, Confusionshrooms, Alluring Blossoms, along with so many others that piqued his interest. He observed them all carefully before finally locating the Magical Herbs he’d been looking for.

“This is it!”

Magical Herbs had serrated blue leaves. Herbs had the same leaf shape, but they were green. If he looked carefully, it should be easy to identify Magical Herbs from the rest of the green flora that filled the forest.

Luke studied his human companion with great curiosity. “What are you going to use Magical Herbs for?”

“I can make steak if I combine these Magical Herbs with that Dragon Meat,” said Taichi. “Now, Prepare Meal!” With a fistful of Magical Herbs in his hand, he accessed his skill again. His hands lit up as the steak magically appeared in his palms, fully cooked without any effort at all on his part. It even comes with a plate?!

Prepare Meal was a Tamer skill the cat god had bestowed upon Taichi. It allowed him to cook meals for monsters.

“What’s that wonderful smell?!” cried Luke.

“Hm?” Taichi didn’t have much time to appreciate how perfectly his dish had come out before Luke began eagerly digging in. The wolf had been too tempted by the aroma to hold himself back.

“Whoa, you didn’t waste any time!’” said Taichi. “Oh well, I guess that’s fine.”

“Nom, nom... This dish is...” Luke took one bite and his eyes widened, his whole body trembling.

“What is it, Luke?”

This was the first time Taichi had ever used the Prepare Meal skill. He worried that maybe he’d messed something up. Thankfully, Luke soon started inhaling the rest of the meal without hesitation.

“It’s delicious,” declared Luke. “This is significantly better than eating the meat raw! I can’t believe how much better dragon tastes when you cook it with your skill! It’s perfect for a warrior like me!”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

Satisfied, Luke jerked his chin to the remaining dragon. “We should store the rest of the meat. I expect you to make me that steak again. The dragon’s hide and claws can be used as ingredients for crafting. I’ll let you have those. Should be some decent money for you if you sell them.” He seemed to be in a good mood after that sumptuous meal, and it showed in how generous he was being.

“That would be nice, but are you sure?”

“I hear humans require coin. Since you are a recent arrival to this world, you will need it, won’t you?”

“Thank you, Luke!” Taichi’s eyes began to mist over. He hadn’t expected Luke to be so considerate. He was touched. Luke was often prickly toward Taichi, but he had the fluffiest fur and, as far as Taichi was concerned, was the best partner Taichi could’ve hoped for.

“All right, then I gratefully accept,” said Taichi. “I’m sure we’ll find someone to buy this stuff from us once we get to a town.”

“Indeed,” agreed Luke.

With this kind of loot, I might be able to achieve my dream more quickly than I expected. And by dream, he was of course referring to his plan to open a cat—or rather, fluffy—café here in his new world. To that end, he needed to find an appropriate location to set up shop. The more money he had toward that, the better. He couldn’t begin to guess how much these dragon ingredients would be worth, but they should fetch a decent price.

After conveying his gratitude, Taichi stored the dragon’s remains inside his Bottomless Bag. Despite the overwhelming size of the dragon, it fit easily.

Incredible. Although he had only just arrived in this world and hadn’t seen anything beyond this small patch of forest, he found his heart humming with eager anticipation imagining all the other magic items, like his bag, that must be out there.

***

Taichi’s surroundings blurred around him, the wind whipping through his hair. Like riding on a roller coaster, this level of speed was one he’d experienced rarely.

“It would be a pain for me if you fell. Hold on tight!” Luke barked.

“Of course!”

That’s right—Taichi was riding on Luke’s back. Being the legendary Fenrir that he was, Luke looked majestic as he sprinted through the forest. He showed no signs of exhaustion even with Taichi’s added weight. If anything, Luke had acclimated to it and was beginning to pick up even more speed.

Why were they in this situation, you might be wondering. It all started about two hours ago...

***

Taichi questioned Luke about the location of the town and how long it would take to get there, to which Luke responded they could make the trip in a few hours. Taichi, of course, was elated. He’d expected a much more arduous journey to their destination. Much to his chagrin, however, two hours of walking through the forest didn’t seem to change his surroundings at all.

That’s weird. He scrunched his face, confused.

Luke, who had been matching his pace the whole way, yawned. “Are you humans normally this slow when you walk?”

There was a long pause as realization sank in for Taichi. “Now I get it. You meant that you could reach the town in a few hours.” What would take a few hours for Luke would probably take more than a few days on foot for a human like Taichi.

***

And that was how Taichi came to ride on Luke’s back.

Luke’s ears twitched, his speed slowing. This put Taichi on high alert. A howl pierced through the quiet of the forest.

“Eep!” Taichi cried.

Wh-what was that? I’m not gonna die, am I? Is it another dragon?

“Hmph. A monster,” said Luke.

“Wh-whaaa?!”

“I’ll defeat it.” No sooner did Luke say that than he darted off toward the attacker. He swiped so swiftly with his front paws that Taichi couldn’t even follow what was happening before it was all over.

Wow. Taichi sat there dazed on Luke’s back.

The monster in question was an enormous bird with bulging muscles along the arms of its wings, giving it an off-putting macho look. Another monster of this world, huh?

“Put that one in your Bottomless Bag too,” Luke instructed. “You should be able to sell its parts.”

“Really? This bird?”

“Indeed. I believe you humans call it a Wild Raptor.”

Too bad he couldn’t wing it in battle. Guess his moves were just too pre-historic, Taichi thought to himself as he tucked the monster’s carcass into his bag. I hope that the blood doesn’t get all over the rest of my stuff. Worried though he was about that possibility, Taichi continued to stow away similar spoils as they made their way through the forest.

***

After several hours, the two arrived at a town. Taichi dismounted a fair distance away and decided to observe the town before they made their approach. Since Taichi was worried a full-grown Fenrir might startle the citizens, Luke shrank his body once again.

“That’s not a town; it’s a city,” said Taichi.

“I believe it is the second biggest city in Shul’cucu Kingdom. If I remember right, it’s called Rellim,” said Luke.

“Rellim, huh?”

True to being the second biggest city in the kingdom, Rellim had a steady flow of traffic along its highway filtering in and out of it. There were grassy fields all over, with farms dotting the outskirts of the city outside its walls on the western side. These enormous walls encircled the city proper, with a gate at the front to relegate entry and exit. Large buildings jutted up from within the walls. It looked like a pleasant city to stay in. For transportation, there were horses and carriages, though many trailed on foot.

“It looks so peaceful,” Taichi murmured.

“Hmph,” Luke grunted. “Of course it is. They have dozens of adventurers here and a proper city guard, so there probably aren’t many monster attacks. Plus, the view is nice.”

“That’s good to hear.”

Taichi was glad to know there were safe centers of civilization in this world full of monsters. He wouldn’t be content to settle down in a village that lacked the proper assets to defend itself. Plus, a café won’t have any meaning without potential customers. But a city of this size would surely have some people in it who wanted to relax at a café.

“Okay, let’s enter the city! I’m actually rather exhausted after everything that happened today, so I’d like to rest,” said Taichi.

Luke scoffed. “Tsk, how frail you are!” Despite the barb, his tail was wagging furiously. He was probably anxious to rest and enjoy the city as well.

“Aha ha.” Taichi started forward. “C’mon, then. Let’s go.”

They kept a leisurely pace as they crossed the grasslands to the city gate. A crowd of people had gathered to seek entry, but their line was moving along quickly enough. It was Taichi’s turn before he knew it.

“Whoa!” cried one of the guards. “That’s a huge wolf you’ve got with you. It’s not dangerous, is it?”

“Of course not,” Taichi assured the two guards processing his entry. I guess I’m the only one who can communicate with Luke because of my skill. The guard, on the other hand, probably only heard barks when Luke was talking. “I tamed him, so he obeys my commands.”

“Oh, all right. Since you’ve tamed him, it shouldn’t be a problem. You’re free to enter the city after you show us some personal identification.”

“Personal identification...” Taichi mouthed the words to himself, panicked. His back broke out in a cold sweat. He wasn’t carrying anything that would work as personal identification here in this world. How did that even work, anyway? Did the government here provide people personal identification from the moment they were born, or what?

They probably won’t take a Japanese driver’s license, will they?

“Don’t you have something?” one of the guards prompted with a tilt of the head as Taichi hesitated. “If you don’t, you’ll need to pay five thousand Chel in order to enter. So what’ll it be?”

“Uh, um...just a moment while I check my savings!”

“Sure thing.”

Taichi was relieved there was an alternate way to enter, but Chel... That was some kind of currency, right? He checked the Bottomless Bag the cat god had given him. I know I have food in there, but I’m pretty sure there’s some money too. Indeed, he soon discovered he had a wallet stowed inside. This must be it! Taichi pulled it out and found three silver coins inside. Glad I’m not completely broke, but I have no idea how these coins convert to Chel.

Discreetly, Taichi peered behind him and whispered to Luke, “How much is this?” He showed the wolf his coins.

“I know these people have their own currency, but I have no idea what the current conversion rate is,” Luke told him.

“Oh, all right.”

This was turning into a real pickle.

Taichi could ask the guards directly, but it might arouse unnecessary suspicion if he admitted he knew nothing about the value of money in this world. And they might not let me inside if they think there’s something fishy going on with me.

With no other recourse, he muttered, “How much is that again...?” He plucked two of the coins out and held it out in his palm for the guard, gauging how the guard reacted to get a better feel for how much five thousand Chel amounted to.

“Oh, you have large silver coins, huh? Then I’ll need to get you some change. If you happen to have some small silver coins, then that’d cover it just fine.”

“I’m afraid this is all I have,” said Taichi. “Would you mind giving me change?”

“All right.” The guard collected his money, passing over five smaller silver coins in exchange. “There you are.”

Looks like the coins I had are considered large silver coins. When he handed over one of his silver coins, he received five small silver coins as change. That would suggest that one small silver coin was equal to one thousand Chel. Ten thousand Chel was equal to one large silver coin. Pleased to have deduced all of this, Taichi nodded to himself. He had enough money to get by for the moment. His next concern was covering his basic necessities.

“Um, sir?” said Taichi. “Do you know of a nice inn I could stay at? Preferably an affordable one.”

“Let’s see... If you go straight down this street here and take a right at the Adventurers’ Guild, you’ll see Crescent Moon Inn. You get a night and a nice hearty meal there for four thousand Chel a night.”

“Thank you! That’s my next stop, then!” It seemed to Taichi that one Chel was equivalent to one Japanese yen. If this was the price here in a big city, things were probably even cheaper in more remote areas.

I’ll need to do some market research before I establish my fluffy café. He could only hope that this world had a plethora of drinks, like coffees and teas.

With all these thoughts in mind, Taichi entered the city of Rellim.

Interlude 2: Delicious Dragon Meat

Interlude 2:
Delicious Dragon Meat

A BARRIER WAS erected around the deepest depths of the forest that lay to the southeast of Shul’cucu Kingdom’s city of Rellim, as the area was inhabited by particularly strong monsters. Numerous mages worked together to erect this barrier, and once a year they would return to conjure it anew. This prevented any of the vicious beasts from escaping. Once in a blue moon, a crack would form in the barrier, and a monster within would sneak out. Whenever that happened, high-ranking adventurers would exterminate it.

There were also creatures so powerful that the barrier didn’t affect them, such as the legendary monster Fenrir.

One such Fenrir was taking a merry stroll about the forest. Well, perhaps “stroll” wasn’t the right word, since he wasn’t merely walking about; he felled any monster that stood in his way and stopped to enjoy the delicious fruits he found. This Fenrir was living the free life out here in the forest.

“The sun is awfully bright today,” he said to himself. Why not take a dip to reduce some of the heat beating down on him?

The Fenrir made his way to his favorite spring, which was imbued with mana. This was a resting spot for all the monsters and animals of the forest. The surrounding area was a small meadow, the spring itself a perfect circle with all sorts of precious herbs growing around it. It was the perfect spot for one to heal their wounds.

When the Fenrir arrived, there were already several other monsters enjoying the cool water of the spring.

“Hmph.”

He was the king of this forest, so he thought he should address those beneath him. He eyed them, contemplating what to say, but before he could...

“Hoo!”

“Grah, grah!”

With their tails tucked between their legs, the other monsters fled the moment they spotted him. What a shame; the Fenrir didn’t particularly mind them using the spring.

He snorted to himself. He was accustomed to being alone by this point.

“I am a proud warrior. This is how things should be,” he said to himself.

The waters of the spring were so clear that he could see all the way to their depths. The second he dipped his feet inside, the fish fled.

“Hmph.”

He ignored them and dove under, letting the liquid soak his coat as he paddled forward. The Fenrir didn’t spend much time inside the spring; it wasn’t his nature to spend too much time bathing. He climbed back onto land soon enough, shaking the moisture from his coat, sending a fine spray through the air. Once he was done, he used a little magic to finish drying his coat, and his fur went right back to its normal, fluffy consistency. He peered back in the water to check the results.

“Yes, I look as striking as ever!” he declared, pleased.

He’d drunk some of the water while he bathed, and now that he was done with that, his stomach was gurgling adorably at him.

“Hm, yes, I’m quite famished.”

The Fenrir had already filled himself with succulent fruit. Next, he wanted some hearty meat. This forest was massive, with strong monsters everywhere. The stronger they were, the more delectable they tasted, and the more he enjoyed his prize. There were a few exceptions, however; there were monsters he didn’t want to eat, such as orcs. They were ugly, and they didn’t look like they’d taste good, either. He’d never sampled them to see if he was right about this, but he didn’t care to try.

“A dragon would be perfect...”

The Fenrir had been obsessed with dragon meat several centuries prior. His voracious appetite for them had led to a scarcity in their number ever since. There were still a few to be found here and there, of course, but even with the superior power of his nose, the Fenrir still had difficulty locating any. But sometimes the effort was worth the payoff.

“I’ll run along the tree branches and search for one,” he decided.

If he neared one, he would know it right away by their distinct scent.

The wind rippled through his silver-gold fur as he danced gracefully atop the trees, sniffing for his draconic prey. It had been so long since he last tasted dragon meat. He’d been feasting on other monsters and fruits lately.

Speaking of delicious food, I’ve heard there are humans with special skills that allow them to make especially delicious food. Not that a proud Fenrir like himself would ever deign to eat anything a mere human made, of course.

After sprinting for a while, he caught a whiff of a distinctly draconic scent. His target was probably a few miles away. With his speed, he could reach it in the span of a few minutes. He sped up until a Ruby Dragon entered his view. The sun glinted off its red scales, its size twice that of the Fenrir’s. Sadly for this dragon, it was no match for a proud Fenrir warrior.

“Being that big simply means more delicious meat for me. You don’t stand a chance.”

He leaped toward it, latching onto the dragon’s neck and sinking his teeth in. On the edge of the Fenrir’s vision, he spotted a human paralyzed in terror. What is a human doing in this forest? The Fenrir used his claws to pierce the dragon’s scales, ending its life. Then, curious, he started toward the human.

What happened next, the Fenrir never could have predicted. Impossible words echoed through the air, and light enveloped the wolf.

“Tame!”

He never imagined any human could be so foolish as to tame a proud Fenrir. And he actually succeeded?

The human in question was clad in unfamiliar clothes that offered no protection. The Fenrir wanted to demand what he was doing all the way out here, completely unprepared for the dangers around him. But something about the man’s aura told the wolf he was no lost adventurer. If this human was capable of successfully taming a Fenrir such as himself, he had to be terrifically strong. And that made the critter all the more curious about the man.

Actually, I wouldn’t say I’m “curious”... It was more like he was worried for this man’s well-being. No, it wasn’t that he felt particularly protective over his new master, rather...there was something about his face that made the Fenrir want to fuss over him. He has a strange aura for a human.

The human had to be special. How else could he have succeeded at taming a proud Fenrir such as himself? Well, I don’t mind being amicable with him.

“So, um...” said the human.

He apparently possessed the skill Speak with Monsters, and that excited the Fenrir, since it meant the two could communicate. He tempered that excitement however, still perturbed the human had tamed him from the very moment of their meeting.

“You,” howled the Fenrir. “How dare you tame me like that!”

“Oh, uh... I’m sorry.”

“How could I, a proud Fenrir, be forced to serve a Tamer?!”

Although I suppose I should praise you for standing your ground instead of running for your life! The Fenrir quite liked the human for that. Much more than he did the animals who had fled at the spring the moment he appeared. And Tamers are supposed to bestow a name upon any monster that they tame.

Being the proud Fenrir that he was, he didn’t necessarily need a name, but it wouldn’t be a terrible thing to have. He pelted the human with numerous complaints and moved in that direction, demanding a name for himself.

That was how the proud Fenrir warrior came to be called Luke.

Chapter 3: An Isekai City

Chapter 3:
An Isekai City

AFTER RIDING ON Luke to escape the forest, Taichi safely arrived in the nearest city. Inside the gates, the city was bustling with activity. Taichi found himself on the main thoroughfare running through the city the moment he entered, with intersections all over and the most important facilities lining the sides of the main street. His first destination was the Crescent Moon Inn, which the guards had given him directions for.

“This looks like a nice city.”

Its people seemed lively and content, which suggested it would be an easy place to live. The problem was that Luke stuck out like a sore thumb. Despite being half his normal size, he was still close to three feet tall.

I can feel an uncomfortable number of eyes on us.

“The people are charmed by my striking appearance,” Luke said proudly.

That’s a more positive way to put it, I guess. It was true that Luke was striking, though, and his fur was the fluffiest and most inviting that Taichi had ever seen.

“These humans sure have a lot of shops,” Luke noted, glancing around at the shop windows. They were lined with various goods, such as clothing and magical implements. As far as Taichi could tell, they were luxury shops for the wealthy.

“Oh, right, I need to buy a change of clothes,” said Taichi.

“Yes, outfitting you should be our top priority. You need proper equipment.”

“Equipment, huh?” Taichi wasn’t so sure about that. He had no plans of living as an adventurer and using swords or magic to get by, so he didn’t think he needed anything too special. Normal clothing would suffice. “I do want a proper coat, though. It gets pretty cold riding on your back.”

“Indeed. You humans are frail.”

“Aha ha.”

First was finding their inn, then they could go shopping.

At least, that was the original plan, but they soon ran into their first hurdle.

“You can’t keep a tamed monster that large in my inn! Look elsewhere,” snapped the proprietor, motioning for them to leave.

“Yes, sir...”

They were all but thrown out of the Crescent Moon Inn because of Luke’s size. It was a shame, since the place had a nice, quiet atmosphere.

“Well, now what do we do?” Taichi wondered out loud.

“This is ridiculous. Can’t these humans provide a proper place for me to sleep?!”

Every inn they visited thereafter said the same thing as the Crescent Moon Inn proprietor. They soon found themselves aimlessly wandering the city.

I’ll need to find a proper job for the time being.

Taichi would need some more money to start his café. Unfortunately, the funds he had now wouldn’t be enough for that. Luke said he could sell the dragon materials, but they would need to save the meat itself for future meals, so Taichi suspected what little they could sell wouldn’t fetch much.

I’m either going to have to find something temporary or visit the Adventurers’ Guild to see if there are any missions I can take on.

“What’s the matter?” Luke asked when he noticed Taichi lost in silent contemplation.

“Nothing. We just don’t have a lot of financial padding, so—ah!”

“Hm?”

“Over there, that signboard! It says ‘Tamers’ Guild’!” Taichi had spotted the Adventurers’ Guild on their way to the inn. He had no idea there were job guilds as well. He figured that should probably be his first stop before anything else. Maybe they can show me an inn that’ll accommodate Luke! “Let’s swing by! They probably have a lot they can tell us.”

“Very well.”

The Tamers’ Guild was located two streets over from the main thoroughfare of the city. The building was larger than Taichi had expected, with a wide door. This was probably to accommodate members with large monsters similar to Luke’s size. There was also a little yard with a fence around it.

Heart hammering in his chest, Taichi made his way inside, finding only the receptionist. It was a little sad to see how empty the place was, despite its massive size. Oh no, maybe it’s in decline. Sweat poured down his back. It was too late to turn back. Besides, the receptionist was smiling over at him, as if she’d locked on and recognized him as a fellow Tamer.

“Welcome!” she said. “I’m the guild receptionist, Chartelle! Aww, what a huge wolf you’ve got there. I’ve never seen one like him before. Is he a Wolfking?” The expression on Chartelle’s face said everything; fellow Tamers were so rare that she wasn’t about to let him escape, not now that she had him in her clutches.

Chartelle had semi-long aqua colored hair that flared out at the ends, her bangs decorated with several stylish hair accessories. Her eyes were pink, and she had adorable canines that poked out whenever she spoke. She was probably still in her late teens, which made her seem especially young to a guy like Taichi in his late twenties.

“Good afternoon. I’m Taichi, and this is Luke. He’s a Fenrir.”

She gaped at him for a moment before bursting into laughter, “Aha ha, what a jokester you are. No one’s seen a Fenrir in several centuries. It’s a monster of legend by this point!”

It is?! Now it was Taichi’s turn to be astounded. His smile faltered. Now that I think of it, the guards at the gate assumed he was some kind of wolf rather than a Fenrir. Taichi hadn’t intended to hide Luke’s species, but if Fenrir was a monster of legend as Chartelle suggested, Taichi might be better off telling people he was a Wolfking instead. It has the word “king” in it, so I have to assume it’s a high-ranking monster of the wolf variety.

Now his heart was absolutely thundering with this new information.

“Aha...ha ha,” Taichi laughed awkwardly. “I come from the sticks, so I thought a little joke would make for a good icebreaker.” Best to play it off, he figured. “And that’s why I have no personal identification, either.”

“Oh, interesting! Well, if you register with the Tamers’ Guild, you can use your registration in place of other forms of identification.”

Great! She bought it! Even better, she offered him a way to secure ID. Taichi was still a bit nervous at how deserted the place was, but it wasn’t as bad as becoming an adventurer and having to fight to earn a living. He could do this.

“I’d like to register, then,” he said.

“Of course! Let’s start the process.” Chartelle pulled out a registration form and slid it across the counter. “Please fill this out.”

He examined the document, which had blank spaces for his name, age, tamed pets, skills, and any personal notes he wanted to make. It was far simpler than he’d expected it would be. “Okay, my name and age... For tamed pets, I have a Wolfking: Luke. As for my skills and extra comments...” Taichi was smoothly filling out every required field when Luke jammed his snout against Taichi’s waist, very insistently. “Whoa! What’s this about?” He whipped around.

Luke wrinkled his snout. “How ridiculous. Me? A Wolfking?! Don’t mistake me for those weak pups! I am a proud Fenrir!”

Dropping his voice, Taichi calmly returned, “I don’t have any other choice, do I? You’re more legend than reality to the modern folks here.” Sure, the receptionist might accept Luke as a Fenrir if he returned to his original size and displayed the full extent of his power, but such a discovery could send shockwaves through the local community, and perhaps even further.

“Hmph,” snorted Luke. “I suppose you are right to call a creature as majestic as me legendary.” His tail whipped back and forth, pleased at the compliment.

You are such a sucker for flattery!

Chartelle watched the two interact with a grin on her face. She pointed a finger to the remaining field that Taichi had yet to fill in. “Listing your skills is optional. We don’t require you to disclose that information, as many people prefer to keep it secret. For comments, you can share what kind of work you’re looking to do or anything else you want the guild to know. In general, most missions we offer involve you fighting monsters together with your tamed beast.”

“All right.”

She went on to explain that if he did list his skills, the guild could offer missions more tailored to his particular skillset.

Since I have the skill Prepare Meal, I could write that down. Would that mean I’d get cooking missions? On one hand, most Tamers probably had the skill, but on the other, anyone who wasn’t a Tamer wouldn’t have or need it. Perhaps there was demand for it. Taichi’s personal skills, however, were clearly cheat abilities, so he didn’t want to note them.

“Oh, I guess I should mention these.”

He scribbled down his Heal and Cure skills, so he could help anyone in need. In the comments category, he noted his plans to open a fluffy café, in hopes that would dissuade the guild from offering him any adventuring quests.

“Oh, you have rejuvenation skills! Not many people have those, so that’s a real boon!” said Chartelle.

Taichi had assumed those skills were common, but her comment made it plain they weren’t. Oh well. I already wrote them down.

Chartelle looked over the form, pausing at one point and tilting her head. “And you mention a café?”

“Yes!” Taichi answered eagerly. “I don’t care for battle or any kind of violent work. I want to open my own café—but not just any café! I want it to be a place where customers can pet all sorts of cute and fluffy monsters.”

“Fluffy, huh?”

Taichi had launched into a gushing rant about his plans, but it didn’t seem to make much sense to Chartelle. I suppose that means this world doesn’t have cat cafés or the like. Getting his café up and running might be more challenging than he first imagined. Then again, it wasn’t like he planned to break his back making it successful. He would be content making just enough to lead a comfortable life.

Opening people’s minds to the concept of a fluffy café was still a challenging objective, though. But was there anyone out there who didn’t enjoy being surrounded by fluffy creatures? No! There couldn’t be! He wanted to bring comfort and relaxation to the people working for corrupt—well, he wasn’t sure there were any corrupt enterprises in this world, so at the very least to hardworking people. To accomplish all of this, he would first need to build up some savings.

After wrapping up his registration, the receptionist presented Taichi with a Tamer Card.

“This is proof of your membership with the Tamers’ Guild,” said Chartelle. “It will act as your personal identification, so be careful not to lose it.”

“Noted.” Taichi studied his card. Next to his name was the classification F-Rank and the name of the city, Rellim.

“You can use that card at other guilds as well. Your rank is shared between all of them.”

As Chartelle explained it, all people registered with a guild were ranked somewhere between S and F. Rank was the indication of one’s strength and indicated what difficulty of mission they could accept. One could accept missions as high as one rank above their own, which meant Taichi was eligible for F and E rank missions.

While Taichi was drinking all this information in with a look of awe on his face, Chartelle pointed to his card and said, “Now listen, because next I’ll be explaining the most important part. This is something you can do with all guild cards, by the way. Try pouring some mana into the card.”

Huh? How do I do that? Taichi froze at her words. He could use skills, so it stood to reason that mana and magic existed in this world. But how could he access it? All I have to do is recite the skill name in order to use it. He’d thought it was a conveniently simple system for that reason. For lack of any better ideas, he tried to imagine himself using a skill. The card immediately lit up.

Taichi choked out a gasp. “Whoa!”

There were no visible changes to the front, but on the back, glowing letters spelled out Taichi’s personal information. It showed everything—even the skills that Taichi hadn’t listed on his registration. Just as he was starting to feel uneasy, not wanting anyone else to see this, Chartelle interjected, “Please don’t show it to me. If you pour mana into the card, it will show you all of your personal information. To turn it off, you need only pour mana into it again.”

Taichi quickly did as she instructed and was relieved to see his list of cheat skills disappear. Phew.

“But why does the card have this...function?” asked Taichi.

“In general, there is no need for you to show your full information, but there are exceptions, such as the person making a request through the guild asks it of you, or if you commit a crime. In the former circumstance, you may need to prove you have the skills necessary to fulfill their request. People can lie, after all.”

“Oh, that makes sense.”

This world was full of monsters. Death lurked as close as one’s own shadow. It probably fostered more trust between those making requests and those fulfilling them when the latter had a way of accurately displaying their skillset and job. No one could force Taichi to show it to them if he didn’t want to, however, and he very much doubted he ever would.

“The guild will never force you to display your information, so you don’t have to worry about that.” Chartelle turned away, pointing. “Over there you can find our mission board.”

The board in question was hanging on the wall to the right of the entrance, with requests pinned to it. Most were extermination requests, but under F-Rank missions were requests for help with livestock.

What do they need Tamers for? They think all we do is look after animals? Well, Taichi couldn’t really complain about that, since his intention was to run a café featuring any and all fluffy creatures.

“Thank you for all the explanations. I can’t do battle, which is why I want to run a cozy café,” said Taichi.

Chartelle nodded to herself. “I figured you would say something like that. It’s unfortunate, though—since you have a Wolfking, I was really hoping you would take some battle missions.” She gave him a pointed look, but no matter how she tried to convince him, Taichi wouldn’t budge.

“I can’t. I would die,” Taichi emphasized.

“Well, when you put it like that, I can’t really argue.” Reluctantly, she backed down. “I’m pretty sure your Wolfking could protect you, but I also can’t say for certain that there’d be no danger involved. I guess I’ll have to respect your decision.”

Since Taichi had finished his registration and initiation into the workings of the guild, he decided to address his next matter of business. “Oh, right. Chartelle, is there somewhere Luke and I can stay? All the inns I’ve visited so far have turned us away.”

“He is a big monster, after all. Fortunately, we have our own inn here at the Tamers’ Guild, available to our members. It’s two thousand Chel a night, which makes it much cheaper than your regular inn.” As Chartelle told it, many Tamers ran into the same problem that Taichi had, which was why each branch across the various cities and towns erected spacious buildings to accommodate their members.

“Oh, then I’d love to stay at your lodgings!” said Taichi.

“All right. How many nights will you be staying?”

“For now, I guess five will do.” He plucked a large silver coin from his wallet, using it to pay for his stay. This left him with only one large silver coin and five small silver coins. It made him uneasy to have so little to his name.

I’d better look for a job or do something, or I’ll be broke before I know it.

“All right,” said Chartelle. “I’ll lead you to your room.”

“Thank you.”

She slipped out from behind the counter and started down the nearest hallway with Taichi following close behind her. This corridor faced the guild’s inner courtyard. He spotted a large tree within and all sorts of flowers, as well as a small spring. It wasn’t that large, but it was probably somewhere around one hundred and sixty square feet. It was populated by several dog-type monsters. Taichi assumed they belonged to the personnel.

“Do you want to go out and play with the others, Luke?” Taichi asked, glancing at his wolf.

Luke’s expression soured. “I told you not to lump me in with those pups! A proud Fenrir such as I would never deign to play a primitive game of fetch.”

“That’s a shame.” But your tail is wagging again, Luke. If he bought a ball, he suspected Luke would indulge him in a game, and that made him choke out a laugh.

“Anyone registered with the guild is free to use the courtyard however they want. There’s a well out there too,” said Chartelle. “You’re welcome to go out there whenever.”

“Thank you.”

“Of course, you’re one of our precious members! If there is anything you have questions about—anything at all—you need only ask and I’ll be happy to answer.”

Taichi couldn’t help but make a face at her overeagerness. There was something that had been niggling at him for a while now. It was about time he came out with it. “Um, Chartelle, are there...not many Tamers in the guild?”

Chartelle’s face froze. That, combined with her lack of an immediate response, more or less confirmed what Taichi suspected from the beginning.

After a long, extended pause, Chartelle finally breathed out, “Well, I guess it would be a stretch to say we have ‘many’... But, you know, Tamer is a wonderful job! You get to fight alongside tamed animals, and you and your partner can compensate for each other’s weaknesses. The only downside—a wee, little downside—is that it can be hard to tame stronger monsters. By which I mean, it’s a job more geared toward veterans.”

One could tame a weaker monster and train it up, but there was a limit to how strong it could become. To tame a stronger monster, they would have to be sufficiently equipped or accompanied by a group to survive more dangerous areas where such monsters could be found. Finding a proper group as a Tamer was near impossible if you didn’t already have a strong tamed beast. All of that made being a Tamer a real challenge. Not many people picked it because of that.

“Now I understand,” said Taichi. “I can see why it wouldn’t be a popular choice.”

“Yes, unfortunately. That’s why I was so excited when you came! I hope you’ll remain a member of our guild for a very, very long time to come!”

“Of course.” Taichi wanted to run his own café and live a cozy life. Luckily, his dreams didn’t conflict with his guild registration. He wouldn’t be forced to undertake any dangerous missions.

Oh, that’s right!

“I have some monster materials. Does the guild buy those?”

“The Adventurers’ Guild buys materials,” explained Chartelle. “Job guilds only purchase materials which are relevant to their job. In our case, we’re happy to buy fruits and other vegetation that monsters enjoy eating.” That meant each guild would only buy certain materials.

“Since mine are all monster materials, I’ll drop by the Adventurers’ Guild,” he decided.

“Yes, you should do that.”

It had slipped his mind until now, but he and Luke had collected other monster materials besides the ones from the dragon. Luke had defeated many that attacked them on their way out of the forest. According to Luke, those could be sold too. Taichi had quite the collection in his pack. If the Adventurers’ Guild was willing to buy them all, he would be sitting in a much better financial position.

Once they arrived at his designated room, Taichi rested a bit before heading back out for the Adventurers’ Guild.

***

Taichi retraced his steps back to the main thoroughfare to the Adventurers’ Guild, which was closest to the city’s southern gate. The guild had quite the number of registered adventurers, which meant their facility was substantially larger than the one that housed the Tamers’ Guild.

When Taichi entered with Luke at his heel, clamor filled his ears. There were multiple counters here with lines of people waiting. He’d have to wait a while to get anything done.

“What a crowd,” muttered Luke.

“I guess we’ll just have to line up and wait our turn.”

It was a twenty-minute wait at the sale counter, but at long last, Taichi’s turn came.

“Good afternoon,” greeted the receptionist. “I’ll need to assess your materials, so please set them out here on the counter.” She pointed for emphasis.

The counter was too small to dump a whole monster on, but perhaps that was only natural. The guild bought materials, not carcasses. Still, Taichi wasn’t so sure this was large enough to accommodate everything he and Luke had gathered.

“Um, the materials I have are rather large, and I have a lot of them. They won’t fit on here. What should I do?”

The receptionist blinked at him, puzzled. “You have that much? But you aren’t carrying any luggage.”

He smiled thinly and pointed to the bag on his waist. “This is a Bottomless Bag.”

“Oh, wow. That’s an exceedingly rare item...” The receptionist’s voice trailed off for a moment. “Come, I’ll lead you inside.”

Huh, so this bag is rare too. Taichi’s lips pulled into a thin line. He had no idea what was rare or what was normal here in this world.

The receptionist showed Taichi into a room where people were dissecting and dismembering monsters for materials. The room was as large as twenty tatami mats in size, making it quite spacious. There were rat-type and wolf-type creatures on the chopping block. There should be no problem dumping out the many creature carcasses they had collected on their way to the city.

Taichi was, however, feeling a little anxious after his conversation with Chartelle. Would it be safe to whip out dragon materials here? He’d already learned that Fenrir were monsters of legend, and that his Bottomless Bag was an extremely rare item. Taichi had thought of this world in terms of a video game fantasy, but he was beginning to realize how ignorant he really was, since everything he possessed was rare.

Time is frozen inside the Bottomless Bag’s dimension. I can save the dragon materials for another time.

“All right, then please process these,” said Taichi, dumping a number of monster carcasses from his bag.

The receptionist as well as the rest of the personnel in the room stopped dead, gaping at him.

“What a mountain of high-ranking monsters!” they all cried in unison.

“You’ve got Red Wolves, a Wild Raptor...and a Platinum Golem?! Holy crap, all of these are extremely high-ranked monsters!”

Oops! I didn’t expect these to attract attention too! Luke had killed each one in a single swipe, which was why Taichi hadn’t thought anything of them, but based on everyone’s reactions, they were actually strong in their own right. Maybe I should just be glad I didn’t pull everything out.

“These carcasses are relatively banged up, but it looks like you downed most of them in a single hit... Incredible doesn’t even begin to describe what this is. Hey, sir, are you the one who killed all these things?”

“Oh, um, no. My tamed monster did,” said Taichi. He jerked his thumb in Luke’s direction.

“So you’re a high-rank Tamer!”

Nope. I’m F-Rank, apparently.

“What kinda monster is he?” one of the personnel asked, nodding toward Luke.

“He’s a Wolfking.”

“Oh! The king of the wolf-type monsters, eh?”

“I told you before, don’t lump me in with those pups!” Luke howled in protest, despite how much the people were fussing over him. Sadly for him, no one here but Taichi possessed the skill to communicate with monsters. He sounded like a yipping wolf to them.

Out of the corner of his mouth, Taichi murmured, “We need them to buy these from us, so just put up with it for a little longer.” He reached out and ruffled Luke’s neck fur.

The wolf’s eyes grew hooded as he leaned into Taichi’s hand. “I suppose, if I must!”

One of the personnel let out a dramatic sigh of envy. “Man, it’s so cool that you can command a Wolfking. Anyway, we’ll get these assessed for you in a jiffy.”

“Thank you.”

The staff worked together to examine the materials and note them down on a document, which they passed over to the female receptionist once they were finished.

“He’s brought us some good materials. Buy ’em all up,” advised the man.

“Very well,” she said.

“Okay, boys! It’s time for some exciting dissection!”

“Woohoo!”

Taichi had stood there anxiously wondering what he would do if there were any further issues, but much to his relief, everything went smoothly. He was relieved it was over.

***

Scratch that. Before he realized what was happening, Taichi was relieved—until the receptionist led him into a private room. This was apparently necessary because all of the materials he’d sold were of such high rank. After leading him inside, the receptionist disappeared back out the door, leaving him alone with Luke.

“Oh crap, what do we do? What if they ask a ton of questions?” Taichi’s voice cracked with worry.

“Hmph. You humans are so frail,” Luke said with a snort of derision. “It’s pitiful that your kind expresses such surprise over the death of such weak monsters.” He didn’t seem the least bit bothered by these developments.

Must be nice for him. Meanwhile I’m worried they’re about to interrogate me.

While Taichi was busy imagining the worst, a knock came upon the door before the receptionist from a moment ago slipped back in. She wasn’t accompanied by a stern-looking superior as Taichi had feared. That gave him a bit of relief.

“My apologies for keeping you waiting. The price for the materials you provided are so substantial that I brought you to this room to settle your account privately.”

“Oh, okay.”

So that’s the reason for all this secrecy. Now I get it. When a person won a substantial sum from the lottery, they were given the same treatment. Taichi’s whole body sagged with relief.

“Now, then,” said the receptionist. “All of the materials you’re selling us are from high-ranking monsters. You claim that your tamed Wolfking defeated them all by himself, correct? But this is the first time you have ever used the Adventurers’ Guild, unless I am mistaken.”

I knew it! She is interrogating me!

“Um, uh...” Taichi stammered.

“What is your name?!” the receptionist demanded, voice booming.

“Taichi Arima, ma’am,” he squeaked back.

“And your Adventurers’ Guild card?! Are you even registered with us?!”

She was being awfully intense about all of this. Taichi quickly explained that he was a Tamer, registered with the Tamers’ Guild. He reassured her that he was telling the truth about Luke defeating the monsters on his own.

“Interesting,” she murmured. “You only just registered yourself with the Tamers’ Guild. And here I thought high-ranking Tamers were a myth. I suppose they must exist after all.” The receptionist nodded to herself. “Excuse me for saying this, but you don’t look particularly strong.” She didn’t hesitate to give him her full scathing assessment.

Taichi choked out a dry laugh. Yeah, I guess I am a weakling. “Anyway, that’s why I came here: to sell the materials I have.”

“Yes, I understand. I simply didn’t expect you to be such an exceptional person. Since you already registered with the Tamers’ Guild, I hope you’ll show our Adventurers’ Guild the same patronage.” She clapped her hands together and thrust a jingling bag of coins onto the table in front of him, presumably his fee for all of the materials he’d brought. “Ten thousand Chel per Red Wolf, which you brought three of. The Wild Raptor is worth thirteen thousand Chel, and the Platinum Golem is worth three million Chel. Altogether, you have earned 3,043,000 Chel.”

“Huh...” Taichi was so stunned by the final sum that he was speechless. His jaw hung open.

When he peeked inside the coin bag, he found three large gold coins, four small gold coins, and three large silver coins. All of a sudden, Taichi was rich.

“I’ve got more than enough savings now!” Taichi pumped his fists excitedly, which earned him a giggle from the receptionist.

“Planning to buy equipment or something?” she asked. A reasonable assumption—his earnings would easily pay for a full set. Little did she know, Taichi planned to use his savings for something else altogether.

“I’m actually planning to open my own fluffy café.”

“A what?”

He nodded vigorously. “It’s a café where you can pet all sorts of monsters.”

She stared blankly at him, which was all the confirmation he needed to know that—as he’d suspected—this world had no concept of animal-type cafés. Perhaps he could have explained his vision better if he had an adorable cat with him. Instead, Taichi was accompanied by an enormous wolf.

Thoughtful, the receptionist finally said, “Why not? It’s a shame you aren’t an adventurer, but it would be reassuring all the same to have a strong Tamer running a café in our city!”

“Oh. Yeah, I guess so.”

She was thinking of it from a defense standpoint, as though he would provide extra security for them. The city already had its own guard, but if something as vicious and powerful as a dragon attacked, those guards might not be able to protect everyone.

“If you’re going to be doing business, you’ll need to contact the Commerce Guild,” said the receptionist.

“I’ve never been there before. Could you give me directions?”

“Certainly.”

Although he had the necessary savings, Taichi knew nothing about business, nor the process involved with creating one. It was lucky for him that the receptionist was willing to fill him in. According to her, the Commerce Guild was along the main thoroughfare and oversaw all manner of businesses.

“Make sure to let me know once you have your fluffy café up and running. I’ll swing by and visit.”

“Will you?! I’d love that!”

And with that, Taichi had secured his first customer. He still had a steep hill ahead of him, but he couldn’t wait to make his dream a reality.

***

With his wallet now bursting, Taichi first decided to return to the Tamers’ Guild. It had already been a long day, so stopping by the Commerce Guild would be far too exhausting. If he pushed himself that much, his life would be no different now than it had been when he worked for that corrupt company.

The moment he entered, Chartelle flew toward him. “Welcome back, Taichi! Were you able to sell the materials you had?”

“Thanks for the warm welcome. Yes, I was able to sell them all, and I already have the savings I need to open my café.”

She drew back in surprise. “What? Already?! Amazing.”

“Yes. Couldn’t have done it without Luke.” He stretched by rolling his shoulders and forced a smile. “Have to say, I’m wiped.”

“Yes, you must be,” Chartelle agreed sympathetically.

“That’s why I’m saving my trip to the Commerce Guild for tomorrow. I wanna see what’s needed to get my café running. I’ll also need to find a good location for it.”

“Actually, the Tamers’ Guild has a few available that you could consider. Would you like to see them?”

Taichi stared at her. “What? Really?” He didn’t think the Tamers’ Guild dabbled in real estate. This was a real shock.

“Yes, well, we keep extra locations because some Tamers have really, really big monsters. However, we need to make sure any real estate we possess can accommodate them, so most of our properties aren’t smack dab here in the city. Rather, they’re near the outside wall or completely on the outskirts.”

“Hmm.”

Luke was already quite big himself, and Taichi planned to increase his lineup of tamed beasts for the café, so living on the outskirts might actually be ideal. Plus, I think I’d prefer the tranquil nature of the less populated outskirts to the hustle and bustle of the city center. The Commerce Guild might not have the sort of real estate he was looking for, anyway; it was possible their properties would prohibit pets.

“Would you mind showing me these locations?” asked Taichi.

“Certainly. I’ll pick a few of them out, so could you visit me at the reception desk tomorrow?”

“Sounds good. Thank you!”

That was how Taichi’s first day in his new world ended, with everything going almost too smoothly as he worked toward his goal of opening a fluffy café.

***

When the next day arrived, Taichi decided to head out and wrap up some shopping before he had Chartelle show him the properties the guild had available. It didn’t take long for him to find and pay for several sets of casual clothing. All he had left to buy was a coat. Since he might find himself riding on Luke’s back again in the future, he wanted to find something nice and heavy from an armor shop.

A bell rang above him as he slid into an armor shop. “Welcome,” barked the proprietor, a man with a gruff look about him. He froze up as his gaze dropped to Luke.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Taichi said quickly. “I’ll have him wait outside.”

“Nah. It’s fine.”

“Oh, okay. Thank you.” Pleased to have permission, Taichi stepped further inside with Luke still at his side.

The shop had a wide variety of offerings from heavy armor, such as chainmail, to leather armor and finally cloth robes for mages. There were also gloves and all sorts of bags. Taichi’s heart leaped at the sight.

“This is amazing. The people here really wear this stuff and fight?” Taichi wondered out loud, ogling a full plate armor set.

Luke glanced at him. “If you’re that curious, you may as well buy some and see for yourself.”

It would certainly do the job of keeping him protected, by the looks of it.

“As much as I’d like to, it’s probably too heavy. I couldn’t move in it,” said Taichi.

“So frail.”

Taichi pretended not to hear that comment as he began searching for a proper coat. He wasn’t looking for the type of armor a melee fighter might use, but rather something a ranged fighter might equip—something flexible that was still heavy enough to protect him from the cold. Even with that criteria, he was still struggling to choose.

“What about that?” Luke piped in, jerking his nose as if to point.

“This?” Taichi’s eyes landed on a dark green jacket with brown trimming. It had large, baggy sleeves. The lining and embellishments on the coat were all orange, which gave it a stylish contrast. “I like the way it feels. Maybe I should go with this.”

“I can promise you, this is far better than that boring, flimsy fabric you’ve been wearing! If you’re going to walk beside me, you need to look the part!”

“Urk... Right.” It was like a rock had dropped into the pit of his stomach. Luke was the last person—monster?—that he expected to criticize his clothing.

So he says, but he gets to walk around naked.Oh well—at least I found a good coat.

When Taichi was checking out, the proprietor said, “So you’re a Tamer, huh?” Then he added, “First time I’ve ever seen someone with a wolf as big as that.”

“He’s my very important partner,” said Taichi. “He’s a Wolfking, so he’s a little unusual. People tend to stare when we’re walking around the city.” He chuckled.

The proprietor nodded. “Well, ’course they do. Not many people get the opportunity to see a monster as strong as yours.” There was a short pause before he added, “He’s got an awfully nice coat.”

“Aha, now here is a human with a keen eye!” exclaimed Luke, pleased with the compliment.

Total sucker for praise as always, Taichi thought to himself as he reached over and petted the wolf. “I plan to establish a café where people can pet all sorts of fluffy monsters like this guy.” Since the proprietor seemed interested in fur, Taichi thought perhaps the man would also like the concept of the café, which is why he snuck in a little self-advertisement.

“Ooh! A café where you can pet monsters, eh? Now, that’s something I’d like to see. When you open for business, I’ll have to swing by.”

“I’d be happy to have you!”

Woohoo! There’s another customer! He hoped the proprietor would eventually learn to appreciate fluffy animals as much as Taichi did. And with that, he left, new coat in hand.

***

Since he was finished with his shopping, it was time to return to the Tamers’ Guild to see what properties were on offer.

“It needs to be a proper estate with enough room for me to relax as I like,” said Luke.

“Let’s try to be reasonable with our requirements.” Taichi had no idea what kind of place Luke was envisioning, but purely based off the usage of the word “estate,” it was probably safe to assume he wanted the sort of mansion royalty or nobility would live in. “Just who do you think would have to keep it clean?” Taichi muttered under his breath as they headed for the Tamers’ Guild’s reception desk.

“Good morning,” Taichi said as he approached.

“Taichi! Good morning!” Chartelle chirped.

As usual, the reception hall was deserted. Fine by me. I prefer empty over crowded.

“Were you able to find any promising places?” Taichi asked.

“I was!” Chartelle produced three sheets of paper and slid them across the counter to him. The documents listed the layout and price of each respective property.

“Thank you!” Taichi immediately started shuffling through them. All of them could work for his café.

“Personally,” Chartelle piped in, “I recommend this one. It’s the one most closely located near our guild.”

The one she pointed to was located in the middle of the city. It was a two-story building, and the first floor was available for rent. There were various eateries and stores in the area, giving it a large amount of foot traffic.

There’s nothing wrong with this option. It could definitely work as a café. But... Taichi planned to increase the number of monsters in his repertoire, and more importantly, if he set up in the middle of the city, his café might become so popular that he wouldn’t be able to take it as easy as he wanted. He’d heard enough stories about overworked restaurant owners.

“I’d rather have my café somewhere a little more calm and tranquil,” said Taichi.

“Really?” Chartelle chewed on her lip. “Then you’d probably be better off with the one right outside the wall or the one on the outskirts.”

There was one property she’d presented that was outside the city proper, and it was sufficiently large. One room could serve as the café, and another in the back could be repurposed into a break room. The second floor had three bedrooms as well.

The last candidate was on the outskirts. It was about the same size as the second property, but it had one significant difference.

“This one has a garden!” Taichi exclaimed with delight.

“Yep, a rear garden. You can use it to train your monsters. It’s also got a well back there.”

“You know, I was thinking I’d need a spot for the monsters to exercise,” said Taichi. “This is perfect!”

“It does have that,” said Chartelle, “but since it’s on the outskirts of the outer wall, you’ll be exposed to monster attacks. We have a lot of guards and adventurers, of course, so the chances are slim. Just keep in mind that the possibility exists.”

“Monsters...”

Fortunately, Taichi had Luke, who was perfectly capable of taking down a dragon on his own. Whatever might appear on the outskirts would probably be weak, like slimes or something. They’d pose no danger to Luke.

Yeah. I think that settles it.

“I think I’ll be fine with Luke around,” said Taichi. “Could I ask you to guide me out there so I can see it for myself?”

“Yes, of course!” Chartelle quickly led him out to the property he’d chosen, which was about a ten minute walk from the city gate.

The place was an inviting two-story structure made of wood, with vines climbing along the sides. It gave the place more of a fantasy feel, which Taichi liked. There were large windows on the front, which made it easy for anyone outside the building to peer in. Yes, he was confident this place would work for his café.

Taichi gave a vigorous nod. It’s perfect!

Luke loped to the rear garden. “I suppose it will work,” he said, looking more pleased with the place than he let on.

“Let me show you the interior,” said Chartelle.

“Oh, right!”

The spacious front room came equipped with a fireplace. It would be the perfect, cozy spot during the winter. Taichi could already picture his adorable fluffy animals curled up near it. Cats especially loved warm places. Yes, this just gets better and better!

Chartelle cracked open a door deeper in, leading them to a kitchen. It was connected to a smaller room, which looked perfect for storage. “A long time ago, this place was used as a dining hall. The owner was a Tamer who would cook together with his monsters.”

“Really? From the layout, it seemed perfect for my café, so I wondered if it had been a restaurant of some kind originally.” Taichi appreciated having a kitchen already in place. He didn’t plan to offer entire meals for people, but ideally, he wanted to provide light snacks on his menu. While he nodded to himself, pleased with everything he was seeing, Luke scrutinized the room.

“Hmph. It’s cramped. You expect a proud Fenrir such as I to live in a place like this?”

“You’ll be all right,” Taichi told him. “We’ve got a saying back where I come from: Home is wherever you make it. I think you’ll learn to like this place.”

Luke huffed and turned away. “Hmph! Being around you day and night will only exhaust me!” For all his hostility, his tail had turned into a propeller.

You’re always so hot-and-cold! Taichi thought to himself and then paused. Cold-and-cold may be more accurate, since you only seem to have one mode. Whatever the case, Luke was adorable and fluffy, which made it easy to forgive his antics.

“Taichi,” Chartelle said, interrupting his thoughts, “the living space is upstairs.” With her in the lead, they took the stairs in the kitchen up to the second floor. It came equipped with a living room, a simple kitchen, and three bedrooms. One bedroom was about five tatami mats in size, while the other two were six. According to Chartelle, the kitchen here was kept simple, since the previous owner did their major cooking downstairs.

Some of it is a bit dated, but it’ll do.

Chartelle explained, “Since you’re a guild member, rent will be a hundred thousand Chel a month. You can also purchase it outright if you prefer, but you’ll need to become at least a D-Rank member within the guild first.”

“I don’t mind renting, so can I go with that option?”

“Of course.”

Even if he held the appropriate rank to purchase the property, this was only his second day in this world. One day, he may decide he didn’t like this area anymore and move, so it was preferable not to immediately put his roots down. This does seem to be a pretty good city, from what I saw yesterday. Rellim was the second largest in the kingdom, according to Luke. Taichi quite liked it, since it seemed like a safe and peaceful place to settle down. He preferred it over the capital, where royalty and nobility probably lived. He wanted to avoid the upper crust.

“Then, let’s head back and fill out the paperwork,” Chartelle suggested.

“Yes, please.”

He had the property he needed for the café, which meant he was yet another step closer to his dream. I’ll have to increase the number of fluffy animals I own too! There was still a laundry list of things he needed to do.

Interlude 3: A Ridiculously Powerful Tamer Appears!

Interlude 3:
A Ridiculously Powerful Tamer Appears!

THE WOMAN HAD worked as a receptionist in Rellim’s Adventurers’ Guild for several years now, but what happened today was probably the most shocking thing that she had ever experienced. Her name was Emilia, and she was twenty-two years old.

As for the aforementioned shocking event, a slender, unassuming man had shown up carrying a massive amount of high-ranking monster materials in a rare Bottomless Bag. Even in her capacity as a receptionist, she had never seen such high-rank monster carcasses before. I shouldn’t be so surprised, I guess, since he’s tamed a Wolfking. Despite his appearance, Emilia suspected the man was far stronger than he let on.

After collecting the money to pay Taichi for his materials, Emilia stopped in at the guild master’s office before she handed over the bag of coins. Taichi had to be quite the Tamer to bring in those materials. She thought it best to inform the guild master of the situation. If possible, she hoped the man would agree to register with their guild. It would probably be most effective to have the guild master extend an invitation personally. That was why Emilia stopped by her office.

“Guild Master? It’s me, Emilia. Do you have a moment?” Emilia asked after knocking.

There was no response.

Emilia had a sinking feeling in her stomach. She held back the urge to sigh and instead said, “Excuse the intrusion!” before bursting inside. As she suspected, it was empty. She wanted to scream.

“Where did you go, Guild Master?! I managed to lead this high-ranking Tamer into a private room so you could speak with him, and you’re not even here!” Emilia wanted to burst into tears. Why, when Emilia needed her the most, was she not here? There certainly wasn’t enough time for Emilia to go hunting her down. She would have to give up.

Shoulders slumped, Emilia dragged her feet as she left the room and returned to where she had left Taichi earlier.

***

It wasn’t until that night that the guild master returned, and Emilia was finally able to fill her in on Taichi’s appearance at the guild.

“A Tamer with a Wolfking, you say? Someone that amazing came to our city?”

“Yes, that’s what I’m telling you! And yet you weren’t even here, Hymeria!” Emilia groused angrily. “I wanted you to meet him personally.”

Hymeria smiled wearily and shrugged. “It’s not my fault I’m not suited to be the guild master. You know I’m not any good at negotiations and the like.”

“There you go again! Might I remind you that you climbed to the pinnacle of your vocation, earning the specialization of Wise Sage. You’re incredible!”

“Still...I’m just not suited to office work.”

Despite her credentials, Hymeria was only sixteen years of age, and she looked every bit as innocent and youthful as she should. A peerless mage, she struggled to lead others. She preferred to adventure as she liked, especially at her age. The only reason she was serving as the Adventurers’ Guild’s master was because it was convenient for them to have her as a leader, not because she wanted to. That was also why she didn’t make public appearances as the guild master. Few people even knew what she looked like.

“We missed a golden opportunity to snag some serious talent,” Emilia complained.

Hymeria’s cheeks swelled with displeasure. She almost resented the king for appointing her guild master. She appreciated the people who looked up to her, but that didn’t make her any more pleased to have this “honor” foisted on her.

“It is curious that he managed to tame a Wolfking,” Hymeria noted.

“See?! So please, encourage him to work for the guild! All the monsters he brought us were high ranking!” Emilia spoke with passionate zeal.

Hymeria sighed. Of course she was interested in this powerful Tamer. No Tamer yet had made such a name for themselves before. Most adventurers probably thought of them as convenient support members if anything, since they could tame enormous beasts to carry everyone’s things, but they weren’t known for their battle prowess.

Silence hung in the air.

After considering everything Emilia had told her, Hymeria decided it was better not to approach him in her capacity as guild master.

“This matter is closed,” she announced.

“What? Why?!”

“Because I don’t wanna.”

Hymeria knew from experience how annoying it was to have someone persistently peck at you to do something for them simply because you were powerful. “Besides, if we pester him too much, he might leave the city altogether. If he really is as powerful as you think, then he could make it anywhere. He doesn’t have to stay here.”

Hymeria made such a good point that Emilia couldn’t argue with her. “Ngh... True, it would be a shame if he left.” Nonetheless, Emilia couldn’t help feeling that Hymeria was making the wrong decision.

But that’s just the kind of person she is. Hymeria rarely asserted herself when it came to the administration of the guild, despite her leadership position. According to her, she was lending her name to the institution and nothing more. In exchange, whenever something unforeseen happened—such as a dangerous monster showing up—she would work with the other members of her guild to resolve the matter. That was why the personnel here allowed her to come and go freely, leading to her frequent absences from the office.

“Having a powerful Tamer in our town is reassuring enough. Let’s be satisfied with that for now,” suggested Hymeria.

“I suppose. I’ll be clocking out for the day, then. Excuse me.”

“All right. Thanks for your hard work today!” Hymeria waved as Emilia strode out.

***

Thinking she would probably head home soon too, Hymeria poured herself a cup of tea.

“A Tamer, huh,” she said to herself.

Hymeria had defeated a Wolfking before, but it had been a powerful opponent. It wasn’t a monster one could easily tame. And for it to completely obey him is amazing. As strong as she was, and even possessing a job specialization, Hymeria still found Wolfkings tough to tackle. She couldn’t even begin to imagine what it must be like for a Tamer to have one around them at all times.

“He calls himself a Tamer, but I wonder if he has a specialization like I do.” Hymeria thought it was a safe bet to assume he did. Could an ordinary Tamer actually tame a Wolfking? She very much doubted it. “Weird that no one has made a fuss if he really is walking around out there with a Wolfking.”

Hymeria would think most of the city folk would run screaming if they saw something so terrifying on the street. But then it hit her. “Of course! Most people have probably never encountered a hostile Wolfking before.” This one was probably much calmer, since it had been tamed and the city guard had seen fit to allow it in. “I kind of want to see it for myself.”

Alas, the Tamer in question hadn’t registered with the guild. It might not be that easy to meet him. Perhaps she should have stayed around the office so she could have met him earlier.

Hymeria shook her head. No, this was for the best. There was nothing more unpleasant than having a person in a position of influence proposition you.

“I wonder if I could be so lucky as to run into him on the street.” Then she could meet him as Hymeria the adventurer rather than Hymeria the guild master. “But it wouldn’t be right to just go out looking for him.” Then she would be doing exactly what Emilia had asked. “Awww, it doesn’t seem like anything will work. I just want to be friends.” She sipped on her tea, hoping she could be so lucky as to encounter this Tamer by chance.

Chapter 4: Taichi’s Big Plan to Snag More Monsters

Chapter 4:
Taichi’s Big Plan to Snag More Monsters

TAICHI SETTLED HIS contract with the Tamer’s Guild to rent the property, and they cleaned it thoroughly before entrusting it to him. He was pleased with how quickly everything had gone. He still lacked the necessary furniture, but the place was at least ready for him to live in. He was anxious to move and start setting up his café. And so, he did just that.

“Woohoo!” Standing in the middle of his deserted café, Taichi cheered. “Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d get my hands on a place to start my café this quickly.”

“And you wouldn’t have been able to if not for the monsters I hunted!” Luke said, head held high. He was right about that part. Every bit of Taichi’s savings came from selling those very monsters’ materials.

Taichi nodded vigorously, stroking Luke’s fluffy neck. “You’re right. I owe you big time, Luke!”

“H-hey now! Don’t touch me without permission!” Like always, Luke’s tail betrayed him, whipping back and forth.

C’mon, no need to be so cold! Taichi knew that Luke was secretly pleased with the praise and attention, which was why he ignored the wolf’s protest and ruffled his fur, enjoying the feel of the silky coat against his skin. He leaned in close, inhaling deep.

“Don’t sniff me!” Luke snapped.

“Settle down,” Luke cooed back at him.

Luke was baffled; he’d never experienced Taichi in such high spirits before. The wolf howled again in protest, “Enough!” but it did little to discourage the goofy grin that had spread across Taichi’s face.

After thoroughly indulging in Luke’s fluff, Taichi stood up straight. “All right!” He swept his gaze around the room. “First, we need to acquire daily necessities.”

“Naturally. So, will we be going shopping?”

“Actually, I’m thinking of handling it myself, with my skills.”

“Your skills?”

Taichi had already gotten a passing glance at the furniture places in the city, and as much as he hated to admit it, the quality wasn’t up to his standards. Calling them “antique” would be putting it nicely. He wanted his space to be more cozy and welcoming than that would allow, both for his customers and for his own personal enjoyment.

“I have the skill Create,” he explained. “So I’m going to try it out!”

He hadn’t had a reason to use it yet, but if he could make his own furniture, it was worth giving it a try.

“Really? You have that skill? Sounds awfully useful. I have never heard of it before,” said Luke.

“It’s one of my personal skills,” Taichi supplied. “Okay, first let’s try to Create a table!” When he activated the ability, a 3D model appeared in his head. This was probably a way of visualizing what he wanted to create. Whoa, so this is how you make stuff.

Taichi drew in a deep breath and tried to picture the most stylish café table he could. I want a large, round table for the middle of the café. It needs to be relatively low, with legs in the shape of cat paws. I want a wood table so it’s more inviting, with a natural color. He concentrated on all the little details, and the model in his head slowly transformed to reflect the image he painted, taking solid form.

“There, that should do it!”

When he opened his eyes, the table was there in the middle of the café, looking exactly as he’d pictured it.

Create was a personal skill the cat god had bestowed upon him. It allowed him to visualize an object in his head and manifest it.

“Whoa! Incredible!” cried Taichi.

“I can’t believe such a skill even exists,” said Luke. “It’s unheard of.”

Taichi was beyond elated that the table perfectly matched all of his specifications. “Okay! If we’re going to make this into a proper fluffy café, we need to make sure people can relax! Create a beanbag chair!”

He went through the same process in his head, envisioning the beanbag chair in his mind as he used his skill. The moment he opened his eyes, a large brown beanbag chair appeared. Taichi had imagined one large enough to accommodate Luke.

“What do you think, Luke?” He motioned for Luke to test it.

The wolf hesitantly pressed a paw against the chair. “Hm?! This isn’t half bad!” He plopped down on it immediately, sinking into the cushion and sprawling out. It was obvious how much he’d taken a liking to it, joy breaking out across his face.

Man, he’s so stinkin’ cute. True, Luke was aloof, arrogant, and acted like a drama queen half the time, but seeing him wiggle around and enjoy himself like this was soothing to the soul. Taichi decided he’d make a second one to keep in his room, but for now, he moved on to creating other furniture.

“Next, we’ll need some smaller tables, chairs, and cushions. We should probably have some shelves too... Create!”

Taichi grew used to using his skill in no time as he steadily crafted each furniture item on his list. He also set up a separate area for the monsters to lounge away from the prying eyes of the customers. Though he didn’t have any cats yet, he made a cat wand, along with a ball and some stuffed toys. For the latter, he made one type that squeaked and another that didn’t. He placed a cat tower near the wall. Then he added an adorable and stylish spiral staircase in the middle of the large round table at the center of the room that the smaller monsters could climb up. Finally, he crafted lace curtains for the windows.

“Phew, I’ve made some good progress!” He stood back and surveyed what he’d accomplished so far. Taichi couldn’t stop himself from grinning. The only monster he had was Luke, but his heart hummed at the thought of adding dog- and cat-type monsters to the café.

His gaze wandered to the window. It was pitch black outside. He had been so absorbed in creating all the furniture that the sun had set without him even realizing it.

“This is because I was being so meticulous with the details,” he said to himself. But he’d made some quality furniture in return for all the time he’d poured in.

“What, we’re leaving?” Luke asked with a yawn. He hopped off the beanbag chair. It must have been comfortable, since he had slept the entire time Taichi had worked.

“Chartelle might worry if we’re too late returning. Let’s go home for today. Tomorrow, I’ll make furniture for our living space upstairs.”

“Very well.”

Taichi was anxious to open the café for business. Holding that desire close in his heart, he set out to return to the Tamers’ Guild.

***

The next day, Taichi kept his word and made the furniture for their living space, figuring they could live comfortably now. It would be difficult for him to create all of the more minor items they required himself, so he decided he would buy those in the city. Taichi had selected one of the larger rooms for his and Luke’s personal quarters upstairs. He’d furnished it with a soft bed for himself and an oversized beanbag chair for Luke.

“Hmm.” Luke inspected the interior. “I suppose it will do. It’s arguably too cramped for someone such as myself, but in light of the superb beanbag chair you have provided, I shall make an exception.”

“Ha ha, I’m glad you’ve taken a liking to it,” said Taichi. “Oh!”

“Hm? What is it now?”

“I’ve forgotten something important.” With Luke following close, Taichi moved from the upstairs living space to the café downstairs. “This is supposed to be a fluffy café, but we don’t even have a signboard, now do we?”

“Oh. So that’s what you’re on about.”

“C’mon, it’s a vital part of any café!” Taichi slid out the front door to survey the exterior. He noticed there was nothing attached to the door, so he created a bell that would ring whenever anyone entered or left. There, much better.

“I want this to be a cozy café where people can relax and recover,” he said. “Create!” Taichi pictured a signboard in his mind, shaping his mental image into what he wanted.

A moment later, an A-frame signboard appeared in front of him. To match the theme of the café, he had used Luke’s profile as a logo, giving their new sign a striking yet adorable look. The name of the café was displayed prominently: Fluffy Café. Written below, in smaller text, was: A safe space to decompress and relax, with a cup of tea drawn beside it. This would make it easy for people to identify the place as a café. The business hours were listed as well: Open from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

This is supposed to be a place to relax for me too, so I’m not about to pull long hours working! Avoiding overtime was a hard line for Taichi. He wanted this life to be the exact opposite of his previous one, with no unnecessary stress or burnout.

“On the other hand, I can’t open for business right away. The Commerce Guild exists for a reason. I should probably go have a chat with them. Luke, do you want to come?” It might take quite a bit of time to work everything out at the Commerce Guild. He warned Luke as much, to which the wolf wrinkled his snout.

“What, and come listen to long, rambling technical explanations? I think I will nap on this beanbag chair instead,” said Luke.

Taichi couldn’t help but smirk. He’d anticipated that response. “All right,” he said. “Then I’ll be back later.”

“Very well.”

Taichi left Luke behind at the café and made his way to the Commerce Guild. It was about as crowded as the Adventurers’ Guild, but the counters were more carefully divided to ensure a steady stream of business. Taichi beelined for the counter with a sign hanging over it reading “New Registrations.”

“Greetings,” said the clerk. “What is your business here today?”

“Afternoon. My name is Taichi Arima. I’ve come to discuss starting a café where customers can touch and interact with my fluffy companions.”

“By ‘fluffy companions,’ I assume you mean monsters?” The woman cocked her head to the side, brows furrowed with confusion.

Ugh, no one here seems to understand just how amazing fluffy critters are! But as much as that frustrated him, he would soon remedy the problem. Once his café was officially open to the public, Taichi was confident he’d capture the hearts of the nearby city folk.

“Yes, exactly!” he answered passionately. “You say ‘monsters,’ but I’m talking specifically about the soft, fluffy ones that feel incredible to touch. They’re amazing for your mental health when you’re feeling fatigued. Trust me—the people need this!”

The clerk giggled at him. “A bit of an eccentric idea, if you ask me. But considering how passionate you are, I’m kind of curious to see it for myself.”

“Really?! You’d be more than welcome!”

Taichi hoped his café could be a refuge for all those in receptionist or clerk-type jobs that were weighed down day by day with office work. The more he pursued this, the more he foresaw himself filling an underserved niche.

“Now then,” the clerk continued, smiling at him, “there’s nothing wrong with you running such a café, since you’re a Tamer. In fact, it’s common for Tamers to use their monsters for work, such as the transportation of heavy items.”

This came as a huge relief for Taichi; he had worried whether he’d be allowed to use monsters for his café.

“There is, however, a requirement.”

He froze. “A requirement?”

“Yes. When a Tamer has their monsters perform work that puts them in direct contact with other humans, they are required to register those monsters with the Tamers’ Guild.”

Most people would assume the monsters were tamed if they were being used for work, but anyone could lie about that. It was only natural for the Commerce Guild to add such conditions to maintain public safety and security. Taichi could discuss registration with Chartelle later.

“All right,” he said.

“I appreciate you being so understanding. Next, let’s discuss income tax. It is dependent upon where your shop is located and whether it’s a personal business or one run by a company.”

“This is personal,” Taichi told the clerk. “My café is located on the outskirts of the city. I’m renting a property from the Tamers’ Guild.”

“Very good,” she said. “Sounds like you have everything in order.” The clerk produced a document, which she slid over to him. It included an explanation for people running their own personal business.

Taxes were imposed depending on where one’s business was located. For those in the middle of the city, the Commerce Guild required a payment of 15 percent of all income earned. This was reduced to 10 percent for those on the edge of the city, and for those living on the very outskirts like Taichi, tax was reduced further to only 5 percent.

Ooh, that’s an awfully reasonable tax percentage. Taichi had worked as a corporate drone his whole life, so he didn’t know very much about running his own business, but he could more or less guess this was probably a pretty low tax rate. It also made it much easier to calculate, since tax was relative to location. Business owners were required to pay their income tax once a month to the Commerce Guild. He would need to be careful to remember that.

“Will you be opening for business right away?” asked the clerk.

“I think so. I’ve already got everything—” His voice cut off, shoulders jumping with a sudden realization.

The clerk blinked, waiting for him to continue.

“Actually, no. I’ve, uh...got a few more things to get in order.”

“All right, then. Once you’re ready to open for business, please return to this counter.”

“Will do,” said Taichi.

He thanked the clerk for all her help and sped back to the Fluffy Café—which was now his home as well as his workplace.

Well, perhaps “sped back” was an overstatement. Taichi didn’t possess the required stamina to sprint continuously from the middle of the city to its outskirts. He swore to himself that he would exercise more so he wouldn’t get as easily worn out. He had to cycle between running and walking before he finally made it back.

Taichi burst through the front door, the bell clanging noisily to announce his entrance. The noise roused Luke, who had been deep asleep on his beanbag chair.

Still drowsy, he yawned. “You have some nerve, human, waking a proud Fenrir such as myself from—what’s the matter, Taichi?” He’d started speaking in that usual holier-than-thou theatric way he always did before cutting himself off, eyeing a very out of breath Taichi suspiciously. It didn’t take a genius—or a proud Fenrir, for that matter—to realize something was amiss.

“Big problem,” Taichi choked out. “We don’t have enough fluffy creatures...to open our Fluffy Café!”

The only fluffy creature he had was Luke.

“That’s all?” Luke asked, exasperated.

“Oh, c’mon, this is a big deal! At least to me!”

Taichi had made so much progress. He had a fully furnished location, but if he had no fluffy creatures in it, how could he possibly hope to get people to understand how amazing they were? He said as much to Luke, who snorted at him.

“Then go tame some,” said the wolf. “You’re a Tamer, aren’t you?”

Taichi perked up. “You make a great argument!”

If he lacked the creatures he needed, he could simply go and tame them. With that in mind, Taichi and Luke headed for the Tamers’ Guild. He hoped Chartelle could help point him in the right direction.

“You want to know where you can find some fluffy monsters?”

“Yes!” Taichi said eagerly. “The more familiar and friendly the city folk are with them, the better!”

“Well, I don’t know about ‘familiar’ or ‘friendly,’ but there are Berry Bunnies in the southwestern grasslands. They’re the sort newbie adventurers tend to hunt.”

Taichi’s excitement soared with Chartelle’s explanation. Bunnies were sure to be adorable and fluffy! It was a shame she hadn’t recommended him a cat-type monster instead, but he had to start somewhere.

“Thank you! I’ll go check it out right now!”

“Since you have Luke with you, I’m sure you could tame more powerful monsters,” said Chartelle. “But I guess you’re doing this for your café, not for battle. Good luck out there.”

“Appreciate it! I’ll see you later!”

With a disappointed smile on her face, Chartelle gave him a wave, and Taichi hurried out.

Soon enough, Taichi found his way to the southwestern grasslands. There was a forest on the other side of the grasslands, the entrance of which was an area newbie adventurers often used for hunting.

“I would have no problem catching one of these Berry Bunnies, but they’re quite agile. I wonder if you can handle taming one,” Luke said skeptically. “If you need, I could catch them for you.”

Taichi politely declined. If I left it up to him, he’d chomp them in half! A rude thought, perhaps, but he couldn’t help worrying whether Luke would be gentle. No, the better plan was to sneak up behind one and tame it before it could scurry off. While he was forming this strategy in his head, the bushes behind him rustled and an adorable cry of “Kree!” pierced the air.

“Hm?” Taichi spun around to find a bunny behind him. Its floppy ears had ivy twining at the base, where little raspberries sprouted. Taichi didn’t have to touch its coat to know it was soft, its appearance so utterly adorable his spirit nearly left his body. “This is...a Berry Bunny, right? Huh. Wow, berries really are growing from it.”

The way Luke spoke about them, he’d expected these bunnies to be more apprehensive and wary, but that didn’t seem to be the case. The white-furred Berry Bunny hopped right over to him.

Aww, it’s so precious! Taichi dropped to a crouch to get closer, and the bunny pressed a tiny little paw to his knee.

“Hm? Berry Bunnies are usually extremely cautious. They don’t tend to venture so close,” Luke said, confused.

It wasn’t until Luke’s comment that Taichi remembered his title: Fluff Master. Perhaps that was what prompted something as fluffy as this Berry Bunny to forsake its usual caution and approach. Being a Fluff Master is awesome! Tears sprang to his eyes.

“All right. Tame!”

“Kree!”

The Berry Bunny leaped toward his chest, and Taichi happily caught it. He nuzzled the fluffy creature, its fur soft as silk on his cheek. Luke had an amazing coat too, but this was hard to pass up.

“And since I’ve tamed you, I need to give you a name, don’t I?” said Taichi. “You have a beautiful white coat, so I’ll call you Marshmallow!”

“Kree!” Marshmallow’s ears wiggled happily, indicating it was pleased with the name he’d given it.

“Can’t I communicate with you, since I have the Speak with Monsters skill?” Taichi wondered.

“Kree?”

“That’s odd...” Taichi glanced at Luke for answers, since the bunny wasn’t using words like Luke.

“Berry Bunnies aren’t very intelligent animals,” Luke explained, striding closer. “They don’t understand language the way a human does. Though, if you make a concerted effort, perhaps it could learn.”

“Interesting. Guess that goes to show how amazing you are, Luke.” Taichi slung his arm around Luke, giving him an affectionate hug. Ahh, he’s so soft!

“H-hey now!” snapped Luke. “You shouldn’t touch me so freely!”

“Because I’m a proud Fenrir,” Taichi finished for him, their voices overlapping together.

Luke gasped in dismay.

“C’mon. You’ve said it so many times. It’s only natural I’ve memorized it.”

A subtle blush colored Luke’s cheeks, his tail wagging merrily behind him. He was embarrassed, but he was clearly pleased at how well Taichi had come to understand him, and how Taichi showed him the same affection he’d been giving to the Berry Bunny.

Taichi, Luke, and Marshmallow were all grinning and enjoying their time together when the grass nearby rustled. Two new Berry Bunnies poked their heads out.

“Oh, wonderful! Tame! And...Tame!” Taichi snagged these two in quick succession, his taming succeeding easily. “Looks like you guys come in all sorts of colors. Let’s name the brown one Papaya, and the white and black speckled one Oreo!”

“Kree.”

“Kree!”

They both cried happily as if they were pleased with their names and hopped closer. In no time at all, Taichi had ascended to fluffy paradise.

“Ah, this is wonderful.”

“Kree.”

The bunnies took an immediate liking to him, happily bouncing.

Again, the shrubbery rustled as even more bunnies emerged. It was as if they were born to shower Taichi with their love, for the moment they spotted him, they bounded over.

“Great! Tame, Tame, Tame!”

In a manner of seconds, he’d tamed three more and gave them names too.

“How many of these things do you plan to tame?” Luke grumbled in exasperation.

How could Taichi possibly resist taming any of the adorable, cuddly bunnies that came to him?!

Another rustle sounded.

“Tame!”

Luke sighed. This didn’t seem like it would end any time soon.

***

Once Taichi finished taming the Berry Bunnies that would act as personnel at his café, he picked his way back to Rellim. The bunnies formed a line behind him, hopping along and calling out in their adorable voices all the way. This time, Taichi was confident he would have an easy time entering the city, since he had a personal ID in the form of his Tamers’ Guild card. Little did he know...

“Wh-what’s with all the Berry Bunnies?!” cried the guard, holding up a hand to stop Taichi from walking straight through the gate.

Taichi didn’t understand what was so shocking about it. Few as they might be, this world had other Tamers besides him. Nonetheless, he plucked his guild card out and flashed it. “I’m a Tamer,” he said. “This wolf and the ten Berry Bunnies are my tamed monsters. As long as they obey me, there should be no problem with us entering the city, right?” That was his understanding from the last time he’d entered. Plus, the Berry Bunnies were significantly less dangerous than Luke.

The guard’s mouth twitched, as if he didn’t quite agree with Taichi’s rationalization. “Of course we allow monsters in if they’re tamed, but I thought the number of beasts a Tamer could tame was contingent upon their skill level. Am I wrong?”

“Oh, uh...” Taichi stiffened. All of my skills are level infinite.

He understood that since each skill had a level listed, it stood to reason that skills would offer more the higher level they were. And here I thought increased skill only improved one’s success in taming. Apparently, the skill level was also proportional to the number of tamed pets one could have.

“Uh, but these are all weak monsters. So it’s not anything out of the ordinary,” Taichi tried to insist, hoping the guard would buy his made-up excuse.

“R-really? Hm, but I guess that could be. I have no idea what skill level you need to command that many monsters at once. Maybe it does work that way.”

“Yeah, exactly!” Taichi nodded vigorously. “This is how it works. Also, it’s possible that my skill level was boosted because I tamed so many weak monsters.”

“Huh.” The guard shrugged. “Makes sense to me.”

Despite how unconvincing Taichi’s argument was, the guard seemed satisfied enough with it. Relieved to have that out of the way, Taichi hurried to the Tamers’ Guild. Chartelle expressed the same shock as the guard but nonetheless registered them all with the guild. Taichi dropped by the Commerce Guild afterward to notify them he would be opening for business. Afterward, he headed home.

***

“Listen up, you neophytes. This beanbag chair belongs to me,” Luke growled.

“Kree.”

“Kree!”

Upon their return, Luke parked himself on top of the beanbag chair. He must really love it.

“You sure have staked your claim,” said Taichi. “Not that I mind.”

“Of course I have. This is the pinnacle of sleep furniture!” Luke’s nostrils flared with a sharp exhale.

Taichi chuckled at him. “I’m glad you like it so much.”

The Berry Bunnies began settling into the café space as well, immediately treating it like home despite their cautious nature. Taichi assumed that was because he’d tamed them. Some, like Luke, found a cushion to sleep on, while others bounced around energetically.

Yes, perfect. They’re all cute as can be!

With so many fluffy creatures populating the café, he was ready to open whenever! Well, not quite, actually. There was one more necessary component he had to add first: a menu for his customers.

There was just one problem with that: This world lacked the breadth of tea varieties that Japan had. Okay, that wasn’t entirely true—they were a luxury good, which made them expensive. There were cheaper alternatives, but the taste was...questionable, to say the least. The mainstays in this world were water, fruit-infused water, or some sort of alcoholic beverage.

“I refuse to offer my customers unappetizing drinks!” Taichi declared with great resolve. “Which means I’m going to have to use that one special skill to circumvent this issue!”

There were a number of personal skills he had yet to use, in fact.

“All right, it’s your time to shine, Interdimensional Shopping!”

Interdimensional Shopping was one of the personal skills the cat god had bestowed upon Taichi. It was an extremely unique skill which allowed him to request groceries from Japan.

As soon as he used it, a memo pad and pen popped up in front of him. The words Grocery List were written at the top, with five dots to indicate where he should list the items he wanted. This indicated he could only request five at a time.

“Hmm, I’ll need some instant green tea, Earl Grey teabags, instant coffee, cookies, and chocolate.”

That should be enough for his menu for the time being. When he settled into the job, he could add soda, orange juice, and some other options.

“Maybe I can even offer a drink bar in the future? Nah, that’d probably be too difficult,” Taichi muttered, chuckling to himself.

The memo pad and pen disappeared right out of his hands. I assume that means it’s gone off to the cat god? It was Taichi’s first time using the skill, so he wasn’t entirely sure how it worked. He sat there for a minute waiting, but nothing happened. There was nothing productive about sitting and waiting. He decided to continue working on his menu instead.

“Create menu!” Taichi said, activating his skill.

If he made individual menus to put on each table, the critters in the room were likely to play with them and knock them off. He settled instead on one he could mount on the wall. He made the sign in the shape of an animal and placed it on the wall beside the counter that would act as his front register.

The sign read:

MENU

- DRINKS: 700 CHEL -

GREEN TEA: HOT OR ICED

COFFEE: HOT OR ICED

BLACK TEA: HOT OR ICED

- SNACKS: 300 CHEL -

COOKIES

CHOCOLATE

The menu was simple, he realized, but since he was the only human worker here, he thought it was more than enough to start.

With perfect timing, the groceries he’d requested appeared right in front of him, tucked inside a plastic bag. He rummaged through it to find every item he’d requested. There was even a receipt, which showed a final price of twenty-eight hundred yen, along with “2,800 Chel” scribbled beside it.

“How am I supposed to pay this?” Taichi wondered. He retrieved his wallet from his bag, and the coins disappeared on their own. The cat god had taken the necessary amount for himself.

“Oh, um... Thank you, Cat God!”

Taichi thought he heard a faint meow in response.

***

Since Taichi’s preparations were complete, he informed Chartelle that he would be living in the building that held his café from today onwards. She promised she would come to visit, so he was sure he would see her again soon.

Both the first floor café and the second floor living space had their own toilet and sink. That’s when it hit him—there wasn’t a bath. There hadn’t been one at the Tamers’ Guild, either. They had instead provided a warm bucket of water and hand towel so he could wipe himself down. From what he had gathered, only royalty, nobility, or those with sufficiently deep pockets could afford their own bathroom.

“I can’t stand it anymore!” Luke howled.

“Settle down. We need to clean you up.” Taichi and his wolf were locked in a fierce battle in front of the garden’s well. Taichi was insistent that Luke needed a good wash, whereas the latter was staunchly opposed.

Since Luke had lived his whole life in the forest, he deeply hated being scrubbed with soap. He would occasionally take a dip in a spring to wash himself off, but that was the extent of his bathing ritual. Since he was going to be an important member of this café, Taichi wanted to give him a more thorough cleaning.

“Kree.”

“Ka-kree!”

“Yes, yes. You all are well-behaved,” Taichi praised the bunnies who were obediently letting him wash them.

Luke watched them, growling irritably. He didn’t like the idea that the bunnies could do something he couldn’t, which was why he eventually submitted.

Aww, your rivalry with the bunnies is so cute, Luke.

“Washing you guys out here is fine while it’s warm, but when winter hits, we won’t be able to do this,” Taichi said to himself, thinking. He, too, wanted a proper, heated bath. He scanned the garden, trying to figure out how he might make one. With the right amount of space, he thought he might be able to make one with his skill.

Unlike rented properties in Japan, Chartelle had informed him he was free to make whatever renovations he wanted. She did warn him, however, that he would not be reimbursed if he eventually moved.

“Create a detached bath!” Moments after the words left his mouth, he had a fully detached bath in the rear garden.

“What is that?” Luke asked.

“Kree-kree?”

“Kree.”

“Something we’re all gonna love,” Taichi told his fluffy friends. Motioning them along, he cracked the door open to reveal a simple dressing area. The bath itself was located deeper in with a deep, wide tub situated beside a much smaller, shallower one for the monsters. The baths were even equipped with proper faucets, perhaps because Taichi had envisioned what he’d owned back in Japan.

What are they connected to? His mental imagery hadn’t been detailed enough to include the plumbing. Would water—better yet, hot water—come out of it? Hesitantly, he reached for one of the knobs and turned it. Water came rushing out of the faucet.

“How does this... You know what, better not to question it.”

It was probably the cat god’s power making it function.

“Hm.” Luke stared at the tub and the faucet mounted to it. “This thing spits out warm water? What are you going to do in here?”

“This is a bath,” Taichi explained, motioning broadly. “It feels amazing. Want to hop in and give it a try?”

“A bath, you say?” Luke seemed deeply curious about this new discovery, but he didn’t pad forward like he might normally, as if he didn’t quite have the courage.

The bunnies, on the other hand, happily hopped forward to partake, plopping into the tub.

“What?!” cried Luke.

“Kree?!”

“Kree!”

The bunnies seemed to enjoy the warm water. All ten of them were crying happily at one another.

“Stop that! Your rank is below mine. How dare you enter before me?!” Luke couldn’t abide being outdone by a herd of rabbits, so he immediately hopped in after them. Taichi wished Luke had shown the same eagerness earlier when Taichi was washing him. “Hmm?! This bath is...ahhh.”

Luke was taken aback by how relaxing the warm water was. His whole face relaxed into an expression of ecstasy. Gone was the dignified look he normally wore as he reminded Taichi he was a proud Fenrir. “Now, I understand. This is quite nice! A cold bath doesn’t suit a noble Fenrir such as myself.” Soon enough, he was relaxing and enjoying himself with a towel wrapped around his head.

“I’m glad you like it,” Taichi said.

“Indeed. You may be a strange human, but you have created something magnificent! I expect you to prepare this warm bath for me daily!”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Luke liked it even more than Taichi had expected. And he was so against me washing him with the well water. He laughed to himself. Since he was already in here, he figured he might as well go for a soak himself.

“Ahh, this feels incredible.”

“Human, you shouldn’t be hogging that all to yourself!” Luke cried as he dove inside with Taichi. He had a point; the shallow bath was a bit too small for a monster of Luke’s size. The human bath was big enough that the water came all the way up to the proud Fenrir’s shoulders.

“Ooh,” Luke moaned in appreciation.

I guess he really, really likes it. Taichi would have to humor him and prepare these baths every day if he liked them this much. But he couldn’t help but wonder: Was it really okay to bathe a dog that frequently? Then again, Luke was a monster, not a normal dog, so surely it would be fine.

It was 9 a.m. by the time they all finished their baths. Today was supposed to be the opening day for the Fluffy Café. Taichi wasn’t sure if it would go well, but he wasn’t that concerned with sales. If he could create a space for people to relax and decompress, that would be more than enough for him.

He used his Create skill to fashion himself an apron, and soon enough, it was time to open.

“Okay, Marshmallow! You’re the leader of this bunny herd. I expect you to take your role seriously,” said Taichi.

“Kree!” Marshmallow gave a gleeful bounce.

It was a shame that they couldn’t communicate fully, but the bunnies seemed to more or less understand the meaning of what Taichi was trying to get across.

“When customers come, I want you to play with them,” Taichi explained. “I won’t force you if you’re uncomfortable, of course. You can always back out.” Fluffy creatures were allowed to be fickle. Taichi had no intention of forcing his tamed monsters to be friendly for the customers if they weren’t up to it.

Although Taichi had put great gusto into preparing everything for his grand opening, several hours had passed with no indication of anyone dropping by to visit. I guess it’s my own fault for not advertising the place more. At most, the Commerce Guild might have put something out to indicate his new business venture after he submitted all his documents.

Thanks to the cat god, it had been surprisingly easy for Taichi to open his Fluffy Café. Normally, it would take a person much longer to build the funds and set everything up to run their own business. He realized just how blessed he was when he thought of it that way.

“Worrying about it won’t do any good,” he said to himself. “I’m on the outskirts of the city. It may take some time, but customers will slowly start to trickle in. I just need to be patient and wait!” And so he decided that he might as well enjoy the fluffy creatures he’d recruited to work here himself.

A realization hit him. Is this what it’s like to reserve a fluffy café for yourself? That made the wait much more appealing; he was already in the paradise of his dreams. Little did he know it wouldn’t last as long as he expected.

As the sun began to set outside, a group of adventurers—Taichi’s first customers—plodded inside. There were three of them, each sporting light cuts and scrapes. From the looks of them, they’d dropped in after battling.

“Welcome,” Taichi greeted them.

The group gazed at the interior of the café in awe. The first to open their mouth was a man who took the lead in front of the other two. “We happened to spot your place on our way home to the city. Since your sign said this place is a café, we figured we could rest here.”

“Grise, there’s Berry Bunnies and a wolf in here! Get back!” cried one of the women behind him, nocking an arrow and pointing it toward Taichi’s tamed monsters. For an adventurer, it was a rather knee-jerk reaction.

Taichi threw himself in front of his beloved companions, arms outstretched. “Hey, hold on there! I’ve tamed all of these guys!”

“You have?” She lowered her bow. “R-right, of course. There’s no way untamed monsters would be this close to the city. I’m sorry.”

Taichi shook his head. “It’s okay. I understand it’s rare to see so many tamed monsters like this. I don’t blame you for being startled. If it happens again, though, I won’t be so nice.”

“Right. Of course. So, um...isn’t this supposed to be a café?” Her blank expression said it all: Why were there monsters everywhere?

“This is the Fluffy Café, a place where people can pet, play, and spend time with soft, fluffy monsters. It may seem novel to you, but give it a try.” He motioned them deeper in. “My name is Taichi, by the way. Today’s the grand opening. The three of you are my first customers.”

The woman’s cheeks reddened. “What an honor,” she said with a smile. “I’m Nina, a hunter. These two here are Grise and Arle. The three of us work together as a group.”

“Nice to meetcha,” said Grise.

“A pleasure, I’m sure,” added Arle.

Nina had been on guard when she first entered, but soon enough, she wore a big grin. She had brown hair cut into a bob with a bandana tied around her head and orange eyes. Her figure was slim, and she wore form-fitting shorts that were easy to move in. Though she had been cautious moments ago, she was eagerly taking in the interior. Taichi assumed, from her bubbly personality, that she was the life of their party.

Grise was a swordsman with a bulky build. His hair was shaved on the sides but left long enough on the top to cover it. His eyes were blue. He carried a bulky shield with him and looked every bit the gruff warrior he surely was in battle, but he had a gentle personality. He kept fidgeting while stealing glances at the Berry Bunnies, which made Taichi suspect Grise held a secret love for fluffy creatures.

From the little bit she spoke, Arle sounded like the privileged princess-type. She had beautiful honey-colored hair tied into pigtails. Her yellow eyes shone with a strong strength of will. She was clad in a white and red robe and carrying a staff, indicating she was a Mage. Arle didn’t even give the Berry Bunnies a glance. Taichi wondered if perhaps she didn’t like animals at all.

For their part, the Berry Bunnies were intently interested in the three customers. They hopped closer, curiously examining the adventurers. Luke, unsurprisingly, refused to budge from his beanbag chair.

“Please make your orders and pay at the counter over there. Each person is required to order their own drink. You’re welcome to interact with the monsters in the shop, so you’re free to sit wherever you like.”

“All right,” said Nina.

Cat cafés in Japan charged customers based on the amount of time they spent there. Taichi had considered doing the same, but when he asked at the Commerce Guild, he discovered no such system existed in this world. At most, top-quality shops would charge aristocrats a special fee for reservations, but that was about it. That was why Taichi had changed his mind and decided on the drink fee system instead.

Taichi and the group of adventurers moved to the counter. As they studied the menu, Nina furrowed her brows. “What’s the difference between black tea and this ‘green tea’ stuff you’re offering?”

“Oh, uh... We call this type of green tea ‘sencha.’ People drink it a lot where I come from. It’s got a kind of...refreshing flavor to it, I guess you could say,” said Taichi.

“Huh. Then, I’ll try that! Cold, please.”

I guess green tea doesn’t exist in this world. Maybe it would be best for him to add a simple explanation to the menu. Then again, he didn’t have very many customers yet, so it wasn’t a problem explaining verbally if they asked.

“I’ll have the same,” said Grise. “How about you, Arle?”

“I would prefer the black tea.”

“Oh, and give us some cookies and chocolate too!” added Nina. “Gotta have sweets after a hunt.”

“All right, each drink is seven hundred Chel, and snacks are three hundred Chel. Your final total is twenty-seven hundred Chel.” He took their coins and told them to relax in the café before ducking into the kitchen to prepare their order.

Nina watched as Taichi disappeared into the back, then knelt and held her hand out toward the bunnies. Being stared at made her uncomfortable. “I always hunted these guys whenever I found them in the wild, but seeing them here...I gotta say, they’re pretty cute.”

“Monster classification aside, they’re not much different from a normal animal,” Grise said with a nod. He was stroking a bunny that had hopped over to him. He snuck a glance at Luke, who was sprawled out on the beanbag chair. As much as Grise wanted to pet Luke, the wolf gave off an intimidating air that discouraged Grise from trying.

Marshmallow hopped closer to Nina, pressing a tiny paw against her knee. “Kree!”

Nina could feel the soft, plush toe beans and gulped. “Oh, gosh! I know I just nocked an arrow at these guys a second ago, but...holy crap, are they cute!” Her heart squeezed watching the adorable bunny knead at her leg. She’d hunted them for so long and never thought twice about it, and yet now, she couldn’t get over how cute they were.

A new bunny approached Grise, whose whole body trembled with delight.

“Kree!”

“Most small animals run away when they see me,” he mumbled.

“Yeah,” said Nina. “You may be a coward, but you’ve got a menacing look about you.”

Grise had no experience touching animals, let alone monsters. Tears pricked at his eyes as the bunny obediently sat and let him stroke its head. “Huh. Looks like you’re not scared of me, are ya?”

“Kree!”

Grise could hardly believe his luck. Their group had only entered this café to rest for a bit before they finished heading into the city. He could never have predicted how meaningful this visit would be.

Arle took a distant seat and watched them from afar. “You are all exaggerating,” she huffed.

“What’s wrong with that? We never get to do stuff like this!” said Grise.

Nina nodded emphatically. “Exactly! Aren’t you interested, even a little, Arle?”

“I will be satisfied if I can drink my black tea in peace and have a moment of rest.” Unlike her fired-up group mates, Arle maintained a cool aloofness.

The two smiled to themselves at Arle’s dismissiveness and resolved to enjoy the bunnies on her behalf.

Taichi’s customers appeared to be having a great time. He brought out their finished drinks and snacks, the sound of their cheerful gabbing filling his ears. “Sorry for the wait.” He had two iced green teas and one steaming black tea for them. The chocolate snacks were individually wrapped and sat beside a dozen or so checkerboard-colored icebox cookies.

“Ooh, this looks amazing!” Nina’s eyes lit up the moment she saw the snacks.

“Hey, hold on,” said Grise. “I’ve never seen green liquid like this before.” His whole face scrunched, wondering what it could possibly taste like as he gulped audibly.

Arle wasn’t nearly as eager as the other two, but she did cast restless glances at the tea and snacks.

Taichi set the tray on the table. “Dig in,” he said, motioning for them to try everything.

“Mm!” Nina and Grise cried in unison after taking a sip of their drinks, their eyes wide with wonder. It was so different from the fruit-infused water or alcohol that they normally drank.

“It’s got such a nice, subtle flavor! There’s a little bitterness at the very end—in a satisfying way!” said Nina. “I’ve never had anything like it before.”

“Whoa, these snacks are super tasty too!” Grise declared with surprise. “Hold on, are these really supposed to be that cheap?” He shifted uneasily. “You didn’t somehow forget to add a zero when you added up our total, didja?”

“No, no,” Taichi assured him with a wan smile. “They really are that cheap.”

Grise gawked at him.

At Japanese grocery stores, these sweets were on the cheaper side, but the people of this world treated them like top-quality delicacies. I couldn’t possibly charge more for them. I’m already compromising on the menu enough as it is.

If he wanted, Taichi could prepare more quality snacks and tea to offer his customers.

“I’m glad you’re so pleased with your order. Feel free to relax here and enjoy yourselves.”

“We will, thanks.”

Taichi bobbed his head and returned to his spot behind the counter. He didn’t want to take up their time by chatting when they could instead be interacting with the bunnies. If he was going to snag regulars, he needed the people here to develop a true appreciation for fluffy creatures.

After a little while, one of the Berry Bunnies hopped all the way over to Arle and leaped up onto her lap, settling there. She drew in a sharp breath. Arle hadn’t expected any of the monsters to get this close. It was so unexpected that she struggled to digest the situation for a few seconds.

Grise and Nina were preoccupied with cuddling and showering affection on the bunnies that had crowded around them. They weren’t even paying attention to Arle.

Arle drew in a long, deep breath and stroked the top of the bunny’s head. “Oh my...” Her heart stuttered at the soft, silky sensation of its fur on her fingers. This was far more addictive than she’d expected.

She huffed. “I-I suppose you can sit on my lap, so long as no one is looking!” Having made her declaration, she stroked the bunny again, realizing this would be far more relaxing than she’d ever hoped for.

The Berry Bunnies had no trouble at all capturing the hearts of the three adventurers.

***

After seeing the way Grise and his group mates reacted to the monsters in the café, Taichi realized just how novel the concept of his café really was.

A thought occurred to him. “If I could provide some light meals on my menu, I may be able to get customers to stay longer.”

He opened the following day without any sign of customers coming. He retreated to his kitchen and began to contemplate: What could he do to improve his menu? The kitchen was furnished with whatever he might need, since the previous owner used the place as a mess hall. The only issue was that Taichi had no culinary skills.

“I was always so busy with work that my meals consisted mostly of cup ramen and whatever I could get at the local convenience store...or, if I was lucky, at the neighborhood lunch box vendor.”

There wasn’t enough free time for him to cook for himself. If he ever did have a spare moment, it was spent catching up on sleep.

“Oh, I wonder if raw egg on rice would work. Some restaurants back in Japan focused solely on that,” Taichi muttered.

Would the people of this world be open to eating such a thing? The more he thought about it, he started to realize he hadn’t even seen rice since coming here.

“Huh.”

Maybe rice wasn’t a staple food in this region. The only other simple dish he could think of was sandwiches. All he had to do was toast the bread, toss some veggies on it, and serve. Even a novice like him could manage that much.

“Or I could use my Interdimensional Shopping skill to purchase pre-packaged food.”

He’d frequently eaten pre-packaged food since becoming a corporate drone. It was an easy way to have delicious pasta or curry, and there were all kinds of options. If he considered the kind of light meals most cafés in Japan offered, the first things to come to mind were omelet rice and Napolitan pasta, in part because he liked them so much himself.

“Hmm, but omelet rice may be too difficult for me.”

Taichi wasn’t confident that he could make the dish as melt-in-your-mouth delicious as it should be. If there were microwaves in this world, he could pop a frozen omelet rice in and serve, but electricity didn’t exist.

“I guess tomorrow morning I should go into the city and see if there’s anything good I can use.”

***

As soon as the next day arrived, Taichi set off with Luke in the morning to visit the city market. The Berry Bunnies were to stay at the café and behave themselves.

The market was in the southwestern part of the city, which made it pretty close to Taichi’s business. Fresh vegetables and eggs were out on display, along with meat and freshwater fish. Several people lined up to purchase their breakfast at stalls with freshly baked bread and other premade food.

Unfortunately, none of the stalls offered rice. I’ll need to use my skill and add rice to my grocery list. He wouldn’t need vegetables and meat in any large quantity, so he could simply stop by in the morning and buy more when necessary.

As he and Luke were strolling past another stall, Luke barked, “Wait.” His nose wiggled, catching a scent in the air. “Taichi, I’m famished. Let’s purchase some of that grilled meat over there.”

“Huh? Well, I guess I haven’t eaten either... Sure, why not.” Taichi bought two meat skewers from the man at the stall, then found a bench so they could sit and eat. The moment he took a bite, juice exploded in his mouth. The meat was so tender and almost seemed to melt on his tongue. “Mm, this is good!”

“Hold it right there, Taichi! Present my portion!” Luke groused at him.

“Yes, yes.” Tachi held out the other skewer for the wolf, who eagerly snapped up the meat from it, his cheeks inflating as he chewed. “Mm... I suppose it’s edible!”

“Really? Just edible?” I think it’s delicious. Maybe he’s a picky gourmet?

“The food you made me before was far better than this! You should make me some more of that Dragon Steak.”

Taichi froze, cheeks flushing. “Y-yeah, sure.” Luke was always so cold that the sudden compliment threw Taichi off. If Luke was that pleased by his cooking, he would have to put some more effort into making dishes for Luke.

Hold on. I’ve got the Bottomless Bag. I can buy as much as I want and store it without it going bad, can’t I? That might help take the pain out of hunting down ingredients.

While Taichi was busy strategizing in his head, someone called out to him, “Wow! What an adorable pup you’ve got there!” When he turned to look at her, she said, “Hi! I’m Hymeria. Is this your tamed monster?” Hymeria was an adorable young woman.

I’m guessing she’s old enough to be in high school or so?

Hymeria seemed anxious to pet Luke. Her hair was a vibrant pink, pulled into low buns by a couple of ribbons. She had large yellow eyes, which filled with a deep curiosity as she watched Taichi and his wolf. She was clad in a blue sundress with a white robe pulled over it, giving the impression that she was some sort of mage.

“I’m Taichi, a Tamer. This is indeed my tamed monster and partner, Luke.”

Hymeria beamed at him. “How interesting! It’s nice to meet you, Taichi and Luke. Say, would you mind if I pet him?”

Taichi glanced at Luke. “Are you okay with it?”

Luke sniffed. “No.”

Whoa. Taichi could scarcely believe Luke would turn down the opportunity to have such a cute girl touch him, but then again, they weren’t the same species. Yeah. I bet he prefers female Fenrir over humans. As for Taichi, he would be delighted if he were popular with female Fenrir, even if they were different species. Namely because it would give him the opportunity to nuzzle and cuddle them, and what could be better than that?

Hymeria watched closely as the two boys communicated, an anxious look on her face. “Does he not want me to touch him?”

“Uh... He’s not keen on other people touching him, no. I’m sorry,” said Taichi.

She shook her head. “It’s fine. I’ve heard tamed monsters can have really fussy personalities.” She was clearly disappointed, but she didn’t press either of them further.

An idea occurred to Taichi. “Hey, if you’re up for it, why not visit my fluffy café? Luke might not be so friendly, but I have a bunch of Berry Bunnies who are. I think you’d enjoy playing with them.”

“You have a...fluffy café?” She blinked at him, eyes wide.

Interlude 4: The People of Rellim

Interlude 4:
The People of Rellim

CHARTELLE DROPPED BY the café.

“Taichi, I’m here!” she said in a sing-song voice. “Congratulations on opening Fluffy Café!” She had a bouquet of flowers with her for the occasion. It was a colorful mix highlighted by baby’s breath, giving it a lovely, carefully curated look.

“Wow, thank you,” said Taichi.

“It’s nothing. I’m your personal receptionist at the guild, after all!”

I didn’t realize I had a personal receptionist. He hadn’t seen any other personnel at the guild. Curious though he was, he thought better of touching on the matter.

Chartelle glanced around the café, awestruck. “Wow, I’m surprised at how beautiful and clean it is. What’s with this transformation?! I only did the hand-off just a few days ago. How did you manage to collect so much furniture and...” She was in the midst of effusively praising the interior when her eyes landed on the Berry Bunnies.

Oh man, I sure hope she doesn’t ask too many questions. It would be big trouble if anyone found out he had the Create skill. Ignorant as he was in this world, he could tell that much.

“Wow, you really do have the bunnies in the café with you! Goodness. You must have traveled quite a bit to have come up with such a novel idea.” Chartelle settled down on the sofa and began stroking the head of the nearest Berry Bunny.

“This place still has a long way to go, but I plan to take my time making improvements,” said Taichi.

“And I’ll support you every step of the way! If you need anything—anything at all—just drop by the guild and let me know.”

“Thank you. It’s reassuring to know I have you in my corner.”

There was still so much Taichi was ignorant about in this world. He appreciated having someone like Chartelle to teach him everything he didn’t know.

“Oh, right. I have a refreshing beverage called green tea, as well as black tea and coffee available. Would you like anything?”

Chartelle eyed him with interest. “Well, I have never heard of this green tea you mentioned, so I’ll try that!”

“All right. I’ll get it ready for you. Wait out here, and I’ll be back soon.”

She nodded. “I’ll play with the bunnies in the meantime.”

Taichi disappeared into the back, and Chartelle spent her time petting the adorably fluffy bunnies. They were so soft and silky that she couldn’t get enough of them. She eventually tried lifting one up. It let out a cute little “Kree!” as she did.

“Taichi is such a mysterious guy,” she said to herself. “I’ve never seen someone tame ten Berry Bunnies before.”

A novice Tamer might test out their skill by taming one, but most wouldn’t even bother because of how weak Berry Bunnies were in battle.

“Many people hunt you, but none protect you.”

“Kree?”

The bunny looked at Chartelle with curiosity as she lowered it to the floor. She giggled at it. “I guess that’s not something I should be saying to a tamed bunny, huh? All I’m trying to say is that your master sure is eccentric.” She didn’t mean that as an insult, to be clear. Chartelle recognized Taichi’s capabilities as a Tamer and anticipated he would do great things in the future.

“This whole fluffy café concept might take other towns and cities—maybe even the whole country—by storm.” It would be revolutionary for the Tamers’ Guild if that happened. “And you guys might be here to witness it all! That’s incredible, don’t you think?”

As she was getting herself pumped up by the possibility, Taichi returned.

“Hope I didn’t take too long,” he said. He had cookies and green tea on a tray.

“Huh? I didn’t ask for cookies,” said Chartelle.

“You gave me that beautiful bouquet. I wanted to thank you. If you’re interested, please try them.”

“Awesome! I’ll gladly do so!” If Taichi was offering, who was she to refuse? Chartelle plucked one up and savored the taste of it in her mouth. “Mm, scrumptious!”

“I’m glad you like them.”

“You’ve got fluffy monsters, delicious treats...mm, and this green tea is incredible too! You’ll have me addicted to this café in no time.”

Her compliments sounded genuine. Taichi hoped she would find the same appreciation he had for fluffy monsters. In fact, he considered taking some to the guild.

“You’re welcome to come hang out here whenever you like,” he told her.

“Yes, thank you, Taichi.”

“Kree kree!”

“And you too!” Chartelle added, glancing down at the bunny in her lap with a great big grin.

Taichi chatted with Chartelle for a little while when the door to the café sounded with a jingle.

“Welcome,” he greeted, spinning around. “Oh, you’re the receptionist from the Adventurers’ Guild, and you’re the owner of that armor shop. I’m glad you two could make it. Thank you for coming.”

Emilia was the receptionist from the Adventurers’ Guild who had helped him sell the rare monster materials he’d collected. The armor shop owner was the one who had sold him his coat.

“Hello! You got me curious about this place, so I decided to stop by,” Emilia said with a little laugh.

Taichi smiled at her in turn. She and the armor shop owner had run into each other in front of the café and had spent a little time peeking in through the window before working up the nerve to enter, according to Emilia.

“Oh, really?” Taichi hadn’t notice them at all. “There was no need for you to feel nervous about coming in.”

Emilia laughed again. “Yes, you’re right. I couldn’t just stay outside and watch for long. I’m anxious to play with the fluffy bunnies!”

“As for me, I figured this place would be as good as any to take a break,” said the armor shop owner.

“Well, I’m glad the two of you visited. What do you want to drink?” He explained that customers were required to purchase a drink for their stay at the café. Emilia requested black tea, while the armor shop owner opted for coffee. “I’ll have it right out to you. Feel free to pet and play with the Berry Bunnies in the meantime.” With that, Taichi disappeared into the kitchen.

“So this is what a fluffy café is. This seat here is much softer than I—whoa!” The armor shop owner located a beanbag chair a short ways from where Luke was occupying his and plopped into it. He was surprised by the initial softness and even more so when his whole body sank into it. Luke snorted with laughter, but the shop owner pretended not to notice. “The monsters are something else, but so’s this interior. What’s with all this?” He peered around, feeling restless with all the stylish furniture around him.

After a beat, his attention wandered to Luke, who was nestled comfortably in his own beanbag chair. The Berry Bunnies were merrily bouncing around Luke, but he didn’t show any inclination of rousing.

Hm. Guess I won’t be able to touch that one. If he tried, it might interrupt the wolf’s repose, leaving him snarling, lips curled to show his fangs. Being able to see him is good enough, I guess.

Luke had a magnificent silver-gold coat, which made the armor shop owner question whether he was truly a Wolfking. He’d believe it if someone said Luke was an even higher-ranking rare beast. Whatever he is, he’s a beauty. There was an undeniable part of him that would love to work with such material and fashion armor with it—how could he not, his vocation being what it was?—but he was actually even more interested in simply petting the wolf and feeling its silky coat on his skin.

As he sat there in the café, the armor shop owner continued to contemplate. Just how long would he have to visit the café before Luke warmed up to him and permitted the armor shop owner to pet him?

Chapter 5: Ack! Sir, You Can’t Do That!

Chapter 5:
Ack! Sir, You Can’t Do That!

“WOW! I DIDN’T realize there was a café out here!” Hymeria eagerly entered the café upon Taichi’s invitation, taking in his beautifully curated interior. She gingerly pet the Berry Bunny that hopped over to her, a big grin on her face.

From Taichi’s experience, the Berry Bunnies were friendly to everyone and would readily approach whoever entered. Luke was completely unfriendly, but his crotchety attitude added some flavor to the café.

The café wouldn’t open for two more hours. Luke was already napping on his beanbag chair, even though he’d woken up for the day not that long ago.

“Goodness, this is amazing!” enthused Hymeria. “I see one Berry Bunny—no, two...wait, ten?! And you have Luke, too. So that’s eleven tamed beasts at once?! Taichi, you’re something else!”

“Aha ha...”

“Kree?”

What a trivial thing to be complimented for. It made Taichi anxious about how low level most other Tamers must be for people to react this way. Or maybe it was simply that there were so few Tamers to begin with that people didn’t know much about them.

“By the way, you aren’t open yet, right? Are you sure it’s okay for me to barge in like this?” Hymeria paused and glanced up at him.

“Hm? Oh, it’s fine. I’m pretty lax with the way I run the place, and there aren’t many people out there who are interested in cozying up to monsters. I’m happy to welcome anyone who’s interested in—oh. Sorry, I hadn’t realized inviting you like this might come off as inappropriate. That wasn’t my intention!”

Taichi had genuinely viewed her as a fellow lover of fluff. He had no ulterior motives in inviting her out here, but he realized how it might look, asking a girl to come alone to his place on the isolated outskirts of the city. She’s way too young for me, anyway!

Hymeria met his impassioned denial with a hearty chuckle. “Aha ha, Taichi, you’re hilarious. It’s fine. I might not look it, but I’m pretty strong!” She held up her wand as if to emphasize the point, and Taichi believed her. She looked the part of a proper spell caster in that robe, and she’d probably seen far more battles than he ever would. Even if he had an ulterior motive and tried something on her, she could easily fight him off.

“Oh. Right.” He gulped. “Since you’re wearing a robe, I’m guessing you’re a mage.”

“Yep. And if you wanna get technical, I’m also an adventurer!”

“Interesting,” said Taichi, and he meant it. Deep down, he wanted to try using fire magic, but he figured Tamers were incapable. “Oh, wait. I invited you spur of the moment and didn’t even think about the time. Have you already had breakfast?” Taichi had only eaten one skewer himself.

“I haven’t eaten at all today, if I’m being honest,” Hymeria said bashfully.

“Then, I’ll make us something simple. You can play with the Berry Bunnies while you wait.”

“Thank you!”

“Interdimensional Shopping!” As soon as Taichi stepped into the kitchen, he accessed his skill. He’d meant to buy his ingredients at the city market, but after running into Hymeria, he wound up inviting her to the café without fetching any groceries. This was as good a time as any to look to the cat god for help.

When the memo pad appeared, he quickly scribbled down “pasta,” “spaghetti sauce,” “2 premade salads,” and “Italian dressing” on it. Everything he ordered would arrive shortly. In the meantime, he began heating up a pan of water and setting out the tableware.

“Good thing I used Create to make everything in a style that would suit the café’s theme.”

The plates, bowls, and silverware were all perfect, in Taichi’s eyes. As a girl, Hymeria might be willing to give her opinion. If any of the tableware was difficult to use, he would make adjustments for future customers.

Just as the water in the pan began boiling, the ingredients Taichi had requested arrived. He paid the requisite fee and began preparing everything. It’s actually pretty simple. I just have to boil the pasta and chuck the sauce packets in to heat them up, and it’ll all be ready to go. He tossed the ingredients in and waited for the pasta to soften and cook. In the meantime, he dumped the salad in a bowl and coated it in dressing.

“Ooh. I know I didn’t do anything special, but the plates look so professional that it makes the dish feel like it came from a proper café.” Next, he mixed the pasta and sauce and heaped it onto both plates. He added a glass of infused water onto the tray and carried it out of the kitchen. “Sorry it took a bit.” He paused. “Wow, you seem to be enjoying yourself.”

“Oh, um.”

“Kree!”

Hymeria had occupied one of the plush beanbag chairs and was playing ball with the Berry Bunnies.

“Goodness! I got carried away. I couldn’t help it. They’re just so tiny, adorable, and fluffy. Their coats are beautiful. Makes me feel awful for using my magic to exterminate them in the past!”

“Kree.”

Hymeria turned to the Berry Bunny protesting at her and added, “I promise to never hurt one of you again, even if I run into one in the wild.”

Taichi understood that some things were simply par for the course for an adventurer, but the more fluffy creatures were allowed to proliferate, the better, so he quietly nodded in encouragement.

Taichi set the tray down on the table and called Hymeria over. “Let’s eat before it gets cold. Sorry, but it’s nothing too complex.”

“Wow, thank you! I love pasta.” Hymeria quickly took her seat at the table. Her eyes widened. She could tell just by looking that the dish had incredible depth of flavor. She hesitated, almost scared to take her first bite. But it would be rude to sit there without sampling the dish Taichi had painstakingly made for her. Scooping the pasta up with her fork, she carefully tucked it into her mouth. Intense, meaty flavor spread throughout her mouth. Never before had she experienced something so delicious. “Mm! This pasta is divine!”

“Really? It’s a pretty simple dish,” Taichi said dismissively.

“No, no, not at all. The noodles are perfect, and the sauce has so much depth! Taichi, I didn’t realize you were a chef.” Hymeria’s whole body trembled, her arms wrapping around herself as wave after wave of delicious decadence hit her. “It’s almost a shame you’re running a café and not a proper restaurant.”

“Thank you. I didn’t think it warranted that level of praise,” said Taichi. I guess I’m happy she likes it so much, since it’s my favorite brand of pre-packaged sauce. This world was far less developed. He could see why the people here thought the cheap, instant food from Japan was on a more luxurious level than they were accustomed to. I wonder if the meals the aristocrats eat are that much better.

“Aww, you’re so cute,” Hymeria cooed at one of the Berry Bunnies. “Here, I’ll give you a bite.”

“Whoa, wait! These guys have their own food. Let’s give them that,” said Taichi.

“Oh, do they?”

Taichi understood they were monsters and not animals, but he still wanted to avoid giving them human food. Instead, he’d been feeding them strawberries, carrots, and the like.

“I’ll go prepare their meals. I’ll be right back,” Taichi told Hymeria before hurrying back to the kitchen.

Taichi washed the strawberries he always kept on hand and piled them onto five separate plates which he then carried back to the café on a tray. Hymeria was waiting with an excited look on her face. The bunnies had learned to discern the word “food,” and were therefore gazing up at him with large, sparkling eyes.

You guys are too cute, using those eyes on me. That can’t be allowed! His heart skipped at their adorable pleading for food. Was there anyone out there who could resist them? Taichi didn’t think so.

Hymeria deflated when the Berry Bunny she’d been loving on forsook her for Taichi and his platter of food. “Aww,” she whined, face falling. “Are those strawberries for them?”

“Yep. They’re hungry, which is why they’re all crowding around me.”

They were bouncing around below him, their expressions saying what they could not: “Hurry up and feed me!”

Taichi stepped over them and made his way to the middle of the room, then set the plates down in intervals so there was enough space for everyone to dig in. He’d designated this space as the feeding spot for the monsters.

“So this is where they eat,” Hymeria commented as she watched, nodding to herself.

Things looked calm at first, but that wouldn’t last long.

“Kree!”

“Kree kree kree!”

“Kreeee!”

The bunnies closed in on the plates the moment they were placed down. Some leaped through the small space between Hymeria’s feet as they beelined for their food.

“Eep!” cried Hymeria, spinning around to watch them. “Goodness, that was something else. I didn’t think they’d be that intent on their food.”

The bunnies circled around the plates and began hungrily nibbling on the strawberries with singular concentration.

“Kree!”

“Kree kree!”

“Aw, they look like they’re really enjoying their meal! It’s adorable!” Hearts appeared in Hymeria’s eyes as she watched them.

Taichi nodded energetically in agreement with her. I know exactly what she means. I’ve seen them eat countless times now, and I still love to watch them! It was fun watching them from the front, their little cheeks swelling as they hurriedly chomped away, but seeing them from behind and watching their cute little fluffy butts wiggle was no less entertaining.

Hymeria and Taichi watched the Berry Bunnies feast in companionable silence.

Minutes passed after that. Time moved achingly slowly yet painfully fast at the same time. It was enjoyable, but now it was over.

“Oh, goodness! They captivated me so much, it almost felt as though I was in a trance. I can’t believe how addictive they are to watch,” said Hymeria with a laugh. “And they’re so fluffy too!”

“I know exactly what you mean. They’re adorable,” said Taichi.

“They are! It’s so cute how their little butts wiggle while they eat! I could watch them forever!”

“Yes, exactly! That’s how I feel too.”

It seemed so trivial, but that little bit of entertainment relieved the days-long exhaustion he’d built up when he was a corporate drone. He’d seen the cats at the café feast numerous times. Seeing how eagerly they chomped down their food was indescribably delightful. In fact, the whole reason I worked so hard doing overtime was so I could have a little extra time off to go feed those cats!

By the time the bunnies finished eating and Taichi began scooping up their empty plates, the little critters had already hopped away, true to their whims. Taichi found that part of them endearing too. Once they were satisfied, their bellies full, many of the bunnies began to doze off. They gathered on one of the cushy beanbag chairs to drift off.

“Thank you for letting me stay so long even though you’re not even open yet,” said Hymeria. “Next time, I’ll be sure to come as a customer. Can’t wait to see the bunnies again.”

“Thank you for coming. I’m glad to have found a fellow lover of fluffy creatures,” said Taichi. Before he realized it, it was already less than an hour until opening time.

“Oh, right. How much do I owe you for the food?”

He shook his head. “I wasn’t open for business, so you don’t owe anything. Your feedback is all the payment I need.”

“You’re sure? Thanks. In return, if there’s ever a time you find yourself in a pickle, I’ll be sure to help out. You might not realize, but I’m an accomplished adventurer!”

“That’s reassuring to hear. I’ll be sure to let you know if anything comes up,” said Taichi.

“Yeah! I’ll be there when you need me.”

Taichi was glad to make these connections so quickly after coming to this world, and if anything ever did crop up, he fully intended to take her up on her offer. She’s got a good head on her shoulders for being so young.

“See ya!” Hymeria called over her shoulder.

“Yeah, be safe out there.” Taichi saw her out, and soon as she was fully gone, he shouted to no one in particular, “Time to gear up for another day of work!”

Taichi returned to the café and mentally checked over what he needed to do for the day. “For light food, I guess I can offer the same spaghetti I made earlier. It’s easy to throw together.”

It would be hard to accommodate customers if he made his menu too robust all at once. He preferred to increase his repertoire slowly but surely. I’m trying to shrug off my mindset of overworking and embrace a healthier balance!

“I’ll need to fix my menu board, though. Create!”

With his skill, Taichi added spaghetti under a meal subcategory in addition to his drink and snack offerings.

“Huh. I thought I would need to remake the menu from scratch, but it looks like I can make changes to something I’ve already created.”

This was a big discovery. He could easily make improvements to the shop this way and repair any wear and tear without hassle. If he made any mistakes creating something, he could always edit and fix it after. Taichi was something of a perfectionist, if only because his boss would always erupt at him if he made even the tiniest of mistakes. He wanted to take this opportunity to be a little easier on himself.

“I’m out of a lot of things, so I need to go ahead and restock. Interdimensional Shopping!” When the memo pad appeared, he swiped it and jotted his order down. “There, I’m making good progress already!” Taichi stepped outside and flipped the sign on the door to indicate the café was open for business. “Guess it’s a little too soon to be excited, since I still don’t have many customers coming.”

The only people who had come thus far were the three adventurers and the other people in town he’d told about his café, such as Chartelle. If he kept that pace, he’d be pretty deep in the red financially.

“It’s fine,” he told himself. “Things always start off slow. Better to set my expectations a little lower and go from there. If I can get this café in the black a year from now, I’ll be doing good.”

Modern society focused far too much on immediate results, in Taichi’s opinion. Sometimes it was important to plant seeds and wait for them to grow.

Taichi wrapped up his business outside and reentered the café just as Luke awoke from his nap and rose from his beanbag chair. He was the first to wake; the bunnies were still snoozing.

“What’s the matter, Luke?”

“I’m hungry,” said the wolf, letting out a large yawn. “Make me some of that Dragon Steak.”

“Oh, you mean that meal I made before with my skill.”

Luke’s stomach gave an adorable growl of protest. Taichi had to slap a hand across his mouth to keep from laughing, which earned him a glare from Luke. “How dare you insult a proud Fenrir such as I?! You have only yourself to blame, since this whole place is filled with a delicious aroma!”

“Oh, you mean the pasta I made earlier. I guess it is pretty cruel to tease you with that smell.”

He nodded sagely. “Precisely what I mean. Now prepare my steak!” Luke’s hackles rose in annoyance as he barked at Taichi to get a move on, but his tail was wagging again, as though he was trying to get Taichi to pay attention to him—though, honestly, he may have also been jealous of the attention Taichi had been giving to Hymeria.

Nah, Taichi decided. I’m reading into it.

“All right, I’ll make it for you,” he said. Since he kept the ingredients in his Bottomless Bag, he could make it just fine.

And so, another peaceful day passed at Taichi’s café in another world.

***

A week had passed since Fluffy Café’s grand opening. Being on the outskirts of the city, Taichi didn’t receive many customers, but Rellim had more traffic than most cities would, which meant adventurers would drop by on their way home from missions.

In fact, the bell on his door clanged to announce a new customer just now.

“Welcome.”

“Heya,” said the guy who strolled up to the counter. “I’ll have green tea and spaghetti. Is Oreo around?”

“Of course.”

The man in question had visited several days in a row. He was a merchant who happened to spot Fluffy Café on a trip outside the city to procure more stock. One of the Berry Bunnies, Oreo—the black and white one—quickly stole his heart. He doted on Oreo every time he came in.

“Kree!”

“Aww, you’re as adorable as ever! C’mere. I’ll give you lots and lots of pets, widdle one,” the merchant cooed at the bunny as if it were a baby.

I get it. I really do. He had been similarly affectionate with the cats at the café he’d visited, and now he got to do the same with the bunnies and Luke, every single day. Who could resist showering their pets with love? No one!

“Kree!”

“Aww, yes, I love that face you make. So cute!”

While Oreo was eating up the affection, Taichi set about preparing the green tea and spaghetti the merchant had ordered. Green tea was popular with his male customers, while most female customers opted for the more familiar black tea. Coffee was more divisive. Only those who enjoyed its unique bitterness or regularly drank it bothered to ask for it. The rest hated it.

I wonder if aristocrats or rich merchants are more prone to liking coffee. Taichi wanted to invite such prominent people to partake in his café someday, as part of his plan to spread the love for all things fluffy. That might help his café concept catch on with the upper class. Then there’d be a growing demand for fluffy creatures and more cafés might crop up. Taichi couldn’t think of anything better. Not that an aristocrat would bother coming to a commoner’s café.

Taichi began pouring steaming water from his kettle into a cup, dissolving the green tea powder within. The spaghetti had become a favorite for people who’d ordered it before, proving the superiority of Japanese prepackaged food. He carefully mixed the sauce and pasta and plated it.

“There we go.”

After adding the mug of green tea to the tray, Taichi hefted it up and stepped back into the café where the Berry Bunnies were crowding around the merchant. Unsurprising, since we only have one customer. The merchant was lucky to be able to have their attention all to himself; the bunnies were the face of the café. Every single one of them had gathered, not a single bunny missing from the group. Normally, the whole group doesn’t move as one like that. A few would usually be busy sleeping. Right now, the only critter dozing was Luke, nestled as always on his beloved beanbag chair.

“Here you are,” said Taichi.

“Oh, thank you! I’m not sure why, but they’re crawling all over me. Might as well die right now, right? Life doesn’t get any better than this!”

“Rest in peace.”

“Woohoo!” whooped the merchant as he flung himself back, sprawling on the floor and making the most of the bunnies’ attention.

“Still, it’s odd. Why are they acting like this?” Taichi wondered out loud, tilting his head. “There has to be some kind of reason.”

The merchant wore a similar look of wonderment on his face. Oreo began scaling up his body, which was exactly what the merchant had wanted. Oreo pressed its nose close to the merchant’s chest, nose wiggling as it sniffed.

“Do you have something in your chest pocket?” asked Taichi.

“Huh? Oh, hmm... Actually, yeah! I stowed a test batch of cookies in here.” The man sat up, dug into his chest pocket, and produced a small bag of baked treats.

The bunnies more insistently crowded around him, crying at him.

“Kree!”

“Kree kree!”

“Kreeee!”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” The merchant flung back to the floor as the bunnies charged him, their wriggling noses closing in on the bag of cookies, mouths opening to chomp.

“Ack!” squealed Taichi. “Sir, you can’t do that! Customers are prohibited from bringing outside goodies into the café!”

“R-right, my bad!” The merchant understood now exactly why that rule was in place and tried his best to keep the bag out of the bunnies’ reach. The bunnies, however, refused to be bested and began clambering up his body to get closer. “Argh, I’m so happy to be surrounded by so much fluff, but it’s for all the wrong reasons! Oh, but their cute little toe beans feel so nice... Khh!”

“Sir? Sir, please keep it together!”

“Kree.”

“Kree!”

With all the bunnies weighing him down, the merchant was losing his ability to keep his upper body partially lifted. He collapsed with a grunt. “Yowch! You know what, I think I’d better just eat them!”

“Yes,” urged Taichi desperately. “Quickly!”

The merchant dumped the cookies from the bag into his mouth. The bunnies froze in shock and disappointment. Taichi could hardly believe them. Are you all that hungry?I guess they’ve lived their whole lives in the wild until now. Thus, they had snacked whenever the urge hit them. It made him feel bad for restricting their feeding times to such a tight schedule. I should start offering a new service!

“Waaah,” cried the merchant.

Taichi’s attention returned to the man. The bunnies were hopping away from him now that they knew there was no food.

Poor guy. I know how he feels.

The cats at the café would treat him like a celebrity when he had a tube of Meowuru to offer. The new service Taichi was thinking of was exactly that—treats the customers could offer the monsters. I should get something small for the bunnies, and something with meat that would entice Luke. Perhaps then Luke would give the customers some attention. Of course, it was equally possible that even that might not be enough. I’m the only one he tolerates. That gave Taichi a sense of superiority, but still, he wanted to increase the number of fluff lovers out there. He waffled back and forth on whether to relinquish his Fenrir monopoly.

***

The Fluffy Café was closed twice a week. Today was one such day off, which Taichi spent relaxing and playing with Luke and the bunnies.

“Hey, Luke.” Taichi was stretched out on the sofa, while Luke was curled up on his beanbag chair.

“Hm? What is it?”

“I’m thinking of improving the working conditions for you and the bunnies. Have you got any requests?”

“Hm. I must praise you for your excellent thinking!” Luke’s tail rhythmically thumped against the floor. “Exercise and proper meals are important,” he said before quickly adding, “but do not misunderstand me.”

“Huh?”

“What I care about the most is this beanbag chair.” Luke would grab it up in his mouth and drag it along any time he moved rooms. Taichi had created dozens of them and spread them throughout the building, but Luke had staked his claim on the first one Taichi had ever made.

He’s actually so cute, Taichi thought to himself. The bunnies recognized Luke’s ownership of the chair and never tried to use it for themselves.

“So you want me to improve your environment,” Taichi concluded. “I guess you and the bunnies should get some exercise outside, huh?”

“Kree?”

The bunnies tumbled around on the sofa and bounced around the room. Taichi understood what they were trying to communicate: Being inside like this, they didn’t have to worry about rain or storms. They loved being in the café. Being outside might be a bit scary for them, since they are used to being targeted by adventurers. If they preferred to stay inside, then Taichi wouldn’t force them to do otherwise.

“Luke, you wanna go for a run in the garden?” Taichi asked.

“A noble Fenrir such as I could not possibly exercise properly in that tiny, cramped garden of yours! You should take me hunting occasionally.”

“What?!” Taichi cried. “Hunting as exercise? I mean, I guess you are a Fenrir. Either way, it’s important to work your muscles, so I can do that. I’ll work it into my schedule to periodically take you hunting.”

“You had best keep your word!” Luke’s tail was absolutely spinning at this point like a propeller, which went to show how happy he was.

Aww, you’re always so cold, but look at you now! Too cute! Taichi reached over and ruffled Luke’s fur, which earned him a huff. Even Luke’s attempt at being gruff and aloof was endearing. You act like a grump, but I can tell how happy you are! Taichi was half tempted to say as much to him.

“If we’re going out, I should nap first!” Luke declared, settling back into his beanbag chair. He’d already decided they would be heading out later that night.

“I guess all that’s left...is food.”

Taichi had retreated to the kitchen and was contemplating what he had in stock. Most of what he gave the monsters were fruits, veggies, and meat he’d bought from the city market. It might be better to make them dishes using his skill, but he was struggling to find all the ingredients he needed for that. The bunnies subsisted off strawberries and carrots, while Luke ate meat, but as far as Taichi could tell, they were willing to eat whatever.

“Maybe I can make something with strawberries and carrots. Let’s see... Prepare Snack!”

A screen popped up which read, “You don’t have the necessary ingredients to prepare anything right now. You require strawberries, carrots, Moongrass, flour, and eggs in order to make Bunny Cookies.”

This, Taichi decided, would be the perfect treat to make and sell for people to feed to the bunnies. He didn’t know exactly what Moongrass was, though. He used his Keen Eye ability and scanned the markets to see if he could find it, but he had no luck.

“I wonder if it’s a special, rare herb. Hmm...” Then he remembered he could ask at the Tamers’ Guild. There was no better time than now. He quickly readied himself, and with Luke in tow, set off.

Chartelle was sitting idly behind the counter when he strolled in, the place as empty as ever. As soon as she spotted him, her cheeks swelled with frustration. “Oh, Taichi! You haven’t been coming at all recently. I’ve been worried about you!”

“I’m sorry.”

“So...seems like you’re alone today.” Chartelle was glancing around either side of him as if she expected someone, or something, to be there.

“Huh?” Taichi quirked a brow at her. “Luke’s right here.”

“Woof.” Luke was incapable of communicating with anyone besides Taichi, but if he were to translate for Chartelle, Luke more or less said: “Are you so blind you cannot notice the noble creature right before your eyes? Tsk, humans always disappoint!”

“No, no,” said Chartelle, “I meant your other tamed monsters! The first time you stopped by with ten Berry Bunnies gave me quite the shock, you know.”

“Oh, them.” She was anxious at the thought of another surprise. Taichi smiled, shaking his head. “I didn’t bring them or any other monsters today. I came to ask you something.”

“Did you now?”

“Yes. I want to get my hands on some Moongrass, but I don’t know where I can find it.”

“Moongrass, huh?” Chartelle quickly nodded, indicating to Taichi that the plant must be relatively common. She retrieved a nearby monster guide and cracked it open, flipping through the pages until she landed on the right one. She turned it toward him, revealing the illustration of a white flower. “This is Moongrass. You can only find it in the middle of the night when the moon is out.”

“Seriously? The middle of the night?” Taichi understood he had Luke to protect him, but he was still reasonably wary about wandering out late, since this world was teeming with monsters. And there’s no street lights in this world. Well, there wouldn’t be in the middle of a Japanese forest, either, he had to admit.

While he battled inwardly with how to go about retrieving the Moongrass, Chartelle continued. “If you want to buy it...”

“Oh! People sell it?”

“They certainly do.”

Maybe I wasn’t looking hard enough. There had been no Moongrass for sale in the markets, at least not as far as he could tell.

“You’ll have to visit a magic shop for Moongrass. There’s one about five minutes from here.”

“A magic shop?”

Taichi had scoured the city markets for the stuff. He’d never checked for a shop that dealt in magical goods; he didn’t even know they existed until that moment. Makes sense. This is a fantasy world, after all. Most of all, he was glad he wouldn’t have to wander out in the middle of the night to pick the Moongrass himself. It would make it more difficult to figure out how to price his monster treats if he had to procure all the ingredients himself.

“Anyway, what are you planning to use Moongrass for? From what I hear, it’s typically used for making potions.” Chartelle gave him a curious look, as if she couldn’t imagine any possible use for a café or Tamer.

“I’m going to make monster treats,” he explained.

“Oh, right. You have the Prepare Snack skill. If you’re using Moongrass as an ingredient, you must be planning to make something top-quality for your monsters.” She gave him an envious look.

Uh, is it that expensive? Taichi was starting to feel uneasy, but it was better to see it for himself then go from there.

“For now, I’ll go check out this magic shop. Thank you for the information, Chartelle.”

“No problem! See ya!”

The magic shop Chartelle told Taichi about was a large building located on the main thoroughfare. Taichi couldn’t help but sigh at himself; he should have visited this place much sooner instead of peeking around at small market stalls and shops. I imagined a place this big catered to aristocrats and the like. But now that he looked more closely, he noticed many adventurers coming and going.

“Oh, but...I wonder if I shouldn’t bring you in with me, Luke.”

“Why not? Are you seriously telling me to wait outside?!” Luke demanded indignantly.

The armor shop had been one thing, but this place had a much bigger crowd of customers. Some of them might become uncomfortable with a wolf waltzing about around them.

“It’s not that I don’t wanna take you, but...” Taichi waffled back and forth. Luke might shock people even more if they saw him sitting outside the shop with no owner. Taichi considered taking Luke home and returning alone.

“Taichi!” a familiar voice interrupted his thoughts.

“Hm? Oh, Hymeria!”

“Heya! What are you doing loitering in front of the magic shop?”

“Well, you see...” Taichi launched into a quick explanation.

“Oh, gotcha,” she said with a nod once he finished. “If you want, I can wait out here with Luke so you can do your shopping.”

“Huh? I guess you’re right, but I’d feel bad asking that of you.”

Hymeria slowly shook her head. “Remember how you fed me for free at your café? Let me at least do this much for you.”

Fair enough. She’s just trying to pay me back. In that case, he lacked a good reason to refuse.

Taichi acceded with a nod. “All right. Thank you.”

“Yeah! Happy to help!”

The bigger problem was whether Luke would agree to this or not. Taichi snuck a glance at Luke, who had a decidedly displeased look on his face that he didn’t even try to hide. “Just wait here for a few while I do my shopping!” Taichi put his hands together, imploring the wolf. “Please!”

“You truly intend to leave me alone with this woman?!”

“Can’t I? If you wait like a good boy, I’ll make your beanbag chair even bigger!”

“You will?!” Luke’s eyes grew wide. “If it means that much to you, I suppose I can wait here with her.”

“Aha! I knew someone as noble as you would be reasonable about this, Luke!”

“Of course!” Luke smiled proudly at the compliment.

Taichi took a moment to shower the wolf with praise, putting Luke in high spirits. He could only imagine how uncomfortable it would be to wait with Luke if he were in a foul mood. This would make everything much easier for Hymeria.

“All right, I’ll be right back,” said Taichi, eager to get in and get out lest anything happen in the meantime.

“You had best make it quick,” Luke warned him.

“Take your time,” Hymeria said with a smile. “We’ll be fine!”

The interior of the magic shop was bustling with activity, among which Taichi managed to pick out adventurers, as well as alchemists clad in robes. First, he noticed the shop’s selection of potions. There were a bunch of tiny vials with different colored liquid in them. His heart raced with excitement. In a corner, he saw herbs and other magical items. There were no weapons. The shop’s specialty seemed to be odds-and-ends.

“Huh, interesting...” He shook his head. “No window-shopping. I can’t forget Luke is outside waiting for me.”

Taichi would have to make a separate visit to leisurely browse what was available. For now, he beelined for the corner with the herbs. He was familiar with some of the selection, like the Magic Herbs. This is one of the ingredients I can use with my Prepare Meal skill. I should buy some of it. If he stocked up, he could make more Dragon Steak, and there may be other things he could use it for as well.

At last, his eyes landed on the Moongrass. It looked exactly like the illustration Chartelle had shown him, with light green leaves and a pure white blossom. It almost felt mystical. He could see how its subtle glow suited nighttime.

“I’m more worried about the price, though.”

The sign indicated the flowers were sold in bundles, with five flowers in each bundle for a total of ten thousand Chel. That’s steep. Unfortunately, Taichi still didn’t know how many cookies he could make with one Moongrass. He was hoping to price them at four hundred Chel without going into the red.

“I guess I’ll have to take it home, make it, and see what it works out to.”

He grabbed himself one bundle of the Moongrass and five bundles of the Magic Herbs. The latter was much cheaper, at only a thousand Chel per bundle.

After promptly finishing his shopping, Taichi emerged to find Luke and Hymeria glowering at one another. No, that wasn’t quite right. Luke was the only one glowering. Hymeria was frowning.

“Hope I didn’t take too long. Is everything okay, Hymeria?”

“Wow, you were quick! Yeah, Luke was a good boy. We didn’t have any problems!”

“What do you take me for, human?!” barked Luke angrily.

Hymeria smiled as Luke breathed out hard through his nose. For all his bluster, his tail was wagging, which suggested he was glad Taichi had returned.

“Let’s get back and give these a try,” Taichi said to Luke.

“Hey, Taichi, do you mind if I watch you make the treats?” Hymeria asked with a glint of curiosity in her eyes.

“Sure, you’re more than welcome.”

Together, they made their way back to the café.

***

Taichi stood in the kitchen, checking over his ingredients. Having nothing left to gather, he simply had to activate his skill. A large bowl of strawberries sat on the counter in front of him, together with carrots, flour, eggs, and one Moongrass.

“First, I need to see how many I can make with a single Moongrass,” he said.

“What exactly are you making?” Hymeria asked.

“You’ll have to wait and see. Okay, Prepare Snack!”

The prepared ingredients disappeared the moment Taichi activated his skill, and in exchange, a mountain of cookies appeared. Much to Taichi’s delight, they came packaged with five cookies per bag.

Prepare Snack was a Tamer skill the cat god had bestowed upon Taichi. When activated, provided all ingredients were already gathered, it allowed him to prepare snacks for monsters.

“Wow.”

“Oh my gosh!” squealed Hymeria. “That’s amazing! How many did you manage to make?”

“Let’s count and see.”

“Good idea!”

Taichi lined the bags up in a row and Hymeria counted them out for him. “One, two...” The numbers kept climbing and climbing until, at last, she finished. “Seventy.”

“Incredible. One batch is seventy bags worth.”

He had worried about the high price of the Moongrass, but considering the number of cookies the recipe produced, it was cost effective. He did the math in his head to calculate the price of all the ingredients per bag. Just estimating, but I’d say probably about forty to fifty Chel per bag. He was relieved. With this, he could sell treat bags for an affordable price without taking a loss.

“Hymeria, I’d like to see what the Berry Bunnies think of these treats,” he said, giving her a meaningful look.

Hymeria’s hand shot into the air. She bounced in place. “I volunteer! Let me do it!”

It was time for the monsters of the café to chow down.

The cookies Taichi made were adorably shaped like bunnies. From a human perspective, they were tiny and bite-sized.

Hymeria snatched up a bag and plucked one out, her face alight. Much to Taichi’s shock, she chucked it into her own mouth.

“Whoa, whoa! Why are you eating that?!”

“I can’t help it. It looks so good.”

“You have a point there.” He had intended to use them as monster treats, but they looked appetizing enough that he could probably sell them to his customers.

Hymeria chewed slowly, savoring the flavor. She nodded to herself, holding out an index finger as she declared, “Delicious!”

“Seriously?” Taichi had anticipated they might be a little bland, since they were supposed to be for monsters, but Hymeria’s reaction told him otherwise. He copied her and tossed one in his mouth. His whole expression melted into a look of joy as an aromatic sweetness spread through his mouth. Looks like it’s just as good for people. Aside from the Moongrass, the ingredients were all used in human food. Then again, Moongrass was used to craft potions, so it couldn’t be dangerous. Might be good to snack on when the munchies hit.

The Berry Bunnies hopped over, catching a whiff of the cookies’ aroma.

“Kree.”

“Kree?”

“Kree kree!”

“Uh-oh, looks like they’re all eager to taste-test the cookies too!” Hymeria giggled, reaching down to pat the bunnies on their heads. Their little eyes crinkled shut as they indulged in her affection.

Luke, who’d been lounging on his beloved beanbag chair, wandered over to join them. “Something smells appetizing! I assume you made enough for me as well, didn’t you?”

“Oh, uh...”

Crap! I didn’t make anything for Luke! While Taichi was inwardly panicking, Hymeria thrust out a cookie toward the wolf.

“These cookies are amazing. Wanna try?” She smiled disarmingly.

Luke snorted at her and edged closer toward Taichi. “I suppose I can lower myself to consuming one of your cookies. As a leader, it’s my duty to see what my subordinates are partaking in.”

Your “subordinates”? Really? Luke’s tail swished back and forth. He was being his usual arrogant self, which earned him a dry smile from Taichi. A new possibility popped into his head. Could Luke be shy? He had spent his whole life alone in the forest, so that would track. In that case, it was all the more important for Taichi to respect his boundaries and let him do what felt right for him.

“I’ll give Luke his portion. Hymeria, would you give some to the bunnies?”

“Sure thing!”

With that, he slipped a cookie from the bag he was holding and held it out to Luke’s mouth. “It has carrots, strawberries, and Moongrass in it.”

“Really?” Luke glanced up at him questioningly. “No meat at all?”

“It’d be pretty weird to stick meat in a cookie, Luke,” said Taichi.

The Fenrir seemed mildly displeased with this information, but he gently took the cookie into his mouth nonetheless. His ears stood up straight, his whole body trembling.

Oh! This means he likes it. Just as Taichi expected! Luke had eaten human food before and enjoyed it, and Taichi had already confirmed for himself how delicious these cookies were.

“Nom, nom... Hm, it’s not half bad!” Luke declared.

“Glad to hear it.”

Tail wagging, Luke added, “I could eat some more of those!” His dewy eyes stared up expectantly at Taichi, which made it impossible to refuse him.

“All right, but I don’t think it would be good for you to eat too many.”

“Nonsense. I can exercise them off. Do not forget I am a proud Fenrir. Never lump me in with the vulgar masses!”

“Yeah, yeah.” Taichi had promised to ride along while Luke exercised, and Luke insisted he knew what was best for himself. Taichi produced another cookie from the bag. Luke snapped it right out of his hand. “Whoa! Hey! You almost took a finger off!” Whew! It totally looked like he was gonna gobble me up along with the cookie!

While watching the two and their antics, Hymeria took out a cookie herself and beckoned the bunnies over. “Come, come, everyone.”

“Kree!”

“Kree kree.”

The bunnies eagerly obliged, crowding around her with their little mouths open.

“Aww, they’re too cute!” Hymeria clapped a hand over her mouth and trembled in place, as if she was barely holding it together. “I’m so lucky to be able to feed such adorable little bunnies.” She held out a hand with one cookie on her palm, and the bunnies leaped into action, snatching whatever piece off of it they could.

“Kree kree kree!”

“Kree!”

They had abandoned all pretense when confronted with the scarcity of food, showing a fierceness so uncharacteristic for them. This was a prime example of survival of the fittest.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” cried Hymeria, shocked and overwhelmed. The cookie she’d offered them was gone in the blink of an eye.

“Kree...”

“Kree kree...”

The bunnies were visibly disappointed. One cookie wasn’t nearly enough for ten of them. Those who hadn’t even been able to sample looked heartbroken and teary-eyed.

“Hold on—it’s okay!” Hymeria rushed to assure them. “I still have more!”

“Kree!”

They all perked up, cheerfully chirping at her.

***

The next day, Taichi added the item Bunny Cookie Treats to his menu for thirty Chel.

“Oh? What’s this?”

The three adventurers—Grise, Nina, and Arle—dropped in for a visit. They had started frequenting the café. They were in the midst of ordering their drinks when they paused, curious about the new menu addition.

“Aha!” Taichi declared triumphantly. “I was hoping you would notice. I had previously prohibited customers from giving any treats to the monsters here, but now you can buy these and feed them!” As he explained the system, Nina’s eyes immediately lit up.

“That settles it! I want some of those treats!”

“Me too!” joined in Grise.

While the two eagerly added the new item to their orders, Arle strode off toward the sofa, head held high like she was above it all. “I only want my black tea.”

Nina stuck out her bottom lip at Arle. “You could buy some and feed the bunnies too. This is the perfect chance to cozy up to them.”

Arle simply said, “Not interested.”

Nina and Grise gave her a long-suffering smile. “You say that, but you’ve never been opposed to coming here,” said Nina.

“That’s simply because the drinks are delicious. Why would I refuse?”

Nina and Grise shrugged her off and preoccupied themselves with the bunnies. Since their group came so regularly, the bunnies readily approached them.

I’d better hurry and get their drinks and treats ready! Thankfully, all he had to do was boil some water, since his drink menu was so simple. I’m still not ready to add more drinks. That was partly because he was the only staff member working here, and partly because he felt like what he had was plenty. Adding more would only cause more work for him and potentially wear him out.

Taichi finished their drinks and grabbed a couple bags of cookies before returning to the main floor. Grise and Nina rushed to him as if they’d been waiting anxiously the whole time.

“Here you are,” he said. “Do be careful. They get a little excited and might swarm you the second you open the bags of treats.”

“Hm? Sure, sure!” Grise answered absently.

He’s underestimating them. True to the sinking feeling in Taichi’s stomach, Grise knelt and snapped the bag open without hesitation, completely ignoring the warning. The bunnies charged at him with voracious hunger.

“Whoooooa!” Grise staggered back. The bunnies didn’t care about him, though; their attention was locked onto the open bag.

“Kree kree!”

“Kree!”

Having snatched their prize from him, the bunnies munched eagerly, cheeks swelling. In the blink of an eye, they’d inhaled all the cookies Grise had.

“Wow, that’s some kind of appetite,” said Nina. “But good for you, Grise. That’ll be the first and last time you’re ever this popular with anyone. Or anything.”

“Yikes, don’t curse me like that! I don’t want this to be my last time!”

“Aha ha!”

“I want to stay popular!” cried Grise.

Nina cackled at him. “I think I’ll feed them slowly, one at a time.” She opened her bag more stealthily and lured the bunnies in slowly. Only a few on the fringe of the crowd that had surrounded Grise noticed her invitation, which made for a much calmer feeding session.

“Huh. There’s more technique to this than I thought,” Grise muttered to himself as he watched her.

Interlude 5: Arle and Chocolate

Interlude 5:
Arle and Chocolate

FLUFFY CAFÉ WAS a unique little café on the outskirts of Rellim. The owner of the place was a Tamer who kept a number of fluffy tamed monsters for his customers to interact with.

On one of her days off from adventuring, Arle secretly snuck her way into Fluffy Café.

“Welcome! Nice to see you again, Arle.”

“I thought I might enjoy some relaxing teatime,” Arle answered back. She most definitely hadn’t come here on her own because she was too embarrassed to offer the Berry Bunnies affection in front of Grise and Nina, not at all. She had no ulterior motive for stopping by.

Taichi smiled knowingly at her.

“I would like black tea and chocolate,” she told him primly.

“Of course. I will prepare it for you now. Feel free to relax here in the meantime.”

She shifted uncomfortably, unable to shake the feeling that he saw right through her. Looks like there aren’t any other customers today. I suppose that’s a good thing for me, since it means I can fully relax. Arle let out a small sigh and perched herself on her usual sofa. She slipped a hand inside her bag and pulled out a book, which she began to read. She hadn’t come here to play with the bunnies. That’s why she was reading. And she was perfectly fine with that. Really, she was.

Arle let out a heavy breath. The bunnies were hopping around the café, distracting her.

Taichi reappeared at the perfect time with her tea and chocolate. “Here you are.”

“Thank you.” She reached first for the chocolate, removing the wrapper and popping it into her mouth. It had a sweet but slightly bitter flavor which she’d come to love. Her hand paused as she reached for the black tea. “You know, something has been bothering me for a while now. Where exactly did you get your tea leaves for this? They smell divine.”

“Huh?” Taichi froze, eyes darting.

I wonder if he can’t disclose it for some reason, Arle thought. If that were the case, she shouldn’t push the issue.

“Ah, apologies,” he said after hesitating. “An acquaintance purchases them for me to use here. I can’t give you any details.”

“It’s only natural you would want to be discreet with how delicious it is,” Arle answered. “I apologize for troubling you with my question.”

“No, no. I’m really glad you like it.” He gave her a contrite smile.

A dark brown Berry Bunny hopped over, pressing its fluffy body against Taichi’s leg as if to console him. “Aw, what a sweet one you are.” He reached down and lifted the bunny up, placing it in Arle’s lap.

“Wha?!” she squeaked. “I-I only came here to read. I didn’t—” Come here to play with the bunnies. Her voice died in her throat before she could finish that sentence.

“It’s fine,” Taichi assured her with a smile. “This little one’s name is Chocolate.”

“Oh, same as my beloved treat.” Had he chosen the name to match the dark brown color of the bunny’s fur?

“Its fur is the same color, isn’t it?”

“Why, you’re right.” She couldn’t help laughing when her intuition was right on point.

Taichi personally thought she looked much cuter when she smiled than when she acted aloof. “Go on,” he said. “Relax and enjoy yourself.”

“Kree?”

“Oh.” Chocolate nuzzled Arle’s hand. The softness of its fur surprised her. It felt so nice on her skin that she wished she could pet it forever. She hesitated to follow through on that urge, but before she knew it, Taichi had disappeared off somewhere. She scanned the room and located him behind the counter, preoccupied with something else.

Did he realize I wanted privacy? She swallowed hard and slid her hand over Chocolate’s head. It was like her hand was magnetically drawn to the bunny, sliding down the soft fur of its back.

“So this is what fluff feels like...”

“Kree,” the bunny cried gleefully at her, indicating how much it enjoyed her petting it. It poked its little tongue out, licking her fingertip.

“Eep! You surprised me. That tickles, Chocolate,” Arle said in a gentle but admonishing voice. Her dismay did little to discourage the bunny, however. She cocked her head, not understanding why it seemed so intent on licking her. Then it hit her that her hand had the lingering aroma of chocolate, as she had just popped it into her mouth only moments before.

I nearly forgot that these bunnies are voracious eaters. Her lips twitched into a smile. Perhaps next time, she would try buying a bag of treats.

Chapter 6: A Fluffy Walking Disaster

Chapter 6:
A Fluffy Walking Disaster

“MAN, THOSE TREATS sure are popular,” Taichi marveled. “This café is doing great!”

Luke huffed at him. “Never mind your café—you promised to accompany me while I exercise!”

“Oh, right. I did.” Taichi had just closed the café, so since he was free, he decided to make good on his word.

That night, a series of screams echoed through the forest.

“Waaaaaah! Too fast! Too faaaaaaaast!”

Luke normally kept to his smaller size—which was still three feet tall—but for the purpose of exercising, he had returned to his natural size as he bounded through the forest. Taichi rode on his back.

“Surely you jest. You are far too frail if you complain at this leisurely pace! You promised to come with me, so hold your tongue!”

“Look, I didn’t think it would be this intense!” Luke was being his usual prideful self as Taichi tried to argue the point, the jostling below him resulting in an unintentional chomp to the tongue. Taichi groaned, trying to withstand the pain. It wasn’t worth talking when Luke was moving at this speed. It was way too dangerous.

I want him to let me down as quickly as possible, but...look at him! He’s so happy! It was obvious how much pleasure Luke took in this, so Taichi held off on begging for mercy. He had such a soft spot for Luke that he wanted to tell Luke to keep going as long as he liked and enjoy himself. But this was a little too uncomfortable for Taichi, so he’d hoped to convince Luke to slow down—an impossible request when Luke was so excited.

“Oh, there’s a delicious dragon over there,” Luke said. “Let’s kill it and use its meat for steak!”

“What?!” Taichi shrieked.

Luke had spotted a blue dragon drinking water from a river.

Eep, it’s huge! This dragon was over ten feet tall, meaning it towered over a full-sized Luke. Taichi had no idea which of the two were more powerful, but what he did know was this dragon didn’t look like a pushover.

“W-wait, hold it, Luke! You don’t mean to take that thing on, do you?”

“It looks delicious, does it not?!”

“No, that’s not what I’m asking!” Taichi understood that to a Fenrir such as Luke, a dragon probably did look delicious. They had first met when Luke swooped in to save Taichi from a dragon, after all. I get that, I really do, but it doesn’t make dragons any less terrifying!

“I will go defeat it. You shall simply wait here,” instructed Luke as he delivered Taichi to the thick, safe branch of a tree.

“Oh. Right, yeah.” Taichi nodded, frozen stock still.

I’m just glad I’m not riding his back while he fights. Still, Taichi worried whether Luke would be all right. No matter how strong Luke was, he was still up against a dragon. There were no guarantees.

Taichi fidgeted uneasily as he watched from afar. Luke took an enormous leap, flipping once in the middle of the air, and whipped his tail with such speed that it produced a wind blade.

“I’ll dice you with my secret blade! Moonlight Gale Slash!”

Whoa, what a ridiculously fancy skill name! Though he first thought it was a genuine skill, Taichi soon noticed the delay between when Luke produced it and spoke the skill name, indicating it was something Luke had come up with his own. Considering how he always touted himself as a proud Fenrir, making up fancy names for his moves rather suited him. Taichi found it endearing. He enjoyed Luke’s antics and didn’t want him to change.

Taichi shook his head. “I’m getting distracted. More importantly, is the move itself effective?”

Wait. What? Taichi was stunned by what he saw. That one move from Luke had lopped the dragon’s head off. It was already dead. Taichi hadn’t anticipated the battle to be so anticlimactic, like the last time Luke fought a dragon. He really was strong. Isn’t it inappropriate for a weakling like me to have tamed a monster as strong as Luke? Taichi couldn’t imagine saying goodbye to Luke after all the time they’d spent together, so he shook the thoughts from his mind.

“Taichi! Get down here and make me some steak!” Luke barked up at him, tail spinning. When he didn’t react fast enough, Luke shouted, “Hurry!”

He had looked so majestic leaping through the air and defeating that dragon, and now he was acting like an excited pup. It was too cute.

“Okay, okay!” said Taichi, carefully scaling his way down. Once he reached the dragon carcass, he used his Prep Meal skill. He already had Magic Herbs stowed in his Bottomless Bag, so it was easy to create a Dragon Steak, which had become Luke’s favorite.

“Here. I can always make more, so eat as much as you like.”

“Mm!” Luke dug in, cheeks swelling as he chomped down the meat. The steak smelled as divine as the last time Taichi made it.

The Bunny Cookies were fine to eat, so I wonder if I can eat Dragon Steak too.

“Hey, Luke,” he said, “can humans eat dragon meat?”

“Hm? It’s not poisonous, so it shouldn’t be an issue. Now that you mention it, I’ve heard humans consider dragon meat to be a top-quality ingredient.”

“Huh.”

Promising, if true. He could at least rest at ease knowing it wasn’t poisonous. It had to be delicious, based on the way Luke inhaled it. Taichi made a couple more plates of steak, placing one in front of Luke and another in front of himself.

“All right, time to give this a shot.” Taichi forked a slice for himself and popped it into his mouth. The surface was nicely charred with a juicy interior that flooded his mouth with flavor. It was so tender, requiring little effort on his part to chew. Who could possibly imagine a fierce, intimidating dragon would have such soft meat?

“Oh man, that’s tasty!” shouted Taichi.

Luke nodded. “You should praise me for getting us more meat for it!”

“You’re right, Luke. You’re so incredible. I knew you were strong, but wow. I’m so glad you’re my first partner—most of all because you’re willing to indulge my café.”

Luke jerked his head away as if embarrassed. “That’s only because I made the shop part of my territory thanks to how soft and comfortable that beanbag chair is!” He was trying to deflect Taichi’s sentimentality by claiming he wasn’t staying for Taichi, but the way his tail whipped through the air undermined his words.

Seeing how happy Luke was, Taichi decided he’d have to come with Luke again sometime for a run.

***

Taichi was enjoying another relaxing day running the café when an exhausted Hymeria dragged herself inside.

“Welcome! Wow, you look pooped,” said Taichi.

“I am!” she whined back at him. “I’ll have a bag of cookies and hot black tea, please.” She flopped onto the low-sitting sofa. Hymeria normally fussed over the Berry Bunnies whenever she came, but she was too spent to do that this time.

As worried as Taichi was about her, he hurried back to the kitchen to fulfill her order. She’s always helping out. I should treat her to some chocolate as a pick-me-up. Once he had everything on a tray, he hauled himself back to the main floor, where he found Hymeria fast asleep on the sofa.

“I guess she was so exhausted she couldn’t keep her eyes open anymore,” Taichi said to himself.

He shook his head, smiling despite himself. She should have gone home to rest, though he could understand the urge to curl up and sleep here at the café. In fact, Marshmallow had already crawled up on her lap and was worriedly gazing into Hymeria’s face. Papaya had, at some point, snuggled up beside Hymeria to join her in napping. He put the tray down on the table for now, placing it carefully so the Berry Bunnies couldn’t grab the treats.

“We really need a blanket. Create!” He used his skill quickly, since Hymeria was asleep and there were no other customers around. In moments, he produced a thick, fluffy blanket. It was made of the softest fabric, the kind you wanted to wrap yourself up in and never leave.

“I don’t know if it’s a good thing that the café is this deserted, but you can take your time and rest,” Taichi whispered to Hymeria as he draped the blanket over her. He would take it easy too and hang around the main floor for now.

It was about two hours later when Hymeria’s eyes shot open. “Ack! Uh... What—” She found she couldn’t move because Marshmallow had perched on her lap. Hymeria’s heart leaped in her throat. It was such a precious moment, and she really appreciated the affection, but her tense body was eager for a good stretch.

While she struggled over how to handle the situation, Taichi let out a laugh. “What a wonderful way to wake up.”

“Taichi!” she gasped. “Yes, I mean it is, but...”

He came over and gingerly lifted Marshmallow up. The bunny let out a sleepy, “Kree?” and went limp in Taichi’s arms.

“Thanks for that!” Hymeria stood up and stretched. Through the nearby window, she could see that the sun was already beginning to set, the sky painted orange. “Oh, gosh. Did I sleep that long?!”

“Two hours,” Taichi told her.

“Darn it, I only meant to take a short break!”

Taichi could relate. He’d had moments before where he’d meant to rest his eyes, only to wake the next morning.

Hymeria’s eyes fell to the tray on the table. “Oh, thank you for this!”

“Hold on—I’ll get you a new cup.”

She shook her head. “I don’t have the time for that, so it’s fine! In fact, it’s easier to drink now that it’s cold. Hey, hold on. Did I order chocolate...?”

“It’s on the house, since you always do so much for me. Thought you might need it,” Taichi said with a smile.

She beamed at him. “Aw, thank you! Ack, I’d better get going! I’ll drop by another time!”

“S-sure thing. Thanks for stopping by.” Taichi’s expression faltered. Was her work taking that big of a toll on her? She’s a mage, so maybe she’s hunting a monster or something like that?

While he puzzled over what was wearing Hymeria so thin, the three adventurers that frequented his café stepped through the door. Grise was at the front of the line and slightly out of breath.

“Are you still open?” Grise managed in between gasping breaths.

“Welcome. Yes, still a half hour until we close,” said Taichi.

“Yes! That means there’s still some time to play with the bunnies!” Grise’s shoulders slumped with relief. “I’ll have my usual then!”

Nina and Arle trailed in behind him and said, “Same for us, please.”

That meant two green teas and one black tea.

“Coming right up,” said Taichi. As soon as he had their drinks ready, he returned with a few questions of his own, unable to shake his curiosity about Hymeria’s condition. “Is being an adventurer that difficult of a job? This mage I’m acquainted with came in earlier and looked really worn out.”

“Oh...” Grise and Nina traded glances, as if they knew something.

“Actually, there are some ruins in the forest a little ways from here,” explained Grise. “Word has it a ten-foot-tall Cerberus showed up out there.”

“Oh, huh. You don’t say.” Stands to reason such a typical fantasy creature would exist in this world, since there are Fenrir like Luke too. He wondered if the Cerberus was fluffy.

“Come on, you should be more shocked about this!” Nina interjected. “A Cerberus is like a walking disaster! Most humans never see one in their entire lives!”

“That’s right!” Grise agreed emphatically. “You need a handful of S-Rank adventurers to hope to take down a Cerberus! There’re even stories of a Cerberus sneezing and wiping out a whole town!” He spoke so passionately as he tried to express the true terror of the monster.

I guess that means it’s pretty rare, huh? Wait a second...

“Did you say ‘walking disaster’?!” Taichi blurted, reality belatedly sinking in.

Now that was news! S-Rank adventurers were the top of their vocation—the strongest out there. And they needed a handful of them to even stand a chance of defeating this monster? It must be a real threat. Worse, they mentioned it wasn’t that far from Taichi’s café. Panic started to set in.

“Uh, hold on, it’s not gonna come to the city, is it? Will we be okay here?”

Fluffy Café was located outside of the city wall. If a monster came to the city, this place would be one of the first casualties. Taichi had only just gotten his hands on it. He couldn’t bear to let some monster take it away from him.

“Now you’re starting to get how scary the situation is,” Nina said with a satisfied nod. “Seems like it hasn’t moved from the ruins, so you should be okay. Oh! By the way, this isn’t public knowledge, so I’d appreciate it if you could keep it to yourself.”

“Huh? Hey, you shouldn’t be sharing confidential information with me,” Taichi grumbled at her.

If rumors of the Cerberus started swirling in the city streets, people would try to flee. The fact that he hadn’t seen anyone heading for the hills was a good indication that few people knew about this. I’d rather not shoulder such a big secret!

“The Adventurers’ Guild is controlling the flow of information as best they can, but if there are any leaks, it’ll affect more than Rellim. The sweeping panic could cause trouble in nearby nations as well!” said Nina. As she explained it, the Adventurers’ Guild had people watching the monster around the clock to make sure nothing happened.

That’s rough. If this “walking disaster” is the reason for Hymeria’s exhaustion, then no wonder.

“We didn’t get to see it ourselves,” explained Grise. “We only delivered goods to the other adventurers. The atmosphere was oppressive. I get the feeling that creature’s not something most of us could beat.”

“That bad?” Taichi gulped.

“Yep. Problem is, we can’t just leave it there forever. They’re gathering the strongest adventurers they can get. At the soonest, they should have a squad ready to exterminate it a couple days from now at the latest.”

“I guess that’s reassuring.”

It certainly wasn’t good for the heart to be exposed to this level of danger. At least Grise’s assurance about a professional squad was heartening. Before Taichi knew it, it was time to close the café.

“Oh, wow, it’s already this late.”

“Aww, but I haven’t had enough bunny time,” whined Nina.

They had gotten preoccupied talking to Taichi about the Cerberus the entire time that they’d only just managed to polish off their drinks. They had no time to play with the bunnies, save for Arle. She was occupying her normal seat with Chocolate secretly nestled in her lap. Neither Grise nor Nina had noticed.

Seems the adventurers have it tough with the Cerberus problem.

“If you’d like, why don’t I make dinner for you all?” Taichi offered.

“Really? You mean it?!” Grise gaped at him.

Nina shot upright. “No kidding! That’d be awesome!”

They jumped on the opportunity immediately, while Arle silently nodded to show her approval.

“People like me wouldn’t be able to lead such tranquil lives if not for the efforts of adventurers like you guys taking out dangerous monsters. Just think of this as my way of thanking you. I’ll whip something up and have it out in a jiffy,” Taichi said.

“Thank you!” Grise and Nina cried in unison.

Grise and Nina waited for Taichi to disappear into the kitchen before they whisper-shouted at the bunnies, beckoning them over. “C’mere!”

“We gotta make the most of the extra time he’s giving us,” said Grise.

“Yep, we need to give these guys lots of love!” agreed Nina. “Aw man, you guys are as adorable as ever!” Wistfully, she wished she had ordered a bag of treats for them, but she didn’t want to come off as ungrateful asking now that it was after hours.

Grise snuggled a bunny, bringing it to his face to sniff its fur. He looked like he was in paradise.

Nina preoccupied herself by rolling a ball and playing with the bunnies, who were clever enough to understand fetch.

“Kree!”

“Aww, what a good bunny you are! It’s incredible you guys know how to chase and bring back the ball!” She praised them effusively.

“Hey, Nina, this one over here is cute too! Look, it climbed on my lap!”

“Hey, you’re right. Unbelievable how you’ve managed to get such tiny critters to like you. Granted, they’re monsters.”

He puffed up his chest. “I mean, I’m not trying to brag, but these guys are the only ones who’ve ever taken a liking to me!”

Nina pulled a face at him. “Seriously? That’s not something to be proud of.”

When Taichi returned to the main floor, Grise and Nina were on the floor, surrounded by bunnies. Arle sat primly, sipping at her black tea with Chocolate still perched on her lap.

“Dinner’s ready,” Taichi declared.

He’d made Dragon Steak, corn soup, salad, and soft bread. The vegetables were all ones he’d bought at the local market. He’d used his Prepare Meal skill to cook the steak, while the rest was pre-packaged food he’d ordered with his Interdimensional Shopping skill. He was confident in the flavor.

“I smell dragon!” Luke yipped. The aroma had reached his nose instantly. He scurried over to Taichi before Nina and Grise even had a chance to take their seats. Naturally, Taichi had made a plate for him too. The moment he placed it down, Luke began ravenously tearing away at it. Nothing enticed Luke quite like dragon meat. “Mm, delicious!” His tail wagged, cheeks swelling as he chewed. It looked so cute it was hard to believe he was normally so cold and aloof. “You did a good job today!” He finished his meal quickly and retreated to his beanbag chair.

“That’s the first time I’ve ever seen Luke eat,” Grise said as he eyed the Dragon Steak. “This looks amazing! Are you sure about serving us something so luxurious for free?”

“Yeah, go ahead,” Taichi encouraged.

Nina and Arle took their seats and were surprised at how thick the steak was. They quickly inquired what kind of meat he’d used, but he smiled at them and refused to disclose his secret. He worried they might faint if they realized they were eating dragon.

They each communicated their thanks in their own way before digging in.

Nina was the first to take a bite of the steak. “Wow this is yummy! I don’t think I’ve ever eaten a steak like this before!”

“Yeah,” agreed Grise. “It’s delicious!”

“It looks so thick you’d think it’d be tough, but it’s incredibly tender,” said Arle appraisingly. “It has a complex flavor profile. This bread you brought us is also very airy. I like it.”

They each shared their impressions in turn.

“I’m glad,” said Taichi.

He hadn’t shared such a lively meal with someone in a long time. He’d been too busy since coming to this world, and he didn’t really have any friends—except maybe Hymeria— who he could eat with, anyway. I’m glad I made them dinner. They had an enjoyable mealtime, and once it was over, Grise declared he was ready to go home and sleep an entire day.

“Did those humans go home?” Luke inquired once Taichi reentered the café after seeing everyone off. He was just lifting himself from his beanbag chair.

“Yeah, they’re gone,” Taichi answered. He dropped down to wrap his arms around Luke’s neck, giving him a firm hug, thinking Luke had felt left out.

Instead, Luke barked at him, “Good! Time for a run!”

“What, now?!” Taichi agreed it was best to do these runs at night when Luke was less likely to catch attention. “But you heard them. There’s a Cerberus at the nearby ruins. Isn’t it too dangerous to go out?”

“Are you making light of me?! I would never lose to something as weak as a Cerberus!”

Taichi stared at Luke, gobsmacked. “What? But they said a Cerberus is a walking disaster.”

“Oh? Then let me prove it to you!”

Thanks to Taichi’s big mouth, they ended up going out to search for the Cerberus.

Luke insisted that a proud Fenrir such as himself would never succumb in battle to a mere Cerberus, which was why he was carrying Taichi out into the middle of the forest at night.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?!” Taichi shouted from Luke’s back. “I wouldn’t want you to get hurt!”

“A proud warrior such as myself would never get injured by a Cerberus! As I have already told you, they are a simple opponent!” Luke let out a hearty laugh, assuring Taichi that victory was already his. He was in high spirits since Taichi had agreed to their walk—or run, as it were.

At Luke’s impressive speed, they quickly arrived at the ruins where the Cerberus was located. It was eerily dark, sending a chill down Taichi’s spine. If he hadn’t known anything at all, perhaps it wouldn’t have seemed so foreboding.

Luke’s nose twitched as he sniffed the air. “Over there,” he said, jerking his snout in the direction of the Cerberus’s scent.

“You can tell where it is?” asked Taichi.

“A Cerberus has a strong, distinct aura. You cannot miss it! I imagine it senses me as well.”

Taichi sucked in a breath. “Wait, isn’t that risky, then?” His stomach roiled with worry. What if the Cerberus noticed their approach and got the jump on them?

Luke didn’t seem the least bit concerned about this possibility as he headed deeper into the forest.

Come to think of it...

“Grise and Nina mentioned there are adventurers keeping an eye on the Cerberus.”

“Hm? Oh, those people?” Luke stared ahead. Taichi could just barely make out the faint outline of the ruins in the darkness. In front of them, hidden in the shade of the trees, was a group of adventurers.

That’s gotta be them.

Taichi lowered his voice, not wanting to expose himself, and said, “Won’t we get in trouble if they see us?”

Such concerns were irrelevant to Luke. “Keep your eyes glued to me. I want you to see how capable I truly am!”

“Huh? Why are you—”

Smug and triumphant, Luke gently deposited his master onto an upper tree branch to keep him safe during the battle. Taichi panicked, shooting a hand out toward Luke to try and stop him, but it was too late. Luke let out an earsplitting howl and dashed away.

Hold your hooorses!

Having sensed something amiss, the Cerberus that had been hiding in the ruins stepped forth. Tension filled the atmosphere.

There was a small barren area amidst the forest whereupon a crumbling building sat, ivy crawling up its face. Roots grew up, creating gaps in the stone flooring, all connected to a mature tree so large it pierced through the roof. The stone walls, carefully built once upon a time, were crumbling. It was debatable whether this structure could even be called a building at all anymore. Regardless, it was from these ruins that an enormous black monster appeared.

The Cerberus, with its fur as black as night, dwarfed Luke. It was about ten feet tall, though its more notable characteristic was the three heads it possessed. This exact sort of beast was often found in manga or video games. And here it was in the flesh, right before him.

Oh no... Fear gripped Taichi; could Luke really handle himself against such a fearsome foe? This was far more terrifying than the couple of times he had taken on dragons.

A shrill cry distracted Taichi.

“Eep!”

“Crap, what’s going on?!”

“We need to notify the guild immediately!”

Oh, right. The adventurers who are keeping tabs on the Cerberus. He couldn’t blame them for being surprised, considering they described Cerberus as a walking disaster. And thanks to Luke, it was up and, more importantly, walking. Meanwhile, Luke had already engaged it in battle.

Of the three adventurers, one broke off, scrambling back toward the town to contact the guild. The other two...had passed out on the spot.

“What?” Taichi had only looked away from them for a brief moment. What could have possibly caused them to faint?

Fortunately, he didn’t have to wonder for long. The shockwave created by the battle between Luke and Cerberus had sent rubble and tree splinters cascading through the air. The two adventurers must have been struck by the debris.

I should have expected this. We are dealing with a “walking disaster,” as they called it. Of course it would send out a shockwave this powerful. Taichi was so preoccupied with what was happening around him that he’d stopped paying attention to the fight itself, but when he returned his gaze to the two monsters, he found himself captivated by just how fantastical it was. Luke howled as the Cerberus braced itself and fought back with its own dark magic. Its three heads were all moving separately. Whenever the Cerberus leaped at Luke, the heads would change position, and the one closest would snap, trying to catch Luke in its jaw. Despite all his bravado, even Luke seemed to be having a tough time evading the Cerberus’s attacks.

“Grrr!” snarled the Cerberus.

“You lowly whelp! Don’t you dare act as if you can match me! I’ll put you in your place by slicing and dicing you with my Moonlight Claw!” Luke smirked, assured of his victory as he unleashed a devastating claw attack, which sent the Cerberus slamming into the stone wall of the ruins.

“Grrr...”

“Woof!”

“Arf...”

However, the Cerberus refused to go down. The three heads snapping at Luke again, their sharp fangs gleaming.

“Luke!” Taichi cried as the fear welled up in his chest. “This Cerberus sure seems a lot stronger than those dragons.” Luke had thought it would be an easy victory, but he was actually struggling far more than he’d anticipated. Taichi couldn’t help but feel nervous.

What will even happen if he wins? Would Luke consume his prize as he had with the dragon? Can he really do that, when this monster is a canine like him? Maybe this was just how it was in the jungle—or the forest, rather. Taichi couldn’t argue against Mother Nature. But still...

“Now that I’m looking at it, isn’t that Cerberus...pretty fluffy?” Yes, in fact, it appeared to have a particularly soft coat. Luke, a fellow canine, did, so surely the Cerberus was no exception. Unable to restrain his curiosity, Taichi mumbled, “Tame.”

The moment he used his skill, a crackling light enveloped the Cerberus, the same effect Taichi had observed before with the bunnies. Does that mean I succeeded?

Luke was giving him a dirty look, teeth clenched in fury. Taichi wasn’t sure if the frustration was a result of him interrupting their fight, or if Luke was against him taming the Cerberus.

Taichi let out a nervous chuckle as he climbed down from the tree and made his way closer. “Sorry, it just came out,” he said.

“I can’t believe you!” Luke huffed back at him.

“Woof!” came a booming cry that captured Taichi’s attention. Both he and Luke turned to locate the source of the sound. The Cerberus was charging toward him.

“What?!” Taichi cried in shock, his voice overlapping with Luke’s.

I thought I tamed it. It shouldn’t be attacking me, right?! He braced himself, knowing full well he couldn’t protect himself against something so enormous. Luke, stunned, hadn’t anticipated this, either. I’m gonna be crushed like an ant!

The Cerberus abruptly began to shrink. It leaped through the air, transforming from a ten-foot-tall monstrosity to a one-foot-tall pup.

“Whoa!”

“Wheee!”

“Catch us!”

“Master!”

The three heads spoke all at once, each saying something different. Wait, I can communicate with them! That must mean I tamed them successfully!

Taichi threw his arms open and caught the tiny Cerberus in his embrace. Its coat was silky and soft against his skin. Aww! I could go straight to heaven! He cradled the pup in his arms, tears sprouting at the corners of his eyes. Luke’s coat was incredible, of course, but the Cerberus was no less cuddly!

“So what’s your name?”

“I want a name too!”

“Yay! Now we don’t have to be lonely anymore!”

“Uh, right... My name is Taichi.” He was having a hard time keeping up, since all three of them were talking at once. Should I give it one name? Or does each head need a name? He was really struggling with what to do. It took a moment, but he finally settled on giving them each a unique name, in case the need to differentiate between them ever came up.

“As for the left head...you’ll be Nord.”

“Yes, sir!”

“The middle head will be Pino.”

“I like that name!”

“And the right head will be Chrollo.”

“Thanks for the name!”

Each head beamed happily at him, releasing tension in Taichi. “I’m surprised a Cerberus like you can shrink this small! You’re adorable.”

“Yay, we got complimented!”

“We’re a really strong Cerberus, so of course we can shrink ourselves this small!”

“Yeah, and being this small lets us get closer to you!”

While Luke was more reserved about showing his affections, the Cerberus lacked such reservations. Not that Luke didn’t love Taichi too, of course he did—and Taichi knew that, but this was an entirely different reaction than he was used to.

“Oh, right. We need to do something about those wounds of yours.” The poor pup was pretty banged up from its battle with Luke. “Um... Heal!”

“Wow, you healed our wounds! Incredible!”

Luke sniffed in dismay. “Hmph, those wounds would have healed quickly enough on their own.”

Heal was one of the Tamer skills the cat god had bestowed upon Taichi. It allowed him to speed the recovery of a tamed monster’s wounds.

“Yeah, but no one wants to be in pain, right?” said Taichi as he stroked one of the Cerberus heads.

“Yay!”

“We like being pet!”

“Hee hee!”

“Aww, you’re so adorable.” Taichi’s health bar was hanging by a thread at this point, overwhelmed by the Cerberus’s cuteness and sincere affection.

Luke snatched the hem of Taichi’s jacket into his mouth and tugged, sensing he was losing his own master to the new pup. “Enough of that. We’d better get back to the café before those humans wake up.”

“Huh? Oh! The adventurers that were keeping a lookout!” Taichi sensed Luke was right to be concerned; it would only cause further questions if they saw him. He promptly hauled the adventurers’ unconscious bodies to a safer location before he took off.

***

The following day, Taichi awoke to find an unfamiliar warmth tucked inside his bed with him. “Hm?” He peeled the blanket back.

“Zzz...”

The Cerberus was sprawled onto the mattress, fast asleep.

“Gosh, you’re so cute.”

Luke slept on his beanbag chair, while the bunnies spent their night in the café space downstairs. This was a novel experience. Oh man, what a way to greet the dawn. This is making me emotional.

“It was the middle of the night by the time we got back. We fell asleep the second we got home,” Taichi said to himself as the monsters continued snoozing.

He had a lot to ask the Cerberus about, such as why it was at those ruins in the first place, though he already knew the answer. The Cerberus had mentioned last night how lonely it had been, so it may have moved to those ruins to escape isolation.

Cerberus were classified as a walking disaster and seemed to be extremely rare. Living among their kind would be ideal, but a pack of Cerberus would cause a stir if discovered. A rough world for Cerberus, indeed.

Taichi reached over and gently stroked his hand down the pup’s back. Its relaxed, sleeping faces warmed his heart.

“Ngh...?” The left head, Nord, groggily opened its eyes.

“Oh, did I wake you?” Taichi asked.

Its little mouth cracked open to let out a yawn. “Nah, don’t worry. It just feels really nice when you pet me.”

“I’m glad to hear that. You have really soft fur, Nord, so I enjoy petting you.”

“Hee hee!” Nord grinned at him, happy to be praised.

“So I guess one head can wake up while the others sleep, huh?” asked Taichi.

“Yup! We share the same body, but our minds are independent.”

“Huh.” What a curious monster this Cerberus was. “Say, Nord, you were living in those ruins, weren’t you? Are you sure you wanted to come back here with me? I know it’s a bit late to ask now that I’ve already brought you back.”

“It’s fine! We’re targeted by humans no matter where we go, so we’ve always had to hide. We only recently took up residence at those ruins,” said Nord. “So it doesn’t really matter where we live. You tamed us and brought us here, and we’re really happy about that!”

“Oh okay.”

This little guy must have longed for connection. Taichi’s heart ached for Nord. The emotion must have been evident on his face because Chrollo—who had apparently awoken at some point—chirped at him, “Don’t worry! We had lots of humans attack us, but we never fought back!”

“What, really? You didn’t?”

“Nope! We heard a long, long time ago that there are good humans out there like you, Taichi. We always hoped that someday, we could find one to befriend.”

“Really...?”

Despite how endlessly humans had antagonized them, the Cerberus still somehow held affection for Taichi after he tamed them. That, more than anything, demonstrated how much they wanted to believe in humans. Taichi swore to himself that he would take good care of them. Aww, crap! When you get older, your tear ducts just seem to leak! He rubbed his eyes with his sleeve as he shot up from his bed.

“You guys can sleep in a little. I’m gonna go make breakfast,” he said.

“Sounds good.”

He stroked the pup on the back one more time, and Nord and Chrollo closed their eyes. They must be really exhausted.

“I’d better make them something extra delicious for breakfast, then!” He stretched and strode toward the bathroom.

***

At the Fluffy Café, feeding time for the monsters started right after open. This had prompted more customers to come early to watch. Well, the regulars, at least.

The bell rang, announcing the arrival of the usual group of three adventurers. Grise, Nina, and Arle had just visited the night before, exhausted after a long day. Taichi remembered Grise declaring he’d sleep a whole day after they ate dinner.

“Welcome,” Taichi greeted. “Uh, I thought you were gonna take a day off?”

The exhaustion showed on Grise’s face. “We had an emergency meeting this morning, so I had to get up. I’ve been working ever since. Thankfully, I can crash as soon as I get home. I realized it was about feeding time for the monsters, though, so figured I’d swing by first.”

“Oh I see. That must be tough,” Taichi said uneasily.

Man, first thing in the morning? Sounds like that crappy company I work for. No, no. What was he doing speaking in the present tense? He’d died and come to this paradise. His nightmare working conditions were all in the past. Either way, it seemed like this world was no exception to unfair labor practices. He could understand Grise’s compulsion to find solace with the fluffy monsters here.

“Oh, right,” said Taichi. “Since you guys are regulars, why don’t you help feed everyone? Keep it a secret from the other customers, though.”

Grise brightened. “You mean it?!”

“Woohoo!” cheered Nina.

Arle had an intensely pleased look on her face, though she said nothing.

“We have a new addition today, which means more mouths to feed,” continued Taichi.

“Oh, yeah? The more fluff, the better!” said Grise.

“My thoughts exactly! Come over, Pino, Chrollo, Nord.”

“Woof!” the three heads cried in unison as they excitedly trotted over. They leaped at Taichi and affectionately licked his cheek.

“Whaaaa?!” screeched Grise, Nina, and Arle in unison. The group of adventurers retreated a few steps and started whispering among themselves.

“Why does that—dog, I guess it is?—have three heads?” Grise asked.

“Um, didn’t the Cerberus we spent all morning running around trying to find also have three heads?” squeaked a terrified Nina.

Arle quickly added, “Most monsters do not have three heads!”

The three of them had been roused at an ungodly hour to scour the ruins in the forest, per an Adventurers’ Guild emergency, because the Cerberus they had been tracking disappeared. One of the lookouts reported seeing it locked in battle with an enormous wolf. His companions, rendered unconscious, didn’t get the chance to see what transpired before it was all over. As such, they launched a sprawling search for the creature. Ultimately, no one had managed to find hide nor hair of the beast. Even though this pup was only about a foot tall, it still had three heads, which was enough for them to reach the conclusion that it was their missing Cerberus.

“Or could it be the offspring of the Cerberus we saw in the forest?” Grise suggested.

“Oh, that could be!” Nona exclaimed, latching on. “I bet you the reason it was sticking around those ruins is because it was protecting its baby!”

“That’s the only way it makes sense,” agreed Arle. “I have to assume, then, that the mother lost its life in the battle with the wolf.”

“Yeah!”

“Exactly!”

And, they supposed, Taichi must have happened to be passing by when he stumbled upon the baby and tamed it, completely clueless as to what had happened.

“Hold on a moment,” said Arle. “Could he really have tamed a baby Cerberus? Is that possible?”

Nina glanced at Taichi. “Hmm. I always thought Tamer was a weak job, but Taichi is something else. He’s got a lot of tamed beasts.”

Grise shrugged his big shoulders. “Oh well, if he’s tamed it, then it should be safe. Plus, it’s cute. We just gotta play dumb.”

Nina nodded. “Yeah. It’s just a cute dog that happens to have three heads.”

“Even assuming it is a Cerberus pup, there’s nothing that we can do now that he’s tamed it,” concluded Arle.

Thus, it posed no danger, and their secret whisper-meeting concluded.

“Are you done with your discussion?” Taichi asked. He’d finished preparing breakfast while they conversed. He prepared carrots and strawberries for the bunnies, a bowl of mostly meat and a few veggies for Luke, and a mountain of fruit for the Cerberus.

“Yeah! Sorry about that. We’re all good,” said Grise.

“Don’t worry about it. Being adventurers, I’m sure you have private things to discuss sometimes.” Taichi smiled blithely. He had no clue that they were actually talking about him.

Taichi handed the bunnies’ bowl to the three adventurers, signaling the start of feeding time. “Here, Luke! Pino, Chrollo, Nord, you too!”

Luke hurried over and snapped up the cut of meat, savoring the juices. His bowl looked luxurious.

The Cerberus, on the other hand, took its time slowly sampling the fruits.

“Wow, this apple is really good!”

“This is fruit, isn’t it? It’s so yummy!”

“It’s fun eating together with everyone!”

Breakfast sure has become a lively affair. They’d only gained one additional monster to the mix, but with three heads, it added three times as much energy.

Grise and the two girls set their bowls down, calling the bunnies over. The herd had been waiting anxiously, ready to charge the second the bowls hit the floor. They flew to their spots, their tiny mouths twitching feverishly as they stuffed their faces. They were too cute.

Although a Cerberus had joined them, the Fluffy Café was as cozy as ever.

***

The Adventurers’ Guild had been in an uproar ever since a Cerberus—a walking disaster of a monster—appeared near the city. Then, as suddenly as it had shown up, it disappeared. Those on duty to keep watch had fallen unconscious, and no one knew exactly what had transpired.

“Aw man, where could you have gone, Cerberus?”

“Either that other monster killed it, or it was injured so badly it ran off.”

“After I came all the way out here to see it?!”

Hymeria had ventured out to the ruins in the depths of the forest, thinking perhaps the Cerberus was still in hiding somewhere. Despite looking high and low, she had no luck finding it.

“Still, it was good you came to check. Now we can say the guild master confirmed it’s safe.”

“I guess so,” Hymeria grumbled.

Her subordinates had already assured her that the Cerberus was long gone. As guild master, Hymeria couldn’t take any chances. She had to confirm their reports. And, much to her chagrin, they had been right on point.

She let out a heavy sigh.

“Hymeria, we should be getting back to the guild soon.”

“I know. I’m just gonna take a little detour. You can head back without me.”

“All right.”

Hymeria watched her staff member stalk off. Once they were out of sight, she kicked a nearby stone in frustration. It shot through the air, smacking right into a monster. When she followed its trajectory, she spotted a group of ogres.

“Oh.” Hymeria had kicked it without thinking. The rock smacking into ogres was just her luck. “That settles it! Now I have no choice but to go to Fluffy Café and play with the Berry Bunnies to cheer myself up!” She whipped out her wand and pointed at them. “Your luck ran out the moment you met me!”

Ogres were so tough that only high-ranking adventuring parties could take just one of them on at once, but Hymeria was powerful enough to handle them on her own.

“Cyclone!”

Her voice echoed, the air in the area coalescing into a tornado with intense speed that barreled toward the ogres. Hymeria wasn’t guild master for nothing. Her magic was oppressively powerful; no ordinary mage could match her.

“If only you all were as cute as the Berry Bunnies.” She puffed up her cheeks and pouted. No one looking would be able to believe the same woman had just cast such incredible magic. “Back to the city!”

The tornado’s winds sliced through the ogres, reducing them to mere dust and leaving no evidence that they’d ever been there at all.

When Hymeria opened the door to the café, Taichi greeted her in his usual cheerful voice: “Welcome!”

“Heya!”

“Oh, Hymeria. Are you okay to drop by? I know you’ve been busy.”

His compassion swept away the frustration she’d felt at the Cerberus’s abrupt disappearance.

“I’m fine now!” she said. “I came to have fun with the Berry—” Hymeria froze mid-sentence, unable to finish her thought.

“What’s the matter?” asked Taichi. “Oh, this is our new addition: Pino, Chrollo, and Nord. I hope you can be friends with them too.” He nodded at each head of the three-headed pup in his arms as he spoke their names.

“Woof!”

“Arf!”

“Awoo!”

Three heads. One body. There was no doubt in her mind. This was her missing Cerberus.

“Oh, right. What do you want to drink?” Taichi’s voice cut into her thoughts.

After a long, exasperated pause, she managed to mumble, “Black tea. Piping hot, please.”

“Coming right up.” He tilted his head, confused as to why she was acting so stiff, but he trailed away and disappeared into the kitchen.

Hymeria breathed a very deep sigh and stared down at the three-headed beast at her feet. “You’ve gotta be kidding me! It’s so obvious that you’re a Cerberus!”

After all her effort to search every inch of the forest, it had all been for nothing. If only she had come to Fluffy Café sooner, she could have saved herself a lot of time and pain.

“Then again, the café wasn’t open yet.”

There was no use crying over spilled milk.

The strength fled her body as she dropped down to a crouch before the Cerberus. What she saw in front of her was not the fierce, rabid creature they had feared, but a tamed beast. She gingerly extended her hand, patting one of the heads. The pup eagerly leaned into her touch. Its dark, black fur was incredibly fluffy, and before she knew it, her mouth had relaxed into a goofy grin.

“Whoa! Oh my gosh, your coat feels so nice!” She had enjoyed petting the Berry Bunnies, but the Cerberus was somehow even softer. How many other people would fall captive to its enchanting fluff? Plus, it was super tiny compared to its normal size. There was nothing threatening about it in the least. In fact, its dewy eyes were so adorable that a fierce sense of protectiveness stirred inside of her.

“I heard some monsters can change their size once tamed. I never imagined the day would come when I’d see it for myself.” Only extremely high-rank monsters could alter their bodies in such a way. Naturally, the Cerberus was one of them.

Hymeria continued running her hands over the pup’s coat, wondering to herself who Taichi really was. No normal adventurer could tame a walking disaster like a Cerberus. One would have to be the strongest Tamer in the world to manage such a thing. It wasn’t like taming a Berry Bunny. One couldn’t simply get lucky and happen to succeed. On the other hand, Taichi spent his days running a cozy little café. He didn’t seem to be scheming anything, as far as she could tell.

“So who exactly are you?” Hymeria murmured to herself.

As suspicious as she was, she couldn’t abide anything happening to his café. If he were ever in trouble, Hymeria would be tempted to use the power and influence she held—two things she loathed and avoided—to protect him from the shadows.

Interlude 6: A Great Diet Plan?

Interlude 6:
A Great Diet Plan?

NINA LET OUT a dramatic sigh, muttering to herself as she gnawed on a Fluffy Café cookie. “What a pickle this is...”

During the three adventurers’ visit to the café today, Taichi had noticed Grise and Arle were in high spirits and enjoying themselves, but Nina’s face remained clouded over. Curious as to what could be weighing on her, he approached and asked, “What’s the matter? You sure are sighing a lot.”

“Oh, Taichi! You gotta hear this!”

“Uh, sure.” He’d thought she was depressed, but based on the way she eagerly latched on to his question, he wasn’t so sure. He didn’t have much choice other than to nod and let her say her piece.

“This cookie!” she said, holding one up. “And chocolate!”

“I don’t understand. Is something wrong with them?” Nina had made perfectly clear how delicious she thought they were. Taichi wasn’t sure he understood what all the fuss was about. They weren’t defective in any way, nor had they exceeded their expiration date. He’d been careful to keep them stored away where they wouldn’t go bad. “Do they taste strange?”

Rather, maybe it was her tastebuds that had changed. They say catching a cold can do that to you. Perhaps she was feeling under the weather, and that was why...

“Your snacks are so good they made me gain weight!”

“Huh? Pardon?!” Whaaaa?!

Taichi wasn’t entirely sure how best to respond to that. He couldn’t picture what the better alternative was—to disagree and reassure or to politely admit he had noticed. His mouth hung open as he tried to puzzle out the right answer.

A Berry Bunny hopped onto Nina’s lap. “Kree!” It wanted to play with her.

Taichi stared at the two, thinking to himself. “Oh. Why not go out back and play with the bunnies? You’re welcome to exercise in our rear garden as long as it’s not during operating hours. What—”

“You mean it?!”

He was trying to ask her what she thought, but she interrupted him with eager enthusiasm. The idea of exercising by playing with the bunnies was all too tempting. I get her. Playing with fluffy creatures outside sounds magical.

“We can have our own little rally with the bunnies to knock this weight off! Let’s do it, Taichi!” Nina exclaimed.

And that was how Taichi got roped intoparticipating in a weight loss rally with Nina and the bunnies. I don’t really have any excess weight to lose, though...

***

The following day, Nina didn’t get much sleep because she was too excited to spend time playing with the bunnies, but her steps were lighter than they had been as she skipped her way to the café before opening time.

“Good morning!”

“Oh, good morning, Nina,” said Taichi, who was already playing fetch with the bunnies in the rear garden.

“Thanks for letting me come today! I’m gonna run as much as my legs’ll let me!” But before Nina started on that... “Oh my gosh, the bunnies are as cute as ever today! I’m sooo happy!”

Taichi chuckled. “Aha ha, I’m glad this brings you so much joy. I’m sure you’d like to exercise with everyone, but some of the bunnies weren’t up for coming out with the rest of them.”

“Oh, really? They’re such agile critters. Very difficult to hunt, I gotta say. Figured they’d all be up for this.” She paused to reflect on her memories as a newbie adventurer trying to stalk after Berry Bunnies in the forest. “Maybe they’ve gotten comfortable living at the café. Not in a bad way, I mean. Like, they can relax now that they don’t have to run from enemies.”

“It’s definitely peaceful here,” Taichi agreed. “I’m glad for that, for them and for me, but I would like for them to exercise. So go fetch this ball, guys.” He gave it a toss as he finished his sentence.

“Kree!”

“Kree kree!”

“Kreeee!”

The bunnies hopped together after the ball, as if encouraged by their master’s prompting.

Dang, Tamers are awesome! Nina thought to herself. For so long, she had thought of it as a weak, unfortunate job, but Taichi made her reevaluate her opinion every time she saw him interacting with his tamed beasts.

“Okay, I’m gonna chase after the ball too!” Nina declared. “I’m gonna beat the bunnies!” She took off, hustling toward the ball, but the bunnies had a much better response time. They had no trouble swiping the ball before she could reach it.

Taichi watched on and laughed. “I thought you were going to help me throw!”

“I’m supposed to be dieting! Which means I need to exercise too if I’m gonna lose weight!”

“Oh, right. Makes sense.” Taichi hadn’t thought that far, but she had a point. Merely throwing a ball wouldn’t have the desired effect. It would build her arm muscles, but that was about it.

And what I’m worried about is trimming down my tummy! thought Nina. Her armor exposed her stomach, so she wanted to avoid developing a muffin top. Nina wouldn’t feel comfortable walking outside in this outfit otherwise. But it’ll be okay. The bunnies and I are gonna work hard to trim off the fat!

“Okay!” she hollered to Taichi. “Keep ’em coming!”

“Kree!”

“You got it. Here we go!” Taichi laughed again and started tossing the ball. Nina had a blast trying to out speed the bunnies.

***

A few days later.

“Woohoo! My weight went down, Taichi! Thank you so much! In fact, to celebrate, I’d like to order cookies and chocolate today!”

He pursed his lips a moment and then said, “Sure thing.” Won’t this just cause her to gain back the weight? He thought it, sure, but he didn’t say it.

Chapter 7: Hiring Now: A Temporary Part-Timer

Chapter 7:
Hiring Now: A Temporary Part-Timer

TODAY WAS ONE of two that Taichi kept Fluffy Café closed for his own rest and relaxation. Curled up comfortably in bed, Taichi hoped to sleep in for once, when suddenly, Luke hopped on top of him.

“It’s time for breakfast!” barked the wolf.

“You’re heavy,” Taichi groaned.

“Hmph.”

When he peeked down at his feet, he found the Cerberus watching him with hopeful eyes. Aww, I’m so popular with cute fluffy creatures! This is heaven, truly, he thought with a goofy smile. He could put up with Luke’s oppressive weight, in that case. As Taichi got lost in his own thoughts, Luke insistently demanded to be fed. Taichi would have to wake up after all.

“All right, all right. I’ll have it ready right away.”

***

After breakfast, Taichi took time to love on the Cerberus and the bunnies. Then it was time to decide what else he was going to do for the day. There were some improvements he could start making to the café, but he didn’t want to work on that during one of his precious few days off.

His eyes landed on Luke, who happily dozed away on his beloved beanbag chair. A few rabbits had cuddled up to him, which he didn’t seem to mind.

“It’s been a bit since I came to this world, but there’s still so much I don’t know about it.” As much as he enjoyed lounging at the café or in his living quarters upstairs, he felt it might not be a bad idea to wander about the town. “Maybe I should peek in at the Tamers’ Guild.”

The world wasn’t the only area in which he was ignorant; he didn’t know much about Tamers, either, his knowledge limited to their taming ability.

Thus, he decided today was the perfect opportunity to learn more.

“Oh, welcome, Taichi!”

“Hello,” he greeted as he stepped into the Tamers’ Guild. The place was as empty as ever, with not a single other person in sight. Gotta wonder if this job will stick around, at this rate. Worried though he was, the whole reason he had come was to learn more about the job itself. He explained as much to Chartelle.

“You’ve tamed so many beasts already,” said Chartelle, “so you’re clearly an amazing Tamer. How could it be possible you lack so much knowledge about your own job?”

“Aha ha... Like I told you before, I’m something of a country bumpkin, so I’m clueless about these things.”

“Well, in that case...” She disappeared for a moment and returned with a thick book.

“Is that...the illustrated monster guide you showed me before?”

“It sure is,” she said. “This guide contains the currently existing monsters we’ve discovered here in its pages. This is only the first volume, by the way.”

“Huh.”

At a glance, it appeared to have around three hundred pages. Impressive, he had to say, especially if it was only the first volume, which made him wonder how many there were in total. It would take a while to look through this whole thing, Taichi thought as he thumbed through it. Each monster entry included a beautiful illustration, along with basic information about their average height, rank, type of attacks, and any other notable characteristics they possessed. The book was practically made for adventurers.

“Oh, it even includes information on their habitats,” Taichi noted.

The monsters were split into two basic types: ones that only lived in very specific locations, and others that could be found anywhere provided certain conditions were met. Technically, there was a third category for those monsters whose habitats remained unknown, such as the Cerberus.

Berry Bunnies were listed as living in meadows. Ice Wolves only lived in snowy mountainous areas. Taichi kept skimming through, wondering if there were any fluffy, adorable monsters out there he hadn’t discovered yet.

“Oh, I see there are a bunch of different wolf-type monsters.” Taichi nodded to himself appreciatively. They all looked fluffy and charming in their own ways.

Chartelle giggled at him and craned her neck to get a peek. “You really do love all the fluffy ones.”

“Well, yeah! I love petting and cuddling them. Might as well hang signs around their necks that say, ‘You can find paradise here!’” It didn’t matter how much Taichi gushed or ranted and raved about them, it would never be enough. He loved the ones that affectionately approached him, yes, but the types like Luke—who acted aloof and kept a distance—had their own charm. “It wouldn’t be half bad to tame one of every type, actually. I think—huh?!” He froze as his gaze landed on the next page. “W-wow, this one is...”

“Hm?” Chartelle cocked her head, unsure why he was having such a reaction. The monster in question was nothing particularly rare or special, at least not to the residents of this world. But they were to Taichi.

“Cats!” he cried in delight. He couldn’t help raising his voice.

“Oh, the Forest Cat,” said Chartelle.

“Forest Cat!” he repeated, loving the name.

“You’re awfully excited about these,” she noticed with a stiff, awkward smile. “They’re not particularly strong, so I don’t think many Tamers would go out of their way to tame one. Though, you’re not exactly a normal Tamer, since you tamed those ten Berry Bunnies.” Then she added, “You can find them in the forest of the neighboring nation, which you can reach by land from Rellim.”

“The neighboring nation!” Taichi echoed excitedly. That means reaching them should be pretty easy!

The Forest Cat looked a little different from the felines in Japan. The only distinguishing characteristic was that they had leaves attached to their heads and tails, looking quite literally like forest cats.

“I’d love to go tame one right away. How long would it take me to get there from Rellim?” Taichi asked.

“I’m glad you found one you’re so fond of, but uh...it’d take you a month by stagecoach one-way.”

“A month...”

Taichi hesitated. That was much longer than he’d anticipated. The trip would be a lot faster if I had a plane or a bullet train. Alas, this was a medieval fantasy world, so there was no modern transportation. I bet I could get there a lot faster riding on Luke’s back. Yes, that was the perfect idea. Satisfied, he clapped his hands together.

“Judging by your expression, I’m guessing you have a plan?” Chartelle gave him a questioning look.

“Oh, is it that obvious?”

“I’m afraid it is. Forest Cats, I’ll admit, are very cute. I think they’d make a great addition to your café.” She snapped the book shut and held out a scroll. “Since it doesn’t seem like you have a map of your own, I’ll let you take this. It’s not as detailed as some maps you can buy, but it’s standard for the Tamers’ Guild to offer these.” She unrolled it to show him. It displayed villages, towns, large forests, and lakes. The nation’s border was also prominent and easy to spot. This would be more than enough for Taichi. “This will only give you basic information. If you need more to go on when you arrive, you may need to ask around.”

“All right.”

Awesome! Now I just need to ask Luke!

“Luke! Luke!”

“I was sleeping quite soundly, I will have you know. Why have you disrupted me?” The wolf gave him a sour look, even as his tail happily wagged because he was the first of the monsters that Taichi called upon returning home. Taichi couldn’t suppress the grin that rose to his face, even though he knew better than to say anything and risk angering Luke. “I’ve decided I want to visit the neighboring nation.”

“Neighboring nation? Do you mean Arzelun Kingdom?”

“You know it?” Taichi lowered himself onto his knees and sat on the floor. Luke planted his butt beside Taichi. Cerberus scrambled onto Taichi’s lap, apparently wanting to join this conversation. The Berry Bunnies seemed to sense that this was an important matter, as they crowded around Taichi. Am I in heaven right now or what?

“Why do you want to go there?” Chrollo asked, peering curiously up at him.

Pleased to have been asked, Taichi smiled and announced, “I’d like to tame one of the Forest Cats that live in the forest of Arzelun Kingdom.”

“So that means we’ll have more friends?” Nord asked, face lighting up.

Good. They don’t seem opposed to it. Relieved, he continued, “I was told it would take me a month just to get there if I go by stagecoach.”

“A month? Hmph. Those horses who serve the humans are laughably slow! A proud Fenrir such as myself could reach Arzelun in no time at all!” Luke said, head held high.

“Yeah, you’re amazing, all right,” Taichi agreed. The comments about the horses were unnecessarily rude, but he couldn’t dispute the facts.

“Good, glad you agree!” Luke was pleased to have his ego stroked. “If you absolutely insist, I suppose I would be willing to let you ride me!”

Taichi had planned to use Luke’s pride against him to persuade him into carrying him the whole way, but Luke offered without any prompting. His feigned reluctance wasn’t the most convincing when his tail was spinning like crazy behind him. It was cute, though.

When Luke realized Taichi was grinning and staring at him, he folded his ears back. “What’s with that reaction?”

“Huh?! Nothing! I’m just really happy you volunteered to take me?”

Gullible to a fault, Luke responded bashfully, “Oh...r-really? Well... Hee hee.” His face pulled into what Taichi imagined was supposed to be a smile, indicating how pleased he was.

Disappointed that he hadn’t been called to help, Chrollo piped in, “I wanna go too! You can ride on my back!”

“Hey!” Luke snapped. “This is between me and Taichi.”

“Aww!” All three heads puffed up their cheeks in dismay.

“You lost to me. It’s only right you should obey me,” Luke declared.

“Grrr!”

“You may have a point, but it’s not nice!”

“We don’t wanna stay here alone!”

Survival of the fittest again. Luke had won, which meant he sat at the top of the monster hierarchy at the café— that was his claim, at least. Taichi had stepped in and tamed Cerberus before they could fully decide the victor.

Taichi debated the matter in his head as he studied the Cerberus. As much as I want to take him with me, it’d mean leaving the Berry Bunnies all on their own. He couldn’t imagine that would be a good idea. With Pino, Chrollo, and Nord here, they can act as leaders and keep an eye on the bunnies. He’d prefer for them to stay here for that reason. It would be too much to bring everyone along, especially with an adorable Forest Cat joining them for the trip back home.

“Pino, Chrollo, Nord, I would like you to stay here and keep an eye on the Berry Bunnies. This place’ll be under your care while Luke and I are away.”

“Oh?!”

“Do you mean we’re the only ones...”

“That you can turn to for this?”

Their eyes were all sparkling. They were so excited to be of service to Taichi in some way. Their tail was spinning so fast Taichi half worried it might take off on its own. He reflexively reached down to grab it.

“Hee hee! Fluffy, isn’t it?” Pino snickered.

“It is!” Taichi nodded vigorously. The tail kept wagging as if encouraging him to touch it more, and he couldn’t get enough of its soft plush. Holy crap. I love this! If he died now, he’d be happy to be buried in this fluff.

Luke’s tail slapped Taichi across the face, interrupting that impulse. “Enough of this sickeningly sweet affection! You lack discipline!”

“Uh, right.” Taichi snapped his mouth shut and sat up straighter, legs still tightly curled beneath him.

“As for you three,” Luke said, eyeing the Cerberus, “there’s no need to act so silly about Taichi asking you to watch the place! It’s a very simple order. What dignity do you have if you cannot do it without losing your composure?”

“Eep! We’ll do it!”

“Yeah, you can count on us!”

“We won’t let you down!”

Luke’s pep talk had the Cerberus stiffening their shared spine. The whole routine reminded Taichi of a drill sergeant barking at his troops, but this was a ridiculously cute version, since they were all fluffy monsters.

“Hmph. If you are aware of your duties and the attitude in which you approach them, that will do. Remember, you must protect this place in our absence!”

“Roger that!” the Cerberus’s heads shouted collectively.

Luke had settled the matter without giving room for Taichi’s input. Not that Taichi entirely minded, but the Cerberus wouldn’t be able to prepare food for themselves and the bunnies. Taichi would be gone for a while, so merely leaving a couple days’ worth of food and water out wouldn’t suffice.

I wonder if I could hire someone to work part-time and fill in temporarily. He started considering what hiring such a person would require. Would he pay them by the hour? Or by the day? Considering how long he would be gone, he would need this part-timer to fill in for entire days, so it stood to reason he should pay by the day. Plus, this was the only café of its kind in the world, so he may need to pay more handsomely.

“Should I post about the position in the café? Or should I consult the guild?” He tilted his head back and forth as he weighed the options. Problem is, I’m not too familiar with how things work in this world. Thus, he decided to visit the Commerce Guild.

***

“You’d like to know about the process for adding employees to your business?” clarified the clerk.

“Yes,” answered Taichi.

“There is no concrete process for it. The number of employees you have doesn’t affect the contract you have here at the guild.”

“That’s good to know.”

“Indeed. As for how you might go about hiring someone...”

Taichi had three options open to him.

The first was to use the Commerce Guild as a go-between. He would have to pay them a fee for their services, but in exchange, they would introduce him to qualified, trustworthy workers.

The second was to have a different guild act as his go-between or to post his request on their mission board. This was often the way people went about hiring short-term bodyguards and the like. This, too, would require a fee.

The third option was to simply hire someone directly. His idea to put up a flier inside the café fell under this. He could do this without having to pay anyone in the middle, but this meant no screening process. He would need to be a good judge of character if he was going to do the hiring process himself.

The clerk was also kind enough to inform him of the average pay for part-timers. “Since you’re running a café, I think somewhere around ten thousand Chel a day would be appropriate.”

“Interesting. All right, thank you for all the information,” said Taichi.

She shook her head. “Not at all. If you require any further assistance, we are happy to help.”

From there on, he was able to fill in the blanks with his knowledge.

Taichi exited the Commerce Guild, wandering the streets as he pondered how to handle his situation. The fastest way would be to ask the Commerce Guild to find someone. That gave the biggest guarantee of trustworthiness, which Taichi appreciated, since he was still new to this world and unfamiliar with how things worked. His only remaining concern was having to ask someone to look after monsters. There was a chance whoever the guild found for him would be terrified, which might mean the monsters didn’t get the proper care they required. That made him hesitant. Maybe it would be better to put a flier up in the café for now and see where that went.

“Hm, yeah. I think that’s what I’ll do. Fluffy Café has enough people who like it and visit regularly. I’d feel safer leaving the place in one of their hands.” That settles it, then. I’ll put up a flier as soon as I get home!

“Oh, Taichi, it’s you! Hey!”

Taichi paused and glanced behind him to find Hymeria. “Oh, what a coincidence.”

“Yeah. Surprised to see you in the city.”

“I had some business at the Commerce Guild. I’m planning to hire someone short-term, so I was asking them for information.”

“You are?!” Hymeria squeaked. “You’re really looking for a part-timer? I wanna do it! I could be around the Berry Bunnies all the time!”

“Huh?” It was Taichi’s turn to squeak in surprise. It’s kind of her to offer, but I feel like she’s a bit young for it. It had nothing to do with her being immature—she wasn’t. He would be fine with her working there while he was around, but it was a big responsibility to look after the whole café and all its monsters alone.

Noticing his hesitation, Hymeria scrunched her brow. “Can’t I?” Hymeria loved all the fluffy monsters at the café, and she knew how to feed them. She came regularly enough that she was familiar with the other customers. He could hardly expect much more than that.

“It’s not that you can’t, but you’re still a kid, aren’t you?”

“Wait... That’s your issue?”

He stared at her. “Yes? Isn’t that kind of important?”

She gave him a long-suffering sigh, as if she couldn’t accept his line of thinking. There was a short silence until she jabbed her finger at a small shop nearby.

“A florist?” Taichi said, confused.

The shop only had enough room to display the flowers it had for sale and not much more. The only person inside was a girl around fifteen, seemingly running the place by herself.

“See? There are plenty of people my age running shops on their own. I’ll admit, if it was a huge store, it might be difficult for me to handle on my own. But your café? It’s not that big.”

“Hmmm...”

Hymeria had a point, and it wasn’t like there was that much work to do, either. The menu was simple, consisting of pre-packaged snacks and instant drinks. The treats for the monsters came in their own individual bags. The most difficult part would be looking after the monsters, and Hymeria was plenty capable of that.

Luke is the biggest problem child of the bunch, and he’ll be coming with me. The Cerberus was quick to warm up to anyone. He was confident the three heads could get along with Hymeria. It was a shame they couldn’t speak to her, but Hymeria was clever enough to pick up on whatever they wanted to communicate.

After a long pause and much thinking, Taichi finally said, “All right. I think I’ll take you up on your offer. I’ll explain everything the work entails at the café. Do you have time to come now?”

“Yeah! Let’s do it!”

And with that, they made their way to Fluffy Café.

“I’m back!” Taichi called out as they stepped inside.

“Welcome back!” cried the three Cerberus heads as they charged forward, meeting him at the entrance. Taichi reached down and patted each head, earning happy smiles from all three.

Luke was curled up on his favorite beanbag chair, napping as usual.

The Berry Bunnies slowly trickled out and surrounded him.

“If I become a part-timer here, will I be able to experience this kind of reception every day?!” Hymeria asked, eyes gleaming.

Taichi prepared drinks for the two of them and then launched into a basic explanation of the situation. “I’m going on a journey to tame a new fluffy monster, so I’ll be gone for a bit. I expect to be back twenty-five days from now at the latest.”

“What are you going to tame?”

“Eh heh heh...” Taichi cackled. “I’m glad you asked!” This trip was an incredibly important one, for it was his one chance to bring a Forest Cat into their mix! “Our newest addition will be...a Forest Cat!”

Hymeria gasped. “I guess that would be a good fluffy monster to add!”

Forest Cats were anywhere from half a foot to two feet tall, making them quite small and easy to cuddle and play with. Hymeria hadn’t considered them to be a possible candidate until Taichi mentioned them, but now that she thought about it, she had to agree they would fit right in.

“Oh, but...hold on,” she said.

“Hm?”

“Just to be clear, you only need me to work for twenty-five days?”

Taichi nodded. “That’s right. I padded extra days in there just to be on the safe side. I may be back sooner than that, but I doubt I will be any later.”

There was a curiously long pause before she finally said, “Okay!” Hymeria then added, “I’ve defeated Forest Cats before, but I’ve never been able to pet one. I can’t wait!”

“You’re more than welcome to pet them when I tame them and bring them back home!” Taichi’s heart ached to think that people hunted such an adorable cat. What a cruel world this was! Of course, if it were done in self-defense, he couldn’t blame them. “Anyway, once you learn the ropes, I’ll take off. Let me know when you’ll be ready to start.” Twenty-five days was a long time. He couldn’t expect her to be ready immediately. That’s why he was being conscientious and double-checking with her.

“I’m good whenever! I’m an adventurer, remember, so I don’t really have a set schedule.”

“Oh, that’s helpful.” Guess she always decides her schedule in the spur of the moment like this, huh? The downside was the lack of security such work provided, but he could appreciate the freedom it afforded. “In that case, I can leave as soon as I’m sure you can handle everything. And don’t worry, I’ll pay you properly for—oh!”

“Hm?”

Taichi held his head in his hands, realizing only now that he had completely skipped the part about her compensation. “Your pay! That’s the most important part, and I didn’t even mention it until now. I’m sorry. That should’ve been the first thing I told you.” Compensation was always the hardest thing for a potential employee to bring up themselves. He should have been more conscious about that. But while he inwardly admonished himself, he launched into an explanation, starting first with her working hours. “You’ll be opening the café at 11:00 a.m. and closing at 5:00 p.m. You’ll need to make preparations before opening and clean up after closing, which means you will need to arrive at 10:30 a.m. and then leave around 5:30 p.m.”

“Okay. I think that should be fine,” she said.

He went on to say that since there were so few customers, she could take her lunch break whenever she pleased. The Cerberus was there to keep an eye on things, so when no one else was in the shop, she was free to go to the back. She’ll know when someone comes because of the bell.

“When you work here for several hours, I’ll pay you two thousand Chel per hour. When you work for the full day, I’ll pay fifteen thousand Chel. How does that sound?” A full day would be considerably more difficult, and she would need a break in the middle, so he decided on her compensation with that in mind.

“Whoa, isn’t that way too much? Wouldn’t one thousand Chel be plenty?”

“No, no. You’re going to be looking after my precious monsters. I need to pay you properly for that. But in exchange, I expect you to fulfill your duties.”

“Of course I will! I love them all. I’ll take good care of them.”

And that settled the final details of her employment.

***

For the moment, they agreed Hymeria would work at the café as a trainee. Once she was sufficiently ready to take over, Taichi would set off with Luke to the neighboring nation.

“Oh, right. She’s going to need an apron,” Taichi said to himself. Fluffy Café had no set uniform, which made the apron integral to indicating who was staff. “I’ll make one for her and an extra, just in case. All right, Create!” Taichi fashioned five dark green aprons, complete with the Fluffy Café logo on them.

By the time he finished, Hymeria had arrived.

“Good morning! Thanks for coming,” he told her.

“Morning,” Hymeria greeted in turn. “I’m excited for today! I’m happy I get to work surrounded by a bunch of cute, fluffy animals!”

Taichi nodded and held out her apron for her. “Make sure you wear this when you’re working.”

“Ooh! How cute! Now I’m officially a member of the Fluffy Café! You won’t be disappointed.”

One of the Berry Bunnies hopped over. Taichi scooped them up and told them, “Hymeria will be joining us starting today.”

“Kree!”

“Yay!” cheered the three Cerberus heads in unison.

Hymeria eyes filled with emotion seeing the animals come to greet her. She was more motivated than ever to give this her full effort.

“All right, let’s get started with your training, then.”

“Yeah!”

The first order of business in the mornings was to check on the health of the monsters, which involved talking to them and making sure none were ill.

“How should I go about doing that?” asked Hymeria.

“There’s no specific way. You can pet them or hold them. Just watch how they act.” Taichi patted the bunny he was holding on the head.

“Kree,” the bunny cried gleefully.

“If they are feeling under the weather, they won’t seem like their usual upbeat selves. Make sense? If everything seems normal, I would assume they’re okay,” said Taichi.

She nodded. “Yep, makes sense to me. Monsters are pretty strong, so it’s probably pretty rare for one of them to feel unwell.” She kneeled to grab a Berry Bunny that had wandered close. Petting it, she asked, “Are you feeling all right, little one?” The bunny ate up the affection. “Seems fine to me!”

“Then our next order of business is washing them.” He motioned to the monsters and said, “Come on, everyone.” He spoke first to the bunnies but then called for Luke and the Cerberus to join them as well. Together, their group moved toward the back door.

Hymeria was surprised; she hadn’t been anticipating bath time so suddenly.

“We wouldn’t want them to stink when they have customers touching them,” Taichi explained. “Generally, I wash them once a month. If one of them starts to smell funky, I’ll do it sooner.”

“Makes sense.”

“To be clear, I don’t think you’ll need to clean them while I’m gone, but I want you to know how just in case any of them get dirty. Like if they get poop stuck in their fur or a drink spilled on them.” He explained when she would need to use shampoo on them as they stepped into the rear garden, where the shed that contained their bath was located.

“Oh, so this is how it looks behind the café.” Hymeria paused to take it all in.

“Yep. It’s large enough they can exercise too. Pretty nice, isn’t it?” They hadn’t really used the rear garden much for exercise, though. The bunnies didn’t really need it and preferred to spend their time inside the café, and Luke’s definition of exercise far exceeded what the rear garden could provide. The Cerberus preferred to play with Taichi or the bunnies over running around by himself outside. I’m sure I’ll eventually add a monster who will appreciate this garden.

He cracked open the door to the shed, which led into the changing area. “There are plenty of towels in here, so use them as needed.”

“Sure, but I have to say, I thought you would use the well to wash them.” She was scrunching her face, confused as to what this shed was supposed to be—or how it worked.

“Oh, this is a bath,” said Taichi. He opened the door leading further in, and Hymeria’s eyes went wide as she saw the interior. There was a tub large enough for a person and a much smaller one beside it for the monsters to use.

“Huh?! Why is there a bath here? And you even have a separate one for your monsters?!” Hymeria’s voice hitched with surprise. She stared at the bath in disbelief. Beneath her breath she muttered, “There aren’t many places where you can find something this fancy.”

“Hymeria?” Taichi spoke her name questioningly, unable to hear whatever she was saying.

“Oh, it’s nothing! I was thinking this place is incredible.”

“Oh, yeah? This here is the faucet. Turning it will make warm water flow through the spout, which is how you fill the bath.”

She froze. “Huh? Warm water comes out? So you don’t...get water from the well yourself?”

“Uh, nope. Um...” Taichi was inwardly panicking as he realized how unusual this bathroom must be if she was asking that. “This kinda technology exists where I come from, so I used it to make this bathroom! I’m out of the special parts, though, so I can’t make any more.”

“Oh, um, I see.”

This bathroom worked the same as the one he’d had in Japan. She wasn’t likely to have any problem using it. On the other hand, it was probably best not to discuss the matter any further, since he’d only be digging his own grave.

Once the warm water had sufficiently filled the human-sized tub, Luke said, “It’s time,” and dove in. He was too large to fit into the smaller one. After realizing that first day how wonderful it felt to be in a warm bath, he basically joined Taichi every single time Taichi got in, which was usually once every day.

“Luke’s such a good boy, getting in by himself,” said Hymeria.

“The others will do the same. See? They’re doing it now.”

“Kree.”

“Kree!”

“Yeah, we do!”

“It feels so nice...”

“Aren’t you gonna join us, Taichi?”

The last three voices belonged to the Cerberus heads. At Taichi’s prompting, they and the Berry Bunnies had hopped into their small tub.

“Wow,” said Hymeria. “What good babies!”

“Yep, but it’s our job to wash them up,” said Taichi.

“I’ll try my best!”

Taichi grabbed his bar of soap and began lathering up the bunnies one by one. Since it felt nice, they obediently let him. Ahh, now this is true happiness, he thought.

“Eep!” Hymeria cried.

Taichi was shocked out of the daze he’d fallen in. “Hymeria?” He twisted around to see what was happening.

Cerberus was drenched like a wet rat. One of the heads cried, “My beautiful fur’s gone flat!”

“Oh, that’s what’s going on. Yeah, normally their hair is fluffy and dense. Probably surprised them, getting all wet like this.”

Hymeria sniffled, tears in her eyes. The Cerberus’s devastated reaction had unnerved her.

“It’s okay. Once we’re done, we’ll dry them, and they’ll be back to their usual energetic selves.”

“R-right,” Hymeria agreed with a stiff nod, trying to encourage herself. “Yeah. I need to hang in there!”

After everyone left the bath, Taichi brought in towels to begin wiping them down, moving with practiced efficiency. After watching him, Hymeria hesitated a moment before holding out her hand toward the Berry Bunnies. “If we’re going to dry them, my magic might be more convenient. Gentle Wind!” Warm wind buffeted the animals, drying their fur in seconds.

“Ooh! Amazing! You mages are something else.”

“Hee hee!” Hymeria giggled bashfully, pleased to have been helpful.

Man, I envy her. I only have Tamer skills. Wish I could do stuff like that. If he was going to hire someone on permanently in the future, a mage might be best.

Hymeria was a quick learner, picking up everything Taichi imparted with little difficulty. Before he knew it, she was trained enough to handle everything on her own.

***

Since Taichi would be traveling on Luke’s back to Arzelun, they decided to depart at night. During the day, someone might spot them, potentially raising a fuss. He knew it would be chilly at night, but with Luke’s warm fur, Taichi was sure he’d be fine.

“All right, I guess it’s time to go. I’m counting on all of you to behave while I’m gone. Hymeria will come by in the morning, so be good for her.”

“You got it!”

“We won’t let you down!”

“We’ll be good.”

While the Cerberus heads each had their own unique response, the Berry Bunnies responded with a collective: “Kree!”

“And if any customers come, we have to entertain them, right?” asked one of the Cerberus heads.

“Uh, yeah. I guess that’s close enough.” From his perspective as a human, the animals were the ones being entertained. However, if the Cerberus enjoyed seeing it the other way around, then that was fine too.

Makes me realize that the cats I played with at the cat café probably thought they were the ones entertaining me. On the other hand, more often than not, they ignored him completely. Compared to them, the Cerberus’s attitude was far more compassionate.

I should buy a bunch of stuff in Arzelun to bring back for them. He was sure they’d love whatever he brought.

Taichi ruffled the Cerberus’s fur, enjoying the feel of its softness on his skin as he told the heads, “Such good boys.”

Luke glowered at him, jealousy plain as day on his face. “We are leaving, aren’t we?” he snapped. “Hurry it up!”

“I know, I know!”

At Luke’s prompting, Taichi snatched up his bag and hooked it over his shoulder, pulling on his jacket over it. He was fully ready. Thanks to his Bottomless Bag, he didn’t have to carry all that much himself, making traveling much easier. He’d basically never traveled when he lived in Japan, but he had to bring a suitcase whenever he had a business trip.

“Kree.” The Berry Bunnies crowded around him as if they were worried. His feet were soon covered in tiny, furry bodies.

Is this heaven? He smiled goofily, imagining how wonderful it would be to add a Forest Cat to his already adorable collection of furry companions.

Luke was glaring daggers again.

“Wh-what?” Taichi said.

“You’re exasperating, smiling to yourself like an idiot!” Luke huffed at him, turning away.

Was I really? I mean, maybe I was. Taichi pressed his fingers to his cheeks and tried to fix his face manually, but it was pointless. He couldn’t help how goofy he got when he was surrounded by furry critters. He was too far gone.

Luke gave him a judgmental look, smacking Taichi in the leg with his tail. “You’re beyond salvation.”

“Aha ha... It’s not my fault. I love all of you.”

“Hmph.” Luke turned the other cheek, even though his tail was spinning. He was probably embarrassed by Taichi’s open show of affection.

“Okay,” said Taichi, “let’s go.”

“Let’s,” agreed Luke.

“Have a safe trip!” the Cerberus heads called after them in unison.

“Kree!”

“We’ll be back before you know it!” Taichi called over his shoulder, his voice overlapping with Luke’s as the wolf similarly said, “We shall return soon.”

Although Fluffy Café sat on the outskirts of the city, it wasn’t as if the area around it was completely deserted. Taichi and Luke had to walk a little ways before Luke could return to his full height, doubling in size. But twice the size meant twice the fluff, which was why Taichi absolutely loved Luke’s original size.

“Come on,” prompted Luke. “Get on. You want to reach the city before the sun starts to rise, don’t you?”

“I think that’d be for the best. You stand out, and I’d prefer to avoid unwanted attention.”

They already drew notice when Luke was compact. If they saw him at full size, there was no telling how people might react. I’m sure there’d be people who would want him for their own ends. Taichi would never allow that.

“I’ll protect you, Luke!” Taichi said, clinging tightly to Luke’s neck.

The wolf sighed at him. “What are you talking about? You are far weaker than I am.”

Taichi pursed his lips and reluctantly mumbled, “You’re right.”

Luke sighed again and grabbed Taichi by the collar, lifting Taichi onto his back. “Let me be the one to protect you.” With that, he kicked off the ground and shot forward, moving at such speed it was as if he was flying, a bright full moon hanging overhead.

To Taichi he looked... So majestic. And he was, despite how prickly he was most of the time.

“This is exactly why you’re my partner. I know I can rely on you,” Taichi said with a smile.

Luke smiled too.

And with that, they were off, traveling to a foreign land to find a Forest Cat.

Interlude 7: The Fluffy Café Without Taichi

Interlude 7:
The Fluffy Café Without Taichi

GRISE WAS IN high spirits as he strutted his way to Fluffy Café. Nina and Arle were busy with an escort mission for a merchant’s daughter. The request was strict about only hiring women, which meant Grise had to stay behind.

That’s okay, because it means I get to visit Fluffy Café! He burst through the front door, the bell noisily clanging above him.

“Oh, welcome!”

“Hello!” Grise paused. “Oh, right. I guess Taichi already left for Arzelun.” He was momentarily shocked when he first saw Hymeria, but the realization dawned on him soon enough.

“He sure did!”

Grise and Hymeria had become acquainted after seeing each other numerous times while she was still a trainee. They weren’t terribly close, but since they were both adventurers, they were on the same wavelength.

“I’ll take a cup of cold green tea,” he said.

“Sure thing. Coming right up!”

After putting in his usual order, Grise took a seat on the sofa. Scanning the room, he realized that Luke and his beloved beanbag chair were nowhere to be found. He snickered to himself. I guess he likes it so much he didn’t want to leave it behind, huh?

While he was busy thinking to himself, the Berry Bunnies and Cerberus wandered over, the former emitting a faint, “Kree?” The Cerberus seemed to want to play, since one of the heads was holding a ball in its mouth, letting out a muffled, “Arf.”

“Oooh, you wanna play, do ya? Well, why not! You’re a clever boy, aren’tcha? Bringing the ball to me like this.” Most animals feared Grise because of his rugged features, but these monsters showed no hesitation as they approached him, making them all the more endearing.

I’d better buy them some treats later!

“Woof!”

Grise took the ball from the Cerberus and lightly tossed it. Obediently, the pup gave chase, snatched it up and brought it back. They played several rounds of fetch together. It was too cute the way he scurried back with the ball in his mouth. Grise didn’t have the heart to put an end to their game.

He patted the floor and said, “Okay, we’ll keep going a little longer, then. Let’s use three balls this time!”

Since there were three heads, it only made sense to throw three.

The Cerberus wagged its tail eagerly. This would never get old to Grise. He’d play fetch forever if the pup wanted it.

“Ahh, this fills me with so much joy.” He was in his own little world, tossing the balls, when Hymeria appeared out of thin air, setting his drink down on the table right beside him.

“Here you are,” she said.

“Oh, thanks! This green tea stuff is delicious!” While the Cerberus was scrambling to collect all the balls, he took a moment to sip on his drink, letting out a deep, satisfied exhale. “So refreshing!” His eyes wandered back to Hymeria. “So I guess you’re working all on your own now. How is it?”

“Mm, the café part of the job is pretty normal, as you’d expect.”

“I guess so, since all you have to do is make the drinks and add snacks to the customer’s order. Makes it easier than most restaurants, in a way.” If there was any aspect of the job here that might’ve been difficult, it would be looking after all of the monsters, but Grise knew that Hymeria loved them all dearly. He doubted she would have any issues. At least until he noticed her pulling a face. “What’s up? Something bothering you?”

“Mm, the job is fine,” she said haltingly. “It’s just...all the devices Taichi has here kinda defy imagination.”

“Devices?” Grise’s face screwed up. He couldn’t figure out what she meant.

“Well, not just devices. I mean, take the tableware, for instance.”

He nodded. “True, the plates and cups are a really nice quality.”

Grise could see how she’d be surprised by them. I can only imagine how much these must have cost Taichi. He didn’t want to think how much he’d owe if he dropped his mug and shattered it. It came with its own matching ceramic lid, which Grise was sure had to be a custom order. Better be careful with it.

“Oh, right,” said Grise, “when’s he supposed to be back?”

“According to him, twenty-five days at the latest.”

“Hm...?” Grise blinked slowly. At first, he thought it was a joke, and he’d missed the punchline somehow. “Sorry. I don’t think I heard you right. When’s he gonna be back?”

“Twenty-five days from now.”

“Right.”

Well, at least he knew he hadn’t misheard her. When I went to Arzelun before, it took me about a month one way, and that was on a stagecoach. Was Taichi taking the fastest horse he could find to ride there? That could be the only explanation. Grise was at a loss. He snuck a glance at Hymeria, who promptly shook her head. Clearly, he wasn’t to pry anymore.

“Tamers sure are amazing,” he said, for lack of anything better.

“I think Taichi’s a serious exception.” She had a distant look in her eyes, as if she knew even more about him, which made him stand out among his peers.

There’s probably so much that it’s almost discomforting.

“I guess for a Tamer as skilled as Taichi, it’s not impossible to make the trip that quickly.” hedged Grise.

Well, regardless of whether he’s weird, I’m willing to overlook it for this café. He reached for his mug and drained the rest of the tea from it.

***

“Phew! Playing ball sure was fun.”

“I’m thirsty.”

“Let’s drink some water!”

After the Cerberus finished playing with Grise, it trotted over to the automatic water dispenser Taichi had left for it. This Cerberus loved this device because it kept the water fresh.

“But it’s kinda lonely without Taichi.”

“Nothing we can do about that since he’s on a trip.”

“I really like Hymeria!”

“Me too!” chimed in the other two heads.

Since they had come to love Hymeria so much, they were intent on playing with her as much as they could while Taichi was gone. She diligently prepared their food and was always smiling at them. She was also really cute! Almost like a mom.

“But it’s so lonely at night,” Nord whined. He was the neediest of the three heads.

During the daytime, they had Hymeria and customers to occupy their attention, but it was much lonelier at night, since they had grown used to sleeping with Taichi.

“I get what you mean!” Pino said with a nod. “So what’ll we do tonight?”

“How about we sleep with the Berry Bunnies?” suggested Chrollo.

“Good idea!” cried the other two heads.

The bunnies tended to crowd together and sleep downstairs. If the Cerberus snuck in with them and curled up, they wouldn’t be lonely.

“Plus, if we stick by them, we can protect them in case anything happens!”

“Yeah!”

“Since we’re the newest addition, it’s our job to protect those who’ve been there longer than us!” The Cerberus adored the bunnies, respecting them and their more veteran status at the café.

“Kree?”

Marshmallow understood that the Cerberus heads were referring to them and bounced its way over.

“We’ll be sleeping with you guys starting tonight. Hope you don’t mind!” said Pino.

“Kree!” Marshmallow bobbed their head as if to say the Cerberus was more than welcome. They were the leader of the Berry Bunnies, so getting their permission was reassuring.

“Hee hee, I can’t wait.”

All three heads were in top spirits.

“Mind if I order a bag of treats?” Grise’s voice boomed through the room.

“Treats!” cried the three heads in delight.

“Kree kree?!”

They couldn’t help but react with excitement when they heard. Taichi had originally created the Bunny Cookies for the Berry Bunnies, but they were so delicious that the Cerberus had come to love them too.

“I want some!”

“We played with him first, so I’m sure he’ll give us some!”

“We’d better hurry over!”

The Cerberus scrambled toward Grise, bumping into his leg and staring up at him with pleading eyes.

“Oh, how cute!” Grise was immediately taken by them and their show of affection.

“Kree!”

“Kree kree.”

“Kreeee!”

The bunnies were not to be outdone; they crowded around Grise’s feet, masterfully begging for their share.

“Urgh, if I keeled over a second from now, I’d die without any regrets,” he said.

“No, please don’t die,” Hymeria told him calmly as she retrieved the bag of treats he requested.

What followed was an all-out battle. While the Cerberus respected the bunnies as veterans of the café, that was irrelevant when it came to securing treats.

“I’m gonna get my share no matter what!”

“We can’t let the bunnies get the better of us here!”

“You said it!”

Overwhelmed by the critters’ adorable pleading, Grise turned back to Hymeria and held up a finger. “Uh, can I get a second bag?” With so many monsters wanting a portion, he figured one wouldn’t be enough to satisfy them.

Hymeria gave him a look of knowing pity. She grabbed another bag and handed it to him.

“Thanks. All right, time for treats, everyone!”

“Woof!” barked all three heads in unison. They happily scarfed down the cookies they received, and the bunnies eagerly nibbled away on theirs.

Grise sighed contentedly. “This place really is paradise.” He had to stop himself from grinning like an idiot as he indulged in the moment.