Another World Fluffy Cafe

Chapter 8: Spreading Fluffiness to the World!

Taichi and Luke returned to the inn, utterly exhausted after playing frisbee to the point of collapse. Well, only Taichi was truly worn out; Luke, on the other hand, seemed to love the frisbee game, wagging his tail happily.

As they approached the Forest Cat Inn, high-pitched voices of excitement came from inside. It seemed to be coming from the dining hall.

“What’s going on?”
‘I thought we were the only guests here,’ Luke said.
“There’s no way that’s true…”

Although the inn was quiet, it wasn’t completely devoid of customers. When Taichi peeked into the dining hall, he saw Arts and a few girls playing with the Forest Cat, using cat toys and a ball.

(Oh! My handmade cat toys are a big hit!)

While Taichi watched quietly from the entrance, Arts noticed him and waved.

“Welcome back, Taichi!”
“I’m back. Looks like the toys are pretty popular.”
“They sure are! The cats are having a blast with them. Oh, let me introduce you. This is my sister, Sara.”

Hearing the introduction, Taichi recalled that Arts had mentioned running the inn with his sister.

“So you’re the Taichi who made these toys? I’m Sara, helping with the inn while also working as an adventurer.”
“I’m Taichi, nice to meet you. I’m glad they like the toys.”

Sara, eager to embark on her own adventures, shared the same greenish-yellow hair and sepia eyes as her brother Arts. Her ponytail and apron suggested she helped with the inn, though she looked ready for a nearby hunt. She was an energetic 15-year-old girl.

The two girls with her were also introduced.
“These are my adventurer companions!”
“I’m Marilia. I never knew Forest Cats were this adorable!”
“I’m Shanti. Oh no, I can never fight a Forest Cat again… I wish I were a Tamer instead!”

It seemed they had fallen for the charms of the Forest Cat.

“I’m Taichi, nice to meet you both. They really are cute, aren’t they?”
“Absolutely!!” they both exclaimed in unison, clearly smitten.

Arts was watching the Forest Cat playfully run through a tunnel with a big smile on his face.

(Cats are truly the best…)

Taichi mentally offered a prayer to the Cat God. Given how quickly people had become enamored with the cats, he realized that an inn where guests could interact with cats had a high chance of success. With word of mouth, the number of customers would surely increase.

Maybe they should specialize the inn even more toward cats, he mused.

(But letting cats freely roam the guest rooms probably wouldn’t be good…)

The cats could be allowed to wander the first floor, which included the reception and dining areas, and maybe even the hallways on the second floor. Guests waking up to find a cat nearby would surely start their day in high spirits.

Just imagining it made Taichi smile.

Next on his list of ideas was… a cat tower. However, building it with his skills might not be the best solution. While simple toys were fine, a larger, more complex creation would require more thought.

(It’s tricky…)

Running the somewhat run-down inn with just the two siblings likely meant they were trying to keep costs low, so Taichi pondered what could be done affordably. Suddenly, an idea struck him.

“What about a wall-mounted cat tower? You could attach boards to the walls like steps.”

Sara’s ears perked up at the mention of boards.
“Boards?”
“Cats love climbing and being in high places. If we attach some boards to the walls to form a staircase, it might work well.”
“Hmm, I think I could do that!” Sara clenched her fists in determination.

“I’ve been relying on my brother for everything with the inn, so I want to do something too! There’s wood behind the inn. Would you mind taking a look with me?”

“Sure, but is it okay to decide on something so quickly?”

Though Taichi had suggested the idea, he worried it might be too rash to make such decisions about the inn’s management.

Sara, however, seemed unfazed.
“It’s fine! Besides, it’s lonely having so few customers… I want to keep the inn that my parents left us. I know I’m just an adventurer, so I might not be convincing, but…”

Taichi fell silent, realizing the weight behind Sara’s words.
(The inn that their parents left them…)

This was a huge responsibility, but Taichi also wanted to support Sara’s feelings. His role could be to advise on toys and equipment that would help guests interact with the Forest Cats.

“Neither my brother nor I had ever used a cat toy before, so we didn’t expect such a reaction from the cats. It made me so happy,” Sara said with a smile.

As she spoke, Arts approached.
“While you were out, Sara and I talked a bit. It would be a waste not to share how cute these Forest Cats are with the world! So we’ve decided to make this inn a place where people can play with the cats.”

Arts smiled, clearly thankful to Taichi.
“So, we’d love your help with the wall-mounted boards! I know we shouldn’t ask our guests to do so much…”

“No, no, I’d love to help! I’m actually planning to open a café where people can interact with fluffy creatures too… I think there should be more places like this where people can meet cute creatures.”

“Thank you, Taichi! We’ll do our best! Once the inn is up and running, Sara and I will definitely visit your café!”
“Yes, please do!”

Taichi and Arts shook hands firmly, united in their goal to spread the love for fluffy creatures worldwide.