Another World Fluffy Cafe

Chapter 10: Arriving at the Forest

The next day, Taichi immediately came to the forest where the Forest Cats inhabit.

This forest is located in the center of the Arzelun Kingdom, and when he looks up, he can barely see the sun due to the thick canopy of trees.

Many monsters related to the forest are said to inhabit this area.

“I hope there are some tasty prey around.”

“Wait, wait, today isn’t about food. I came here to tame a Forest Cat to be a café employee!”

“I know! If I can also hunt a dragon on the side, that’d be lucky.”

“Don’t bring up dragons out of nowhere…”

Over here, he’s not as strong as Luke.

(But Luke easily takes down dragons.)

That strength is overwhelming, and Taichi has been helped by Luke many times before.

It’s not just in battle.

Without Luke, he probably wouldn’t have been able to reach the Arzelun Kingdom so easily, nor would he have made it from the dangerous forest where he first teleported to the town.

Looking back, Taichi thought that their meeting felt almost like a miracle.

If possible, he would love to make delicious dragon steak again.

(But I’d be happy if you hunted it without me around…)

Facing a dragon, even knowing that Luke is there gives him a sense of security, but it’s still scary.

“Shall we go deeper?”

“Hmm, well…”

Taichi hesitates at Luke’s question.

From what he heard, Forest Cats are weak and easy to tame. Thinking that way, he feels that they might encounter one if they don’t go too deep into the forest.

Taichi shakes his head and decides to search the shallower parts of the forest.

He walked through the forest searching for Forest Cats for two hours.

“Hmm, not a single one?”

When he asked Arts before leaving the inn, he was told that there were many Forest Cats, and he should encounter the first one within minutes.

Yet here he is, still not having seen one after two hours.

“What’s going on… Did we come to the wrong forest?”

While thinking this, Taichi looks at Luke, who is sniffing the air. Perhaps he’s picked up something with his keen sense of smell.

(Come to think of it, he was sniffing the scent of a dragon before…)

He might have asked Luke to search for the Forest Cats from the beginning, but Taichi also had a desire to find the cats on his own feet.

For now, he waits for Luke’s judgment.

“There seems to be a strong monster nearby. Weak monsters are probably hiding out of fear.”

“I see, that makes sense.”

Now that he thinks about it, they haven’t encountered any weak monsters like the Forest Cats at all. Luke had taken care of the stronger monsters they did encounter.

So then—

“Could it be that the Forest Cats won’t come out of their dens unless we take down that strong monster?”

“That’s a possibility.”

“Oh… what a bother.”

That’s definitely a big problem, and he wants to find a way to deal with it.

(But what kind of strong monster is it?)

Since Luke said it was strong, it might be quite a dangerous opponent. Perhaps even one that could put Luke in a pinch…?

Just thinking about it sends a chill down his spine, and he shakes his head to clear his mind of such thoughts.

“For now, let’s go take it down.”

“Eh?”

“What? You look stunned.”

“Uh, I was just thinking that if it’s a strong monster… it might be tough even for you, Luke.”

When Taichi honestly expresses his thoughts, Luke lets out a sigh.

“I am a noble Fenrir! There’s no way I could lose!!”

“I’m just worried! After all, it’s a strong enemy, right?”

“To the Forest Cats, it’s a strong enemy.”

“Oh, I see…”

It seems that for Luke, it’s not a big deal at all.

(That’s a bit reassuring.)

“Then let’s take it down and tame a Forest Cat.”

“Sounds good. I’ll follow the scent, so hop on my back.”

“… Please go easy on me.”

Once Taichi climbs onto Luke’s back, Luke takes off with a burst of speed.

“Hey, that’s too fast!!!”