Another World Fluffy Cafe

Chapter 19: Smitten by the Cats

“Hey there! Wha—what is this!!”

The doorbell chimed, and a regular merchant walked in, immediately voicing his surprise.

This was a merchant who often traveled to other towns to procure supplies and was one of the people who had discovered the Fluffy Café during his travels.

“Welcome.”

“Oh, it’s the owner! Long time no see.”

“Yes, it’s been a while. These little ones here are Forest Cats. I found them in the monster compendium, and I just had to tame them.”

Taichi explained, and the merchant nodded deeply with understanding.

“I heard from Himeri that you went to tame something, but I had no idea you’d return with such adorable and elegant-looking fluffies… As expected of the owner!”

“Haha, thank you. I just registered them at the Tamer Guild earlier today, so this is the first time the Forest Cats are making their debut.”

“Oh, then I came at the perfect time.”

The merchant smiled broadly, eager to enjoy the new fluffies to the fullest. That said, he already had a favorite fluffy.

“As usual, I’ll have the tea and pasta set, please. And as for Monaka…”

“Meep!”

“Ahhh! When did you sneak up on me!? Aww, you’re so cute… Huh, and who’s this little one?”

“Meow!”

The merchant’s favorite was Monaka, a Berry Rabbit with black-and-white spots. Monaka seemed to like him too, coming over as soon as she noticed him. However, today, a Forest Cat named Eucalyptus was also by her side. It seemed the two had become good friends while playing together.

Monaka meeped, introducing Eucalyptus to the merchant.

“Owner, what’s the name of this Forest Cat who’s such good friends with Monaka?”

“Her name is Eucalyptus.”

“Eucalyptus! What a refined and adorable name.”

Eucalyptus was a Forest Cat with soft-colored, round leaves sprouting from around her ankles, resembling eucalyptus leaves.

“Owner, along with my previous order, could I also have some treats?”

“Thank you very much.”

At the Fluffy Café, feeding the fluffies outside food was prohibited. Instead, customers could purchase rabbit-shaped cookies as treats. These treats were, honestly, delicious even for humans, and the fluffies absolutely loved them. Whoever had the treats would quickly become the center of attention.

Taichi handed over a bag of the cookies from the counter and headed back to the kitchen to prepare the rest of the order.

“If Eucalyptus is as close to Monaka as they seem, I have no choice but to push for her as well!”

The merchant was determined to pamper Eucalyptus just as much as Monaka and give her priority treats. He planned to visit often to make sure the fluffies would remember him.

“To get closer, I need to give them more treats—”

“Hello.”

Just as the merchant reached for the bag of treats, Himeri appeared, holding a cat toy and a ball.

Monaka and Eucalyptus, who had expected treats, lowered their ears in disappointment when the merchant stopped.

“Oh, it’s Himeri. Hi there!”

“These are toys Taichi made. Want to try them out?”

Himeri’s eyes sparkled with enthusiasm.

“New toys? Absolutely!”

“Great! This toy is especially loved by the Forest Cats. You use it like this.”

Himeri demonstrated how to use the cat toy. Eucalyptus crouched low, preparing to pounce as the toy waved before her.

“Whoa!”

The merchant gasped in awe at the adorable pose. Then, in the next instant, Eucalyptus leaped at the toy! The merchant clapped for both Eucalyptus and Himeri.

“Wow, amazing!”

“She can do even more tricks!”

Himeri lifted the toy higher, prompting Eucalyptus to jump with all her might to catch it with her front paws and gracefully land.

“Awww, Eucalyptus is just too cute! She’s adorable by herself, but when she’s with Monaka, it’s like a perfect picture!”

The merchant was utterly captivated by their artistic charm.

“I’m glad you like it. This ball has a bell inside, and just rolling it will keep the Forest Cats entertained.”

“Wow, that’s revolutionary!”

“Taichi made it.”

Himeri rolled the ball, making a jingling sound. The Forest Cats in the café immediately fixed their gazes on it.

“Whoa!”

“This is amazing…!”

Even Himeri was surprised by how effective the toys were. The Forest Cats all gathered around the ball, happily playing together.

“…Well, enjoy playing with them.”

“I’ll have to play a lot with them.”

The merchant swallowed hard, but realized that the Forest Cats were so engrossed in the ball that he couldn’t retrieve it. He lacked the courage to interrupt their play, fearing they might get upset.

Noticing his dilemma, Himeri smiled reassuringly.

“Don’t worry. There are plenty more over there.”

“Wow, that’s amazing!”

Himeri pointed to a box filled with about 20 more balls, alongside 10 different types of cat toys. Taichi had prepared plenty of extras, knowing the cats’ preferences.

“Please return the toys to the box when you’re done playing.”

“Got it! Time to have some fun!”

The merchant grabbed three balls from the box, shook them, and the jingling immediately attracted the attention of the Forest Cats.

“This is amazing, they’re all watching me even though I’m not giving out treats… I’m in love!”

The merchant was smitten beyond words.

“Alright, here we go!”

He threw the balls toward the opposite wall, and with a chorus of meows, the Forest Cats dashed after them.

“Meow meow!”

“Myaa!”

“Don’t play too rough, everyone!”

“Myaaan!”

Even though Ume, the boss of the group, tried to warn them, the Forest Cats enthusiastically chased the balls.

“Wow, so big! That one didn’t chase after the ball…”

“That’s Ume, the boss of the group.”

“Is she watching over the others? How noble! I’ll give her a rabbit cookie as a reward. Here, it’s delicious~~”

Ume’s nose twitched at the scent of the cookie, a familiar treat she had received from Taichi several times before on their way back from taming. Remembering its deliciousness, she approached the merchant, softly nudging his hand, asking for it.

But Ume wasn’t the only one who knew the taste of the rabbit cookies. The other Forest Cats, noticing the treats, also rushed toward the merchant!

“Ahhh!”

The unexpected rush caused the merchant to fall, and in an instant, the cookies were devoured by the cats. Later, he would recount this story, saying it was still a blissful experience.