Another World Fluffy Cafe

Chapter 21: The Conversation of the Fluffy Ones

Late at night, after Taichi had fallen asleep, the fluffy creatures gathered inside the store. They were curious about the newcomer, the Ore Hedgehog, who would likely be living with them for a while.

Luke stared intently at the Ore Hedgehog, remembering that it had been a while since he’d seen one. There used to be more of them, but their numbers had dwindled.

“I’m sorry for suddenly intruding like this,” said the Ore Hedgehog apologetically.

“Ah, don’t worry about it!” Cerberus quickly shook its head in disagreement.

“This place is safe.”

“It’s more fun to be with everyone!”

The Ore Hedgehog’s humble words were met with an enthusiastic response from Cerberus, who reassured him with a vigorous shake of the head.

“But it must be tough not having other companions. I understand that feeling,” Cerberus added.

“Exactly, exactly,” the heads chimed in unison.

“Still, compared to an Ore Hedgehog, Cerberus is far rarer,” the hedgehog muttered, thinking how if strong monsters like Cerberus were everywhere, the world might as well end.

“Um, have you all been with Taichi for a long time?” the Ore Hedgehog asked.

A silence fell over the group.

While they were all happy with their days spent together with Taichi, the truth was that they hadn’t been with him for very long. As for the Forest Cat, it had only been a little over ten days, even including the journey back from the Kingdom of Azeln.

“Ah, should I not have asked?” the Ore Hedgehog asked timidly.

“It’s fine,” Luke responded nonchalantly.

“How should I put it… Taichi is a special case.”

“Special, you say?”

“The fact that he has this many familiars with him should already tell you he’s not an ordinary tamer.”

The Ore Hedgehog was taken aback by Luke’s words. Indeed, most tamers he had seen had only a few familiars, ten at most.

“Let’s see, one, two, three, four… Twenty-two familiars in total?”

“That’s right. Taichi only arrived here recently because of some unique circumstances.”

“I see, so that’s how it is. Did he come from a country where tamers are more common?”

The Ore Hedgehog tilted its head, and Luke casually nodded.

“Something like that.”

Among the members of the Fluffy Cafe, only Luke knew that Taichi had come from Japan. However, Luke didn’t know much about Japan itself. All he understood was that Taichi had been granted extraordinary power from the cat god he helped, yet remained a fragile human.

Luke’s thoughts drifted back to when he first met Taichi, and his face softened slightly.

“I was once a proud and solitary Fenrir, but Taichi is weak and reckless. That’s why I’m staying with him,” Luke said.

“For someone as great as Fenrir to care that much about him, Taichi must be amazing!”

“Taichi couldn’t survive without me!” Luke said, feeling proud at the Ore Hedgehog’s praise.

Seeing Luke’s uplifted mood, Cerberus joined in, teasing him in unison, “Ohhh, come on now!”

“You actually love Taichi, don’t you?”

“Luke, you’re not being honest!”

“Just admit that you want to stay by his side!”

“It’s not like that! I’m only with him because I’m worried about him!”

“Worry means love!” Cerberus chimed in with a grin.

Luke was momentarily speechless, digging himself into a verbal pitfall, while Cerberus looked on with amusement. Luke, being as tsundere as ever, rarely expressed his true feelings. However, there was always a kind intent hidden beneath his sharp words.

Frustrated by Cerberus’ sharp observation, Luke threw playful “dog punches” at them, but they dodged effortlessly.

“Hey, stop dodging!”

“Impossible!”

“No violence, be honest about your feelings!”

As the playful squabble between Luke and Cerberus continued, the Ore Hedgehog began to panic. If Fenrir and Cerberus seriously fought, the entire store would collapse in an instant!

“Please calm down! Oh, that’s right! Cerberus, you must really like Taichi, right? How did you meet him?”

“Huh? Me!?” Cerberus’ eyes lit up, eager to share the story.

Abandoning their playful fight, Cerberus began recounting the tale of when Taichi and Luke found him during a time when he was hunted by humans. Taichi had warmly welcomed him into their group, saving him from his fear of being constantly targeted.

“That’s a touching story,” the Ore Hedgehog remarked.

“I was always so scared…”

“I was always on the run from humans. If I had fought back, even more would have come…”

“Being with Taichi feels so warm, and I love it.”

Hearing this, Luke interjected, “Wait a minute! You left out the part where I defeated you in battle!”

“Well…”

“If we fought now, who knows what would happen!” Cerberus teased, trying to deescalate the situation.

“Let’s all just get along!” the others chimed in.

Luke, unwilling to let his victory be dismissed, barked in protest, which almost restarted their “dog punch” battle. But before things could escalate, Ume, one of the group, spoke up.

“We’re all here because Taichi provides us with shelter and food. It all started after he helped us defeat the Giant Crow…”

“I was the one who defeated it!” Luke immediately corrected, not wanting his contributions to be forgotten.

The Ore Hedgehog chuckled at their banter.

“You all have such wonderful memories with Taichi.”

The warmth of the Fluffy Cafe filled the Ore Hedgehog’s heart, as though the empty spaces within him were being gently filled.