Another World Fluffy Cafe

Chapter 24: Midnight Intruders

――Midnight.

Luke sighed as he got up from the beanbag.

He was currently sleeping in Taichi’s room, but unfortunately, it seemed there was an unwelcome visitor.

“Hey, wake up!”

“Mmm…”

“Strange presence?”

“I’m still sleepy~”

When Luke called out, Cerberus, who had been curled up on the futon, yawned widely and got up. Gradually waking up, he picked up on a distinct presence.

“…Five humans?”

“I get it, they’re the ones from during the day!”

“Are they here to capture Ruby? That’s unacceptable!”

As Cerberus grasped the situation, he stood up, ready to take them on. However, Luke stopped him.

“I’ll go; you stay here, Cerberus.”

“Eh!? But we can fight too!?”

“We can be careful not to bite them to death!”

The two insisted on accompanying him.

“No way. If they split into two groups, who’s going to protect Taichi?”

“““I will!!”””

Cerberus’s voices chimed in unison at Luke’s question. It was true; they couldn’t leave Taichi, who was sound asleep, all alone. Cerberus realized that being asked to stay behind was actually a significant mission. At the same time, he vowed not to let a single finger touch Taichi.

“Alright, leave it to me!”

“I will definitely protect Taichi!”

“Luke, you take care of everyone downstairs too!”

“Yeah, of course.”

As Luke descended to the first floor, Ruby immediately came up to him.

“…! If Luke has come down, then something must have happened!?”

“Didn’t you notice?”

“I have a bad feeling about this, but I can’t pinpoint it… The Berry Rabbits and the Forest Cats are still sleeping, but—”

“I’m awake!”

Ume, being the leader of the group, was sensitive to the atmosphere. However, just like Ruby, while she sensed the unpleasant presence outside, she couldn’t discern the number or strength of the intruders.

“Is it the same ones from during the day?”

“There aren’t the same humans, but they’re definitely their allies.”

“So that means they’re after me!?”

Though she sensed the ominous air, Ruby didn’t think they were specifically targeting her. She let out a “Yikes!” and began running around the shop, appearing to be in a panic over what to do.

“If I’m here, I’ll cause trouble…”

She thought she had finally found a place to feel at peace, but now she was putting it in danger… and she felt like crying.

However, the boss of this place wouldn’t allow that to happen.

“Don’t worry. I’ll take down anyone who tries to harm you.”

“Luke…”

Ruby, who had thought it was best for her to step out, found Luke’s words incredibly reassuring. The weight of the legendary Fenrir’s words was immensely comforting.

“Thank you, Luke. I’m not strong, but… at least I’ll stay alert so that the sleeping ones don’t come to harm!”

“Yeah, I’m counting on you. Cerberus will be with Taichi, so the second floor is fine.”

“I’ll make sure those kids don’t get hurt too!”

“Leave it to me.”

The Berry Rabbits were huddled in a corner, making them relatively easy to protect. However, the Forest Cats were sleeping wherever they pleased. Given their scattered positions, it was too dangerous, so Ruby called out to each one to gather them over to the Berry Rabbits.

“Hey, you guys, be quiet and don’t wake the sleeping Berry Rabbits.”

“Nyaa.”

“Nyan.”

As they all moved quietly, the door rattled.

――They’re coming! Tension ran through Ruby and Ume’s bodies, and a tense air filled the shop.

However, seemingly unfazed by Ruby’s anxiousness, Luke strode over to the door.

“Wait, Luke!?”

“Are you planning to confront them head-on!? …But you’re strong, so it should be fine.”

“Of course.”

As the door opened, Luke lunged at the human who had entered.

“Whoa!?”

“What the—what’s happening…!? It’s the Wolf King!!”

“To not recognize Fenrir, how foolish humans are.”

With a huff, Luke took down the intruders one after another. Just as he had sensed, there were five of them.

“Whoa, Luke is super strong…”

“Ah, you’ve never seen Luke fight before, huh? He’s incredibly strong, he won’t lose to any human.”

Ume had seen Luke wipe out monsters they encountered on the way to the fluffy cafe, so this didn’t surprise her.

In fact, one might even say the monsters they faced were stronger.

Just when Luke thought everything would end without any problems, one of the two remaining humans kicked the floor and dashed forward.

“““—!?”””

Wondering what was going on, their gazes swept around, spotting a Forest Cat they hadn’t had a chance to call out to yet.

It seemed like it was trying to adopt a cat-like quality.

However, Luke’s opponent was a relatively strong human, and he found himself momentarily delayed. Perhaps they had gathered a decent number of humans because the Wolf King was present.

“Tch!”

He was trying to hold back his strength so he wouldn’t destroy the shop, but it seemed that backfired.

As Luke quickly attempted to reach the Forest Cat, Ruby sprang into action faster than he could.

Standing on two legs, Ruby spread her arms wide to make her small body appear larger.

“I won’t let you harm my friends!!”

Preparing for the upcoming shock, Ruby tightly shut her eyes.――But nothing happened.

“……?”

When she cautiously opened her eyes, Ume was lying in front of her, blood seeping from her side. It seemed she had shielded the Forest Cat.

“Ume!!”

Ruby called Ume’s name from the depths of her belly, desperately urging her to “Stay strong!!”

“Damn it!”

Luke jumped at the human who had attacked, slashing him with sharp claws.

With that blow, he knocked the unconscious man to the corner of the shop and immediately called out for Taichi and Cerberus in a loud voice.

“Taichi, Cerberus, come quickly!!”

“Got it!”

“What happened!?”

“Stay strong!!”

“……!?”

With a thud, Cerberus, who had grabbed Taichi by the mouth and dragged him along, burst into the first floor. Taichi, who had been sleeping, was suddenly pulled along and thrown into a panic.

“What the—what’s going on!? —Ume!?”

However, he quickly realized the chaos in the shop and widened his eyes.

He rushed over to Ume, who was bleeding, and immediately used his skill.

“Stay strong, 【Healing】!”

As Taichi activated his healing skill, Ume’s wound quickly sealed up. Her shallow, rapid breathing calmed down, and she opened her eyes wide.

She seemed to have healed perfectly.

The Tamer skill, 【Healing】, granted by the Cat God, allowed him to heal Tamed monsters.

“Phew, that’s a relief. …But what the hell happened?”

Looking around the shop, he saw things strewn about—five unfamiliar men lay unconscious.

Could they be thieves? he wondered, but then recalled the nobleman from earlier in the day.

(Those thugs hired by that nobleman…!)

“Did Luke and the others take them down? Thank you. Is anyone else hurt?”

When Taichi looked around the shop, everyone had gathered around him. It seemed that no one had managed to sleep through the ruckus.

He took a breath, confirming that everyone seemed okay.

(These men… should I call the soldiers to take them away?)

Taichi asked Cerberus to keep watch and went to call the soldiers at the gate.

Ultimately, it was decided to take them to jail for now. They said they would contact him later about any punishment, but they warned that capturing the nobleman who had issued the order would be difficult.

This is why nobles… he thought, and he asked Luke to wake him up if anything happened.

Incidentally, that nobleman was punished later on by Luke and Cerberus, though that remained a secret.