Chapter 64

Yuri stood at the classroom door, took a deep breath, and firmly held the secret letter from his mother.

"Meow~"

"Hmm?"

At the sound of a meow coming from his feet, Yuri turned his gaze downward. There, a dirty puppy was lying on the ground, looking up at him with big eyes, whimpering softly as if begging for mercy. Despite being dirty, its fur was not bad, and there was a glint of determination in its eyes as it looked up at Yuri.

"Are you lost?"

Yuri squatted down and gently reached out his hand to the puppy. The puppy shuddered for a moment but did not run away from Yuri's smiling hand. As he petted the puppy's head gently, it began to whine affectionately. After all, whether it's an animal or a human, infants and young ones are designed to evoke a protective instinct. That's their weapon. They use their cuteness to evoke a protective desire and to make others protect them.

Sure enough, Yuri fell for the puppy's strategy without much resistance. Or rather, he had always liked animals. If it was a cute puppy, Yuri, being a gentle boy, would be completely charmed. Moreover, since the puppy was being so affectionate, there was no need to hesitate. It didn't have a collar, so it was probably a stray. As he thought this, Yuri picked up the dirty puppy, fully intending to take it home.

Once back at the hideout, Yuri decided to give the puppy a shower using the outdoor faucet. He talked to the puppy, which was trying to run away while whining, and washed off the dirt. As expected, the puppy's fur was beautiful once the dirt was gone. He couldn't bring a mud-covered puppy into the hideout; his mother was strict about that.

"Let's try milk, shall we? I've never had a pet, so I don't know what they eat."

With the puppy clinging to his legs, Yuri headed to the kitchen. He left the puppy in the dining area, telling it to wait, as he didn't want it in the cooking space. He filled a sturdy, deep dish with milk and returned to the dining area to give it to the puppy. Initially, the puppy looked curious, but it soon buried its face in the dish and started drinking the milk eagerly. As the milk in the dish decreased, Yuri thought to himself, "You must have been really hungry."

At that moment,

"W-What did you pick up!?"

A high-pitched, strangled scream was heard. When Yuri turned to look, he saw a child standing there. A young child, about ten years old, was standing with a white snake wrapped around his neck, looking flustered. The child, with chestnut curls and navy eyes, was the youngest of the hideout's trainees, a monster tamer named Aru.

"Huh? It's rare for Aru to come out of his room when there's nothing going on. What's up?"

"I came to look for a monster because I sensed its presence! Yuri, what did you pick up?"

"Huh? A hungry puppy?"

"It's not a puppy!"

"Huh?"

Aru screamed, pointing at the puppy, which was drinking the milk enthusiastically. To Yuri, it looked like a normal puppy, but Aru insisted it was something else. "Why?" Yuri tilted his head in confusion. Aru, stomping his feet, pointed at the puppy and shouted.

"It's clearly a disguise! It's not a puppy!"

"Huh? Really? It looks like a puppy to me... Are you not a puppy?"

"Meow?"

"Aru, translate."

"Before you calmly ask for a translation, make it revert to its original form, idiot!"

Aru smacked Yuri's head. Although he was just a child, it still hurt, and Yuri glared at him. "You shouldn't resort to violence so quickly," he said, sounding like a mother, but Aru's passion had not subsided.

So, Yuri, while petting the puppy's head, spoke to it. He knew the puppy was smart and seemed to understand everything he said.

"Hey, I don't care what you are. If you're disguised, can you revert to your original form?"

"Meow..."

"It's okay. If you don't do anything bad, no one will hurt you. Right, Aru?"

"Monsters without malice are only attacked by inexperienced, low-level adventurers."

"But..."

"Meow!"

Aru, who was asked by Yuri, muttered in exasperation. Despite his young appearance, his gestures and expressions were uncharacteristically mature, but Yuri didn't comment. It was a known fact that Aru was a mature child. Considering his nature and the environment he grew up in, it was quite normal. Being surrounded by adults and taming monsters as a monster tamer, it was unrealistic for him to be a normal child.

The puppy, having received assurances from Yuri and Aru, trembled and then transformed into a different form in a small burst of light. There, a golden, translucent, jelly-like creature about the size of a soccer ball appeared. It was clearly a slime.

"Huh? Slimes can transform?"

"High-level slimes have the ability to disguise themselves."

"Really? That's amazing. It's beautiful. Can I touch it?"

"Meep!"

The slime, now transformed, chirped as if to say, "Sure!" Its round eyes were the only part that showed its will. It had no mouth. Slimes don't have mouths. They absorb food through their bodies and break it down. It had appeared to be drinking milk, but it was actually absorbing it.

Yuri petted the slime's head, enjoying its unique texture. It felt like jelly or a sponge, soft and squishy, and it was strangely addictive. The slime didn't seem to mind, allowing Yuri to pet it freely. It even rubbed against him, and Yuri happily continued to hug and pet it. ...Despite being a monster, he didn't seem to care. It was just so cute.

Aru, watching this exchange, had a strained look on his face. The white snake wrapped around his neck seemed to comfort him by stroking his cheek with its tail. Regaining his composure, Aru slowly spoke.

"Yuri, identify that creature's species."

"Why don't you ask it directly?"

"Identifying it is more reliable than asking. Identify it!"

"Okay, okay."

Not fully understanding Aru's urgency, Yuri activated his "Eye of the God." The slime looked curious, not knowing what was about to happen. Yuri reassured it, "It's okay," and then read the information displayed before him.

--- Ancient Slime [Mutant]

An uppermost species of the slime lineage, a mutant variant.

Despite being a slime, its combat abilities are immeasurable. However, it has a gentle nature, so don't worry.

This is a rare mutant variant, and unusually, it is at its maximum size for a giant Ancient Slime.

It has a high capture ability and can engulf objects up to a hundred times its volume. It's cute but strong.

Yuri thought, "The 'Eye of the God' has been getting more playful with its descriptions lately." Initially, it was more formal and dictionary-like, but now it felt more like a friendly letter. While the rigid text was easier to understand, the playful tone was more enjoyable to read, so Yuri didn't mind.

...The "Eye of the God" had been upgrading in the wrong direction to match its owner.

"It's a mutant Ancient Slime? You're amazing."

"...Really...?"

"Aru?"

"It's a super rare monster!"

"...You're not going to eat it, right?"

"Why would you even think that?"

"Well, I heard monster meat is delicious..."

Aru smacked Yuri's head again. Yuri was still as clueless as ever. Aru, unable to help it, turned to the now content Ancient Slime (mutant variant) and spoke to it.

"Where did you come from, and where were you going? And why did you follow Yuri?"

"Meep."

"...I see. You were hungry... And why were you in the capital?"

"Meep meep!"

"...Wow. That's rough. So, what do you plan to do now?"

"Meep?"

"...What? Really?"

"Meep!"

Aru, a ten-year-old child, was having a serious conversation with a golden, translucent, jelly-like creature the size of a soccer ball, with a white snake wrapped around his neck. It was a strange sight, but Aru was a monster tamer, and the slime was a super rare monster, so it was even stranger in a different way. However, Yuri, the only one watching, was more interested in the conversation.

"Hey, Aru, what's it saying?"

"It said it was running away from some weirdos and wants to stay with Yuri if possible."

"Why me!?"

"...Because you were kind to it when it was disguised as a puppy."

"Huh... I think anyone would be kind to such a cute puppy, even if it's dirty."

"No, there was something different about its aura."

"Huh? Really? I don't get it."

"Of course not!"

Yuri, who had no combat skills, didn't understand. However, since the "Eye of the God" didn't detect any danger, the slime was harmless. The slime, chirping happily, was bumping into Yuri and being affectionate. It had bonded with Yuri, who had picked it up, given it a shower, and fed it milk, rather than Aru, the monster tamer who could communicate with it. Something was off.

"...Hmm, if I say I want to keep this, will Alie be mad?"

"Before she gets mad, she'll yell at you for where you found it. 100 gold says."

"Ah, that's true. ...But it's not a bad kid, right?"

"Meep?"

The slime tilted its head, or rather, its body, which was hard to tell with its round shape, but its eyes moved, indicating it was tilting. Probably. Such a gesture was endearing, especially since it was the size of a soccer ball. Normally, Ancient Slimes are enormous, about the size of a two-story building. In a dungeon, they are incredibly difficult to defeat due to their elastic bodies.

This mutant slime was not only smaller but also had a different nature. While slimes are generally gentle, they are not usually this affectionate. It seemed to be saying, "Play with me, play with me," as it rubbed against Yuri and Aru, much like a puppy seeking attention.

"...Aru?"

"Adorable!"

Unable to resist the temptation, Aru finally hugged the slime. As a monster tamer, Aru loved monsters. He was initially tense because it was a rare monster, but when it asked to play, he couldn't resist. The slime chirped happily as it was hugged tightly. The white snake wrapped around Aru's neck stuck out its long tongue in exasperation.

In the end, despite Alie's yelling, they were allowed to keep the slime. The next day, Yuri went to the Adventurer's Guild to register it as a familiar.

So, Yuri, the gentle boy, ended up picking up a monster.

Yuri obtained an Ancient Slime as a familiar!

Ta-da!

I look forward to your comments and feedback.