Chapter 85

Continuing from last time, this is the story of the lost kitten.

"Well, what should we do with this kitten that's sleeping soundly now?"

"What can we do? It's a lost working cat, how are we supposed to deal with it?"

"Camille, it's not just any working cat. It's a Royal Working Cat."

"...I forgot about that..."

At Aru's matter-of-fact remark, Camille slumped in dejection. Yūri slumped as well. They had just gone out to do some shopping, and Luke had picked up the kitten that had collapsed from hunger, and now they were in this situation. The three of them sighed, their foreheads pressed together.

Incidentally, the Royal Working Cat kitten, who looked like a kitten wearing clothes and boots, was sleeping soundly and contentedly. It had eaten three bowls of cat food and was clearly full. Luke, who had become the kitten's bed, was gently rocking his body to help it sleep better, despite the kitten on his head. Are you a cradle now?

"...It's tough not having any adults to consult with."

Yūri muttered. Camille and Aru both averted their eyes. The adult on duty at the hideout today was the scholar Jake. He was a completely useless, unreliable adult, a prime example of a bad role model. He was so laid-back that he was a problem. While he was skilled, he wasn't someone they could rely on in a pinch. That was the children's common understanding.

The kitten was sleeping soundly, purring contentedly. Its golden-brown fur was beautiful upon closer inspection, indicating it had been well cared for. While they couldn't tell if the clothes and boots were of good quality, the fact that they were clean and undamaged showed it had been treated well. ...Which only made them wonder why it had collapsed from hunger.

By the way, the Royal Working Cat was apparently a higher breed of working cat. Some higher breeds formed their own settlements, while others had working cats under them. In any case, it was vaguely understood that they were more impressive than ordinary working cats.

"...If it were a regular lost kitten, we could just hand it over to the guards, right?"

"Would the guards even know what to do with it?"

"Yeah... that's true..."

Aru's comment was followed by Camille, and Yūri agreed. They were at a loss. If only they could communicate with the kitten and understand the situation, but the kitten was fast asleep.

As they groaned in frustration, someone entered the dining room. They turned to see Rihito, holding a flyer.

"Hey, Rihito? Weren't you at the guild?"

"Yeah, there was a bit of a commotion at the guild. I thought I should let you know."

"...Commotion?"

Tilting their heads, the three of them looked at Rihito, who handed them the flyer. Luke, ignoring Rihito, continued to rock the kitten on his head, enjoying the role of a babysitter. Where had his pride as a familiar and a super rare monster mutation gone? ...Maybe it had never been there to begin with.

The flyer described a missing person. It was all text, with no picture. Camille grumbled that a picture would have been helpful, but Aru calmly pointed out that not everyone was good at drawing. Meanwhile, Yūri was intently reading the description of the missing person, unable to look away.

--- Missing Person

--- A working cat child. Looks like a young kitten.

--- Has golden-brown fur. Eyes are ice blue.

--- Wears a light brown shirt and pants. Wears boots.

--- Too young to speak, meows like a cat.

--- Very friendly and unafraid of strangers.

After reading the entire flyer, Yūri's gaze shifted to the kitten sleeping on Luke's head. Rihito followed his gaze and then exclaimed, "Ah!" He had carefully read the flyer and understood who the missing person was, hence his reaction.

"...Yūri?"

"We didn't kidnap it! Luke just brought it back because it was hungry and collapsed!"

"Wouldn't bringing it back without permission still be considered kidnapping?"

"No! There was no one around, so it was already lost!"

Yūri desperately tried to explain to Rihito. He didn't want to be accused of a crime. The kitten had indeed been alone when they found it. If anyone had been around, they would have come out when Luke put the kitten on his head, or chased them to the hideout. So, at that point, the kitten was already lost.

Yūri, sweating profusely, and Rihito, sighing wearily. Aru and Camille, who had read the flyer, were pulling each other's cheeks, trying to determine if this was a dream or reality. Realizing they couldn't avoid the commotion, they sighed.

What was concerning was that the flyer didn't mention "Royal Working Cat." While the Royal Working Cat was rare, it wasn't something that needed to be hidden. So, why was the kitten being searched for as just a working cat? ...Perhaps there was a reason it couldn't be known that the kitten was a Royal Working Cat. They wanted to escape reality.

"Anyway, if it matches the description, let's go to the guild together."

"...Rihito, will you come with us?"

"Huh? Are you going alone?"

"Please, come with us."

"O-Okay."

To Yūri's question, Rihito asked in surprise. The three of them, with serious faces, eagerly requested his company. Rihito didn't understand why they were so desperate. ...They certainly couldn't tell him, "This kitten is actually a Royal Working Cat" at this point. If they handed it over at the guild, that would be the end of it. They clung to that hope.

So, with Luke carrying the kitten on his head, the four of them headed to the Adventurer's Guild. The reason the flyer was distributed at the guild was that adventurers travel far and wide and gather information, making it suitable for such searches. If necessary, they could also turn it into a quest and hire information gatherers.

"Meow..."

"Luke, you don't seem very energetic."

"You were planning to keep it, weren't you?"

"Why would you think that, Luke?"

"Meow?"

Yūri's exasperated comment made Luke tilt his head curiously, like a human tilting their head. His big, round eyes looked up at Yūri. Although Yūri couldn't understand Luke's words, he had a vague idea of what he was thinking.

"Luke, no matter how cute it is, we can't keep someone else's kitten."

"Meow..."

"But it's fine to be friends."

"Meow!"

Luke, who had jumped slightly, moved carefully to avoid dropping the sleeping kitten. The others couldn't understand why he was so attached to the kitten. Only Aru's face was slightly twisted. She thought that perhaps Luke had sensed a similar rarity in the kitten and felt a sense of kinship. She hoped her theory was wrong.

They arrived at the guild, and Rihito, concerned about causing a commotion, spoke to the receptionist first, and they were smoothly led to a private room. The kitten on Luke's head was hidden from view as the three children surrounded Luke. They didn't want to cause a scene.

In the private room, two working cats, who could still be considered young, were waiting. One was a slender black cat woman, and the other was a tall, dark-brown cat man. Yūri and Camille were somewhat moved to see working cats for the first time. Luke stepped forward and presented the kitten on his head. ...The kitten was still fast asleep.

"Master!"

"Master?!"

"...Huh?"

The two working cats' reactions upon seeing the kitten on Luke's head. They knelt before Luke, relieved that the kitten was safe, and gently stroked the sleeping kitten. The words that came out of their mouths made the four of them wide-eyed. Then, the three children, excluding Rihito, exchanged glances and sighed. Welcome to trouble.

The black cat woman picked up the kitten, which was still mumbling in its sleep. However, it showed no signs of waking up. The dark-brown cat man bowed to Yūri and the others, thanking them. His movements were refined, and Yūri thought he looked like a knight.

"Is this the missing person?"

"Yes, it's definitely him. I didn't expect to find him so quickly. Thank you very much."

"Actually, the children found him collapsed from hunger."

"I see. That's really wonderful, thank you."

They nodded at the dark-brown cat man's gentle smile. They only nodded. Rihito, acting like an adult, ignored the earlier "Master" and "Master" comments. The children decided to act mature and keep the fact that the kitten was a Royal Working Cat a secret. They didn't want any trouble.

As the working cats were about to leave with the kitten, and the children were about to see them off, the kitten, sensing something, opened its eyes. Its beautiful ice-blue eyes widened, and it recognized the working cats holding it and the children seeing them off.

And then,

"Meow!!!"

"Wait, Master?"

"Master, what's wrong?"

"Meow, meow!!!"

It started wriggling. Why? Luke, jumping slightly, watched the kitten. The kitten wriggled and then jumped to the ground, landing safely in Luke's arms. The skilled slime was impressive as always. The kitten then climbed back onto Luke and meowed at Yūri.

"...Excuse me, could you translate for us?"

"...I'm sorry, it seems the food we gave it was very delicious..."

"Ha. I guess it was just really hungry."

Yūri responded, tilting his head. The food they had given the kitten was just cat food with some bonito flakes. It wasn't anything special. He figured the hunger had made it taste better.

The black cat woman continued, looking apologetic.

"It was so delicious that it wants to invite you to the village."

"...What?"

"Rejected!"

"Meow!"

"Meow!"

Camille and Aru immediately rejected the offer. Luke also jumped in support. Rihito, acting like an adult, subtly moved to protect Yūri. Luke, in his jumping motion, gently tossed the kitten back to the working cats. Was it a refusal?

The kitten, meowing angrily, was punching the dark-brown cat man's face, but it didn't hurt. The man didn't mind, treating it as a child's play. The two adults bowed, apologizing. They were treating the kitten's demands as a child's whims.

Yūri, while the kitten was meowing, stroked its head. Camille and Aru were holding onto Yūri's sleeves, indicating their refusal.

"Listen, I have a home in this city, so I can't go to your village."

"Meow..."

"But I'm here in the city, so you can come and play again."

"Meow?"

"Next time, come with an adult, not by yourself, okay?"

"Meow!"

As Yūri stroked the kitten's head, it brightened up, as if realizing a new option, and nodded. It nodded and looked up at the two working cats, who were probably its guardian and bodyguard, with a "Can I come again? Right?!" aura. They smiled and nodded slightly.

"As long as you don't run off without us."

"That's right, Master. With us, it's fine."

"Meow!"

The kitten chirped, as if saying, "Got it!" Everyone sighed in relief. This commotion would finally be over. The working cats took the kitten back to their village, and the children returned to their hideout.

...By the way, a few days later, a letter from the working cats' village arrived, thanking them for protecting the next generation. It froze Yūri and the others.

At least they prevented the kitten from staying, but...

They set a flag for a future visit.

Fluffy, come play again!

Looking forward to your comments and feedback.