Chapter 93

Occasionally, a story like this too.

Writing about the trio of close friends is fun. Cule, do your best.

"Is this everything for the shopping?"

"Yeah, everything."

"Still, we bought quite a lot today, didn't we?"

"Well, a lot of supplies were running low."

Cule stretched and announced, and Yūri responded with his usual carefree smile. Today's shopping didn't just end with groceries; it also included supplies for the hideout. To this, Cule and Yūri, who were supposed to go alone, were joined by Cule and another person, Rere, who tagged along for some entertainment. By the way, the reason Rere isn't talking is that she's munching on skewers she bought from a stall.

However, even while munching on skewers, Rere is still carrying a magic bag, sharing one with Cule. This was to avoid the bag getting in the way when Yūri was looking at items. Since it's a magic bag, it only weighs as much as the bag itself. It's still a very convenient magic tool.

"Do you need to buy anything, Cule and Rere?"

"I don't need anything for now. Rere?"

"Moo?"

"…You can answer after you finish eating, Rere."

"…Sometimes I forget you're an adult, Yūri."

"?"

Yūri laughed in a troubled way, while Cule looked exasperated. Rere tilted her head, still munching on the skewers. Her appearance, with skewers in her mouth, suited her well, and there was no sense of incongruity. It was just that the word "adult" didn't quite fit her. But, that's just how it usually is, and even as Cule said he was a bit hungry and looked at the stalls, it was hard to criticize him.

"So, Rere, is there anything you want to buy?"

"Nothing in particular! I just tagged along because I was bored."

"Got it. Shall we head back? It's almost lunchtime."

"What's for lunch today?"

"Yack and the others are working on it today."

"I wonder what it is."

Lukus was hopping along under their feet, adding to the cozy atmosphere. Their harmonious appearance was oddly endearing, especially with Yūri's usual carefree demeanor. Cule and Rere, despite being adventurers, were quite approachable and didn't give off a threatening aura. They looked more like a group of good friends fooling around. Well, that wasn't far from the truth.

As they walked, Yūri suddenly stopped. The other three, noticing this, also stopped. Yūri was looking at a nearby alley, where there was nothing in particular to see, but he was staring intently.

"Yūri?"

"What's up?"

"…Hmm? There's something red over there?"

"…Huh?"

Yūri pointed to the alley, and Cule and Rere, looking curious, followed his gaze. A man emerged from the alley, tall and thin, with an unhealthy look. Despite his thin frame, his body was oddly well-built, which made Cule mutter, "What's with that guy?" Rere felt the same way, and both of them looked at the man curiously. He seemed strange, not like an ordinary person.

Moreover, Yūri's mention of "red" was something they knew was not good. They didn't know the exact level of danger, but they knew that red indicated danger. However, Cule noticed that Lukus, the slime familiar at Yūri's feet, wasn't showing any signs of alertness. If Yūri was in danger, he thought the slime would react, but it remained normal.

"…If Lukus isn't on alert, it means there's no danger to us, right?"

"There's no killing intent or anything. It's weird, though."

"Is that so?"

"…Yeah."

Cule and Rere said this matter-of-factly to the bewildered Yūri. Yūri, being non-combatant, had no way of knowing such things. He trusted Cule, Rere, and Lukus completely, knowing that he couldn't understand such matters.

As they watched, the man emerged from the alley. Then...

"Cule, take the bag!"

"Don't throw it! And you, be careful with your strength!"

"I know!"

Seeing the scene in front of them, Rere, holding a magic bag, threw it to Cule and kicked off the ground. The man had just stolen a bag from an old woman who was shopping and was running away. It was a mugging.

Cule sighed, "Well, there's no danger to us," but the old woman who had her bag stolen had collapsed, and people around her were helping her. The man was running fast, weaving through the crowd.

But, Rere, jumping over people's heads, was chasing after him, running and leaping.

"…Rere is amazing, huh?"

"She's half-cat beast, you know. She looks human, but she has her father's cat beast abilities. Let's go."

"Are we chasing him?"

"More like… I'm worried about the mugger."

"Huh?"

With a pat on Cule's shoulder and a tug on his arm, Yūri also started running after Rere, with Lukus hopping along behind them. They were already quite far behind Rere, but the surprised people were clearing the way, making it easier to chase. After all, if a girl suddenly jumps over people's heads, they would be startled and move to the sides.

Rere caught up to the mugger easily. The mugger was surprised. After all, Rere looked like a human woman, a cute human woman. …At least, she looked like one.

"Gotcha!"

"…Huh?!"

"Stop, Rere!"

"Cule?"

Rere's extended arm caught the mugger. The scene of Rere's cheerful voice and the mugger's shocked gasp entered their view. Cule, looking genuinely worried, shouted, and Yūri, looking bewildered, watched. Cule's expression was genuinely worried.

Then, in front of them, Rere, ……threw the mugger to the ground. A loud thud echoed, and the surrounding noise died down. Everyone was speechless at the sight of a frail woman effortlessly throwing a tall, thin man to the ground. Cule, meanwhile, was holding his head.

"…Cule, are you okay?"

"That idiot, that idiot, that idiot…!"

"Cule?"

"Rere! I told you to be careful with your strength!"

"Huh?"

Rere, who had greeted Cule and Yūri with a "I caught him!" smile, was now tilting her head in confusion. The man she had caught was lying on the ground, dazed.

"…Is he hurt?"

"Head? I don't think he hit his head. I dropped him from the back."

"Even if you dropped him from the back, think about what happens when you throw him with your brute strength, idiot!"

"Cule, you're saying 'idiot' too much! I did catch the mugger, you know!"

"…Is the contents of the bag okay? Huh?"

"Huh?"

As Cule, with a twitching forehead, pointed this out, Rere and Yūri looked at the man. The bag, which the man had stolen from the old woman, was under him. It had probably been crushed when Rere threw him. If the contents were fragile, they would be ruined.

"Ah, oh no…"

"Rere, get the bag."

"O, okay. Okay."

Rere pulled the bag out from under the man's body at Yūri's request. It was a somewhat elegant shopping bag. Yūri, deciding to let the old woman check the contents herself, turned to her, who was walking with the guards. Rere, looking dejected, as if her ears and tail would droop if she had them.

She had caught the mugger, after all. She had caught a bad guy. She should have been praised for that. But, she had been careless. Or rather, she had tried to solve everything with brute force and had forgotten to control her strength. That's all it was.

The guards were helping the mugger to his feet and checking his condition. He seemed to be uninjured, which was a relief. Catching the mugger was a good deed, but causing serious injury would have been a problem. Rere, relieved that the mugger was okay, turned her attention to the bag and its contents.

"Ma'am, is this your bag?"

"Yes, it's mine. Thank you, miss."

"No, no, I, I, …I threw him without thinking, so…"

"Can you check the contents? If anything is broken, …the claim will be directed at you, Rere?"

"Me?! It will be me?! I don't have much money right now!"

"Well, the mugger is the one who committed the crime, but you're the one who caused the damage by throwing him, right?"

"Ugh…"

Rere, at a loss for words, was stuck with Cule's logic. It was painful to be right.

Meanwhile, Yūri, ignoring their conversation, was holding the contents the old woman had taken out of the bag. The old woman was carefully checking each item. Rere, who was probably on edge, had a cold sweat on her usually cheerful face. …Was her financial situation that dire?

"…It's okay, miss."

"Huh?"

"Thank you. The contents are not damaged, and …most importantly, you helped me get my bag back."

"Oh, I'm glad if I could help!"

Rere, who had been dejected, now smiled happily. The old woman also smiled happily. Rere, upon learning that the bag was a gift from her late husband, muttered something about hitting him once, but was stopped by Cule. …If she hit him with her full strength, a normal person would be seriously injured.

As the guards were about to take the mugger away, Yūri, in a carefree tone, said to the man being led away:

"Sir, is your nickname 'Rat'?"

The guards and the man changed their expressions at this. However, no one else said anything. When the guards asked Yūri for more details, he responded in a casual tone. …He usually doesn't appraise people, but since this person was marked in red, he had checked just to be safe.

"It says 'Rat' in the notes. What does 'Rat' mean?"

"…Rat is the name we use for the thief we've been chasing."

"Oh, so this man is the thief?"

"Yūri, don't call a thief 'sir.'"

"Is that so?"

"Yeah."

Only Yūri and the others were carefree. The guards and the man were frozen. After a moment, the guards, regaining their composure, secured the man more carefully and led him away. The words of gratitude were directed at Yūri, not Rere, but they didn't pay much attention to that.

"Did you do it again?"

"Maybe?"

"I think you did."

"But, a bad guy was caught, so it's a good thing, right?"

"Sure."

"I did a good thing too!"

"You need to think more about your split-second decisions and your strength. Otherwise, you'll end up like Barroy."

"I don't want that!"

Rere shouted, genuinely not wanting that. However, she was the type who would need to try hard not to end up that way. *Pray for her*.

Rere, who looks cute but is a go-getter in combat.

I love energetic girls, but Rere, you should work on your head a bit more.

Looking forward to your comments and feedback.