Another World Fluffy Cafe

Chapter 16: The Café Opens!

“Absolutely not!”

“Even so, you have to clean up properly.”

In the morning, Taichi was having a standoff with Luke in front of the well in the backyard. The issue at hand was whether or not to wash Luke’s body.

Given that Luke had lived in the forest, he disliked being washed with soap. Apparently, he used to bathe in the water frequently before meeting Taichi.

“Meow.”

“Meow~.”

“You two are great.”

Unlike Luke, Berry Rabbits were obediently allowing themselves to be washed. Seeing this, Luke grumbled with frustration. It seemed he was envious of what Berry Rabbits could do that he couldn’t.

They were thoroughly cleaned.

“…It’s fine now, but during winter, we can’t just wash with water.”

The bathing situation in this world isn’t ideal. Only the wealthy have access to baths, while common people mostly use cloths to wipe themselves.

Taichi himself had been using hot water and cloths provided at the Tamer Guild’s lodgings to clean himself.

Taichi looked around the backyard and decided that using a bit of space wouldn’t be a problem.

“I’ll create a bathhouse with [Creation (Physical)]!”

Immediately, a small shed appeared.

“What’s that?”

“Meow?”

“Meow~.”

“It’s an amazing thing.”

Opening the door with Luke and the others in tow revealed a simple changing area. Inside the bath area, there was a spacious bathtub. Next to it was a shallower tub for monsters.

Since Taichi created it, it had a faucet installed too.

(…I wonder where it’s connected?)

Although he couldn’t imagine the plumbing, he hoped that water—specifically hot water—would come out properly. Tentatively turning the faucet, hot water began to flow.

“The mechanism… well, I’ll stop thinking about it.”

It must be thanks to the power of the Cat God.

“Is hot water coming out? What do you intend to do with it?”

“This is a bath. It feels really good, so why don’t you try it?”

“…It’s not water but hot water?”

Luke seemed interested but was hesitant to step in.

Meanwhile, Berry Rabbits eagerly jumped into the bath without any issues.

“Meow!?”

“Meow~!”

It seemed they were enjoying themselves, playing around with great enthusiasm.

“Hey! What do you mean by jumping in before me, a senior?!”

As if not wanting to lose, Luke immediately jumped into the hot water. This was the kind of spirit Taichi wished he had seen earlier.

“Mmm! This is… aahh.”

It seemed Luke was pleasantly surprised and had melted into the bath. The usual aloof Fenrir was nowhere to be seen.

“I see, this is quite nice! Cold water really doesn’t suit a noble Fenrir like me.”

Before long, Luke had a towel on his head and was savoring the bath.

“I’m glad you like it.”

“Yeah. You’re a weird one, but this is quite nice! Make sure you prepare this for me every day!”

“Sure, sure.”

It seemed he really had taken a liking to it.

(He was so resistant to being washed at the well.)

Laughing, Taichi decided to join the bath himself.

“Ah, this feels great…”

Since it was still around nine in the morning, he planned to open the fluff café later. It was the first day of opening, so he wasn’t sure if things would go smoothly, but he didn’t have any specific sales goals. He just wanted to create a relaxing space. That was Taichi’s thought.

“Alright! Marshmallow, you’re the leader of the Berry Rabbits. Do a good job.”

“Meow!”

When Taichi made the request, Marshmallow hopped happily. Although precise communication wasn’t possible, it seemed Marshmallow understood well.

“When customers come, play with them. Of course, if you don’t like it, you can do whatever you want.”

The fluffy creatures could be as whimsical as they liked. Taichi had no intention of forcing them to be overly friendly.

Taichi created café aprons using his Creation skill and prepared for the opening.

—Despite his enthusiasm, several hours passed with no customers in sight.

(Well, I didn’t make any announcements…)

The commercial guild had been notified, so there should be some awareness of the new store, but that was about it. Taichi regretted not properly informing Shalti about the opening day. Though he managed to open the café relatively smoothly thanks to the Cat God, it would have taken more time otherwise.

“It’s pointless to worry. This is the suburbs, so let’s hope customers come gradually!”

So, Taichi decided to enjoy being surrounded by fluffiness today. He realized—perhaps he could just enjoy the café by himself?

Once he thought that, it became a fun little paradise.

However, this bliss had an end. As evening approached, an adventurer party arrived as the café’s first customers.