Another World Fluffy Cafe

Chapter 16: Return to Korogri Mountain

After returning home, Taichi asked Daishou about the Flower Bear of Korogri Mountain.

“Did a Flower Bear come down the mountain, kyu?”

“Yeah. Does that happen often?”

“No way! They sleep in caves during the winter, so they don’t come down, kyu!”

Daishou shook his head vigorously and exclaimed, “That’s impossible, kyu!”

This meant that something unusual might be happening on Korogri Mountain, which had seemed peaceful during a recent investigation.

“Could a strong monster have appeared, driving the bear down the mountain?”

When Taichi guessed the cause, Luke scoffed, apparently dismissing that explanation.

“If a strong monster had appeared, all the other creatures would have fled by now,” Luke said.

“That makes sense… and according to Shalti, only one Flower Bear came down the mountain,” Taichi replied.

Maybe it was searching for food? But even in winter, there were plants on the mid-mountain. It didn’t seem likely that it would be starving.

(Why did it wake up when it’s supposed to be hibernating?)

Taichi pondered the situation, but there was no clear answer. The best course of action seemed to be investigating Korogri Mountain directly.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the window.

“Oh, Koroglis!”

A Koroglis, who helped out in exchange for bunny cookies, had come. It seemed like it was here to collect more cookies.

Taichi opened the window and let the Koroglis in.

“Hello!”

“Hello, kyu~! Is there anything I can help with… kyu!?”

“Ah, it’s the cowardly Koroglis!”

Seeing the Koroglis offering its help, Daishou raised his voice, “What are you doing here, kyu!”

“It… it doesn’t concern you, kyu!”

The Koroglis seemed intimidated by Daishou and hid behind Taichi. Clearly, they didn’t get along well.

“Calm down. We’re about to head to Korogri Mountain. Do you want to come along?”

“To the mountain…? I’ll come, kyu~! But… I want bunny cookies…”

The Koroglis was willing to come along but was hoping for some cookies in return. Since there wasn’t time to ask for other assistance, Taichi had an idea.

“How about you tell us about the mountain, and I’ll give you bunny cookies in return?”

“Wow, of course, kyu~!”

“All right, then. Luke, Cerberus, let’s head to Korogri Mountain!”

When Taichi called out, both Luke and Cerberus approached, rubbing their fluffy tails around his legs—adorably endearing.

“I suppose I’ll let you ride on my back,” Luke said.

“Yay, a walk!” both Luke and Cerberus cheered.

The group heading to Korogri Mountain now included Luke, Cerberus, Daishou, and the Koroglis. Taichi and the Koroglis rode on Luke’s back, while Daishou rode on Cerberus, and they set off.

The journey to Korogri Mountain was peaceful, with casual conversations as they traveled. However, once they entered the mountain, they noticed claw marks on the trees—something that hadn’t been there during the last investigation.

Seeing the marks, Daishou scanned the surroundings.

“These are Flower Bear claw marks. You sometimes see them in the summer, but this is the first time I’ve seen them in winter, kyu,” Daishou said, sounding concerned.

“It might be dangerous, kyu. Let’s ask if anyone’s around.”

Daishou raised his voice, and a few Koroglis appeared from the trees. Though they looked frightened, they didn’t seem injured. Relieved, Taichi and Daishou listened to their story.

“What happened in the mountain? Isn’t the Flower Bear supposed to be hibernating?”

“That’s… there was a Flower Bear without a bee, kyu.”

“—!”

Both Daishou and the Koroglis gasped at the mention of a “bee-less” Flower Bear. However, Taichi didn’t understand what that meant. He glanced at Luke and Cerberus, but they seemed equally confused.

“Daishou, what’s a bee-less Flower Bear? Is it different from a regular one?”

“Ah… I guess you don’t know, Taichi. Each Flower Bear has a bee partner, kyu,” Daishou explained.

“A bee?”

“Yes, kyu.”

Flower Bears are magical creatures with flowers blooming on their bodies. The flowers produce exquisite nectar, which the Flower Bears love. However, since they can’t collect the honey themselves, each Flower Bear has a bee partner. They entrust their flower to this single bee for their entire life, and the two coexist. If either the bear or the bee dies, they don’t find another partner.

(So that’s why it’s called ‘bee-less’… because its partner died.)

The melancholy reason left Taichi feeling helpless.

Just as they were about to ask more questions, the Koroglis that had been sitting on Taichi’s shoulder suddenly leapt to a nearby tree and dashed away.

“Huh!? Koroglis, where are you going…?” Taichi called out, but the creature had already disappeared from sight.

When they moved through the trees, it was almost impossible to keep track of them. As Taichi wondered in confusion, Daishou clenched his fists.

“…It’s going to the bee-less Flower Bear, kyu.”

“What?”