NOVEL NEXT Chapter 166 - Mii-chan, the divine cat, is once again astonished by Nero's insensitivity.
166 Mii-chan, the divine cat, is once again astonished by Nero’s insensitivity.
Mii-chan and Kai were entrusted to Lala-san, while Nero took Lu-kun, Laru-kun, and Balo, who was pulling the wagon—now transformed into a dragon cart—to the stables.
“Are you keeping Balo?”
“A friend of mine, Yuri-san, will be living with us starting today. It seems like they got the cart to commute from here to the guild.”
“In that case, you should probably get a mate for Balo. Despite how they look, Balo gets lonely. They can’t settle without a companion.”
“Is that so? Well, I guess we’ll need to get another one then. Could I ask you to take care of that, Ben?”
Ben removed Balo from the cart and released them into the pasture. After gazing at both of us for a moment, Balo ran off, with Lu-kun and Laru-kun following.
“How about we go pick out a companion for Balo after lunch?”
“Sure, just let Lucas know about the payment.”
We stored the dragon cart in the warehouse beside the stables. The space was still completely empty, which made it feel a bit lonely.
When we returned to the house, Kai was glued to Mii-chan. As Yuri-san had mentioned, Kai seemed to be quite the clingy one.
I explained to Lucas that Yuri-san would be living with us from now on.
“Understood,” he replied, with an oddly meaningful expression that left me curious.
As it was lunchtime, I had Lala-san fetch Yuri-san, and we all sat down for the meal together.
Lu-kun, Laru-kun, and Kai were inseparable. They were overjoyed to have Kai around and, along with Mii-chan, were busy taking care of him.
“Yuri-san, what are your plans for the afternoon?”
“Probably unpacking the things I brought with me.”
“How about asking Lala-san and Yana-san to help? It would be quicker, and they could also help you figure out what else you might need. You could even go shopping with them afterward.”
“Well, I guess… but…”
“We accept the task,” Lala and Yana chimed in simultaneously.
“Ah… okay…”
After lunch, I continued reading by the window while Mii-chan, Kai, Lu-kun, and Laru-kun played with Katia-san. Soon, Lu-kun and Laru-kun started peeking outside again.
Had Ben come back?
Indeed, he had returned, but this time with a horse-drawn cart instead of the dragon cart for Balo.
“I spoke with Lucas and bought it while I was at it.”
I thought it would be good to have extra horses around once the ones Sumire brought recovered, as they could help with transportation.
Yuri-san’s new Balo looked identical to the original. I was told she was a “beauty,” but I could only offer a vague response, unsure of how to tell them apart.
When we visited Sumire and the horses, it seemed half of them were already at the pasture. They were drinking mineral water, so I didn’t foresee any issues. I added more mineral water just in case.
Since Yuri-san, Lala-san, and Yana-san were going shopping, I went outside and saw Yuri-san was surprised to see the horse cart and Balo pulling it. She had probably intended to take the regular stagecoach leaving from the west gate, but I decided to let her take the new cart instead.
It looked a bit awkward, but it would do. Having a cart available for personal use really is convenient.
For dinner, we planned to have a welcome party for Yuri-san, so I took charge of the kitchen. The menu? Tempura. I had found some all-purpose flour. No baking powder, but baking soda would suffice. I figured it would work out.
Although I wanted to make tempura dipping sauce, I couldn’t find bonito flakes. I did, however, find something resembling kombu, so I planned to try making it another time. For now, I decided we’d have to make do with soy sauce and salt.
With preparations complete—filleted fish, vegetables, small shrimp, scallop fritters—I regretted selling all the large shrimp, but that could wait for next time.
As the sun set, everyone returned. Perro, Ru-san, and Sera were covered in dirt, so I immediately sent them to the bath. It seemed they had been doing self-training.
Once everyone was ready, I began frying the tempura in front of them. While fried foods like croquettes and karaage were common, this was their first time trying tempura, and they were all intrigued. As I distributed the freshly fried pieces, they eagerly ate them, exclaiming “hot, hot!” as expected.
“The crispness and lightness bring out the flavor of the ingredients, making for a truly noble taste,” commented Perro, the food connoisseur. His refined review made me happy, so I fried up some extra for him.
“But still, I can’t believe Yuri’s going to be living here as an uninvited bride!”
“W-What are you talking about?!”
“Yuri’s found her springtime love! I need to settle down too…”
Yana-san blushed furiously and started coughing, with Lala-san patting her back. Could there be something going on there?
“Mii…”
M-Mii-chan gave me that familiar disappointed look. W-What was that? It sent shivers down my spine.
Anyway, I collected myself and started frying the fritters. Once they were done, I placed them over rice, drizzled some sauce I had prepared, and served the dish to everyone.
While the others used spoons, Perro and I used chopsticks. When I first dined with Perro, he saw me using my own chopsticks and insisted on trying them. He practiced for a long time, and now he uses them with ease. It’s impressive how he can manage them with his feline paws—much longer than a normal cat’s, but still.
“This… this flavor surpasses even oyakodon! It’s a whole new world of deliciousness!”
Oh, Perro, you have much to learn about the depth of rice bowl dishes. There’s still katsudon, seafood bowls, and Chinese-style bowls—you’ve only scratched the surface!
“So… there’s even more? Perro’s just at the beginning… but Perro will eat all the bowls! It’s Perro’s destiny!”
Please don’t make it your destiny… I’m the one cooking, after all.
“Nero! Seconds!”
“Mii!”