NOVEL NEXT Chapter 226 - The Divine Cat Mii-chan is a Little Too Free, Don’t You Think?
226 The Divine Cat Mii-chan is a Little Too Free, Don’t You Think?
Thanks to the excitement from the mochi-pounding event, the sales at the Divine Cat Trading Company’s booth are skyrocketing. The other booths nearby are also seeing great sales, likely due to the event organized by the Divine Cat Trading Company.
The ring toss booth closes after the ninth bell sounds. It’s bedtime for the little ones. Katia takes Yan and Kaya back home.
The remaining members take turns helping out at the Divine Cat Trading Company booth. Meanwhile, Rue heads off to join Jin and the others for a drink. Unlike the standing drinkers, they’ve paid for a table where they can sit and enjoy their drinks. The table is full of food. Occasionally, Perro and the others come by under the guise of a “patrol,” only to snatch away food.
The Mukata siblings, after closing the ring toss booth, head to the Fluffy Space to cuddle with the cats, according to Perro.
As the festival draws to a close, Yuri, having finished her work at the Hunter Guild, offers to help. I suggest she take a break and join Jin and the others instead. But did I imagine the sad look on her face?
“Mii…”
At Jin’s table, there’s also Guildmaster Zest and Pamir. Pamir came to pick up Terra, so that makes sense, but why is Guildmaster Zest here? Given the time, they probably won’t drink much. I wonder if work is okay for them?
When I check out the daycare and Fluffy Space, the daycare part is already closed, but the Fluffy Space is bustling. In fact, it seems to be the most crowded part of the festival, with people of all ages enjoying the fluff.
The cats are quietly being cuddled and sometimes even hugged. Surprisingly, the two baros are also popular, likely because of their calm and cute demeanor. Many people, seemingly hunters, gather around Sister Sumire, trying to pet her, but she’s intimidating them, as if to say, “Don’t touch a lady without permission.” Aside from kids, petting Sister Sumire is strictly prohibited. She could kill with a kick!
On the other hand, the four wolves, enticed by the food they’re given, are letting themselves be petted, their usual dignified expressions gone, replaced by a slack, careless look. What happened to their wild pride? Perro, Sera, Lu-kun, and Lal-kun are behaving normally: Perro and Sera allow petting if they get food, while Lu-kun and Lal-kun are satisfied just to play. Kai and Terra are sitting together, spreading their adorable smiles to everyone.
When Kai and Terra spot me, they run over and climb on me. How sweet. Though it’s a little embarrassing with all these eyes on me. To them, it’s probably just a chance to get me to take them to their sister, Mii-chan. I lead them to their sister.
First, they greet their big sister. Kai and Terra nuzzle Mii-chan, and Mii-chan responds by licking them busily. This heartwarming scene puts a smile on everyone’s face. It’s such a peaceful sight.
With the sound of the zero bell, today’s festival comes to an end. I ask Yuri to take everyone back home. The horse cart is parked behind the Commercial Guild, so they can load everyone and the cats onto it. I ask Lucas to return later to pick me up.
Once the crowd clears out, the guild staff and hunters, who were tasked with cleanup, start their work. We’re also busy washing mugs. Ilse handles the cleanup at the Divine Cat Trading Company booth.
We manage to finish before the first bell, and we head home in the cart Lucas brings. After carefully taking care of Sister Sumire, I head to the bath, but Perro and the Mukata brother are standing in front of the bath with towels in hand. Just as I wonder what they’re doing, a soaking wet cat dashes out of the bath.
“If you don’t dry your fur here, you can’t go that way, nya!”
Perro herds the cat toward the Mukata brother, and the two of them dry the cat with towels. Looks like I won’t be getting into the bath anytime soon. It seems like we’ll need to separate the baths for men and women after all. That’s how I ended up deciding to call a carpenter.
When I enter the living room, Yana is diligently brushing the cats. Jin and Glenhardt are drinking again, while Rosalinde and Sieg are cuddling the freshly brushed cats. Lu-kun and Lal-kun are pressing their noses to the cats, wanting to play, but the cats are ignoring them.
Meanwhile, Letty is flanked by cats on both sides, cuddling one in her arms and burying her face in its fur. She looks so happy. I decide not to disturb her and pretend I didn’t see it.
Despite having eaten so much during the festival, Sera is now having a late-night snack. The appetite of this glutton is terrifying. You’ll get fat if you eat before bed, you know? She glares at me…
By the way, where even am I? This place is so free, I’m just standing here, lost. What should I do?
“Mii~”