NOVEL NEXT Chapter 147.2
The Kitty Returns, The Young Master Arrives!
Yakk, who had brought a tray with cups, herb water, iced tea, and fruit juice, paused for a moment when he saw the unexpected increase in guests. After a brief pause, he handed the tray to Yuuri and ran off to get more cups. As always, Yakk was a thoughtful and kind kid.
Normally, Yuuri would have household chores to attend to, but Yakk had taken care of everything. Since Yuuri had done most of the work in the morning, it wasn’t too much of a burden, but Yuuri was grateful for Yakk’s kindness.
After all, it wasn’t often that someone came to visit Yuuri, especially from outside the royal capital. So, it was only natural to let Yuuri focus on entertaining the guests.
…Huh? You say that lady visits often? Well, she’s been coming around for a while, so she’s in a different category. Sure, she sometimes comes to see Yuuri, but she also visits for other reasons, so she’s in a separate group. Probably.
“Ah, that’s right. We brought a gift…”
“Huh? You didn’t have to go through the trouble…”
“…Well, the young master insisted on bringing this, so…”
“…Huh?”
Fia averted her eyes as she spoke, and Yuuri tilted his head in confusion. The young master was currently having a blast with Camille, Aroru, and Etol. He looked incredibly happy, completely oblivious to the adults’ concerns. Truly, a carefree child.
After a brief preface, Fia pulled out three beautifully filleted salmon from the bag she had been carrying. Apparently, she had stored them in a Magic Bag, as the salmon’s freshness was impeccable.
“…Huh.”
Even Yuuri was stunned. The gift was a massive, three-piece filleted salmon. The bones had been neatly removed, and the thick, pink flesh filled his vision. The size was about as wide as Yuuri’s outstretched arms. It was enormous.
Fia continued to avert her eyes. Even she seemed unsure if such a gift was appropriate. Beside her, Crest also looked away. The adults clearly had mixed feelings. Indeed, receiving a giant filleted salmon as a gift would usually leave anyone perplexed.
But the recipient was Yuuri. This was important. The gift was for Yuuri!
“This is an impressive salmon!”
“”…Huh?””
“And it’s not raw salmon, but salted salmon! Wow! Look at the fat on it, and the skin looks delicious too!”
“”…Whaaaat!?””
Yuuri’s face lit up with joy. While raw and salted salmon fillets and cuts were commonly sold, it was rare to see one of such quality. This giant salmon was a special catch from a nutrient-rich river near the Werecats’ village. Thanks to the river’s abundance, the salmon grew to this size.
Still, even if it was rare, who would have thought a salted salmon fillet would be so well-received as a gift? And why had Ridi been so insistent on bringing it? But in the end, it was a huge success. Yuuri was overjoyed.
“Um, is this really… acceptable?”
“Acceptable? This is an amazing salted salmon! Thank you so much! We’ll all enjoy it together!”
“”…O-okay.””
Fia and Crest were baffled by Yuuri’s enthusiasm. But since he was happy, they decided it was fine. After all, they didn’t expect to fully understand the feelings of someone from a different race and background.
By the way, Ridi had a good reason for choosing this giant salted salmon as a gift. Yes, the kitten had his own agenda.
“Meow!”
“Huh? What’s wrong?”
“Meow!”
“Young master, what are you…!”
“Young master, please wait…!”
“Huh?”
Noticing that Yuuri had received the salmon, Ridi hopped over and sat on Yuuri’s lap, smiling happily. Unfortunately, Yuuri couldn’t understand cat language. He looked to Crest and Fia for help, but they were too busy trying to calm Ridi down.
In a pinch, Yuuri glanced at Aroru. Despite being only ten, she was a skilled monster tamer with the ability to understand non-human languages. She had acted as a translator before, so Yuuri hoped she could help again.
“He says the salted salmon is delicious and he wants to eat something right now.”
“Huh?”
“He wants to eat.”
“…Um, didn’t you already have lunch…?”
Yuuri looked to Etol for confirmation. Ridi was being scolded by the two adults and couldn’t respond. The red-furred boy, who seemed intelligent, nodded. But Ridi kept meowing insistently. It seemed he was determined to eat something. The appetite of a kitten is truly fearsome.
“…Well, we just had lunch, so how about we make something light, Yakk?”
“You’re going to cook?”
“Yeah, let’s do a taste test of this delicious salted salmon.”
Ridi, who had turned into a demanding child, and the adults trying to calm him down didn’t hear this, but Yuuri smiled at Yakk, who had just returned with more cups. Seeing the strange situation, Yakk couldn’t help but comment, but when Yuuri showed him the impressive salmon, he had to nod in agreement.
And so, Yuuri decided to make a light meal using the giant salted salmon they had received as a gift. It seemed the temptation of the delicious salmon was too much to resist.