Chapter 4:
Taichi’s Big Plan to Snag More Monsters
TAICHI SETTLED HIS contract with the Tamer’s Guild to rent the property, and they cleaned it thoroughly before entrusting it to him. He was pleased with how quickly everything had gone. He still lacked the necessary furniture, but the place was at least ready for him to live in. He was anxious to move and start setting up his café. And so, he did just that.
“Woohoo!” Standing in the middle of his deserted café, Taichi cheered. “Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d get my hands on a place to start my café this quickly.”
“And you wouldn’t have been able to if not for the monsters I hunted!” Luke said, head held high. He was right about that part. Every bit of Taichi’s savings came from selling those very monsters’ materials.
Taichi nodded vigorously, stroking Luke’s fluffy neck. “You’re right. I owe you big time, Luke!”
“H-hey now! Don’t touch me without permission!” Like always, Luke’s tail betrayed him, whipping back and forth.
C’mon, no need to be so cold! Taichi knew that Luke was secretly pleased with the praise and attention, which was why he ignored the wolf’s protest and ruffled his fur, enjoying the feel of the silky coat against his skin. He leaned in close, inhaling deep.
“Don’t sniff me!” Luke snapped.
“Settle down,” Luke cooed back at him.
Luke was baffled; he’d never experienced Taichi in such high spirits before. The wolf howled again in protest, “Enough!” but it did little to discourage the goofy grin that had spread across Taichi’s face.
After thoroughly indulging in Luke’s fluff, Taichi stood up straight. “All right!” He swept his gaze around the room. “First, we need to acquire daily necessities.”
“Naturally. So, will we be going shopping?”
“Actually, I’m thinking of handling it myself, with my skills.”
“Your skills?”
Taichi had already gotten a passing glance at the furniture places in the city, and as much as he hated to admit it, the quality wasn’t up to his standards. Calling them “antique” would be putting it nicely. He wanted his space to be more cozy and welcoming than that would allow, both for his customers and for his own personal enjoyment.
“I have the skill Create,” he explained. “So I’m going to try it out!”
He hadn’t had a reason to use it yet, but if he could make his own furniture, it was worth giving it a try.
“Really? You have that skill? Sounds awfully useful. I have never heard of it before,” said Luke.
“It’s one of my personal skills,” Taichi supplied. “Okay, first let’s try to Create a table!” When he activated the ability, a 3D model appeared in his head. This was probably a way of visualizing what he wanted to create. Whoa, so this is how you make stuff.
Taichi drew in a deep breath and tried to picture the most stylish café table he could. I want a large, round table for the middle of the café. It needs to be relatively low, with legs in the shape of cat paws. I want a wood table so it’s more inviting, with a natural color. He concentrated on all the little details, and the model in his head slowly transformed to reflect the image he painted, taking solid form.
“There, that should do it!”
When he opened his eyes, the table was there in the middle of the café, looking exactly as he’d pictured it.
Create was a personal skill the cat god had bestowed upon him. It allowed him to visualize an object in his head and manifest it.
“Whoa! Incredible!” cried Taichi.
“I can’t believe such a skill even exists,” said Luke. “It’s unheard of.”
Taichi was beyond elated that the table perfectly matched all of his specifications. “Okay! If we’re going to make this into a proper fluffy café, we need to make sure people can relax! Create a beanbag chair!”
He went through the same process in his head, envisioning the beanbag chair in his mind as he used his skill. The moment he opened his eyes, a large brown beanbag chair appeared. Taichi had imagined one large enough to accommodate Luke.
“What do you think, Luke?” He motioned for Luke to test it.
The wolf hesitantly pressed a paw against the chair. “Hm?! This isn’t half bad!” He plopped down on it immediately, sinking into the cushion and sprawling out. It was obvious how much he’d taken a liking to it, joy breaking out across his face.
Man, he’s so stinkin’ cute. True, Luke was aloof, arrogant, and acted like a drama queen half the time, but seeing him wiggle around and enjoy himself like this was soothing to the soul. Taichi decided he’d make a second one to keep in his room, but for now, he moved on to creating other furniture.
“Next, we’ll need some smaller tables, chairs, and cushions. We should probably have some shelves too... Create!”
Taichi grew used to using his skill in no time as he steadily crafted each furniture item on his list. He also set up a separate area for the monsters to lounge away from the prying eyes of the customers. Though he didn’t have any cats yet, he made a cat wand, along with a ball and some stuffed toys. For the latter, he made one type that squeaked and another that didn’t. He placed a cat tower near the wall. Then he added an adorable and stylish spiral staircase in the middle of the large round table at the center of the room that the smaller monsters could climb up. Finally, he crafted lace curtains for the windows.
“Phew, I’ve made some good progress!” He stood back and surveyed what he’d accomplished so far. Taichi couldn’t stop himself from grinning. The only monster he had was Luke, but his heart hummed at the thought of adding dog- and cat-type monsters to the café.
His gaze wandered to the window. It was pitch black outside. He had been so absorbed in creating all the furniture that the sun had set without him even realizing it.
“This is because I was being so meticulous with the details,” he said to himself. But he’d made some quality furniture in return for all the time he’d poured in.
“What, we’re leaving?” Luke asked with a yawn. He hopped off the beanbag chair. It must have been comfortable, since he had slept the entire time Taichi had worked.
“Chartelle might worry if we’re too late returning. Let’s go home for today. Tomorrow, I’ll make furniture for our living space upstairs.”
“Very well.”
Taichi was anxious to open the café for business. Holding that desire close in his heart, he set out to return to the Tamers’ Guild.