Chapter 7:
Hiring Now: A Temporary Part-Timer
TODAY WAS ONE of two that Taichi kept Fluffy Café closed for his own rest and relaxation. Curled up comfortably in bed, Taichi hoped to sleep in for once, when suddenly, Luke hopped on top of him.
“It’s time for breakfast!” barked the wolf.
“You’re heavy,” Taichi groaned.
“Hmph.”
When he peeked down at his feet, he found the Cerberus watching him with hopeful eyes. Aww, I’m so popular with cute fluffy creatures! This is heaven, truly, he thought with a goofy smile. He could put up with Luke’s oppressive weight, in that case. As Taichi got lost in his own thoughts, Luke insistently demanded to be fed. Taichi would have to wake up after all.
“All right, all right. I’ll have it ready right away.”
✦ ✦ ✦
After breakfast, Taichi took time to love on the Cerberus and the bunnies. Then it was time to decide what else he was going to do for the day. There were some improvements he could start making to the café, but he didn’t want to work on that during one of his precious few days off.
His eyes landed on Luke, who happily dozed away on his beloved beanbag chair. A few rabbits had cuddled up to him, which he didn’t seem to mind.
“It’s been a bit since I came to this world, but there’s still so much I don’t know about it.” As much as he enjoyed lounging at the café or in his living quarters upstairs, he felt it might not be a bad idea to wander about the town. “Maybe I should peek in at the Tamers’ Guild.”
The world wasn’t the only area in which he was ignorant; he didn’t know much about Tamers, either, his knowledge limited to their taming ability.
Thus, he decided today was the perfect opportunity to learn more.
“Oh, welcome, Taichi!”
“Hello,” he greeted as he stepped into the Tamers’ Guild. The place was as empty as ever, with not a single other person in sight. Gotta wonder if this job will stick around, at this rate. Worried though he was, the whole reason he had come was to learn more about the job itself. He explained as much to Chartelle.
“You’ve tamed so many beasts already,” said Chartelle, “so you’re clearly an amazing Tamer. How could it be possible you lack so much knowledge about your own job?”
“Aha ha... Like I told you before, I’m something of a country bumpkin, so I’m clueless about these things.”
“Well, in that case...” She disappeared for a moment and returned with a thick book.
“Is that...the illustrated monster guide you showed me before?”
“It sure is,” she said. “This guide contains the currently existing monsters we’ve discovered here in its pages. This is only the first volume, by the way.”
“Huh.”
At a glance, it appeared to have around three hundred pages. Impressive, he had to say, especially if it was only the first volume, which made him wonder how many there were in total. It would take a while to look through this whole thing, Taichi thought as he thumbed through it. Each monster entry included a beautiful illustration, along with basic information about their average height, rank, type of attacks, and any other notable characteristics they possessed. The book was practically made for adventurers.
“Oh, it even includes information on their habitats,” Taichi noted.
The monsters were split into two basic types: ones that only lived in very specific locations, and others that could be found anywhere provided certain conditions were met. Technically, there was a third category for those monsters whose habitats remained unknown, such as the Cerberus.
Berry Bunnies were listed as living in meadows. Ice Wolves only lived in snowy mountainous areas. Taichi kept skimming through, wondering if there were any fluffy, adorable monsters out there he hadn’t discovered yet.
“Oh, I see there are a bunch of different wolf-type monsters.” Taichi nodded to himself appreciatively. They all looked fluffy and charming in their own ways.
Chartelle giggled at him and craned her neck to get a peek. “You really do love all the fluffy ones.”
“Well, yeah! I love petting and cuddling them. Might as well hang signs around their necks that say, ‘You can find paradise here!’” It didn’t matter how much Taichi gushed or ranted and raved about them, it would never be enough. He loved the ones that affectionately approached him, yes, but the types like Luke—who acted aloof and kept a distance—had their own charm. “It wouldn’t be half bad to tame one of every type, actually. I think—huh?!” He froze as his gaze landed on the next page. “W-wow, this one is...”
“Hm?” Chartelle cocked her head, unsure why he was having such a reaction. The monster in question was nothing particularly rare or special, at least not to the residents of this world. But they were to Taichi.
“Cats!” he cried in delight. He couldn’t help raising his voice.
“Oh, the Forest Cat,” said Chartelle.
“Forest Cat!” he repeated, loving the name.
“You’re awfully excited about these,” she noticed with a stiff, awkward smile. “They’re not particularly strong, so I don’t think many Tamers would go out of their way to tame one. Though, you’re not exactly a normal Tamer, since you tamed those ten Berry Bunnies.” Then she added, “You can find them in the forest of the neighboring nation, which you can reach by land from Rellim.”
“The neighboring nation!” Taichi echoed excitedly. That means reaching them should be pretty easy!
The Forest Cat looked a little different from the felines in Japan. The only distinguishing characteristic was that they had leaves attached to their heads and tails, looking quite literally like forest cats.
“I’d love to go tame one right away. How long would it take me to get there from Rellim?” Taichi asked.
“I’m glad you found one you’re so fond of, but uh...it’d take you a month by stagecoach one-way.”
“A month...”
Taichi hesitated. That was much longer than he’d anticipated. The trip would be a lot faster if I had a plane or a bullet train. Alas, this was a medieval fantasy world, so there was no modern transportation. I bet I could get there a lot faster riding on Luke’s back. Yes, that was the perfect idea. Satisfied, he clapped his hands together.
“Judging by your expression, I’m guessing you have a plan?” Chartelle gave him a questioning look.
“Oh, is it that obvious?”
“I’m afraid it is. Forest Cats, I’ll admit, are very cute. I think they’d make a great addition to your café.” She snapped the book shut and held out a scroll. “Since it doesn’t seem like you have a map of your own, I’ll let you take this. It’s not as detailed as some maps you can buy, but it’s standard for the Tamers’ Guild to offer these.” She unrolled it to show him. It displayed villages, towns, large forests, and lakes. The nation’s border was also prominent and easy to spot. This would be more than enough for Taichi. “This will only give you basic information. If you need more to go on when you arrive, you may need to ask around.”
“All right.”
Awesome! Now I just need to ask Luke!