After managing to get some sleep from my hectic first day, I struggled to open my eyes. The weight of my eyelids felt like anvils, but I wasn’t surprised considering the circumstances. My body felt completely exhausted and still hurt all over. While some of the pain was probably from my encounter with the psycho cat maid murderer, there was also a considerable chance a portion of this pulsing pain was from how I slept. I had somehow managed to fall asleep in the storage closet while I was holding Felice. Well, that’s what I remembered anyways. My back was still resting against one of the shelving units, which was clearly not an adequate “bed”. Finally, I rubbed my eyes to take in my surrounds in greater detail.
Looking around, Felice was nowhere to be found, and instead, I appeared to be holding a blanket rather tightly over my chest. Beams of light were piercing through the abandoned hallways through the dusty windows. I could see particles of dust floating through the air as the light illuminated their presence.
Gathering the strength to stand up, I rose onto my feet and began stretching my body. I cracked some bones and joints to release some of the built-up pressure within, then let out a sigh. Today would be my first actual day in a new world, and I already had a mountain of questions I needed to have answered. But first things first.
Breakfast!
Excited at the thought of finally getting a meal, it was only now I realized I hadn’t eaten a single thing since I was summoned to Terra! My stomach was ferociously growling at me in anger and desperately wanted me to fill it’s empty void with other worldly sustenance!
And so, I started to make my way down the hallway, doing my best to follow the noise coming from the floor below. I remembered there was a food serving section from last night and could only assume it would be packed with hungry patrons!
Eventually, I found myself in a larger, open area of the 2nd floor. The commotion was much louder in this entranceway and I finally managed to recognize the staircase I took last night while following Felice to my “room”. Hardly able to contain my excitement, I raced towards the stairs and catapulted myself down onto the main floor. Finally!
A few of the beastkin already in the dining area looked towards my direction, then unenthusiastically went back to eating their meals. Well, it’s not like I wanted to start a commotion or anything, but food!
Confidently, I strode towards what I could only imagine was the counter for ordering meals. Hiding behind the scratched wooden countertop, was that very shy cat demi-human from last night! Their speckled ears were poking out from their maid’s bonnet as they tried to hide themselves while I approached. They were wagging their tail back and forth as they watched me get closer. Tied at the end near the tip, was a brilliant red ribbon, swaying back and forth as the fluffy tail wagged away.
Hmmm, maybe this person isn’t comfortable around humans? I made a mental note to myself to be calm during my conversation with them. With that in mind, I spoke to them, ready to finally order some food!
“Hey there! I’m looking to order some food to eat, would I be able to do that at this counter?”
The cat maid let out a quiet, startled yelp! Then shyly responded after a pause in an equally, quiet, feminine voice, stuttering over their words.
“Umm, ye— Yes, you— You can— Order food here. *meow*”
AHHH! That sounded so freakin cute!!!! I had to resist the sudden urge to squeeze the adorable cat maid in front of me!!! This was the type of stuff you could only dream about experiencing!!!! Their adorable, shy voice had completely won me over!!! Ok, calm down Ko, you’re only talking to a super cute cat maid, just stay focused so you can finally get something to eat! Coughing to clear my throat, I did my best to place an order for something edible.
*cough*
“Perfect! I would love to have one of the breakfasts offered at the Paws and Beans Tavern! Is there any particular dish you would recommend? If anything, I’ll take one of the popular items!”
“Umm— Uhhh, I— I could make you... The— Beef rice bowl and egg combo *meow*. A— A lot of the adven— Adventurers seem to like it.”
“Awesome! I’ll take one beef rice bowl and egg combo then please!”
“Ok... Mr... Tha— That will be— 2/5th bronze Solara please!”
Wait.
That’s right.
You need money to order food. It’s such a simple concept and something I was all too familiar with from my world. However, in my excitement for nourishment, I had completely forgotten and made a fatal error in my planning...
I HAD NO MONEY!!!!
GAH!!! What am I to do!!!! My stomach is already angry at me, giving constant reminders that I’m starving. And the food! All around me, my eyes are currently gorging themselves on a menagerie of amazing delicacies such as fried potatoes, steak and eggs, and rice bowls!!!!!
I felt nauseous.
My head was spinning from this cruel turn of fate. How could I, have forgotten I had a lack of financing to afford even a simple meal! Now, I was stuck at the counter, with this cute cat maid staring at me, waiting for my response. Since I appeared to be taking too long in responding, they started to hide themselves again, this time, covering their face with their hands. That’s when suddenly, a barrage of angry “warning” triangles floated into my vision.
[Warning! Unexpected Rear Assault Detec—]
“KOTATO NAYN!!!!!”
*Crash!~*
“Gah!!!”
“RAWR!!! Hehe! Guess who it is meown?”
Shocked at the seemingly unexpected development, I could feel the weight of a familiar, light and thin body clinging onto my back while covering my eyes with their hands. Their legs were crossed around my waist as they aggressively latched onto my body. I tried my best to flail around and free my eyes, but I was unsuccessful.
“Nya Nya Nya! Mew have to guess first meown!”
“Felice!!! Seriously!!! Could you get off of me please? I— I can’t see anything!”
“Hehe! Guess again meown!”
Ughh, seriously??? Clearly this was Felice, but they were just being cheeky and not accepting my answer. Struggling, I managed to correctly guess the name they were looking for... So, I said in the best accent I could muster:
“The Fabmeowlus Felice Nayn!”
After correctly guessing my assailant, Felice released me from their grasp and happily jumped down onto the ground. I could hear them twirl around as they struck their iconic “Nayn!” cat pose. I also swore I saw and heard the audible sound of a star twinkling as they completed their entrance ritual.
“Nayn! Great guess meown! You’re so smart Kotato Nayn!”
Honestly, I wasn’t exactly sure how to respond. Looking behind the counter, the similarly looking cat demi-human seemed just as shocked. They were also still trying to cover their face and were desperately gripping their maid gown to comfort themselves.
“Oh, Yarn nayn! I see you are already speaking with Kotato nayn! Aren’t they amazing meown? Come on meown, don’t be shy Yarn! Kotato is actually a supurrr nice human nayn! Did you introduce meowself meown?”
“Umm— No I... I didn’t Felice *meow* I— I’m sorry meow. Hell— Hello there Ko— Kotato nayn. My.... My name is— Yarn...”
Gah!!! Soooo cute!!!!
“Great job Yarn nayn! Kotato nayn, this is my sister meown. She’s a bit shy around men meown, but she’s ameowsing at crafting and cooking nayn! Yarn makes all of the fabmeowlus dishes for the guests meow!”
“Wonderful! It’s a pleasure to meet you Yarn! I’m already looking forward to trying some of the delicious food you can make! Everything in here looks AND smells amazing!”
“Tha— Thank you *meow*. Bu... But— I still need the... The bronze Solara nayn.”
“Hehe! Don’t worry abmeowt that meown! Kotato nayn, this one’s on the house meown! Consider it compensameown fur meown behavour last nyte nayn!”
“Oh— Ok— Felice nayn. I’ll... I’ll get started— Right away *meow*.”
Sweet! Thank-you Felice!!!! Finally, I was about to get some delicious food and sate my famished appetite!
However, even though Felice said this was “on the house” I was slightly troubled that my life amounted to a mere 2/5th of a bronze Solara coin... What a depressing thought to entertain...
Thus, slightly saddened at my newfound realization of worth in this world, I slowly pulled a chair back from the bar counter and sat down while I waited for Yarn to cook up my beef bowl combo. Felice also took the opportunity to happily sit themselves beside me. I could see they were staring at me with their piercing green eyes as they cradled their face between their hands with elbows on the table. Their tail was also excitedly wagging around in the air, with a matching blue ribbon acting as a flag blowing in the wind.
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Making the most of the opportunity, I decided to speak to them a little bit in detail about what I should do next.
“So, Felice. What would you recommend I do? I was thinking of registering at an adventurer’s guild to train and get stronger. Is that something I could do here?”
Felice paused while staring at me, thinking about how best to respond. Then, snapping their fingers, an empty, dark void appeared beside their hand as they pulled out an envelop stamped with a red, waxy seal in the shape of a cat’s paw.
“Kotato nayn, while you can register as an adventurer with this branch meown, it is meow recommendation you do so in the City of Solara. That is a meowch better place for humeowns nayn, and it’s where you belong meown.”
A small tear formed in the corner of their eye as they slid the sealed envelope towards me. They also included a stamped piece of parchment labelled “Rank F(-) ---URGENT--- Goblin Subjugation in Eldermyst forest”.
“This is meow recommendation nayn. With this, meow should be able to easily enter the royal palace and meet with King Solar nayn. Also, I’ve marked the goblin subjugation request as complete for you meown. Mew can turn this in at Solara’s City branch for a better reward nayn. I can only offer 3 silver Solara here, while the city branch offers 10 meown.”
I see, so apparently even though I could register here, it would be best if I did so at the main city’s hub. It also seemed they kept their promise about that introduction letter of sorts. Seemingly out of options, I guess my next course of action was to head to the royal capital after breakfast.
“Thank you, Felice. I really appreciate you placing your trust in me. I’ll make sure to do my best and come back to visit this branch, I promise!”
“Thanks Kotato nayn, it means ameowt to me!”
“Likewise, Felice! Also, please feel free to simply call me Ko. I much prefer that when I’m talking with my friends!
“Friends, meown? Even though I—”
“Yes, Felice, even after what happened last night, I still consider you a friend.”
Excitement and tears grew all across their face as they leapt onto me again for a giant Felice style hug! Through some sniffling noises, they happily replied to my comment:
“Yeah!!!! We’re friends Kotato— I mean, Ko Nayn!!! I’m so happy you consider Felice a friend meown!!!!!!”
I mean, how could I not consider a cute, powerful magic caster cat maid a friend! Even if they did try to kill me last night, having someone like Felice on my side was more than enough to make me feel a little at ease in this world! While I couldn’t imagine they would be traveling with me, they were more than proficient based on their capabilities and position in the adventurer’s guild! A truly, powerful ally!
“Haha, yes, I’m glad to have you as a friend Felice!”
Eventually, Felice let me go from their grasps again and started to prance away from the counter.
“Ok Ko nayn! Thank a bunch for chatting with meow this morning! I’ve got some admeowistrative stuff to finish, so I’ll leave you ameown for meow.
Oh! Don’t forget meown! To reach the City of Solara meown, just follow the dirt road outside the tavern towards the mountains nayn! It’s about a 2 hour walk meow!”
“Thanks Felice! I’ll be sure to head that way after my breakfast!”
It wasn’t long after Felice left me at the bar counter, when I could smell the succulent aroma of freshly seared beef covered in a teriyaki-like sauce heading my direction!
Coming out from what I could only assume was the kitchen, was Yarn, holding a giant bowl of beef and rice! Slowly, she approached where I was sitting and placed the bowl before me. Next, she lay out a set of chopstick-like utensils for me to utilize.
“Her— Here you go Kotato nayn! One fresh beef bowl and egg combo nayn!”
Ahhh!!! It looked absolutely amazing!!! The dish Yarn placed before me looked exactly like a Bibimbap bowl from Earth!!! The beef was beautifully marinated in a delicious smelling sauce, while expertly garnished with an accompanying array of sautéed vegetables and eggs! Well, at least I could only assume they were vegetables! While they looked a little funny, I could only imagine the flavour combination would be divine!!!
Eager to begin devouring my first meal after what felt like an eternity, I quickly grabbed the chopsticks and began sampling each item individually. The beef juices exploded and burst with flavour in my mouth as my teeth ravenously assaulted the meat’s buttery texture! My taste buds were overcome with an incredible barrage of flavour I never knew could exist in a dish! The sauce and melted fat, swirled and combined into a beautiful harmony of other worldly flavour inside my mouth! Next, the “vegetables” provided a crunch reprieve from the beef’s soft, delicate texture. Faint, bitter tones were present as I chewed the foreign vegetables into a mushy pulp. Finally, tasting the egg, I was blown away at the incredible creamy texture, as the perfectly cooked yolk oozed out, covering the rice bowl in the process.
I could feel a grin much too large for my face began to settle itself all along my mug. This meal, was something to be worshiped in a shrine!!!! Nowhere in all my years, had I ever experienced such a divine harmony of flavour and satisfaction!!! Excited at the best tasting meal I’ve ever consumed, I eagerly began mashing all of the bowl’s contents together with my chopsticks to combine all of the magical flavours!! Then, I gave my upmost compliments to the chef.
“Yarn!!! This beef bowl is absolutely incredible!!! I’ve had plenty of dishes, but nothing as amazing as this!!! You’re a very talented cook and I’m super happy you made this meal for me!!!”
Shocked at my enthusiasm, Yarn jumped back a little bit from my praise. I could also see she was blushing slightly at the cheeks from my comments. Then, she responded in her usual quiet voice.
“Tha— Thank you Kotato nayn! I’m... I’m glad you liked it!”
Not wasting another moment, I greedily began stuffing my face with the heavenly bowl of meat and egg. Rice and specs of food, danced and flew throughout the air, as I raced to devour the contents of the bowl as fast as possible!
Finished, and, incredibly satisfied, I let out a huge sigh while placing my hands around my now expanded belly! Then, I decided to ask Yarn some questions while my body happily began digesting it’s meal.
“So, Yarn, can you tell me a little bit about the Paws and Beans tavern? I’m new to the area and would appreciate any extra information you could offer.”
Still acting rather shy, the adorable cat maid eventually managed to respond to my question.
“Umm— Well there is— Isn’t much I cou... Could tell you about *meow*. I’m— I’m sorry Kotato nayn. I’m slow at ta... Talking and— Nervous meown!”
“I’m sorry Yarn. If you don’t want to talk to me, that’s fine as well. I’m also not bothered if you’re slow in responding to me. In fact, I’m happy even if you say just a little bit.”
“Re— Really nayn? You.... You’re not annoyed at meow?”
“Why would I be annoyed at someone like you Yarn? I think you’re an amazing person!”
Gaining a little more confidence in themself, I saw Yarn slowly lower their tightly clutched dress to relax a little bit. Then, a small smile started to grow across their face as they for the first time, looked into my eyes.
“Kotato thinks... Yarn is an... Ameowsing person nayn?”
“Yes, yes I do Yarn! I do think you’re an amazing person! Also, please feel fee to just call me Ko, I much prefer that while talking.”
With a new found aura of confidence, Yarn beamed with excitement all across her face! Their ears perked up, finally leaving their usual pinned back position, while their tail began to vigorously flick around in excitement! Then, they spoke to me in a happy, upbeat tone similar to their sister Felice!
“Yeah! Alright Ko nayn! Yarn will do their best to continue showing you they’re ameowsing nayn!”
Awesome! I was truly happy they had managed to find the confidence in themselves to communicate with me!
“Perfect Yarn! So, what are some of the things you do here at the Paws and Beans Tavern?”
“Well, I’m the head chef and armor repair expert meow! Felice says I’m really good, but I still have lots to learn about nayn! I also do meowst of the cleaning and finances meow!”
“Cool! Sounds like you are kept pretty busy around here! This is only my first day at the tavern, but the place looks absolutely packed! Is it always this busy?”
“Yes Ko nayn! The Paws and Beans tavern is the best place for beastkin and demi-humans in the Kingdom of Solara nayn! A lot of the humans are horrible and mean towards us. They are all oppressive and keep us as slaves in the cit—”
Yarn’s happy expression turned into sadness as they realized they were talking to me, who happened to be a human. Their ears pinned back again, probably thinking they had hurt my feelings or something. So, I did my best to remedy the situation.
“It’s ok Yarn, I’m not from around the Kingdom of Solara, I— I come from a land very far away from here, so I’m unaware of how the humans in this kingdom treat everyone.”
“Oh, ok Ko. Yes, a lot of the humans in Solara are very cruel to us. That’s why Felice created the Paws and Beans tavern to function as a safe haven for us meow!”
Hmmm, that makes sense. I was glad Yarn was able to give me a bit more context about the social circumstances in the kingdom. Apparently, slavery was possible in the world, and the beastkin and demi-humans were often forced into these roles by the humans. I guess no matter where you went, even if it was a completely different world, humans still had evil inside them. Earth also went through a period where slavery was common, but eventually evolved socially to overcome such cruel acts. Thinking about it, the concept of slavery also came up frequently in the numerous isekai shows available.
Coming back to our conversation, I figured it would be best to change the topic to something else.
“That’s interesting Yarn! Your sister Felice must be an amazing person to do all of this to help the demi-humans and beastkin out!”
Yarn looked at me in confusion at the mention of their sister’s name. They cutely tilted their head trying to understand what I meant, then softly responded.
“My sister? Felice?”
“Ya, she said you're sisters, right?”
“Ummm... Felice is my... Ummm— Yes, Felice is my— Family meow!”
Weird, maybe there was something deeper about their relationship I was unaware of? Regardless, maybe I should talk about them another time once I knew them better.
“Ok, don’t worry about it Yarn. Oh! That reminds me! Have you talked with a fox beastkin named Inari? I think she’s staying at the tavern and studying magic under Felice.”
Once again with a happy expression, Yarn cheerfully replied to me at the mention of Inari’s name.
“Yes! I love Inari nayn! She is a super amazing person meow! Felice is teaching them magics while they stay here in Solara! She— Inari nayn really likes the fried tofu dish I make for her! It makes me really happy to see her smiling each time she orders it nayn!”
“Nice! Sounds like I’ll have to order the fried tofu next time I’m here Yarn! I know it’s a long shot, but do you happen to know if she’s here still? I never had a chance to say goodbye to her properly and I’m just about to head into the city.”
“Well, I do nayn, but she’s going to be very busy today! Felice was super mad at Inari nayn and gave them 20 herb gathering requests to be completed by end of day meow! So she left really early this morning to get started meow. I don’t think they’ll be back until very late nayn.”
“Hmmm, well, that’s a shame. Yarn, could you do a favour for me? The next time you see Inari, could you tell her “Thank you for all the help yesterday” from me? I would really appreciate it!”
Yarn fidgeted with their fingers. I imagined them contemplating the idea. Then, they responded with an energetic voice.
“Yes! I’ll do my best Ko nayn!”
“Awesome! Thank you Yarn!
Oh, speaking of which, I should probably get going now, I have a nice long walk to look forward to. Thanks again for the amazing meal and chatting with me!”
Yarn simply smiled at me. Then, I noticed her cheeks start to gradually turn a vibrant, rosy red colour. Then, she hastily covered her face while squeaking.
“Yes! Uhh— I... I have to— Bye Ko nayn!!”
Without a moment’s pause, Yarn swiftly vanished from my sights, retreating back into the kitchen behind the open doorway. Seriously, what was she so embarrassed about?
Anyways, figuring I should get going, I jumped to my feet and headed towards the entranceway to begin my adventure. While I was disappointed I couldn’t personally say goodbye to Inari and thank them for all their help, I also had goals to accomplish.
With new found confidence, and a satiated appetite, I left the tavern to gather my bearings. In the distance, I could see the mountain range from yesterday, along with a dirt path leading towards the city. At the fork in the road, was a weather-worn sign post. Looking at one of the arrows, pointing towards the mountain range, it read “Kingdom of Solara”.
And so, with envelope in hand, I started my long journey towards the kingdom, hoping I could finally get some answers about why I was summoned to the world, of Terra.