The beast tamer exiled from the hero’s party and the cat eared girl from the strongest race meet
"Rannya-nyaa~♪"
One afternoon.
Bathed in the warm sunlight, Kanade was humming a tune, clearly in high spirits.
Watching her enjoy herself like that made me smile, too.
Not just herself—she makes everyone around her smile as well.
In a way, that might be one of Kanade's special talents.
"By the way, Rain, what are we shopping for today?"
"Huh? You didn't hear?"
"Nyahaha... I was just so happy thinking about going out with you that I got all giddy and, well..."
"So you didn’t hear a word, huh."
I sighed, but it wasn’t something to get angry about.
In fact, it was very much like her—and kind of endearing.
Besides...
Now that I know how she feels, I can't really bring myself to be harsh with her.
If someone says they’re just happy to be with you, as a guy, that makes me happy too—but I still don’t know how to properly respond.
Phew.
I’d like to resolve this situation sooner rather than later, but...
Right now, I have no clue what the right answer is.
"We're shopping for dinner today. Also, we need to sign up for a delivery service."
"Delivery service?"
"It’s a service where the store delivers certain items at regular intervals. We’ve got quite a few people now, so shopping every single time is getting tough. I thought we could try it out."
"Ohh, I see! But I’m totally fine doing it myself, you know?"
"Even you, Kanade, would have a hard time carrying a huge load. You might lose your balance and drop things."
"Mmm... true. Okay, then let’s go ahead and try the delivery service!"
"Just as a trial, for now."
Although we’re usually based in Horizon...
Like with the last incident, sometimes we have to be away for long periods.
In those times, unless the store is flexible and can handle that, we can’t really sign a delivery contract.
That’s why we’re trying it out first.
As it turned out, though, that concern was unnecessary.
When we visited the store and told them we wanted to use their delivery service, they readily agreed.
They even promised they’d pause the service if we gave advance notice before being away for a long time.
A good store, indeed.
With no problems, we signed the contract on the spot.
They also arranged to deliver today’s purchases right away, so we left the store satisfied.
"Whew, that went great. We got a pretty ideal deal, I think."
"They work with other shops to gather the items and deliver them together... That shop really has some clever ideas. I’ve never heard of a service like that!"
"Yeah, same here. They might just become the best merchant in the country."
By partnering with other shops, they’re not just benefiting themselves, but the whole group.
And by broadening the partnership, they can prepare just about anything.
Whoever thought of this system is pretty impressive.
It might even revolutionize the distribution industry.
"We’ve got extra time now. Should we head straight back? Or... um, if it’s okay with you, Rain, I was thinking maybe we could take a little walk?"
"Sure, that’s fine."
"Really!?"
"Is it really something to be that excited about?"
"Of course it is! A walk with Rain~ A walk~♪"
Kanade was even more cheerful now.
Seeing her like that was truly heartwarming.
"Alright, then. Let’s take a nice stroll around town. It’s been a while."
"Yeah!"
Since we’d been away for a long time, even a simple walk felt refreshing.
We’d traveled to so many places, but...
It really made me feel like Horizon was truly home.
"Nyaa?"
Suddenly, Kanade stopped walking beside me.
She looked puzzled, her cat ears twitching.
"What’s wrong?"
"Hmm... how do I put it? A weird presence? Like... one of my kind is nearby or something?"
"Huh? Don’t tell me... it’s Suzu-san again?"
If it was her, it wouldn’t be strange for her to just show up out of nowhere.
"I don’t think it’s Mom. But it feels kind of similar... hmm?"
Kanade tilted her head in confusion, as if even she wasn’t exactly sure what it was.
A presence similar to Suzu-san.
It was probably one of the strongest species.
There didn’t seem to be any commotion going on, so it likely wasn’t some kind of incident...
But it still bothered me.
"Shall we try looking around a bit?"
"Ranya~!"
Relying on Kanade’s senses, we searched for the source of the strange aura.
After about thirty minutes of walking through town, we arrived at a small shop.
It was a bakery, and the aroma of freshly baked bread wafted from the storefront.
"Nyaa... smells so good."
"Ah—Kanade!?"
Like a creature lured into a trap, Kanade drifted into the shop, drawn by the smell.
I hurried in after her.
"Welcome~!"
We were greeted by a cheerful shop attendant with a bright smile.
And Kanade... was there.
She was asking the clerk all sorts of questions, seriously inspecting the bread.
It looked like today’s snack would be from this shop.
I smiled wryly and glanced around the store.
And then... I witnessed something shocking.
"So, with this, the contract is official. Let's do our best together as good partners from now on."
"Yes, I look forward to working with you as well."
At the back of the store, some kind of business discussion was taking place.
A man, probably in his late twenties, was shaking hands with someone who looked like the store owner, both of them smiling.
That scene in itself wasn’t particularly shocking.
What startled me was the person standing next to the man.
"One of the strongest species!?"
Standing beside the man was a beautiful woman.
She looked to be in her mid-twenties.
She wore something similar to a kimono—like the ones I’d seen in Kagune.
What stood out the most were her long fox ears poking out from her golden hair.
And, spilling out from the folds of her kimono, nine fluffy fox tails.
"Nina?"
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