The beast tamer exiled from the hero’s party and the cat eared girl from the strongest race meet
That night.
We returned to the Cat Spirit Tribe’s village with the fox and conducted a full physical examination.
Although its leg injury had been healed with magic, there was a possibility that bacteria had gotten in. Just to be safe, we had Finia thoroughly treat it.
Then we checked whether it had contracted any strange illness… or if the fox itself carried any unusual disease. After examining everything, we confirmed that there were no problems.
After about an hour of testing, we returned the fox to Nina.
"Kuu..."
After being subjected to all sorts of examinations, the fox looked a little tired.
However, the moment it saw Nina’s face, it perked up and began wagging its tail energetically. Maybe, since they both had fox ears, it thought of her as one of its own?
"This child… is it okay?"
"Yeah, no problems. Just to be safe, Finia treated it, and it doesn’t seem to have any strange illnesses. It’s just a bit tired right now—if it eats and gets some rest, it should make a full recovery."
"That’s good…"
"Kon!"
The fox let out a cry as if to say it was hungry.
As if she had prepared in advance, Nina held out a plate with meat on it.
"Want to eat?"
"Kyuu!"
The fox happily bit into the meat.
Watching this, Nina wagged her tail cheerfully.
"Eat lots, okay?"
"Chomp, chomp, chomp!"
Nina gently stroked the fox as it eagerly devoured its meal.
Normally, if you did something like that, the animal would get annoyed, thinking its meal was being interrupted… but the fox showed no such reaction.
It simply let Nina pet it… in fact, it even looked comfortable.
Maybe they really were a good match.
"...Rain-san."
Suddenly, Nokia called out to me.
From how quietly she spoke, it seemed she didn’t want Nina to hear.
"What do you think about that fox?"
"You don’t mean its health, but what happens from here on… right?"
"Yes."
"Well… I think it probably got separated from its parents."
The injury on its leg was likely caused by another beast.
And there were small scratches all over its body.
It must have been attacked by another animal and separated from its parents…
Then desperately ran around trying to escape.
"I’d like to return it to its parents if possible."
"About that… Nina says she wants to keep the fox."
"Ah… I see."
Now I understood why Nokia looked troubled, and I let out a wry smile.
The fox was adorable.
And to the Celestials, it was almost like family.
It was only natural they wouldn’t want to abandon it—and would want to stay together with it.
"Taking care of a living creature is very difficult, and there’s no guarantee she can stay with the fox forever… I would like Nina to give up. Could you tell her that as well, Rain-san?"
"I’d like to, but…"
What Nokia said was absolutely right.
You can’t keep a living creature with half-hearted feelings.
And there was also the possibility the fox might reunite with its parents…
Considering everything, it wasn’t ideal for Nina to keep the fox.
It wasn’t ideal, but…
"Is it… tasty?"
"Kon!"
Seeing how close they already were, it was hard to say no.
Nokia probably felt the same way—that’s why she was troubled.
"...For now, let’s watch over the situation."
"Watch over it?"
"Either way, we have to protect the fox. If we release it outside in its current state…"
"Yes… it likely wouldn’t end well."
"We’ll keep it under protection for a while and observe… and if it becomes necessary to keep it, then we’ll take proper responsibility. But if we find its parents…"
"...Even if Nina cries, we’ll have to return it."
Just imagining that moment made my chest ache.
Nina would surely feel hurt and sad.
But she’s a good girl.
And she’s smart.
She might go through a painful farewell…
But in the end, I believe she’ll understand.
"Thank you. I feel a bit more at ease now. I was right to consult you, Rain-san."
"No, Nokia-san, you had already made your decision, didn’t you? I just gave you a little push."
"That little push is what matters."
Nokia smiled gently, and then—
"Huh?"
For some reason, she started patting my head.
Softly, gently.
Her touch was kind and warm.
It felt as though the warmth of her heart was being conveyed through her hand.
I almost found myself getting lost in the moment, but I couldn’t just stay like this forever.
"Um… Nokia-san?"
"...Ah. S-sorry. Somehow, you reminded me of a son, and I just…"
"No, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it."
It wasn’t that I disliked it.
If anything, it felt comforting.
And…
For just a moment, I was reminded of my mother.
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