"..."
"..."
Awkward.
Painfully damn awkward.
The two exchanged a glance and fell into silence.
Even the air itself felt strange.
Lumine lowered her head in embarrassment, her ears burning red.
She truly didn't know where to hide her face anymore.
As for Elric?
His entire expression was pure confusion.
Good grief—what was going on with his life?
Was he just naturally incompatible with Lumine or something?
He was clearly a law-abiding, upright citizen.
If he was short on Mora, wasn't it normal to develop a side business?
Last time, it was offering professional guidance in Sumeru.
This time, it was running a cat café.
So what next?
When they reached Fontaine, would even his identity as a clerk become useless and he'd just get thrown straight into the Fortress of Meropide?
Just imagining that made Elric shudder.
He absolutely did not want to end up sewing uniforms behind bars.
So where exactly had things gone wrong?
He was seriously pondering this now.
After all, if he wanted to keep farming popularity points, he'd inevitably be spending a lot of time around Lumine.
"…Uh…"
Paimon finally broke the silence, scratching her head and laughing awkwardly.
"I didn't know you were running a cat café too, Elric."
"If Nilou knew about this, she'd definitely be super happy."
No matter how awkward the atmosphere got, once Paimon spoke up, it always lightened instantly.
"Ah… well…"
If Elric remembered correctly, the words Cat Café were written right on the sign outside.
Actually, he'd originally wanted to make a fortune while this world's entertainment industry was still underdeveloped.
But reality proved that not every idea exploded in another world.
At least in Port Ormos, cat cafés weren't exactly booming.
The shop barely broke even—it was more like a welfare project.
It gave the stray cats a home, and the person running the place was carefully chosen by Elric, a genuine cat lover.
"Oh! Is this little one the leader of the group? It looks so majestic!"
Paimon pointed excitedly at a particularly imposing cat.
"What's its name? Will it bite me?" she asked nervously.
"Oh, it's called Coke—no, wait, Mimi. It doesn't bite. Actually, none of the cats here bite."
Elric answered without thinking.
After a pause, he added,
"You can think of it as… they're pretending to be pure and innocent."
He practically gritted his teeth when saying that.
Damn it—not everyone is into that kind of vibe!
Couldn't you just act cute and let me earn some Mora?!
"Eh?! Really? That fierce-looking cat is called Mimi?"
Paimon stared in disbelief.
"Do the other cats even respect that name?"
Wouldn't that damage the leader's dignity?
But imagining a fearsome boss cat being called Mimi somehow gave her a strange sense of joy.
"Mimi, Mimi, little Mimi—come here, let me hug you!"
Paimon gleefully chased after the cat.
She thought it would struggle or escape, but the moment she picked it up, it obediently curled up in her arms.
Paimon was overjoyed, running around hugging the cats, smiling brightly.
The awkwardness in the air gradually faded.
At least Elric didn't feel awkward anymore—just helpless.
Still, watching Lumine look like she wanted to crawl into a crack in the floor was… kind of adorable.
Her ears were so red they almost looked translucent.
Honestly, it made him want to—
Ahem.
"You two… why did you come here anyway?"
Elric asked first, suspiciously glancing at her.
He didn't dare stare any longer, or Lumine might just explode from embarrassment and run away.
"Well… we saw you sneaking around on the street and thought you were up to something shady, so we followed you to make sure nothing bad happened."
Lumine forced out the excuse, avoiding his eyes.
If it were only the first time, she might've brushed it off.
But this was already the second time.
Even Lumine couldn't keep her composure anymore.
Good thing she hadn't rushed in swinging her sword this time—otherwise she'd seriously start doubting her judgment skills.
Years of adventure experience… all broken the moment she met Elric.
"I understand. I really do."
Elric muttered, his eyes carefully forming a trace of melancholy.
"Elric… we really didn't mean—"
Seeing his expression, Lumine's conscience began to ache.
She opened her mouth to comfort him.
But Elric cut her off.
"What worries me the most are these cats."
He looked toward Paimon playing with them in the distance, his voice lonely.
"This café has never really done well. I've been operating at a loss."
"I even tried running a guidance class to make some extra Mora last time, but…"
He deliberately left the rest unsaid.
But Lumine already knew what came next.
Her guilt deepened instantly.
"I keep thinking… maybe some kind-hearted person would be willing to sponsor a little Mora."
"After all, I just want to give these cats a home…"
Elric gazed into the distance with deep sadness and fragile hope.
Then he shook his head weakly, as if telling himself that such a wish was unrealistic.
Lumine's heart clenched.
In her mind, she could already see the cats forced to wander the streets after the café went bankrupt.
"I—I still have some Mora! I'll sponsor you!"
She blurted it out without hesitation.
"Great! Great! Sister Lumine, how much are you planning to sponsor?"
Elric grabbed her hands excitedly, crimson eyes sparkling.
That was exactly what he was waiting for.
"…"
Lumine twitched.
Wait—had she just been tricked?
That Mora was supposed to be her travel fund to Fontaine!
However, what Elric didn't know was that this very scene inside the game almost caused him to suffer a massive online backlash from players.
He had narrowly escaped a legendary cyberstorm.
Advance Chapters available on Patreon
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