CHAPTER 9: THE FAMILY’S INN

「Mama—, there’s a cat in front of our house— 」

「Really? Say bye-bye to the cat. 」

「Can I bring it inside so it won’t get soaked—? 」

「Alright, but I don’t know if he will run away. 」

When I woke up, two people were observing me.

「Meow—（What? ）」

One of the girls is about four years old.

And the other woman looks like in her thirties.

Is this the family that managed this inn?

The girl approached me and attempted to carry me in her arms.

「Oh, it’s heavy— 」

That’s right. My bodyweight is 12 kg.

……I think it’s too heavy for a cat.

It’s surely not a weight that little children can carry.

Does she give up? She lets me go.

「Uwaaaaaaaaaaaa! 」

Crap, the girl cried.

I’m nervous. What would a stray cat do in this situation?

Should I lick her face?

It’s a crime to lick a little girl.

I’m not a lolicon.

「There, there. It can’t be helped, Nell. 」

Onee-san approaches me and holds me up.

「Oh, this cat didn’t struggle at all. Let’s bring him in. 」

「Uhh? 」

The girl stops crying and smiles at me.

And they brought me into the inn.

◇　◇　◇　◇

Inside the inn, people were eating dinner.

Oi, oi, don’t bring animals into the dining hall.

Is there no concept of hygiene in this country?

「Oh? Nancy-san, what happened to the cat? 」

I heard a man in the dining hall asking onee-san who is holding me up. 

Her name is Nancy, and the child is called Nell.

「This little guy was sleeping in front of the inn. 」

「Ha—. Still, he’s a fat cat. 」

Shut up, leave me alone.

I was taken into an inn manager-ish room.

「Nell, since okaa-san is busy with work, you can play with the cat. 」

「Ha—i!」

Nancy-san leave the room,

I was left in the room with the little girl.

「Neko-san, I’ll read you a book— 」

Huh. The book is made up of parchment.

How unusual. No, maybe this is the norm in this country.

「Once upon a time, there was a little servant covered in ashes.

The little girl was so pretty that the head housemaid often bullied her.

One day, the girl… 」

I peek into the book that the girl is reading.

Trying to remember the letters in the book, maybe if I do this, I might be able to communicate with people.

When the little Nell had repeatedly read the story ten times, Nancy-san came back and read another book for us.

Before long, the day’s end.

Which reminds me, what about the lighting in the house, I didn’t see any light bulb? 

Are they going to use the oil?

「It’s getting dark soon. Shall I turn on the light?

『Shine on darkness, light. 』」

Nancy-san holds up her hand over the ceiling when she spoke, and a ball of light appeared.

Ohh, it’s magic! Amazing!

「I’m going to tend the guests who need the lights. 」

「Ha—i. 」

The ball of light that she casts last for about an hour.

After that, the three of us slept in a large bed.

Seriously, the bed was hard, and the quilt was thin.

I’m fine since I got body hair. Didn’t they feel cold at all?

Maa, it’s not like it will be a problem; I was a stray cat after all.

Good night.