Weed

Many thanks to Ange (https://www.scribblehub.com/profile/6839/) for editing this chapter. I am also looking for someone willing to edit my chapters in the future.

I talked for a while with the racoon man while eating, especially about the healing magic. It is one method I thought I could make money with. Since Rick tried to give me five gold coins for his treatment, I would only need to repeat that two thousand times. However, it appears to be more difficult than I thought. Properly working as a healer requires a license, and with a low ranked healer's earning, they will need to spend their whole lifespan to make ten thousand gold coins.

The owner didn't know how much a high ranked healer would earn so it is still an option. I could also try to look for rich people and nobles to heal for more reward, but both methods are time-consuming and would make me well known in the process. That is not a risk I am willing to take. The amount of money involved is just too much.

In the end, I discarded the idea and he gave me another suggestion. It was to join a hunting party as a healer and share the reward. He was hesitant to suggest it at first because it is dangerous to do so, especially when it involves so much money but I got it out of him. He also told me that there is a hunter's association where they gather and form parties, sell loots and so on. It sounds like the adventurer's guild in human territory, except that they are more focused on the hunting than taking requests.

I do not intend to join a party, but since hunting monsters is my specialty,  I decided to check it out. If I can figure out which monster gives valuable loot, I can go out and hunt on my own.

I'm sitting near the fountain. There has been one thing bothering me for a while now. The street vendor nearby is selling some pancake looking thing filled with various sweets ranging from chocolates to creams, syrups and fruit spreads of a different flavor.

That is a crepe, right? And there are so many varieties too!

But there is one problem. The owner of the stall is giving this hostile look. I met his eyes when I tried to buy one, so I had retreated here ever since and have been thinking of a strategy. Ah, the strategy to make money, of course.

I mean, it can't be helped. The skewer raccoon man looked nice, but he still became angry when he learned that I did not have any money, which I still do not have any!

“Hi....” A small voice calls me.

From the direction where the voice came from, a little girl was standing. She looks like about 7 years old, with features similar to a human except for her cat ears and her cat tail. She is a cat girl.

“Are you hungry?” She asks, fidgeting.

“I'm not.” After all, I just finished eating just now. It is not a lie that I do not need to eat.

“But you have been looking at the crepe the whole time!” She declares. It looks like that for some reason, she is convinced about it.

“...” Has this girl been watching me? Is it because she is weak that I didn't pay attention to her?

“It's not good to lie, you know?” She adds.

“But it's true.”

Glaring at me for a bit, she runs towards the crepe stand, with her tail swinging behind her. After a short while, she returns with two crepes and extends her right hand holding one of them towards me. It has strawberry syrup with creams while the other one has chocolates on it.

“Do you prefer the other one?” She asks.

“This one is fine,” I respond and extend my right hand.

“You have to say thanks first!” She exclaims.

Thinking about it, there was such a thing.

“Mom said harpies will take the bad children away to their nest, are you a bad girl?” The cat girl continues.

“Thank you.” Upon my response, she gives me the crepe with a wide smile on her face.

“...” While taking the crepe, I grab her ear with my left hand. Even though she has human hair and cat ears, the fur on the base of her ears is a mix between a cat and a human. Because of that, touching the base of the ear gives both the feeling of a cat and a girl's hair.

“It tickles!” She tries to get away but I follow her with my hand. Rina liked it when I did this but does she not like it because she is a cat? I prefer paws personally, but it can't be helped since she has human hands.

“Ah! The chocolates!” She sadly looks at her hand holding the crepe where the chocolate had melted onto. I let her ear go, grab her hand and start licking the chocolate.

Yep, it is delicious. I finish it and evaporate the saliva with a small wind. The girl tried to take her hand off, but it was no use!

“Why would you do that? And my chocolate, it's all gone...”

I cleaned it up for her because she looked sad about her hand being dirty, but apparently, it was because she wasted her food. Since it can't be helped, I hand out my crepe.

“Just a bite.”

“Is it okay? Wait, I was the one who bought them, so why are you acting as if you are offering me?” She retorts.

“...” It looks like she is still not pleased, even though I did all this for her! Rina was so easy to please, but she is the exact opposite, even though she looks even younger than her. To end up with that personality despite her cheerful appearance, she must have gone through a lot. Realizing this, I start patting her head, as she is focused on eating.

“You were here! I have been looking for you, what were you doing?” A cat woman comes running towards her so I take my hand off the cat girl’s head, which she starts patting instead. The cat girl looks a lot more pleased than when I did it. What is the difference?

“I made a new friend.” The girl answers with a cheerful smile. Her mood changes so quickly.

“Is that so? Thank you for playing with my daughter.” The cat woman turns towards me and pats my head.

If I remember correctly, when I am thanked by someone, I also have to reply to something.

“You are welcome.” I take a bite on my crepe as I respond.

“I was the one playing with her, though! I even bought her the crepe!” The girl points at my crepe as she exclaims.

“I see, I see. You were being a good girl. Let's go home now, okay?” The cat woman brings her away while she protests.

“You don’t understand anything!” She looks frustrated. Then, she turns around and waves at me.

“Don't be starving! We can eat together next time, okay?”

“You should look in front when you are walking!” The woman scolds her, and she reluctantly turns around.

'They look happy together.' I look towards their fading appearance.

Thinking about it now, many beastmen looked that way. It is a peaceful city with nice people like her and the raccoon man. Just the way as it is in the Tail Fox village.

However, there is one major difference here. Those expressing their hostility, even though none of them have yet to take any action,  are still the majority. But even they would be like others as long as I am not involved.

I look up at the clear blue sky without a single spec of cloud.

“...”

I came here for a single purpose and I will be only staying to fulfill that. I should not have any further thoughts.

Deciding that the next destination will be the hunter's association, I start walking towards there while eating the crepe the cat girl gave me.

'Having a recipe for this would be nice.'