20 Divine Cat Mee-chan gets too excited and gets scolded by the landlady.

After greeting everyone at the Hunter’s Guild, I returned to the inn. As planned, I asked the innkeeper, Mr. Dogga, to prepare various dishes for me.

“You’re making so much. What are you going to do with all this?”

He said, but I replied with a secretive smile that it wouldn’t go to waste.

I checked my belongings in the room and stored unnecessary items in Mii-chan’s bag. With everything ready, and with some time before dinner, I decided to play a bit with Mii-chan.

I showed Mii-chan the cat teaser, and her eyes sparkled with excitement.

I waved the fluffy part of the teaser in front of Mii-chan’s feet.

Tesh!

Close, but no luck! Come on, come on, Tesh, waving, waving, Tesh, Tesh.

“Mii, mii~”

Mii-chan’s eyes switched to serious mode, and we were in a serious competition now.

Waving, Pash!

“Mii~!”

Mii-chan’s triumphant face explodes!

Guh… Neiro takes a critical hit. What sheer destructive power. Terrifying, Mii-chan’s triumphant face…

Next, I decided to try using the laser pointer. I shined the light on the table. Tesh, tesh.

“Mii~?”

Hehe… this is just the beginning, Mii-chan.

I slowly moved the light under the table.

“Mii~!”

Mii-chan jumped off the table and chased the light. She spun in circles at my feet, and Mii-chan spun around too. This is so much fun! I sped up the movement, but she kept up effortlessly. I even tried shining it on the walls of the room.

Turn! Tesh. Wow, these movements are unimaginable for the usually calm Mii-chan. Alright, let’s see how she handles this! I moved the light to the ceiling. Surely she won’t be able to follow.

Turn! Turn! Tesh! Spin, Shut!

“Mii~!”

A triangle jump?! Is this divine familiar a monster?!

The innkeeper’s wife stormed into the room, shouting.

“You two! It’s too noisy! Quiet down!”

“I’m so sorry…”

“Mii…”

Maybe I went a bit overboard. I’m sorry.

After the innkeeper’s wife left, Mii-chan jumped on me and licked my face, clearly overjoyed from playing. I’ll make sure to play with her more often from now on. Sorry, Mii-chan.

Dinner time came, so I headed downstairs. The menu for the evening was meatball-studded Neapolitan pasta. It was delicious—definitely a dish that calls for digging in rather than eating delicately.

After finishing my meal, I had Mii-chan charm the customers at the counter as the “mascot” while I headed to the communal bath. I won’t be able to bathe for a while starting tomorrow, so I wanted to make the most of it.

At the bathhouse, I asked for the full set and explained to the attendant that I wouldn’t be able to visit for a while. I was pleased to hear their well wishes.

After enjoying the bath and finishing up with the massage, I returned to the inn. It would have been perfect with some fruit or coffee milk, but alas, I had to make do. I placed my hands on my waist and drank deeply.

Back at the inn, I held Mii-chan, got a bucket of warm water from the innkeeper’s wife, and gave Mii-chan a bath in the room. After all the exercise, she seemed to enjoy it. I suddenly realized I hadn’t bought a bucket for her… and the store was closed. Oh well, I’ll ask the innkeeper’s wife for help.

“Don’t worry about it. If you need it, you can keep that bucket.”

Haha… I’ll borrow it for now. I promise to return it when I come back.

Since tomorrow is an early day, I’ll head to bed.

“Mii~”

The next morning, I did a final check of my luggage, had breakfast, and then left the inn.

“Be careful on your journey. Here, I’ve packed some lunch for you.”

“Thank you very much. I’ll be going now.”

“And make sure Mii-chan stays safe too.”

“Mii~”

With my large backpack, the usual bag, and the tent, I parted ways with the innkeeper and headed to the west gate. Even though the fifth bell had just rung, there were already many carts and people there.

“Excuse me~. I’m from the Hunter’s Guild. Could you please direct me to the person in charge?”

A man in his forties responded to my call and approached.

“I’m Zeph, the leader of this caravan. We’ve been informed of you by the Hunter’s Guild.”

“I’m Neiro. This is Mii-chan.”

“Mii~”

“Well, well, what a cute member of the guild!”

Zeph smiled at Mii-chan, clearly charmed by her.

And once again, I’m out of the spotlight… but that’s okay. I’m happy as long as Mii-chan is getting praised.

“I’ll introduce you to the hunters who will be providing protection.”

He then led me to a group of armed individuals.

Zeph introduced me to the leader of the guards, Faren.

“This is Faren, the leader of the guards. You’ll generally follow my instructions, but in emergencies, you should heed Faren’s directions.”

“I’m Neiro. This is Mii-chan. I look forward to working with you on the road.”

“I’m Faren, the leader of the Eight-Eyed Fangs. I’ve seen you a few times at the purchase counter.”

“Yes, I’ve seen you there as well.”

“Relax. We’ll be working together for a while, so there’s no need to be too formal.”

I exchanged greetings with the other hunters. The younger party is called the Radiant Holy Sword. They seemed thrilled to see Mii-chan up close for the first time.

Faren then explained the important details and the general schedule. We would stay at a village along the highway on the first and last nights, and camp out for two days in between. He also mentioned that we would prioritize movement unless we were hit by heavy rain.

“We’ll handle any monster attacks. Your job is to focus on protecting yourself and your kitten. It’s just a trip to the neighboring town, so don’t worry; we’re used to this.”

The other hunters nodded in agreement.

“Now that everything is set, let’s get moving.”

With Zeph’s signal, the area became even busier.

“Alright, let’s head to the cart, Mii-chan.”

“Mii~”