Adventurer's Guild Café: I Was Wrongfully Exiled by the Saint, So I Will Enjoy My Second Life with My Fluffy Friends - Prologue Part 3

“Kyuru~”

“…?”

“Ruru~ru!”

R-Ru…?

What on earth is this cute sound…?

“Huh…?”

I waited, but no pain or impact came.

Instead, all I heard was an adorable little sound.

I slowly opened the eyes I had tightly closed.

“…?”

“Ru?”

Huh? Wh-What is this…?

“Ruu!”

The moment I saw the creature in front of me, I felt all the strength leave my body.

The little creature tilted its head, looking back at me.

“What…is this…?”

The creature that jumped out from the bushes had large ears like a rabbit… yet a body and tail like a fox. It was a small, fluffy creature.

Hmm, what is it?

I remember seeing something like this in an encyclopedia once… A fennec fox, maybe? It had that sort of look.

Its eyes were huge, almost overflowing, and sparkled with a watery shine.

But unlike ordinary animals, its fur was a soft pink color.

And on its forehead was a large, ruby-like gem.

Inside that gem, something like a flame flickered and danced.

I wasn’t sure why, but its body seemed to be wrapped in a sparkling, glittery light.

“Ru?”

The fluffy creature tilted its head at me again.

It sniffed a little, then slowly began to approach.

Huh… even though it’s walking on four legs, its walk seems strange.

Maybe it’s injured?

“Kyururuu.”

“…Could you be a magical creature? Are you hurt?”

Even in this situation, I found myself casually asking that.

“Kyu.”

I was surprised.

The fluffy creature nodded with a little bob.

Almost as if it could understand what I was saying…

“…Looks like we’re in the same boat. I hurt my leg too.”

Looking closer, I saw that the fluffy creature’s right front leg was bent in a strange direction.

It must be broken.

Maybe that’s why it got separated from its parents.

“Kyuruu?”

“I wish I could help you somehow… but I’m sorry. In this state, I can’t.”

My hands were bound, so I couldn’t move freely.

They were enchanted with strong magic, making it impossible to take them off.

“Ru!”

The fluffy creature dragged its injured leg as it came closer.

It didn’t seem to have much fear of me.

Then, it gently pressed its little black nose to my handcuffs.

—Clank.

…Ehh?

There was a metallic sound just now…?

“Wha—huh!? No way, they’re off!?”

What is this!?

To my surprise, the moment the fluffy creature touched my handcuffs, they clanked and fell to the ground. My hands were free.

Then, the fluffy creature gently touched its nose to the shackles on my legs.

In the same way, the leg shackles fell off too.

“W-What… how is this happening?”

“Ruu~n!”

The fluffy creature snuggled up to me, rubbing against me with its soft fur.

Its chest fur, especially, was so fluffy it tickled.

“Were they broken…?”

But when I was in the cell, no matter how many times I tugged on them, they wouldn’t break.

And both my hand and leg shackles coming off at the same time? Is that even possible…?

“Could it really be thanks to you…?”

“Ruu!”

The fluffy creature, despite its injured leg, wagged its tail happily.

“Oh, right…”

I tore a strip from my ragged clothes and looked around for a sturdy stick lying nearby. Something straight, thick, and of a good length.

“Sorry, bear with me a bit.”

“Kyuru?”

Its leg must really be broken.

I don’t know if this will help, but it’s better than doing nothing.

I gently took the fluffy creature’s tiny front paw in my hand.

Then I placed the stick against it, wrapped some cloth around it, and made a splint.

Still… its paw looked like a little cream bun…

This isn’t the time to be saying this, but its little front paw makes me want to call it a “lil’ hand” or “lil’ foot.”

“I know it’s not much, but it’s better than nothing.”

“Ruu!”

“Yeah, yeah.”

I felt like it was thanking me, and I smiled.

Wait… when was the last time I smiled?

It feels like it’s been ages since I moved my facial muscles like this.

The fluffy creature dragged itself over and settled onto my lap.

“…Hehe. Such a cute little fluff…”

Hmm, calling it “Fluffy” feels a bit odd.

“Oh, can I call you Lulu?”

It was a simple reason—since it kept saying “ru-ru”—but it was better than “Fluffy.”

“!”

Lulu’s eyes widened, then it nodded once.

“Alright, I’ll call you Lulu. Thank you for helping me, Lulu.”

“Ruu!”

Lulu let out a high-pitched cry.

As I stroked Lulu’s fur, my heart gradually began to feel at ease.

The forest was dark, but thanks to the jewel on Lulu’s forehead, the area around us was as bright as if a campfire were burning. And somehow, it felt warm. I probably didn’t need to worry about freezing to death.

Leaning back against a tree, I looked up at the sky.

The small patch of sky I could see was, surprisingly, filled with countless stars.

Even though they call this the forest of monsters, the sky is beautiful no matter where you are…

“…It might not be possible right away, but… I want to find a way out of this forest.”

Before I knew it, I had muttered that out loud.

I thought I had given up on everything, but as the light and warmth returned, a small spark of hope seemed to flicker in my heart.

“Ru?”

“To be honest… I never want to go back to Leiria’s mansion.”

Ignored by my father every day, mistreated by my stepmother and stepsister.

Going to school made it a little better, but I was still looked down upon as a beastkin, and it was stifling.

I’d been living only with memories of my gentle mother to keep me going.

Even without the incident, though, relying on that alone would have eventually crushed me. This just happened to be the time it finally did.

“I want to go somewhere far away—not there, not here—someplace where even someone like me, a beastkin, can live freely…”

Suddenly, tears started to fall.

So much had happened over the past week.

I thought I had cried myself dry in the cell, but clearly, the pain still hadn’t healed.

“Ru.”

“…Hehe, thank you.”

Lulu licked my cheek.

It seemed like she was wiping away my tears.

“Ru.”

“Hmm?”

Lulu hopped off my knee.

“What’s…?”

In that instant, the crystal on her forehead shone brightly.

“Wha!?”

W-What is happening now!?

“Ruuuuuuuu!!!”

Lulu let out a powerful roar toward the sky.

The light from the crystal showed no signs of stopping.

On top of that, the crystal began to swell more and more!

“Eek!?”

Before I could react in surprise, I suddenly felt myself being pulled forcefully toward the gem.

I instinctively shut my eyes.

Then, in the next moment, I was struck by the sensation of falling endlessly.

“Wha—Aaaaaah!?”

No, it really felt like I was falling.

Because the twinkling stars in the night sky were getting farther and farther away.

──The sky.

As if I were being sucked into the abyss, my body kept falling deeper and deeper.

──The sky is this beautiful.

I thought that despite the absurdity of the situation.

Then, in the next moment, I was slammed against the surface of the water and sank deep beneath it.

My senses faded, and my body reached a realm where I could no longer feel pain.

──It’s suffocating.

Just such feelings filled my chest.

When I opened my mouth, bubbles rose to the surface of the water.

The surface sparkled, shining in the sunlight.

Wait, it was night just a moment ago…

But I thought, maybe that doesn’t matter anymore.

I really don’t understand anything anymore.

──I’m going to die here.

Suddenly, that thought crossed my mind.

After all, Lulu was probably a monster.

Monsters are said to deceive people and eat their souls.

Yet, I couldn’t bring myself to hate Lulu.

It felt like she was the first one I could truly open my heart to.

If my soul is good enough for her, then I’ll give it to Lulu.

The last breath I exhaled turned into bubbles, rising to the surface.

──But.

At the very least… at the very least, if I could be freed from that house, I wanted to live as I pleased.

I wanted to eat delicious food and sweet desserts.

I wanted to throw away my constricting corset and run around in light clothing.

Beastkin or humans.

That doesn’t matter.

I think I just wanted someone to see me for who I really am.

Slowly, slowly, I sank to the bottom of the water.

At the end, I watched the last bubbles I exhaled pop, and I let go of my consciousness.

♦ ♦ ♦

──I will grant that wish for you.