Thanks to giving him honey milk every few hours and diligently casting healing magic, Ketsue, the fairy cat (a Cait Sith), had completely recovered.
He could understand human speech quite well, which made him rather obedient.
That said, he was still a young kitten fairy.
With a temperament leaning heavily toward that of a cat, he’d get up to mischief and hold morning races at dawn.
He had grown from the size of a hand to that of two, but his weight was still just a little over one kilogram.
I could tolerate most of his antics, but…
“Ugh! Hey, Ketsue! Don’t step on my face! And retract those claws!”
The early-morning races were the one thing I truly wished he would spare me from.
It was terrible for the heart to be jolted awake by him racing across me at full speed while I was sleeping soundly.
And if he jumped onto my solar plexus with pinpoint accuracy, it would knock the wind out of me for a moment.
The worst was when he’d dash over my face, the only part of my body left exposed, at full speed. It was quietly painful, and if his tiny claws were out in his excitement, they’d leave scratches.
“Honestly!”
I used healing magic to erase the faint claw marks, then climbed out of the cozy bed.
Ever since I’d taken in Ketsue, the fairy kitten, I’d been living by the lake that served as my base for some time. I had plenty of time and stamina on my hands.
I also had an overabundance of magic, so I managed to master enchantment magic and expand the space inside the tent.
“It used up a ridiculous amount of magic power, but thanks to that, the tent is way more spacious now.”
The tent, originally designed for four people, was decent in size.
But after pouring a ton of magic into it, the interior had transformed into a space roughly the size of 20 tatami mats.
It was wide enough for the kitten to run around in excitement.
Not only was it wider, but it was also taller.
What used to be a tent where I had to crouch was now one I could stand and walk around in normally. With a two-meter ceiling, the space no longer felt cramped.
Of course, the kitten would be overjoyed, leaping around and playing in such a spacious area.
“Even though I managed to expand it, it feels a bit empty without furniture…”
I had placed a bed made by connecting cushions and mats and covering them with a sheet at the farthest point from the entrance.
The cot served as a bench, so I kept it against the wall. A steel rack I’d assembled held camping supplies and miscellaneous items.
Since cooking wasn’t possible inside the tent, I kept all cooking tools under the tarp outside.
Still, with the tent upgraded to a 20-tatami space, I decided to create a living area in the middle. I spread out the fur of a wolf-like magical beast on the floor as a rug.
I set up a folding table and two chairs. On one of the chairs, I laid a small blanket for Ketsue to lie on.
It made for a perfect little living room where I could relax with tea and cookies.
Whenever Ketsue noticed me relaxing there, he’d climb onto the other chair, hoping for a treat.
For all his rambunctiousness, he was endearingly earnest in moments like that, which made him impossible to resist. I’d end up feeding him cat treats I’d stocked up on from the convenience store.
I also made a room just for Ketsue.
Thanks to the abundance of pet supplies at 100-yen and 300-yen shops, I could summon and purchase decent items.
The pet bed was cushioned and cozy, and there were even box-shaped cat houses that looked like simple shelves.
You could stack them to create a “cat mansion,” which doubled as a makeshift cat tower.
I bought several, stacked and arranged them inside the tent.
As a result, Ketsue’s races grew even more intense, and I regretted it a little.
They even sold stylish cat tents, which I, of course, acquired. Ketsue seemed to enjoy it and would occasionally nap inside, looking so adorable that I couldn’t resist taking photos.
Near the tent entrance, I set up a portable toilet room.
I debated placing it outside, but since I’d expanded the space, I decided to keep it inside. It made it much more convenient to use the bathroom even in the middle of the night.
It strengthened my resolve to actively search for dungeon treasure chests.
“Come here, Ketsue.”
“Pyaow.”
Though fearful of being scolded, Ketsue flattened his ears but still came when called.
Having been tamed, he likely couldn’t defy orders. Not that I intended to command him, but calling his name seemed to make it hard for him to refuse.
Cautiously, he approached and climbed onto the bed, where he flopped over, showing his fluffy belly in a pose of complete submission.
He wiggled, flashing his pink, adorable paw pads in such a calculatedly cute way that I immediately gave in.
“Alright, fine. Playing is a kitten’s job, after all. Luckily, I have healing magic.”
Unable to scold him too harshly, the morning races would continue.
It couldn’t be helped. Kittens are too cute.
As a tamed fairy, Ketsue’s claws weren’t dulled by the Creator God’s protective barrier, but since he bore no intent to attack, I couldn’t bring myself to reprimand him harshly.
“Mew,” Ketsue chirped sweetly, licking my fingers.
When I let him, he started sucking on them, so with a sigh, I prepared some honey milk for him.
He had grown too big for a saucer, so I poured the milk into a pet food bowl.
Lately, milk alone hadn’t been enough for him, and he’d started begging for paste-like cat treats.
As rumored, cats’ obsession with those treats was intense.
Sitting upright like a human, he’d clutch the treat pouch in his front paws and suck on it. Trying to take it away was a challenge as he’d cling to and bite at the pouch.
“This paste treat might make it easy to tame other Cait Siths…”
After finally recovering the trash, I looked back at Ketsue. He was using his adorable front paws to clean his face, trying to lick off the paste around his mouth.
His once-round ears now stood erect and triangular, and his tail had thickened.
His once-skeletal body had filled out, and he was no longer bony to the touch.
“Come here, Ketsue.”
When I called his name, he leaped onto my leg and climbed up. Once he reached his usual spot on my shoulder, he nestled against my cheek.
“Alright, you seem fine now. Let’s move on to a new base.”
After spending about a week holed up at the base, I was ready to return to dungeon exploration.
With all the magic I’d poured into Ketsue, he had grown at an impressive rate, learning various skills and spells.
The Creator God had scolded me, saying, “You’ve overdone it! That kitten’s absurdly strong now!” But I saw no issue with him becoming stronger.
It was far better than him getting hurt and nearly dying again.
“You’ve got the mobility now, so make sure to hide yourself if things go south, alright?”
“Meow!”
“Cait Siths seem to level up and grow stronger by defeating magical beasts. Work hard, grow stronger, and avenge your family.”
As I stroked his throat and spoke, Ketsue’s beautiful jade-green eyes gleamed as he let out a spirited cry in response.
It was heartening to see his enthusiasm.
With a smile, I stepped out of the tent with my dependable partner.
“Alright, vacation’s over. Starting tomorrow, it’s back to dungeon exploration.”
