9 Chapter 9: Flon's Dungeon Prelude-Part 2

???? POV

"Meow, soo sleepy meow."

"Ugh, meow, why do these adventurers have to be so early every single day?" I muttered under my breath as I lazily swiped the broom across the tavern's front yard.

The sun was barely up, and here I was, surrounded by chirpy morning people. 'Well, chirpy morning Adventurers!!!'.

I yawned, feeling the weight of sleepiness on my petite and cute face. The cute light green uniform and the white apron I wore were supposed to make me look presentable, but all I could think about was curling up for a catnap. A real lazy cat, that's what I was.

"Anya, cut the laziness. Work begins in the morning for everyone, and that includes us. No excuses."

Glancing to the side, I noticed a female Elf with sky-blue eyes and green hair. She wore a green maid outfit with a white frilled headband, a matching white apron, and a pair of brown boots over black leggings.

'Hmph, Ryuu meow is sooo stubborn, meow. How can she understand the happiness of my cat nyap?'

"Isn't Ryuu sleepy, meow, and what's so good about the dungeon, meow."

I couldn't help but express my disdain for the early morning dungeon routine. I flicked my brown tail hair in irritation, a clear sign of my displeasure. Dungeons were just not my thing.

I glanced over at Chloe , the other black-haired cat girl, who was clearly not putting much effort into her work.

Unlike me, Ryuu was diligently sweeping the ground, lost in her own thoughts. Maybe that was just how she always was, and everyone in the tavern was used to it. As for Me? I just wanted to go back to sleep.

Suddenly, I heard Chloe exclaiming, "Ryu, look, look! Over there! There's a handsome little meow with blond hair and golden eyes, just like that sword princess. Wow, so handsome, meow."

Without a moment's hesitation, I sprinted toward Chloe and eagerly asked, "Hey, hey, where is it? Let meow see it too."

In my line of sight, a young adventurer appeared, adorned in a black cloak and hood, carrying a sizable bag.

'Hmmm, never seen this meow before. Looks like a newbie meow. If I can lure this new meow to the shop, maybe I'll score some nyap time, meow. This is gonna be fun, meow.'

MC POV

The "Hostess of Fertility" store was practically legendary in the neighborhood, known by nearly every adventurer around.

As I strolled along, contemplating my route to the giant tower of Babel's facilities, my detour led me to a street stall in a back alley. I decided to snag two 30 valis fried potato balls for lunch. Passing by the renowned tavern, I couldn't help but take a curious look.

And there she was, the black-haired catwoman named Chloe Rollo, charmingly inviting me in with a sweet and lovely smile. "Wow, handsome little meow, would you like to come in and have a drink with me meow~"

Feeling flattered, I couldn't resist pointing at myself.

"That's right, meow. Meow is the one inviting you because meow finds you pleasing to the eye. It's impossible for ordinary people to enter meow's eye's"

'Should I chat with them now? Hmm, my soul probably isn't pure enough for Freya to notice me. But hey, it's okay to talk to them, right? Also, it's the first time in both my lives that a beautiful girl is actively trying to have a conversation with me, and I really need to practice having good conversations with women.'

Right as I was about to say yes, bam, my special skill [Shut-in NEET geek] kicked in, causing my courage and intelligence to plummet a whopping 1000 times whenever chatting up gorgeous 3D girls.

'Hmm, let's not risk it for now. Once I'm stronger, I could talk to any girl without worry. Yep!!! totally not because I am having a mental breakdown right now.'

All these internal musings raced through my mind in just a moment. Thankfully, my pride as a man kept it from reflecting on my face, and I responded calmly.

"Uh, never mind. I apologize! I only have around 30 valis with me now."

"Huh? A broke adventurer?" Chloe inquired.

'Damn, this woman's got a seriously sharp tongue.'

"I just became an adventurer yesterday, and today is the first time I went to the dungeon."

Attempting to salvage my image, I bragged a bit. "Well, although I'm suspected of bragging, I still feel that I'm pretty strong."

'WHY THE HELL DID I JUST SAY THAT!!!'

"Nope, meow... you totally look weak," replied Chloe with a flat face.

'This special skill of mine is truly dangerous.'

After calming down, a mischievous grin formed on my face. "If that's the case, how about taking a gamble, beautiful Miss Catwoman? How about giving me a free lunch box for now, and when I return triumphantly in the evening, I'll take you out on a date."

'YOU IDIOT!!!! WHY THE HELL CAN'T YOU JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!!'

Chloe: "....."

Ryuu: "..."

Anya: "HAHAHAHAHAHA."

"Ehmm... Sorry, no date plans for meow anytime soon. But I hope you return safely from the dungeon, meow."

'FUCK!!! I TOTALLY SCREWED UP!!!!'

"HA HA ha.. that was sooo funny, meow. I haven't laughed like this for a long time, meow... By the way, I am Anya Fromel, and the beautiful elf near me is Ryuu... what's your name, meow?"

'Damn, I even forgot to introduce myself.'

"My name is Flon, Flon Algon."

Suddenly, a middle-aged woman's roar spread throughout the shop.

"ANYAAA!!! CHLOEEE!!!! RYUUU!!! WHY THE HELL ARE YOU FOOLING AROUND? There is a lot of work pending."

The bodies of both the catwomen and the elf suddenly stiffened, and they shouted together:

"COMINGGGG" x 3

The two catwomen and the elf were about to run back when suddenly the black-haired one looked at me and said:

"My name is Chloe Rollo... and, by the way, you should work on your pickup skills.....really!! It was too bad."

"...."

I looked at the disappearing backs of the three girls for a moment and decisively turned around and walked away silently.

 Back in the Hostess of Fertility, several girls gathered around Ryuu.

"Ryuu, did you notice that little meow has a unique aura?"

Anya, possessing keen senses and an extraordinary background, held a broom close to the elven girl and whispered.

"It's truly distinctive. I didn't sense any aversion from him, but what exactly it is—I can't quite say."

As widely known, elves refrain from allowing individuals they dislike to touch them, and merely getting close to them draws frowns from elves.

However, that boy just now didn't evoke that repulsive feeling, leaving Ryuu with a question mark in her mind.

MC POV

It's been an hour since I left the "Hostess of Fertility," and the visit was truly enlightening. I was able to understand some of the dangerous flaws I have in my character.

Thinking back on my chat with Chloe, I can't help but cringe. I acted like some attention-starved kid, and it hit me how desperate I am for a bit of attention, which I guess is fair considering I was a shut-in NEET in my previous life.

When she first asked me if I wanted to have a drink with her, I felt something snap inside me. It was as if all those pent-up, deprived emotions from two lifetimes finally found a place to vent, and I started projecting my emotions onto her, which is why I felt my intelligence had severely dropped.

The biggest advantage of today's incident is that I got one more dream. I came to Orario because I wanted to learn more about magic and seek the unknown.

But now I have one more dream in addition that is to forge genuine and meaningful relations with some people. This dream may not be as grand as becoming a hero that saves the world or something, but it is meaningful, don't you think?