Adventurer's Guild Café: I Was Wrongfully Exiled by the Saint, So I Will Enjoy My Second Life with My Fluffy Friends-Chapter 2. - The Residents of the Girls Dormitory

“Wow, the sunset is beautiful, Lulu.”

“Ruu~”

After finishing my work with the silver ribbon, I headed back to the guild’s girls’ dormitory.

The dorm is behind the guild, but as I was walking and looked down over the town, I saw the sun setting grandly beyond the distant buildings.

It was such a peaceful view.

I found myself talking to Lulu, who was perched on my shoulder.

“I... used to hate evenings.”

“Kyur?”

“Because it meant I had to go home...”

While I was at school, I didn’t have to see my stepmother or my stepsister, Agnès.

But when school ended, I had to go home. So I’d linger at the library or somewhere, trying to kill time.

When it got dark, I’d finally head home alone, clutching my bag.

If I was lucky enough to get food, I’d eat alone in the storage shed.

“Evenings used to make me feel really lonely somehow. But I wonder why... Now I can just think, ‘Wow, this view is beautiful.’”

The Shield of the Silver Wolf King is incredibly vast.

Inside it are humans, demi-humans, and so many others.

Of course, it was the same in this city of Finaldatt.

When I looked over the city, lively scenes unfolded before me.

“...Do you think the people of the Leiria family were happy when I was gone?”

I murmured, feeling a pang in my chest.

In the end, no one ever came to visit me until I was abandoned in that forest.

...Well, I guess that’s no surprise.

Those of the Leiria family, including my father, never liked me. And on top of that, they probably thought I’d shamed them when they believed I’d bullied the saint.

“...I wonder why the saint told such a lie.”

As I muttered this, Lulu suddenly let out a low, rumbling growl.

“Grrr...”

“Lulu? What’s wrong?”

Startled, I reached out to the Lulu on my shoulder.

Lulu gave my finger a quick lick.

“Are you hungry?”

“…”

As I stroked the soft fur at my fingertip, Lulu finally stopped growling.

“Ruu.”

“...Yeah, let’s go home.”

Relieved that Lulu had calmed down, I wondered why she was growling in the first place...

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“Roon~!”

“Alright, alright, let’s head home.”

Usually, I get meals from the café.

I guess they’re considered staff meals.

Even when I say, “It’s okay, I don’t want to be a bother,” Ruri insists, saying it’s no trouble since we’re together anyway.

Both Ruri and Dan are such kind people, and I could never thank them enough.

But today, since they both had plans and were heading out early, they just gave me some leftover samples to take home to the dorm.

Today, I had a hearty vegetable soup, a baguette, and cookies topped with strawberry jam to bring back.

It had been a while since I’d eaten in my dorm room.

With the basket held firmly, I made my way back to the dorm.

◆

“Uh, wait... how do I use this thing?”

“Kyuru~”

After returning home.

Turning on the lights in my room, I went into the kitchen to warm up the vegetable soup, but I found myself bewildered by the unfamiliar kitchen setup.

“Isn’t this amazing, Lulu? Grantania has so many convenient appliances...”

“Ru...”

Lulu looked at me with an accusing gaze.

“Uh... sorry, okay?”

I was borrowing the same room I had used when I was injured.

It had a bedroom, a living area, and even a small kitchen.

It was a bit bare since I didn’t have many belongings, but I really liked this room.

At the Leiria estate, the only place for me was the storage shed.

Having my own bed, a dust-free space, and warmth... that alone made this place feel like heaven.

With Lulu here, it’s not lonely at all.

And with only my own chores to do (plus Lulu’s), my first experience living alone was surprisingly easy.

...But.

“Hmm. How do I get this thing to light?”

I sat in front of this magical stove thing, called a “mana stove,” and pondered aloud.

Since I usually ate at Ruri’s place, I never really learned to use the kitchen tools here...

I thought I’d seen a similar setup in the Silver Ribbon’s kitchen, but... why isn’t this working? I was sure that pressing this button would start a fire...

Once, Ruri had asked, “Kuu-chan, do you know how to use the stove at home?”

I’d said I’d be fine... Ugh, I should’ve actually listened.

“Lulu, is it okay if we eat it cold?”

“Kyuuun...”

Lulu gave a sad little whimper.

But really, Lulu doesn’t even need to eat—she’s just a little glutton.

“Would you rather have it warm?”

“Ruu.”

“Hmm…”

While I was deliberating, Lulu started tapping at the stove. She nudged it, pawed at it, but there was no sign of it lighting up.

As I picked her up to keep her safe, a thought struck me.

“Oh, right! I can just ask the dorm matron!”

When I moved in, Simon had told me, “If you have any trouble, feel free to ask the dorm matron on the first floor.”

A kind lady who greets me every morning.

Her name was... Samia, wasn’t it?

“Alright. Got it. Let’s go ask her.”

“Ruu!”

We decided to step outside once more.

◆

Clink.

The dormitory door was fairly solid. I unlocked it and unlatched the chain, then with Lulu perched on my shoulder, I stepped outside.

“Huh?”

But as soon as I stepped out, I froze.

In front of the door to the room next to mine stood a large cat with milk-tea-colored fur. It was about as tall as my waist and was standing on two legs...

“Ah, good evening, nya.”

“! G-good evening...”

The cat gave a polite nod, so I quickly bowed in return.

“I heard we had a new neighbor, nya. So that’s you, isn’t it?”

“Uh, yes, I’m Kuna. I just started staying here recently.”

I quickly introduced myself, feeling a bit flustered, and the cat smiled warmly.

“My name is Kurona, from the Cait Sith tribe, nya. I help out at the guild with reception and other tasks, nya.”

“K-Kurona! Nice to meet you!”

A Cait Sith...a fae cat?

Meeting a new kind of being for the first time made my heart race. But looking at Kurona’s warm and gentle expression, I began to feel at ease. I realized that, while I was a demi-human with human-like traits, Kurona was more like a demi-human with cat-like traits.

As we continued chatting in small talk, a relaxed atmosphere began to settle between us. Kurona was very kind and not at all intimidating.

While we were talking, I heard the sound of someone coming up the stairs.

“Phew, what a day... Oh, who’s this?”

Coming up the stairs toward us was a lively-looking human girl around my age. She had golden hair, bright blue eyes, and wore the guild uniform, so she must work here too.

“Ah!”

“!”

The girl pointed at me and shouted.

I flinched, my shoulders trembling, and then the girl quickly ran over and stopped in front of us.

“We finally meet! You’re the girl everyone’s talking about at the guild, right?!”

“W-What?! Talking about me?!”

“Everyone at our department is buzzing about this super cute girl!”

Apparently, she was also a resident of this dormitory.

Her room was next to Kurona’s, in a corner unit.

“I’m Ellen! I live over there, so if you ever need anything, feel free to ask me!”

“Ellen, you’re making Kuna-san uncomfortable, nya.”

“Huh? Oh, sorry! It’s just, it’s rare to meet someone from the beastkin tribe, so I got a little excited. And then, a Carbuncle!”

Ellen’s eyes sparkled as she looked at my shoulder.

It seemed like Lulu was the real draw here.

Lulu calmly observed our exchange.

“This is the first time I’ve seen a Carbuncle! It’s amazing! Where did you get this Carbuncle, Kuna-san?!”

“Uh… I found it in the forest.”

“You found it in the forest?! You can just find a Carbuncle?!”

Ellen kept exclaiming in excitement, staring at Lulu.

Lulu, however, didn’t seem interested in being the center of attention and simply yawned.

She was so laid-back…

“Wow, so this is what a Carbuncle is like. I’m so impressed.”

“It’s still a baby, though.”

“Then I can’t wait to see how it evolves!”

Ellen smiled as she said that.

She’s such a cheerful person.

“Oh, sorry for stopping you both. Are you heading somewhere?”

“No, I just got back, nya.”

I suddenly realized something from their conversation.

“Ah… I…!”

That’s right.

I was supposed to ask how to light the stove.

“Kuna-san, what about you?”

When Ellen asked, I honestly told her about the stove situation.

◆

“Here, you have to twist this.”

Saying that, Ellen twisted the knob with a little click.

Then she pressed the stove’s switch, and a faint flame appeared.

“Ah, amazing!”

“The magical power supply was off,” she explained. “But see, there’s this magic meter, right?”

“Yes.”

“This will add to your rent the more you use it. Things like lights too, so be careful not to overuse it.”

In the end, I had Ellen and Kurona come into my room to show me how to use the stove.

The system was simple, and it seemed I had just forgotten to open the main valve to supply the magical energy.

“By the way, the water bill is actually separate, but it’s included in the rent at a flat rate, so you’re fine.”

Hearing that, I suddenly remembered Simon.

When Simon offered to let me rent this room, he told me that I didn’t have to pay rent until I was able to earn money. But…

In reality, there are all these other expenses.

Once I start earning a salary, I should definitely pay the first month’s rent properly.

I made up my mind to do that.

“However, if you use an excessive amount, they’ll send an auditor, so be careful. If two people are living together, it’ll be obvious right away.”

“Brenda on the third floor was caught bringing a man in! It was found out, and she got a big scolding from the dorm manager!”

“Mellow on the first floor was doing experiments in his room and caused an explosion. He was told if he did it again, he’d have to leave.”

Is this dorm okay…?

“If they get evicted, they said they’d sleep in the guild’s counter area.”

Wh…what kind of people are these…?

I couldn’t stop myself from reacting to their conversation.

“Thank you both. Now I can heat up the soup.”

“Roon!”

I bowed my head with Lulu.

“It’s nothing, don’t worry! We’re all in this together.”

“If you ever have any trouble, just ask us anytime, nya.”

They both smiled cheerfully.

What wonderful people…

And so, I became friends with these two in the same dorm.